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Published: Thursday, 29 September 2022 22:55
Hits: 864

Logic Analyzer:

I've included this since Logic analyzers and Oscilloscope are two very important equipment used to debug signals on a chip. Here's brief intro:

https://www.baldengineer.com/logic-analyzer-tutorial-introduction.html

In short, Logic analyzers look at a digital bus (multiple bits of data), all bits, at same time and samples them continuously for specified time. It's different from oscilloscope in teh sense that oscilloscope looks at the waveform of signal, and plots it in analog domain (in reality, it's digital as there's a analog to digital converter in digital oscilloscope. But the granularity is so fine, that it looks like an analog signal). But logic analyzer plots digital signals ((0 or 1 only), and shows the waveform on the analyzer. Logic means digital, so logic analyzer is analyzing digital signals.

Digital signals from inside the chip are brought on to some GPIO (General purpose IO) pins on the chip, and we connect these GPIO pins to the analyzer. We also have a trigger signal, that we can set to start the process of capturing these digital signals. These digital signals need not be from a bus, they can be unrelated to each other. Logic analyzers allow us to see all these signals at same time, and their timing relationship with each other. We are limited by the number of GPIO pins we have available on chip, which could be used for driving these logic signals. These Logic analyzers are able to sample in Megahertz rate, i.e 100 Million samples per second is now common.

On Chip Logic Analyzer (OCLA):

These are an extension of Logic analyzers where the whole logic analyzer sits on chip, instead of being outside off chip. Nowadays chips are complex and have very few GPIO pins in comparison to the number of signals that we may want to observe. Also, chips are running internally in 100's of MHz speed, and our off chip analyzer may not be able to capture signals that fast. To resolve all of these issues, we build OCLA as follows:

  1. Sets of signals that we want sampled are passed on to a memory on chip (along with some glue logic).
  2. There's a trigger signal that can be set based on desired conditions. Whenever the trigger signal is set, these probe signals start getting sampled and written to a memory on chip. These get written to the memory until that memory is full or some other pre set condition is met. The number of signals and the time period over which these are captured is limited by the memory size. So, trace of 128 samples for 64 bits of signals would require a memory size of 128*64=1KB of memory.
  3. We can get the contents of memory out using JTAG pins (via TAP on the chip). This doesn't disrupt the normal operation of the chip.
  4. We still need an offchip debugger (basically a software) that has gui interface that allows you to configure the ocla. We choose signals we want traced, setup a trigger and start the tracer. Once the trace is complete, the software will extract data from memory on chip (usually using JTAG pins) and generate a vcd file (vcd file is waveform viewer file, see in digital section). This vcd file can be loaded on to any waveform viewer to see the waveform. This vcd has the exact trace that the hardware was seeing, so it's exact replica of what was happening on the chip.

OCLA is very popular on modern SOC chips which have billions of transistors on them, and bugs are not easy to trace. Multiple OCLA on chip allow all kind of signals to be traced, without interrupting the device. Thus we can narrow down the location of bug, by viewing these waveforms and comparing them to a simulation run.

Here's a little intro on OCLA: https://www.electronicproducts.com/on-chip-logic-analysis/

OCLA interface:

 

 

 

can drive them on whichever GPIO pins they were assigned to.

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Published: Monday, 19 September 2022 23:07
Hits: 709

Health Tips:

These are few health tips that I colected from my personal experience as well as from random places.

Drinking warm water early morning everyday:

You should try to drink 1 liter of water (about 4 glasses) every morning after you wake up, and before you go to use the restroom. This seems to really help with your digestive system and any constipation issues. Also drinking water hydrates your body and cleanses your body by forcing you to pee multiple times in the morning.

On top of drinking water, seems like drinking warm water is even more beneficial. It helps with cold/cough for sure, where many times I've noticed that cold/cough seem to be at bay by just starting to drink warm water. I heat water in microwave for 30 seconds, and it seems to be warm enough. Don't make it hot as that's not only difficult to drink, but may also cause burns in tongue or throat.

For full day, you should try to drink at least 2 litres of water and at most 4 litres of water. That's a lot, but it rally helps your body look young. Link:

Here's a link explaining some of the benefits: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/10-super-surprising-benefits-of-drinking-hot-water/ar-AAUNk0l

 

Waking up at 3am with negative thoughts:

I've experienced this myself, and heard from my dad too. Then I saw this article which tries to explain the sce=ience behind it => https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-do-we-wake-around-3am-and-dwell-on-our-fears-and-shortcomings

 

 

 

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Published: Friday, 16 September 2022 22:28
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This section deals with all food/grocery items that we have to purchase on regular basis.

Approximate prices:

  • Vegetables:
    • Potata:
    • Tomato:
  • Fruits:
    • Apples: Usually $2 for 3 lb pound on sale. $1/lb is regular price for most types of apple
    • Oranges/Tangerine:
    • Grapes: USual price is $1.99/lb, but on sale very regularly for $1/lb.
    • Fruit Juice: You have all kind of fruit juice, where some fruit juice have only 5% juce in them (rest is water), while some are 100% juice. Always buy
  • Dairy:
    • Milk: Milk is one of the most consumed grocery item. it has gone from $1/gallon in 2000's to $2 in 2020 to $4 in 2022. These are the prices for cheapest brand of milk sold in superstores as Kroger, HEB, walmart, Target, etc.
    • Cheese:
  • Nuts: Keep all nuts in refrigerator, as they tend to taste bad after being out for few months. Amazon, Walmart, Costco and Sam Club are all known on have deep sales on nuts, so buy them when they are highly discounted. CVS/Walgreens may also get you good deals on nuts with coupons, etc.
  • Ice Cream:

 

 

 

DEALS:

 

 

2024:

 

 

 

01/20/2024: Printable coupon for Free Dannon Yogurt => expires on 01/31/2024

Need to provide phone number, and then print coupon with barcode. Redeemable at any big store. Seems legit

Link: https://slickdeals.net/f/17231773-dannon-printable-coupon-any-dannon-yogurt-product-up-to-5-99-value-free-while-coupon-offer-last?src=frontpage

 

 

 

2023:

 

 

 

10/10/2023: Target : Free 10 Progresso Canned soup + $8 money maker=> expires on 10/31/2023

Buy 10 Progresso Canned soup for $17  and get $25 via rebate, resulting in $8 Money maker. Not bad to earn some extra dough for all the hard work. Seems legit

Link: https://slickdeals.net/f/16975687-18-5-oz-to-19-oz-progresso-canned-soups-various-10-for-free-7-21-back-after-25-rebate-or-5-for-free-0-41-back-after-10-rebate-free-pickup-at-target

 

 

04/14/2023: Sam's Club : Free Chloe's Frozen pop 12 ct box => expires after 1st 5000 redemptions

Limit 2 per submission. Need to provide phone number and your venmo or paypal details. As per comments, no one could find them in Sam's Club, nor is it available online. So, call your local Sam's Club, before you head there. Limited to first 5000 redemptions.

Link: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/sams-club-free-chloes-frozen-pops-12ct-box-after-rebate-limit-2/

Sam's Club Link (shows nothing avilable for shipping or pickup) => https://www.samsclub.com/p/chloe-s-strawberry-and-mango-pops-12-ct/P03013845

 

 

 

 

2022:

 

 

 

09/14/2022: Amazon: 3lbs Whole Almonds bag for $9 : 

Very good price for almonds. It's $3/lb, which is as cheap as it can get. You get 5% discount for subscribe and Save (S&S). You can get 15% off if you have 5 or more order on S&S for that month. If you don't have 4 other items for this cycle, order 5 of these on 5 different orders and you can get 15% off.

https://slickdeals.net/f/16037254-48-oz-happy-belly-whole-raw-almonds-9-45-w-s-s-free-shipping-w-prime-or-on-orders-over-25?src=frontpage

 

 

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Published: Saturday, 10 September 2022 15:09
Hits: 1636

Car Maintenance:

When you buy a new car, there's not whole lot of maintenance you need to do for the first 10 years. You will see Auto dealers or other car repair shops advertising "yearly car maintenance pkg" or "yearly tuneup" to keep your car running. They cost $1000's of dollars and do nothing. I've owned 2 new years for more than 10 years, and never gotten any of these services. Neither do you need them. There are some very basic "DIY" or "Do it yourself" things that you can do to keep your car running for 10 years or more. Below are few maintenance items that may or may not be necessary depending on your manufacturer. Let's discuss them:

  1. Oil change: This is the most important yearly maintenance that you have to do, or your engine is going to die prematurely. I've a separate section on this. Refer to that.
  2. Tire change/rotation: This is another expense that you have to bear every 5-10 years. Tires that come with new cars are usually low end tires, so they don't last for more than 5 years or 50K miles. So, you have to get them replaced once the tread falls to below 4. Tire changing is something that's not recommended to do yourself, for multiple reasons. First, you need to lift the car, balance the tires after putting them which can't be done at home. Other reason is that you will almost always find deals for installation of tires, where each tire installation will probably cost you < $15. All 4 tires can be bought and installed for around $500 depending on the car type and brand. You should also rotate the tires every year. A lot of Tire shops will do it for free.
    1. Best Tires: Michelin are considered one of the best brands, and offer about 80K miles warranty. Multiple deals every year.
      1. Michelin tires $150 off => https://slickdeals.net/f/16029949-costco-tires-save-150-instantly-on-any-set-of-4-michelin-tires?src=frontpage
    2. Tire replacement/repair/rotation shops: Lots of shops to choose from.
      1. Costco is one of the better places to buy tires. The include installation, 5 year road hazard warranty, etc at no extra cost. They usually have deals on tires every few months. Definitely best service out there for the price.
      2. Walmart is another cheap and reliable option. They include installation, road hazard, etc. Always buy the road hazard warranty , warranty as that will get you free repair (or free tire if not repairable, but only if tread wear < 25%, i.e tires shouldn't be too old). You will still have to pay for installation of tires. It's only $10/tire and worth it. The other warranty, which is lifetime tire rotation and balancing, is not worth it, as you can tire balancing for free at a lot of places, and balancing is not really done that often (may be once at the time you install the tires)
      3. Discount Tire, GoodYear and many other local/national chains will fix your flat tire for free. Why? Because you might end up buying tire from them, if the tire is not patchable. Do NOT try to patch a tire on your own, as it may leak air while driving if not not done properly. Besides, shops will do it for free. Just call few of them in your city. You will definitely find a few free ones. They will also do tire rotation for free.
        • Discount Tire => They also match most online prices for tires. So get a match when you find online tires for cheap (i.e usually ebay has discount on tires from time to time). They will charge for installation, but you may still come out ahead.
  3. Battery replacement: This will cost you $100-$200. Walmart is the cheapest place. Batteries last anywhere from 4-8 years. Almost all retailers install it for free, since it takes no more than 5 minutes to do it. You don't need to pay for any rubber, grease coating, etc as these are just gimmicks. Both brands below provide max 3-4 yr warranty. Warranty replaces the battery if it ever dies within the warranty period (Not just prorated amount). So, you should stick to these 2 brands. No matter how you dice or slice it, batteries are going to cost $50-$100 per year in cost, irrespective of warranty. 
    1. Walmart (Everstart) => provide 2 yr warranty with their low end battery from "Everstart Value". Everstart Maxx, their premium versions provide 3 yrs of warranty. I would go with 3 yr warranty as the price difference is 20% or so.
    2. Sears (Diehard) => These are Sears branded, highly reputed batteries. Although Sears has long gone bankrupt, but many retailers as Advance Auto Parts, etc sell these batteries. They are about 40%-50% more expensive than Walmart's Everstart, but folks claim that they are better made. With "Diehard Platinum", you get 4 yrs warranty for 40% more price compared to their value "Diehard Silver", which has only 2 yr warranty.
  4. Checking all Fluid levels: Check and replace/fill if needed. Not all of these fluids need flushing, and many Service manuals don't actually recommend doing these at all. For a lot of them, you may do drain and fill. Here you drain some of the fluid out, and fill it with new fluid, which replaces at least some of the old fluid. Below are some of the fluids you will need to check:
    1. Brake Fluid: This is a service that most Auto shops recommend doing every 20K-30K miles or every 3 years. This is called brake fluid flush. They say that moisture gets into the brake fluid that causes your braking ability to go down over time. Brakes start feeling spongy, and they don't cause a good braking. My auto manual of "Toyota Sienna Minivan" makes no mention of replacing or flushing this Brake fluid. There are comments from plenty of Auto experts who have driven for 20 years and 200K+ miles, and never replaced brake fluid. Looks like it's totally unnecessary thing to do. Even if moisture gets into your brake fluid, your brakes won't stop working. It slowly deteriorates over time, and you will have plenty of time to do this yourself if needed. It's a simple thing to do. An auto shop will charge $150 or so, while it will cost $20 or so doing it yourself. It's easy to do, based on few videos here:
      1. Eric's Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5O_pbC8R2E => NOTE: you don't need to do this for most vehicles.
      2. Comment from a reader:
        1. I have a 13 year old sienna with 200K and a 20 year old camry with 300K. I am very good with maintenance and do it mostly myself, but the brake fluid has never been changed. I don't see the reason. I don't do any extreme braking to cause an overheat condition. I am in the very humid south and haven't seen any problems with moisture. My Camry is about due for a paint job, so the metal panels will rust out before the brake fluid goes "bad". This in my opinion, is a non-required maintenance.
    2. Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF): This is another service that most Auto shops recommend doing. This is called Transmission Fluid flush. You absolutely don't need this. Follow what your vehicle manual says. My toyota manual says you need this only if using the van for heavy duty purpose (i.e towing, heavy loads, etc). There are lots of comments saying it's unnecessary. Instead of a flush, a simple drain and fill might suffice. Even if it's needed, do it yourself.
    3. Coolant: This one service that you should do once in 5-10 years. You may keep filling the coolant once it gets low. Keep doing it, until it comes to a point where your manual mandates it. with the previous coolant
  5. Spark Plug change: This is something that needs to be done very infrequently, maybe at around 100K miles mark. You will either get Check Engine light (CEL) turn on (see below) due to cylinders misfiring or will see bad gas mileage, You can do it yourself in under 10 minutes. Spark plugs cost < $5 a piece, so you can get done in less than $25. You will need to buy special tools though to replace the spark plugs. These are inexpensive and save you $100's compared to getting it via a mechanic. I've done it myself, so easy to do. 
    1. Vid for Honda CRV (2007-2014) spark plug replacement => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rueBuqNHMIw
    2. Make sure you check spark plug gap. It should be correct, but if not, get it fixed.
    3. Ignition coils may go bad too (the cylindrical coil structure that you take out before accessing the spark plug). In my older car, I needed to change ignition coil too, as changing spark plugs didn't fix the CEL issue. So, change ignition coils too if needed. Ignition coils are little more expensive, so it's your choice if you want to change ignition coil while changing spark plugs.
  6. Starter or Alternator replacement: This is something that needs to be done very infrequently, maybe at around 100K miles mark. You do this only when your starter or alternator dies. They die around 80K-120K miles mark. That's why people end up selling their around 100K miles mark, as after that car parts start failing more frequently.
  7. Check Engine Light (CEL): This is a light that will turn on once in a while, if something is not working right, and the electronics associated with monitoring the system is able to detect it. When the check engine light turns on, your car will NOT pass "state inspection" (most states require yearly state inspection for emission and safety). You should NOT ignore it. You should try to get the code using a car diagnostic scanner. Usually you can find them on sale for $10. One such is here: https://slickdeals.net/f/15769141-autel-ms309-obd2-diagnostic-car-scan-tool-engine-code-reader-10-61-w-coupons-amazon?src=frontpage. You can also go to your local mechanic or any of the big chains, and they offer to check the code for you for free. Once you know the code, research it on the internet to find out what it is, and how to fix it. If you can't do it yourself, call a lot of places and get quotes, since you already know what needs to be fixed. It may cost few hundred dollars to few thousand dollars. Depends on what's wrong.
    1. Emissions fail: Most of the times, very old cars (>10 yrs), or cars with lots of mileage (> $100K) will fail emissions test. Check Engine Light may turn on, and your OBD scanner may show code as P0420, P0430, or something similar. Usually something wrong with exhausting gases (catalytic converter) which will cost you $2K-$3K to fix it. People generally trade in their cars at this point, as the car itself doesn't have much value, and cost of repairing it is not worth it. As long as your car can drive, you will get at least $3K in trade in. Before tossing the car away, You can try some solutions:
      1. First try to clear the code using OBD scanner (They have a "clear all codes" option). Then drive car for some time (50-100 miles) and see if the CEL turns on. If not, then you are good, but if it turns on, then check at what distance it turned on. If it turned on at say 20 miles, then you should clear the code, and drive again for a lesser distance then when it turned on (i.e may be 15 miles). Now, take it to inspection station, and may be it will pass inspection, as CEL is not on, and most likely computer hasn't registered problem with catalytic converter yet.If you drive too little before taking it to inspection, then your car's computer will have "Not Ready" for some of the tests, which will be read by the OBD scanner, and the inspection station will ask you to drive some more and come again. It's a back and forth process, but has worked.
      2. If above doesn't work, buy these products from amazon where they guarantee that your car will pass emission test by using their product. Use at your own risk. They seem to work most of the times. They cost only $10 or so.
        1. Cataclean from Amazon (is rated #1) => https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP4HQVHF
        2. CRC from Amazon (states Guaranteed to pass) => https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CIPUR8
      3. There are many other products sold on amazon that clear other components as oxygen sensors, etc. Search on youtube for such products, and try to see which of these work.
        1. For cleaning entire fuel system: Techron is highly rated. Multiple ppl have comments stating it got rid of problems with their fuel injection system. Gets rid of CEL codes too. Good for older cars to mix it with gas every once in a while. You can get 40 oz for $15 onsale.
          1. Link => https://slickdeals.net/f/18826021-12oz-chevron-techron-fuel-system-cleaner-or-high-mileage-fuel-system-cleaner-from-2-for-12-free-store-pickup?src=frontpage
          2.  

 

My Toyota Sienna model from 2014 has following maintenance recommended as per it's "maintenance guide":

  • Every 5K miles or 6 months => Inspect and adjust all fluid levels, inspect wiper blade, visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs, rotate tires (from front to back and left to right). Basically nothing needs to be done, just visual inspection every 6 months (except for tire rotation). Tire rotation is not necessary every 6 months, it can easily be a yearly thing.
  • Every 10K miles or 1 year => Replace Engine Oil and Oil filter. This is THE most important maintenance needed every year.
  • Every 30K miles or 3 years => Replace Engine Air filter and Cabin air filter. Also inspect engine coolant and Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). Look around for any signs of distress in Exhaust pipes, Drive Shat boots, Front differential oil, Fuel lines and connections, fuel tank, radiator and condenser, steering gear box, steering linkage and boots, etc.
  • Every 60K miles or 6 years => Inspect drive belts. Replace ATF and front differential oil (and rear differential oil + transfer case oil for 4 wheel drive vehicles) ONLY if you are using your car under heavy load (i.e using it for towing purposes, or using car top carrier for heavy loads). This suggests that for regular driving, it's not needed.
  • Every 60K miles or 6 years => Replace Engine coolant
  • Every 120K miles or 12 years => Replace spark plugs. It says it's required under the terms of Emission Control Warranty, which seems to suggest that this not an absolute necessity.

As you can see, there's no specific part replacement needed except an yearly oil and oil filter change. Rotating tires every year is another thing to do. Replacing ATF, coolant flushing and replacing spark plugs is something that you do after 6 years or 60K miles. I usually don't do any of these until it's 10-12 years or 100K miles.

Many mechanics and dealer shops will ask you to get un necessary servicing done, just follow your manufacturere's manual. They will claim fuel efficiency, and blah blah. The amount of little fuel that you will save will never pay for those service. It's like buying an EV for $25K more to save $0.10/mile in gas, it will never pay off :(

I had a Hyundai Accent (2008) car that I drove for 12 years, without ever stepping into a mechanic's shop, except for replacing tires and getting it rotated. I replaced batteries and spark plugs myself. I did oil change myself every 6 months. Unfortunately it suffered some damage after 12 years, and had to be let go. Cars can easily run for 10-15 years, doing the most basic maintenance work without paying any auto sop a single dime !!

 

 

Auto Repair Tools:

Car repair requires few basic tools and also many specilaized tools. Regular maintenance like oil change requires very basic and cheap tools. Brake job also requires basic tools. You may either buy these tools from auto stores as autozone.com, advanced autoparts.com, etc or from amazon, walmart. Most of the times I've found parts to be cheapest on amazon.

Tool Rental: stores like autozone and Advancd Auto Parts allow you to rent a lot of tools for free. So, you don't even need to buy these. You pay a security deposit, and take it home for 90 days. if you return them back in 90 days, you get your deposit back. A lot of tools are avlable under this program. Check these out before buying any tools.

 

 

Details
Published: Thursday, 08 September 2022 13:56
Hits: 1425

Homeowner Items:

There are lot of items that you need to have once you buy a home in USA. I've put them in separate section here as it's not essential for people who aren't homeowners. Renters don't have to take care of things around the house. Landscaping or taking care of your yard is the foremost in this. I've a separate section for landscaping under "Housing". Others are buying Fans, lights, Appliances, Furniture, repairing broken things etc. Labor is very expensive in USA, so most of the time if you have to fix things yourself. It's not as hard as you think, in this age of youtube. 

 

 

Appliances:

Most basic appliances needed in home are washer/dryer, refrigerator, microwave, oven, dishwasher, etc. Costco is a good place to buy appliances as they have sales on these once every few months. All their appliances include free shipping and free setup. Other good places to buy include home Depot and Lowes. They may charge extra for setup (depending on the promotion at that time).

EXTENDED WARRANTY: Buying those extended 4-5 year warranty is useless, as it's rare for new appliances to fail in first 4-5 years. However as of 2023, I've so many appliances fail in first 5 years, so I've changed my thinking. I believe you should buy the cheapest of the appliances, and then get a 5 yr extended warranty, which usually costs 20%-30% of the item price. Since these extended warranties are sold by Lowes/HomeDepot, I've found them very reliable. Most of the times they end up refunding you the appliance price instead of repairing it (especially if it's a cheap model). You can use that money to buy a new one and repeat the process (assuming these cheap ones always fail within 5 years). Another motivation for buying a cheap model with extended warranty is also that the chances of it going bad in 1st 5 years are higher. Since we can get these GC for HD/Lowes at 20% off (see GC section), you are effectively paying nothing for 5 yr protection when you buy everything with a GC, compared to buying it with a credit card (chase credit card provides 1 yr extended warranty, but only the same as manufacturer warranty). This extended warranty that you buy covers almost all malfunctions (even due to wear and tear). So, this warranty is lot more valuable than going with a warranty with credit card.

1. Washer/Dryer: Washer/Dryer are relatively cheap in USA and can be bought for around $1K for a pair. They run for 10 years or more, provided you had bought the basic models. Fancy models will not last as long as the basic models, since fancy models have more electronics that can break. I had bought a very basic Kenmore Washer/Dryer set for $500 total 10 years back in 2012. It still works to date. Washer started making sound due to springs of the tub getting loose after around 10 years. I was able to repair it myself, by buying those spring rods online for $50. Most of the homes have electric connection to Dryer, so you need to buy an electric dryer (NOT a gas dryer, those are usually in older homes). Gas was used in heating as heating is economical with gas compared to electricity. A good price for a pair of washer/dryer as of 2022 is $800+tax (with shipping and setup included in the price).

2. Refrigerator: There are many refrigerators on market now which have water dispensers, TV screens, bluetooth and what not. Again, go with a refrigerator that doesn't have any of these, as that will last longer and cost less. Also, refrigerators with waster dispensors have 2 problems: first, their filters are very expensive to buy (adding $100/year in filter replacement), and secondly, they take up valuable space of your freezer, which could have used to put more stuff inside your freezer. Not having water dispensor also allows you to place your refrigerator anywhere, without worrying about the water line. Other thing to consider when buying a refrigerator is the size. I go for big size refrigerator, since the price goes up only marginally for a bigger size. I bought a 33 cubic feet cpacity refrigerator from Lowes for around $1000 with no tax (during tax holiday during memorial day in Texas). A good price for a refrigerator as of 2022 is $1000+tax (with shipping and setup included in the price). There's usually no setup needed (unless you have water dispensor or ice maker).

3. Microwave: These are pretty cheap. The ones that are installed on walls (and come with the house) are expensive at around $400, but ones that are stand alone can be bought for $50.

4. Dishwasher: This is used for washing dishes and you can easily get one for $400 or so. They both charge you extra for installing it. It costs about $200-$300 for installing + $50 for haul way.  Very easy to install

5. Vacuum Cleaner: Most of the Vacuum cleaners can be had for about $50. Robot Vacuum cleaners are the new rage. They do clean, but the battery will die in 2-3 years. You could get a good quality Robo Vacuum for < $80 on sale (as of 2023).

 

 

Fans (Portable and Ceiling):

Fans are cheap when you buy them after summer ends. They go on clearance for 75% off at Home stores (Lowes, Home Depot), Super stores (Walmart, target), and other grocery chains. Most important thing to note in a fan is wattage. IF wattage of fan is low, no matter what it says, it won't give out much air. Ceiling fans are usually 75W or more while portable fans are 25W and more.

Ceiling fans: They come in different size. $20-$40 on clearance is a good price for the fan 52 inch or more. Look for wattage of > 200W.

Table Fans: Most of the fans here give very little air. Tower fans are equally bad. Vornado branded fans are the only ones that gives out good air. Look for wattage of > 100W. All low rated fans have current < 1A, which pushes very little air around.

 

 

Home decor:

These includes all items for decorating your home on any occasion, as well as decor for holidays as Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. Halloween is the one most popular with kids. Halloween costumes, inflatables, etc are very expensive. However, you can buy stuff for 75% off right on the day of Halloween or a day after that.  Store it to use next year. Same applies for any decor you buy for other occasions. Best places to buy on clearance are walmart, local grocery stores, pharmacy stores as walgreens, home stores as Home depot and Lowes.

 

 

Furniture:

These includes all furniture. Some of the places to buy furniture with free shipping is wayfair, overstock, Kohls, Macys, JCPenney, Costco, Walmart and Home depot. They all have generous return policy where you don't pay anything for return shipping if you return the item within 30 days. If the item is very heavy and requires special delivery, some of these stores may charge you an "oversized delivery fee". I usually avoid buying from anywhere that charges you a shipping fee. Home Depot has been one of the best places to buy furniture during and after the pandemic as they had lots of furniture on 50%-75% off. Their furniture is usually very heavy and high quality.

 

 

 

Tools/Accessories:

These includes all tools/accessories etc that you use to work on repairs inside or outside your home. The best place to buy is Lowes, HomeDepot. If you live in an area where you have Harbor Frieght (HB) stores, then you are in luck. HB has similar items as Lowes/HomeDepot, but at a much lower price. They also give out free items almost every month. They are good quality items, though many comments still consider them trashy. Ace Hardware is another store where you may find some deals once or twice a year. You can find more about these stores in "stores" section.

Drilling holes or driving screws: This is something that you will need to get comfortable with as a homeowner. 

  • There are 2 separate tools available => a drill and a driver. You get drill and driver as a set, and usually cost < $100 even for high quality ones that will last > 10 years. 
  • Drill vs Driver: The drill is for drilling holes while the driver (known as impact driver (ID)) is for driving screws into wood etc. Before ID came, ppl used to use drill for driving screws too, but now ID make this job so much easier.

 

Work Ladder: These 4 ft or 6 ft step ladders are really light and easy to use around the house. 4 ft ladders are most common and allow you to easily reach 10 ft high ceilings to clean fans, change bulbs, etc. The taller ladders, which are heavy and bulky are for reaching higher places, and are needed when your ceilings are > 12 ft high, which is very common in USA. These heavier ladders can be configured in multiple ways, which can be very handy in multiple situations. Work ladders can be bought for cheap when on sale on Home Depot and Lowes. Home Depot sells "Gorilla" brand, while Lowes sells "Little Giant" brand, both are comparable.

 

 

 

 

DEALS (2023-present):

 

 

 

 

 

2023:

 

 

05/26/2023: ebay - Refurbished Eufy RoboVac G32 Pro for $60 (with 2 yr warranty)

https://slickdeals.net/f/16674575-eufy-robovac-g32-pro-robot-vacuum-refurbished-60-free-shipping?src=frontpage

This is the best price for this highly rated Robo Vacuum cleaner. It also comes with a 2 yr warranty provided by Allstate, so no worries about battery. I bought it for $100 at Walmart in Dec 2022, and it's running great so far. If you need one now or in future, get it now.

 

 

2022:

 

 

10/31/2022: Amazon - Halloween 5 feet inflatables for 75% off - few for around $10

https://slickdeals.net/f/16106449-goosh-halloween-inflatable-yard-decorations-w-built-in-led-lights-various-from-15?src=frontpage

Few links to amazon:

Very good price for inflatables for next year's halloween. You can always return it by January 31st, 2022 if you don't like it. Definitely open it, blow it and check it before you store it for next year.

 

 

10/25/2022: Amazon - Good sectional sofa for $350 - Grey weave color only

https://slickdeals.net/f/16125928-rivet-revolve-modern-upholstered-sofa-w-reversible-sectional-chaise-grey-weave-368-50-free-shipping

This won't last long, as it's hard to get this sized sofa for $400 or less. Reviews seem good, and it has 1 year warranty. It's Amazon brand, which is usually good quality. It's regular price is $800, so it's very good price. Buy 2 of these and put them side by side to make a big sectional sofa. My price was $355+tax, though price has been bouncing around.

 

 

10/07/2022: Whirlpool washer/dryer for $700 at Costco (after $300 GC):

Finally Washer/dryer set for $700 with 2 year warranty. Can't find anything cheaper. Last time, I bought a washer/dryer set for ~$500 was in 2012. This will expire fast.

https://slickdeals.net/f/16086004-costco-members-300-shop-card-plus-whirlpool-impeller-washer-electric-dryer-laundry-990?src=frontpage

 

 

09/22/2022: Multiple portable fans on sale at Target

Finally Multiple portable fans on sale at Target at more than 50% off. Don't expect much from these fans, as all table fans push out little air.

Honeywell Turbo Force 35W ($8.50) => https://slickdeals.net/f/16045540-honeywell-turboforce-table-air-circulator-fan-black-8-50-free-store-pickup?src=frontpage

Lasko Box Fan ($14) => https://slickdeals.net/f/16045786-lasko-box-fan-black-14-white-13-50-at-target-w-free-store-pickup

Many more on target.com for 50% off regular price => https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=fans&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories&tref=typeahead%7Cterm%7C4%7Cfans%7Cfans%7C%7C%7Cservice%7C10%7C%7C%7C&searchTermRaw=fan&facetedValue=5tdv0Zdq4mnZvmjfhZur73zZesf2xZa154r&moveTo=product-list-grid

 

 

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