Sundays in the Past

The last few days I have been living in the past. Watching a lot of "The History Detectives" and working on a video "Women in History". It all has me thinking of life when I was much younger.

Sundays have always been my favorite day and now I realize why. We always went to Grandma's house on Sunday where all my Great Aunts, Great Uncles, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins gathered. On a normal Sunday there were usually 20+ people running around and having fun.

In the winter there was two or more pinochle games going on, an Uno game, and sometimes a puzzle on the kitchen table. In the Summer there was fishing, riding motorcycles, and home made ice cream. There were monthly camping trips and sitting around the fire just gabbing about nothing and laughing about everything.

There were also summer trips to the zoo, Grants Farm, and other local attractions. We always had so much fun.

Those were the days of fewer responsibilities, more fun, and more family. I don't want to go back to my childhood, but I would like to have that closeness that we use to have as a family.

Now there are no Sunday family gatherings at Grandma's house and everyone is to busy with work and kids to go on summer trips. Most of us don't go on camping trips anymore either. One problem is that the family has grown to large to all gather at one person's home. We usually have holiday gatherings at a hall or in the City Park.

Sunday is still my favorite day because I usually don't have any appointments and I can just stay home and get some things done around the house. I can also get things done for the week ahead. But now I would really like to have a place to go where my family gathers and life slowed down enough to just sit and talk or play a card game or two. Some home made ice cream would hurt either.

So I just sent out an email to start going on a family trip to the zoo in may. We will see if we can get a few people together and have a picnic in the park before going in to look a the animals.

How Much Are You Saving?

I saw an article on MSN.com called "Secrets of Successful Savers" by MP Dunleavy. I think this is one of my new favorite articles. I wish I would have read this about 12 years ago, then maybe I would have a much larger nest egg. Saving money was just something my dad lectured me about everyday (like he had room to talk), not something I actually did back then.

In this article, Dunleavy gives a lot of tips and some good analogies from experts in Psychology. She starts off with a good line "...sometimes it can seem as if the universe is conspiring against you". I find this totally true. Inevitably, every time I get a windfall, my car needs new brakes or our water heater breaks or something happens that prevents me from putting that money in savings.

"Socking away money is tricky...for the same reason that diets often fail. The brain resists sacrificing immediate pleasures (eating, spending) for abstract, far-off goals, such as looking cute in a swimsuit or having money in the bank for a rainy day." Since I am currently doing both, Spring dieting and trying to save as much money as possible, this is definitely something that I can relate to. Especially when I want to buy all this tempting Easter candy that has been on sale the past week.

Then the article goes into saving tips, like Automatic transfers and direct deposit into a savings account. I currently direct deposit the same amount from each pay check into my savings account and 4 times a month I transfer money into my two online savings accounts. This is the easiest way I can think of to save. I usually round all debits from my checking account up to the next $10 mark so that when the automatic transfers occur, I don't even notice the decline in my checking balance. I just reconcile the account when the monthly statement comes. Another tip from the article was to get a savings account at a bank that is in an inconvenient location so that you aren't tempted to make a withdrawal every time you pass the bank.

Some other tips are to put a meaning behind why you are saving. If you are saving money just to save money, you are less likely to actually save. I have named my online savings accounts "Sam's college fund" and "Our future". That definitely gets me motivated to keep saving and keeps me from making any unnecessary withdrawals. The last section of the article is about "Keeping Up the Momentum". Dunleavy suggests that you act fast, explaining that when you are feeling inspired to save money, do it immediately because inspiration is usually temporary. Next, get support, whether it is friends, family, spouses, sisters... It is always easier to do something when you have people encouraging you to stick with it. This next tip is a good one, but one I could never keep up with. The article says to "Save your savings". "...many people confused discounts on merchandise (e.g., "My coat was 50% off) with saving actual money. Instead focus on saving your savings. If your grocery receipt says you saved $7.49, go home and put that money aside." Since I save a lot of money every month with sales and coupons, I just stick to my automatic transfers.

The last tip is something I had to do with this months spending freeze. Make a list of the stores, websites, products or activities that make you spend money you don't want to spend. My list was to stay away from Borders and Kohls, stay off of Amazon.com and not to buy anymore clothes for my DS, DH, or myself. A quote from the article "Self-control is tiring. Arranging your life so that you confront fewer temptations is a wise thing altogether."

Food Auctions

This is an interesting way to sell food. Going through my usual reading this morning, I found an article on MSNBC that was very interesting. Companies are now auctioning food that is past it's sell-by date.

A gentlemen in Pennsylvania started auctioning off food that was past it's sell-by date and was very surprised at the crowd that had gathered. People are finding new ways to save money on groceries, and this is one of them. The turnout was so good that he is now holding food auctions all over Pennsylvania.

It seems that the Auctioneers are also being hit by the economy. People are not buying collectors items or antiques these days and they are having a hard time selling their goods. So they are now helping out stores and food manufacturers by auctioning off food.

"The popularity of the auctions — which sell leftover or damaged goods from supermarkets, distribution centers and restaurant suppliers — comes at a time when people are stretching their grocery budgets by using more coupons, buying inferior cuts of meat, and choosing store brands over national brands."

In most cases you can save 50% on your grocery bill by going to an auction. But you do need to be aware of what the food costs in stores. In some cases the Auctioneer has wondered if the person who bought the food would have saved money by just going to the store. Before going to the auction, know the prices of the food you are buying.

The sale-by date or use-by date is a date that the manufacturers use to rotate goods. In most cases food is still good, but may start losing its freshness. I guess grocery stores are selling food through auctions instead of throwing it out. You don't need to go to auctions, getting food for free from dumpster diving could be an alternative. Although in this economy, there may be some competition using this method.

I have not been able to find an auction near my home, but I did find this web site: http://www.liquidation.com/list/c1125/cta/1.html which sells pallets of goods. You select a pallet of items which can contain food and house hold items.

By the way, in the St. Louis area, Shop-N-Save is having a $10.00 off coupon day if you buy $50.00 on groceries. Using manufacturer coupons and sales, you could save a lot of money.

Book Swap

A couple weeks ago my cousin Beth sent me a link to a new book program. I really didn't pay much attention because I have so many books at the moment and I need to read at least 2 boxes full of books before I can get any more free or not. But this week the local news has been highlighting book swapping and I thought that I would at least share even though I can't get any more books.

Book swapping is an a new online craze that is as good as going to the library. You sign up for free and you can search for a book to request. You also put your books in the online library for others to request. You have to pay for shipping cost to the person who request your book, but that is the only cost.

Books are not the only thing you can swap. CDs and movies are also on the list. The only catch is that you have to list your own books, CDs, and/or movies in order to get the items you want.

There are many online book swap web sites. Here are some for you to check out:

Swap Tree
Paper Back Swap
Bookins
BookMooch
Title Trader

More About Starting Your Own Business

One of the local news channels sponsors a online and phone chat with experts. Today the subject was starting your own business. My husband has wanted to start a business since he was 5 years old. At this point we just need financing to buy or rent a building. We have a lot of props and information. We just need money as with most people wanting to start a business.

So, I went to the local news web site and found a long list of web sites I didn't even know existed. Here is what I found:

www.ideabounce.com
www.sba.gov
www.accionusa.org
www.prosper.com
www.lendingclub.com
www.sbtv.com
www.score.org
www.franchise.org
www.nawbo.org
www.asbdc-us.org
www.therisetothetop.com
www.slcec.com
www.stcc-edc.com

If you are out of a job, it might be a good time to start your own business.

Starting Your Own Business

I was listening to talk radio one morning and they said that more people start a new business during down economic times. Some of them do survive and grow into a very successful business.

I have been successful in different businesses and I hope to continue. Right now I work with my husband DJing. I did have a successful traveling massage business.

I have also had businesses that have failed like the craft store. I don't think that I sold a single item. We gave up the store when the town flooded and the building we were renting was under water. We did rent spaces in craft malls and I did sell a few items, but not enough to actually make money.

I also joined a couple of those multi-level marketing businesses that didn't work out very well. Although I did learn a few things from them that has helped me build other businesses.

The Cash Machine for Life is a book that can help you start working on a business with little cash. I don't agree with all that Loral Langemeier says, but she does have some good advice.

She helps you figure out what kind of business you can start. The first step is brainstorming to figure out a business for you. Then you work on a 120-day plan to get you started. You break the 120-day plan down to specific goals.

The next step is to map out a plan. She briefly goes over the steps to plan and start a business.

1. The Concept
2. The Opportunity
3. The Strategy
4. The Team and Operations
5. The Financials
   
6. Future Pacing
7. Revenue Model and Cash-Flow Analysis

Then you build a team to help you build your business. You need support from family and friends. Find a mentor that can help you and give you pointers.

Marketing and Sales is always a hard one for me. But I have found that the best advertisement is word of mouth and putting the word out. The most expensive advertisement is not always the best investment. Start off small. For instance, in the DJ business the best thing we did was rent a booth at a couple of local bridal shows. We handed out business cards and a DVD that I put together from our first show. We found that putting ads in the paper or big ads in the yellow pages did nothing for us.


Learning the best way to operate your business and keep track of your finance is one of the most important steps. I found using QuickBooks works best of us at the moment. I started off using an Excel spreadsheet. My husband and I also figured out a really good system to set up the equipment and how to position everything in the trailer. We have shortened the time we need to setup and tear down.

The last chapter is accelerating the business. One thing that we learned in the DJ business is that sometimes you have to go back to where you started in order to get the business. Over the years we raised our prices to make a few extra dollars and to pay for the rising cost of gas. I just lowered our prices back to where they were when we started the business because no one wants to pay the higher prices for anything these days.

Along the way we have made a lot of mistakes, but we have made a lot of good choices. Learn from the mistakes and remember the good choices.

One other place to help you get started in a business is the Small Business Administration.

If you think it is time to work on a dream you have had, then why not. Work toward a goal and set up a business. Read the Cash Machine for Life to help you get started.

Suze Orman has made changes

I just received an email that had the title "Save Yourself Alert! Suze has Changed Her Mind". That got my attention. Suze has decided that you need to put as much as possible into savings and more so than paying off credit cards.

Yep, she feels that if you do not have a large chunk of money in an emergency fund you should put as much as possible into savings rather than paying off credit card bills. That is, you should still pay your bills, but not pay as much. Maybe even just pay the minimum amount and put the rest into a high interest savings account.

For her reasons and more detailed information here is a link to The Suze Scoop. I would check it out.

25 Kitchen Fixes

I found an article in the local news paper that has some really good tips that I thought I would share with you. Some of these I have known for years, but there is a couple I had no idea.

1. Most people have food stuck to pots and pans. Simmer a baking soda and water mixture in the pot to lift the food off. If you cooked something made with eggs, flour and milk, soak the pot in cold water first.

2. Stale bread? Sprinkle a slice or two with water and microwave for 30 seconds to restore the softness.

3. Use a metal bench scraper to scoop chopped vegetables to the side of the bench scraper and take them to the pan without dropping any.

4. Buttermilk substitute: 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and add enough low fat milk to equal 1 cup.

5. Putting knives in the dishwasher or leaving them in the sink will dull them. Wash and dry them immediately after use.

6. Always put a damp towel underneath a cutting board to help keep it in place.

7. Rub your hands on a stainless steel surface to get rid of garlicky hands.

8. Use a Y-shaped peeler for more control when peeling fruits and vegetables. Put the item on a work surface rather than peeling in midair.

9. Heat or toast spices to reinvigorate the flavors. Put them in a cast-iron skillet over low heat with no oil. If you are using a thinner pan, be careful not to burn the spices. Store them out of direct sunlight and in opaque jars.

10. Use onion goggles to keep from tearing up. Also, make sure your onion is fresh and your knife is sharp.

11. To soften and make a lemon juicier, put is in the microwave for 10 seconds.

12. Use a barbecue cleaning brush to scrub clams and mussels.

13. Chilled chicken and other meats are easier to handle.

14. To make the sauce stick to pasta, don't add oil to pasta water. The Oil keeps the sauce from adhering to the pasta.

15. To retain juices in meat, let them rest before cutting into them. A pork shop needs to sit for five minutes and a turkey needs to sit for a half-hour.

16. Use a hollow-edge knife to prevent foods from sticking to the knife.

17. To brown food, pat meats and vegetables dry with a paper towel. The moisture will steam and won't get very brown.

18. Use parchment to protect counters and cutting boards when working with raw meat.

19. Use a slotted spatula to check pancakes or other foods to find out when to flip them.

20. Use rubber bands to bunch herbs before chipping to keep them from scattering.

21. If you hang your pots and have a hard time finding the lids, slip lids over the handles of the pots and hang them over-head from a pot rack.

22. To keep sugar from clumping, put an apple wedge or two in the bag and store at room temperatures. A slice of bread works just as well.

23. Use a microplane grater instead of a box grater to keep your fingers from getting cut.

24. Freeze leftover broth or stock in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer to resealable containers, label, and date them.

25. Cover fruits and veggies with water and add lemon or lime juice to keep them from turning brown. Cover with a piece of plastic Rubbing the cut surfaces with lemon juice also helps keep the item from browning.

Websites

Here are some great web sites compliments of my husband and Aunt Paula.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com

http://www.smartbargains.com

http://www.6pm.com

http://www.4sale4now.com/

http://www.promotionalcodes.com/

Ever have a file you want to send but it's too large. go to http://www.yousendit.com

Predictions

I have been hearing a lot about predictions on when this economy will turn around. So called experts have said that things will get better in 6 month to 5 years to "I Don't Know".

I was watching a PBS special talking about when things will turn around according to U.S. financial historical patterns. Kenneth Rogoff predicts that we are only in the beginning stages of a depression. That things will not get better for another 4 to 5 years.

Ron Paul has said many times that we are headed for trouble and is now getting to say "I told you so". You can listen to his interview on YouTube.

Suze Orman has predicting that things will not get better for 4 to 5 years.

All Business wants to give the Small Business Owner some good news, but he is forced to print the facts of what he sees for the future and it isn't good.

Doug Casey predicted back in June of 2008 that we were headed for harder times.

Others have gone to generic predictions of "it will be back to normal soon" or avoiding the question all together. Now people are finally telling the truth that they just don't know.

My prediction is that it will take at least 3 to 4 years before things get better. It is like spring cleaning, the house gets much worse before it gets better. I feel we are in a financial spring cleaning. I will be glad when lazy summer financial days get here.

Spend or Not Spend

The Government seems to be flip flopping on what it wants us to do. First they wanted us to save money and pay off our bills, especially our home loans, so that we don't cause the credit companies to go out of business. Now all I see is spend, spend, spend. Well, here is what I have to say.

If you can afford it, go ahead and spend the money. If you lost your house or can't pay your credit card bill, stop buying and take responsibility for your own debt and pay your bills.

Yes, those who have the money should help stimulate the economy and spend money responsibly to help business stay in business and keep employees employed.

Those who are in debt need to stop spending money stuff you don't need to survive and pay off as many bills as possible. Then when you have a job, your debts are paid, and you have a 9 month emergency fund, you can start spending money on fun things.

Only you know where you stand financially. Only you can make decisions on how you spend or save your money. Be responsible and do what is right for you, not what other people think you should do.

No Spending Month Update

I wanted to post an update on how my no spending month is going. I was doing very well up until yesterday. My DS had to go have some blood tests done because his last hemoglobin test came back low and the doctor thinks he is anemic. After we left the doctor, we went to Aldi's to get some groceries and then we went to Target. I felt bad for my DS because he said he was so very, very sad after giving blood so I let him get a few toys and dvd's. Then we went to the credit union and deposited his birthday money into his savings account. Then he wanted to go to McDonalds for lunch, so we did. I am still under budget for groceries and "Other" (which includes not grocery items and any other spending)for this month, but my DS definitely did not need anymore toys. My plan is to go through his toys this weekend and get rid of the things that are broken beyond repair and the toys he no longer plays with. Also, I cancelled our HBO subscription since Dish increased the price to $15.99 a month. (I might have to re-subscribe next month though when the new True Blood season starts :))

My plans to keep me on track for the rest of the month are:
1) Continue to stay out of Borders and off of Amazon.com
2) Stay away from Target (except to return an item I bought yesterday)
3) Keep telling my DH no when he asks for Pizza Hut
4) Do the grocery shopping when the DH and DS are not with me.

Tina,
Sorry, but your DH is more stubborn then I am, so I am not sure any advise I could give would be helpful. My suggestion is to take away his debit and credit cards and give him a cash allowance for awhile. It might offend him, but at least you will be able to pay the bills.

Troubles with No Spending Month

I am having some issues with my no spending month. For the most part I am doing pretty good. I have purchased a couple of small items that I could have post-poned buying or not bought at all. My biggest issue is my husband.

He is definitely in on the no spending money thing. I am having problems with him staying within a budget. He and I got into a fight about going out for dinner last Friday night. He has been wanting to go to a local bar to get fish (yes, he is Catholic). I said we should go home and I can make fish for dinner. He is also buying things that only end up in a box in the storage unit never to be seen again.

He sees it this way. He is working a lot of overtime and should be able to spend that money any way he wants. Unfortunately, I am no longer working and not bringing in any money (well I am getting unemployment). So we need all the money he is making to pay bills. It is getting very frustrating.

We have gone through this many times throughout our marriage, but it now I am desperate since money coming in has been cut in half. He doesn't spend so much that we are in trouble and can't pay our bills. But it may come to that if things don't slow down. What do you suggest?

Free Book

Jean Chatzky is offering her new book "The Difference" for free on the Oprah web site. It will be available from 11 a.m. ET Friday until 10:59 a.m. ET Saturday. I love free, especially free books.

What can The Difference teach you?

• The top five things you can do to not just survive but thrive during tough times
  
• The eight things that make The Difference (i.e., the key traits and abilities of people who describe themselves as financially free)
  
• Advice for those having job insecurity as well as strategies for finding a job
  
• Why money doesn't breed happiness—but happiness can breed money
  
• The direct connection between The Difference and your health
  
• How people who know The Difference make a difference for others
  
• Myths and facts about the wealthy

HAPPY FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH!!!!

National Debt

Lately I have been wondering how we can print so much money when it was suppose to be backed by the amount of gold in Fort Knox. Now I know that our money is no longer based on how much gold we have stashed. It is now based on nothing, so our money is really worth nothing.

Here is a video that was posted on YouTube that gives you the real story on what is going on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Vsgl6SUZ0

Let me know what you think about the video.

Oprah Show on Savings

Today the Oprah show is having three chef's cook up meals for a family of four that cost less than $10.00.

"Celebrity chefs Cat Cora, Curtis Stone and Tyler Florence are moving in to save you money. The must-have grocery list, over 50 easy recipes and more!"

Go to www.oprah.com later today to get the details.

Credit Cards

I learned something new from Benjamin Bankes today. If you are having problems paying a credit card bill, you can call the company and ask if they have a short term payment plan.

Evidently, some credit card company will set up a short-term payment plan, normally around three to six months. This plan will help you catch up on payment and they normally waive the penalty fees and the payments are less as an incentive to pay off the loan.

This helps the credit card company as well since they don't have to pay a collection agency to harass you everyday to pay your bill.

So it does help to call the credit card companies when you get in a bind. You need to make the call and try to set something up before it goes into collections. I don't think they will be willing to work with you very much afterward.

Financial Solutions

Suze Orman is again in the news with some solutions that you need to work toward in this roller coaster economy.

1. Have an 8 month emergency fund. If you have credit card debt, pay the minimum and put the rest in an emergency fund.
   
2. Make sure you have health care insurance. With the new laws, if you lose your job you only have to pay 35% of the premiums to keep your insurance for up to nine months, instead of 102%. It is now much more affordable to keep your insurance.
3. Do not take a loan out on your 401K. If you lose your job you will have to pay back the full balance of that loan all at one time within 30 days of losing your job. Also 401K plans are protected again bankruptcy. You may be losing money, but you won't lose it all when the bank closes.
4. Put together an action plan and stick to it. If you don't you may be in bigger trouble than you already are.

It seems the length of emergency fund is growing. If possible you may want to add to the emergency fund until you have at least a years worth of income. I know a lot of people who have been looking for over a year without finding a job.

Going into the Military

Lately I have been hearing more and more about people going into the military or back into the military to have job security. I was surprised to see the three major military branches at the job fair I went to earlier this week. It made me think that I wish I would have stayed in the Navy.

The new report interviewed a man who after being laid off and having trouble finding a job, decided to go into the military to have a steady pay check and health insurance. You even get a free education if you are not at a duty station that requires you to be on shift work.

From experience, the military was a great experience. I was a Radioman (which doesn't exist anymore). It was a little hard on the body since I did shift work, 12 hours work, 12 hours off, 4 days on, 2 days off rotation. Some radio shacks worked 8 hour shifts with 4 day rotations. Now my rate is IT, which I love to do. I guess that is why I had no problems converting to a contractor civilian job working with the military.

Boot camp is very physical and you do need to get yourself in shape before you go in, otherwise you will be miserable. After you go to school to learn your trade, you are expected to pass a physical test every year. So you really can't become a couch potato even though some do.

I will have to say that some of the perks that the military had when I was in the Navy are going away. At a local military base, the hospital is being closed so that you have to find a civilian doctor. Housing is now civilian apartments, so you have to pay rent.

You do get bonuses for signing up and when you renew your contract. You do get discounts and to travel around the world.

I know that a girl in my class who was going to get out of the military, but is having second thoughts. I am to old to go back into the Navy, but if I could I would seriously think about it. Now I am going to USAjobs.org to see if I could at least get a job for the government.

2009 Stimulus Tax Breaks

I was looking at my email from Benjamin Bankes this morning and he had some really interesting news about new tax breaks for 2009.

360 Financial Literacy had more details. The items that most interested me was the tax break for those who are working or are self employed.

The IRS is changing the tax tables to allow those who are making less than $75,000 a year as a single person or $150,000 a year filing married keep more of the money they earn. For single people they may be able to keep as much as $400.00 a year and for married $800.00 a year for the next two years.

The Hope Credit for college students can get a credit of up to $2,000.00 for the first two years of school, which includes cost of books and fees. For more information you can go to the IRS web site. The qualifications are:

• That you have to make less than $80,000 filing single or $160,000 filing joint.
  
• You pay qualified education expenses of higher education.
  
• You pay the education expenses for an eligible student.
  
• The eligible student is either yourself, your spouse, or a dependent for whom you claim an exemption on your tax return.

I will be buying a car as soon as I get a job. There is a new car tax break for this year as well. Buying a new car you will be able to take the sales tax or excise tax off on your taxes even if you don't itemize. Of course there is an income limit of income for singles of $125,000 or $250,000 for couples.

There is more tax breaks for those who are retired and for those who have children. Click on the links if you want more information. I am hoping this does really help people pay off bills and save money.

What can you give up?

Oprah has made a challenge this week to her audience on what can you give up not only to save money, but to have more quality time with your family.

I sit here thinking about what I can give up to save money. I don't really do much outside the house especially these days. I don't watch a lot of TV. I have been watching more than I use to, but only 2 nights a week. I exercise at home instead of at the gym. In fact these days I have been walking 3 miles a day on the bike trail next to my house. I really don't use my cell phone a lot, again not these days anyway. I have it for emergencies. I combine trips for errands so that I only go out once a week or do them before I go to class.

I have cut down on buying groceries because I have such a surplus, that I don't really need to buy anything. I went through my cabinets in January and realized I had a lot of food that was expired over a year ago. I threw away a lot of money. So I am more careful of what I buy and use up a lot of the groceries before I go to the store again.

I did stop the subscription to Block Buster for the next 3 months. That will save us $20.00 a month. Since I am on a no spending month, I have also stopped buying coffee at McDonald's before class and taking coffee from home. I also resolved not to buy any more books until I read what I already have, which should take me about 3 years. I know this isn't much, but it is a start.

So, what can you give up? This is to simplify your life and save money. I plan to make more changes and will list them in later posts.

More Frugal Tips

First thing you need to do to get your spending in control is to keep track of where you are spending your money. By keeping track you now know if you are spending more money than you make or if you are doing better than you thought. Now it is time to put together a spending plan and set priorities.

Make a list of all your bills. Then prioritize the bills. Of course the first thing you need to pay is your house payment or rent. According to Suze Orman you need to pay the secure loans first. Credit card companies can try to garnish your wages, but they really can't take your home or your car.

Call your creditors and negotiate lower interest rates and/or lower payments. Most of creditors will work with you especially these days. They would rather get some of the money than nothing at all. It also costs them more to have collectors calling and trying to get money from you. To keep stress low and not having harassing phone calls on a daily basis, call the creditor and work something out.

Keep your eyes out for deals on phone services, cars, cable, etc. It could save you some money by reviewing current contracts for insurance and banks. I know that my bank is offering 4.5% interest on checking accounts. There are some things you have to do to get the higher interest, but it is worth doing it all to make money.

Some web sites that can help you are:

ago.mo.gov/CusumerCorner- Missouri Attorney web site that has great info on scam alerts, and calculators for auto loans, credit cards, student loans, and savings.

www.66ways.org - Uncle Sam's Federal Citizens Information Center

www.stltoday.com/spendsmart - University of Missouri living cheap advise

Coupons

Clipping coupons have been in the news a lot lately. I guess saving money using coupons and sales is now in vogue. I have been keeping track to see how much I do save using coupons and rebates. Last month I saved $115.00. So here are some tips on how to use coupons to save some money.

1. Buy a Sunday Paper and go through the coupons and sale advertisements. Match up the coupons with what is on sale.

2. Make a list of items that you need and buy only what is on that list.

3. In my area Schnucks and Dierbergs double most coupons. If you can match up the coupon with a sale item it triples your savings.

4. Use coupon web sites to get more coupons. There is a list on the right side of this web site. You can also get coupons by going to manufacturers web sites and print coupons or sign up for free samples. Most samples come with coupons as well.

5. If you have a Shop-N-Save in your area, shop when they offer their $10 off coupons. So you can save $10.00 plus what is on sale and coupons. Another triple savings.

6. Both Walgreens and CVS have ways to save money. CVS has a card to use that you earn point and can save you money at the register. Walgreens also has register rewards and an EasySaver program. Using manufacturers coupons, store coupons, and store programs you can save money. In Margaret's case you can make money. There have been a few times she received money from the store using the programs and coupons. Last month I received $37.00 in register rewards at Walgreens that I used to pay for antibiotics for my dog. Make sure that you do get all your rewards points. Sometime the register doesn't give you all your points. I had to wait for a store manager to give me a gift card worth $36.00 because the register didn't give them to me.

Yes, it can take up an hour or so to go through everything to save you over $100.00 a month on groceries. But an hour a week is not much when it could save you a lot of money and these days it is definitely worth it. In January I saved over $300.00, but I used a lot of gift cards that I received as Christmas Gifts.

See how much you can save in one month.