Best Buy - Bait and Switch

I admit it, I'm a techie person who buys techie things.  You would think Best Buy and I would be 'Best' of friends.  Truth is, I am a Rewards Zone Member...  I WANT to like Best Buy.  But, they are making it IMPOSSIBLE!

Here is what I want to like about Best Buy:  Good Selection, Good Prices, Knowledgeable Staff, Instant Gratification.

Here is what I actually like about Best Buy:  Good Selection... guess that's it.

I'd been singing "Lost That Loving Feeling" for a while now every time I walked into Best Buy, but just kept thinking it would get better.  Turns out, it just got MUCH worse.

E10 Gasoline vs 100% gasoline

It is pretty much an accepted fact that using E85 does not makes financial sense because your fuel economy is so poor, it takes away any benefit you might see at the pump in the terms of miles you can drive per gallon.  However, I'm not sure if E10 makes since over 100% pure gasoline.  As you know, E10 is gasoline blended with up to 10% ethonol.  As of 6/12/2011, the local price here is $3.41 per gallon for E10 and $3.79 for 100% fuel.  It seems like a no-brainer that you should buy the E10 and save the $0.38 per gallon.  However, you should see better fuel economy on 100% fuel.  But, is it good enough to offset the higher price?  Well, before I even see what I actually get, a bit of math indicates I need to see an improvement of 2.7 MPG on 100% gasoline to account for the higher cost.

Does it REALLY save Money to set Back your Thermostat during the Day?

Seems we have always been told that, if we want to save money, we should set our thermostat up when we aren't home to save money during the summer.  This concept also applies in the winter, but I'm focusing on summer for this discussion.

I was thinking about this.  If I keep the thermostat set, say 76F all day, the air conditioning cycles on and off all day, obviously using energy.  If I set it higher, like 80F while I'm gone, the AC stays off most the day as the house slowly warms up.  Problem is, when I get home, and set the air back to 76F, the AC runs, and runs, and runs; trying to cool the house while it is 100F outside.