Pete & Jay's Tip O Da "Day"

Heard the old phrase "not worth the paper it's printed on"? Well, as it turns out, a variation of that is true. "Not worth the metal it's minted on" is true of some older US coinage. Coinflation has the full details.

"Fixed" credit card interest rates don't really mean "fixed". It just means that they have to give you at least 15 days notice and they can only change the rate of a group of people, not just you. More info at Marketplace Money .

"Many people just don't realize (like I didn't not too long ago) that the only time "it's" is needed is when the words "it" and "is" (or "has") are being contracted. ("It's" = "It is" or "It has." But I could never remember this until I learned the following: The word "its" signifies possession, and needs no apostrophe. Just like the words: yours, his, hers, theirs, and ours don't have apostrophes. Now doesn't that make sense? More info about Its vs It's for you to read or listen to. (Just to make sure I wasn't going to get too grammatically correct, I decided to end my sentence with a preposition.)

Are you trying to watch calories, but the thought of cold carrot sticks for lunch makes you want to fold like a house of cards and call up the pizza place down the street? If you like soup, let me suggest a nice steaming bowl full of Lipton noodle soup - that's right the kind that comes in a box. I'm not saying it's the healthiest thing you could eat for lunch (those worried about their sodium intake, be careful), but you can eat an entire envelope's worth (3 cups!) of the Extra Noodle variety for a grand total of 270 calories. It's hot, filling, comfort food which will remind you the lunches your mom used to fix for you on snow days. And I'm not talking filling like crappy diet-speak filling where they call three celery sticks and half a turkey sandwich "filling" when it soooo isn't. I mean, actually filling . Why else do you think the construction workers love to bring soup in their thermoses? Besides taking a long time to eat (for those

If you're a failing airline like American Airlines who is so deplorable you can't even publish a customer service number we feel that you should at LEAST respond to emails, when that's the only provided way your customers can contact you for customer service. If you fully plan NOT to respond, you should send an automatic response to emails saying the following: "Dear Devalued Customer, We're sorry we treated you like a knob-schlobber, probably lost your bags and made you arrive late to your destination--if we got you there at all. But for the love--what do you expect from a failing, bankrupt airline who can't even afford to give you freaking peanuts? In summary, deal with your problem. Because we have no intention of getting back to you, helping you, or even letting you talk to a supervisor. If you actually wanted customer service, you should've either paid more for this ticket, or flown a different airline, maybe like Southwest. You may be now asking you

Google has a SMS (text message) search service that lets you get weather, directions, scores, stocks, phone listings, etc by sending a text message. The service is free but standard text messaging fees from your mobile carrier apply. To get a list of sample queries check out Google's SMS page , or in the true spirit of this tip, message 'tips' to 46645 to receive a list of sample queries. - Bill

Kolaches, the best dessert in the world. If you happen to be visiting the Waco, TX area, you'll soon find that there's more to Waco than that weird cult thing where people killed themselves with white tennis shoes. In fact, it's a cultural marketplace, with diverse food offerings! If you're in Waco, head 15 minutes out of town to West, TX, home of a very large Czech population per capita. Enjoy sights such as the "Czech Inn," and especially the "Czech Stop," which literally has the finest baked goods you'll ever enjoy. Known as kolaches , these flaky, doughy, fruity little pastries will beckon you for more. You can't resist. And they're sold out of a gas station that is constantly packed, 24/7 with people buying these tasty pastry tschochkes, which I call "kolachkes." Go "czech it out" and tell 'em Pete and Jay sent ya.

If you followed the advice in the last tip, you're probably a little happy with me, but also a little mad because you're peeing constantly. You may feel like you have a bladder control issue, what with those "sudden, frequent urges" and all. Well, I'm sorry. But at least you're on your way to feeling better. Still, should you have to travel after following my advice, heed this advice as well. If you happen to find yourself on a plane at 4:30am, after drinking approximately 3/4 of a gallon of water, several glasses of OJ, and enough water to dissolve 2 "Airborne" tablets, you're going to have to pee--very soon. So, definitely pee prior to planing. But in the event of an unexpected plane de-icing prior to take-off, don't think to yourself, "hmm, we'll be in the air soon...I can hold it..." because you can't. De-icing will take approximately the rest of your life. And you may or may not know that you can't use airplane lava

If you feel the first signs of getting sick, especially those nasty viral bugs like the cold, flu, etc., follow these steps to insure that your illness will be as short-lived as possible. First, begin by drinking as much water as you can stomach. And maybe even a little more. If you are not peeing constantly, you're not drinking enough! Oh, and if there's even a LITTLE color, you're not drinking enough! Second, drink a tall glass of orange juice at every meal. The vitamin C and acidity will help. Third, take 4 echinacea tablets per day. Fourth, take 3 "Airborne" dissolving tablets per day. (Each tablet contains, among other things, 1,600% of your RDA of vitamin C!) Fifth, take a hot bath. Finally, enjoy whatever foods you are craving. Since your body is fighting something, it needs what it's craving. And I swear that sugary foods help give your cells the energy they need! Hope you'll be feeling better soon!

If you go to the "Salt Lick" in Austin, TX for the best BBQ in your life, do NOT order water as your beverage. If you do, you may think you've been like Coldplay, "swallowing the sea." Turns out that while they have the best BBQ in the buckeye state, they don't specialize in water. It's "unfiltered" tap water, they'll tell you, and it literally tastes like the Atlantic Ocean.

Do you think that the AAA card is only good for a tow or getting your car unlocked? Well, think again... Show your Card & Save ! You can save money at hotels, airlines, car rentals, restaurants, retail stores, etc. Specifically, you can save 15% at New York & Co. (even on sale items) and 20% at Payless for the month of March.

We all love how standard-fare programs on your Mac organize your music, photos, videos, fonts, etc. But occasionally, you may need to locate an actual MP3 from your iTunes playlist to email to a friend (Note: Pete & Jay Enterprises does not condone illegal, illicit music piracy.) or locate a font and send it to a printer, etc. While Macs make it easy to store and organize such files, you don't want to have to go through countless subfolders to find that song or font. But, Mac makes it easy (if you know the shortcut) to easily locate these files in Finder. If you're in most programs, hitting "Command-R" (for REVEAL) will reveal the file in its Finder window.

Need inspiration for a project, idea, etc.? We have an easy solution. Get ready for bed, then pour yourself a glass of milk, and get out a package of Oreos. Eat at least 5, then go to bed. Within minutes, you'll be wide awake, your brain firing with great ideas. You won't be able to sleep, but at least you'll have some good ideas! Note: this tip has been tested by one person using 2% milk, and regular Oreos. Vitamin D, or skim milk has not been tested, nor have Double-Stuft, Chocolate, Mint, or Fudge Oreos been tested.

This is a tip exclusively for "the powers that be" in the airline industry. Ok, so we get it. Times are tough. You're bankrupt. You're laying people off. Your checkbook bounces when you pay the electric bill. But for the love. Charging people $5 for a bag of peanuts and pretzels just makes you look like a bunch of cheap-A's. I mean, seriously, just add the 25 cents it costs to buy those to my fare in all the 18-million dollars in taxes. You're actually doing yourself more harm than good by nickel-and-diming away cheap things that leave your customers offended that they'd spend hundreds of dollars on their fare and be STARVING.

If you haven't already, go buy the new Relient K CD, "Five Score and Seven Years Ago." Aside from being fun and good, it's dirt cheap at Wal-Mart (I think $9.72). You just can't beat it!

If an place has a neon ice cream cone out front, then history has proven that there will be good ice cream inside. That does not guarantee that you should ever step foot inside the restroom however. -Thanks Fowler

For some reason, even at bitty itty airports like Lexington Blue Grass Airport, with NWA you have to check in 30 minutes early in order to check your luggage. If you don't, you could be subject to hauling your huge bag around airports and losing some shampoo that you didn't place in less than 3oz containers.

So among our normal readership, there is perhaps no one who can benefit from this tip, but its the weekend and no one reads Tip O Da Day on the weekend anyway. At South By Southwest, where this particular tipper is on this particular weekend, a lot of time is spent inside of the Austin Convention Center. Acc, as I think I may begin to call it, leaves a lot to be desired, such as water fountains on the third floor. Well those attending SXSW Interactive got a little red card that gives them one free drink a day across the street. Not being one much for beer, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that bottled water is on the very short menu. That'll help kick dehydration in the acc.

Serving sizes are so unpredictable. It may just be two pieces when you're talking about Double Stuf Oreos , or it could be 55 when you're talking about Goldfish . And since 55 Goldfish only have 1g of saturated fat, snack away! Compare that to Samoas , which has 2.5g of saturated fat per cookie , and you might just be telling those Girls Scouts to take a hike this year. -Thanks Brittney

When traveling, it's a good idea to lock the doors, turn down the heat a bit, etc. But make sure to remember your suitcase.

So we've already covered that you're not all that liable for fraudulent Credit Card activity. Well did you also know that your liability is limited for regular bank accounts too? (in the U.S.) The only trick is you have to catch it early. If you notice fraudulent activity within 2 days you are only liable up for $50. Some banks, like ING Direct want their customers to feel so safe, they go above and beyond the law and you are liable for $0. You just have to catch it early. So sign up for online banking and check your account every other day. It could get to be a pain, but at least you won't have your bank accounts completely drained!

Looking for a quaint little grocery store/deli to have a snackeroo? Check out Keene's very own local grocery store/deli. It is situated in the same building as the world famous post office (right off 169). They have great sandwiches and also serve pizzas.

"Smile, People will wonder what you've been up to" -The "Promises® Message" in the wrapper of my Dove Dark Chocolate

New Mac OS X users may not have noticed that when you right click on almost any word that you are typing, in the menu that comes up there are 3 really handy dandy features. "Search in Spotlight", Spotlight is their fancy term for basically just search your computer. "Seach in Google" self explanatory and cool. And "Look Up In Dictionary". Mac OS X also has a Microsoft Word like spell checker that works in almost any program. Just right click for suggestions, they will appear above the three other commands I just mentioned.

According to IRS Publication 526 (the one about charitable contributions you can deduct, duh) there are some tax benefits for those of in certain kinds of industries, such as: "Expenses of Whaling Captains Beginning in 2005, you may be able to deduct as a charitable contribution the reasonable and necessary whaling expenses paid during the year in carrying out sanctioned whaling activities"

Turns out the aforementioned Delta SkyTeam Complimentary Tee can be used as a doggie diaper as well! Perfect tail hole! Also, the tee has been human tested for using the bathroom! It works GREAT!