Earth Hour again...

It's been awhile since I had anything worthwhile to write about. I found out that last night was Earth Hour. You might remember last year, that I blogged about this yearly one hour movement. Basically, on the same day everyone agrees to turn off their lights at 8:30pm (local time) for an hour. It seems like such a small act but, when combined with about 80 million people around the world, it can have a profound effect on the Earth and the people on it. Last year was pretty interesting.

This year, countries around the world turned off the lights of well known monuments and landmarks that require tons of lights. Here's a picture of watch the Great Giza Pyramids and Sphinx look like with the lights turned off. Pretty cool and ominous looking. Here are some more images taken from around the world. The whole idea behind Earth Hour is to show support and awareness for climate change (global warming for the old school folks). It started three years ago and this year about one billion people participated. If you didn't get a chance to join this movement here's a list of everyday things that can be done. We only have one habitable planet, so we better start taking better care of it.

Start doing any of these things:

• Turn off lights when you leave a room for 10 minutes or longer.
• Drink filtered tap water instead of bottled water.
• Put your computer in power-save or sleep mode.
• Turn off video game consoles when not in use.
• Seal air leaks, adjust your water heater, and control your thermostat to lower energy usage and waste.
• Go meatless on Mondays.
• Watch out for energy vampires around the house and unplug the biggies.
• Swap out all your light bulbs for CFLs.
• Stop catalogs and junk mail from piling up in your mailbox.
• Reduce the brightness of your TV set to the "home" mode.
• Use up leftovers and avoid wasting food.
• Find out how walkable your hometown is and try walking to your weekend errands.
• Fix a leaky faucet or toilet.
• Use the low-water and low-heat settings on your dishwasher, and don't pre-rinse dishes.
• Hang your clothes to dry on a clothesline in spring and summer.
• Use the washers when you have a full load.
  
• Take public transit to work or school.
• Install dimmer switches on your lights and plug appliances into smart power switches.

Most of these don't cost much and can actually save you money. Got any other ideas?

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Now playing: The Hex Girls - Earth, Wind, Fire, And Air
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7 Ways to Cut Your Budget: #2

#2: Food preservation

I love making stir-fry and using fresh ingredients like bell peppers and onions. But if I don’t use the veggies in a timely manner after buying them, they get moldy and tossed in the trash. What a waste. :( Not only that, but when I have leftovers, I forget about them in the fridge and they eventually share the same fate. Stop wasting food; It’s a waste of money. Next time you buy veggies: cut them up, put them in a freezer burn safe baggie and place them in the freezer. They’ll last a helluva lot longer. Better yet, buy the bags of the frozen kind.

Also, place your bread products in the fridge. Bread sitting on the warm counter will turn moldy faster and even harden if not wrapped securely. You might want to opt for buying smaller containers of milk if you find the quart doesn’t get finished before the expiration date. Your tummy will thank you. Next time you cook a meal, try not to have leftovers. If you're like me, you'll lose the taste for it and toss it out later. Things always taste better fresh anyway. If you've got a lot of food crowding your fridge, invite friends over for a potluck lunch/dinner. All in all, be more mindful of how much food you buy and make, and how many people you're cooking for. Hopefully, you'll find that your wallet still a little fuller.
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Now playing: Aqua - Lollipop (Candyman)
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7 Ways to Cut Your Budget: #6

Mall Focus Groups

I remember one summer day when my sis drove me to the Oxford Valley Mall in PA. As we were walking around, a young woman with a clipboard approached me. She wanted to know if I had time to do a quick survey. I ended up doing a quick movie review and got paid a few bucks. Focus groups are awesome like that. You do a survey for about 5 to 10 minutes and get paid for it.

Some places will mail you a check and other will actually give you cash. Just hop online to your local mall’s website, and search their store directory. See if there is a store in their directory that does focus groups. You will usually find them in larger malls. If you can’t find one near you, try doing a search for those in your neighborhood or in strip malls. Sometimes they have standalone location.
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Now playing: Darude - Sandstorm
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7 Ways to Cut Your Budget: #7

#7: Upromise.com

It’s more so for saving to send your kid to college. But if you start when they’re young, it’ll make a big difference. There are five ways to increase your kid’s college fund. First way is to register your grocery store cards. When you use your savings card and buy products participating in the Upromise program, you get a percent back into your account. Some stores like ShopRite mark the Upromise products so you won’t have to constantly bring a list.

The second way is to shop at online stores though their site. If you wanna buy a book from B&N, find it on their site, click on the merchant and the savings will be activated. Tons of stores are listed. There are of course some larger purchase options. If you wanna buy a house, car, travel tickets you can also rack up cash. The third way is to eat at participating restaurants. First you have to register your credit card, which may take up to a few days. Then do a search to find participating restaurants in your area. I don’t usually use this feature because I mostly like eating at chains. But it’s at least worth one try.

The fourth way would be to forward your account to family and friends. Then their savings that they accumulate are tied to your account. And lastly, you can sign up for their credit card. There are two types: Dining & Grocery or the Gas and Grocery card. Both are Mastercards that offer a $25 bonus and 7 times more savings on participating items, dining and other purchases. In order to redeem your savings, you must:

“submit a letter in writing to Upromise requesting a withdrawal from your Upromise account. The letter must state your full name and exact amount that you would like to withdraw, up to total amount available in your account, pending contributions are not eligible for withdrawal.”

You also have to have the letter notarized if the amount is over $200. Sadly though, checks are sent out once every 3 months so it will take some time to get your stash. Hopefully, you won’t need it in a hurry. I’ve been with them for over 5 years, but I haven’t really used all of the features. Probably why I only have $50. Know of a site similar to this? Leave a link in the comments section.
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Now playing: Panic! At the Disco - Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without...
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7 Ways to Cut Your Budget

You've stop buying designer clothes, consider public transportation, starting doing your hair and meals at home, but you're still having a tough time making ends meet. I've been there and I'm still there. So, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my ways of cutting your budget. Some of these tips might be immediate and others might take awhile to see a difference in expenses but they're worth it. Tune in tomorrow for the first installment.

Saving Some Green!

Times are hard these days. Although gas prices have gone down, it may not last for long. Sales are everywhere. Every company and stores are fighting for your attention and money, but their prices and even shipping haven’t done much to pique my curiosity. Though, I have been eying this Nikon digital camera, but that’s for another time. Anyway, here are some green ideas to help tie down those dollar bills flying outta your wallet.

1. Replace your light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs (compact fluorescent light bulb). They have 60-watt bulbs that use only 30-watt energy. The only slight drawback is that there is a 2 second delay when you turn it on and it may not be as bright as you need, but I don’t even notice.

2. Ask for a Belkin's Conserve Surge Protector this Christmas. This hot "green" item kills those “Phantom Power”. You know, those electronics that suck energy from your home even though they’re turned off or on standby. J&R Music/Computer World and Amazon.com has ‘em for $38.28.

3. Sign up for store free rewards programs. You shop there, so you may as well get points and money back for it. JC Penney, NY&Co and even Best Buy has 'em.

4. Quit smoking. I know, I know. It easier said than done, but there are tons of programs to help. Plus, if you buy a pack a week, you’ll have over $30 a month to spend elsewhere. Plus plus, you’ll lower your CO2 emission.

5. Cut out those extra fees. Stop paying for those things you don’t use or even want like a magazine subscription, gym membership, etc. Shop at sites that offer free shipping or that will send your item to the store for pickup (free shipping for those who don’t need their items right away). Some payment service will charge a 3% fee for using your credit card. Well,… don’t ☺. Find other alternatives like using your checking account routing or paying by check.

Do you have some easy money saving tips? Drop a comment today!
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Now playing: Alvin & the Chipmunks - Witch Doctor (Remix)
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