16 ways to save $100

As the government and Federal Reserve campaign to head off a recession, many families are working hard to save money and reduce debt. Credit-card debts and other loans hang over us like a sword. By saving modest amounts, however, you can reap big rewards over time. And that doesn't require clipping coupons and washing out used coffee filters. Here are easy ways you can save $100 or more this year:

1. Plug into bargain electricity.
Mickey Greenblatt was spending nearly $250 a month on electricity for his home in Potomac, Md. When the retired executive called his utility company to find out why his bills were so high, the company offered to do a free home-energy audit. Greenblatt learned that simple things such as running his dishwasher at night rather than during the day could cut his bill by 40 percent. Taking advantage of such options as off-peak rates can save most consumers $100 a year.

Savings are also possible under "load management" programs. You get discounts for allowing your utility company to put a device on your water heater and air conditioner that switches them off briefly during periods of high demand.

2. Hit the brakes on automobile-insurance rates.
You can save substantially by increasing the deductibles on the comprehensive and collision portions of your policy. According to the Insurance Information Institute, raising collision deductibles from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision and comprehensive coverage by 15-30 percent. Squeeze out additional savings by asking about every possible discount, such as for carpooling, air bags, annual mileage below 10,000 miles -- even for teenage drivers with grade averages above a B.

3. Challenge your property tax.
Ruth Rejnis, author of Squeeze Your Home for Cash, recommends going to your local assessor's office and finding out what property taxes your neighbors are paying. If your house is similar but your taxes are higher, you may want to challenge your bill. Also, read the description of your home. Errors in square footage or the number of bathrooms could mean an overcharge. The assessor's office or local board of tax review can tell you how to file an appeal.

4. Shop for a bargain bank.
Look for free checking and no ATM fees. Also, if you have direct deposit of your paycheck, your bank might waive its monthly fee.

5. Remedy pricey prescriptions.
Cut your bills in half by buying generic drugs instead of name brands. Also, buy your prescriptions via mail order through a drugstore chain or your company health plan.

6. Pay off your plastic.
If you carry a credit-card balance from month to month, pay it back pronto. A $1000 balance at 18 percent blows nearly $200 a year in interest. If you can't pay it off in full, transfer your debt to a lower-rate card.

7. Say no to car extras.
Your car dealer may sell rustproofing and fabric protection at $100 a pop, and paint protection for as much as $250. "Usually these extras are the dealer's way to squeeze more money out of you," says Bob Elliston, author of What Car Dealers Won't Tell You. Do-it-yourself fabric protector costs about $10 a bottle. Paint protection is unnecessary, since most cars have many layers of paint. And skip rustproofing: cars come already treated so that they won't need it.

8. Take a longer waiting period for disability insurance.
If you can't work, disability insurance pays your living expenses. Many employers offer this. But if you must buy your own, accept the longest waiting period before benefits kick in -- as long as you can cover those expenses, suggests Shelly Branch, author of Dollar Pinching: A Consumer's Guide to Smart Spending. A healthy male carpenter earning $40,000 annually could pay up to $1800 a year for a policy with a 30-day wait. With a 90-day wait it could cost $800 to $1100.

9. Cancel mortgage insurance.
When you buy a house with less than 20 percent down, your lender may insist you buy private mortgage insurance (PMI) to protect against default. The average cost of this insurance is $45 a month, or $540 a year. However, once you have 20-percent equity (either because you've paid down your mortgage or because area property values have risen), you may be allowed to cancel the PMI.

10. Explore DRIPs.
If you buy stock, you can save on brokerage commissions by enrolling in a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP). Offered by more than 900 companies, DRIPs allow shareholders to buy stock directly. You may have to be a shareholder of record, however, so find out if you'll need to use a broker to buy your first few shares. Then enroll in the DRIP.

11. Buy straight from the Treasury.
Another way to bypass brokers and save money on fees is to buy Treasury notes, bills or bonds directly. The minimum investment is $1000 for bonds and for notes with maturities between five and ten years, $5000 for notes with shorter maturities and $10,000 for bills. Ask the nearest branch of the Federal Reserve Bank for an application for a Treasury Direct account.

12. Clean out your closet.
When you deduct charitable donations of clothing at tax time, do you just guess $100? William Lewis, author of Cash for Your Used Clothing, says most people underestimate the worth of such items.

Before you donate, price each item against similar ones sold at the store where you drop them off. If you're in a 28-percent tax bracket, a donation worth $400 will earn you a tax deduction of at least $112.

13. Skip the service contract.
Extended warranties on electronics are rarely a good deal. According to Tom Garman, a Virginia Tech professor of consumer affairs, most product breakdowns occur in the first year and are covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

14. Flex your company's flexible spending account.
These accounts allow you to set aside part of your pretax salary for dependent-care costs and unreimbursed medical expenses. You decide at the beginning of the year how much money you want to set aside in the account. The downside is that if you don't use all the money, you lose it. However, if you're in the 28-percent tax bracket and allocate $500 to cover your health-insurance deductible, you'll cut taxes by $140.

15. Buy in bulk.
Items you may use a lot, such as paper towels and diapers, are often far cheaper when you buy in quantity. For example, Alan and Denise Fields, co-authors of Baby Bargains, say new parents buy an average of 2400 disposable diapers in their baby's first year alone. Diapers that cost 20 cents apiece in the packages sold at grocery shops and drugstores might go for 15 cents when bought in bulk at a discount store or warehouse club. Just a nickel a diaper could add up to an annual savings of $120.

16. Rethink your vacations.
"Homestay" programs offer free lodging all over the world to travelers who are themselves willing to host other members in their homes. Some groups charge an annual membership fee, but your savings can easily be worth more than a hundred dollars a day.

Recession Proof Jobs - How Secure is Your Income if a Recession Hits?

There is much conversation lately as to whether we are headed towards, or already in, a recession. Talk of recession always makes the average consumer start worrying about job security. Is your job recession-proof? What jobs are likely to survive a recession? Will this change in the economy change your financial state? Yes, it all can be quite nerve wrecking.

First off, I am not a financial guru. I am just another citizen who is trying to make ends meet - just like most of you. If my financial/economy lingo is incorrect, I apologize.

Recession-Proof Jobs - Do You Have One?
A good rule of thumb is that jobs that are based on consumers “have-to’s” are fairly likely to survive a recession. As a consumer, I have to eat, I have to have electricity and water, I have to pay taxes, I have to have a car with gas that works, etc. I’m sure you can also make a long list of “have-to’s” in your life that are common for most of us.

On the other had, jobs that are NOT based on consumers “have-to’s” could feel a pinch. For example, I do NOT have to go out to eat. I do NOT have to go to the movies. I do NOT have to buy a new TV or iPod.

The jobs that supply needs I feel will be much more secure than those jobs that provide our wants.

Health care workers, government jobs …. they are secure. We all need health care, and we are all stuck with the government.

Know what other jobs can be quite recession-proof? Jobs where you save or make money for someone. Jobs that require special skills tend to be good jobs to have in a recession, also.

So why am I talking about recession proof jobs today? Seems a bit ‘off-topic’ for my blog, doesn’t it?

Stick with me… I have a point =)


Your Computer Can Provide a Good Job in a Recession
Yes, that computer that you are reading my words on right now could be the key to additional income or your sole source of income. People are doing it every single day. Matter of fact, those that have an online business enjoy a huge list of tax deductions and home based business tax advantages that can save the average family a LOT of money every year. The tax benefits alone are enough to keep reading…and start learning.

My goal of this blog is to get people started making some money online. I want those that are new and clueless to make their first $10 from time spent on their computer. I want you to feel the accomplishment and the amazement when a company mails you a check or dumps some cash into your PayPal account.

It is LIBERATING.

After your first ten dollars, I want to help you get to $10 a DAY… then let’s go to $10 an hour - every hour…. If you can get there, you can rinse and repeat all that you’ve learned and have $100 days… or $100 hours…. or more.

Is it EASY? No, it is not easy. You still have to work at it, you still have to learn and apply yourself…you still have to tackle the learning curve just like any other job.

Besides, nothing truly worth-while is EASY.

However, YOU are in control of your online job. No recession or boss or change of life-status can take that away from you.

How to Begin a Recession-Proof Job with Your Computer
If you are brand new to the concept of making money online, then I am sure this all sounds just peachy - but where in the world do you start? I have a series of posts that I did some time back for those that are brand-spanking new to what is called “internet marketing”. I start with a very basic and proven way to start your career online using all free methods. I picked this method for three main reasons.

Control
This internet marketing platform gives the marketer more ‘hands on’ control of the income earned. Those involved in this concept will actually see earnings from their direct efforts - and very quickly. You also get to decide how much time you put into it. No amount of time is too little - and no one sets your schedule for you. YOU are in control.

Internet Marketing Education
While promoting this platform, those new to this business will learn about affiliate marketing (making money/commissions for referring others to products, services, or companies), and about how to get exposure, and some marketing. Also they will learn a bit of HTML and learn to use “Free For All” sites like Squidoo, Associated Content, and blogs to help make MORE money online by promoting their business. The basics learned from this concept will give someone new to internet marketing the baseline of info and concept understanding to see what this business is all about.

This method flat-out teaches you to think differently. It takes your perception of the computer from “something to do when I’m bored or to check my email” to “what I do to make money…my computer is my office”.

It is 100% FREE
There is absolutely no cost to follow these strategies to begin making money online. It is a free education to let you see “behind the curtain” and teach yourself a new skill. And this skill you are learning can open up a world of opportunity for you - literally.

This is an investment of time into your most important asset - YOU.

Do You Want to be Recession-Proof?
Take some time and read How to Start Making Money Online - Step by Step. It is a four-part series of posts that will introduce you to the world of internet marketing. Take some time, get your ‘head around’ the concept, but not too long. I’m a big fan of a saying I read on a forum-

“Ready, Fire, Aim!”

This is very similar to my favorite arcade game, SkeeBall. You get points just about anywhere the ball lands!

Teach yourself something new. Roll the SkeeBall….Get a new skill….. Make that first $10……Be recession proof.

Ready? Good! You can “aim” later!

Souce: PotPieGirl.com

Recession Proof Jobs

In the wake of the housing crisis, news abounds of a looming recession, with regular reports of financial gloom. It's no wonder workers are fretting over finances and the employment outlook for the coming months, as a recent Hudson Employment Index shows.

Workers shouldn't worry, experts say. Jobs in some industries do have good potential for weathering a financial storm. It's more important, though, for employees to focus on making themselves recession proof.

Best Businesses During a Recession
Even during boom times no job is fail-safe. But some industries are safer havens than others, experts say, such as healthcare, the federal government, clean technology, information technology, and sales and marketing.

"I think the recession proof jobs are where people need the goods and services regardless, like healthcare and pharmaceuticals. People are getting older, people are getting frailer, and demographics of the population are aging. Biosciences, physical therapy, occupational therapy-those are jobs that are as recession proof as they come. They also require specialized skills," says Jon Bender, managing partner with PrincetonOne, a New Jersey-based recruiting firm.

Sales and marketing positions and others supporting them are fairly sturdy, according to Kevin Donlin, author and creator of The Simple Job Search system. Anyone who makes or saves money for a company will be relatively safe, he says.

Federal government jobs also may be worth considering.

"Uncle Sam hires approximately 2 percent of America's total workforce and the pay and benefits are outstanding. Few feds lose their jobs during a recession and most downsizing in the federal government is based on attrition, not filling vacant positions, rather than letting people go. I know firsthand; from 1969 through January of 2005, I worked for Uncle Sam and went through a number of recessions and agency reorganizations during that time," says author and retired federal employee Dennis V. Damp.

With baby boomers leaving government jobs, there are many opportunities to land these positions, Damp says, noting the best time to act is before a recession.

Surviving a Recession - What to Do if a Recession Hits
During a recession isn't the best time to take charge of your work life and make drastic decisions, experts agree.
Marc Karasu, a career coach and former vice president of advertising and marketing at Yahoo! HotJobs, says workers should concentrate on their current job and highlight how they've exceeded expectations.

"Self-promotion is a fine thing, and there's nothing wrong with letting your superiors know in a professional and intelligent way that you're adding value. If you can, start demonstrating the value you add to a company through your annual performance review," Karasu says. "Also, meet with your boss and say where you are doing good, where you can improve. Bosses like to see people come to them proactively. The key is to do it today before a recession, so you don't look desperate."

Career expert Les McKeown says it's more difficult to identify recession proof jobs or industries than it was 15 years ago, so workers trying to build a career must establish their own individual security.

To do that, McKeown says, they must prove that it would cost their employer more to let them go than it would cost to keep them. Ultimately the employee is seen as someone who would flourish no matter where in the company he or she lands.

"At the end of the day the only way to make yourself recession proof is to make your opportunity cost as high as possible. [You want employers to] say, 'We can't let Jane go because we can put her anywhere,'" McKeown explains. "You must have a personal ability to add value. If you can do that, then you're as recession proof as anyone."


Source: Kristina Cowan payscale.com