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  Debbie 9:22 am on December 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Congratulations to our Winners! 

  Meet the winners from our Top 10 Ways to Save Money Contest

   

  Grand Prize Winning Entry – Spend Smart from  Malgorzata

  Here are her Top 10 Tips…

  Start with the budget and stick to it. Plan for little pleasures to be realistic, no one can survive on “zero calorie diet”!

  Plan wisely. Buy large packs of non-perishable items that you are going to use or shop with a friend sharing big packs of groceries. This way you will get a lower price per item and will not have to stock up too much.

  Everyone has something beneficial to share. Think of your friends as of a valuable barter resource; see how you can help one another.

  Never use all coupons you have. It seems like throwing out free money, but coupons make us buying things that we may never use or throw away because they expire. Do not buy what you don’t need.

  De-clutter your space and do a yard sale or sell what you don’t need on e-bay or craigslist. The latter will probably give you more than yard sale.

  Save on taxes donating things that you no longer use. Organizations like Goodwill will give you a receipt that you can use for tax deductions.

  Make sure you always pay the entire credit card balance each month, not only the Minimum Due. It is a great trap creditors want to catch us at. Enjoy free credit for 50/55 days, but then diligently pay off your debts. This way you will avoid costly interests.

  Analyze your credit cards. If you have too many, get rid of these charging yearly fees that others don’t.

  Re-think your needs. We tend to buy more then we really need and that includes groceries, as well as other items such as electronics, services, insurances, etc… Let’s take residential line for example – if you have a cell, who does not nowadays.

  Try using free goods and services, i.e. your online banking account, pay your bills online – you save on checks, stamps and stationary. Another example is freecycle.org where you can search for things you need that others give out – you help recycle plus it does not cost you a dime!

  2nd Prize Winning Entry from Sharon titled 'Keep Your Money'

  1. Don’t buy anything you can afford to pay off in cash (with the exception of items like a car or a house)
  2. If you use credit make sure you pay more than the minimum.
  3. Stay away from Wal-Mart if you don’t make sure you have a list of items to get from there and stick to it, don’t brows.
  4. Cook at home and take a lunch.
  5. Cut the cable bill
  6. Remove the landline
  7. Keep up with everything you purchase to see what you spend the most money on and unless it’s a necessity find a way to reduce or stop spending on it.
  8. Make a budget
  9. Don’t go grocery shopping while hungry
  10. Keep your money in the bank, if you keep too much at hand you’ll spend it faster.

  3rd Place Winner is Donna

  Use Coupons for Groceries and Household Items and Store Coupons can double on certain days of the week

  Start a Budget and Stick to it

  Pay off Credit Balances and on time

  Turn off Lights (use low energy light bulbs)and Unplug Appliances when you leave a room or your home for the day

  If you live on a Bus Route take the Bus to work

  Walk to places (if weather permits ) that are near your home (Also if you live in a safe neighborhood)

  Change your Air Filter in home every 3 months

  Use your cell phone for your home phone service also

  Combine your Cable, Internet and Phone Service

  Have adequate Insulation for your home

   

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  Debbie 9:46 pm on November 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Inspiration from My Friend Pam… 

  Recieved this very inspirationial message in an email from my friend  Pamela M. Higham… thanks Pam

  Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. 

  

  I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. 

  How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you? 

  How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television? 

  I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. 

  Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! 

  We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college. 

  Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.' 

  When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord. 

  My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy. 

  Now…go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to…not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? 

  Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you. 

  Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply? 

  When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'? 

  When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift….Thrown away…. Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over. 
   

   
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  Debbie 11:04 pm on August 3, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Be Flexible, Get Ready to Travel to Where the Jobs Are 

  CHECK OUT SHORT or LONG TERM JOBS IN OTHER AREAS

  If you have been on the bench or in between opportunities for awhile, nice buzz words for being unemployed, why not consider other parts of the country for your job search, e.g. go where the jobs are. 

  Companies today are leary of  hiring for full time positions, but they are hiring for temporary or short term contract positions.  I spoke with a friend of mine last week, a CFO for a Shipping Company in Houston, Texas.  He said that companies, including his are scared to hire for full time positions right now and that his company is only bringing on new employees from Temporary Agencies and Contract Firms.

  In a recent Bloomberg report, "The number of temporary workers increased 31,000 an eighth consecutive gain. Employment at Temporary Help Agencies picks up before companies take on permanent staff".

  WHERE THE JOBS ARE AND ARE NOT…

  In a recent USA Today feature, Moody's created a map of the USA that shows the expected job growth rate for all states.  Guess who's #1 on the list, Texas with a 2.4% uptick in jobs.  There are some great places to live in Texas, Austin, San Antonio, just to name a few, it's a huge state with huge possibilities.

  ONE YEAR FORECAST CHANGE IN JOBS

  

  FOLKS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES SEND THE MONEY HOME WHY CAN'T WE?

  We all know of folks living here in the USA where they send money home to their families to places like Mexico and the Phillipines, well why can't we work in a city to help keep our families going and send money home too!

  You may get lucky and find a short term assignment say for 3-6 months.  Its tough leaving your family & friends but it's not forever and the experience of a new city and new people can be very exciting. You have to do your homework and research affordable housing in the city where you will be working.  There are places like Extended Stay that offer rooms with kitchens, so you do not have to eat out every night.  Most metro areas have great public transportation, especially places like DC, so you don't have to spend money on a rental car or even need a car.  Or if you're close enough, you can drive your own car to the work location and then drive home on the weekends.

  Once you've settled in for a few weeks, you will have gotten to know the area and then can find a room mate situation for a month to month or short term basis.  I worked in Washington DC a few years ago, rented a room in a nice furnished townhouse in Alexandria, it was great, the metro swooshes you right into Washington and there is so much to see and do there on the weekends. There are ton's of jobs in DC right now, a friend of mine from San Diego just landed a full time job there after being unemployed for 1+ years!  

  PER DIEM EXPLAINED…

  One advantage to traveling to a new area for a job is that you may qualify for per diem.  Here's the definition of Per Diem, straight from Wikipedia.

  "Per diem is understood to include the additional expenses incurred living away from home—basically having two residences. The IRS sets the maximum amount of per diem each year based on the location—for instance, New York City has a higher rate than Gadsden, Alabama.

  To qualify for per diem, your work-related business activity should be at least fifty miles from your tax home, and require an overnight stay. The IRS code does not specify a number of miles. However, based on IRS rulings, it is commonly accepted that a distance of 50 miles as a reasonable distance to justify payment of per diem allowance."

  If you are paid an hourly rate on a contract job, the per diem rate is deducted and you receive that money TAX FREE!  Isn't that cool, you are taxed only on the remainder rate.  If you can keep your expenses down you are way ahead and can send money home to your family! 

  You will pay any state and local taxes for the area that you are working.  There are a few states left that have no state income taxes, like Florida, Texas and Nevada.  If you're working in a place like California or New York you will pay their state and local taxes, but again you are only taxed on your non per diem rate. 

  Hope this has helped and given you a few things to think about. If you have any stories to share, please feel free to leave a comment and be sure to share this with your friends! Thank you!