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How to Prepare Your Home for Emergencies
Tweet Share on Facebook March 22, 2011 CommentThe worsening crisis in Japan has caused many people around the world to pause and consider their own preparedness plans. For instance, if Japan's crisis was happening close to your home, would you be able to cope? Do you have enough supplies on hand to keep your family safe and fed through a disaster?
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Back to School: Money Tips for Adults
Tweet Share on Facebook March 22, 2011 Comment (2)For a kid fresh out of high school, going to college represents freedom, a chance to shake off old responsibilities. For an adult headed back to college, however, it joins family, work, home maintenance and the ever-elusive personal time as one of many, many responsibilities. Struggling with the pressures of being a non-traditional student? In the words of Steve Winwood, here’s a short list of strategies to roll with it, baby.
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Save Money with Store Price Match Policies
Tweet Share on Facebook March 21, 2011 Comment (2)A great way to save money, especially on higher priced items, is to take advantage of a store’s price match policy. Lots of stores have price match policies but not that many people use them either because they don’t know about them or think it is too much work to price match. Taking the time to price match can be well worth the effort.
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5 Ways to Avoid ATM Fees
Tweet Share on Facebook March 17, 2011 Comment (5)According to Bankrate's 2010 Checking Study, ATM fees are on the rise and are expected to only get higher as banks look to find ways to increase profits. The average ATM fees jumped 5% from 2009, up to $2.33, but many banks are looking at ATM fees as high as $5.
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5 Tips for Last-Minute Tax Savings
Tweet Share on Facebook March 14, 2011 Comment (1)Even though there are only a few weeks before 2010 personal income tax returns are due to the IRS, there are still several things you can do to reduce your tax bill. Here are five ideas:
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The Best Way to Complain to Companies
Tweet Share on Facebook March 14, 2011 Comment (3)A busted television lamp cost my parents a small fortune when the flat screen television in their living room dimmed and faded to black. During a house call, a repairman from a national appliance store chain diagnosed the problem and charged $400 to replace the burned-out television lamp.
From that television episode, my parents learned three valuable lessons about appliances, customer service and social media.
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How to E-File Your Taxes for Free
Tweet Share on Facebook March 11, 2011 Comment (2)The federal income tax filing deadline is coming up next month. If you still haven’t filed your taxes you want to make sure you e-file your taxes. If you go to a big chain tax preparation firm you could pay $30 or more just to e-file your taxes. If you have them prepare your taxes they will allow you to e-file for free but you will hundreds of dollars in preparation fees. There is no need to pay to e-file and for many people there is no need to pay for tax preparation. The IRS wants you to know that they give you several ways to prepare and e-file your taxes for free.
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How to Reuse Extra Home Improvement Supplies
Tweet Share on Facebook March 9, 2011 Comment (4)Here's the scenario: You've just finished painting your living room and you really overestimated how much paint you'd need. As a result, you have an extra gallon of paint and an extra gallon of primer on your hands. You definitely don't want to use it to paint another room. You can't return it to the store, so you chalk up the $60-plus in losses.
If you own a home, then you've likely been faced with this problem at least once. Whether you bought too much pipe, too much cement, or too much drywall, you most likely just stuck those excess supplies in your basement or garage, letting them all collect dust. The good news is that you don't have to waste these home improvement supplies, or let them take up any more storage space. Here are three ways to reuse and repurpose this stuff so it doesn't go to waste.
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Your Guide to Health Care Credit Cards
Tweet Share on Facebook March 9, 2011 Comment (4)Health care expenses are skyrocketing. The US government predicts that out-of-pocket spending will reach over $3,300 a year per household in 2014, up from $2,500 in 2009. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to have health insurance. In 2008, two in three Americans under 65 had trouble paying their medical bills, were uninsured or uninsured, or went without needed medical care because of cost concerns at some point in 2007. And out-of-pocket expenditures in 2009 were more than $284 billion—yes, billion. Hardly pocket change.
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How to Cut Your Water Bill by $170
Tweet Share on Facebook March 7, 2011 Comment (3)The average U.S. household pays up to $500 a year for water and sewer charges, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But it’s possible to cut the annual household water bill by $170, according to EPA estimates. On a national basis, if each household in the U.S. replaced older appliances with water-conserving models, consumers would save more than $18 billion and 3 trillion gallons of water annually, according to the EPA. Here are a few strategies for cutting costs and water usage. (See also: 8 ways to lower water heater costs)
