Cut your cell-phone bill. An acute fear of running out of minutes drives us to sign up for cell-phone plans with a block of time we’ll never use in a month. At the very least, scrutinize your bill to make sure you actually need all the features you’re paying for. You may be able to save with a prepaid plan. To get a handle on which plan is best for you, go to BillShrink.com or MyRatePlan.com.

Boost your deductibles. An easy way to cut what you pay for auto and home insurance is to raise your deductibles. You can trim your auto-insurance premium by 15% or more if you boost your deductible from $250 to $1,000. Increasing your homeowners deductible from $250 to $2,500 can cut your premium by 30% and discourage you from making small claims that could boost your premiums. And if you have policies with more than one insurer, you may want to put all of them under one roof. That way, you’re likely to get a discount. How much you can save depends on where you live, so ask your insurer about the markdowns you qualify for.

[Overpriced Products We All Use]

A Little Effort

Switch your TV package. If you haven’t shopped for a new cable or satellite package in a while, now is a good time. Competition among providers is running high, and they’re offering some sweet deals. Visit the websites of the cable and satellite companies that serve your area to compare plans. Or use the TV tool at BillShrink.com, where you enter key tidbits such as your address, your must-have shows and channels, and the TV equipment you own. If you have one TV, a satellite plan may be the winner, says Schwark Satyavolu, BillShrink.com’s chief executive. But if you have three or more TVs — as more than half the homes in the U.S. do — your savings depend on the offers du jour. The good news is, those who switch to a lower-priced plan save an average of $425 a year, Satyavolu says.

Rein in your eating out. We know, we know. You’ve heard us say “cut the daily latte” before. But consider the benefits (again): If you get a large morning latte and an afternoon pick-me-up, you may be spending nearly $10 a day on java. And then there’s lunch, which can run another $10 if you don’t brown bag it. Spend that every working day for a month and you’ve got a $400 leak in your wallet. To stanch the flow of cash, brew coffee at home and pack a Thermos — along with a sandwich and a piece of fruit. You could save more than $200 a month (and just possibly cut some calories as a bonus).

For a more precise idea of what you’d save, plug your daily eating-out costs into the “Lunch Savings Calculator” at FeedthePig.org, a savings website. And while you’re at it, put a lid on restaurant meals. If you must go out, keep it to once a month (or week) and watch the extras. For instance, if the average family drank tap water instead of soda at restaurants, they’d save $800 a year, says Jeff Yeager, author of The Cheapskate Next Door.

Get rid of your stuff. That Ikea couch from 1996 that’s been sitting in your basement? Sell it on Craigslist.org. Same goes for other unwanted furniture, baby gear, pianos — and an untold number of household items. Include photos of your wares in your postings so that potential buyers have an idea of their general appearance and condition. If Craigslist isn’t big in your neighborhood, try eBay. Depending on what you are selling, you could easily net enough to skip your weekly trip to the ATM.

[Spending Tips From Frugal Billionaires]

Bigger Payoff

Refinance your mortgage. Of the items on our list, this one probably requires the most time and energy. But it also has the biggest potential payoff. With interest rates at their lowest levels in decades, it’s a good time to refinance — if you can handle the headache of shopping around for the best deal and gathering all the necessary documents. The interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage for $417,000 or less is hovering around 4.5%, and the rate on a five-year adjustable loan is at about 3.8%, according to Freddie Mac. For deals, check with several lenders, including credit unions, local and community banks, and online mortgage brokers. The smaller players may have more attractive rates than the big national banks. Then, to determine whether it’s worth it, use a refinancing calculator. You could save several hundred dollars a month.

Unload your second (or third) car. If you have a car sitting in your driveway that you don’t use much, sell it and bank the bucks. Even if you don’t get a lot of cash for it, you’ll save money simply because you don’t own it anymore. The average car that is driven 15,000 miles annually costs nearly $8,500 a year to own, says AAA, once you add up taxes and fees, insurance, maintenance and repairs, depreciation, and gas. A car you don’t drive every day won’t save that much, but selling it will still put money back in your pocket. To see what you could get for your vehicle, go to car-research site Edmunds.com. Edmunds recently put the value of a 2005 Honda Civic EX at $9,500; a 2001 Infiniti I30 was $5,800. Then, place an ad on AutoTrader.com, Cars.com or eBay (you’ll pay at least $15) or post it free on Craigslist. Not up for doing it yourself? Take your car to any CarMax for an appraisal; you might not get your best offer, but you can sell it on the spot.

In Atlanta stores and nationwide, the giant retailer is putting electronic identification tags on clothing starting in August, in a move to gain more control of its inventory. But it’s raising red flags among privacy experts.

The clothing items, which also include underwear and socks, will have removable smart tags that can be read from a distance by Wal-Mart staff with scanners. In seconds, the worker will be able to know what sizes are missing and will also be able tell what is in the stock room. It allows store clerks to have the right sizes available when shoppers need them.

The tags work by reflecting a weak radio signal(Radio Frequency Identification – RFID) to locate the product. However, this tagging has generated privacy fears.

Wal-Mart officials said they are aware of privacy concerns but insist they are taking a “thoughtful and methodical approach. Wal-Mart says the label doesn’t collect customer information and it’s simply and inventory control measure.

The tags are supposed to be removable and not embedded into the items. You will soon start seeing in-store information about the tags at Wal-Mart.

http://mpartin.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/white-pink-black-geneva-watch.jpg

1. Change the font type

Change the default font (often Times New Roman or Arial) to a lighter font, such as Century Gothic that uses less ink. According to an Associated Press article on Yahoo.com, the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay is adopting Century Gothic as the font of choice as a major money-saving move. To change your default font on MS Word, go to Format >> Font, select your font, and save as “Default.”

2. Reduce the font size

Reduce the font size to 10 or less — as long as you and your audience can read text comfortably.

3. Use draft setting

Choose the “draft” or “econo” print setting that uses less ink (making the overall print lighter.

4. Use copy services

Take major print jobs to the copy center at your office or nearby office supply store, where you can get cheap prints for significantly less per page than standard inkjet printing.

5. Get refills instead of buying new

Getting refills cost less than buying new. Be on alert for ink refill days at Walgreens.  They will refill cartridges for $1 with a coupon — check your weekly ad circular for the coupon.

6. DIY refills

DIY refills are available from your favorite warehouse club or eBay.  This approach can be messy but cost saving.

7. Recycle cartridges

Recycle cartridges by selling them to companies that buy used cartridges, selling them on eBay, or getting credit at Staples, putting money in your pocket or saving on future purchases. (Staples no longer gives immediate credit but rather gives credit through its rewards program.)

8. Buy remanufactured

Years ago, I tried and then stopped using this approach because my prints were essential components of a finished product and needed to be perfect; remanufactured cartridges dispensed uneven prints, hardly detectable to many but not acceptable quality-wise for me. So test this idea for quality, and make sure you are getting as many prints per cartridge as other options.

9. Use it up

Keep printing on nearly-empty cartridges until there is absolutely no ink left. And, instead of replacing cartridges or refilling ink immediately, change the font color to a color for which the cartridge still has ink (you won’t technically save on ink but you’ll delay spending).

10. Don’t print

Use the Document Image Writer or a similar device to create electronic files of receipts rather than printing hard copies. Scan, rather than copy documents. Use a program like CutePDF to create PDF files instead of printing for your records.

11. Print selectively

Print only the information you need by using PrintWhatYouLike or software programs such as GreenPrint or EcoPrint2 as recommended by Nora as an eco-friendly way to save money at the office. Or, you can adjust print settings yourself or copy only the information that you need to a blank document, make adjustments (remove photos and extra lines), and specify print ranges to make sure that you print just what you need and no more.

Another idea: spend more on your printer, less on ink. Some printers may have more economical print settings, wasting less ink than cheaper models. Check prices of printers and ink refills before you buy.

Below is a fact sheet on whether you should use cash, credit or debit cards when shopping.

1. Loss Limits – Like credit cards, federal law limits your liability for fraudulent transactions on a debit card to $50. But that’s only if you notify your financial institution within two days of discovering the theft. If you’re a space cadet and don’t check your bank statements for a couple of months, you could lose everything.

2. Pay Now / Reimburse Later - If someone has fraudulently used your credit card, you don’t have to pay the charge. But when somebody has fraudulently used your debit card, the money comes directly out of your account in real time. That means you’re out the money while the bank does a leisurely examination of their records to investigate your fraud claim. Many consumers complaining to Privacy Rights Clearing House said they lost access to their funds for several weeks. In the meantime, they were caught short and unable to pay their bills.

3. Merchant Disputes – The same problem affects merchant disputes. If you pay with a credit card when ordering something online, and that product comes damaged, broken or not at all, you can dispute the charge and stop payment with your credit card. If you used your debit card, the charge is paid when you made the order. By the time you find out the goods weren’t what was advertised, the merchant has your cash and you’re in the unenviable position of having to fight to get your money back.

4. Phantom Charges – If you use a credit card at a hotel, the hotel takes an imprint when you check in, but doesn’t charge your card until you check out. It’s a far different story with a debit card. Generally, hotels will put a “hold” on funds in your account for more than you’re spending. Yes, more. They hold the full amount of your stay, plus an estimated amount for “incidentals,” such as meals at the hotel restaurant and dipping into the mini-bar. This is not an actual charge–the hold will come off your account at the end of your stay. But it affects the available balance in your checking account anyway and can lead to overdrafts. One consumer said these phantom charges cost him $140 in overdraft fees. These “holds” are commonly placed on debit card transactions made at hotels, gas stations and rental car companies.

5. Overdrafts, Overdrafts & More Overdrafts – Overdraft charges have been soaring in recent years and the vast majority of consumers who pay them explain that their overdraft was the result of a debit card transaction. Many consumers naively assumed that if they didn’t have sufficient funds in their accounts, their bank wouldn’t approve a debit swipe. But they were wrong. The result: a $4 coffee could trigger a $35 overdraft fee. Government regulators are reigning in these fees by demanding that banks give consumers a chance to “opt out” of automatic overdraft protection, but that doesn’t start for existing accounts until August. (If you have a new account, it’s starts in July.)

6. Skimming - Financial crooks have gotten sophisticated in recent years and are using “skimming” machines to read your card data and charge your account, Givens said. When your debit card is skimmed, your bank account can be drained before you know that you’ve been had.

1. Create a cover page for the business plan. Include all contact information for yourself and the business, such as your name, address, business telephone number and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of all other owners or business partners.

2. Create an executive summary page. Write the summary last, but include a header in the document so that you can return to this step later. The summary is the most important element of the document because it provides the reader with a summary of your objectives. For instance, if you are requesting a loan, the summary specifies your financial needs, how money from the loan will be used and how the loan will be repaid. Since your objectives will change over the writing and planning process, it is easier to write the summary last. Writing the summary after the other elements have been completed also yields a more effective result.

3. Create a table of contents to help guide the reader through the business plan. List section headings and page numbers. Revise the table of contents throughout the planning process.

4. Describe the business as specifically as possible. Write about the goals of the company, the legal structure, the status and historical context of the company. You may elaborate on the origin of the business concept or how you came up with the idea for the product or service. Explain why the business will succeed.

5. Provide a market analysis when formatting the business plan. Describe the scope of the industry and any expected growth. Identify priority markets and trends. Profile your customer using demographics, such as age, education and income or by corporate profile. Define legal issues. Highlight recent research. Describe the competition in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

6. Include a marketing strategy as part of the business plan. Address the details of distribution, advertising, specific sales strategies, customer service and plans for assessing marketing effectiveness.

7. Explain business operational procedures as part of the business plan format. Start a new section or subsection of the business overview. Use a heading that describes the contents of this section of the business overview, such as “Operational Procedures,” “Operating Procedures” or simply “Operations.” Outline the steps involved in the production process or delivery of service. Specify the requirements for facilities, equipment necessary and the sources of these supplies. List key members of personnel; summarize the qualifications of each person in one or two paragraphs.

8. Include a loan application, a summary of financial requirements and a loan fund dispersal statement (sources and uses of funds).

9. Include a cash flow statement, 3-year projection, a break-even analysis, quarterly budget analysis, a profit-and-loss statement, a balance sheet and a financial statement analysis ratio summary.

Add Appendices to the Business Plan

1. Include resumes of members of management.

2. Add published media, contracts, agreements and letters of reference.

3. Add any additional documents to support the business plan.

4. Keep the addition of supporting documents to about 20 pages.

Inside your home, use patriotic throw pillows on your couches and chairs. You can make a few slip covers for your pillows with pillow cases trimmed in patriotic fringe or ribbons. Add on an American flag iron on patch or decal. You can use small cloth flags removed from the sticks, and glue or stitch them on pillows or lamp shades. Use the same small flags with the poles attached and put them in a plant or flower arrangement. Add some red, white and blue balloons if you like.

If you have a patriotic quilt or blanket, use it as a throw for the couch or hang it on a spare wall. Hit some of the Atlanta area antique stores and look for vintage American décor, such as a wooden Uncle Sam stand, World War II-era items or other patriotic flare.

Make a flowered centerpiece with bold red, white and blue flowers, streamers and flags. Design a table cloth by using a large white cover, accented with bright blue and red ribbons either glued or tacked on. 

After your festive gathering, you’re ready to head out to one of the many Memorial Day events in Atlanta.