2005 Chevy Silverado Repair: Thermostat Problem & Coolant System. Replacing.

My thermostat has been stuck open for about the last 18 months on my 2005 Chevy Silverado. Today was finally the day that I fixed it. Anyone who has ever worked on their vehicle knows how much of a pain in the rear that it sometimes is to get to the proper parts/bolts/nuts/etc. Chevrolet/GM is not stupid, they make repairing their vehicles as difficult and time consuming as possible for two good reasons.
One reason is because most people will not even try to do it on their own. The other reason is so that their service centers will be able to charge for more hours to repair it. Well foohy. I did it myself and saved about $100. The thermostat (with built-in gasket) can be bought at an auto parts store (I went to Autozone) for about $12. The biggest pain with replacing the thermostat was getting to the nuts to take off the housing. I had to remove several other parts in order to be able to reach the nuts with my socket. I drained a little coolant and also spilled a bit on the ground. The whole process took me about 90 minutes but it was my first time so if I had to do it again I could probably do it in 45 minutes. My engine light is still on, but I think it will go off after driving about 15-20 minutes (it re-checks itself every 15-20 minutes or so). (edit..it went off in 15 minutes) Before I replaced the thermostat, my temp gauge wouldn't register above 180F and it took quite a while for my heat to warm up. Now, my gauge is at about 205F once the engine is warmed up. The service division is about the only thing that keeps most auto dealers in business. Ford just announced record earnings, is Chevrolet next? Not if I have anything to do with it.

Hot Stock Tip of the Day! Buy/Sell/Trade the Market in Penny Stocks & Day Trading

Just say NO. The allure of the "strike it rich" with the penny stocks is very tempting. I tried this once (actually twice). Several years ago I figured I could buy some cheap, cheap stocks that were about to break out (??) and then sell them quickly for a nice profit.
I did my research, bought on the dip and had some early success. All I was looking for was about an $80 profit on each stock and to buy/sell about 5 stocks a month.
My math told me that I would make about $400 a month profit, just enough to pay for my car payment. I realize this was not day trading, but it still gave me a big rush. I started to realize that I had a problem when I had about six stocks in my portfolio that were still going down. Even though I had sold many stocks for $75-$100 gains, these six stocks were at such a loss that they totally offset my gains. I eventually sold the losers and took the tax write-off against my capital gains and the whole experience was a break even. The only one who made money from my penny stock experience was the brokerage house. It was fun but not very wise. As William O'Neil from Investor's Business Daily always preached, buy great companies at good prices and not bad companies at cheap prices. Lesson learned.

How to Sell Gold For The Best Price. Cash For Gold/Best Place to Sell Gold without Envelope Scam.

I had a few old gold chains that I used to wear many, many years ago just sitting in a dresser drawer. I really was never going to wear them again so about 1 year ago I figured I would sell them at one of those "Cash for Gold" places. Procrastination led to TODAY..I finally did it. As the price of gold is at an all-time high, I finally took those chains (and a few old broken pieces of jewelry my wife had) to the Cash into Gold place.
I really didn't know what to expect. This place is one of those strip mall stores with the huge window sign saying "We Buy Gold" or "Cash for Gold" that probably just went into business about a year ago (they're popping up everywhere). The business was called Midwest Gold Buyers. I walked in and was pretty amazed that all that was in this place were two desks and a big wide open space. I was the only customer there. The lady working there was polite & informative, but I soon realized that this was one of "those" places. You know, the kind you read about that gives you next to nothing on what your gold is worth. I had two gold chains (necklaces), a ring, and a bracelet. The largest chain was "gold filled" so she said she couldn't take it and the bracelet had specks of small diamonds on it so since they don't pay anything for diamonds she would have to reduce the weight. The grand total she quoted me was $50. I said thanks....but this is the first place I stopped at and wanted to go to another place to get a quote. She then quickly upped my quote by 20% (wow, a whole $10 more). I told her maybe I would be back...yea right. This place probably paid about the equivalent of those places where you put your gold in an envelope and mail it (My Gold Envelope, Cash 4 Gold, Elite Gold Buyers, Empire Gold Buyers, Money4Gold, GoldPromise, US Gold Buyers, All-American Gold Buyers, Gold Stash for Cash......endless). There was another place about a mile away that advertised in my newspaper that they are the best place to take gold jewelry and basically make fun of how little those "Cash for Gold" places pay. It is a dinky little pawn shop looking place. It really isn't a pawn shop, they are really a coin type store but it had the feel of a pawn shop. I went in there and it was hopping. The place was wall to wall people (it was really small so about eight customers made it full). They totaled up all my jewelry and gave me a quote of $149. I said...let's do it. They handed me the cash and I was happy. I highly recommend you do a little research and get at least two quotes if you are selling any gold jewelry. The places that have been in business for many, many years are probably going to be more legit than the cash for gold-here today, gone tomorrow, place. The gold envelope scam thing is really a joke. Don't be that dumb. If you want to convert you gold to cash, it pays to shop around.

Brita Water Filter Review. Cheap, Clean, & Good Tasting H20??

I ordered a Brita water filter pitcher last week from Amazon.com and received it yesterday. I was anxious to try it out and see if it would make my water taste like bottled water. I was tired of buying bottled water because of the expense and the inconvenience.
I followed all the instructions (soak the filter in a cup for about 15 minutes & then empty out the first two pitchers). The hardest thing about setting up the pitcher was trying to get the lid on right. I admit it...I was trying to put it on backwards! It looked like it should have went on that way but it was just a tiny bit off. I struggled with the lid for about 10 minutes until my 9 year old son came in the house & said "it goes the other way". Duh. I asked him how he knew that & he just said "I looked at the picture on the box". Makes sense. Anyway, my tap water isn't bad but it tastes like tap water...a bit chloriny. The result: Nice improvement. It took out all the chloriny taste (yea, I know chloriny is not a word) and tastes more like bottled water (although not exactly). I am pleased with the pitcher and the results. I drink a lot of water (60 oz or more a day) and this will save about $15 each month versus buying bottled water. The filter costs about $6 and will last about two months. Two thumbs up on the Brita Water Pitcher.

Brita Water Filter Pitcher is on the Way. Does it work? Brita 42556 Grand Pitcher-The Taste will tell.

Yesterday I ordered a Brita water filter pitcher from Amazon.com.  I am tired of buying bottled water so I finally decided to give the Brita filtered pitcher a try.  I read the reviews and saw some less than positive comments on the pitcher but am hoping I have one of the good experiences. 
I ordered the Brita 42556 Grand Pitcher because I wanted a large capacity (80 ounces).
I understand the filtering process is slow and some people find the lid comes off too easily but I am willing to try this in hopes of eliminating the expense and inconvenience of buying bottled water. I will give a review of the pitcher once I receive it.