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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“Not another curbside shopper,” my mother exclaimed.

Exhausted by the countless “drive-bys” we had received that day, she and I both retreated to the porch where we could get some shade.

“We must have not advertised well,” I said in our defense.

Looking past boxes and tables of undiscovered treasures, I knew our lack of organization was partly at fault four our lousy sale.  Halfway through unpacking items, my parents advised me of their plans to leave things in boxes.  The rickety old card tables and makeshift saw horse contraptions held more than their weight in cast away objects.  Pricing items had become a problem for us as well.  Often paying double for items at auctions, my parents hoped to receive a fair price form them once they hit the yard.

“We’ll be lucky to make $50 today,” I said defeated.

The hassle of lugging box after box to the curb had gotten the best of me.  “I really wanted to get rid of that mini fridge of mine,” I cried, knowing how much the sale of it would help my finances and storage issues.

“Maybe we should have stuck with lemonade,” my father piped in referring to the neighbor kid’s success in selling the cool beverage.  I didn’t want to admit it but I agreed with him completely.

After repacking dozens of boxes of yard sale rejects, I came to this conclusion.  In order to have a successful sale, one must incorporate some order into its preparation.  Tried and true tips include:

• Advertising in the newspaper is never enough. Brightly colored, poster board signs should be placed throughout town directing potential buyers towards your house.  Tying streamers or balloons to your mailbox makes it easier to spot the sale from a distance.
• Place like items together on tables. No one wants to sort through box after box of jumbled items.  Placing knick knacks together on one table and electronic items together on another makes it easier to appeal to a wider group of buyers.  People will be forced to stop and physically look at the items before driving away.
• Clean and repair items before pricing them. Try to include the original box or package that they came in.  If there is warranty information for a product, put it in a freezer bag and place it with the item.
• Hang and size all clothing. Group them together accordingly.  If there are a lot of name brand items, include them in your classified advertisement.  People love a bargain and are more likely to shop sales where specific items are listed.  Men are especially interested in appliances, tools and furniture.
• Remember to charge a fair price for your items without giving them away. The object of a sale is to make some money and free up space in your garage or home.  If you are unsure about the value of an item, put it aside and have it appraised.  It’s better to hang onto an object for a little bit longer than sell it for the wrong price.
• Sell baked goods and beverage throughout the day. People grow tired and thirsty.  Young children can’t resist a chocolatey treat and will let their mothers know about it rather loudly.  Some of the best profits I’ve made were by selling cans of soda and store bought donuts to weary shoppers.
• Get together with your neighbors and have a neighborhood sale.  You’ll double your earning potential this way.  Garage and yard sales are often scattered across town.  By the time a person drives to one, the good stuff is sold at the other.  Allowing customers to move quickly between sales will be very beneficial to all those involved.
• Advertise your leftovers on Freecycle or Craigslist. Pack away only the best items and allow the scavengers the opportunity to cart off the rest.  You’ll thank yourself repeatedly for this.
• Last but not least, go to garage sales for research purposes. Think about which sales were the most successful and appealing.  Think about the ones that weren’t.  Think in terms of traffic, price and quality of items.  Was it easier to shop alone on Thursday or would you have rather battled the crowds on Saturday?  Was $25 too much to ask for that piece of pottery or two little?  Was the seller willing to bargain with the prices?

The next sale we had was a complete success.  Taking into consideration the tips listed here, I assure you that your next one will be too.

I find that having a cell phone is a necessary evil for business purposes but I am completely content with the idea of having an extra $50 a month to put in savings.  That is why I am so hell bent on making this iPod thing work.  You see, I already use the TextFree app put out by Pinger so that’s why I was so stoked when they announced that they would be adding the voice feature over the holidays.  I used my Amazon gift certificate that my aunt gave me for Christmas to purchase a cheap headset so I could test it out and low and behold, it works.

The calls aren’t crystal clear but they do go through and you have your very own cell phone number so people can call you.  The only downfall is that the service doesn’t offer voice mail and only incoming calls are free.  You have to purchase minutes or earn them by downloading other apps in order to place a call which is perfectly fine with me.  Free is free.  Plain and simple.

Turning Your iPod Into a Bonafide Calling Machine

Here is how you can turn your iPod Touch into a phone in a few easy steps:

1)    Download the TextFree with Voice app from the iTunes.

2)    Register to get your very own cell phone number to give out to family members, friends, clients, and neighbors.

3)    Place a test call using your headphones with mic.

4)    Send a free text to everyone in your phone book telling them your new number.

Things to Remember

Here are some things to remember when using TextFree with Voice to place and receive calls:

1)    You must be connected to WiFi for the service to work so don’t expect to be driving down the road and receive a call.

2)    There is no voicemail so if you’re expecting an important call, it may be best to set up a free voicemail at K7.net and have the messages routed to an email account.

3)    You cannot call 911 from your iPod.  Keep a used cell phone in your car or home for this reason.  The Federal Communications Commission requires all cell phones to retain the ability to call emergency services even if there is no service on the phone.

Although I don’t claim these types of applications are perfect, I have been satisfied with TextFree thus far.  I am going to use it as my sole method of communication starting this February and will report back with my results.

If anything, it can get a little too serious around here. We cover topics such as retirement, digging out of debt, frugal living, and even college savings. So, it’s time to lighten the mood and have some fun peeking into the wallets of some real bloggers. So, let’s get started. We will kick things off with my very own wallet before making the rounds and taking a peek at some of the others.

What’s In My Wallet

Let’s start with the obvious. My wallet isn’t anything fancy and it’s just a simple bi-fold. To be honest, I don’t even know if it has a brand name because I can’t find any logos or writing inside anywhere that would say so. I received it as a gift a few years ago and since it matched my brown dress shoes perfectly, I decided to keep it. Although, it is kind of funny that I don’t have a regular job and a need to wear dress shoes any longer, but that’s a post for another day.

So, digging into the contents, let me list everything from left to right in a clockwise fashion:

• Country club membership card
• Ace Hardware propane refill card
• Old college Visa
• Fifth Third Bank Visa
• Driver’s license
• Library card
• Martin’s grocery advantage card
• 23 dollars in cold hard cash
• Chase business credit and debit cards
• Home Depot card
• Insurance card
• Chase personal debit card

I know, not that exciting, right? Be that as it may, I’ll take this opportunity to briefly explain everything.

Country Club Membership - As fancy as this sounds, it’s really not. There is a semi-private golf club a few miles away and I decided I wanted to get more golf in this year since I was now working exclusively out of the house. Golf can get expensive, so I looked into various membership opportunities in the area. Well, I found this course about 5 minutes away that had a somewhat outdated website and it listed a “junior” membership (age 35 and under) for just $500 a year (50% off a regular membership). So, I printed off the page and took it with me to the course and asked if I could get that rate. They said that was dated and they no longer offer it, but after insisting, the manager made some calls and said he would grant me that rate for 2010, but couldn’t offer it beyond that. I didn’t mind, so I paid up and golfed a ton early in the year to get far more than my money’s worth. Needless to say, I won’t be paying full price next year, but it was nice to get some cheap practice time in!

Propane Card – I use a lot of propane. There are two reasons for this: I grill almost every night during the summer and I use propane to power my burners for home brewing beer. Obviously, it makes sense to get the equivelent of a rewards program when you use so much gas, so that’s what I did. I refill my tanks at the local Ace Hardware and for every 5 tanks you fill, you get one filled for free. As you can see, I have all five marks checked off so that card is as good as $15 sitting in my wallet!

Fifth Third and College Visa Cards – To be honest, these cards don’t get much action. Neither of the cards offer any sort of rewards program or cash back so they aren’t used for daily purchases. Instead, these are the two cards I have with the longest credit history. One dates back to the 1990s, so it’s important to keep these cards active and in good standing. Maybe one a month or two I’ll pull one of them out to make a small purchase just so I can keep them from getting closed due to inactivity.

Driver’s License and Library Card – I don’t think these need much of an explanation. The license is mandatory, but I keep a library card on me for the occasional trip to the local branch. Living in a very small town (population under 1,500) the book selection is limited, but most books can be requested.

Grocery Card – There is a regional grocery chain around here called Martin’s and they are great. There’s a huge new supermarket not far from our house and they sell a lot of great local meat and produce, so it can’t be beat. Even better, if you use their “Advantage Card” you rack up points that can go towards saving on gas at a few of their stores that offer gasoline. So, I usually fill up at their station and most weeks I have racked up anywhere from 10 to 15 cents off per gallon. Then when you pay for the gas with a rewards card it’s just that much sweeter! In addition to gas discounts, if you buy baby products there you’ll also occasionally get coupons for a few dollars off on diapers and baby wipes and such. That comes in handy when you have two kids under 2.

Cash - I know a lot of people are going completely cashless these days, but that’s something I can’t quite bring myself to. For one, you just never know when you’re going to need a few bucks, want to give to a spontaneous charity on the street, etc. Second, I absolutely hate using credit or debit for small purchases (under 5 dollars). Especially around here, we have almost nothing but small independent businesses, and if they accept debit/credit at all, I don’t want to stick them with the processing fees for a small purchase. Their profit margins are small enough, so I don’t need to be hurting the business owners in my community any more, so I always try to use cash when I can. In this case I had $23 in my wallet, but I almost always try to keep between 10 and 30 dollars on-hand.

Business Cards �’ Here I have two Chase business cards. One is credit and one is debit. Frankly, I don’t use the business debit card, so that one should just be pulled. The Visa earns rewards, but I don’t have many expenses, so it doesn’t amount to much.

Home Depot Card – I’m not usually a big fan of store credit cards, but I couldn’t pass this one up. When we moved into a new house late last year it became apparent this spring that our lawn was far too large for my $100 push-mower. So, I set out to find a reasonable riding mower. Back in March I saw Home Depot had the John Deere line of mowers available and as part of the special, they threw in a $200 dumping pull cart and had 12-months of zero interest and no payments. So, rather than take up space on an existing card or pull $1,500 out of savings, I went for the no-interest deal and charged it to the card. Since then I’ve just been making $125 monthly payments so that it’s paid off in time and no interest will be charged.

Chase Debit – I know, I skipped over the insurance card, but what is there to know about that? Anyway, the last and most frequently used card in my wallet is this one. It’s my chase rewards debit card. Whether bills or groceries, this card sees almost all of the action. I know some might wonder why we don’t use a credit card instead, but the simple answer is just that we don’t like to. As long as they aren’t online purchases, we’d rather have things come right out of the checking account. Besides, last year we racked up nearly $500 in rewards.

What’s In the Other Money Writers’ Wallets?

So, you’ve seen what’s inside my wallet. Now it’s time to take a look at the rest of the gang. To see what everyone else is packing, check them out:

• Lazy Man’s wallet
• My Dollar Plan’s wallet
• Million Dollar Journey’s wallet
• Brip Blap’s wallet
• The Sun’s wallet

The remainder of this post is the original from July when the rate hike was first anticipated.

Think about the companies that rely on the postal service to ship their products to consumers. What does a 5% increase in postage mean to a company that already spends tens of millions of dollars a year on postage? Amazon, anyone? An even bigger player has to be Netflix. Their core business model resolves around sending you movies in the mail. In fact, media mail, which Netflix mailings fall under, is slated to get a 7% increase. This would end up costing Netflix upwards of $50 million more on shipping costs in 2011. That’s on top of the already hundreds of millions being spent on shipping.

So, while you may not fret over the two extra pennies you need to stick on an envelope, don’t expect companies who rely on the post office for shipping to just eat the cost. Instead, it will likely get passed down to you in some form or another.

The Forever Stamp

Finally, the one bright spot is that forever stamps are still being sold and that means you can still effectively lock in the lower first class postage rates. A lot of people ask whether or not the forever stamp is a good investment. Well, considering you can essentially get a 5% return on your money in a year, yes, on paper it’s a good investment. But you have to look at how much you really stand to make. For example, if you use 50 stamps a year, the 2 cent savings is one dollar a year. It’s still about a 5% return on your investment, but in the end it’s still only a dollar. So, you have to ask yourself whether or not it’s worth it to stock up on forever stamps just to save what could be a matter of a dollar or two in the coming few years.

In my opinion, it’s a good idea to buy a healthy supply that will last a year or so, but I’m more concerned about the savings I see by not having to go to the post office as frequently. As far as I’m concerned, the amount of time I save by not having to go into a post office is priceless. I don’t really care about saving a few cents on postage, but I do care about not wasting a half hour of my time standing in line at an understaffed post office.