Yes, I Am Cheap

The IRS is partnering with numerous organizations (AARP, United Way, etc.) to offer its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA program for free nationwide. Volunteers will help you fill out tax forms and you efile for free if you qualify. To locate the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669 or visit AARP's Internet site. You can also efile for free at the IRS Free File site if you have a gross adjusted income of 57K or less.

Time Warner Cable is offering free phone calls to Haiti through February. You must be a customer of its digital phone service. Calls to landlines and cell phones are included. Calls to operators or directory assistance will continue to be charged at the usual rate. If digital phone customers have already made calls to Haiti, their bill will be credited retroactively.

Tylenol is offering a free pedometer. Register at justkeepmoving.com, which is a site by Tylenol Arthritis Pain. You'll get a free pedometer and a DVD (while supplies last).

Sign up for the Denny's Rewards program online on Monday and they'll send you a coupon good for a free burger and fries good March 1 through March 7. They're only offering coupons to the first 500,000 people so make sure you sign up at the crack of dawn. When you sign up they'll send you a coupon for 20% off a meal whether you get the freebie or not. Oh, and it will also qualify you for a free meal on your birthday. Sign up today.

Have a snorer in your family? Want to try a non-surgical solution? Get a free sample of new Breathe Right strips. Doesn't work for my snorer, but it's free so give it a try.

Coupon Dad has some great coupon match ups with deals from Walmart where a few things end up close to free. When I say close I mean under $1. I've got a buck in change hanging out in my car so that's almost free money since the guys who clean my car usually take it.

If you want to play the Extrabucks game at CVS Baton Rouge Mommy has figured out how to get 16 Sobe Lifewaters for free. Genius!

Did I mention that someone with sticky fingers helped themselves to my coupon binder? Yes, I said coupon binder. I had coupons nicely organized in plastic sheets by grocery isle in a nice black 3-ring binder that disappeared from my car! I wonder if it went the way of the change under my seat...although my brother's girlfriend as well as my mom had both been eyeballing my binder as well. Sigh. Time to start all over again.

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I'm not being lax on posting again, I'm just working some serious hours on a project at work. I managed to rack up a decent 20 hours or so in OT for the past 2 weeks and will probably end up with more this week and possibly into next week as well. I know that I'm supposed to be happy about the extra money, but the idea of about 50% of that being lost to taxes really doesn't sit well with me. I'd love someone from our government to sit with me at work until 9 o'clock at night then take a commute home for 1.5 hours for their 50% stake of my paycheck.

But really, I'm looking forward to the OT money (when it pops up in my paycheck in about 3 weeks). It'll go right to a credit card and will be a nicely welcomed bit of change. I'm also hoping to do my taxes this weekend (e-file of course) and have that money back at around the same time. Expect a post from me regarding taxes and such this weekend as I lumber through it. Yes, I'll be doing my taxes myself. No, I'm not worried about it - I've been doing my taxes myself since I was 15.

I don't know anyone else looking forward to tax time but I'm psyched! Can we all say, KA-CHING!

I know that I made a post of Haiti before but I don't think that one post is enough. Yes, this is a personal finance blog, but it's also a blog about me and for some reason, what is happening in Haiti reverberates with my soul.

By now you've seen photos and heard stories. You may even have watched the telethon last night but what we are seeing on television is a censored version of what is happening on the streets. I don't want to get gruesome but the level of death and destruction is like an apocalypse. The fact is that we are only hearing about the capital city but there were other towns and cities damaged as well. Please just imagine for a second a country where half of the population is homeless, hungry and helpless. My soul is crying for Haiti and I, no, WE all have to do something.

I know that we can't all donate money, but I have a solution. I wrote an eHow article that I am keeping updated on how you can help but remember, all help does not have to be monetary. I know that there is a box of band-aides sitting in your bathroom that you can donate. You might have a bag of $0.99 spaghetti that you won't miss. Maybe your baby has outgrown some clothes that you haven't gotten rid of. Perhaps you liked one of the songs from the telethon like the one you are listening to and would like to download it. We can all do a little!

We can't wait until tomorrow.



Blood donations are critical right now to help meet the medical needs of victims. If you are not financially able to make a monetary donation, consider donating blood to the American Red Cross and ask for your donation to be directed towards this crisis.

The Haitian embassy has a long list of items that are in critical need to aid in survival. You can also donate food that is not in cans. Cans are heavy, dent easily and require a can opener. Things such as tuna and pasta in pouches are the types of food needed. Please click for more information. You can also call 718.755.0119 or 202.904.9070 for more information.

Engineers and individuals with prior disaster experience and technical skills are needed. You can volunteer through the Center for International Disaster Information at 703-276-1914 to get more information.

Download music from last night's telethon from iTunes.

I've been bad. I haven't been paying close attention to my finances this month. There's so much going on at work and I'm dying from sleep deprivation so I haven't been paying attention and totally forgot about the student loan people. Result? My checking account is now -$107. How the heck do I start the year out with a negative account balance?

Well, to be honest I've used some money to fund my growing eBay business and it takes money to make money. Unfortunately when you don't have much of it you tend to miss the little that you do have. Add to that the fact that I have been BUYING my lunch lately (gasp) and sometimes dinner too since I've been leaving work at around 8:30 and it all adds up, well doesn't add up to anything but an account with a negative balance.

Thankfully pay day is tomorrow so my account will bounce back - right before all the automatic debits that I set up take that money right back. Living paycheck-to-paycheck kind of sucks and people ask me if I'm not embarrassed to have my information all over the internet but alas, no! This whole process makes me more accountable to myself. I know that if I hadn't been doing this I would probably be in a worse situation.

Time to suck it up I guess and really buckle down. I can't let outside things sway me from my goals. I must, must, must get rid of some of this debt this year. Just make sure you nudge me every so often if I slip up.

Is 31 too young to have a bucket list? I'm not a morbid type of person but I came to the realization that a good portion of my life is gone and many things that I had hoped to do by now have passed me by. I don't want to end up in floating on a cloud at the end of my life having remorse about the things that I have never done. So internet folks, I'm making a bucket list.

I'm going to leave this post as a sticky on top so you can see as I add things to it and if I get to accomplish anything. I'm not one for big things like climbing a mountain or anything but I feel a need to DO something with my life apart from being a wage slave and virtual life liver. If I have kids and they're sitting around my death bed, I'd like to be able to look back and say, you know your mom did some crazy shit and had a damn good time! Now have a party instead of a funeral and don't waste my insurance money.

The Bucket List
1. Learn to Swim 2. Visit Europe 3. Volunteer Somewhere for a Full Day 4. Get A VERY Short Hair Cut (Again) 5. Teach A Class 6. Bank One Entire Paycheck 7. Go to the Big Pig Jig 8. Enter A Cooking Contest 9. Walk Through A Jungle 10. Visit Hong Kong 11. Visit Tokyo 12. Raise Chickens 13. Cook Full Japanese Meal 14. Be Debt Free 15. Own Property 16. Do A Random Act of Kindness 17. Lose 30 pounds 18. Own a Fabulous (snaps) Designer Dress 19. Eat Indian Food In India 20. Skinny Dip 21. Finish the Newspaper Crossword in Pen with No Errors 22. Dance the Samba in Brazil's Carnival 23. Get Promoted 24. Take a Vacation by Myself 25. Write A Book 26. Go on a Helicopter Ride 27. Take A Cruise 28. Have the Title "Dr." be a MD or PhD or an Honorary 29. Participate In A Food Fight (La Tomatina maybe?) 30. Be My Own Boss 31. Get A Brazilian (just once!) 32. Fly First Class 33. Take A Cruise 34. Own The Moment 35. Win A Contest 36. Give A Service Worker A $100 Tip 37. Say "How Are You" and Mean It 38. Take A Multi-State Road Trip by myself

I just spent $10 and I'm thinking of spending more. What did I do? I sent $10 to the Haiti disaster relief fund. I know that it's not much, but it's all I can afford right now. Perhaps you can give $10 too. Just think, if my $10 and your $10 are added together, it can help save a life. $10 seems like a bargain for one human life doesn't it? You can help by texting "HAITI" to "90999" and your cell phone account will show the charge. If you'd prefer to donate online or you would like to donate more, please go to the American Red Cross website to make a donation.





Donating has it's privileges too! Airlines are now offering incentives for fliers to donate to the relief efforts for Haiti. American Airlines is offering its customers 250 to 500 bonus air miles for donations made to the American Red Cross. The number of free air miles depends on the amount of the donation. The Miles for Donations Program continues through February 28 on American's web site.

The United Airlines Foundation will match up to a total of $50,000 to the American Red Cross in donations made through their link. You can also donate miles if you'd prefer.

Take a minute to save a life. Oh, and for those of you thinking about your finances, your monetary donations are tax deductible.

I am hosting this week's Festival of Frugality #212: New Beginnings Edition. We're still in January and resolutions abound all over the blogosphere. I realize why we like resolutions so much. It's simply a chance to start all over again and make the current year better than the last. With the idea that we can always improve - the Japanese call it kaizen (continuous improvement) - I present my picks of the week from this festival.

Matt Mason presents How To Achieve Your Top New Years Resolution posted at Wealth Creation Blog.

Erin aka Conscious Shopper presents January Extreme Challenge posted at The Conscious Shopper.

PT presents File Your Taxes on the Cheap This Year posted at PT Money.

a.b. presents 365 Days of Saving Money: Streamline Your Bathing posted at Modern Tightwad.

Lynnae presents 101 Ways to Cut Your Spending This Year posted at Being Frugal.net.

Save A Little Extra Money
Hustler presents Cell Phone Carriers Corporate Discounts posted at Hustler Money Blog.
Mrs. Money presents How to Make Your Own Shampoo | Ultimate Money Blog- Save Green and Live Green! posted at The Ultimate Money Blog.
Chief Family Officer presents Ways to Make & Save Money #1: Play The Drugstore Game posted at Chief Family Officer.
Wenchypoo presents Another Light Bulb Moment--This Time, It's Taxes posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.
Miss M presents DIY Your Wedding Day posted at M is for Money.
Silicon Valley Blogger presents How Sunday Paper Coupons and Newspaper Ads Save Me Money posted at The Digerati Life.
Miss Thrifty presents When “cheap” and “Manolo Blahnik shoes” go together posted at Miss Thrifty.
RC presents 15 Ways to Save Money on Heating Bills This Winter posted at Think Your Way to Wealth.

Win The Credit Card Game
Alex presents Should I Use a Credit Card to Build Up Points for Rewards? | MoneyStance.com posted at MoneyStance - Money Making Opportunity Reviews.
Sun presents Use Your Credit Cards Can Improve Your Credit Score posted at Earn More Invest Wisely at The Sun's Financial Diary.
DR presents 0% Balance Transfer Offers–A Big List of 0 APR Balance Transfers posted at The Dough Roller.
David R. Lampsen presents Student Advantage Discount Card: This Looks Like a Bargain! | Personal Finance Analyst posted at Personal Finance Analyst.

Get Better At Investings
ABC presents Fixed Income Investments posted at ABCs of Investing.
Joe Plemon presents Are You Eating Your Retirement? posted at Personal Finance By The Book.

Out With The Old - Wait, Not So Fast!
LeanLifeCoach presents The Keys To Achieve Your Goals posted at Eliminate The Muda!.
FMF presents How to Get Consumer Reports Online Access for Free posted at Free Money Finance.
vh zen's it out with The accidental frugalist posted at Funny about Money.
Craig Ford presents A Frugal Way to Train For Your First Half or Full Marathon posted at Money Help For Christians.
Brenda Pike presents Fun with a Kill-a-Watt posted at Pragmatic Environmentalism.

A Little Discipline Goes A Long Way
Bucksome presents 5 Ways to Make Over Your Leftovers posted at Buck$ome Boomer's Journey to Retirement.
Katie presents How to Store and Freeze Fresh Produce, Grains and More posted at Kitchen Stewardship.
Wise_Bread presents Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers posted at Wisebread.
DebtMaven presents The Frugal Drinker posted at DebtMaven.
Hannah Katsman presents Composting on the Balcony: The Easy Way to Environmental Virtue posted at Life on the Balcony.

Thanks to all the participants of these week's Festival!