Save Money Not Having Lunch with Co-Workers by ES Ewen

If you are clipping and using grocery coupons to save on your grocery bills to stay within a budget each month, you know the importance of cutting your spending in other areas, too.



You are most certainly familiar with the routine. The clock on the wall in the office says noon and the usual group of coworkers decide where to have lunch. In many modern offices in cities and towns, where the driving time to the nearest eatery takes up a good portion of the lunch hour, not to mention adding wear and tear to the car and using up gas for the car.



It’s difficult to find a decent lunch for fewer than ten bucks including tip. You swallow your food, share a few laughs with coworkers and run back to the office wishing you could take a nap somewhere.



As you make your way back to your desk, you notice this gal putting away his brown paper bag. She seems calm, happy and ready to get back to work, some of which he apparently did while enjoying his lunch and thinking how delicious it was, the hassle she avoided by eating at she desk, and how much money she saved.



But is the money you save really worth the time and effect needed to prepare and bring your lunch to work each day? Let’s take a few minutes to do the math to see how much money you can save.



For example, let’s say you can fix your own lunch at a cost of about $3.50 a day. It’s probably much cheaper if you are buying in bulk and using grocery coupons. That works out to $17.50 for a five day work week.



And let’s say you spend $10.00 per lunch eating out five day a week, which comes to $50.00 each week, not counting wear and tear on the car and gas money.



The difference comes to $32.50 each week that you are spending on lunch with the gang. That works out to $1,625 a year. Is that money that you could use for something else more essential?



A great way to get started with brown bagging your lunch is to talk people you know who are already doing it. But here are some tips to get you rolling:



Prepare the lunch the night before so you’re not hurried in the morning. You don’t want to be stressed early in the morning over what you will be eating for lunch. Keep the menu simple but be creative and prepare something different everyday, and always think healthy. Simple sandwiches with whole gain breads are fine, but try to include some nuts, at least a serving of fruit or yogurt. Also, brown bag a treat for yourself that you can look forward to, maybe a health bar or your favorite snake.



Keep your brown bag lunches in mind when you are shopping for your groceries, which means planning ahead and buying in bulk. Instead of buying small individual packaged bags something which usually cost more, buy it in large packages and divide up smaller portions and put them in smaller re-sealable plastic bags.



If you don’t like sandwiches or you prefer home cooked meals, plan to cook larger than normal dinners and save some “left over” for lunch either for the next day or the whole week. Put the lunches in individual containers the night before so you can brown bag it and go the next morning.



Even with all the planning, you’re bound to be running late on some mornings or just don’t have time to prepare lunch the night before. There’s nothing wrong with occasionally eating out a can once in awhile. Leave a can of soup or vegetable chili at the office. Most offices have at least a small kitchen with toaster ovens or microwaves that you can use for heating up your soups.



Don’t forget to bring your drink. Don’t rely on the soda venting machines that are also in the office kitchens. You can stock up on a 12-pack of soda for as little as 10 cents a can. Of course, you can always just drink water, which is usually free provided by the office, with your lunch.



Depending on your work load, you may or may not want to have working lunches. That’s up to you. The time is your time and you can use it to catch up on personal emails or just take a break from work. You just may find that you are more relaxed, less hurried and more productive. Don’t be surprised if your coworkers come to you for tips on brown bagging their lunch.



There are lots of good points to brown bagging your lunch: You eat healthier, save time and money, and you’re more productive. Now you have a new task of figuring out where in your budget to allocate the money you saved.


If you are interest in learning how to save money buying your grocery items for your brown bag lunch by using grocery coupons, visit http://www.couponsforgroceriessite.com/, where you will find ideas on where to find free grocery coupons to print from home.


Article Source: Save Money Not Having Lunch with Co-Workers

Consumers Less Likely To Deal With High Overdraft Fees In Future by CreditReport.com

Even with major revisions having been implemented to the nation's credit card laws earlier this year, consumers haven't seen the last of changes to the ways they use plastic.



One area that has continued to attract attention from government regulators and consumer advocates is the amount that lenders tend to charge for late fees and overdrafts on debit cards. For example, an overdraft fee can often be as high as $39 even if the purchase that triggered it was as small as a few dollars.



In response, the Federal Reserve recently announced a new set of rules that include the requirement that such fees must be proportional to the amount a person actually overdrafts by. Other parts of the proposal would ban inactivity fees, as well as multiple penalty fees for the same violation of account terms.



The Federal Reserve proposals would also contain language directing card companies to evaluate whether a customer merits having their interest rates brought back to a lower level if those rates were increased since January 1, 2009. Lenders would also be required to inform consumers of the reason their rates had gone up.



In response to the changing climate for consumers and credit card companies, Bank of America made an announcement this week that could be a sign of things to come.



According to the financial services giant, as of this summer it will only approve debit card transactions that are covered by a sufficient amount of money in the account at the time of sale. This would essentially allow the company to sidestep the debate over the size of overdraft fees that consumers are charged in such cases.



The company also noted that people will still have the option of overdraft protection by linking to another account.



"We understand that the environment has changed, and we are changing with it," said Bank of America executive Susan Faulkner.



For consumers who have been working hard to build up their credit score and personal finances, the announcement could be a positive sign because it will give them more of a motivation to keep a close eye on their purchasing decisions. The news also comes at a time when a growing number of consumers have been using their debit cards in favor of credit cards with an eye on cutting back on interest charges and the other fees they may be charged.


I am the SEO Specialist at www.creditreport.com


Article Source: Consumers Less Likely To Deal With High Overdraft Fees In Future

Don''t delay getting debt help by Gil Chasser

Debt has become almost trendy of late, with big business (especially the banks) and even government getting well and truly buried. If you are having problems making ends meet due to debt, this is no longer a cause for any embarrassment or shame ? everyone is at it! The only sin is to ignore the problem, and the only sensible course of action is to get some debt help.



There are a variety of sources of help available. Online, you will find advice websites that can be a good place to start to get some idea of which kind of organisation to approach for debt help, given your personal circumstances and the size of your debt.



Organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau can offer one-to-one help with debt if you are in fairly serious trouble, as well as providing information on debt management strategies that you can implement on your own.



Professional debt management and consolidation companies like Baines


Gil Chasser has recently been looking into debt help and found Baines and Ernst which helped them massively.


Article Source: Don''t delay getting debt help

Making Sure Your Organized Home Stays Organized by Jill B

Making sure that your home stays organized is often the most difficult part of home organization. Because there is constantly more stuff coming into your home, the battle is never ending. And perhaps the even more difficult part is getting everyone else in your home on board with keeping an organized home. So how do you do it? There are two important parts: creating a schedule and getting everyone on board with the schedule.



When you create your schedule, think about the rooms in your home that are problem areas. Is your kitchen constantly a mess? Bathrooms? Home office? Think about what creates the problems in those areas. Are your kids constantly coming home from school and dropping all of their school papers on the kitchen counter? Do you bring the mail home and throw it on the desk in your office and just leave it there to pile up day after day?



Figure out what the problem is for each area. Then you need to figure out a way to address each of these problems in order to have an organized home. Do you need to go through your mail on a daily basis? Do you need to have a time at night when all school papers need to be out of the kitchen? Think about what kind of schedule you need to set up and write it down using a calendar or some kind of reminder system. Either of these is best so you know exactly what needs to be done when.



Getting everyone on board with the schedule means having a family meeting to discuss it. Talk about why it is important. Get input from everyone on how best to implement the schedule. If they do not like the schedule you have come up with, talk about why and get ideas from them about what they think would work better.


If you want to keep an organized home, you will need to get everyone involved in it. And if things are not working, have another family meeting to discuss why. Get more free advice at http://www.YourHomeIsOrganized.com


Article Source: Making Sure Your Organized Home Stays Organized

Financial Aid Pledges Make College Affordable for Some by Melissa Lee

Many potential students are intimidated by the thought of high tuition costs of private universities compared to their less expensive counterparts in the public educational system. Many Ivy League schools cost tens of thousands of dollars per year and many families are not in the position to afford such expenses.



Before deciding against a particular college, you should see if they have any programs for families who think they cannot afford the substantial tuition costs. Colleges such as Harvard and Princeton do have such programs that can significantly lower the cost to attend their universities. Although they do not offer discount loans themselves, they can let you know what programs you do qualify for. There are income guidelines and cut-offs established by the schools for families with low incomes. For instance, you will only pay $4,800 in tuition if your family makes $60,000 at Duke whereas families who make over $80,000 will have to pay more than $27,000 for the same education.



In order to see if the school of your choice has such a program it is advised to speak with a financial aid representative. He or she will be able to guide you in the right direction and help you decide if their school is affordable for you and your family. Overall, due to the high costs of education, overall attendance at colleges is down significantly, so many schools are flexible and will be willing to work with you in any way possible to fulfill your higher education needs.


http://www.nationalpayday.com/education/payday/payday_today.asp


Article Source: Financial Aid Pledges Make College Affordable for Some