Thanksgiving on a Budget

There always seems to be one house that everyone gathers at for Thanksgiving dinner.  In our family, it seems to always be mine.  So, to simplify things, we generally buy the turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, potatos, bread, gravy, etc.  My mother-in-law will bring the sweet potatos, and my mother the deviled eggs, but as you can see, most of the burden is upon us.  So, we have learned how to cut down on our expense while still providing a wonderful dinner.

Let’s start with the turkey.  It’s easy to go out and get the biggest bird you can, but then you are strapped with the leftovers and will be eating turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey burgers, turkey this-and-that.  Typically, if you figure about 1 pound per person, you won’t have any leftover turkey.  Also, we’ve found that the store-brand turkeys are just as tasty and moist as higher-priced brands.

Start looking for specials now.  Most grocery stores will begin sales on turkeys to get you into the store at the end of October.  Plus, shopping early gives you a wider choice.  Make sure you have room in your freezer until the big thaw.  If you also have turkey at Christmas, shop the day after Thanksgiving for your next turkey.

Making your own stuffing is a lot tastier than purchasing stuffing.  We use a store-brand stuffing mix, but you can also use grandma’s recipe.  Keep bread that is going stale for use in these recipes.

Using disposable aluminum pans can make cleanup easier, but be sure to evaluate ease vs. budget.  Sometimes it is just worth it to make clean up better.  On the other hand, buying prepared food usually ends up costing you in the long run.

Share the cost.  Don’t make the same mistakes we did and try to prepare everything.  Try to equalize the cost and preparation with your guests, especially if they are family.  Maybe they can bring 2 dishes instead of 1, or cut back on what you make and supplement it with their dishes.

Pre-plan meals with the leftovers, if you have any.  That way, you can also plan ahead to buy anything you need to make that special turkey dish.

Have a great holiday!

Cheap Halloween Costumes

OK.  I know this post may be a little close to Halloween, but if you are like most people, you are still undecided.  Not only that, but costumes are pretty outrageous considering they will probably only be worn once.  Dressing up the little tricksters doesn’t have to be a budget-breaker.  With a little imagination, you can use mostly what you have at home to create an award-winning costume.

For the younger trick-or-treaters, think of something that will go with those all-over pajamas.  If they have something brown, make their face up like a lion, or pink can be a cute bunny.  One year, we gutted a stuffed over-sized teddy bear that was falling apart and put my son in it, made up his face and taught him to growl like a grizzly.

Most of us may want to forget the seventies, but like it or not, that is a popular theme this year.  Dig in your closet, or visit local thrift stores for seventies apparel.  Don’t forget the gaudy necklaces and the open shirts that were popular.  Or dig out that tie-dye and go as a hippie.  Don’t forget the hair.

A geek is an easy one.  Take some pants that the legs are too short, black socks and tennis shoes.  Button up shirt with a pocket protector and lots of pens.  Add slick hair and some glasses to complete the ensemble.

You can use the old ghost standby.  Take an old white sheet and cut eyes in it and voila!  If you don’t have one, you can probably pick up a cheap one at the dollar store or other deep-discount store for a few bucks.

You can make a good hobo by just using old clothes that have holes in them, or are very worn.  Use makeup to smudge dirt on the face.

Using those gosh-awful loud shorts and shirt, an old camera, those old disney maps (or others), a cap with a tourist attraction logo on it can make a good tourist.  You can use your imagination and have fun with this one.

Plenty of other ideas out on the internet, just enter cheap costume ideas into a search engine.

How to Save Energy and Money

How would you like to cut your energy usage by about 15-20% this year? Even though oil is sliding down and, slowly, the cost of other energy, we should still be vigilant in looking for ways to save both energy and money. I offer you these tips on cutting costs and energy.

Update old appliances: Newer appliances such as refrigerators and freezers can cost you on the front-end, but in the long run pay off on your utility bills with lower energy consumption. Make sure that it is an energy star appliance as they use on average 30-40% less energy, thereby saving you money.

Change out light bulbs: Begin replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. They put out the same amount of light, but use 75% less energy. For example, if you replace a 60-watt incandescent bulb for a 15-watt fluorescent bulb, you get the same amount of light for 75% less energy used. Also, keep an eye out for new LED lighting, which uses about 90% less energy than incandescent. You don’t have to change them all at one time, but at least replace them when they start burning out.

Wash in cold: Most clothes can be washed with cold or warm water. Only wash with hot water when you need to. This will save the hot water and not force your water heater to work harder.

Check your thermostat: During the winter, try keeping your thermostat at about 70 degrees, or a little lower and wear your woolie jammies. By doing this, you will give your furnace a rest and lower the energy cost. Also, purchasing a programmable thermostat, about $25.00, can help you manage energy while you are away. Most homes are empty from about 8am – 5pm when we are at work or school. This is 45 hours that the furnace or air conditioner does not need to work as hard. In the winter, I set mine to 65 degrees from 7:30am until about 4:30pm. At 4:30, it sets to 70 degrees so it is comfortable when we arrive home. Then, at about 10:00pm until 6:00am, it sets back to 68 degrees since we are snuggled under blankets. This has saved me about $200.00 this past year.

Kill the vampires: That sounds like a bad late-night horror flick, I know. But we’re talking about energy vampires. One night, turn off everything you normally turn off and walk around the house. Every little thing you see that is glowing is using electricity. Cell phone chargers, computers, modems, TVs, DVD players, etc. These are estimated to cost the average household about $120.00 per year. Make a list of these vampires and determine what can be unplugged. Of course, you don’t want to unplug your Tivo, or your wife will get very upset when it doesn’t record her favorite show! A kilowatt meter is about $25.00 and can tell you what each appliance is using.

Create your own energy: This one is pretty radical, but if you are the determined, do-it-yourself type, you can actually take steps to create your own energy and cut down what you pay to utilities. For more information, go to Earth4Energy.

There are many ways we average people can save on our energy bills, we just have to know what to look for and take the steps.

5 Tips for Surviving the Credit Crunch

The so-called credit crunch has been in the news for several weeks now. Lenders are now being much more careful with who they lend money to. Credit card users, even those who pay on time, every time, and more than the minimum payment are seeing their interest rates soar. Even those of us with good credit are suffering from this fallout. Small businesses that depend on credit to floor plan their merchandise are finding that their lenders no longer trust them as much as they used to, even if they have a perfect payment record.

Not only lenders look at your credit report, but so do prospective employers and insurance companies. So, what can we do to make ourselves as credit-worthy as possible? I’ll give you some vital, and legal, tips for surviving this credit crunch.

Review your credit report: You should review your credit report at least annually. It’s easy and free at www.annualcreditreport.com. This site will walk you through requesting credit reports from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each of these companies allows you to dispute incorrect information online. They will also allow you to add an explanation to any derogatory items.

Pay on time: This may sound like a no-brainer, but this is very important. If you find you are unable to follow the terms, you may be able to re-negotiate some terms. Credit counseling services can usually negotiate lower payments, lower or no interest and help you with a budget to pay everything on time and clean up your credit report.

Close credit card accounts: The more credit cards you have, even with a 0 balance, the more potential you have for a lower credit score. Not only does the score look at your payment history, but it looks at your open credit lines. You may have a perfect history of paying all of your debts, but your credit score is not perfect because you have the ability to borrow up to the credit limits, thus increasing your debt ratio. By closing un-necessary credit card accounts, you can increase your score.

Pay off credit card accounts quickly: When you have whittled down your credit card accounts to just 2 or 3, or less, pay these off as quickly as possible. Pay more on the higher interest cards to pay them off quicker. Once you have done that, then pay more to the rest of the cards. Again, look and see if you can close any and still keep a major card for emergencies. See if you can renegotiate the interest rates on your 0 balance cards as low as you can. They don’t make money if you don’t use their card, so they can usually lower your rate. Keep in mind, though, that they can also raise them any time afterward.

Give credit cards a break: For a while, try not to purchase anything with credit cards that you can’t purchase with cash. This gives you an opportunity to pay down your credit cards without adding any more principal. You may be surprised at how fast the balance can go down if you pay more than the minimum and don’t charge anything else.

These tips should help you survive the credit crunch not only intact, but in a better financial position than before. We can get through this, we just need to have patience and reprioritize our purchases.

For work at home ideas, please check the Home Online Business Guide

Great Tips on Saving Money

If you are fortunate enough to know anyone who grew up in the Depression era, talk to them. You will find that they really know how to save money. They probably had no choice at the time, but most have carried that with them through the good times that followed.

The biggest obstacle we need to overcome in saving money is ourselves. Most of us have grown up in a disposable society. We have disposable razors, disposable contact lenses, disposable this and that. We use it and throw it away because it is usually cheaper, not to mention much easier, to just get a new one. Well, in today’s economic climate, we may need to take some advice from our Depression-era mentors.

Eat at home: Eating out can cost the average family of 4 anywhere from $30 – $50 in moderately-priced restaurants. If this is done every night, you can easily spend $1000-$1500 per month on supper alone. Plus, you still have to spend money for breakfast and lunch, and other groceries. By preparing meals from scratch (avoid higher-priced convenience meals), you can easily feed a family of 4 on about $600-$700 per month and even less. So, get out those recipe books.

Eat Healthy Portions: Most of us eat way more than we should. By controlling the size of portions, you not only save money on food, but you also will notice beneficial health changes as well.

Freeze Leftovers: Purchase a food vacuum-sealer and portion out leftover entrees. You can then freeze the main entrees (and anything else that freezes well) to use when time is short. A few minutes in the microwave, add some canned veggies and voila! You have a full meal without extra cost.

Do things yourself: Most home improvements can be done inexpensively by doing it yourself since labor costs are a significant part of any projects. Large home improvement stores usually have free weekend classes on home improvement. Also, visit the library to check out home improvement books.

Look for bargains: You don’t need to go to a salon and pay a high price for a haircut. Look for a local beauty college. You can save a bundle and help student beauticians at the same time. Look on the internet for coupons and freebie deals. Shop at thrift stores for clothing. Most clothes are in excellent condition for a fraction of the new price.

Family Night In: Plan a night to stay at home and play games as a family, or rent a movie, pop some popcorn and have a movie night. This is much less expensive and much more fun than going to the theater. Most new movies are showing up pretty quickly on DVD, so you can still remain current. Check out mail-order rentals like NetFlix and Blockbuster. You pay one price for unlimited rentals per month.

Consider Work at Home Opportunities: There are several legitimate home business opportunities, but be careful of scams. Something for nothing is quite tempting, but it very rarely works out. If you are willing to put some work into it, you will be successful.

Take the money you save and put some into a savings account, use some to pay down your mortgage, and remember use some of it to have fun. Everyone needs balance in their lives.

How To Make Money in your Pajamas

More and more people are going online for more of their shopping. It is more convenient and, with fuel prices still high, they can actually save money. This is good news for online businesses. According to some recent findings, online businesses are forecasted to remain stable, or even increase even with the stock market on its roller-coaster ride. As more of us look to make some extra money during this time, we are looking for something legitimate to help us work from home.

The easiest thing to do is to sell what is already on hand. Most of us have things that we really don’t need or use and they are just sitting around collecting dust. You can sell those things on eBay or other auction site and it costs very little to list it. You don’t need an internet site to do this, just an eBay account (or an account with another auction site). My wife easily made over $500.00 just selling clothes she doesn’t wear any more.

If you do have a website or a blog, or are ready to start one, you can take part in affiliate marketing. This is very easy to set up, but don’t expect instant success. Basically, there are a lot of businesses on the internet that sell a product. To help them sell their products, they will join with people who have websites to become affiliates. You put an advertisement on your site with a special link back to the business. This link has information in it that identifies the visitor as coming from your site. If they purchase, you get a commission, some as high as 75%. The trick is that part of the advertising burden is now on you. You will need to drive traffic to YOUR site in order for people to see the ads.

If you create a website or a blog for affiliate marketing, you need to ensure that the content is not static, that is that it changes frequently. You also need to make sure that it contains information that is interesting and timely so that people will want to view it.

If you want to actually sell something without having to keep inventory, there are several companies that will host a storefront for you, for a setup fee and a monthly fee. You are still responsible for marketing your site and driving traffic to your store so you can sell their products and earn a commission.

Marketing is what it’s all about whether you go with affiliate marketing or your own store. This takes a lot of tenacity, but you can make it work. If it works for others, it can definitely work for you. Once your site is established and attracting visitors and making some money, you can enjoy a small break, but you will to spend some time every week maintaining your blog or site. Money can still be made on the internet, so why not you?

For some internet business ideas, please see Make Money Online Reviews and Home Business Guide.

Retirement Savings – 5 Tips to Survive

The bailout package has been passed for a week now, but the stock markets are still taking a beating. Investors are nervous, and rightly so. Those of us who have our retirement money in 401(k), plans, or any other plan that invests in stocks have seen our accounts dwindle. I personally have lost over 25% of my retirement account in the past year alone because of the stock market. Most of us are wondering if we should just switch over to a nice, save interest-bearing account until the markets stabilize. Here are some tips to help see you through.

1) DON’T PANIC! That’s a hard pill to swallow amidst the panic that is here already, but this is sound advice. By panicking, you will be quick to make a decision without thinking through the long-term consequences.

2) Talk with your financial advisor. This is important because, beside you, your financial advisor knows more about your finances than anyone else. He/she can help you redesign your portfolio to still be able to achieve your retirement goals. Together, you will be able to redistribute into some lower-risk stocks, and maybe move some to interest accounts.

3) Change your contribution level. If you are participating in an employer-sponsored 401(k) or other such pre-tax plan, consider raising the amount you are contributing. In a lot of cases, you will not see a significant difference in the amount you are bringing home because the more you contribute, the less you will pay taxes on. If you are not yet at the maximum amount for employer-match, consider raising to at least that amount. No sense in letting money stay on the table.

4) Don’t try to follow the market. The way most of these plans work is that they are constantly selling and re-buying in order to maximize shares. By changing your allocations constantly, you don’t give these plans a chance to work like they are supposed to. Be patient and refer to rule #1.

5) Don’t withdraw early. Withdrawing before you are of age without an acceptable reason will cause you to lose 30% of your money, unless you move it to another approved account within the allowed time frame. Unless it is a direct rollover, you will still be subject to 20% withholding, but some, if not all, of that may be recouped at tax time.

I am leaving my money in the stock profile it has been in because I believe the economy will bounce back like gangbusters. I fully expect the 25% loss to be replaced by a 50% gain in the next year. That is a risk that I am willing to take on advice from MY advisor.

Please seek the advice of YOUR financial advisor before making any changes to your retirement plan. This is your future and you need to be as sure as you can that it is protected.

How to have fun on a budget – 6 tips for families

In tough economic times, most families find that they need to cut back on spending. This is very true, and it can be a lot of hard work. Some family members may work overtime if it is offered, or work a second job. At the very least, cut back on travel, groceries, dining out, movies, etc. It is very easy to forget to have fun, or not know a good way to have fun on a budget.

This article explores some ways for families to have fun without breaking the bank. We must remember that all work and no play makes for a very stressful day (week, month, year). First, we must explore ways to purchase necessities and still leave money for some fun. Some of these suggestions are cliche, but they are still valid, nonetheless.

1) Clip and use coupons. Either clip coupons from the newspaper, or use internet coupons, or both. There are several good coupon sites on the internet that you can use for coupons. A search of Online Coupons on google will yield a wealth of sites. Beware sites that require a paid membership, though. Coupons.com is a site I’d recommend. You need to install their coupon printer software, but that is very easy and free. Another recommended site is Dealcatcher.com. Be careful that you continue to purchase things you normally purchase and use any coupons you can for those. If you begin buying other products just because the you have a coupon can easily cost you more at the store than you are saving.

2) Shop online when it makes sense. Sometimes, you can find a better price online than in a store, but watch the shipping. I once purchased a $20.00 item which was $10.00 less than I could purchase locally, but the shipping cost me $15.00, so it actually cost me $5.00 more. Many sites take a discount code for an extra discount. There are some sites out there that will tell you codes for a particular product or website. Retailemenot.com or keycode.com are some good ones.

3) Eat out sparingly. Eating out can cost more money and is less healthy than eating at home. But, when you do eat out, try to avoid expensive all-you-can-eat buffets, especially if you have finicky children. There are buffets out there that are low cost but good quality. Some restaurants offer a “kids eat free” night some time during the week.

4) Go to a matinee or budget theater. Quite a lot of cities have a discounted movie theater that shows movies after they have been shown at main stream theaters. My wife and I would enjoy the $1.00 theater on friday night. The movies typically were about 4 weeks old when this theater got them, but it beat the $7.00 price at the other theaters. Another option is to attend a matinee. These prices are generally $2-$3 off the evening price and it’s the same movie.

5) Move away from the concessions. Movie theaters depend on concessions for the bulk of their profit. That is why you are paying $4-$5 for 10 cents worth of popcorn, salt and oil, or the same amount for a nickel’s worth of soft drink. Try to eat right before going to the theater, and bypass the concessions.

6) Zoos, mini-golf, water parks, skating rinks, etc. almost always have a time when admission is discounted or downright free. Take advantage of these days when they come up. When practical, take a picnic lunch and extra bottles of water. Again, avoiding concessions as much as possible will save you money.

There are some great ways to have fun on a budget, and these are just a few. I will have more later on.

Article by Chris Corrigan used by permission.

Check other articles and ideas here.

Make Money the Easy Way – 5 Easy Tips to Put More Money in Your Pocket

How would you like an extra paycheck every month without working? In these tough economic times, we seem to be faced with more choices every day. Choices of basic survival, not just which movie to see, or which restaurant to eat at, but choices of whether to put gas in the car so we can go to work, or put groceries in the house to feed our families. Most of us are wondering how to make extra money to help make ends meet. I have put together 5 tips to show you how to make money the easy way.

Tip #1: Take an inventory. Make a list of products and services you are paying monthly fees for, then identify those you can do without either permanently or temporarily. If you have a cell phone and a land-line phone, consider cancelling one of them. Take a look at your cell phone bill — do you really need that data package? If you have cable or satellite, consider changing to the lowest-priced package, or cancelling altogether and using an antenna. I can save about $200/month by cancelling non-essential subscriptions.

Tip #2: Eat at home. My wife and I can easily spend about $180/week or about $720/month by eating out every night. By eating at home, we cut that down to about $70-$100/week or about $400/month — over $300/month in savings. It is much healthier, too.  Of course, it gets a bit boring eating at home all the time, but we try to eat out no more than twice a week.

Tip #3: Manage your environment: Our house is empty from about 7:30am until about 4:30pm. That is 9 hours each day, or 45 hours each week, that our house is unoccupied by anyone (but our 2 great danes). That is about 27% of the time our house does not need to be comfortable for humans. Invest in a programmable thermostat to manage your heating and cooling. This will allow you to set the temperature back 3-5 degrees when the house is unoccupied. This device has saved me about 20% in my heating and cooling bills.

Tip #4: Choose your transportation: Sometimes, there is no other option but to drive a car or truck. But, when there is, take advantage of it. When the weather is nice and the destination close by, walk. Not only is this free, but healthy. Another free and healthy mode is to dig that bicycle out of the garage and use pedal power. For longer trips, public transportation, if available, is less expensive than gasoline. If you have a motorcycle or scooter, then those are a good choice, too. Beware of the temptation to purchase a vehicle with better fuel economy as you can easily spend more money in payments and insurance than you would have spent in gasoline alone.

Tip #5: Choose your fuel: Use the lowest octane fuel available when you fuel up. Most cars are designed to run with 87 octane and do not need the more expensive premium fuels. If you have a flex-fuel vehicle that runs on ethanol, you will usually find this fuel about 30 cents cheaper/gallon than 100% gasoline. However, if economy is your goal, I have found that burning ethanol costs me about 1.5 cents per mile more than gasoline. This is because ethanol has less energy than gasoline. If environment is more important to you, then ethanol is your choice.

Of course, there are many more ways to economize in these times, but these are very simple methods that most of us can live with. When the economy bounces back, and it will, we can always add these luxuries back into our lives. I have shown you ways I saved $800-$1000/month, which is equivalent to an extra paycheck.

This article was written by Chris Corrigan and is used here with permission.

For information on working from home, please check this Make Money Online Review

Welcome to Family Survival

In today’s world, it seems as though surviving from day-to-day, week-to-week and paycheck-to-paycheck is getting tougher every day.  With this blog, and your comments, I hope to offer common-sense suggestions to help make it easier.  Some of these suggestions will be my own, and some will be from other internet sources.  I look forward to your comments and I think this will be a good source for suggestions with financial, health, educational and other issues and problems that face today’s families.

Thanks, and welcome