Staples is offering a free computer tune-up, a $29.99 value, until 9/19.

My home computer was running really slow...the frozen hourglass had become a semi-permanent fixture, causing me to reboot so much I couldn't finish anything. I took it to CompUSA, bought some more memory, and asked them what they offered in the way of diagnosing the problem. The answer was $130 for an evaluation and clean-up.

Needless to say, I took it to Staples. Free vs. $130? A no-brainer. Rob, the computer tech there, had learned more about computers in his 17 years than I will ever hope to know. They ran a program that took about 2 1/2 hours, don't ask me what they did, but let's just call it the 'hourglass terminator.' YAYYYY...it worked!!

My day off turned out to be the 'day of the computer.' I stopped at the Dollar Tree and bought velcro cord wraps ($8.99 at Staples, $1 at Dollar Tree) and spent a few hours under my desk organizing the spaghetti bowl of wires and cords. I bought a large handsome square basket at T J Maxx, and put all the neatly wrapped cords in there. I won't say it looks nice under the computer desk, but it sure looks better.

BTW- Look for a $5 off $30 Staples coupon in the ad in your Sunday paper.

--Super Saver Kathy