Check your receipts.

There are some good money saving opportunities that you can get just by completing a short survey. In the past week, I have earned a free entree at a quick service restaurant, $10 off a purchase of $30 an d saved an additional 5¢ on my groceries just by bringing my own bag.

It may not seem like a lot but retailers are really making efforts to get people to spend money. If the item or service is something that you would use then go for it. The back of grocery store receipts is also a good place to find coupons.

Use this tip to help you save a little or a lot in 2008.

Have a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve!

Time to prepare for next Christmas (or later holiday parties).

Start looking for next year’s Christmas cards, gift wrap and even other items that you could use for Christmas. This is the best time to buy preparations for the next year because you can get them at a greater discount.

Christmas cards… I don’t remember when I bought Christmas cards during the same season. The same goes for gift bags. Some gift bags which are solid silver or gold could be used for birthdays during the year. When there is some paper that I really like in a solid color I will use that to wrap gifts for birthdays or other occasions during the year.

If you see containers at stores that you could use to put gifts in such as sturdy boxes that you could reuse or store ornaments get those too. Craft stores have winter and Christmas-themed items on sale. Gift sets that you could use for a birthday or save until later are great buys.

Think about some of the things that you use and need when preparing for Christmas and many of the things may be on sale and can help you save money for next year.

Also, if you didn’t receive what you wanted or need to return some of your gifts, then today is a great time to go. There will be big discounts but even if you see a great deal and see things you want to buy… do not go into debt preparing for next year or in buying some great item for yourself that costs more than the value of your gift card.

What kind of financial changes would you like to make in the new year? This is the time when people make resolutions to lose weight, be healthier, organize or whatever…

Even if you are not making a resolution to make changes in the new year that would dramatically change your financial situation like get a much higher paying job or retire you still may want to make some financial changes in the coming year.

Change can be a good thing or a bad thing.

Some financial changes that could help you in the coming year are:

• Save for a large purchase

• Start a savings account for vacation

• Start a savings account for Christmas

• Seek out avenues to purchase less expensive materials for your hobby ( i.e. shop in thrift stores for fat quarters for quilting, yarn, or books)

• Use public transportation when you can. If you have to go somewhere to park and parking costs $12 or more and the train or bus would be less then take the train. If there are several people traveling together, taking a cab would be cost effective

• Treat yourself once in a while… within reason

• Buy quality, even if it means that you have to save up for it.

You have bought your presents and now what?

Do not spend a lot of money on wrapping paper. Go to the dollar store or craft store and buy some paper. If you planned ahead you already have paper from last year because you bought it after Christmas.

If you didn’t; don’t worry there are still ways to make your presents look unique. I don’t like those stick on bows so I rarely use them. I prefer real ribbon. Ribbon can be expensive but it’s very inexpensive when you get it at 50-75% off. Combine that with some inexpensive good quality netting (the kind with the smaller holes) and you have a designer looking gift.

My cousin and uncle both have late December birthdays and I was thinking of a way to give them money in a unique way. Rather than just putting money or a gift card into an envelope with a card. I decided to get some small containers that I have lying around the house like film containers, knee-hi containers (that look like they come out of a gum ball machine) and random tins. I will put smaller denominations of the money in those and put the containers in a box.

I like playing these tricks on my family plus it’s more interesting to open a box where you have to hunt for your gift than just a plan envelope. You know what you’re going to get when you see something flat.

In my quest to clean, purge and organize my home, I found a large box with baskets, containers and other wrapping goodies in the downstairs closet. This was a rather large box and inside I found large baskets, a couple of smaller containers and goodies to make wrapping interesting. So regardless of whether or not some of my gift recipients need another container… they are getting gifts in them so I can empty this box. It is not going in the closet beneath the stairs, I reorganized the closet and the box has no place in my newly reclaimed storage space.

Look around your house before you undertake any major Christmas wrapping. There might be some interesting things you can use to help you save money and make your gifts look glamourous.

The Fed wants to change the way FICO scores are calculated.

The Fed also wants to make sure that people getting a mortgage can really afford the mortgage and other costs associated with a home.

It seems to me that the federal government wants to mandate and regulate common sense.

For many years the lenient credit offers that were given to people have made it way to easy for people to get credit and to abuse it.

Most people have more credit than they can afford. If you have a good credit score it didn’t happen overnight. You built up credit just as people amass a savings (or fortune). Even people with a high income aren’t necessarily good credit risks.

When I heard that the government wants to make sure that people have enough to pay for insurance and taxes when they are getting a mortgage, I had a head shaking moment. Maybe I am jaded but when I sought out a mortgage the loan officer asked questions and looked over everything that I had. Since I hadn’t owned before I needed to show some kind of proof that I could afford a mortgage and still have some money left over so I wouldn’t be destitute. Since this obviously hasn’t been happening with “no-doc” loans it has added to the mortgage problem. People were not given adequate counseling and didn’t know about some of the additional costs of home ownership.

Easy cash without regard as to how the consumer will repay the loan has gone by the wayside.

For some this will be a terrible hardship because they have used home equity loans to finance their lifestyle (or unfortunately for some basic necessities).

The credit crisis is not just a US phenomenon, other countries are having their own credit problems. This should speak to us as consumers, both national and global that we need to live within our means, whatever we have.

Common sense shouldn’t have to be regulated. People should regulate themselves and realize that having things are not that important despite what media outlets tell us

Treat yourself. Christmas is the season of giving and if you give too much you will be stressed out and tired. What you need to do is to relax for at least 15-20 minutes even if it is something as simple as having a cup of tea and a muffin or reading a magazine.

I understand that there are a lot of things that need to be done… Although time will still pass regardless of whether or not you one thing or another.

If you can’t spare that extra few minutes have a cup of tea while doing the Christmas cards. Despite what every manufacturer tries to persuade you,  getting a card will not stop the world and sending them should not cause you undue stress, either.

I went to an office supply store last night to buy some stocking stuffers. I looked at some label tape for a label maker and saw that the price for one was $16.99 and the price for two cartridges of the same size was $34.99. There was no special prize or offer if I purchased the two pack the only incentive was that they were wrapped in one package. So if I wanted to help the environment because I would have less packaging for the two pack my reward would be to pay an additional $1.01. Less packaging is great except when it costs me more money to get it. Who would want to pay more money to be environmentally friendly?

I also made another stop to a local coffee shop and bought a pound bag of coffee. I could have carried the coffee with me without a bag but since they also give you a free cup coffee when you purchase a pound I chose to take my own cloth bag instead of getting the coffee in a plastic bag. That way, I wouldn’t spill hot coffee on my coat. Everything worked out.

Keep these two things in mind when you are shopping: First, make sure that the packaged “deal” that you are getting is really a deal. Second, if you are only buying one or two things take your own bag especially if you are grocery shopping or buying perishables.

Granted taking your own bag for some things doesn’t really work and if there is the possibility that some of the items may be returned. It is easier to return something in a store’s own bag (with the receipt of course) than to bring your own bag.

Happy and attentive shopping!

Twelve days until Christmas and I am almost done with my shopping. I have a couple of things that are stumping me though. I do not know what to get. 

There are still opportunities for free shipping so your gifts will arrive before Christmas. Amazon tells you how many days you have left to take advantage of free shipping in order to get it before Christmas. I got a reminder in my email box today from Smartbargains.com that shipping is free through today. Best Buy has free shipping for items listed in their recent circular.

All of these free shipping opportunities are nothing more than a way to get your business. I understand. When I went shopping the other day the salesclerks in various stores were very available and very friendly. There were not a lot of people out buying or even looking. Things were rather dead. I can understand that. About half of the items I purchased so far were purchased online because I saved money that way.

I saved up before Christmas and I have a spending plan in place. I did go a little over on a couple of gifts because I knew I would considerably spend less on the shipping than on the gift so that actually worked out in my favor. Instead of spending $10 on shipping I was able to send something in a card for less than $1.

Mailing gifts to people unless you are getting free shipping and honestly some places with great things do not offer those free gimmicks to entice you. If you want to order candy or food items these places often do not offer free shipping but if you do not have to wrap and prepare the gift yourself it is often worth it. I saw some wonderful goodies at Mrs. Prindables and Sees and Harry & David and when you factor in shipping some things are over budget. Going over budget is a problem but the closer you get to Christmas, the less time you have to quibble over price if you want an item to arrive on time.

In order to avoid that, look for items that will definitely fit into your budget but with perishables delivery is the biggest factor in price. In that case, you can always send someone a gift card for the place and they can choose their own goodies. There are other ways to get around this… order things like nuts or non-chocolate candies. Even when you go look at fruit and floral baskets in the grocery store or gourmet stores the prices are much higher than the materials that go into them. For candy if you are buying certain candies you can still get a wonderful gift for under $30 but unless the person really likes the type of candy then do you want to spend half the price of the gift in shipping? I don’t.

When shipping a gift, make a selection where the person will be able to use the majority of the gift and not have the value eaten up in shipping.

Rate cut… again

Well that means that now that the interest rate has been cut another quarter of a percent, interest rates for savings accounts may decrease a little. Although in order to entice people to save more money the rates may stay the same. Especially since personal savings accounts are at an all time low.

What will this mean for us is that a housing recession will make a difference in our spending. If you are saving for a house and do not have one that is contingent on you selling an existing property then you will be able to find a great deal. For those who are paying a mortgage if you owe more than your house is worth you probably do not want to pay for an albatross around your neck. If your house is worth more than you paid for it even in the current market you would be more likely to hold on to your investment.

Jackie Castleberry won’t be playing Santa Claus this year.

The interest rate on her four-bedroom home loan shot up in October and she is $6,000 behind on her payments. She now owes $168,000 on her home, which once was worth $220,000 but is now worth about $150,000.

In the past, when times were tough, she would borrow against her home’s equity — that’s no longer possible.

“I was always seen as the person that’s giving, but it’s kind of affected this year,” said Castleberry, a former casino buffet supervisor who now makes $11 an hour, 30 hours a week, supervising children before and after school. “This year, I can’t see anything right now as far as gifts.”

If the interest rates for loans such as mortgages and other forms of credit decrease that means that people can also borrow more which is good in some ways but bad if people are not adequately confronting their debt. Christmastime is difficult for people who do not budget and have adequate savings to fund the Christmas they want. So instead of paring down, people will spend more. A drop in interest rates affects many things such as our comfort that the money we have will be adequate for our needs.

Home equity loans which seemed tempting to some are coming back to haunt them with a vengeance. Having some sort of savings makes a difference when times get tough such as a job loss. Using your home as a piggybank, which is what thousands of people have done has contributed to the housing crisis.

Having enough is based on personal comfort levels and spending levels. One person who earns 100,000 a year may have a different comfort level than a person who earns 25,000 but either way both earners need to save. It is easier to save and live below your means if you make more money than it is if you make less but you can still omit things in order to make little lasting changes.

I did a bit of online shopping last night and one item I couldn’t find but the more I thought about it I think I will pay the few extra dollars to get that item and accessories locally. Sure I will save about 6 or 7 dollars since I will have to pay tax instead of getting a reduced shipping rate. If the person doesn’t like the item, and didn’t specifically ask for it, I would rather buy the item at a store where the person can exchange the item with a gift receipt.

I have exchanged items online before and even when you get free shipping returns aren’t always free especially if the item is not defective.

To me the few extra dollars is worth it especially if the person decided that he doesn’t want the gift or would like it in a different color. When there is no doubt that the person would like this gift or if it is a food/floral item then ordering online versus in person always comes down to cost. When you are not sure whether or not the person would like the gift and know that the person would not use a gift card make sure you can return it.

Cash would be an option, but this person doesn’t really need any cash and I think the person would like the gift.

Unless I can find a place where I will receive free shipping for what I want today because I have exhausted my ususal sources – they are sold out of what I want.

If you are uncertain about the gift like I am, I would say spend the few extra dollars buying an item where the gift recipient can return it without any problems. That is what I am going to do.