Appliances With Electronic Controls Can't Be Left Running

New Appliances Have Electronic Controls 

If you have any new appliance, it probably has an electronic control panel that keeps it functioning. The control panel is the brain to the appliance, so we found out with our Whirlpool electric range. With no brains, the appliance has no sense. 

We returned from a two-mile walk and decided we'd cook a frozen pizza for supper. I turned on the oven and pushed the temperature panel to stop at 400 degrees. When the preheat had less than a minute to go, I popped the pizza in the oven and went to watch television for 15 minutes while the pizza cooked. I heard the buzzer when the preheat completed.

Don't Use Your Appliances When You're Out
 

I was just in the next room, but smelled something strange. Got up to check on the pizza and saw that the oven no longer showed 400 degrees, but had something that looked like F-3 on the panel. The pizza smelled like it was burning and there was an electrical smell in the air.
 

I pulled on the oven door. It wouldn't open. I peeped through the glass and could see the coils were hot and continuing to heat. I called Hubby. He ran to the garage to turn the breaker off while the house was filling with smoke and burned-pizza odor. We opened the doors, trying to prevent the smoke alarm from attracting the neighbors.
 

The door wouldn't open even after the breaker was turned off. The pizza continued to burn because the oven was at a high temperature.
 

I went to the Internet to check to see if this happened to other people. It appears that it is fairly common, but I couldn't get the oven door open to locate the serial number or style of the oven. Even the 800 number is inside the oven. 
 

I rifled through the warranty files to locate the owner's manual and installation booklet. There is no information about this problem in the literature.
 

How the Electronic Controls Work 

After an hour or so, the oven door could be opened and we took the black pizza out and threw it away. The next day, I called Whirlpool and reported the dangers of what happened. They said that was normal and "the way the oven was intended to work." I suggested that the pizza could have caught fire if we hadn't been watching and that serious damage could have resulted.

The repairman replaced the control panel and assured me that it was made to work the way it did. When the control panel goes out, the temperature is uncontrolled and goes up like it does in self-cleaning mode. The oven door locks to avoid human burns -- to heck with the pizza or whatever you have inside. I suggested that a fuse could prevent this and was told that there is a fuse that would probably blow if the pizza had ignited.

The lesson we learned here is not to leave an appliance with an electronic control panel operating while we're out. This goes for the washer, dryer, oven, range or whatever. If the control panel fails, the appliance runs uncontrolled.

We hope our experience helps others realize the perils of electronic controls.  We had never used the self-cleaning feature on the oven and joked that the oven decided it was time for a cleaning -- but this is not a joking matter. A house full of smoke, a pizza in the oven that can't be rescued and an appliance with a locked door creates a scary situation. I'm still a little reluctant to use the oven when I'm home alone.

See you soon!

Linda

cajunC

PS:  On a fun note, we've been seeing the yellow-crowned night heron in Central Texas since we've had some rain.

Spring Cleaning with Natural Products -- Baking Soda, Rubbing Alcohol and White Vinegar

Naturally, You'll Do Spring Cleaning in All the High Places.

Natural products work as well or better around the house than expensive brands you use because they have "in your face" advertising. When you go to the grocery or drugstore, buy only the basics to enjoy safe and practical cleaning at an affordable price. 

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a cheap alternative to spray cleaners to use in almost every room of the house. Baking soda cleans the tub, the sink and the commode in your bathroom. Just sprinkle the powder in areas where you use sprays. Wipe with a wet sponge or brush and rinse with clear water.

Baking soda works in the laundry as well. Sprinkle some baking soda in your wash to eliminate odors such as perfume and body odors. It also gets your clothes cleaner, assisting the detergent. 

Baking soda is useful in the kitchen. It cleans the sink and the pots without scratching. It's also good for odor absorption in the refrigerator. If your ice cubes have a taste, they may be old, or they may have absorbed refrigerator odors. Cover all open containers in your refrigerator with a plastic wrap and place an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors.

White Vinegar

Use white vinegar to clean stubborn stains. It works well in the bathroom to clean around the faucets. Wet a cloth with white vinegar and wrap the area around the faucets. Come back in an hour and scrub the area with an old toothbrush to remove the sediment. Rinse the faucets with clear water. 

White vinegar cleans residue from glass, pottery or porcelain that's caused from standing water. Fill the container with white vinegar and let it sit over night. Scrub with a toothbrush and rinse with clear water. Use white vinegar in the kitchen when you have a stubborn stain or baked-on food. Leave the white vinegar in the item to soak, and rinse with clear water in an hour or so. 

Caution: don't leave vinegar in an aluminum pot or it may eat through the metal.

Rubbing Alcohol

Use rubbing alcohol throughout the house as a disinfectant. You can clean your countertops with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel to remove ballpoint pen ink and sanitize the countertops for cooking or emptying the dishwasher. Rubbing alcohol cleans granite countertops and laminates. Don't get alcohol in the seams as it may dissolve the glue or sealants.

Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol is a good glass cleaner, and cleans mirrors better than purchased spray products. Place a little rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and use it to wipe the bathroom mirrors, fixtures and countertops. Use rubbing alcohol as a prewash to remove ballpoint ink spots on your washable clothing. 

Alcohol is flammable, so don't use it near an open flame.

These three products can help you do most of your spring cleaning. We also use hydrogen peroxide as a mild bleach. It's a disinfectant for countertops and sinks, and is safe enough to use as a disinfectant on your hands, a cleaner for cuts or wounds and a fungicide for plants. 

Inexpensive natural green products that don't harm the environment and don't require a propellant can work for you. At about $1 each, you can get all the cleaning products you need on a $5-dollar bill. 

See you soon!

Linda

Take Charge of Your Federal Income Taxes Including Form 1099-K

W-2 forms and 1099's for filing federal income taxes are in the mail, if yours haven't already arrived. You'll have all the income information to file your federal income taxes soon, but you may still need to add the income figures and make a few calculations.

You DO file your own federal income taxes, don't you? If not, you're paying someone to put figures in the blanks, and you provide the figures. The IRS has free filing through their website at irs.gov, but if you operate a business, you may need to purchase a tax software program such as TurboTax or TaxAct. The Home and Business version walks you through your Form 1040, Schedule C for your business and Schedule SE for your self-employment taxes -- Social Security and Medicare.

The federal tax laws have changed a little this year, and there is no Making Work Pay credit. The filing date without an extension is April 17, because April 15 falls on a Sunday and Monday is Emancipation Day in DC.

You'll need to break down your mileage from January to June 30 and from July 1 to December 31 if you want to claim mileage for your business activity. Mileage is calculated at 51 cents for the first half of the year and 55.5 cents for July to December.

The IRS has a new Form 8949 for capital gains. Complete this form to transfer your capital gains information to Schedule D. If you got a Form 1099-B, it may have the basis figure you need to complete the Form 8949.

Form 1099-K is new, and comes from merchant payment centers such as PayPal. If you received more than 200 payments through a merchant payment center during the 2011 year totaling more than $20,000, you will likely receive this form. Because you may also receive a Form 1099-MISC for contract work, be aware that there may be duplication of the amounts. You don't want to pay taxes on this income twice. Fortunately, the IRS has waived calculations for this year, and the 2011 Form 1040 tells you to put "0" in the blank.

Don't concern yourself about discrepancies in the Form 1099-K and your actual income for this year. Just put a zero in the blank and move on, because you can't likely reconcile the figures -- and you don't need to. Count all of your income on your federal income tax form, but only count it once.

The IRS requires businesses to send you a 1099-MISC if you work as a contractor and earn more than $600 during the year. If you earn less than $600, you must still count that as income, although you don't get a Form 1099-MISC.

Claim all of the deductions you are allowed, including mileage, advertising and supplies. And Internet expenses, if you work online. It's only with claiming all of your deductions that you can see if you make a profit from your business efforts.  

Do your taxes yourself and treat yourself when you're done. You'll save a significant amount of money and you may learn some tax law along the way. Everything you need is available on the IRS website. Here's the information you need from the IRS about Form 1099-K. 

An article with another perspective on this year's tax changes is Tax Changes to Watch For by Eva Rosenberg.

Sometimes an eagle watches over you, and sometimes it's a hawk. We don't have a picture of an eagle, although my daughter swears she'll get us one. Here's the red shouldered hawk we see in our area often.

Such a stately bird, we enjoy his company. Get your federal income taxes done and soar ahead of the crowd.

We got a new book published. This one is Retirement Living Guide Tips and Recipes for Easy Cooking. 

You can also read part of the Retirement Living Guide Tips and Recipes for Easy Cooking or download a copy for $2.99 on Kindle at Amazon.

Our previous book, Retirement Living Guide for Senior Citizens, is still available on Smashwords or Kindle.

See you SOON!

Linda

Organize with Files for Tax Time and Warranty Claims

Organize for 2012 so you'll be prepared for taxes, broken appliances and warranty work. Start a simple filing system with an expandable folder or file drawer. You don't need much to get started and keep your system up-to-date. Manila file folders work with a file drawer. Here's an easy system that works.

Label your file folders for saving receipts and papers you'll need for taxes or reference. Some labels you might use are 

• credit cards

• house

• income

• insurance

• taxes

• miscellaneous

Date each file for the year.

During the year, stick the receipts in the correct file. Any order will do at this point. You don't have to be a fanatic for this system to work -- just don't throw away receipts or information about the things you might need, especially credit cards and insurance.

When it's tax time, pull the files for the year and sort the receipts. They will all be together for easy retrieval. Use the tax file to write down the items you can deduct from your taxes, such as property tax or maybe even your vehicle renewal fees. Calculate your credit card interest paid and other enlightening figures, so you can see where your money goes. Review the files for taxes and for budget resolutions -- improvements you can make to your spending habits.

You'll also need a warranty file for all of your small equipment. An alphabetical expandable file works well for this. When you purchase anything with a warranty such as electronic, electrical or hand equipment, clip the receipt to the warranty and mark the date of purchase. File your warranty information alphabetically by the name of the item for easy retrieval. This file is ongoing, and doesn't need to be started new each year. Include household items such as water heater, microwave and appliance warranties as well as warranties for toaster and small kitchen appliances. If it has a warranty, you need to save the paperwork to make a warranty claim. Be sure to make a warranty claim if you have an issue with any piece of equipment within the warranty period. This notifies the company of a potential problem as well as assists you in the repair or replacement of the item. 

If your mind doesn't like the thought of organizing, this filing system works with little mental agony. Although the tax deadline isn't here yet, it's time to set  up new files for 2012 so you'll have purchases and expenses for the year all in one place.

See you next time!

Linda

cajunC

P.S. The red-bellied woodpecker is in our backyard, and claims the territory in this area of Texas.

Be Charitable -- Buy American this Christmas Season

If you haven't done all of your Christmas shopping yet, maybe you can help your neighbor and your country when you shop.

ABC News published a blog by Ben Forer recently, entitled "Made in America: Creating Jobs For Christmas" about creating jobs by buying American products. The calculations show that if we purchase $64 in American-made products, we would create 200,000 jobs here and now. Why aren't we doing this? Maybe we don't understand the economy, or maybe we have difficulty locating items made in America. Sales are up 6 percent over last year, and this is an opportunity for consumers to make a difference.

When we felt the recession of the 1980s, even WalMart encouraged us to buy American goods, and had a little logo to distinguish those items. I've looked for items in the dollar stores and big box stores and have concluded that there is very little available for the consumer there that is made in America. Maybe some of the grocery store fruits and vegetables and food products are produced in the U.S. Some of the discount stores here in Texas don't even have many items printed in the English language. These are items made for export or maybe for stores catering to Spanish-speaking consumers.

You can locate American-made items online, but you have to make the effort. If it saves jobs for your family or creates a job for you, would you buy American?

If you can't buy American, consider purchasing used items. Purchasing used items is a form of recycling, good for the environment and the economy. Some items available on the Internet aren't really used but are NOS or new old stock. These items may come from a warehouse or store overstock from years ago, or may come from an individual who purchased several and didn't use them. For example, we sell unused sewing and crafts patterns that are new old stock, and the price is much less than a new pattern. The older patterns were made in the U.S., but more recent patterns are made in Mexico.

ABC News reports that the average American spends $700 on Christmas gifts. When you make your final purchases, look for $64 in American-made items or buy more if you can. Support your neighbor and the economy. We can make a difference.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Linda