I used to use a parking garage in Baltimore City run by Central Parking. For convenience sake (because I never carry cash), I used one of the garages that accepts credit cards. Only used it once in a while because I telecommute.

Then, months ago, I stopped altogether because of the price of gas. I take the light rail.

Two weeks ago, as I prepared to go on vacation, I checked my bank account. Central Parking Baltimore had hit my acount 5 times, all in one day, the day before. I called to dispute the charges with the bank. The original Customer Service person was so dumb she said, "Well, you must have parked there, I see you used your card in between trips to the garage."

First of all, who would make five trips in and out of a city garage at 9 bucks a pop each time? Secondly, I asked her, did you get the part about the garage being in Baltimore and those 'in-between' charges I actually made at the grocery store, etc., being in Annapolis? The next rep was a little brighter, saw the disparities and disputed the charges.

But those of you who use Central Parking, beware. They apparently store your credit card info. I can only guess that a worker figured out a scam to charge my card a number of times and 'refund' cash to themselves.

You gotta watch. all the time....

Excellent point, Laura. Anyone else notice shenanigans with city garage parking?

Wonk reader John points out that the NAR's 2008 sales prediction, back in May 2007, was about 6.5 million homes.

In its defense, the association notes that May 2007 was before the worst of the credit crunch hit. Sales have slumped much more sharply since then.

The NAR also said yesterday that a recent survey of agents suggests that "nearly a quarter of potential home buyers are waiting on the sidelines."

According to the latest Defense Department statement, Marine Pfc. Ivan I. Wilson, 22, of Clearlake, Calif., died Monday while serving in Helmand Province with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.

2/7 is engaged in training and mentoring Afghan police, a critical job. Also a dangerous one.

I was shocked to see the casualties in Afghanistan while I was away last week included 1st Lt. Jason Mann of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines.

Jason seemed to epitomize the best aspects of a professional military officer. Bright, enthusiastic and physically strong, he had a good sense of humor and was unfailingly polite. He was a mustang, a former enlisted Marine, and he had earned his rank and the respect of the Marines around him the hard way. He was fun to be around and a reassuring presence during times of stress. He was a natural leader.

He always treated me as he did everyone, with dignity and respect, and in the short time I spent with him in Afghanistan I considered him a friend. I miss him, and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

--$15 billion in tax breaks, including the much-discussed credit of up to $7,500 for first-time buyers

--plans to insure new loans totaling as much as $300 billion for homeowners in trouble

--a permanent increase (to $625,500) to the limit on the size of mortgages that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase or guarantee

--no cap on the amount of money the Treasury Department can extend to Fannie and Freddie via a line of credit

--the creation of a new oversight agency for Fannie and Freddie, called the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which could put a lid on the multi-million-dollar executive compensation there

Want more details? See the AP story HERE and The Wall Street Journal story HERE.

There's one common factor to all of this advice: time. To try some of these suggestions, you nee time to plan, time to shop, time to prepare foods. If you don't have time, you will need to spend money to make up for it. 

Grow it yourself: Julie said she minimizes what she needs to buy by growing produce herself. There's always going to be an initial investment, but think of how much you spend each week on fruit and vegetables. It adds up, especially when you consider that some of it may spoil before you eat it. With gardens, you only pick what you need.

But if you've got two brown thumbs like I do (seriously. I'm currently killing lucky bamboo and a spider plant) maybe you should stick with things that are easy to grow and expensive to buy.

Five foods it's cheaper to grow instead of buying are lettuce, herbs, fruit (on trees), vine vegetables (such as zucchini) and bell peppers, according to MSN Money. All of these are easy to grow but fairly expensive to pick up at the store or even the farmer's market. And it's guaranteed to be fresh.

Buy in season: don't pay a premium for fruit and vegetables that are grown in less-than-ideal conditions or shipped from very far away. Your produce will taste better and contain more nutrients. Here's a chart of what's in season in Maryland.

Make your own convenience foods. Why pay a premium for quick-cooking hot cereal when you can make your own instant oatmeal, as Trent at the Simple Dollar did? Just dole it out in individual packages yourself, nuke it and eat. Why buy breakfast bars when you can make your own --- and customize the recipe? The same goes for baby food and baking mixes and umpteen other things.

Plan your meals and use a list. Buy only what you need or will use up before it needs to be thrown away. I like this Wise Bread blogger's suggestion of building stores in her pantry when things go on sale, and making meals out of what's in the pantry. If planning meals seems too cumbersome, at the very least you should keep a running list of anything you've used up so you get everything in one trip and minimize your store excursions.

Don't shop hungry. As Dan Thanh pointed out, you'll be more tempted to make impulse buys when your tummy is rumbling. 

Start a price book and shop at multiple stores. When is a sale not a sale? When something is cheaper at another store!

We've told you before how to start a grocery price book, so you can track prices and sizes and thus recognize bargains when you encounter them.You can also use the price book to see if buying groceries online will work for you.

Consider alternative options for buying cheap staples such as convenience stores, as Eileen Ambrose discovered. Also try as limited-assortment grocers such as Aldi and Save-a-Lot. Those stores stock a limited variety of basic items in their basic brands, as Jelena advises. Did you know Aldi owns Trader Joe's? That's a store that knows quality private label stuff ... which makes me more inclined to take a chance on Aldi products. Salvage grocers may be an option to get name brands at closeout prices, especially for folks north of Baltimore.

Remind yourself of how much you are buying: You'll buy less if you ditch the cart or basket and carry your stuff in two arms, sez J.D. Roth at The Simple Dollar. You'll also be less tempted to pick up gallon jugs of bug juice if you walk or bike and have to schelp the groceries home yourself instead of loading them in the trunk.

Buy in bulk: compare unit prices of anything you buy and carry a calculator so you can easily do your own arithmatic when such labelling is not available. Check out warehouse stores with caution (again, don't buy what you don't need). If you buy perishables like meat in bulk, separate into smaller packages and freeze them as Holly suggested.

Read circulars and use coupons, especially on items on sale, as Holly does. Save your coupons to combine with store deals to get even more savings.

Don't be wedded to a brand: try private store labels as Susan WNAJ does, as well as what's on sale.

Don't buy beverages. Drink tap water (you definitely shouldn't buy bottled!) and avoid buying drinks. Make your own iced tea or lemonade or iced coffee. Whole fruit is healthier than fruit juice, anyway.

Check your receipt. That checkout scanner can magically overcharge you. 

Once you've got your food in your kitchen:

Substitute: Suddenly notice you're missing an ingredient for a recipe? Be creative and see what you've already got that you can use instead --- especially for seasonings or rarely used ingredients that can be expensive. Here's a list of common substitutions. Don't find it there? Google the ingredient + substitution to get some ideas.

You can also substitute cheaper versions of expensive products, especially if you're just going to cook something instead of eat it fresh. The classic example is frozen berries instead of fresh. I stockpile fruit in the freezer for smoothies and desserts. Plus it's convenient because they're already washed/pitted and more nutritious because they're frozen soon after picking.

Canned salmon is another option instead of fresh. It takes forever to spoil, it is a good source of calcium, it's supposed to be wild caught ... so many benefits, and at a fraction of the price.

Eat everything: Reuse leftovers or freeze extra servings for quick meals or brown-bag lunches. That way you're not eating something for too many nights in a row. You can even use ice cube trays to save leftover coffee, wine, stock, pasta sauce, cookie dough and other foods in small quantities for use in recipes later.

Whew. (ed note: That's a double whew from me, too, Liz. What a fantastic list filled with great advice. -- DD) I think that's it. Did I miss anything, or does something seem like more trouble than it's worth? Feel free to share below.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'd love to see a calculation of total living costs in the city vs. the suburbs. Failing that, though, I'm interested to know how you think it all comes out. Weigh in:

EDIT at 8:45 p.m.: The results so far are 39 percent for "somewhat higher," 34 percent for "much higher," 14 percent for "about the same" and 13 percent for "somewhat lower." That's about three-quarters who say costs in the city are higher than the 'burbs.

It may be worse than Sens. Obama's and McCain's public comments suggest. Current intelligence assessments show a pattern of not just rising violence, but also a new ability of Taliban-led insurgents to mount multiple attacks each day in Helmand Province, where Marines have been deployed in Garmsir since late March.

There is new evidence, as well, that the Taliban are seeking to overrun a U.S. military base, as they very nearly did July 13 before U.S. air strikes ended their attack on a remote U.S. and Afghan outpost in Afghanistan's eastern Kumar Province.

One in five of the American defenders was killed before the arrival of Apache helicopter gunships and A-10 and F-15 fighters that dropped ordnance, including 2,000-pound GBU-31s.

Some 200 insurgents moved across the province into the attack, suggesting tactical and logistics coordination and at least tacit support from local Afghans.

Some analysts suggest the Taliban are pursuing a strategy of trying to overrun an American base, seeking a way to shock and demoralize the American public. That's what the Viet Minh did in 1954 when they overran the French base at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam, effectively ending France's involvement its former colony.

In Afghanistan, only American airpower is preventing greater Taliban victories, says John McCreary, who watched Afghanistan and other trouble spots for 38 years in military intelligence, most of that time as a senior warning officer in the intelligence directorate (J-2) of the Joint Staff.

"It's bad," McCreary said when I talked with him this afternoon about Afghanistan. He retired from the Pentagon two years ago but keeps up a stream of open-source analysis.

Another disturbing incident largely unnoticed in the western media: last night the Taliban overran Ajristan district center, in Gazni Province.

A record number of district centers have come under attack: 127 out of Afghanistan's 398 districts. District centers are important because they are the local manifestation of the government and its ability (or inability, if occupied by the Taliban) to provide security and services.

Even the Russians think things are going badly in Afghanistan.

Here is McCreary's most recent monthly analysis of Afghanistan.

Maryland is one of 10 states doing the most to wean its residents off a dependence on oil, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council study released yesterday.

The state earned praise along with New York for its smart growth policies, including allocating state funds as well as some federal dollars for public transportation. 

Maryland and other mid-Atlantic/northeastern states dominated the list:

1) California
2) New York
3) Connecticut
4) Washington
5) Pennsylvania
6) New Jersey
7) Rhode Island
8) New Mexico
9) Colorado
10) Maryland

So which states are most at risk, according to NRDC? 

In the case where I was getting annoying telemarketing calls about extended auto warranty offers on my cell phone, out of curiosity, I contacted my provider and asked them if they received a lot of complaints from their customers about these calls.

What Verizon's Leigh Schachter told me, warmed my heart.

Turns out, these auto warranty calls annoy A LOT of Verizon Wireless customers, which in turn, annoys Verizon Wireless a great deal, too, said Schachter in a phone interview with me yesterday. Schachter is assistant general counsel for ligitation for Verizon.

How annoyed is Verizon? Annoyed enough to file suit in state and federal court to stop these shenanigans.

Said Schachter, "It's been a huge problem in the last several months. In March, we had filed a John Doe complaint in state court in New Jersey, trying to identify the source of who is making these calls. As part of discovery and an investigation we've done internally, we filed a new complaint in Federal court last week which names two companies."

The first company is Explicit Media, which does business with Voice Solutions (www.myvoicesolutions.com), Schachter said. The second company is National Auto Warranty Services, which does business as Dealer Services, which operates out of Missouri (where the AG there says numerous auto warranty companies reside).

Verizon said it is not sure where some of these companies are getting your cell phone numbers to harass you. It could be a random auto-dialer or they could be buying phone lists. Schachter says it is definitely not coming from Verizon.

"These guys are pretty good at hiding themselves," Schachter said. "It takes some work to find out who they are. By filing the John Doe, it allows us to issue subpoenas and take discovery. In the past when we've gone after companies, we get an injunction to stop these people from making calls. That's our primary objective. We're also looking for information to see if others are involved. We want to shut down all avenues."

Schachter says if you want to contribute any details on the annoying calls you get, he said the most helpful information includes: a customer's phone number, caller i.d. number that shows up, the time and day you got the call and most particuarly, if you talked to anyone, get information and details on who was making the call.

You can send that information to Sherri Cunningham, a consultant to Verizon, at scunningham@starpower.net or write the old fashioned, snail mail way to John Johnson, Verizon Wireless, 7600 Montpelier Road, Laurel, MD, 20723.

Cunningham also says that if you believe these calls have caused you to go over your monthly calling plan, you can also call Verizon customer service to get a credit on the warranty calls or text messaging spam.

Any other cellular companies out there fighting back against these auto warranty calls?

Marvelous Marcia over on the Metro Desk received several. She's been taking down numbers:

562-288-7125

517-931-2516 (not warranty, but low cost healthcare)

866-788-9833

The great and wonderful Real Estate Wonk-esse herself, Jamie, sent me this number: 402-562-8737. "Please don't make the mistake of driving without a warranty," the recorded voice urged.

Steve from North East said he got rid of one company, but now he's getting a number from outside of the country: 011-50622377029 Costa Rica!!!

Said Steve:

These same idiots were calling me also before lunch and around 6:00PM There is no caller id per se but only an area code that began with 7. They were calling me cell phone # which mad it even worse. They called me when I was shopping at the Food Lion. In total they called about 20 times. I have a fleet car, the car is not registered in my name, and I am about 10K miles beyond the regular Ford warranty.

Finally late last week I got a call and picked it up and pressed the button to speak to someone and got Ben. I told Ben I had a fleet car and to stop calling me all the time. He just hung up, but no calls since.

Carolanne Kapus told one company calling her to buzz off:

I just want to thank you so much for your article regarding those harrassing warranty calls. We have been harrassed as well. Even after hitting the option to remove our telephone number the calls still came. I have clipped this article and have in my computer room. Today, I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the companies and told them about yesterday's article. Needless to say they were shocked.

Chris Miles share how difficult it is to file a complaint with the FTC:

I read , with great interest, your last column on the junk phone calls.

For many months we have been getting calls from a company, that will not identify itself, offering to refinance our credit card debt. (The joke is on them, we carry no balances.)

If you listen to their recording, you have 2 options –Press 1 to connect with the person. This person will be very rude and demand your credit info and will not tell you the name of the company or how to contact them.

If you press 2 to be removed from their call-list you are immediately disconnected. My husband and I have tried this numerous times. They still keep calling, sometimes 3 times a week.

Now we are starting to get the calls about the auto warranties too. (The joke is still on them as all of our cars are from the 1990s and 1980s.)

I spent several hours one day calling Verizon (world’s WORST customer service and hold music too) and the FTC.

Verizon’s only suggestion was for us to subscribe to CallerID but my friend has that and gets the same calls and it appears as ‘unavailable’ so that would be no help to me. The FTC said that unless I know what company is calling, they cannot/will not do anything. I also believe that these companies are flagrantly flouting the do-not-call-list laws

Peter Bell of Monkton "hears" my pain and agrees about the FTC:

Never mind the warranty messages, how bout the "repair your credit" calls!?!

We have 3 lines, all of which were put on the do not call registry upon it's very first week of existence. While most seem to be respecting it, the warranty and credit scammers do not. What's more, if you "patiently" follow the automated directions to a human being, they're unapologetically rude to you and hang up!

Calls to any of the bureaucracies you indicated only result in either a bureaucrat wringing their hands on the other end, agreeing w/ how horrible and unfortunate it is or, in the case of the FCC, a bureaucrat who felt he had far more important issues to deal with and, alas, "they weren't really breaking the law and there's not much to be done about it."

I "hear" your pain!

William Sheldon immediately placed his cell number on the Do Not Call Registry, but of course, that's no guarantee that the calls won't continue since we've already determined that by sending automated telemarketing calls to your cell phone, these companies are already breaking the law. Said William:

Your column in the 13 Jul Sun came at a welcome time. I suspected that I was not the only one who is being harassed by these robo-dialed calls and this confirmed my suspicions. My experience has hit all the points that your column mentioned, to include attempting to get to the tel # that shows up on the cell phone. This reminded me to do something I have been putting off for some time which is to list my cell phone on the National Do Not Call List--now done. There is a very good article on the extended auto warranty business in one of the recent Consumer Report issues. It is worth reading for everybody.

Sean Dakin, founder and CEO of National Political Do Not Contact Registry, a non-partisan, non-profit program by Citizens for Civil Discourse, wants to remind everyone that you "can punch in the number (if available) of these firms and at least register your complaint as well" on callercomplaints.com.

Stay tuned for some interesting news about who else is extremely annoyed by these calls.

I mentioned this group the other day when I was telling you this is Auto Theft Awareness Month. What is the National Insurance Crime Bureau? It's a nonprofit organization that receives support from approximately 1,000 property/casualty insurance companies and works with law enforcement agencies to help identify, detect and prosecute insurance criminals (sounds sexy, doesn't it? like CSI for insurancegeeks).

The cool thing about this Web site is that you can tap into its database for vehicles that were stolen, but not recovered, or declared totaled by cooperating NICB members. Unlike other companies that charge you for this service, NICB offers it to you for free. We love free stuff here.

If you're looking to buy a car, you need to check out the car's history. Don't buy a stolen car because you didn't check.

Also, you can check for flood vehicles on NICB's site, too. Millions of cars are declared totaled every year and every year, millions of those cars end up back in the market. Now keep in mind that this relies on honest dealers and insurance companies reporting on the history of cars accurately and honestly, but still, it's worth the check.

In today's Q&A on a complaint about T-Mobile's payment policy, reader Patricia Hall was told she needed a Social Security Number and driver's license to pay her daughter's cell phone bill.

When Hall asked why, she was told something about an FCC law, but couldn't get a clear answer from T-Mobile. So I tried and received a muddled response from some unnamed person at T-Mobile USA Public Relations. Since I couldn't get T-Mobile to respond, I contacted other cellular companies to try to make sense of what Hall encountered.

Well, someone higher up at T-Mobile noticed the less-than-stellar response we received and contacted me this morning to offer help should we receive complaints about T-Mobile in the future.

Sounds like Hall received bad info from the Marley Station T-Mobile store. Here's the proper policy, according to Graham Crow, account director Waggener Edstrom, the PR firm for T-Mobile, who also apologized for the person who didn't answer the question more clearly the first time:

It turns out the information provided at the store was simply a misunderstanding of T-Mobile's policy. We have reached out to the store to correct that.

Although the information provided in the prior e-mail was in fact correct insofar as it related to the policy on inbound telephone calls -- unfortunately it did not actually address the question that was asked about payments in a store.

T-Mobile's policy allows account payments in its retail stores without the need to verify identity. If, however, the person making the payment is seeking access to account information beyond the balance due, FCC regulations mandate that the person physically present in the store produce their government issued photo ID matching the name of the customer (or a person the customer has previously designated as an authorized user on the account). Even if the person knows the customer’s Social Security Number or Driver’s License Number, T-Mobile’s policy is to refuse in-store account access without the photo ID.

T-Mobile takes great pride in providing the very best in Customer Care experience for its customers. It’s something they treat very seriously and they take great pride in the numerous validations of this with their J.D. Power Awards for outstanding Customer Service.

Thanks for the clarification, Graham.

Anyone else with T-Mobile problems should write in to us. We've got a good pipeline to the company now to help you resolve those issues.

(AP Photo)

Lots of people are taking a hard look at what they buy and how they use it to create healthy meals. The food adventures of The 99 Cent Chef, who creates dishes with the best offerings from dollar stores in southern California, are interesting, for example. (My personal, untested hypothesis about dollar stores is that some of the products they carry would normally sell for less than one dollar, so you spend less on some items but more on others. But, I digress.)

I'm more intrigued by what a blogger over at Wise Bread pointed out about healthy, frugal eating: 

... that most diets around the world don't include as much meat and sugar as the American diet. In essence, he argues that Americans have been conditioned to follow eating habits that people elsewhere would consider a luxury.

It's the kind of luxury promoted by food porn purveyors in the media, said a Slate writer, who points out that processed foods may be artificially cheaper because the price tags don't reflect the agricultural subsidies that ushered it into being.

So, please share your methods for keeping your grocery bills in check. Are you avoiding a kind of food? Stocking up on another? Shopping in a different way? We'll post the best reader suggestions on Thursday.

UPDATED: Looking for a surplus or closeout grocer near you? Here's a list of salvage grocers around the country, maintained by a Virginia store owner. It doesn't include chains such as Amelia's Grocery Outlet, however.

(photo: Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

Here are some edited e-mails. Let us know your take on Giant.

Angela Balsamo of Glen Burnie: My concern, which no one has been talking about, is the slow demise of the shopping centers where Giant was the only anchor store. There are 2 shopping centers in Bowie where Giant was the only anchor, but has since left. Now almost 2+ years later stores in each shopping center are closing left and right because Giant is gone and hasn’t been replaced by anything.

Normally this would be the responsibility of the management company, however in both cases Giant still holds the lease and refuses to give it up. They pay the rent each month, content that their former spaces are sitting empty. Meanwhile the “mom-and-pop” stores that pay rent based off the fact that Giant is the anchor are struggling.

From Stan Sirody: Unfortunately, those changes miss the biggest problem I've noticed in over 40 years of shopping at Giant: their selections have diminished greatly, and many former favorites of mine are now gone. It's obvious to me that they're trying to consolidate their offerings into fewer choices, whether for the economy in price or the convenience of having fewer suppliers. I can no longer find my favorite lunch meats, barbecue sauce, toothpaste and dozens of other items, nor can I stand their poor produce quality. It looks as if they're now at the bottom of their suppliers' lists when it comes to fresh produce. Anyway, I've moved on.

Bob Davis of Columbia: I enjoyed reading your article in the Sun today (online). But I tend to agree with David Livingston's opinion that the current changes won't do much. We pretty much gave up on Giant several years ago. The closest Giant (River Hill in Columbia) was regularly charging higher prices than the Hickory Ridge Giant for the exact same items. And the service on both stores was heading straight down hill. I wrote a letter to Giant management and they essentially blew me off. They could not have cared less. Since then we do large shopping at Safeway, Harris Teeter and sometimes even drive to Wegman's in Hunt Valley to avoid Giant. The newest changes to the River Hill store are mostly cosmetic. We anxiously await the Wegman's slated for Colubmia.

Mike Singer writes: Sorry to put you in the middle on this. Have you read the comments attached to this article? These are the real thoughts and issues surrounding Giant. I respectfully ask that you do your best to contact Ms Michel and implore her to read these comments. All this money spent on new uniforms, and paint jobs, all customers want are good prices, selection, and customer service.

From Brad Schwartz: Giant has been losing market shares because of very questionable management decisions by Royal Ahold. Store managers used to have flexibility to order items specially requested by their customers and they also were able to customize their store to meet the tastes and preferences of each neighborhood they were located in. They don't anymore. Also, the musical aisles have enraged many customers. People like to be able to get in and out of the grocery store as quick as possible.

Dolores Schmitt says: Perhaps you can forward this to Robin Michel, since her e-mail address was not listed, I have been going to the Giant at Chatham for l4 years, and it was a very clean, nice store. All the employees were friendly and we all got to feel like friends. Once Ahold bought the company, the changes were apparent immediately. Less employees, mostly all new younger employees, different managers, usually no checker at the fast line. the seafood is all prepacked so that if you want a small piece of salmon or just a few shrimp, you cannot shop there. Also, many items are not stocked on the shelves.

Here's one for the "D'Oh!" file.

CNet.com reported that for the second time, AT&T mistakenly published a notice on its Web site telling Apple iPhone users that they would get free Wi-Fi access to the wireless carrier's 17,000-plus hotspots around the country.

Once tech bloggers picked up on it Friday morning (after it was discovered that a notice had been posted on AT&T's Web site and stayed up there til about 8:30 a.m.), the notice was removed by 9:30 a.m., CNet reported. The notice said:

"AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and free Wi-Fi even hotter, which is why we are proud to offer iPhone customers free access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi hot-spot network with more than 17,000 hot spots, including Starbucks. Now users can relax and access music, e-mail, and Web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their favorite location."

 Turns out, it's not true, though. AT&T posted it by mistake.

We would normally just laugh this off, but same thing happened in May when AT&T first launched free Wi-Fi access to its Laptop Connect customers, who subscribe to the company's 3G data service for laptops. CNet said AT&T also posted a free Wi-Fi notice and then took it down after confessing that it was published in error.

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. (I know I know, that's not the exact line, but I was in the mood to say something hokey and cheesy).

How goofy is that? When you're launching a sophisticated product like the iPhone, I can't imagine it's a good idea to tick off consumers with bad info about what's available to them as customers. Also, it's never good to dangle free stuff in front of customers and then take it back. This might not matter to iPhone devotees, but for the rest of us, it would make us think twice. 

I've told you before, I don't have an iPhone. Part of the reason why I don't have an iPhone, even though I think it's a very, very pretty technogadget I wouldn't mind owning, is due to the fact that I like my cellular carrier, which is not AT&T.

I don't have anything against AT&T. Many people I know swear by AT&T. I used to be with AT&T many, many years ago, but the service was spotty and I could never get a signal in my home. That made my cell phone pretty useless. So my big issue with the iPhone is that it would force me to do business with one specific carrier and I don't like being forced to do business with anyone. I like to have a choice, so I choose not to get the iPhone until it opens itself up to other carriers.

If you're part of a couple living in suburbia, you probably need two cars. But if you move somewhere where you can get rid of one car -- like, oh, say, downtown, he suggests -- then you save $8,000-plus a year on average.

"Owning two cars is almost a necessity in suburban locations, and therefore, it functions as a tax on suburban living," said Aydukovic, vice president of economic development with the Downtown Partnership. "It costs you a lot more than filling the tank every week. And I think people don't realize that."

What I'd love to see is a calculation of all living costs. What's pricier in the city? What's more expensive in the 'burbs? Have you moved from one to the other lately and noticed a difference in your budget?

For that matter, have you moved closer to work (wherever that may be) to deal with gas costs?

Well, I got news for you guys. It works. Bruce Voelker wrote back to share his story with us:

I sent a nasty gram to the We-Care@Comcast email address you mentioned in your post, and in under 2 hours, I got email responses from Comcast Corporate and a customer care representative for the Baltimore area, as well as a phone call from the same customer care rep. They sure didn't fool around.

So, this is what I found out:

1.) Yes, channels in B'more County are being migrated and Comcast Corporate doesn't even know about it until a day or two in advance. There apparently are only going to be a handful more channels that will be migrated soon and then that's it for the migration.

2.) When the digital switch occurs next February, Comcast customers who use a coax cable plugged into cable ready tv sets will continue to be able to watch the tv channels they currently enjoy (unless the channels have been migrated), and will continue to be able to do so until sometime in 2012.

Here's what they offered to do for me:

1.) Give me a free digital converter box for one tv set, and for $2/month more, I could add one to a second tv set in my house. I decided to stick with the one box and see how that works out for me. If I find that my other tv set needs to have the same set up, I'll either buy a box instead of renting one or I'll buy a tv w/a digital tuner installed already since I'm one of the few out there who hasn't bought a LCD or Plasma tv yet and use the free box on the other tv set.

2.) Free installation of the converter box.

3.) Free upgrade to enhanced basic cable where I get all of the channels back that I have/had, as well as, the price per month of the package remains the same as the extended basic cable package and it's won't increase significantly after 6 or 12 months.

So, since the extended package tends to go up by a dollar or two every year, this will also. The two packages apparently will always have the same price. I couldn't have been happier. I get a slight upgrade for free and I get back the channels I lost. It looks like complaining does work.

Maybe your readers in Howard County can do what I did and get the same level of service? I'm scheduled to get my upgrade on Friday, so we'll see how that goes since that is usually an adventure in itself.... Thanks for the contacts you mentioned in your blog- they really did help!

hooray. Take Bruce's advice. Let Comcast know you're confused or mad or unhappy. You'll likely hear from them. You can put your comments here and Comcast will find you or you can write to us and we'll pass your info along to Comcast, like George Peterson here, who is also really confused. How do I know that? Because he said so:

Now I am really confused.  I see commercials for the switch over to digital in February 2009 and if you have cable you don't need to do anything.  The other day I noticed some channels (i.e., AMC) that were included in the Basic/Expanded Service are not available anymore.  All I got was blue screens and I called Comcast to find out what was going on.  The person told me that in preparation for the switch over to digital some channels are being moved to digital cable.  I said "wait a minute" I am paying for the channels now I can't watch them?  The person told me that even though I have cable I will need a converter box.  She sent me one (gratis) but said that additional converters would rent for $3.95 a month and you need a box for each television set.  So now in order to get channels come February I am going to have to shell out $3.95 a month for each of the three converter boxes I will need.  Who is telling the truth here?  Is this another prime example of the government sticking their noses into something and having it cost the consumer more money?