February Recap

Here's a rundown of the Tips of the Day from this month. Please keep your ideas and comments coming. I love hearing from you!
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Keep your ac running smoothly. Replace filters monthly to ensure your ac unit operates at peak efficiency.

Repurpose grocery bags. Use them as trash bags and you will save money. Some grocery stores offer you money for bringing them back (just not with trash in them). At the very least find a place to recycle them so they're not filling up a landfill.

If you find a penny and it is heads up, that's good luck. Pick it up. I say if you find any amount of money it's good luck no matter which way it's facing!

Use the "no heat" setting on your dishwasher. - Heat drying is not necessary after a hot-wash cycle. By keeping it off, you save energy.

Consolidate your errands into one trip. By not running out and back multiple times you'll save gas and save money. The Green folks ought to like this one too!

Go paperless. Just about everyone offers online bill payment now. At 44 cents a pop mailing checks can be expensive. Also, you won't have to reorder checks for a longer time. Many banks are offering cash rewards to sign up for paperless statements and online bill payment. Check it out!

Think long term. Ask yourself what is the cost of the credit and make a small sacrifice now. You'll thank yourself later.

Store brands. They are the exact same thing as the name brand foods you buy in most cases. Don't believe me? Look at the labels and compare.

Set a savings goal, something to work toward such as a trip to Europe. You may not even want to go to Europe but once you have banked enough cash at least you know that you can. Put that money in a cd and start saving for the next vacation!

Unplug your unused appliances. Also your phone chargers. While not supplying power to your cell phone a charger still draws an electrical current and runs up your electric bill.

Declutter your life. When you do your spring cleaning this year go through your closets and box up what you don't need anymore. Have a yard sale or donate what is still usable to the Salvation Army or charity of your choice. Your donation is tax deductible and the free space you now have will free up your mind and improve your quality of life.

Stupidebt does not endorse any of the products advertised on this site. Ironically, most of the current ads are offering help filing your taxes online. Visit their sites. See what each is offering and then go to www.irs.gov and file for free!

Plan ahead! Plan out your meals for the week. Check the weekly flyers (It’s not always junk mail) and see what is on sale this week. You may not get to have steak this Tuesday, but maybe steaks will be the deal next week.

Don’t forget home mortgage interest and PMI are tax deductible on Schedule A. BUT, you may be better off using the Standard Deduction in the margin to the left of 1040 line 40. It’s $11,400 for joint returns. Weigh the options…

It’s YOUR money you’re getting in the refund check from the U.S. Treasury. If you had less taken out throughout the year that money could be sitting in a savings account or a CD! When you get this year's refund will be a perfect time to start.

If you are filing a simple individual return there is no need to pay someone to do it for you. Get out last year’s return and if you have all the same types of income and write-offs, use the old return as a guide. File online for free @ http://www.irs.gov .