David P

I have masks purchased before the pandemic that are not N95 or surgical. I realize they won't filter the virus, but would they protect from droplet spread and are they worth using?

Do prices come down for durable goods during a recession?

I don't understand how to get capital gains taxed at the right tax rate. I complete Schedule D for capital gains. The amount of the gains goes to line 6 of form 1040. This gets added with all other income and ends up in line 11b to taxed at the ordinary rate. Where have I gone wrong?

I'm having trouble coming up with a full calendar year.

I use Avast! for my anti virus software, but I have the malware portion disabled because I use Windows Defender and I thought they might conflict. Avast! alerts me from time to time that I should turn on their protection. Should I run one, the other, or both and why?

I have about a half dozen groups I enjoy following. Now when I try to go to groups, I'm invited to start my own new group, but I can't figure out how to visit groups I already belong to. I try links that used to work that now show an error. What's gong on?

I would like to have a power inverter to run off my car for use during power outages. At a minimum, I'd like enough power to run a kitchen refrigerator. Does pure sine versus modified sine matter for this application? What is the optimal size to use? Please recommend brands / models you have personal experience with. Thank you!

I have a spray can of "Lube It Up", trademark of Metro Products Worldwide. It says its a super concentrated lubricant for home, car, boat, industrial applications. I can't find the product or the company in a web search. There are lots of references to personal use lubricants, so I don't need anymore of those in your answers. Is the product like 3in1, WD-40, penetrating oil, sewing machine oil? Does anyone know what to use it for?

Salesman pushing extended warranty on a Kenmore made a big argument that the change in coolant and a smaller compressor made the newer ones less reliable than in the old days. As a result, they now offer only one year standard guarantee, rather than five. Is this a scare tactic to sell the extended warranty, or is it based in fact?

I've washed a couple of caps using a "cage" that holds the shape of the bill. They cleaned up well and the shape is good. The bills are now soft, however. I'm thinking about starching them full strength. Is this a good idea or is there a better way to deal with them?

It sold in 2005 for $68K. Zillow shows it valued at $61K. It looks like its in good shape, but plumbing does not pass compressed air leak test.

I've been using a blade grinder, which either completely powders the coffee or partially powders and leaves the rest whole beans. I've read that the preferred type is a "bur milling" grinder, but these vary in price from $30 to a couple hundred. How do I choose a grinder that will give me something besides powder.

Consumer reports rated Tivax STB-T9 tops. A T8 is supposed to be coming out with analog pass through. Will that be widely available in the next month or so?

http://hdtvantennaman.com/ slammed Tivax and rates contenders much differently from Consumer Reports. Should I take them seriously?