If you are someone who has shied away from Coinstar because of the service charge that you must pay, here’s another reason to look at them especially with Christmas approaching. If you have more than $40 in change lying around you can get a $10 bonus if you put the $40 onto an e-certificate for more than a dozen retailers including Amazon, Eddie Bauer, Borders, Cabela’s J. C. Penny’s, CVS and more. The offer expires December 6 a few weeks before Christmas, but you can take advantage of the offer and have your shopping done early or get a little bonus when you do your shopping.

While you’re saving money, you might need more ideas about saving change or small bills in banks.

Television changes today as we know it.

• This is a difficult thing because many people who do not have cable will not be able to watch television programs. People who didn’t have access to a computer to request a free coupon for a digital converter box will no longer receive television channels. It is estimated that 2.5 million households or less than 3% of the tv viewing households are not ready for the change. Cable and satellite television viewers have no problem. Even with the coupon to defray the cost of the converter box, people still had to pay an additional amount.  You know that one television that you didn’t think about – the small one in your kitchen or the one in the spare bedroom that is not attached to cable. It won’t work either without a converter box.
• Thirty-one smaller stations that could not upgrade to digital, are just going dark. Some of these are local affiliates while four are public broadcasting stations in Mississippi. Eighteen of those stations are owned by a company that is in bankruptcy.
• For cable and satellite viewers, the change will not make a difference to them. But for others they may simply be left in the dark.

Consumer confidence increased last month. On this news, the stock market has soared.

Stocks are fickle. So are people. Just by saying that consumer confidence has increased, then people will definitely feel better about some things. Some people. Those who have more difficult paying their bills regardless of the economic situation they will have not feel as confident about their situation because they are less likely to consume things. 

Saturday, I as in a grocery store and I overheard more than one person complaining about the price of food. No matter what, food items are definitely what people need to purchase. Making your own meals at home, especially if you are preparing food for more than one person is more economical but it is important. Increases in food prices do not make consumers confident.

Proclaiming it in the headlines doesn’t make it so. If you are working and have a relatively secure job, this doesn’t mean that you are free from financial woes. Nor does it mean that you are an optimistic person in general. The Consumer Confidence Index is a survey of 5,000 homes, polling a few people to represent a group. If you polled an overly pessimistic group or an overly optimistic group, the numbers might be skewed.

If you have any money – 401k, investment, mutual fund, etc.  - in the market now, the increase is good for you. Even though it may not change your day to day living as much.

“There’s no right or wrong budget,” says Leslie Linfield, executive director of the Institute for Financial Literacy. “The only rule is, don’t spend more than you make.” 

Don’t spend more than you make should be the budgetary golden rule. Saving money is important but when you have to cut out all of the little things that are important to you and you still haven’t made a dent in your finances.  Then maybe you need to look at the bigger picture.  Time’s article on How to Save Bigger also discusses that larger items take a good chunk out of your budget  - such as housing, food, and transportation. Saving on housing costs, such as utilities and appliances may save money, but cutting back on a small indulgence such as a cappuccino probably won’t make that big of a dent, suggests the author. 

It all depends on what you spend you money on. If you figure a cappuccino or latte into your budget or even dining out into your budget, then you will be able to manage. Other things such as housing are different. Though changing your living situation isn’t as easy and cutting back on your utilities or cable package going cold turkey doesn’t really work when you are budgeting.

A financial middle ground is what is needed – not spending too much, and not spending too little. Good financial sense doesn’t teach people to be miserly and to avoid buying themselves anything. Cutting down on larger items saves more money but at what expense. If you are saving money in one area to make your life more enjoyable in another without going into debt this works. The article also stresses that there is no right or wrong budget.