Thinking About Winterizing The Car

Apologies to those routinely read  BD&S.  I have been noticeably absent in the last few weeks.  I have been working on several projects that I hope to have published very soon.  Thank you for your patience, and hope to resume blogging on a regular basis soon enough.

The (obvious) bad news; summer is over. The worse news; winter is just around the corner. Growing up in the Midwest, I learned the importance of getting an automobile ready for what seems to be a too-lengthy winter driving season—especially since it seems like our cars tend to break down more in the cold months than the warmer ones.
Since I tend to be on the frugal side, I tend to save money where and how I can by making minor adjustments, repairs, and preparations myself (I don’t believe in chance; I believe in preparation).
Under optimum life circumstances, I tend to have 2 sets of tires, winter tires and summer tires. However, if this is not practical for those with tighter budgets than my own, keeping your tired properly inflated is the best advice. In the event that treads are worn, try to replace one (or possibly two) tires as a time, as money permits. The front tires should take priority over the rear one simply because most vehicles nowadays are front-or all-wheel drive. As a former truck driver, I would use a penny to check my tires’ treading. Put the penny inside the tires’ treads; if you can’t see Lincoln’s head, you have plenty of tread. If you can see it, then it’s time to buy new tires. If you aren’t cheap, a trip to a tire specialist/shop wouldn’t be too much to require for this. Many have no problem checking the condition of your tires for a nominal fee (or even free…shop around).

 

Fill, refill, or change any and all fluids. Water used in the summer in radiators should be replaced with antifreeze or a mixture of water and mostly antifreeze (about 70/30 level should do it). Definitely change the oil.
To save time, you might want to consider heading to a garage or repair shop. Many garages will perform a full vehicle inspection on fluids, the battery, and various hoses and belts and inform you where the shortcomings are, and what (possibly) needs to be changed and/or replaced (naturally, I do what I can myself to save money).
Although this might be a bit of an over-precaution for some, but I tend to pack emergency equipment in my car in the event that a simply drive from Points A to B do not become simple. I have a fire extinguisher (should be replaced and/or recharged every 1 or 2 years…yes, I have had a vehicle catch fire on me), a FULLY CHARGED cellphone, a heavy blanket, a first-aid kit, some what I call “emergency snacks,” and a small air-compressor (which has saved me twice in the last few weeks) that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Granted, we can’t anticipate every contingency, we can prepare for the ones that are most likely to rear up and make our winter driving inconvenient, and potentially costly if not prepared (this coming from someone who grew up both in Chicago, and nearby in Michigan).

Product Review: Mennen's Speed Stick Vs. Arm & Hammer's Ultra Max

We’re all adults here. And since this particular posting might be considered somewhat touchie for some, allow me to say that we all tend to get that less-than-fresh feeling at sometimes inopportune times—and I’m not talking about feminine hygiene products. I’m speaking about getting the best bang-for-your-buck when it comes to deodorant.
One of the advantages of having a position which becomes occasionally labor intensive (read: physically-demanding) at times is that it tends to test the limits of the products we use to help us remain hygienic. Last week I learned—much to the dismay of my nasal sensitivities—the limits of a named-brand deodorant.
At the risk of sounding like a television commercial, I thought that changing from the brand that I normally use would cut my wallet some slack.

This is not to say that the brand that I normally used was bad (it’s actually far better to my downgrade), but trying to upgrade (to use the term loosely) to a better-known but cheaper deodorant was a bad decision. What I substituted for my regular far-superior brand was Mennen’s Speed Stick (it’s “Active Fresh” variety).

Speed Stick boasts slick television commercials—complete with the obligatory handsome male lead. But quite often, what sells a product is slick marketing, not the effectiveness of the product. And I found Speed Stick’s Active Fresh product to be anything but effective. At the end of my 9-hour workday, I smelled like I had spent a week in the “hotbox” on a Southern prison farm from the 1950s—not a condition you want to find yourself in on a hot August day. Speed Stick’s Active Fresh is not a product I would recommend if you are looking for all-day (or even effective) protection from offending yourself when you lift your arms.
On the hand, the deodorant that I kicked to the curb for this failed experiment in named-brandology, Arm & Hammer’s “Ultra Max” was and is the best-performing brand that I’ve used to date. I can both work and load a lot longer, without having to keep my arms down below head level! In fact, I’ve never had any issues with odor using Ultra Max. Yes, it goes on a little thick. But personally, I like “thick;” it kind of reassures me of being protected (call it “reverse-paranoia” if you will).  No, you won't smell like a field of lilacs in the springtime, but you will smell respectable around others.

The takeaway here is that slick advertisements and brand names do not what a good product make. My suggestion is to do what I did—throw out the Speed Stick and go with what works. Use a deodorant whereby you can get your money’s worth of good protection (and no…this wasn’t a paid endorsement).

Where The Jobs Are Springing Up...

Recently, Cable News Network (CNN) and Money Magazine did a piece on the top 25 local job markets listed by counties (See: “Where The Jobs Are.”). With job markets in many areas still exhibiting slim pickings, I thought it would be of a benefit for those seeking viable employment to know exactly where the best (current) job market are. In order to get right to the point, I opted to simply list the first 10 of these counties (see the link for the entire list), the major municipalities, the rate of (projected) growth, and the major employers in these hot job market counties, and the major employers therein—without the commentary.

1. Columbia County, GA
Towns include: Evans, Martinez Job growth (2010-2012): 14.1% Major Employers: John Deere, Georgia Iron Works Foundry, Fort Gordon.

2. Rockwall County, TX
Towns include: Rockwall Job growth (2010-2012): 13.0% Major Employers: Bimbo Bakeries, Rockwall Technology Park (various aerospace, logistics, defense and manufacturing companies ), Hatfield and Co.

3. Falls Church, VA
Towns include: Falls Church Job growth (2010-2012): 12.6% Major Employers: Technology Catalysts International, Viget Labs

4. Guadalupe County, TX
Towns include: Cibolo, Schertz Job growth (2010-2012): 12.2% Major Employers: Caterpillar, Amazon.com (distribution center), Continental Automotive

5. St. Johns County, FL
Towns include: Fruit Cove, Palm Valley, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine Job growth (2010-2012): 12.1% Major Employers: 2G Cenergy, Northrop Grumman (planned production center)

6. Utah County, UT
Towns include: Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Eagle Mountain, Highland, Lehi, Lindon, Orem, Payson, Pleasant Grove, Provo, Saratoga Springs Job growth (2010-2012): 11.6% Major Employers: Novell, Nuskin, Ancestry.com, Adobe Systems

7. Madison County, AL
Towns include: Huntsville, Madison Job growth (2010-2012): 11.5% Major Employers: Redstone Arsenal (Army Base), Yulista Management Services, SAIC, Huntsville's International Airport, Cummings Research Park (various defense-related and high-tech contractors).

8. Prince William County, VA After a day at the office, golfers can hit the links at a Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Dumfries.
Towns include: Dale City, Sudley Job growth (2010-2012): 11.4% Major Employers: Berkley Net, MCL Systems Ltd

9. Gwinnett County, GA
Towns include: Lilburn, Snellville, Suwanee Job growth (2010-2012): 11.3% Major Employers: Mitsubishi Electric, Primerica, National DCP

10. Santa Rosa County, FL
Towns include: Midway, Navarre, Pace Job growth (2010-2012): 10.9% Major Employers: Avalex Technologies, Priton, WTEC

 Click here for the remainder of the list

Investment 101: A Stocks And Bonds Primer

Years ago, I took the time to teach myself about investment basics--namely what stocks and bonds are.  I know that we hear these terms being tossed around in the news within different contexts, from municipal bonds to a poor performance in the stock market within a given week.  But there are still some people out here who don't understand just what these terms and their encompassing principles are.
This morning on NBC's "The Today Show," a piece was presented from the show's "Investment 101" segment.  The piece focused on presenting a basic understanding of what stocks and bonds are, as well as the underlying investment principles they represent.  Since the financial reporters presented the concepts in such simplistic terms, I thought it would be a great post for this week.
I have taken the liberty of embedding 2 videos below relating to the show's investment focus.  The first video demonstrates how to budget for investing disposable income (a rare thing to be sure nowadays) and the second gives an explanation of what stocks and bonds are.  Please watch and take away an understanding of basic money investment concepts.

Investment 101:  "How To Create A Budget For (Future) Investments

Investing 101: The best places to put your money (Stocks & Bonds Defined)

Dealing With Student Loans

Apologies to my regular readers for the length of time between this post and my last.  It's somewhat difficult to put these pieces together when working so many hours in addition to maintaining my other blogs.  I will endeavor to return to a regular posting schedule beginning with this piece.

With all the talk about student loans and rising monthly payments expected due to the increase in interest rates, I thought it would be timely to reprint a recent piece from American Public Radio's daily program, "Marketplace Money." The piece, "How To Get Rid Of Your Student Loans Without Paying," is pretty self-explanatory in it's subject matter (especially since I only recently completed an obligation with my own student loans).
In addition to reprinting the advice-filled story, have taken the liberty of embedding the audio for the story in this week's blog contribution. I hope you will find this helpful.
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How To Get Rid Of Your Student Loans Without Paying

by Daryl Paranada 

Marketplace Money for Friday, July 5, 2013 

Students hoping to become public defenders, work in the health field, or hopeful veterinarians in the state of Kentucky specializing in large food animals -- you're in luck.

You might be eligible for a number of programs that will help to repay your student loan debt. (Problem is, these programs aren't easy to find out about.)

"The information can be really buried within a website or can be fractured," said Betsy Mayotte, director of regulatory compliance at the nonprofit organization American Student Assistance. "You kind of have to dig for the details."

With the interest rate on new subsidized Stafford loans doubling from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1, 2013, students taking on debt to pay for their graduate degrees might consider researching the different programs out there. To help guide students interested in forgiveness programs, ASA has put together an eBook called "60+ Ways To Get Rid Of Your Student Loans (Without Paying Them)." The organization divides the programs into two broad categories.

"Forgiveness programs are generally programs where you are rewarded for something that you do. Generally it's some sort or volunteer or a specific working profession where there's a need for people to work in that profession," said Mayotte. "Unfortunately, discharge is for when something bad happens to you."

The loan forgiveness and discharge programs were instituted by the federal government (as well as some state governments, organizations and private businesses) to eliminate all or part of a student’s loans if he or she qualifies. Borrowers who give back to their community, work in fields or areas of need, or face unpredicted, extenuating circumstances are eligible for these different programs.

To apply for forgiveness, you may need proof that you've worked for the required number of years at the location or profession that makes you eligible for the program.

The types of loan forgiveness programs available can be divided among these broad categories:

Community service 

One community service option is applying for an AmeriCorps. award. It repays part of a person's student loans based on their service in the AmeriCorps program. The U.S. federal government program is meant to engage adults in intensive community service work with the goal of "helping others and meeting critical needs in the community." Other volunteer organizations offering loan forgiveness include the Peace Corps. and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA).

Military 

Perhaps one of the most well-known ways to forgive your student debt. Generally there are two types of programs -- ones that pay for school while you're in school and then programs relating to existing loan forgiveness. You should speak with a recruiter about the different plans out there. Find out more information at Military.com.

Profession 

The most common professions eligible for loan forgiveness tend to be in the health and teaching fields. Mayotte says some states are really thirsty for nurses, doctors, teachers, or public defenders -- and may have forgiveness programs to attract those types of workers. You can find more career-based forgiveness programs with an online search or by talking to your employer. Find out more information at FinAid.org.

State specific You may be eligible for a program in a particular state if you are a legal resident in that state, work in one of the selected jobs, have a license for one of the jobs in the state, or went to school there. Search online to see what programs are available to you. Go to the state's website and search around. State specific programs can change or be eliminated based on budget, so keep an eye out.

The types of loan discharge options include:

Closed schools/school errors

Borrowers may be eligible if their school closed while they were attending or within 90 days of leaving it. They may also be eligible if they withdrew from school and were not refunded the correct amount. Borrowers are only eligible if they received their loans on or after January 1, 1986.

Disaster

There's a discharge option for spouses of eligible public servants or other eligible victims who died or became permanently and totally disabled due to physical injuries suffered as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Financial hardship Borrowers who face financial hardship based on income or debt could be eligible for these options:

Financial hardship 

Borrowers who face financial hardship based on income or debt could be eligible for these options: 

Bankruptcy 

Contrary to popular belief, you can get rid of your loans in bankruptcy. But it's difficult to do so. You must prove to a bankruptcy judge that repaying your loans would be an undue hardship. This standard generally requires you to show that there is no likelihood of any future ability to repay. Learn more. 

Income-based repayment  

To qualify you must have a partial financial hardship, which means that payments to your eligible loans exceeds 15 percent of your discretionary income. After 25 years -- 10 working in public service -- any student loan debt left over is forgiven. Learn more. 

Income-contingent repayment 

Similar to the income-based repayment program, but payments are capped at 20 percent of discretionary income. Learn more. 

Pay as you earn forgiveness 

Only for newer borrowers. You must be a new Direct Loan borrower as of October 1, 2007, with a disbursement made after October 1, 2011. Any Direct Consolidation loan made on or after October 1, 2011, that does not include a Parent PLUS loan or a loan made prior to October 1, 2007 is eligible. Learn more. 

Fraud 

If someone fraudulently obtained the loan in your name you may be eligible to have your loan discharged. 

Medical 

For borrowers who suffer from physical or mental impairments or have died. Mayotte said it's important to note that for many of these loan programs, the amount that's forgiven can be taxed as income. She says the best way to find out what programs are available to you is searching online and asking. "Ask a potential employer if student loan repayment is part of a benefit. Ask a school that you're attending if the school is aware," says Mayotte. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were some super secret programs out there that weren't online."

Overdraft Protection -- Yes or No?

This week, an article came to my attention regarding overdraft fees imposed by banks. The article, from Time Magazine was a brief revelation about how and why people were dumping overdraft protection offered by banks in favor of closer self-management of their checking accounts. While traditional overdraft protection keeps costumers from getting hit with late fees that are higher than the protection, it does add up for a financial boon for banks (see the video below).

 What the Time article reported was the conclusion of that “people who did not opt into ‘overdraft protection’ spent far less on fees than those who did opt in.”  The general lesson behind the piece was the idea that if left to their own devices, people became a lot savvier when it came to closely monitoring their money and bank accounts when the "training wheels" of overdraft protection was removed as an option.
because overdraft rules tend to vary between banks--leading to confusion which pads the coffers of large banks who rely on the confusion and ignorance of account holders--the alternative or becoming smarter money managers allowed account holders to save more money in banking.
The upshot is that if you are a bank customer who tends to use their checking account on a regular and routine basis--and you have trouble maintaining a balance that doesn't leave your account depleted of funds from month-to-month, overdraft protection might be your best friend.  But if you are more of an independent banking customer, who is able to closely monitor their money usage to the point where overdraft protection is rarely used and the fees might be an unnecessary drain on your account every month, consider dumping overdraft protection.

7 Simple Ways To Save Money Fast!

For this posting, I thought that I would just 7 proven (and quick) ways to create savings around the house.  These advantages of these particular strategies is that they will yield immediate savings.

1. Avoid Daily Food Purchases Pack your own your lunch (from food in your house) every day for work and you could easily save $25 or more per week. This tactic saves—at a minimum—of $1,300 per year. or more than $50,000 over a 40-year career!
2. Gasoline Many automobile experts agree that using a higher grade of gas than the manufacturer recommends is a waste of money—especially at current prices. Premium grades cost about 20 cents to 40 cents more per gallon than regular unleaded. My personal advice is to use either a mid-grade or regular gasoline, but combine them with gasoline performance-improving additives (which you can purchase at any store) every other week. The potential savings are obvious.
3. Renting Books, Magazines, DVDs and More OK, I admit, I am guilty of this one (book are a personal vice). I buy a lot of books. In fact, the average American household spends about $200 per year on books, either traditional or E-books (U.S. Census Bureau). Many newly published books (along with movie rentals and much newer music) can be borrowed for free from any of the nation's 17,000 public libraries.
4. Alternative Transportation If you live close enough, try walking to work. You will not only get free exercise (something truly needed considering the collective American waistline), but also save a tremendous amount of money. According to data, the average America worker commutes by car to the tune of about $4,000 per year (gasoline, repairs, wear, etc.). Imagine having that extra money in an interest-bearing account…
5. Skip the Convenience Store This is a big one. Avoid convenience stores if you can. Many of the products purchased at local convenience stores and gas stations are routinely more expensive compared to the same item purchased at a local supermarket. In fact, if you were to make a shopping list of the same items, and purchased the same items at a supermarket and a convenience store, the spending difference could be as high as 45% cheaper for the same exact items!
6. Save your change I honestly don’t know where I got this habit, but for quite a long time, I avoid spending pocket change unless I absolutely have to. Instead, I stash my change—sometimes even single dollar bills—in a plastic jug in my bedroom. Not only does this help reinforce the habit of saving in general, but it comes in handy for those trips to the Laudromat, through the toll booth, to keep feed parking meters, and the various other situations requiring change-at-the-ready.
7. Break a Truly Bad Habit On occasion, I have mentioned the monetary benefits of maintaining good health (such as healthy food purchases and their long-term benefits in saving potential medical costs). But don't overlook the financial benefits of quitting a bad (and costly) habit. Buying a single pack of cigarettes per day will cost you on average about $2,000 a year; consider the amount over a multiple-year time-frame. Not only will quitting yield immediate monetary savings, but could quite reasonably save your life.

Catchy New K-Mart Ads...Laugh Out Loud Good!

As a child, I remember that K-Mart was the Walmart of the day. It was simply the place to go for people on the lower-end of the economic scale (which we were growing up). You could go there, and buy toys, electronics, and clothes (of course this was before the advent of clothing lines that were meant to convey status and/or popularity). K-Mart was the lower-end competitors to (then) higher-end stores like J.C. Penny, Sears, and the like. I can personally attest to the retail store saving many a Christmas growing up for my family as well as many others.
However, later came competition from other discount retail chains such as Target, Walmart, and the various “dollar only” stores. Because of these later competitors, K-Mart found itself on the economic ropes in recent years, even agreeing to merge with now fellow struggling chain store Sears…to less than stellar sales.
But K-Mart might have just redeemed itself from its years-long economic spiral into retail irrelevance with two new edgy television ads that even makes me want to go back to the retailer to see what deals I might be able to find. Take a look at the ads posted below as you struggle to try to avoid smiling, laughing out loud, or jump into your vehicles and see if the deals are as appealing as their new ad campaigns!

Needless to say, I will be reporting right here any values and deals that might be the result from this new-found interests in the age-old (and suddenly more interesting) retailer.

Last Minute Tax Tips - What If You Can't Pay And Other Advice

Tomorrow at midnight is Tax Day, the annual tax filing deadline for U.S. taxpayers. In keeping with this yearly ritual, I came across a piece from NBC's "The Today Show" that featured financial news correspondent Sharon Epperson (from the network's sister financial cable network, CNBC) providing last minute tax tips for late filers. In the video (below) Epperson provides, among other things, advice on what to do should you owe the I.R.S. money but can't pay at the time of filing--as well as other last-minute filing advice.

Happy filing!

Traveling By Bus Makes a Comeback

Recently on CBS's "Morning Show," the network's news travel editor, Peter Greenberg talked about the financial advantages of traveling by bus. Among the points that Greenberg made was that travel by bus is most economical for trips below $400 miles; after that, it becomes a less-bang-for-the-buck endeavor, especially in relation to a plane ride of the same distance (view video). 

In addition, Greyhound, the nation's premier cross-country bus line, has several options to make bus travel even cheaper. Most of these advantages can be capitalized on if you book through their website. Discounts are available for students with a Greyhound Student Advantage Discount Card. The card costs $20 to buy, and can pay for itself if you’re going to be making regular journeys across the country. The discount card earns users a 20% discount on bookings. Other discounts include a military discount (10% discount) and a senior discount (5%) for those aged over 62.

Other affordable bus travel alternatives include those that have less extensive, but more fixed routes to major cities include:

Megabus is a location-to-location bus line. It's somewhat upscale, offering free amenities such as free Wi-Fi and reclining seats. The fares can be more expensive than other budget bus services (see below) as a result of this, but there are some real bargains to be had if you travel on the right day and perhaps at less convenient times, such as early morning. Some fixed routes among its most traveled routes are priced as low $1.00 for a trip that lasts several hours, such as its New York to Washington DC run.  However, not all runs on this particular route leave or arrive at the most undesirable times.  As a result, a search of its site might be advisable in planning a trip through Megabus.  

Chinatown Bus is a budget bus company that services routes between the larger U.S. cities, mainly Seattle, Miami, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Current fares include Philadelphia to New York for $10 and Washington DC to New York for $18.

Boltbus is similar to Megabus in that it offers Wi-Fi and extra leg room on its buses and fares start at just $1 dollar. After every eight trips made using the service, you’ll receive one free trip (one-way only).

Granted, long bus rides are not always the most pleasant of experiences, the prices for short and intermediate-length routes compared to airplane trips of similar duration and distance make it more-than-affordable for even the most price-conscious traveler.

New ATMs dispense $1 and $5 bills

For the life of me, I don’t why know it took banks so long to catch up to reality. But I suppose that the old saying is true about how its better being late than never. Earlier this year, it was reported that a couple of the larger banks—namely Chase and PNC—were in the process of switching over to Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) that actually dispense $1 and $5 bills. This is a convenience that’s long overdue in the realm of banking. However, as with many such improvements in service related to banking, there are advantages and disadvantages to this move.

As many of us forced to make an unscheduled withdrawal from our local ATMs know, this move by these two banks has the potential to save us tons of money by helping to curtail the spending of the excess change we are forced to deal with because we are forced to take out more than we need. In addition, the most could save some customers money in punitive and costly fees. For example, a customer who needs only $25, but would likely overdraw their bank account if they took out $40 would benefit from smaller denominations. However, the new ATMs are free only to the customers of the particular banks. The same $3 out-of-network fees apply to non-customers as they do for any of the banks' ATMs (a customer's own bank typically charges a fee of around $1.60 or more when they use an out-of-network ATM).
At this early point in this new banking practice, it might be wise to anticipate that banks making this move to ATMS that dispense these smaller bills might be tempted become creative with other types of fees and cost to make up for the fact that it cost banks to make this switch in the first place, as well as add the smaller bills. But until banks do start adding more fees for this particular convenience, the only way money can wasted is if the customer is not being cognizant of his/her withdrawal and spending practices.

Saving Money On Cell Phone Services - T-Mobile Changes Service Plans (No More Contracts)

I’m always astounded how some news can so timely. On the heels of my last posting regarding saving on cell phone plans, yesterday it was reported (ahead of an expected press conference today) that cell phone carrier T-Mobile was preparing to be the first cell phone company to rewrite the old cell phone company model of 2-year contracts for various phone plans.

Seeking to regain a significant market share of the multi-billion dollar cell phone market it once dominated, T-Mobile became the first major cell phone company to end the often costly 2-year contract-based cell phone plan in favor installment plans based around the no-contract model (T-Mobile by all accounts languishes in 4th place among the major carriers). The reason for this revision of the company’s service model is due to the siphoning of their customer base by bigger competitors such as Verizon and Wireless and AT&T Mobile. Another reason why the company had been losing so many of its formerly loyal customers is that it had not been selling the best-selling cell phone model—Apple’s I-phone—along with its service. So in addition to scrapping contract-based plans, T-Mobile has also agreed to start offering the high-end but costly I-phone among its available cell phones.
Customers benefits from the change in marketing policy in the form of cheaper phone plans that no longer tie the customer into 2-year obligations. In addition, customers save money on those punitive cancellation charges that cell phone companies enact as a way of discouraging customers breaking their contracts. As before, T-Mobile's prices generally undercut those of the bigger phone companies. The chief downside is that its data network coverage is poorer in rural areas (as I can attest to harkening back to my days as a truck driver; in many areas such as out mountainous West, the coverage was awful). Another downside is that purchasing phones outright is still more costly (in the short term) as opposed to purchasing the phones over the course of a contract via service payments. The company will begin offering a monthly surcharge on high-end phones purchased with the new no-contract plans, but these surcharges can be avoided if you buy the phone outright. According to published reports,

Based on its new options, you will be able to get these phones alongside a monthly $50 unlimited talk and text plan (and 500MB of data thrown in for good measure). If you want unlimited data, you'll need to pay $20 more, totaling up to a reasonable $70 per month (T-Mobile News).

According to published reports, T-Mobile's service plan has a tier structure. That is, the potential monthly cost can increase should the customer opt to add an additional 2 gigabytes of mobile internet speed for every $10 added to the basic $50 monthly cost. In essence, T-Mobile will charge $60 a month for 2GB, with additional internet speeds increasing the potential monthly bill all the way up to T-Mobile's 12GB plan for a $110 per month.
Finally, along with its innovative singular no-contract service model and the I-Phone, T-Mobile plans to offer several new high-end, high-tech smart phones for the new customers it hopes to steal away from the larger carriers. They are:

Samsung Galaxy S4...
...expected in Q2 for T-Mobile.  The device will also pack a vividly bright 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED screen, either a 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor or a 1.6GHz octo-core Exynos 5 Octa CPU (though chances are the U.S. model will get the former), and a 13-megapixel camera.

HTC One...
...which should be in stores now.  Not only is the One contain an all-aluminum-cased handset, it also has room under the hood for some impressive specs. It was one of the very first phones to be announced with a (1.7GHz) quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, it has a 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera that can record 1080p full HD video, and its 4.7-inch LCD screen boasts a whopping 468ppi.

BlackBerry Z10...
(pre-registration available now for T-Mobile).  In addition to running the novel and heavily gesture-based BB10 OS, the handset also sports an HDMI port, an 8-megapixel camera, and a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus processor. All packaged in a handsome, sturdy construction.  I'm waiting for this little ditty myself!

With the announcement of T-Mobile's new service plan(s) model, the cell phone market just got a little more competitive...and a little more tolerable for those of us looking to save money on our mobile toys...I mean phones!

Saving Money On Cell Phone Services

I’ll just come right out and say that I’ve been using cell phone since the late 1990s. I’ve had both contract and prepaid services. And I don’t mind saying that for sheer savings, prepaid cell phone services beat contract services hands down (for the sensitive among the readership, I will refrain from any references about how I felt violated by the terms of previous contract services).

However, I do know that many cell phone customers are still privy to utilizing contract services for various personal reasons. For that reason, I thought I would post a little something about saving money with both cell phone and contract cell phones services. First, let’s start with the contract services.
With the many options available to cell phone customers (texting, internet access, voicemail, e-mail, etc.), those looking for the best bargain in contract cell phones have to consider what type of phone might be best for them. Nowadays, even the most basic of available cell phones have at least some options in addition to simple calling. T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T for example offer basic phones that all have texting, voicemail, e-mail, and camera capabilities. Such phones are perfect for those who need simple no bells-and-whistles communications, such as elderly customers, or those smart enough not to be addicted to leisure social networking. These same providers, in addition to most others, also have on the other end of the technology spectrum “smart phones” that have more apps that the average person will use. These high-end phones are mostly touch-screen android models (although there are still some Blackberry phones still favored among cell phone users), with internet service, programs that synch computer-based e-mail accounts to their phones, and a host of other cool gadgetry. The biggest difference between high-end cell phone and basic models is the reliability and speed of the networks these phones work on.  Higher speed networks (3 & 4G networks) tend to be reserved for high-end phones with internet access. 
If you already have a basic model phone, upgrading from the basic model to a high-end model from one of the major carriers isn't cheap. First, you have to buy the smart phone itself, which is usually cost in the neighborhood of between $100 to $700 when signing a two-year contract.  In addition, be prepared to fork over $70 to $110 a month for a plan with data service for internet access. That’s a lot more than a basic phone plan, which generally costs $40 to $70 a month. Even if you already own a smart phone, you might be persuaded to buy the latest new smart phones, the best being the Apple iPhone 5, the Samsung Galaxy S III, and Samsung Galaxy Note II.  Each have better cameras, bigger and more responsive screens, and faster built-in processors for speedier internet surfing and app performance.
If you want to go with a contract carrier, according to Consumer Reports, the best-rated company for customer service is Verizon. And for the third year in a row, the company with the worst customer service is AT&T. Sprint and T-Mobile are in the middle.  However, if you’re interested in contract services, you have to be willing to balance the worst aspects of a particular provider’s service with areas where they might be worth considering. Despite their reputation for poor customer service, AT&T was rated as having the best network coverage—particularly 4G internet speed—of all the major carriers.
So, what if you already have a cell phone service, and you're looking to cut monthly bills--especially if you have plans with multiple users such as family members?  Watch a recent piece from ABC news and consider these tips...

Also, if you’re looking to save money on contract phones, look into inquiring your carrier whether you can switch to their prepaid services.
And speaking of prepaid cell phone plans, Consumer Reports revealed that for sheer savings, Wal-Mart’s Straight Talk was the best-rated company. With both $30 and $45 a month plans, Straight Talk offers both basic and smart phones, with the $30 a month non-contract plans linked to the basic phones, while the $45 a month plans working only with the high-end phones (conversely, $30 plans do not work on Straight Talk’s smart phones). This is half the price of Verizon’s cheapest, unlimited air time per month plan. That’s a huge savings from the estimated $1,500 a year Americans save on contract cell phone services.
The advantages of non-contract month-to-month cell phone plans like Straight Talk include—in addition to the cost savings—the lack of credit checks, non-contractual commitments, and flexible monthly spending plans.
T-Mobile offers individual prepaid plans, “Pay As You Go” and “Pay By The Day.” The latter plan involves paying only when you use your phone. That means starting as low as $1 a day on the days you use your phone, subtracted from the $30, $50, & $100 cards you purchase. With the $1 a day plan, you pay .10 a minute with unlimited texting. With the $2 and $3 a day plans, the talking and texting is unlimited with different amounts of available web use.
Verizon's prepaid plans offers unlimited talk and texting starting at $50 a month, with both basic and smart phone availability (by the way, ranked No. 1 for best overall satisfaction and service).
There are a host of other prepaid cell phones and cell phone services (e.g., prepaid services are also offered from companies like TracFone, and MetroPCS). each with their respective pros and cons.  As with everything else involving saving money and comparison shopping, its up to you to research which phone and service suits your needs.  A good starting to begin comparing prepaid cell phones and price plans are the online offerings of the major consumer retailers, including those listed by Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target.  

Follow-Up: Saving Money on Prescription Drugs - Little Known Tricks

Last evening, ABC News presented a follow-up to the subject my last posting regarding the use of comparison-shopping to find the best bargains on prescription drugs.  That's right...the cost of prescription drugs are not etched in market stone as many of us would believe.  Just like any other consumption goods, the prices of prescription drugs varies, according to where you buy them, and the policies of the seller.  Watch the video below to find out how to shop around for the best drug prices...

Saving Money on Prescription Drugs - Little Known Tricks

One of the most positive results of being a news and information junkie is that I am constantly learning, especially about issues related to personal finance and economics. Monday, I was watching a segment from ABC’s “Good Morning America,” which spotlighted a family struggling with paying health care costs—particularly the cost of prescription drugs—in light of their unique circumstances. Although their circumstances are unique, the Florida family spotlighted in the piece represent the nearly 50% of Americans who need some form of prescription drugs (according to figures of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
However, the family in the news segment was lucky in one respect; ABC brought in a noted health care advocate and author, Michelle Katz, to help show them ways in which they might trim down the cost of prescription drugs. Watching the piece, I was slightly taken aback by some of the little-known ways which you and I as consumers can advocate on our own behalves in saving money on prescription drugs (see video below).

There are many websites dedicated to informing the public about ways to cut costs related to health care for the consumer. As an example, start here: www.facebook.com/healthcareforless. Other places to begin searching online for ways to lower costs is to check out sites which focus on particular afflictions, such as Multiple Sclerosis or other blogs. In addition,the tips offered by Katz include:

1. Check your bill, like you would at a restaurant. 

Believe it or not, there are codes for your drugs, and billing departments often get them wrong. In helping the family, Katz found one of those wrong codes on their bill. The family was being charged for a higher priced drug. Fixing the code immediately saved them $1,200. 

2. Arm yourself with the Low RX App. 

Drug prices fluctuate like gas prices. This app tells you what the average cost is for a particular drug and its generic, and arms you with the phone numbers of every pharmacy in your area. You can call other pharmacies to comparison shop. The app also shows discounts. In some cases, you can get up to 75% off.

3. Go to big wholesalers, even if you’re not a member. 

The Low RX app revealed lower drug prices at Costco, which as it turned out, by law you can buy your prescription drugs there...even if you weren’t a member. Katz found the family's drugs at Costco for $100 less than elsewhere. 

4. Negotiate. 

If you go to smaller mom-and-pop pharmacies, you can wheel and deal to bring the price down. Bringing cash can increase your bargaining power. Instead of paying $30 for a prescription at a local pharmacy, the Florida family secured the same prescription for $12 – an $18 savings. 

5. You can go directly to the big drug companies. 

Katz called and emailed large drug companies on behalf of the Florida family. She kept at it for weeks, providing proof of the family’s financial situation and even suggested that the family might have to stop buying its particular drug altogether. 

6. Visit Needymeds.com. 

Needymeds is a nonprofit group that offers grants, vouchers and patient assistance through its website. 

7. Use an RX Access discount card. 

Together Rx Access offers savings on brand-name and generic prescription products to individuals and families without prescription drug coverage, according to its website. With the help of Michelle Katz, the Florida family in the ABC News segment lowered their monthly prescription drug bill from $20,000.19 to $1,252.28, saving them $18,747.91. 

If you're one of the nearly 50% of Americans who find themselves in need of prescription drugs, these tips should be a great starting point to lower drug costs.  I've already uploaded the Low RX App to my tablet, and it works like a charm.  And I hope to check out the other sites myself when (or if) I ever need them.
Learning is a good thing!

Consumer Advisory: "Fixing" Credit Report Mistakes

A couple of months ago, I posted a piece about how credit companies oftentimes make it hard for consumers to obtain a federally-mandated free copy of their credit reports (see: "When A "Free" Credit Report Isn't Free!").  Well stop the presses; now the three major credit-reporting agencies--Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax--have apparently made it just as difficult for consumers to clear up mistakes on their credit reports.
This is important because, according recent reports, "Americans are being denied loans or getting stuck with higher interest rates due to errors on their reports" (see: "Millions of Credit Reports Have Errors.").  Although the exact figures are in dispute, it's estimated that approximately 40 million Americans relying on credit reports containing errors that impact them negatively.
Two weeks ago Sunday, CBS's Sixty Minutes news magazine aired a piece highlighting how difficult--if not impossible--it is for American consumers to attempt to rectify mistakes on their credit reports.  For those of you who missed this important segment, I've taken the liberty of posting it below. Please watch:

"The ONE Thing To Know About Your Credit Report," courtesy of 60 Minutes, originally airing February 10, 2013

It's important to diligently monitor your credit reports for updates and/or mistakes.  In the event that you should encounter such difficulties in trying to correct mistakes, I advise you to contact your state's Attorney General office to report these problems.

Using Your Smartphone To Find Smart Travel Deals

With my former truck driving days behind me, I don't get to travel anywhere near as much as I once did. And it's too bad that I don't because a recent feature on NBC's The Today Show spotlighted new apps for our smart phones that makes me want to get back into travelling...just for the sake of trying them out.
According to Travel and Leisure Magazine International Editor Mark Orwoll, with more and more Americans looking to save money--especially on discretionary expenditures like travel--the traditional bargain-based websites like Trevelocity and Expedia can't always meet our growing demands in regards to urge to cut costs. As a result, more smart phone apps have sprung up to help us engage in smarter comparison shopping for the best hotel and travel packages. The best thing about these apps/sites is that the information they provide tends to be the most up-to-the-hour information on hotel and hotel package offerings.  Among these apps and websites are:

BackBid - Combines the bidding process of ebay with hotel's competing for your business. How it works is that would-be travelers first create a free account at Backbid.com, then a book reservations at a hotel through your favorite website.  The customer must then forward the email with your confirmed hotel reservation to the site, and it will shoot your reservation details — minus your credit card information — to dozens of hotels at your destination. BackBid then shares with you any counter-offers rival hotels may make, such as a comparable room at a lower rate.

HotelSweep - A service site focusing on travelers who prefer staying at independently-owned properties. HotelSweep.com lists more than 50,000 known U.S. hotels, motels, and Bed & Breakfasts. One of the perks of the site is that it lists mom-and-pop properties — places that generally aim to attract budget-conscious travelers, but are too small to afford the costs of being listed with multinational travel agencies. Users inpute their destination information into the site's "direct hotel search" tool, and it will produce a list of properties, which you can sort by nightly rate or distance from a particular location.

DealBase - An online source of objective information regarding advertised hotels, hotel packages, and prices.  What DealBase.com does is that it sifts through each package for its true value. What you would do is log onto the site, and input your the hotel package information at your destination, then click on the listing for a breakdown of the estimated costs of the package's components. (The site even publishes a list of the "worst" hotel deals.).

Room Key - For those wanting the most practical, most simple lodging information.  Room Key.com limits its selection to the more well-known hotel and motel chains, eliminating most of the uncertainty about untried and relative known lodgings.  They focuses on seven hotel chains: Best Western, Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Quality Inn), Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo), Marriott and Wyndham (Howard Johnson, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8), listing them in its search engine and displaying most of the pertinent information related to the amenities each particular facility offers.  And speaking of amenities...

Room 77 - For travelers whose priority is a room with the most amenities. Room 77.com offers a search engine which researches room-by-room amenities and floor plans for hundreds of 3- to 5-star hotels in about 30 North American, European and Asian cities. Searchers can find, for instance, what window view a particular room offers, as well as detailed information on any suites within the hotel. It also offers the ability for the searcher to book a particular type of room.  Travelers who book through this site have the advantage of using the site's free "room concierge" feature, in which it contacts hotel managers on a guest's behalf to request a room matching his or her preferences.

These are just a few of the most recent apps and websites dedicated to helping the consumer take better control of their vacation and lodging-related spending, without a minimal amount of additional strain to their budgets.  For other travel sites, watch the embedded video spotlighting these and other apps.  Or, as I always stress, perform your own due diligence when it comes to looking for the best offers--shop around!

IRS Opens Tax Refund Inquiry Resources

A few weeks ago, I posted the projected Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax refund schedule ("IRS Delays The Start Of Tax Season") for the millions of electronic tax filers (e-filers) due to the late start of the income tax season this year (and yes, April 15th is still the due date).  Well, for the rest of us who are not in such a hurry to (pay others to) prepare and receive our tax refunds, the IRS has officially begun to make available it's Tax Refund Status inquiry center.
Filer can now log onto the IRS "Get Refund Status" website, and retrieve information on when they can expect to receive their tax refunds.  However, in order to retrieve this information, you will need to remember your filing status, your social security number, and the exact amount you expect to be receiving.
Additionally, the IRS cautions that there are guidelines filers should follow in making these inquiries:

• Refund information for the most current tax year that you filed will generally be available 72 hours after we acknowledge receipt of your e-filed return, or three to four weeks after you mail your paper return
• Get Refund Status does not track refunds that are claimed on amended tax returns. Amended/corrected returns may take 8 to 12 weeks, or longer, to process.
• If it's been more than 8 weeks since you filed your amended return and you haven't received your refund, please contact a customer service representative by calling 800-829-1040. From outside the U.S., call 267-941-1000. TTY/TDD: 800-829-4059

Get Refund Status is available almost all of the time. However, our system is not available every Monday, early, from 12:00 am (Midnight) to 3:00 am Eastern Time.  The IRS's Change of Address and Refund Trace features are not available during the following times (Eastern Time):

Sunday           12:00 am (Midnight) to 7:00 pm
Monday          12:00 am (Midnight) to 6:00 am
Tuesday          3:30 am to 6:00 am
Wednesday     3:30 am to 6:00 am
Thursday         3:30 am to 6:00 am
Friday             3:30 am to 6:00 am
Saturday         3:30 am to 6:00 am and 9:00 pm to Midnight


Finally, the IRS's online and telephone information retrieval systems do not operate on a 24 hours, 7 days a week level of availability.  The window of opportunity to get this information is as follows:


Also, occasionally the system may be unavailable on Sundays between 1:00 am and 7:00 am, Eastern Time.

Product Review: The Seagate FreeAgent Portable Hard Drive

As a writer and blogger of information, sometimes I find myself thrust into the role of informer, based on my personal experiences. Unfortunately, one of my experiences as a writer was rather costly recently of my attempt to exercise good sense, but having to rely on questionable resources. To be a bit more specific, I am speaking of my attempt to back up my files, including valued my manuscripts on external hard drive.
Because I had among other things, valuable writings and manuscripts for many projects I was working on at the time, I thought backing up my files would be a good idea. So, about a year and a half ago, I purchased what I thought was competently-functional external hard drive for my computer. I chose and purchased the Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive. Before doing so, I’d thought that I had performed my due diligence in comparing what I thought would be among the most popular market brands.

                                                   Seagate's FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
However, soon after I bought the FreeAgent—less than a year—the hard drive, along with all of my manuscripts and files crashed for no discernible reason. I never dropped or jostled the hard drive. I never stored it in extreme temperatures of otherwise extreme environments. It stayed in the same computer bas that I had kept my primary laptop, various flash drives, and other computer paraphernalia.
I frantically searched online to see if there was some kind of product recall which would explain this problem; there was none. What I did find however, was that other people who had purchased this device had similar problems. Not everyone, but enough to give me pause in regretting my purchasing decision.
Yes, this storage unit is light, compact, and ready to use. But many of the other online complaints I’d read concerning this device were eerily similar to mine; it either crashed or its performance degraded sharply in under a year in many cases. Although I had no problems initially with using the FreeAgent, it simply is not a reliable enough product for primary or even backup storage due to its short functional lifespan.
And customer service was not very helpful. Upon calling the company to complain and explore my options for saving my files, I quickly found that my options were limited to virtually declaring bankruptcy in paying for Seagate to try to retrieve my data, of buying a new hard drive (you’re correct if you guessed “one of similar or equal value”). And navigating the company’s maze-like website in order to secure assistance is as equally problematic at best.
I have two other hard drives—neither from this company—that work perfectly well. One, having a comparatively limited capacity of only 300 gigabytes has been going for the last 4 years. The other I purchased last year (750 gigs) and has continued to work, despite a bump or two.
While many of the customer reviews I'd read about this product revealed that other purchasers have had no particular issues with this product, I will say that most of those positive reviews tended to be recent postings, many within the past 7-8 months. I can only guess that as those users’ individual experiences with the FreeAgent Go becomes more jaded, their opinions will change more in line with my own. Based on my personal experiences (buttressed by the reviews and reports I have read), I can only caution you against purchasing the Seagate FreeAgent Go external hard drive.