Some people never get past the “knowing what to do” part to the “doing what you need to do” part. I have a feeling that if you’re reading this article, you’re not one of those people. Our readers are actively involved in living their lives deliberately to get the results they want. At Homemaker Barbi we teach organization, preparation, financial management and household management, along with many other things. I have a feeling that you already have a budget, use your coupons, and try to manage your family’s money the best to run your household on as little as possible.

With this is mind, I can confide that sometimes doing the right thing – in this case living by your budget- does NOT always feel good. Being in control of your finances and spending can sometimes get you down.  Is ignorance really bliss? If so, is it worth it to have that no-budget bliss now and have to worry about what you will live on when it’s time to retire? In my heart, I know it’s not worth it.

Making Smart Choices

That is precisely why we continue to budget and live below our means.  We all have hard decisions with our money, and we all have different circumstances.  The important thing to remember is that every hard decision we make now will benefit us in the future!

Every smart choice we make with our families’ incomes takes us one step closer to where we want to be. Always remember that the choices we make now are ones we want to be proud to tell our children about when they are grown. We want to teach them NOW to live deliberately and to make smart choices, and let them see that even though our money is limited right now, it won’t always be like that.  Show them that we can take care of our families frugally and still have a wonderful lifestyle by living below our means.

So if a night of looking at the budget and wondering how you will make the paycheck stretch has gotten you down, remember this:  Even if doing the right thing gets you down, know that hard choices today make for easy ones in the future!

Originally published 3/16/08.  Check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom and Thrifty Thursdays at Amanda’s Cookin’ for more frugal living tips.  Photo by Ryan McFarland of www.zieak.com.

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I spend my days practicing the art of negotiation as a lawyer.  I can’t just stop negotiating as soon as I leave the office, it’s not that easy! Instead, I negotiate with the various consumer products and services I receive in an effort to get lower rates and more services and goods for the money I pay.

I do this by doing my homework.  You’ll need to research the services offered by other companies and the rates they charge for these services.  I concentrate mainly on finding the specials other companies offer to entice new subscribers as these are the lowest rates out there.  You’ll find great information being mailed to you, as well as on the Internet and through word of mouth from neighbors, family, and friends.

A good example of this is your telephone service.  I have been with the same company for the six (6) years that I have lived in Florida but call them every six (6) months or so to renegotiate my rate.  Recently I found a competitor phone company charging approximately $25 less per month for the particular bundle of services I receive.  Armed with this knowledge, I called my phone company.  My pitch goes something like this:

“Good evening.  My name is Nicole Wiseberg and if you review my account, I believe you’ll find that I have been a loyal customer of yours since 2003.  I am hoping you can help me.  I found an offer from (your competitor company) that states X, Y and Z.  I have been loyal to your company for many years but this incentive may be too good for me to resist.  I would hate to cancel my service with you.  Can you match this offer?”

If you get a customer service representative that isn’t very sympathetic or sounds like they are not willing to help, do not be afraid to thank them and hang up.  Then call back.

I have been successful in negotiating better deals on my home telephone (local and long distance), cable, internet, and extermination services, saving me a lot of money throughout the years.  If a better rate has come along since you signed up for your service, the company will not call or write to let you know, it’s up to you to do the research, know the prices and the specials, and negotiate until you receive the lowest price you can find!

Remember, the economy is tough for everyone and these companies do value your loyalty.  It’s up to you to make them earn it.

Editor’s Note: This great money-saving strategy goes along with our advice on how to stop paying annual fees on your credit cards and 4 Ways to Get the Customer Service You Deserve (guest post at Mommy Brain Reports).  Check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom and Thrifty Thursdays at Amanda’s Cookin for more great tips. Photo by FaceMePLS.

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Learning how to recession proof your family right now is imperative, both to prepare for the possibility of layoff and prosper even during the recession.  Today’s installment shares ways to recession proof your job.  If you missed the other articles in the Recession Proof Your Family series so far, read a few of them first:

• What Would We Do if My Husband Lost His Job?
• Recession-Proofing: It’s Not About How Much You Make
• Recession Proof Your Pantry and Food
• 5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Live a Frugal Life

Editor’s Note: The following article is a guest post from Shellie. You can find her blogging at Saving with Shellie.

Recession Proof Your Job

Last week our government announced that the unemployment rate is at 8%. Yes, that’s high but it also means that 92% of Americans have a job. They have a job that they’re terrified of losing. There are several simple steps that can help you avoid being laid off.

1. Be Informed

Don’t let your company’s financial status be a mystery to you. Trickle down communication doesn’t always convey the most accurate information or the most current. Familiarize yourself with trade publications, blogs and online resources specific to your industry. You may learn that industry insiders are speculating that your company will have layoffs soon. But you may also learn that a certain project is getting lots of buzz. By staying on top of the game, you may be able to position yourself onto the buzz project and avoid a layoff. At the very least, you may have time to prepare and the layoff won’t be a surprise.

2. Network

Networking isn’t only for the unemployed or sales people. Many professionals actively employed are always building their contacts. The idea behind this is by building relationships with people in your industry, you’ll be better positioned when you do need (or want) a job. There are lots of ways to do this. Join professional organizations geared toward your industry. Join LinkedIn. The thing with networking is you must take a proactive approach. The contacts won’t come to you. You must go to them.

Networking isn’t only for the unemployed or sales people. By building relationships with people in your industry, you’ll be better positioned when you do need (or want) a job.

3. Make Yourself More Valuable

You need to find ways to set yourself apart from Joe Coworker. See if your industry has any special certifications that you can do to give you more knowledge in your field. If not, take a class at a local community college that would give you more experience or specialization. The benefit of this is two-fold. It shows you are passionate about your career and it makes you more knowledgeable in your field.

4. Go Above and Beyond

Sure, everyone has duties that they must get done. But do those and then some. Volunteer for special projects. Look around and find a way your company can cut costs without cutting quality. Be inventive. Also, be sure your boss and their boss know about. Don’t do it silently but don’t be obnoxious about it.

5. Maintain a Positive Attitude

Yes, it’s scary. Sure you want to talk about the possibility of getting laid off with your coworkers. But a positive attitude goes a long way. Lay offs are bad for employee morale. Poor morale negatively impacts work ethic. By keeping a positive attitude and applying that in your work, you show management that despite the downturn, you are still committed to your job and the company.

These tips are by no means a guarantee but they won’t hurt and can really help. Plus, be sure to always keep your resume up-to-date and the names of a few good headhunters handy.

Follow Shellie’s frugal living tips with the SavingwithShellie.com RSS feed.  It’s full of great ideas like how to spend a little and get a lot. As a full-time accountant and blogger, she shares how it’s possible for anyone to find time for a bargain. Check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom for more great tips.  Photo by procsilas.

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Author Beverly Davis, the founder of the Sunday Cosmetics nail color company, shares the story of her personal business success in this book.  Her company was started with only $250, proving that you don’t need financial backing for your business to be successful, as long as you’re willing to work hard.  She offers motivational encouragement to those wanting to break away from relying on an employer’s salary. 

Davis shares stories of other rags-to-riches entrepreneurs who, by all accounts, should not have succeeded in growing million- and billion-dollar companies.  Some entrepreneurs mentioned include Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A restaurants; the founders of YouTube; and Madame C.J. Walker, a self-made millionaire.  “Rags to Riches” contains information about how to get free publicity for your business.  Davis also shares how she uses free online marketing to publicize her company.

Short and to the point, this eBook packs a punch with positive affirmations as well as marketing tips.  As a as a gift-with-purchase, the company is offering the eBook Recession Lessons, containing tips for dealing with the economic downturn.  Get more information here: Rags to Riches: Create Multiple Income Streams from a Tight Budget by Beverly Davis.

Photo by NeoGaboX.

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• Frugal Tip: Bargaining Effectively for Lower Rates

College Costs Are Rising: Save Now With an Education Savings Account (ESA)

Our 1-year-old daughter may not know it yet, but my husband and I expect her to go to college. We hang our degrees on our wall to encourage her and her future siblings to go on this path. While a college degree may not be the key to success in every career, we value the practical and intrinsic rewards of obtaining a four-year degree.

We want to help our children avoid college loans and give them tools to help them pay for college. We are still paying off my husband’s $28,000 college loan that he accrued in three years of college over 15 years ago. While our student loan will be paid off soon, we don’t want our kids to make the same mistake.

According to the College Cost Calculator on AmericanFunds.com, it will cost $168,395 to send our daughter to The University of Texas at Austin starting in 2026 for four years. This calculation is based on a 5% inflation rate. $168,395 is for an in-state, state college! Not a private university or an out-of-state school. We certainly don’t have that kind of money today. We plan on curbing the cost of college by starting an Education Savings Account (ESA) for each of our children.

What is an ESA?

An Education Savings Account or ESA is a special account that invests your money in a good growth stock mutual fund while it grows tax-free. It is sometimes called an Education IRA. You can invest up to $2,000 a year of after-tax dollars, if you earn under $200,000 a year. Financial guru, Dave Ramsey, explains that if you start investing just $166.67 per month ($2,000/year) from your child’s birth to age 18 through an ESA averaging 12%, you would have $126,000 tax-free.

It will take some planning and determination to invest $2,000 a year for each child. A $166 monthly payment is not the easiest line item to work into a monthly budget, especially when other items are screaming to be prioritized first. It will help when our debt is paid off and we can put what we would spend on a car payment or credit card payment into an ESA. Also, any bonuses, extra money, or big monetary birthday gifts will be put into this account.

A good financial adviser can easily set up an ESA for you and help you assess what level of risk you want to take depending on the age of your child. The market is low now, but it won’t stay low over the next 18 years. You have to think long term and don’t jump off the roller coaster. You can check out Dave Ramsey’s Endorsed Local Providers to find an honest financial advisor in your area.

We don’t plan on counting on scholarships or government help to pay for college. If our child is lucky enough to get a full ride, the ESA will still cover other college costs such as living expenses, books, and meals. Also, the ESA is transferable to another sibling for the purpose of higher education until they are 30 years old. You can even change beneficiaries once a year.

With careful financial planning through an ESA we can help our child create a great future for themselves by helping them stay out of debt and create a great foundation for their career at college.

Have you created an ESA for your child? Do you plan on helping pay for your child’s college education? Are you overwhelmed with the rising costs of college?

These Resources May Help:

• How to Go to College Without a Loan
• Saving For College is Easier Than You Think

Photo by Sara Haj-Hassan.

Related Articles:

• When Budgeting Gets You Down
• Review: Create Multiple Income Streams eBook
• Recession-Proofing: It’s Not About How Much You Make
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Whether you’re currently snowflaking your way to being debt free or holding a couple empty credit cards for use in a financial emergency, most of us have credit cards that charge us for the privilege of carrying them. That’s right, I’m talking about annual fees. They’re expensive, they’re annoying, and worst of all, you have to pay them whether you have a balance on your credit card or not.

What most people don’t know is that annual fees on credit cards are negotiable. It’s true! It is completely possible to eliminate the annual fee on your credit cards, and the best part is that all you have to do is ask.

It’s always better to negotiate with credit card companies when your account is in good standing, which means your payments have been made on time and your account has not recently been over the credit limit. However, even if there are a few blemishes on your record, it is still possible to negotiate with credit card companies about reducing or eliminating your annual fee.

How Do You Eliminate Credit Card Annual Fees?

• Ask and you may receive. Call the credit card company’s customer service and tell them your concern. Annual fees are expensive, and you’d rather carry a card with no annual fee. Be polite and ask nicely; a little kindness goes a long way.
• Long-term. If you’ve been a customer with that company for a long time, mention your history together. Companies do NOT want to lose customers, most of all long-term customers with whom they have established histories.
• List your good points. If you have never had late payments, mention that. Tell them exactly why they should value your business.
• Tell them you’re willing to leave, and mean it. As a last resort, let the credit card company know that if they can’t reduce or eliminate your annual fee, you are willing to close the account and switch to a different bank’s card with no annual fee. The tough part here is that you can’t bluff, you actually have to mean it.

Bottom line, credit cards are profitable and the owning banks want to keep your business. Many times if asked to drop an annual fee, they will do so to keep the customer happy. Perhaps they’ll only offer to reduce it, which is still better than you started out.  However, sometimes they will still say no. If that is the case, you can either take your business elsewhere or stick around and pay for the privilege of carrying their credit cards.

Don’t be too shy to ask for your annual fee to be eliminated. You are their customer and they value you. Be assertive and tell the credit card company what you want. There is a 50% chance the answer will be yes. If you don’t ask, your chances go down to zero! Eliminating annual fees on credit cards is an easy way to save yourself $20 – $50 per year for each card, which can add up to significant savings.

This article was originally published June 23, 2008. Photo courtesy MorgueFile.

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Paid surveys are a great way for homemakers to make extra money all year long.  However, my favorite time is now, because I’m doing paid surveys for Christmas money!

You can do paid surveys for Christmas money too; just read Homemaker Barbi’s Free Guide: Make Money with Paid Surveys or go straight to signing up for paid survey companies here.

Surveys really do pay, not only in money but also in gift cards to popular restaurants, stores, and online retailers.  I’ve already used some of my free Amazon gift cards for Christmas present shopping, and the Christmas presents have already arrived at my house.  My husband was amazed that I’ve bought Christmas gifts for people completely free! 

In the last few weeks I’ve gotten cash, gift cards, and free products from doing paid surveys:

• I’ve received $15 for surveys into my PayPal account, a $6.40 check, a $3 check from BuzzBack, and a $25 Amazon gift card from Lightspeed surveys. 
• Later today I’ll be requesting my next $5 Amazon gift card from Lightspeed. 
• Last Tuesday I qualified to take a 1-hour interactive survey, for which the pay was $20.
• I qualified for two new product surveys, both of which should be arriving any day.  I will test the products, complete a survey evaluating their good points and bad points, and keep the products for free. 
• I completed a survey for Gartner for a $20 gift card.

Not only that, but my survey email inbox is filled with offers for paying surveys every day.  I don’t always have time to do surveys, and many emails I have to delete because I know I won’t be able to do them.  Whether they pay in cash or in points redeemable for cash, all of those emails represent money I could earn if I just took the time to fill out a simple survey. 

Survey emails I deleted (without completing) last week because I didn’t have time to do them:

• Greenfield for $4, $4 and $4
• Lightspeed for 75 points, 75 points, 150 points, 75 points, 75 points and 75 points
• Your2Cents for $3, $3 and $3
• Product evaluation
• Viewpoint Forum for 200 points
• Opinion Outpost for $10
• Esearch for $3
• Baker Street for $10 Amazon gift card
• SurveySpot $5, $2, and $5
• FocusForward $1

All in all, last week I deleted emails that would have paid me 725 points, $47 cash, $10 gift card, and a free product!  My secret to getting so many offers that pay well is that I am registered with nearly 120 different survey companies.  I get so many emails that I just choose the ones that pay the most and take the least amount of time. 

Homemaker Barbi Says:  Sign up for paid survey companies and start earning money for Christmas presents now!

$73.73 Came in the Mail From Paid Surveys!

For the months of June and July, I received $73.73 from completing paid surveys!  It’s easy to make money from home in your spare time, and it’s completely FREE.  Paid surveys are a great way for homemakers, single parents, college students and retirees to make money from home.  Who couldn’t use a little extra money to help their household with expenses and debt?  If you haven’t read Homemaker Barbi’s Free Guide: Make Money with Paid Surveys yet, check it out now.  It contains helpful tips to get you started making money from home today.  No scams, no gimmicks.  If you already know how paid surveys work and just need to sign up with survey panels, this link is for you: Homemaker Barbi’s List of Paid Survey Companies.

I have very little time to complete surveys, so I only do the ones that pay the highest.  There is usually a waiting period of 4-6 weeks from the time you complete a survey until you are paid.  Be patient and keep doing them, and in no time the payments will start showing up!

Here are the recent payments I have received (real money, deposited in my PayPal account or paper checks mailed to me) from different survey companies lately: 

• $6 check
• $5 check
• $2 PayPal
• $6 PayPal
• $5 Amazon gift card
• $25 Amazon gift card from Lightspeed
• $17.33 check from Viewpoint Forum for 2 surveys
• $7.40 check from Opinion Outpost for 2 surveys

Plus, I received the following products to test.  I have since completed the surveys for both of them, but still have the free products!

• Full bottle of tinted moisturizer to test from high-end cosmetic brand
• 2 months’ worth of laundry detergent and dryer sheets to test

It’s important to me to let people know that paid surveys are a viable way to make extra money.  It’s easy, and you can start doing it right now.  You won’t become a millionaire doing surveys, but who couldn’t use an extra $73 to help out when fuel prices are so high?!  If you haven’t read our free survey guide, give it a whirl now!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

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Paid surveys are a great way to make extra money for homemakers, stay at home moms and dads, and seniors.  If you haven’t read Homemaker Barbi’s Free Guide: Make Money with Paid Surveys yet, check it out.  If you already know how paid surveys work and are ready to sign up, go directly to Barbi’s List of Paid Survey Companies.  Surveys are one of the best ways to make money from home in your spare time!

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Want to find out how paid surveys work?  Read Homemaker Barbi’s Free Guide: Make Money with Paid Surveys to learn more.  If you already participate in paid surveys and like making that extra money to help out your family, you’ll like the new panels we added last week, including Permission Research (US & UK), Survey Savvy, Synovate and Viewpoint Forum.

A lot of companies are adding more international panels for a variety of countries, especially Canada and the UK.  Stay tuned to Homemaker Barbi for updates when these new panels are added!

Related Articles:

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