Not only will these apps keep you on task, but you’ll find ways to improve your finances and your life at the same time.

Here are some of the ones I found worthwhile.

• Couch to 5K  - Hands down one of the best applications available for starting a 5K training program. I just started using this $1.99 app and am please with how easy it is to use. I downloaded it to my iPhone and can listen to music as I alternate walking and jogging. Audio and visual prompts tell you when to stop walking and when to start jogging so you can focus on breathing. You get to check off each day that you complete making it easy to keep track of your progress as you go from couch to running a 5K race.
• Expenditure  - For $2.99, you can download and use this app to keep track of your day-to-day expenses. Easy-to-update and complete with a photo options, you can take pictures of your receipts making record keeping a breeze. The app is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad. Users give it a rating of five stars making it an app worth looking at purchasing for 2013.
• PepperPlate - Who couldn’t use some help with meal planning? This free app is wonderful because it helps you plan and share menu items, organize your favorite recipes, and even create shopping lists. There’s even an option that will turn your device into a portable cooking timer. Carry your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into the kitchen and get creative. There’s no excuse not to eat healthy and on budget when you have access to this app.
• Astrid Tasks/To-Do List  - Never miss an important task again. With Astrid, you can knock out everything on your To-Do List with ease. Some of the preset lists include Home, Personal, Shopping, and Work but you do have the ability to create your own lists. The basic version of the app is free but the premium version does cost money. It allows you to attach files and add voice notes which can increase productivity and save you the frustration of keeping track of a paper trail.

Don’t let New Year’s resolutions being a source of discontent in 2013. Take the initiative to download these free and cheap apps and make your goals easier to achieve. Do you have any great apps that you’d like to share? If so, please leave a comment below.

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• Amazon Prime: Enjoy unlimited access to over 20,000 Prime Instant Videos.  Here’s What You Need to Know About Amazon Prime Membership.
• Your Video Library: Rent and purchase videos.  You’ll find them available in Your Video Library on your iPad. Download them and watch them anytime without having an Internet connection.
• Shop from Your iPad: Choose from 120,000 movies and TV shows by utilizing iPad’s Safari web browser. Purchases and rented videos show up in Your Video Library on your iPad instantly.
• Your Watchlist: Your Watchlist helps you manage your movies and TV episodes.  Watch what you want now and save what you want to view later. You can add favorites easily and watch them when it’s convenient for you.

I’ve written in the past about how Amazon Prime members are given access to free loaner books as well.  Makes it well worth the price paid for the service if you ask me.  I don’t pay for cable and don’t even own a TV so Amazon Prime Instant Videos suits me fine.  I’m happy to be able to use my iPad because it’s lightweight and easy to travel with.  Whenever I have downtime on vacation, I like to watch a show or two before going to bed.  It’s one of the advantages of Amazon Prime membership and there’s no hidden costs.  Shipping services, access to the lending library, and instant video options are all included in the price.

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Here are some websites where you can learn a foreign language for free:

• Live Mocha (http://www.livemocha.com) - With over 38 languages to choose from, members of the site are able to master beginner phrases, surpass the intermediate level, and become advanced in the foreign language of their choice. Paid membership gives you more options but a free account with Live Mocha offers a variety of benefits. Create a profile and start learning a new language right away.
• Busuu (http://www.busuu.com) – Similar to Live Mocha, Busuu gives members their choice of language lessons and the option to converse with others in the language that they are learning. This interactive platform is perfect for beginners. Registration is free and you can learn English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, and more.
• BBC Languages (http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/) – Learn the facts, phrases, and alphabets of dozens of languages for free on BBC Languages. The site is clean, easy-to-follow, and one of my absolute favorites. Course materials including phrases, audio and video, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, activities, and tests are available in French, English, Spanish, Polish, Greek, Chinese, Portuguese, and a number of different languages of your choice.
• Lang-8 (http://www.lang-8.com) – Learn from real native speakers in the language that you want to learn. Over 190 countries are represented on the site. Membership is free. You write journal entries in the language of your choice and native speakers make corrections so you can learn quickly. Not only do you learn to speak a particular language, you also learn how to write it.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to learn a foreign language. With so many websites, applications, and free audio recordings online for you to choose from, it will only be a matter of time before you’re fluent in the language of your choice.

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From building the ultimate shelter to securing munitions, the Preppers featured on the show are working toward protecting their families, friends, and communities from the potential aftermath caused by the economic collapse of our nation, a global pandemic, nuclear war, and solar-flare induced power failures.  Their approach is simple and widespread.  The people that prepare for disaster survive.  The ones that don’t will do anything they can to take resources away from you.  That’s why most Preppers spend a good amount of their days acquiring and inventorying their supplies.

Prepping is highly systematic and requires time and money.  The individuals, couples or families featured on the show have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of their lives preparing for the worst.  One of the most important things a Prepper does is stockpile food and water.  They purchase items with long shelf lives and fill container after container of H2O.  Most Preppers have enough food to feed themselves and their families for years.  They also keep medical supplies on hand and keep their electronics in faraday cages that prevent the entry or escape of an electromagnetic (EM) field.

Other precious commodities that Preppers have on hand in the event of a crisis include alcohol and precious metals.  They believe that many items will be hard to come by so they want to have items on hand that they can use to barter with.  Many Preppers purchase several hundred dollars worth of liquor monthly to trade with even though they don’t drink alcohol.  They know that these valuable items can help them secure necessities like sugar, flour, and rice.

Even if you don’t watch Doomsday Preppers or don’t know a thing about TEOTWAWKI, it’s important to be prepared.  A number of different scenarios could threaten your sanctity and security.  Weather-related phenomena, economic uncertainty, and war as well as diseased animals and crops are all good reasons to prep. At the very least you’ll want to have an emergency savings account set up.

A long, cold winter commute is enough to make you a believer.  If your car was to break down in the middle of a snowstorm, the food, water, blankets, and First Aid Kit you keep inside your vehicle will pay off.  If you get laid-off or fired from a job, the extra food you have stockpiled in your pantry can see your family through some hard times.  Prepping takes time and money but it very well could be something you want to look into doing.

(Doomsday Preppers airs Tuesdays at 9 PM ET/PT on National Geographic)

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1. Pandora: Since 2000, Pandora has let listeners access their favorite songs, artists, and genres for free.  Users can register on the site, add the tunes they want to listen to and access their stations through the net, their phones, and tablets.
2. Yahoo Music: Similar in format to Pandora, Yahoo Music allows listeners to choose their own content.  They can access videos, create radio stations based on their favorite songs, artists, and type of music and read blogs about their favorite musicians and bands.
3. Spotify: Windows, Mac, and mobile users can register for a free account on Spotify and start listening to their favorite musicians.  They can also share what they’re listening to on different social networking sites making the experience fun and interactive.  Artist biographies and user playlists are some of the reasons why so many people enjoy listening to Spotify.
4. Playlist.com: Playlist.com is one of my personal favorites.  Like Spotify, it lets you share the music you’re listening to with your friends and family members through social networking.  You can create and name playlists much like you would if you were creating a mix tape or mix CD.  After logging onto the site, you can choose to listen to a playlist of your own or to another member’s.  I’ve created playlists for people’s birthdays and shared them with my friends on Facebook.
5. NoiseTrade: Access thousands of albums legally for free with Noise Trade.  Artists upload their music.  Fans download their favorite tunes and all is well in the world.  If you like what you hear, you can donate money to your favorite musicians.  This is a great site for people wanting to build a music library without spending a ton of money to do so.

Enhance the quality of your days by listening to great music from your favorite artists and bands.  With the websites listed above, you can sing along to familiar songs and even hear a few that you’ve never heard before. Clearly, this is just a short list of some of the popular options out there, but there are literally dozens of sites to find free music. Got a favorite that isn’t listed? Let me know in the comments below.

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It’s time to send the kids back to school and with that in mind, there has to be a better way to get out the door in the morning. Missing keys and misplaced permission slips can put a damper on your day and make it difficult for you to get to work on time. By following a few easy tips, you reduce your stress factor and make sure that everyone in your family is ready to greet the day. And remember, time is money. The more time you save, the more free time you’ll have, and that is worth every penny. Especially in today’s fast paced society.  Here are a few things that you can do to get out of the house on time:

1. Get backpacks, briefcases, and purses ready the night before. Keep these items in a central location by the front door so no one is taken by surprise by not being able to find their belongings. Make sure that everyone has a few dollars inside their bag for emergencies. You never know when your spouse or child will need some extra cash.
2. Enlist the help of your children to pack lunches and snacks for the day. Set up a lunch-packing zone that consists of everything you would need to store and transport soups, salads, and sandwiches. Don’t forget to include the proper cutlery and an ice pack to keep everything cold until lunchtime. This one step will save you a lot of money over the course of a year. You can even follow suit by carrying your own brown bag lunch to work. Web MD has a lot of healthy suggestions for adults and children.
3. Fill your gas tank over the weekend to prevent problems come Monday. When push comes to shove and you’re down to the wire, you’ll have one last thing getting in your way to making it to work and your children’s school on time. Use a service like GasBuddy to find the cheapest fuel prices in town.
4. Get the kids’ outfits for the week ready in advance. Include a plastic bag on every hanger that contains socks, underwear, and accessories like belts and jewelry. You can even do this for yourself and your spouse if you want to. Look for clothing that can be worn multiple ways like the ones featured on Project 333’s site. Not only are they easy to clean, they give you several different options for the price of one garment.

There is no need to waste precious time in the morning. By preparing things the night before, you lessen the chance of the unexpected happening. Take a few moments to think about the week ahead of you come Sunday night. Is there anything out of the ordinary happening? Will school lunch do or will your children need to brown bag it? Do you have any doctor’s appointments to go to or utility companies to call? Once you know what’s going on, you’ll be better equipped to plan for it in advance.

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Who doesn’t love a free movie rental from time to time? I do and that’s what makes Redbox so enticing. Not only do I see a kiosk when I pass by the supermarket, drug store or neighborhood McDonald’s (there are 27,000 Redbox locations nationwide), the selection of titles to choose from usually appeal to every member of my family. Seldom do I find myself saying, “I’ve seen every movie being offered.” I also like the fact that you can reserve titles in advance.

Here are a few ways that you can get free Redbox rentals:

1. Reserve a title online. Pick it up and watch it. Return it to a kiosk. Receive a code for a free rental on your next visit.
2. Sign up for texts. If you have unlimited text messages, consider signing up to Redbox updates via your mobile phone. From time to time, the company sends you a free rental code good for one day only. Text REDBOX to 727272 to get exclusive freebies & deals!
3. Follow Redbox on Twitter. If you have a Twitter account, follow Redbox for upcoming new releases and free rental codes. Just type Redbox into the search field and click on the button to follow the company’s tweets.
4. Become a fan of the company on Facebook. “Like” Redbox and the company’s posts will show up on your wall. Pay close attention to announcements because codes are often posted this way. In fact, right now they have an offer where you get one free rental just by liking their Facebook page.
5. Pay attention to special offers at your local grocery store or supermarket. Catalina coupons are the coupons that are printed along with your receipt at the register. From time to time, you will receive free Redbox rental codes for purchasing specific products from sponsors. Not too long ago, I made my monthly grocery purchases and received a Catalina coupon with four free rental codes. That’s one free rental a weekend for a month!

For less than the price of a Dollar Menu item, you and your closest friends can enjoy an entertaining evening. Spend a few moments getting to know the Redbox website which is located at http://www.redbox.com. Make sure to sign up for alerts and follow the company on the different social media networks. This ensures that you never miss a free movie rental.

With the average movie ticket costing between $8 and $12, doesn’t it make sense to watch movies from home? Sure you have to wait a few months for them to be released on DVD but a free movie from Redbox beats $100 worth of tickets and refreshments. In fact, for that kind of money, a large family could watch a movie, make homemade pizza, enjoy unlimited snacks, and still have money left over. It makes sense to me and that’s why I continue to be a fan of Redbox.

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Here are some tips to help you keep your car out of the shop and in good working order:

• Change your oil regularly. You should also check it at least once a month. You can do this yourself by reading the marker lines on the dipstick. You want it to be between the marker lines.  More importantly, if the oil looks dirty or black, it is time to have it changed. If you have a newer car, changing the oil every 3,000 miles may not be necessary. Check your manufacturer’s manual for more. More frequent oil changes won’t hurt, but the cost will add up.
• Keep your tires properly inflated. Use a tire gauge to measure the amount of air pressure that you have in each of your tires every two weeks. If in doubt, consult your owner’s manual to learn the correct pressure. You do not want overinflate or underinflate your tires as that can be dangerous and cost you in poor gas mileage.
• Check your transmission fluids and coolant. You’ll want to top these off from time to time. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, you can have it done by a mechanic for very little expense. Without these vital fluids, your car can have big issues and cost you more money than you can imagine.
• Invest in Roadside Assistance. If your automobile insurance carrier does not provide this type of coverage, you can opt to get AAA. For a flat fee, you are provided a certain amount of services within a year. This can be towing assistance or having someone bring you a can of gas when you’ve run out.
• Report any problems you have the minute you take notice of them. Do not take a chance and drive when something is clearly wrong with your vehicle. In addition to putting your safety in jeopardy, it can do enormous damage to your automobile. Better to be safe than sorry in a situation like this and have somebody look at it as soon as you think something might be wrong.

Repairs can’t be avoided entirely, but you can take matters into your own hand by performing routine maintenance to ensure that your vehicle is operating the way that it was meant to. Take a few moments today to make sure that your tires are aired up properly and that all of your fluids are filled to the line. Small steps like these can help you keep your car on the road and out of the shop which is ideal.

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They’ve found a way to blend in but their ads offer telltale signs that they’re only in it for themselves. If you aren’t careful it’s easy to get sucked into one of these scams. Here is how you can avoid becoming another statistic by trusting someone you don’t know on Craiglist:

• The ad is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. You don’t know how many times I’ve seen ads looking for “WRITTERS (sic).” Despite not falling for these, I have let a few typos slide by only to learn that the writer of the ad is just as careless when it comes to paying as he or she was when it came to posting.
• The same ad is posted in hundreds of different cities. If you go to New York City then to Chicago then to Los Angeles and you see the exact same ad verbatim, consider it a scam. First, Craigslist only allows you to post one ad per city. If the ads you’re seeing are identical word-for-word, the posters are registering numerous accounts in order to get them up on the website. This spells nothing but T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
• The poster directs you to another website to “sign up” or “apply” and asks for personal information including your name, street address, phone number, Paypal address, and credit card information. Although Craigslist vehemently warns users not to fall victim to these types of scams, I still have friends contact me almost daily about a poster requesting personal information, a background check, and payment in advance.
• The ad requests that you send a “custom sample” despite noting that you should send a copy of your resume and portfolio. Ok, this applies to freelancers. If the poster wants to see samples of your work, he or she should be able to make a decision based on your enclosed portfolio. If he or she wants to see what else you’re capable of doing, payment for the “sample” should be discussed. If you’re like me, you wonder what they do with all those unpaid “samples.”
• The ad requires that you deliver the goods or service upfront without a contract or pre-payment. This is the most common type of scam and independent contractors and freelancers are the ones that fall victim to it time and time again. Before submitting a project to the poster, make sure a proper contract is in place. You may also want to request a downpayment via Paypal. This protects both you and the ad’s poster from any type of misunderstanding.

Before you get scammed by another member of Craigslist, pay attention to the tips above. It can save you time, effort, and most importantly, money. If you suspect you have been taken advantage of by someone on the site, contact the proper authorities so they can conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. Have your own tips or a personal experience with a Craigslist scammer? Share them in the comments below.

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You might think that because these are well-known environmental risks for the respective areas that most people were prepared, but sadly that usually isn’t the case. Sure, people in the Mississippi River valley know that flooding is always a danger, most areas are susceptible for strong storms and tornadoes, and that Japan has earthquakes. But mother nature is still unpredictable. At the very least we can use these devastating situations to learn and better prepare ourselves.

Protecting What You Have

Above all else you need to protect your assets. While it is true that things can be replaced, when you have so much tied into the things you own like your home, car, and all of your possessions, if something were to happen and those needed to be replaced you’d be in a pretty bad financial position if they weren’t covered. It may seem unthinkable if you own a home to not have property insurance, but for many people that is a reality. According to early estimates, about 25% of homeowners in Alabama do not carry property insurance. Many of these people just recently lost their homes to the storms and now have absolutely nothing.

As heartbreaking as that may be, it is pretty common. A big reason is that most people have the “it can’t happen to me” attitude. Statistically, the chances of your home being hit by a tornado, unexpected flood, or burned to the ground by a lightning strike are about as good as playing the lottery. So it’s easy to know that because the chance of something happening is rare you can save money by dropping coverage. You also have some situations where the money is a factor and those who are unemployed and facing a hardship may drop coverage out of necessity. Bad idea. The thing is, property insurance is incredibly inexpensive compared to what it protects. For just a few hundred dollars a year it can literally cover well over $100,000 in property. Not only that, most policies cover intangible things like providing money for temporary housing while you rebuild.  So, if you can find a way to scrape together enough money each month to keep your lights on, you should also make it a priority to come up with the money to stay insured.

Renters, you aren’t exempt. Sure, your landlord probably has the building insured, but guess what? None of your personal possessions are insured. Fry your HDTV and new Macbook thanks to a lightning strike? Too bad. Tornado carries everything you own away? You’re out of luck. Unless you have a renter’s policy your personal belongings are not insured even though the building may be. It’s up to you to seek out this insurance, and given how many electronics and gadgets we have these days the value of these possessions can be strikingly high. For literally $200-$250 a year you can make sure you’re stuff is insured.

Assessing Coverage

If you already are insured it’s time to reexamine your coverage. Needs change over time, and the policy you purchased ten years ago may not be right for you today. Also, take a look at your exclusions. You’ll be surprised what isn’t covered if you read the fine print. It can be scary to see all the potential problems that leave you vulnerable. For example, do you have a basement? If so, there’s a good chance something could happen to flood it even if you aren’t living right next to a river. A heavy rain could lead to seepage in the foundation, the sump pump could burn out and if it can’t eject the water from the sump it could flood the basement. Or even a problem with your local sewer system could create a backup that enters the home. All of these common problems are generally not covered under a traditional homeowners policy, and may not even be part of an additional flood policy.

I found this out the hard way when we had a pump stop working and sewer water started to flood the finished basement. Of course, the house was only four years old so it was a “this won’t happen to me” moment. The problem is insurance didn’t cover that. After speaking with our agent we found we could add a rider to our policy that specifically covers sump pump failure, sewer backups, etc. for just 12 dollars a month. We now carry that coverage, but only after learning the hard way.

I also recently heard a story from someone who lost a bunch of electronics thanks to a single lightning strike. It fried expensive TVs, video game systems, audio visual equipment, destroyed wiring, you name it. Easily thousands of dollars worth of damage. So it wasn’t even a major natural disaster that caused tremendous damage. The good news is that his insurance policy covers that. The bad news is he wanted to save a little money on the premium so he opted for a high deductible. That deductible now cuts substantially into recovering the damages.

So, blow the dust off your old policies and make sure your coverage is what you think it is. Make sure you’re not only properly covered, but make sure your deductibles are what you think they are, inquire about any discounts, or even shop around if you feel you’re paying too much. A few minutes of your time can go a long way in helping you prepare for the unexpected and can save money.

Be Financially Prepared

Having the right insurance is obviously a big part of preparing for a disaster, but there are things you can do to help your financial situation in the time immediately following such an emergency. First, and this probably goes without saying, but you need to have an emergency fund. I know, you’ve heard it a million times before, but it gets repeated because having access to cash is invaluable in a time of need.

Not only do you want to have that emergency savings for the little unexpected emergencies like a broken appliance or repair, but in the event something significant does happen and you do have to rely on an insurance claim it can take time before the money starts flowing. Without having savings to tap into you may be at the mercy of the insurance company and receive money on their schedule. Or even worse, your only option may be to use credit cards and rack up debt while adding stress to an already stressful situation. With some savings put aside you can use that money to take care of your immediate needs following a disaster with ease.

One last thing to consider is that in a large scale disaster there will be major disruptions to infrastructure. Without electricity or telephone/internet access it may be impossible to rely on credit or debit cards to purchase the things you need after an emergency. In this scenario cash is king. But the other problem is that a lot of people these days operate on virtually a cashless basis. That’s fine when it is business as usual, but when your life gets turned upside down and you open your wallet and have nothing but a wad of plastic, that isn’t going to be very helpful. Sure, you don’t want to carry a huge wad of money around with you just in the rare event you might need it, but if you’re someone who relies almost entirely on credit or debit just try to keep a little cash on you, even if it’s only twenty bucks. Consider it your immediate emergency fund.

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