Money Saving Tips At The Checkout Counter: Are You Coupon Savvy?

Below you will find the best and most highly recommended sites for maximizing coupon savings to help stretch your dollar as far as possible. Most included FREE printable coupons on groceries, personal bath products and merchandise for your immediate use on your next shopping trip. A few will give you the latest coupon codes for immediate use.

Check them out and see which one’s work best for you…

• Coupons.com
• CouponCabin.com
• CouponBug.com
• DealCatcher.com
• SmartSource.com
• EveryDaySaver.com
• RetailMeNot.com
• Shop4Freebies.com

 

5 Cost Saving Tips for Home Insurance
by Robin Lewis - Robin Lewis Insurance

Shop with an independent agent:
Usually they have access to multiple companies, which allows them to get several competitive quotes, I recommend getting at least three competitive quotes.  But don’t shop price alone, you want a company that is going to be there when you need them, one that will handle your claims and questions in a timely and professional manner.

Raise your deductible:
The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay toward a loss before your insurance company starts to pay a claim. The higher your deductible, the more money you save on your premium. An increase in your deductible from $500 to $1,000 could save as much as 25% on your premium.

If you live in a disaster-prone area, your insurance policy may have a separate deductible for damage from major disasters. If you live near the coast in the East, you may have a separate windstorm deductible, if you live in a state vulnerable to hail storms, you may have a separate deductible for hail, and if you live in an earthquake-prone area, your earthquake policy may have a deductible.

Install safety features:
Such as burglar and fire alarms that are centrally monitored; you may also get credit for living in a secured/gated community. If you live in Florida or other wind prone areas, consider wind mitigation features such as hurricane shutters.  Some of our customers have saved hundreds of dollars because they had a wind mitigation inspection and found that their homes had or they installed features to strengthen the home against wind damage. 

If you live in an older home, consider updating the roof, heating, plumbing and electrical systems, this reduces the risk of fire and water damage, and could save money on your premium.

Review the limits of coverage:
Try to cover your house for what it would take to replace it in the event of a complete loss; the land is still going to be there and does not need to be covered.  Covering the land may increase your premiums unnecessarily. Work with your agent to figure out the replacement cost versus the market value of your home.

Ask, ask, ask:

There may be other discounts available varying by company, for example, some give discounts if you are 55 or older; or if you buy several policies from the same company, such as your home and car insurance, or home and flood policies. Don’t be afraid to ask your agent or company if there are any other discounts that you may avail of.

Do you have additional tips? Or questions and comments? Please share below…

Tips For Saving Money On Groceries At The Supermarket


More than half of all grocery purchases are unplanned!

No wonder creating and sticking to a pre-made list can bring grocery costs down.

But that’s not the only way to save money at the supermarket. Below you will find several tips for saving money on your next grocery bill. Some of these may be obvious ….. others not as much. All of them can help you save at the supermarket. See how many of these you can benefit from:

#1 – Make a list — and stick to it -
This is the cardinal rule of shopping. The list represents your grocery needs: the staples you’re out of, and the food you need for upcoming meals. When you stray from the list, you’re buying on impulse, and that’s how shopping trips get out of control. Sure, a magazine only costs $5, but if you spend an extra $5 every time you make a trip to the supermarket, you waste a lot of money.

#2 – Compare unit pricing -
The biggest package isn’t always the most cost-effective. Stores know that consumers want to buy in bulk, and so they mix it up. Sometimes the bulk item is cheaper, sometimes it’s more expensive. The only way you can be sure is to take a calculator. Almost all larger grocery stores and supermarkets post unit prices on the shelf tag for most items, which makes comparisons easy when you know what to look for.

#3 – Think twice before getting a basket or cart -
Carts slow you down and make you buy more. Studies have shown the longer you stay in a store, the more you buy. If you’re dashing into the supermarket to pick up milk and bread, don’t impulsively pick up a basket. Baskets induce people to buy more. If you’re limited to what you can carry, you’re more likely to avoid impulse purchases. Only use a basket (or shopping cart) if it’s absolutely necessary.

#4 – Don’t examine things you don’t need -
The more you interact with something, the more likely you are to buy it. Virtually all unplanned purchase come as a result of the shopper seeing, touching, smelling, or tasting something that promises pleasure or fulfillment. Do you know why grocery stores place those displays in the aisles? To intentionally block traffic. They want to force you to stop, if only for a moment. It only takes a few seconds of idly staring at the Chips Ahoy! to convince you to buy them. Stay focused.

#5 – Live on the edge -
Health-conscious shoppers know that the perimeter of the store is where the good stuff is. Stores typically place the healthier, less-processed items on their perimeters, such as baked goods, dairy products, fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. All of these are generally placed along the outside edge of the supermarket, while the processed stuff can be found up and down the aisles. Shopping the edges isn’t just healthier — it’s cheaper too!

#6 – Discard brand loyalties -Be willing to experiment. You may have a favorite brand of diced tomatoes, for example, but does it really matter? Go with what’s on sale for the lowest unit price. You may find you like the less expensive product just as well. If you try a cheaper brand and are disappointed, it’s okay to return to your regular brand.

#7 – Choose generic -
Better yet, try the store brand. Generic and “house-brand” products are generally cheaper than their name-brand equivalents (unless on sale) and are usually of similar quality. The only difference is marketing and fancy packaging. So, if it costs less and tastes the same… should it really matter?… I mean, after all, you’re not eating the packaging. ?

#8 – Use coupons wisely -
Coupons really CAN save you money. But you need to use them wisely. Clip coupons for ONLY the things you need — staple foods and ingredients — not for processed junk food. Learn to use special coupons. Occasionally, local stores will mail out savings coupons like “$10 off a $50 purchase coupon” or “Spend $20 on any grocery items and get ‘x’ items at no or minimum cost”. If you know it’s coming on a regular basis, you can plan your major shopping trips around it.


#9 – Make one big trip instead of several smaller ones -
Each visit to the grocery store is another potential opportunity to spend needlessly or excessively. By reducing the frequency of your trips, you’re not only avoiding temptation, but you’re also saving money all the way around (meaning your time and fuel costs).

#10 – Buy from the bulk bins -
Some stores offer bulk bins filled with baking ingredients, cereal, spices, nuts, seeds, etc. When you buy in bulk, you get just the amount you want or need, AND you pay less… Muchless.

#11 – Always check your receipt! -
Make sure your prices are scanned correctly. Make sure your coupons are scanned correctly. Sale items, especially, have a tendency to be in the computer wrong, and yet few people ever challenge the price at the register. After all… It’s YOUR money. It’s your responsibility as well as your right to have your order rung up WITH sale and coupon items discounted correctly – Ask for it!

#12 – Shop alone! -
Research finds that people tend to buy more when shopping in groups rather than when shopping alone. Men, more so than women, are easily suggestible to the entreaties of children as well as eye-catching displays. Try to shop by yourself if at all possible.

#13 – Shop on a full stomach -
Studies show that folks who shop when they’re hungry tend to buy more food. Thirsty people will stock up on more drinks. This is certainly true for me: If I go to the store for milk on a Sunday morning without eating breakfast, I’m likely to come home with donuts and orange juice and Lucky Charms, too.

Any of these tips can help a savvy shopper save money at the grocery store or supermarket. And a combination of many of the above (if strictly followed without deviation) may actually slash your grocery budget significantly.

Give it a try and see what works for you.

Who's Getting Hired Now? 
by Tony Moton

The unemployment rate hides the fact that there are millions of job openings that need to be filled by qualified workers. 

It's no secret that the unemployment rate hovers near double figures. In August 2010, it was at 9.6 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But what tends to be hidden from view is another number worth knowing - the number of job openings that are out there.

Did you know there were 3 million job openings on the last business day of July this year?

Yes, there are jobs out there. The trick is landing one.

Just ask Ada Tomasyan and Ayoub Sunna, who both started jobs in recent months.

The secrets to their success: education and training.

[Click here to find a top school near you]

After working eight years in the real estate business, Tomasyan went back to school and earned an associate's degree in nursing. She now works as a nurse at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California.

Sunna's accounting career saw him land a management position at Stonefield Josephson, a public accounting firm in San Diego. Among his credentials is a bachelor's degree in accounting.

"I read a lot about the economy and how the unemployment rate is around ten percent," Sunna says. "But when it comes to our field, the unemployment rate is not anything close to that."

The chances of landing a job that has an opening are improved if you have the proper credentials, Tomasyan says. "I have several classmates who have gotten jobs. It's not impossible."

Let's take a closer look at eight jobs with potential openings and strong hiring numbers.

ACCOUNTANT "The demand for jobs is always there," says Sunna, who manages the audit practice at his firm. Accountants can work in a diverse group of specialized areas, which makes this a highly desirable career option. In fact, the number of new jobs for accountants is expected to grow by 22 percent (that's 279,400 new jobs!) through the 2008–2018 period.

Education and Training: Graduating with an associate's degree in accounting can help you get your start as a junior accountant. Earn a bachelor's degree in accounting for more opportunities.

Salary: Accountants earn an average annual salary of $67,430.

[Find Accounting and Business schools near you or online]

REGISTERED NURSE The nursing profession offers a wide variety of job responsibilities. "I like bedside care, but there's also home health, surgery, rehab nursing, and counseling for alcohol and drug abuse," says Tomasyan. The Department of Labor projects a total of 581,500 new nursing jobs will become available between 2008 and 2018.

Education and Training: You can enter the field with an associate's degree in nursing like Tomasyan, or you can obtain a diploma or bachelor's degree. Licensed graduates of any of the three program levels qualify for entry‐level work as a staff nurse.

Salary: The average annual salary for a registered nurse is $66,530.*

[Read about degrees that get you hired]

MEDICAL ASSISTANT Medical assisting is among the fastest growing professions in the health care industry. The field also is bolstered by the wide range of jobs that are available, such as administrative and clinical medical assistants. The Department of Labor even projects a 34 percent jump in medical assisting jobs from 2008–2018.

Education and Training: An associate's degree, which takes about two years to earn, can give you the necessary amount of formal training you need to enter the field. If you want a faster route to this hot career, a diploma or certificate program can get the job done in about a year.

Salary: Medical assistants have an average yearly salary of $29,450. Pay varies by many factors, including location and company. Medical assistants in Hawaii, for example, average at $32,180, whereas those in Michigan average at $28,460.

[Search for a Medical Assisting school near you] PARALEGAL The demand for paralegal services is expected to grow as the need for legal services increases, particularly in areas such as health care, intellectual property, and international law. In terms of numbers, it's estimated that openings for 74,100 paralegals will become available from 2008–2018.

Education and Training: The most common way to enter the paralegal field is an associate's degree. Consider getting a certificate in paralegal studies if you already have a bachelor's degree in another field.

Salary: On the average, paralegals earn an annual salary of $50,080. The top paying region for paralegals in May 2009 was the District of Columbia at $64,760. In a close second and third were New York ($60,140) and California ($59,270).

[Find a Paralegal training program in your area]

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN The increasing number of middle‐aged and older adults using prescription drugs will help spur growth in this profession through the coming decade. The number of pharmacy technicians will grow by 31 percent into 2018.

Education and Training: Employers prefer technicians with formal training and education, so you are best served by entering a program that grants an associate's degree, diploma, or certificate.

Salary: Pharmacy technicians earn an average salary of $28,940 a year.

[Get started on the path to a Pharmacy Technician career]

DENTAL ASSISTANT The number of dental assistants in the workforce is projected to grow by more than 100,000 over the decade ending in 2018. More good news: job prospects for entry‐level applicants are excellent.

Education and Training: One‐year certificate or diploma programs are worth checking out. A number of states require continuing education to maintain your license or registration.

Salary: Dental assistants earn an average yearly salary of $34,000. Top paying regions, according to the Department of Labor, are the District of Columbia ($45,630), Alaska ($43,670), and Minnesota ($41,510).

[Find a Dental Assisting certificate program near you now]

MEDICAL RECORDS TECHNICIAN Jobs for medical records and health information technicians are on the rise, due to the increased number medical tests, treatments, and procedures performed on an aging population. The number of jobs in this field is projected to grow by 20 percent through 2018.

Education and Training: An associate's degree is what you will need as a starting point in the field, but most employers also prefer that you pass a credentialing test offered by the American Health Information Management Association.

Salary: The average salary for a medical records technician is $33,880.

[Search for Medical career training programs now]
*Average annual salaries as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2009.

 Do You Procrastinate?

GOOD NEWS FOR PROCRASTINATORS

Your 2010 tax filing deadline has been extended by three days – you
have until midnight Monday, April 18th because of Emancipation Day,
a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, which falls on Apr 15.

By law, District of Columbia holidays impact tax deadlines in the same
way that federal holidays do.

SERIOUS PROCRASTINATORS- YOU CAN GET AN ADDITIONAL
SIX MONTHS TO FILE 2010 TAXES

If you file for an automatic extension you will have until Oct. 18 to file
your 2010 tax returns.  You do that by filing a Form 4868 – “Extension of Time
to File Tax Returns.”

Acceptance by the IRS is automatic.

BUT if you will OWE Uncle Sam money for 2010 taxes, he still wants your
check in the mail by 4/18.

In some extreme hardship cases you MAY be able to get an extension of
time-to-pay by filing a Form 1127. But submit that form asap, because
IRS approval is NOT automatic.

WHERE YOU CAN GET THE 4868 & 1127 FORMS???

Get them at www.irs.gov  or   Use This LINK

WHAT THE BIG PRINT GIVETH, SMALL PRINT TAKETH AWAY

The new health care bill gave a 35% tax credit to employers who provide
health insurance for employees ...but IRS Notice 2010-82 says sole-
proprietors who employ their own spouse do not qualify.

Of course this decision does not pass the common sense test, but,
hey, the IRS is exempt from that little technicality.


More Tax Tips and Updates coming very soon.

Helping create tax-smart home business owners, one at a time…
Ron Mueller, MBA, Ph.D., and author of
“Home Business Tax Savings, Made Easy!”

The 10 Golden Rules of Saving on Everything


You resolved to save more this year, but it's just not happening. Take heart -- it's still early in the year. Use these tips and you're guaranteed to spend less on the things you want.

You'll find thousands of individual tips to save money online on virtually everything you buy, from groceries to funerals. But when you boil it down, most ways to save can be condensed into some simple rules -- use them and you'll painlessly find ways to meet your savings goals. Here are 10 ways to save:

1.Never buy new what you can buy used.

That brand-new sparkle comes at a high price, on everything from cars to furniture to clothes. Let somebody else take the hit. Instead of heading to the department store, head to the consignment store, thrift shop, yard sale, or sites like Craigslist or eBay.

2. Never buy this generation when last generation will do.

Ignore the commercials that entice you to buy the latest and greatest. From cars to computers, buying yesterday's technology can save you 20-50 percent. Early adopters are often paying for nothing more than bragging rights -- why not wait and brag about how much money you saved?

3. Always ask for a lower price.

People say you get what you pay for. We say you get what you ask for. In addition to negotiating more traditional things like houses and cars, our writers have succeeded in scoring lower prices on hotel rooms, doctor's visits, cable bills, and car repairs, as well as asking for and receiving lower rates on loans and higher rates on savings.

From now on, consider the price of services or big-ticket items as what they are: an opening bid.

4. Stop paying for name brands.

What's in a name? Often nothing more than a higher cost. Paying more is OK if the higher cost means higher quality. But it's not OK to pay more simply to help pay for some company's annoying commercials.

One of many examples: More often than not, generic patent medicines like aspirin and cough syrup aren't similar to their brand-name counterparts. They're identical. There's only one reason anyone would pay up to 50 percent more for an identical item -- some commercial told them to.

5. Share with your friends and neighbors.

It's probably not practical to share a car with your neighbor, but what about his ladder, or your lawn mower? If it's something neither of you need to use on a regular basis -- and you get along well enough -- get together with one or more people on your block and form a neighborhood co-op. In addition to reducing the cost of common household items by 50 percent or more, you also reduce clutter.

And if you use something really infrequently, rent it instead of buying it.

6. Try to substitute imagination for money.

People often pay for pre-packaged ideas by habit when they could easily come up with lower-cost ideas that are also better. Instead of buying cards and gifts, make your own. Instead of taking your date to a restaurant, take her on a picnic. Instead of meeting at a bar, have your friends over. Instead of heading to hotel, camp out.

Use your mind instead of your money and your life will be more interesting and less expensive.

7. Try to make it or fix it yourself.

Just because something's available in a store doesn't mean that's the only place you can buy it. There are alternatives to expensive household cleaners, do-it-yourself laundry detergent and household products vinegar can replace.

From homemade Halloween costumes to home repairs to growing your own food, you can save a bundle by using your hands instead of cash. And you can find help with just about anything online.

Additional benefit? You feel more independent, because you are.

8. Always use the Internet.

While using the Internet to comparison shop should be obvious, there are new techniques and technologies evolving constantly. For example, PriceBlink: This browser add-on automatically searches for a lower price and/or coupons on anything you're looking at or searching for online.

Don't ever buy anything online or off without first searching the web to see if you can find a coupon or discount. But the Internet is a double-edged sword ...

9. Never subscribe to "deal" websites.

While it's smart to be able to find online coupons and deals on the things you want, it's dumb to allow websites to fill your in-box with dozens of potential impulse buys. Tell the Internet what you need: Don't let the Internet (or TV commercials or your friends) tell you what you want.

10. Sell before you buy.

Before you buy anything you want, make it a habit to first sell something you don't. Your garage and closets are full of stuff you no longer use. So before you go to the store or click that online "checkout" button, stop. Put off the purchase -- first, take some clothes to the consignment shop, or take a picture of something you're no longer using and put it on Craigslist. It only takes a minute.  As soon as it sells, apply the money to the purchase you were going to make. Now you've saved on something you wanted, and gotten rid of something you didn't.

This is the time of year when many of us go into overdrive, stressing about the dreaded income tax filing.  If you have basic information, you should be able to clear many of the hurdles that this time of the year brings to your life.  Below are some links to articles written by tax pros, to educate you, so you will be empowered instead of being stressed throught this tax season. 

If you spend some time to do your due diligence, you might be amazed how much more your tax refund will be.  You may definitely learn something that will help you to capitalize on a deduction you never knew was available to you or someone you know.