Money Saving Tips - 7 Super Simple Ways to Save Money
by Heidi DeCoux
#1 -- Go out for dessert instead of dinner. Dinners out can get expensive but it's not fun to stay in every night. Eat dinner at home and go out for dessert. To save time and reduce the temptation to go out to eat, make up large batches of food and freeze it in individual serving
containers. This way you can heat up a homemade gourmet meal in minutes then go out for a yummy dessert after wards.
#2 -- Borrow instead of Buy. Need a special tool for a project or maybe a hedge trimmer or tent. Go to NeighBorrow.com to find someone near you that will happily lend you theirs, free of charge.
#3 -- Turn down (or up, depending on the season and climate you live in) your thermostat before you leave your house. Shut the vents off in rooms that you do not use during the day, such as, bedrooms or family room and keep the doors closed. No sense in heating or cooling rooms that are not being used.
#4 -- Have a Clothing Swap with friends. Invite your friends to clean out their closets, bring over their unwanted clothing and accessories along with a dish to pass. Lay out everyone's clothes. Eat, mingle and shop - for FREE! You'll probably leave with at least a couple of new fun pieces
to add to your wardrobe, and you'll have a fun and free night out. Simply donate all of the left over items to charity.
#5 -- Unplug items you are not using. Even if they are off they are still pulling current. This cost savings will add up to more than you think. If you don't want to continually be unplugging items, invest in a Smart Strip (different than a standard power strip). It does not allow your items to pull electric current when off. You will probably cut your electric bill in half. For more info on Smart Strips go to http://clearsimpleliving.com/page/smartbuys .
#6 -- Wash all your clothes in cold water. It's better for your clothes, especially darks, and generally they come out just as clean. Just use a little pre-spot if needed. Also, stop running your water continuously when brushing your teeth or washing dishes.
#7 -- Consider buying gently used versus new, check Craigslist.org, Ebay.com or HandMeDowns.com before paying retail. You can save a bundle!
Added bonus: It's great for our environment when we re-distribute items instead of tossing things out and re-manufacturing new things.
Cheers to saving our planet and saving money!
Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple E-zine and a
professional organizer in Minneapolis http://www.HeidiDeCoux.com
specializing in home organization http://www.clearsimpleliving.com.
Heidi energizes her readers’ lives by simplifying their homes and
schedules. For more info, free tips on how to find more time in your day,
and to receive her FREE Report: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and
Stay Organized Forever, visit www.ClearSimpleLiving.com and discover how
to end the frustration of endless searching for things and find what you
want fast so you can have more fun!
Contact the Author
Heidi DeCoux
Home Organization & Personal Time Management
heidi@heididecoux.com
More Details about Money Saving Tips here.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Survive the Economy with Shared Housing
Survive the Economy with Shared Housing
by Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D.
Multi-generational households are making a comeback for Boomers in the
Sandwich Generation - especially with the lack of jobs available for new
college graduates and the financial pinch felt by aging parents as their
retirement incomes dwindle. Don't be disappointed if you were dreaming
about the empty nest. This new living arrangement can reduce stress, with
more family members sharing household responsibilities, financial
expenses and emotional support. That is, as long as guidelines are
clearly set in the beginning and upheld.
Families today are facing a new kind of housing crisis as the economy
continues to be problematic. When one spouse in a two-career marriage
loses a job, making the monthly mortgage payment becomes difficult,
especially for Sandwiched Boomers. Senior citizens who have been able to
pay for housing from their retirement accounts must cut back on that
expense when their retirement funds are down by 50 percent. When a
mortgage begun with an artificially low interest figure calls for a rate
increase or a balloon payment, the cost becomes prohibitive for the
nuclear family.
These scenarios are not about Gen X and Gen Y kidults boomeranging back
home, with connotations of immaturity or irresponsibility. Rather they
reflect adults struggling with the real effects of a global financial
meltdown not faced in over 75 years. An AARP study revealed that more
than ¼ of the foreclosures and delinquencies last year occurred among
those 50 and over. These seniors and their adult children are looking
carefully at what to do to ease the economic woes that have hit everyone
hard.
Some younger families are moving in with their parents, pooling their
funds for mortgage payments. In other cases, seniors are giving up their
individual, larger homes and moving into 'granny flats' or guest suites
on their children's property. Irrespective of the type of arrangement and
reason for combining two families into one home, some serious planning is
needed before taking the plunge. Here are 6 tips to put into play before
sharing daily life with extended family:
1. Have a family meeting to set guidelines before you move in together.
Be frank and honest about your needs. You'll each be giving up some
autonomy and control so you can expect to have situations where push
comes to shove. Present your positions for the best and worst case
scenarios. Then decide how you want to compromise so that everyone gets
some of what they want. Put any absolute deal breakers out on the table
so they can be discussed in detail.
2. Set boundaries so that everyone's privacy is respected. Living
together with roommates in a college dorm is one thing but sharing space
with adult family members can get awkward. Identify signals to use when
one of you wants to be alone. The last time you all lived together, the
circumstances were quite different. Old issues around power or dependency
can resurface in this close environment, particularly when there may be a
difference of opinion about how to handle issues with
children/grandchildren.
3. Work out a schedule for shared responsibilities, chores and finances.
Gain consensus about making the division of labor equitable. When
children/grandchildren are part of the mix, arrive at a clear timetable
with regard to babysitting so that no one feels exploited. The
multi-generational experience can foster a closer relationship between
grandparents and grandchildren, with the middle generation being able to
step away from some care-giving tasks.
4. Respect the needs of everyone involved. When each person feels heard,
it takes away some of the frustration stemming from the lack of control.
You can be supportive to one another just by listening even if you don't
agree with the reason for the complaint. Use the techniques of active
listening and sending I-messages.
5. Think about the problems that can arise and make a Plan B. Just
because you all are having some difficulty with the new living
arrangements doesn't mean you have to discard the entire idea. Continue
to schedule family meetings to discuss the issues and conflicts. Lack of
privacy, intruding on other family members' boundaries and unwanted
advice are often sore points.
6. Be flexible and learn to love compromise and cooperation. Look at the
situation from the perspective of other family members as you work on
understanding their positions. You are all in this together and while you
may not get exactly what you want, you can work out a solution that is
good for everyone.
Generations living together can lead to a win-win situation. Even with
the potential costs of remodeling to accommodate both families,
maintaining one household rather than two creates considerable savings.
And other positive outcomes develop. Support generated on both sides can
serve as the foundation for resolving past misunderstandings, making
forgiveness easier to accomplish. The close bonding allows for building
rich memories to savor over the years. And the expression of gratitude is
good for both giver and receiver. As the older generation continues to
age, these times can be the impetus for planning care by a newly
sandwiched generation, with grandchildren pitching in to help.
(c) 2009, Her Mentor Center
Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. & Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. are co-founders of
www.HerMentorCenter.com, a website dedicated to the issues of mid-life women and www.NourishingRelationships.Blogspot.com, a Blog for the Sandwich Generation. They are co-authors of a forthcoming book about Baby Boomer women and their family relationships. As psychotherapists, they
have over 40 years of collective private practice experience.
Contact the Author
Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D.
Tips for the Sandwich Generation
Mentors@HerMentorCenter.com
More Details about shared family housing
here.
by Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D.
Multi-generational households are making a comeback for Boomers in the
Sandwich Generation - especially with the lack of jobs available for new
college graduates and the financial pinch felt by aging parents as their
retirement incomes dwindle. Don't be disappointed if you were dreaming
about the empty nest. This new living arrangement can reduce stress, with
more family members sharing household responsibilities, financial
expenses and emotional support. That is, as long as guidelines are
clearly set in the beginning and upheld.
Families today are facing a new kind of housing crisis as the economy
continues to be problematic. When one spouse in a two-career marriage
loses a job, making the monthly mortgage payment becomes difficult,
especially for Sandwiched Boomers. Senior citizens who have been able to
pay for housing from their retirement accounts must cut back on that
expense when their retirement funds are down by 50 percent. When a
mortgage begun with an artificially low interest figure calls for a rate
increase or a balloon payment, the cost becomes prohibitive for the
nuclear family.
These scenarios are not about Gen X and Gen Y kidults boomeranging back
home, with connotations of immaturity or irresponsibility. Rather they
reflect adults struggling with the real effects of a global financial
meltdown not faced in over 75 years. An AARP study revealed that more
than ¼ of the foreclosures and delinquencies last year occurred among
those 50 and over. These seniors and their adult children are looking
carefully at what to do to ease the economic woes that have hit everyone
hard.
Some younger families are moving in with their parents, pooling their
funds for mortgage payments. In other cases, seniors are giving up their
individual, larger homes and moving into 'granny flats' or guest suites
on their children's property. Irrespective of the type of arrangement and
reason for combining two families into one home, some serious planning is
needed before taking the plunge. Here are 6 tips to put into play before
sharing daily life with extended family:
1. Have a family meeting to set guidelines before you move in together.
Be frank and honest about your needs. You'll each be giving up some
autonomy and control so you can expect to have situations where push
comes to shove. Present your positions for the best and worst case
scenarios. Then decide how you want to compromise so that everyone gets
some of what they want. Put any absolute deal breakers out on the table
so they can be discussed in detail.
2. Set boundaries so that everyone's privacy is respected. Living
together with roommates in a college dorm is one thing but sharing space
with adult family members can get awkward. Identify signals to use when
one of you wants to be alone. The last time you all lived together, the
circumstances were quite different. Old issues around power or dependency
can resurface in this close environment, particularly when there may be a
difference of opinion about how to handle issues with
children/grandchildren.
3. Work out a schedule for shared responsibilities, chores and finances.
Gain consensus about making the division of labor equitable. When
children/grandchildren are part of the mix, arrive at a clear timetable
with regard to babysitting so that no one feels exploited. The
multi-generational experience can foster a closer relationship between
grandparents and grandchildren, with the middle generation being able to
step away from some care-giving tasks.
4. Respect the needs of everyone involved. When each person feels heard,
it takes away some of the frustration stemming from the lack of control.
You can be supportive to one another just by listening even if you don't
agree with the reason for the complaint. Use the techniques of active
listening and sending I-messages.
5. Think about the problems that can arise and make a Plan B. Just
because you all are having some difficulty with the new living
arrangements doesn't mean you have to discard the entire idea. Continue
to schedule family meetings to discuss the issues and conflicts. Lack of
privacy, intruding on other family members' boundaries and unwanted
advice are often sore points.
6. Be flexible and learn to love compromise and cooperation. Look at the
situation from the perspective of other family members as you work on
understanding their positions. You are all in this together and while you
may not get exactly what you want, you can work out a solution that is
good for everyone.
Generations living together can lead to a win-win situation. Even with
the potential costs of remodeling to accommodate both families,
maintaining one household rather than two creates considerable savings.
And other positive outcomes develop. Support generated on both sides can
serve as the foundation for resolving past misunderstandings, making
forgiveness easier to accomplish. The close bonding allows for building
rich memories to savor over the years. And the expression of gratitude is
good for both giver and receiver. As the older generation continues to
age, these times can be the impetus for planning care by a newly
sandwiched generation, with grandchildren pitching in to help.
(c) 2009, Her Mentor Center
Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. & Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. are co-founders of
www.HerMentorCenter.com, a website dedicated to the issues of mid-life women and www.NourishingRelationships.Blogspot.com, a Blog for the Sandwich Generation. They are co-authors of a forthcoming book about Baby Boomer women and their family relationships. As psychotherapists, they
have over 40 years of collective private practice experience.
Contact the Author
Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D.
Tips for the Sandwich Generation
Mentors@HerMentorCenter.com
More Details about shared family housing
here.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Save Energy and Save Money
Save Energy and Save Money
by Jane Cocker
Check out these instant FREE ways to save money and energy:
Cost: Your laundry hides two appliances that cost you a load! Your
washing machine and clothes dryer cost you money and energy savings on a
daily basis. A hot wash with warm rinse for example, will set you back
about 80 cents a pop; a quick load in the clothes dryer has you paying
about 45 cents each time.
Freebie: Replace your hot water with cold, instantly saving up to 50
cents per wash. Over a year this could be as much as $167.00 in savings!
Switch to air-drying your clothing rather than operating the dryer and
put another $135.00 away a year for rainy days!
Cost: A typical 75 watt incandescent light globe uses about 5 cents an
hour to run. Households use multiple light fittings and we ‘flick the
switch' so often that these little power suckers are guilty of costing us
up to $110 a year to run.
Freebie: If you aren't in the room, switch your lights off. Simple!
Replace standard bulbs with energy savings; energy-efficient bulbs last
up to six times longer and use 80 percent less energy. What a great idea!
Cost: Are you still running your 1972 cooler-box as a ‘beer fridge'?
Older appliances are energy-hungry, gobbling up to $90 more a year to run
than current energy-efficient models. If you have an ice-chest from the
Ice Age that you keep bait in too, then add another $75 a year to your
energy costs. Freebie: Get rid of your aging or faulty appliances and
replace them with star-rated energy efficient ones. And finally, you'll
have a lot more money left over for fresh bait and cold beers if you just
get rid of that rusted fridge in your back shed!
British writer living and working in Buenos Aires.
Contact the Author
Jane Cocker
More Details about how to save energy and money
here.
by Jane Cocker
Check out these instant FREE ways to save money and energy:
Cost: Your laundry hides two appliances that cost you a load! Your
washing machine and clothes dryer cost you money and energy savings on a
daily basis. A hot wash with warm rinse for example, will set you back
about 80 cents a pop; a quick load in the clothes dryer has you paying
about 45 cents each time.
Freebie: Replace your hot water with cold, instantly saving up to 50
cents per wash. Over a year this could be as much as $167.00 in savings!
Switch to air-drying your clothing rather than operating the dryer and
put another $135.00 away a year for rainy days!
Cost: A typical 75 watt incandescent light globe uses about 5 cents an
hour to run. Households use multiple light fittings and we ‘flick the
switch' so often that these little power suckers are guilty of costing us
up to $110 a year to run.
Freebie: If you aren't in the room, switch your lights off. Simple!
Replace standard bulbs with energy savings; energy-efficient bulbs last
up to six times longer and use 80 percent less energy. What a great idea!
Cost: Are you still running your 1972 cooler-box as a ‘beer fridge'?
Older appliances are energy-hungry, gobbling up to $90 more a year to run
than current energy-efficient models. If you have an ice-chest from the
Ice Age that you keep bait in too, then add another $75 a year to your
energy costs. Freebie: Get rid of your aging or faulty appliances and
replace them with star-rated energy efficient ones. And finally, you'll
have a lot more money left over for fresh bait and cold beers if you just
get rid of that rusted fridge in your back shed!
British writer living and working in Buenos Aires.
Contact the Author
Jane Cocker
More Details about how to save energy and money
here.
Friday, September 11, 2009
What if my store doesn't double coupons?!
What if my store doesn't double coupons?!
by Becky Sandefur
Some of the large chain stores have made coupon shopping much more
tantalizing by offering double and triple coupons. They are banking on
the fact that most people will come to their store for that extra
savings, use some coupons in their stores, then fill their grocery cart
with other high priced products. Let's face the facts, corporate America
is in it to make money. Thank goodness, that's not where the story ends!
While double and triple coupons are a great asset to lowering your
grocery bill, you'll end up actually paying more overall if you don't
watch it. The magic happens when you understand the strategy and match
those coupons with the stores lowest priced sales. Sometimes there are
even extra bonus manufacturer savings if you purchase a certain number of
their products in one transaction. Those are the times you load up and
pay little to nothing for those products.
I've heard so many people say that it isn't worth it for them because
their store doesn't double coupons. Drop the anchor . . . Don't jump off
the boat just yet! All over this great country of ours is a plethora of
opportunities just waiting for you to grab hold of. You can look from one
state to another and from one rural area to the suburbs to find the
savings you need. Some places double coupons worth up to .50 while others
will double $1 and $2 coupons; Then others don't double at all. However,
what I have found is that where one place might give those great double
deals, the other place has better sales to make up for it. Also,
different regions get coupons of different values. So where my .50 coupon
might be doubled to make it worth $1, another part of the country has
that same coupon already worth $1 or even more!
In all actuality, some of the very best deals are not even the deals you
get with double couponing. I love it, for instance, when there is a $4
coupon to save on razors and the store runs a special for those same
razors for sale at $4. You can't beat free . . . all it costs is the tax!
Then there's not even the hassle of trying to figure out how many you can
purchase if your store will only double up to three coupons on same items
per transaction. Don't limit yourself or your shopping opportunities.
With prices everywhere skyrocketing, you really can take charge of what
you pay. All it takes is keeping your eyes and ears open to sales and
available coupons. As with anything new, it might take some time to get
used to coupon shopping. Before you know it you'll be breezing through
the stores with keen observation and knowledge while paying just a
fraction of the price, double coupons or not.
Becky Sandefur is an entrepreneur known for her gift of helping others
reach their money-saving goals. Her expertise is in the area of Home
Economics, budgeting, and household management. She is the business owner
of "The Coupon Detective" that trains people how to Save Hundreds on
their Grocery Bill.
Contact the Author
Becky Sandefur
thrifty shopping
More Details about coupon shopping http://www.MyCouponDetective.com.
by Becky Sandefur
Some of the large chain stores have made coupon shopping much more
tantalizing by offering double and triple coupons. They are banking on
the fact that most people will come to their store for that extra
savings, use some coupons in their stores, then fill their grocery cart
with other high priced products. Let's face the facts, corporate America
is in it to make money. Thank goodness, that's not where the story ends!
While double and triple coupons are a great asset to lowering your
grocery bill, you'll end up actually paying more overall if you don't
watch it. The magic happens when you understand the strategy and match
those coupons with the stores lowest priced sales. Sometimes there are
even extra bonus manufacturer savings if you purchase a certain number of
their products in one transaction. Those are the times you load up and
pay little to nothing for those products.
I've heard so many people say that it isn't worth it for them because
their store doesn't double coupons. Drop the anchor . . . Don't jump off
the boat just yet! All over this great country of ours is a plethora of
opportunities just waiting for you to grab hold of. You can look from one
state to another and from one rural area to the suburbs to find the
savings you need. Some places double coupons worth up to .50 while others
will double $1 and $2 coupons; Then others don't double at all. However,
what I have found is that where one place might give those great double
deals, the other place has better sales to make up for it. Also,
different regions get coupons of different values. So where my .50 coupon
might be doubled to make it worth $1, another part of the country has
that same coupon already worth $1 or even more!
In all actuality, some of the very best deals are not even the deals you
get with double couponing. I love it, for instance, when there is a $4
coupon to save on razors and the store runs a special for those same
razors for sale at $4. You can't beat free . . . all it costs is the tax!
Then there's not even the hassle of trying to figure out how many you can
purchase if your store will only double up to three coupons on same items
per transaction. Don't limit yourself or your shopping opportunities.
With prices everywhere skyrocketing, you really can take charge of what
you pay. All it takes is keeping your eyes and ears open to sales and
available coupons. As with anything new, it might take some time to get
used to coupon shopping. Before you know it you'll be breezing through
the stores with keen observation and knowledge while paying just a
fraction of the price, double coupons or not.
Becky Sandefur is an entrepreneur known for her gift of helping others
reach their money-saving goals. Her expertise is in the area of Home
Economics, budgeting, and household management. She is the business owner
of "The Coupon Detective" that trains people how to Save Hundreds on
their Grocery Bill.
Contact the Author
Becky Sandefur
thrifty shopping
More Details about coupon shopping http://www.MyCouponDetective.com.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Coupon shopping…cut your grocery bill in half!
Coupon shopping…cut your grocery bill in half!
by Becky Sandefur
As grocery prices are on the rise, one homeschool mom of three beats the
odds by saving thousands of dollars every year on groceries and showing
others how they can get the same results. Becky Sandefur and her family
have lived in the DFW metroplex for the past 13 years. Sandefur's
coupon-shopping spree began several years ago. "I had tried using
coupons, but never seemed to be able to make that much of a difference on
my grocery bill," she says.
Trial and error paid off and she soon discovered that coupon shopping and
saving money is not just about the coupons. It is also about the stores,
the sales, the timing, the organization, and understanding the system.
Sandefur claims it is "not as hard as it seems and totally worth it!"
That's when she became known as, The Coupon Detective. Sandefur began her
business with a website at www.MyCouponDetective.com to help others learn
how they can also easily save hundreds of dollars a month. Many ideas are
simple, yet often overlooked. "The problem most people have with coupon
shopping is the organization," Sandefur says. "They don't have a system,
so it gets too time-consuming or they lose track of the coupons and
really don't save all that much before giving up."
Shoppers all over the United States have benefited from the Coupon
Detective's practical training and inspiration. Academy students
regularly send in testimonials and emails with "thank you's" and
appreciation for helping them save so much on their grocery bill.
Sandefur claims "with the right plan of action, you should be saving a
minimum of 50% on your grocery bill."
Becky Sandefur is an entrepreneur known for her gift of helping others
reach their money-saving goals. Her expertise is in the area of Home
Economics, budgeting, and household management. She is the business owner
of "The Coupon Detective" and trains people how to Save Hundreds on their
Grocery Bill. You can get your free report at
http://www.MyCouponDetective.com
Contact:
Becky Sandefur
More Details about coupon shopping
here.
by Becky Sandefur
As grocery prices are on the rise, one homeschool mom of three beats the
odds by saving thousands of dollars every year on groceries and showing
others how they can get the same results. Becky Sandefur and her family
have lived in the DFW metroplex for the past 13 years. Sandefur's
coupon-shopping spree began several years ago. "I had tried using
coupons, but never seemed to be able to make that much of a difference on
my grocery bill," she says.
Trial and error paid off and she soon discovered that coupon shopping and
saving money is not just about the coupons. It is also about the stores,
the sales, the timing, the organization, and understanding the system.
Sandefur claims it is "not as hard as it seems and totally worth it!"
That's when she became known as, The Coupon Detective. Sandefur began her
business with a website at www.MyCouponDetective.com to help others learn
how they can also easily save hundreds of dollars a month. Many ideas are
simple, yet often overlooked. "The problem most people have with coupon
shopping is the organization," Sandefur says. "They don't have a system,
so it gets too time-consuming or they lose track of the coupons and
really don't save all that much before giving up."
Shoppers all over the United States have benefited from the Coupon
Detective's practical training and inspiration. Academy students
regularly send in testimonials and emails with "thank you's" and
appreciation for helping them save so much on their grocery bill.
Sandefur claims "with the right plan of action, you should be saving a
minimum of 50% on your grocery bill."
Becky Sandefur is an entrepreneur known for her gift of helping others
reach their money-saving goals. Her expertise is in the area of Home
Economics, budgeting, and household management. She is the business owner
of "The Coupon Detective" and trains people how to Save Hundreds on their
Grocery Bill. You can get your free report at
http://www.MyCouponDetective.com
Contact:
Becky Sandefur
More Details about coupon shopping
here.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Five New Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store
Five New Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store
by Chris Robertson
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), average weekly
home food costs for a family of four with two children under five years
old rose from $85.60 in March 1999 to $118.30 in March 2009. That's an
increase of nearly 28 percent in ten years. Unless your income has
increased 28 percent or more, you are spending a greater portion of your
earnings on grocery shopping than you were ten years ago.
Other household expenses, such as heating costs, have risen even more
recently. That means there is simply less money to go around and every
opportunity for saving money is worth considering. You probably already
use coupons and look for sales. That's great; keep it up! If you want to
save even more, here are five fresh ideas for lowering your grocery costs.
1. Aisle-by-aisle shopping. Organize your shopping trip by setting up a
virtual aisle-by-aisle grocery list. You'll spend less time in the
grocery store and avoid impulse purchases. Using an aisle-by-aisle
organizer makes shopping so much easier you can bring your children and
save money on baby sitters. Plus, with a virtual shopping list, more than
one person can contribute to the list and that means fewer trips to the
store.
2. Favorites list. Keeping a virtual list of food favorites helps you
avoid the return trip for a forgotten item. Do you always buy a dozen
eggs every week? Do you always buy a jar of peanut butter when your jar
is half empty? The favorites list reminds you of items that should go on
your shopping list. You'll save gas money if you don't have to go back to
the grocery store, not to mention the time you will save and frustration
you will prevent.
3. Pay attention to the store's food recipes. Grocery stores often have
recipes for featured foods. If tilapia is on sale in the fish department,
but you don't know how to cook it, look for a recipe at the store.
4. Set up a grocery coupon organizer and a food recipe organizer. There's
no doubt about it - organizing saves money. When you organize your food
recipes you can easily find a recipe for whatever is on sale that week.
Is pork tenderloin on sale? Just go to the meat section of your recipe
organizer, or look under pork, and there you have it. Same with coupons:
with a grocery coupon organizer you'll know if you have the right coupons
for your purchases. You can also be sure to use those coupons before they
expire.
5. Start a grocery delivery service. Share your shopping expertise. Folks
who are too busy to shop or who are house bond will actually save money
by paying you to do their shopping because you have the skills to save
them serious money. Your customers can email their grocery lists to you,
making it even easier for you to shop for them.
Eating healthy food is important for everyone. Before you cut back on the
quality of the food you buy, consider these and other clever ways of
saving grocery money, so you can still buy the food you want for your
family.
Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon
International is one of the world's MOST popular internet marketing and
internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business
resource web site at: http://www.majon.com (NOTE: Content article shown above may be linked and circulated freely on web sites, ezines and other publications as long as ALL article content, links and author information
remain UNCHANGED in any way whatsoever.)
Contact the Author
Chris Robertson
More Details about grocery http://www.aislebyaisle.com here.
by Chris Robertson
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), average weekly
home food costs for a family of four with two children under five years
old rose from $85.60 in March 1999 to $118.30 in March 2009. That's an
increase of nearly 28 percent in ten years. Unless your income has
increased 28 percent or more, you are spending a greater portion of your
earnings on grocery shopping than you were ten years ago.
Other household expenses, such as heating costs, have risen even more
recently. That means there is simply less money to go around and every
opportunity for saving money is worth considering. You probably already
use coupons and look for sales. That's great; keep it up! If you want to
save even more, here are five fresh ideas for lowering your grocery costs.
1. Aisle-by-aisle shopping. Organize your shopping trip by setting up a
virtual aisle-by-aisle grocery list. You'll spend less time in the
grocery store and avoid impulse purchases. Using an aisle-by-aisle
organizer makes shopping so much easier you can bring your children and
save money on baby sitters. Plus, with a virtual shopping list, more than
one person can contribute to the list and that means fewer trips to the
store.
2. Favorites list. Keeping a virtual list of food favorites helps you
avoid the return trip for a forgotten item. Do you always buy a dozen
eggs every week? Do you always buy a jar of peanut butter when your jar
is half empty? The favorites list reminds you of items that should go on
your shopping list. You'll save gas money if you don't have to go back to
the grocery store, not to mention the time you will save and frustration
you will prevent.
3. Pay attention to the store's food recipes. Grocery stores often have
recipes for featured foods. If tilapia is on sale in the fish department,
but you don't know how to cook it, look for a recipe at the store.
4. Set up a grocery coupon organizer and a food recipe organizer. There's
no doubt about it - organizing saves money. When you organize your food
recipes you can easily find a recipe for whatever is on sale that week.
Is pork tenderloin on sale? Just go to the meat section of your recipe
organizer, or look under pork, and there you have it. Same with coupons:
with a grocery coupon organizer you'll know if you have the right coupons
for your purchases. You can also be sure to use those coupons before they
expire.
5. Start a grocery delivery service. Share your shopping expertise. Folks
who are too busy to shop or who are house bond will actually save money
by paying you to do their shopping because you have the skills to save
them serious money. Your customers can email their grocery lists to you,
making it even easier for you to shop for them.
Eating healthy food is important for everyone. Before you cut back on the
quality of the food you buy, consider these and other clever ways of
saving grocery money, so you can still buy the food you want for your
family.
Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon
International is one of the world's MOST popular internet marketing and
internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business
resource web site at: http://www.majon.com (NOTE: Content article shown above may be linked and circulated freely on web sites, ezines and other publications as long as ALL article content, links and author information
remain UNCHANGED in any way whatsoever.)
Contact the Author
Chris Robertson
More Details about grocery http://www.aislebyaisle.com here.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
9 Ways to Guard against Identity Theft
9 Ways to Guard against Identity Theft
by Vernon Williams
The following steps will help avoid being a victim of identity theft:
1. Protect your Social Security number.
* Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
* Never have your social security number preprinted on your checks.
* Only give your Social Security number when it is absolutely necessary.
* If asked for your social security number, suggest an alternative form
of identification.
* If your state uses your Social Security number as your driver's license
number, ask them to substitute another number.
* If your health insurance company uses your Social Security number as
your policy number, ask them to substitute another number Before giving
over your social security number, ask:
o Why do you need my Social Security number?
o How will my Social Security number be used?
o How do you protect my Social Security number from being stolen?
2. Shred sensitive documents before putting them in the trash
Shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance
forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge
cards that you're discarding, and credit offers you get in the mail.
3. Cancel prescreened credit offers.
Call: 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to stop receiving prescreened
offers of credit in the mail.
4. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.
If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail,
contact the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 or online at
www.usps.com, to request a vacation hold. They will hold your mail at
your local post office until you can pick it up or are home to receive it.
5. Protect your passwords on credit card, bank and telephone accounts.
* Keep your passwords in a secure place, and out of plain sight. Don't
share them on the Internet, over email, or on the phone. Your Internet
Service Provider (ISP) should never ask for your password.
* Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden
name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security
number or your phone number or a series of consecutive numbers.
To make it tougher for hackers to try to figure out your passwords:
* Use passwords that have at least eight characters and include numbers
or symbols. The longer the password, the tougher it is to crack. A
12-character password is stronger than one with eight characters.
* Avoid common words: some hackers use programs that can try every word
in the dictionary.
* Don't use your personal information, your login name, or adjacent keys
on the keyboard as passwords.
* Change your passwords regularly (at a minimum, every 90 days).
* Don't use the same password for each online account you access.
6. Verify a source before sharing information.
Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on
the Internet unless you've initiated the contact and are sure you know
who you're dealing with. Identity thieves are clever, and may pose as
representatives of banks, Internet service providers (ISPs), and even
government agencies to get people to reveal their Social Security number,
mother's maiden name, account numbers, and other identifying information.
7. Include on the essentials in your purse and wallet
Carry only the identification information and the credit and debit cards
that you'll actually need when you go out.
8. Store information in secure locations.
* Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if
you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your
house.
* Share your personal information only with those family members who have
a legitimate need for it.
* Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place at work; do the same with
copies of administrative forms that have your sensitive personal
information.
9. Determine security procedures in your workplace or at businesses,
doctor's offices or other institutions that collect personally
identifying information.
* Determine who has access to your personal information.
* Verify that it is handled securely.
* Determine the disposal procedures for those records.
* Determine if your information will be shared with anyone else. If so,
ask how your information can be kept confidential.
Get additional ways to protect yourself at
http://www.howtocutyourexpenses.com/identity-theft.html
With over 20 years of experience as a personal financial educator and
counselor, Vernon Williams has developed in depth knowledge of what it
takes to achieve financial success. Today, he is a sought after trainer
and speaker by organizations from both the public and private sector. He
is the author of 425 Ways to Stretch Your $$$$ and 3 Rules that Guarantee
Financial Success. Visit him at http://www.howtocutexpenses.com
[http://www.howtocutexpenses.com]
Contact the Author
Vernon Williams
Finances/Money
vwilliams64@comcast.net
More Details about Identity Theft
here.
by Vernon Williams
The following steps will help avoid being a victim of identity theft:
1. Protect your Social Security number.
* Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
* Never have your social security number preprinted on your checks.
* Only give your Social Security number when it is absolutely necessary.
* If asked for your social security number, suggest an alternative form
of identification.
* If your state uses your Social Security number as your driver's license
number, ask them to substitute another number.
* If your health insurance company uses your Social Security number as
your policy number, ask them to substitute another number Before giving
over your social security number, ask:
o Why do you need my Social Security number?
o How will my Social Security number be used?
o How do you protect my Social Security number from being stolen?
2. Shred sensitive documents before putting them in the trash
Shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance
forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge
cards that you're discarding, and credit offers you get in the mail.
3. Cancel prescreened credit offers.
Call: 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to stop receiving prescreened
offers of credit in the mail.
4. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.
If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail,
contact the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 or online at
www.usps.com, to request a vacation hold. They will hold your mail at
your local post office until you can pick it up or are home to receive it.
5. Protect your passwords on credit card, bank and telephone accounts.
* Keep your passwords in a secure place, and out of plain sight. Don't
share them on the Internet, over email, or on the phone. Your Internet
Service Provider (ISP) should never ask for your password.
* Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden
name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security
number or your phone number or a series of consecutive numbers.
To make it tougher for hackers to try to figure out your passwords:
* Use passwords that have at least eight characters and include numbers
or symbols. The longer the password, the tougher it is to crack. A
12-character password is stronger than one with eight characters.
* Avoid common words: some hackers use programs that can try every word
in the dictionary.
* Don't use your personal information, your login name, or adjacent keys
on the keyboard as passwords.
* Change your passwords regularly (at a minimum, every 90 days).
* Don't use the same password for each online account you access.
6. Verify a source before sharing information.
Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on
the Internet unless you've initiated the contact and are sure you know
who you're dealing with. Identity thieves are clever, and may pose as
representatives of banks, Internet service providers (ISPs), and even
government agencies to get people to reveal their Social Security number,
mother's maiden name, account numbers, and other identifying information.
7. Include on the essentials in your purse and wallet
Carry only the identification information and the credit and debit cards
that you'll actually need when you go out.
8. Store information in secure locations.
* Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if
you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your
house.
* Share your personal information only with those family members who have
a legitimate need for it.
* Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place at work; do the same with
copies of administrative forms that have your sensitive personal
information.
9. Determine security procedures in your workplace or at businesses,
doctor's offices or other institutions that collect personally
identifying information.
* Determine who has access to your personal information.
* Verify that it is handled securely.
* Determine the disposal procedures for those records.
* Determine if your information will be shared with anyone else. If so,
ask how your information can be kept confidential.
Get additional ways to protect yourself at
http://www.howtocutyourexpenses.com/identity-theft.html
With over 20 years of experience as a personal financial educator and
counselor, Vernon Williams has developed in depth knowledge of what it
takes to achieve financial success. Today, he is a sought after trainer
and speaker by organizations from both the public and private sector. He
is the author of 425 Ways to Stretch Your $$$$ and 3 Rules that Guarantee
Financial Success. Visit him at http://www.howtocutexpenses.com
[http://www.howtocutexpenses.com]
Contact the Author
Vernon Williams
Finances/Money
vwilliams64@comcast.net
More Details about Identity Theft
here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
