Herding Cats: Our Favorite Savings Stories for the Week of October 25th

I've been elected to write this week's "Home Sweet Home" edition of Herding Cats--which is fitting, because I do indeed live at and work from home. Since today is All Hallow's Eve Eve, it was also fitting that we feature a few stories about ghosts.

Read on...if you dare!

• Consumerist: People Charged with Robbing and Torturing Mortgage Modification Agents - The best part of this post is reading the flame war it ignited in the comment section. It's basically an online text version of the end of "The Boondock Saints." Stories of vigilantism and street justice inevitably result in half the population scolding the aggressors for compounding the problem with unlawful violence, and the other half excitedly encouraging them to carry out more retribution. I probably fall in the latter category, but for the record, I was filled with populist rage before it was hip.

• WalletPop: Looming Tax Credit Deadline Spurs Return of Real Estate Bidding - I'm a big fan of government spending. And I don't mean Bush-ian spending where we empty out the treasury straight into a big sack with a dollar sign and hand it straight to the defense industry. I'm talking about good old-fashioned programs that directly help out the middle and lower classes while creating jobs at the same time. It looks like this home-buyer tax credit will get extended into Spring 2010. If they're still selling foreclosed houses for a dollar in Detroit like they were a year ago, maybe I'll splurge on one and save myself a cool ten cents in taxes! God bless America.

• Wall Street Journal: Haunted House, Happy Ending - Being immune to the disturbing nature of haunted houses can save you a ton of money on real estate. I was watching an episode of one of those home-buying shows on TV, and a couple got a great deal on a house because it used to be a funeral parlor--and still had a working coffin elevator! I'm definitely not that brave...when I'm the only one working late at the Savings office I usually have to turn up the TV volume loud enough to drown out all the weird and creepy noises our building makes. Yes, I'm a grown man, but they're scary, okay???

• Consumerist: Would You Live with Ghosts for Cheaper Rent? - Here's another article that explores the intersection of real estate and phasmophobia. Rent.com's survey revealed that 7 out of 10 people would willingly "crash with Casper" for the right price, while the other 3 out of 10 would apparently rather sleep in a non-paranormal gutter outside. Down in the comments, many readers sound eager to compromise at moving in with a "friendly" ghost, and one reader's fear of "bleeding walls" leads to an inevitable exchange of inappropriate metaphors.

• Mainstreet: Job Interviews from Your Living Room - I think I would be more nervous during a Skype job interview than an actual face-to-face one. One of mine would probably end up like the scene in "Superbad" where Michael Cera's phone has no service and the girl on the other end can only hear him muttering profanities. Then again, if you have a green screen to put up behind you the possibilities for nailing a Skype interview in legendary fashion are endless.

• Not Made of Money: Frugal Ways to Save on Entertaining Costs - If you've read any of my previous posts you know that I'm still very much in the college state of mind, so I obviously can't relate to "entertaining" friends and family members yet. My idea of party decorations is some hastily-strung leftover Christmas lights and a plastic tarp over the carpet...the alcohol takes care of the rest.

So, faithful readers, who wants to go assault some loan modification agents with me? No one? Oh. Well in that case, I'm off to the Motor City to purchase my own neighborhood, because drugged-out vandals are even scarier for home values than ghosts! Happy Halloween!