How I saved myself $300 at the auto shop

Another DIY win from someone who knows zero about cars. PLUS: The best Mother's Day gift, full stop, is just $36.39.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.

Welcome, newcomers! There’s been a sudden influx in the past few days thanks to the Substack arrival of Rossen Reports. I don’t know why nationally syndicated consumer advocate Jeff Rossen chose Deal Secrets as his one and only recommended newsletter — but I’m grateful!

For those who don’t know me, I started out as “The Cheapskate” on CNET, sharing daily deals with — if memory serves — around 125,000 subscribers for nearly 15 years. Now I write reviews for Yahoo, but my urge to help readers save money persists. Hence, Deal Secrets.

I’m also a fairly rabid consumer of books and television, so you’ll see occasional recommendations there as well.

Hope you enjoy! Feel free to drop a line, leave a comment, or even hit the tip jar if you’re so inclined.

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QUICK HITS

🎁 MOM GIFT #1: Precious memories on display in a never-ending slideshow? That’s the joy of a digital photo frame, which I think is the best Mother’s Day gift, full stop. For a limited time, and while supplies last, this top-rated Euphro 10.1-inch photo frame drops to just $36.39 when you click the 20%-off coupon (or apply promo code EUPHRO20 at checkout). You can also get the 15.6-inch model for $99.99, an extremely good deal for a frame of that size.

🎁 MOM GIFT #2: Just in time for Mother’s Day, the new iPad A16 11-inch tablet is marked down to $288.39, the lowest price to date. (It’s normally $349.) I say this is intended for Mother’s Day because it’s the pink model; the other colors are $299 (still a decent savings). This is a ridiculously versatile tablet, with a dazzling screen and 128GB of storage — double the previous model’s.

🤑 AI, GIVE ME A JOB: Midlife crisis? Just out of college? Here’s an interesting thing to try with ChatGPT: Tell it about your work experience, hobbies, interests, and so on, then ask what kind of jobs would be well suited to you. After that, ask it for a 30-day list of tasks you should do in order to start making money — by the end of that 30 days! — based on all that input. I tried this and got some really interesting results. AI is getting amazing, folks.

☢️ A $22 TEST COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE: Much as I hate to give you one more thing to worry about, when was the last time you checked your home for radon? If you said “Can’t remember” or “Never,” it’s probably worth the $22 for a test. I went down this rabbit hole myself; at minimum, it’s a cautionary tale. Read the full story here.

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How I saved at least $300 on a common car repair

Here’s everything I know about cars: “D” means “Drive,” steering wheel means “turn.” So when Mrs. Cheapskate announced that her 2018 Chrysler Pacifica was blowing hot air, I figured an expensive trip to the mechanic was in our future.

After all, a busted AC is beyond the capabilities of mere mortals to repair, right?

Bow down before your immortal god, readers! Staring down a heavy blend of trepidation and uncertainty, I fixed that damn thing myself. And I’m delighted, because the last time that van visited a mechanic, I felt well and truly ripped off.

First I looked up the common causes of car AC failure. The big one: loss of refrigerant, most likely due to a leak. Then I looked for solutions. The best one: add refrigerant using an off-the-shelf product.

I watched a few YouTube videos specific to this make and model, then shopped around for what seemed like the best can of refrigerant. These things aren’t cheap; I ended up dropping $120, with absolutely no guarantee it would work.

It worked. It took about 10 minutes. I got a little grubby from touching parts of the engine. Mrs. Cheapskate proclaimed she “never wanted me more.” The only unknown is whether the included leak sealer will, in fact, plug the leak.

Even if this gamble doesn’t pay off and I end up at a garage, I can take comfort in knowing more than I did before and at least trying the DIY approach. But right now I’m out $120, versus the $400+ that is the average car-mechanic cost for recharging a 2018 Pacifica’s AC.

Moral of the story: There are YouTube videos for just about everything. You might be surprised by what you can accomplish yourself.

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PLAYLIST

📕 Notes from a Public Typewriter, by Michael Gustafson and Oliver Uberti (Hardcover)

So simple, but so ingenious: The proprietors of a newly opened bookstore set up a typewriter for patrons to bang out anonymous thoughts, notes, messages — and did they ever. I don’t want to spoil too much about this remarkable collection of those missives — some funny, some heartbreaking — except to say I absolutely loved it.

It also made me want to open a bookstore.

Rick’s Rating: A+

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📺 Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV+)

If you like rich people choking on their own misery (and who doesn’t right now), I suspect you’ll enjoy this new dramedy, which stars Jon Hamm in what is easily his best role since Mad Men.

Of course, just Don Draper wasn’t always the most sympathetic protaganist, you might find yourself struggling to cheer for Andrew “Coop” Cooper — a rich douchebag who turns to crime after losing his job. It’s fun watching things spin out of control, but I’m hoping there’s a redemption of sorts lurking under all this mayhem.

I wish the show had less filler in the form of Coop’s kids, sister, and business manager, all of whom serve no real purpose after five episodes (of nine total). Maybe all these side plots will coalesce into a cohesive whole by the end, but I have my doubts.

Indeed, I’m not sure YFAN can stick the landing — or how it might lead to additional seasons — but so far I’m enjoying the ride.

Rick’s Rating: B

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Thanks for reading Deal Secrets! Questions? Comments? Shoot me an e-mail. I’ll do my best to respond to all inquiries! Want to show your support? Buy me a coffee!

There's also my book: Everything I Need to Know, I Learned Playing Pickleball. And check out my curated book list at Bookshop.org, which donates to local bookstores with every purchase.