Monthly Archives: February 2011

Are Your Finances Out of Control?

For those who think that financial stability is out of reach, certified financial counselors at The Village Family Service Center remind consumers that even if their current situation seems hopeless, there are steps they can take now that will put them in a better financial position. Continue reading

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A Real Eye-Opener

Imagine someone uses your social security number and good credit to apply for an auto loan. You find out and notify police–they arrest this person on charges of criminal impersonation and the accused admits to using a false social security number on the loan application. Slam dunk case, right? Continue reading

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Choosing a Tax Preparer

If you pay someone to prepare your tax return, choose that preparer wisely. Taxpayers are legally responsible for what’s on their tax return even if it is prepared by someone else. So, it is important to choose carefully when hiring an individual or firm to prepare your return. While most preparers provide good service, a few unscrupulous tax preparers file fraudulent tax returns and ultimately defraud their clients.

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Bizarre Savings Ideas

Over the years, I have asked various groups of people to give me real examples of ways to save a dollar. While the responses were overwhelming–many were quite interesting, and even extreme. I am listing the most interesting and extreme cost-savings measures here. I would not recommend all of these, and haven’t tried them out to see if they actually save money–but some of them are quite entertaining. If nothing else they may spark some cost cutting ideas of your own:

Reuse paper towels.
Recycle bath or shower water in a bucket for other household uses, like flushing the toilet.
During the winter months, keep the heat down and wear extra layers of clothes and blankets inside.
Opt out of the municipal garbage service and haul your trash to the landfill (Be sure you would actually save money before trying this one).
Wash and reuse disposable paper plates. (I don’t really understand this one. Why buy paper plates just to wash them?)
Turn off the engine in your vehicle while waiting for a train to pass.
Save unused individual condiment packets from restaurants for later use at home. (I’m assuming, or hoping, this person was suggesting saving just the ones they were given and didn’t fill up their pockets at the condiment counter!)
Use old socks or underwear as rags.
Take in a roommate/rent a room in your home.
Get rid of a vehicle: reducing to a one-vehicle household. Or try to get rid of all your vehicles and rely on car-sharing/pooling, and public transportation. If you have to go out of town, rent a car.
Compost trash for fertilizer for your vegetable or flower gardens.
Combine extra unused twist ties for other household purposes, like shoe laces. (Really!?!?!)
I’d love to hear your favorite, or most entertaining, cost-saving ideas. Please comment below.
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Frugal Fatigue

Check out The Village’s most recent post on Area Voice’s Financial Fitness blog.   MAJORITY OF AMERICANS HAVE FRUGAL FATIGUE Minority Found Lifestyle Changes to be Positive

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Cash for Grades?

The idea of paying students for good grades is not new, but it is migrating out of the home and into the hands of privately funded initiatives. Several organizations across the nation are not only advocating the compensation of elementary and high school students for good grades, but providing the funding to do so. Continue reading

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