PROView - August 2008 - (Page 19) • Watch amateur sports. High school athletic competitions are cheap and can be just as exciting as the pros. Banking and Investing • Start an automatic savings plan with your bank. • Use your credit card to make all purchases, but pay it off each month. That you’ll earn cash back or travel points. • Invest in index funds. There are hardly any costs in purchasing and owning index funds. • Open an online savings account. Most online accounts offer a 4% interest rate. That’s much better than the 1% you get at your current bank. E-mail me for an ING referral. • Avoid ATM fees. Only withdraw money from machines approved by your bank. 7-11 doesn’t have a surcharge. • Pay bills by direct debit. You save on postage and avoid the risk of paying late fees. • If you use checks, don’t buy them from the bank. You can get a better deal with other printing companies. • Don’t overdraft on your account. You’ll save yourself money on penalties. • Invest with a cheap online brokerage company like Sharebuilder. Children • Buy gender neutral baby clothing so you can use them again with the next baby. • Make your kids Halloween costumes. It’s cheaper and more fun. • Buy your baby toys from the thrift store. Give your child the gift of old school toys that actually require imagination. • Buy your baby’s and tot’s clothes from the thrift store. Your kid isn’t going to notice the difference between a thrift store onezy and a Gap onezy. Utilities • Use a clothes liner to dry clothes. You’ll save on your energy bill. • Replace old appliances with ones that have Energy Star approval. • Regularly clean the coils on the back of your refrigerator. A clean coil uses less energy. • Make sure your freezer is full. An empty freezer requires more energy to keep cold. • Use washable coffee mug instead of Styrofoam. You’ll save money and help the environment. • Replace all your incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent lighting. • Turn off the lights when not using a room. • Turn off your appliances when not using them. • Don’t use a cell phone. • If you have a cell phone, don’t buy the extra features PINELLAS REALTOR® ORGANIZATION • • • • • • like text messaging and web access. If you have a cell phone, get rid of your land line. Get rid of cable. Who needs 100 channels? Use the internet at school or the library. Not only will you save money, you’ll save time. During the winter, leave the oven open after you cook to heat the house. Sign up for Skype for long distant phone calls. Turn your heater thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in the summer. Miscellaneous • Get a digital camera. You save money on film. • Don’t own a pet. You’ll save money on food and shots. Shopping • Avoid impulse buying. Practice tantric shopping. • Buy as much as you can online. • Negotiate the price on big ticket items like cars, electronics, and large appliances. • Use cash as a negotiating tool. Nothing makes a seller’s mouth water than cold hard cash in their hand. • Before you buy something, ask if the item will be put on sale in the near future. • Don’t buy extended warranties. Eighty percent are never used, and they’re a major profit item for the vendor. That’s why they push you so hard to buy them! • Keep receipts and send in rebate slips. Very few consumers actually return rebate coupons. Which is, of course, exactly what the manufacturers are hoping for. Low cost ways of making extra money • Sell your old stuff, like CD’s and books on eBay and Amazon. • Turn your hobby into a business. Pretty much anything you do can be turned into a business of some sort. • Sign up with an online survey company like Survey Spot. • Become a mystery shopper. Not only can you make some extra money, you might get some free stuff as well. • Have a yard sale. • Start a blog and put Adsense on it. You might only earn 4 cents a week, but it’s something. • Become a consultant. Do you know a lot about a particular skill? Put that knowledge to work by helping others. • Do freelance work on the side. If you’re a good writer, photographer, artist, or programmer you can make some extra money by selling your talent to companies. August 2008 19
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PROView - August 2008 PROView- August 2008 Contents Chairman’s Notes Feature Story PROActive PRO News Marketplace Analysis Home Sales Report MLS Update New REALTOR® and Affiliate Members MLS Mind Your Manners Calendar of Events & Programs Money-Saving Gas Tips PROView - August 2008 PROView - August 2008 - PROView- August 2008 (Page Cover1) PROView - August 2008 - PROView- August 2008 (Page Cover2) PROView - August 2008 - Contents (Page 1) PROView - August 2008 - Chairman’s Notes (Page 2) PROView - August 2008 - Chairman’s Notes (Page 3) PROView - August 2008 - Feature Story (Page 4) PROView - August 2008 - Feature Story (Page 5) PROView - August 2008 - PROActive (Page 6) PROView - August 2008 - PROActive (Page 7) PROView - August 2008 - PROActive (Page 8) PROView - August 2008 - PROActive (Page 9) PROView - August 2008 - PRO News (Page 10) PROView - August 2008 - PRO News (Page 11) PROView - August 2008 - Marketplace Analysis (Page 12) PROView - August 2008 - Home Sales Report (Page 13) PROView - August 2008 - MLS Update (Page 14) PROView - August 2008 - New REALTOR® and Affiliate Members (Page 15) PROView - August 2008 - MLS Mind Your Manners (Page 16) PROView - August 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page 17) PROView - August 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page 18) PROView - August 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page 19) PROView - August 2008 - Money-Saving Gas Tips (Page 20) PROView - August 2008 - Money-Saving Gas Tips (Page 21) PROView - August 2008 - Money-Saving Gas Tips (Page Cover4)
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