Fill it out! – The second you get that ticket in your possession you need to turn it over and you will see there is a place to sign it, to fill in your social security number, and address etc. Fill this out right away.

Preparation – Once you’ve won it’s different, now you’re in this whole dizzy stage of oh my God I have this money! You need to prep your mind in case you win, before the drawing or winning numbers are announced you need to make decisions such as what would you do right now if you won? Would you take the money yearly or lump sum? how would you do it? You need to have these answers so when you’re in the excitement of winning you don’t lose focus. Also get professional advisers in place such as financial advisers and a lawyer.

Large Sums of Money! – The only benefit of the annual payout is that you learn how to handle large sums of money. The big surprise is the emotional burden that it can create when a lot of money comes into your possession, many think it won’t be that way but human nature never fails. We always think that only if I had this much money but money alone will never make you happy but lack of money can make you miserable.

Winning the lottery is the dream of many individuals but the odds are not good and can be a costly to play. If you would like an easy and free way to make money then visit our homepage to find out how to make extra money.

You can still take out a Parent-Plus loan to help carry the costs, this is a Federal Loan that has a fixed rate of just under 8% and with 4% in fees. The loan is also eligible for the student loan interest deduction which allows you to deduct up to $2,500 a year on your taxes. Private student loans are another option, even though they are usually borrowed by the student, most require a credit worthy cosigner such as a parent and you’re equally obligated to repay that debt that means late payments will be reported on your credit history too.

The other option is a Home Equity Loan or Home Equity Line of Credit, and they may be an option if you have equity in your home. Now home loans may offer interest rates that are competitive with private student loans. But you also need to consider whether there are other ways to saving on college costs such as enrolling in an in-state public college, buying used text books, or taking fewer trips home from school. The bottom line your children’s college debt at the end of their graduation should be less than their starting salary.

Lighting – Did you know that light bulbs also act as a space heater? 95% of energy is wasted as heat, the average American family spends 25% of it’s annual energy bill on lighting in part because the AC is running to cool off the heat coming from the lights which doesn’t make much sense. The solution for this is L.E.D.s or Light Emitting Diodes which use 10 times less energy than incandescents and run 3 times cooler. The savings over 6 years in one home assuming 25 bulbs in the house is $2000.

Entertainment Center Smart Strip – Fact, American cable set top boxes consumed as much electricity last year as all the homes in the entire state of Maryland combined. Now if you want to save some energy you need to plug your TV into the master outlet of a smart strip, turn off the TV at night and before your vacation, and you also switch off all the devices plugged into the same strip. This can give you up to 77% power savings annually.

Insulation – Finally remember heat, up to 40% of heat is lost due to poor insulation. Turns out many state and local utilities huge rebates towards home insulation projects, up to $1,500. This will get you paid for saving money!

1) Buy in Bulk – You can absolutely save up to 50% on pet food by buying in bulk. You should always get quality food and have a relationship with your vet as they will tell you the best food to get for your pet.

2) Walk your own Dog – Why pay a dog walker when you can walk your own dog? This will also help you get exercise and build your relationship with your dog while saving money. If you work then just simply wake up a little earlier or when you get home at night walk your dog.

3) Toys – You don’t have to buy fancy toys for your pets just make your own, simply use an old sock and put a treat inside and your dog will love it. Just be creative, you can also use an old boot as a toy and also tie up the laces to form a toy for your dog.

4) Clothing – Once again there is no need to spend money on clothing for a dog when you can use an old t-short or old garment and fit it on your dog. Also for a raincoat you can use a garbage bag instead.

5) Cleaning & Grooming – Instead of paying a $100 to get your dog cleaned and groomed every month, go to your local Petco or Petland and get an inexpensive pet shampoo and give your dog a bath yourself. Also clean your dog’s paws every times they enter your home so it saves your carpet from stains and cleaning.

6) Getting a Pet – There are so many dogs in shelters that are up for adoption. So why spend all that money on getting a dog, by adopting you will be saving money and helping the shelter.

Imagine – Think about all the possibilities, you want to start with something that you are not just passionate about but also passionate about making the business work. You must be committed to growing your business, think about how it fits into your life. Be open to opportunities, take your idea and think about it in every way possible, could it become a website or a brick and mortar, that way when opportunity comes knocking you’re ready for it.

Research – Part of your research should be finding a mentor, Score.org is a great place to get small business advice. Also start local, go to your local chamber of commerce and community colleges, you want to talk to people and get feedback. Network with other business owners to get tips and advice

Planning – You of course need a business plan, there are a lot of free business planning help online. Your plan must include your strategies, sales and marketing, and your day to day costs. Also factor in what you’re going to pay yourself.

Financing – Most small business owners get money from friends and family, you will not get much success from venture capitalists. There are a lot of micro financing and funding for small businesses from the SBA.

Freecycle – Freecycle.org is a website that hooks up people that are giving away stuff with people that want it.

Craigslist – Craigslist.org is also a great site for free stuff, just click on the free stuff tab under the for sale section and you will see tons of posts everyday about people giving away free stuff.

The fact is there are tons of places to get free stuff these days, here are a few more ideas.

Free Samples – A lot of companies are now giving away free samples and there are many websites that can hook you up with these deals. But before you jump right in you should create a separate email account so your personal email account doesn’t get flooded with spam.

Free Rebates – Before you go shopping do your research and look for products that have free rebate offers where you get cash back after purchasing the product. You can check FatWallet.com for rebates and coupons.

Free Rewards – You can get free frequent flyer miles and money by using the right credit card but before careful not to overspend while trying to collect those reward points.

House Party – You can also get free stuff by agreeing to have a house party, you introduce your friends to new products and you get a basket of free goodies. Visit Houseparty.com to find out more…

So there you have it, some great tips on how to get things free, this can save you money and get you something you wanted absolutely free.

Why the Rise in the Price of Gold?

Gold is like this universal currency, it’s good everywhere not just like the dollar here, it can be accepted in every country around the world.  When people are afraid they think inflation and other economic woes which prompts them to invest in something they think is solid, secure, or a sure thing. So when you see gold prices going up it means people are afraid.

If you look at the one year history of gold prices in August 2010 and now in August 2011 it is a significant jump in value. So now is a good time to invest in gold, If you’re not old and don’t need income from your portfolio, you should have a little gold in your investment portfolio, about 5% to 15% of gold in your portfolio. Don’t forget this will not kick off any income for you, it’s more of a long term investment, you have to have to time to hold it and don’t go hog wild in buying either.

What about pieces of Gold you have around the House?

If you have bracelets, necklaces, and other gold jewelry you are looking to sell you have to be careful. Some people think that I have a gold jewelry that weighs an ounce, that is $1,900! But gold isn’t sold like that, remember if you have a 14kt gold bracelet it’s only comprised of 58.5% gold, likewise 18kt is 75% and 24kt is 100%. You also want to get your gold jewelry appraised by different persons before you decide you decide to sell, this will give you a good idea of what you can expect to get for your gold.

Things are not going to be getting better anytime soon, so we all need to prepare financially by saving and by earning more money. It may seem very hard to do this but a little goes a long way. If you budget yourself and find ways to bring in additional income you can survive these tough economic times. You can try to get a part time job or work extra hours at your job but that can be very tiring and leave no time for family and yourself.

The ideal way of getting extra money would be if you can get a work at home job, or a way to earn money online in your spare time. You can be at home or anywhere there is an Internet connection and work at your leisure. Well there are such opportunities available, The Online Business System is a great way to make money online from home! They are trusted and used by many and you could start today. Why not take matters into your own hands and start bringing in the money you need to survive the recession.

1) Travel Midweek – With Airfares the best way to save a significant amount of money is to travel midweek. Travel from a Tuesday to a Tuesday or Wednesday to a Wednesday and you can save 5 to 25% doing this. Of course not everyone wants to travel midweek, so you can also look for discount coupons online at sites like airfarewatchdog.com

2) Prepay Hotel – You can save more by paying for your hotel costs in advanced rather than making a reservation and paying when you checkout, up to 10 to 15% savings.

3) Drive Smart – If you’re going to be driving, a good way to save gas is to not drive aggressively, if you don’t speed and keep your car well maintained it can help you save money on gas.

4) Food Coupons – Eating out can be costly, but you can save money on dining out by using coupons. Because of the recession many upscale restaurants have started to offer coupons and discounts, visit sites like coupons.com, restaurants.com, and groupon for restaurant deals and discounts.

5) Childcare – Many of us send our kids off to summer camps or sleep away camps for the summer and this can cost quite a bit. A great way to knock down this cost is to apply for childcare tax credit which the IRS gives up to 20 to 35% back on the cost of the camp. Also look for less costly camps, check with local town camps, YMCAs, and boy scouts girl scouts.

6) Air conditioning – If you upgrade your air conditioning with an energy efficient system you can save on electricity and you can also get a $300 tax credit for having an energy efficient system. Before you buy visit energystar.gov and look on there to see of what you’re going to buy meets their standards. With an energy efficient system you will also save money in the long term.

First the pizza delivery person, according to the consumerist you should tip between $2 and $5 depending on distance but find out if the tip was included in the price first and if there is a service fee not shared with the driver. If you’re getting a cup of coffee from a mom and pop cafe a $1 per drink is fine. For take out food is 10% of the total bill.

Having furniture delivered $5 is fine unless there is a lot of extra setup required then you may want to add a little bit more. Need a ride? customary tip for a taxi is 10% to 15%, if your driver helps with heavy bags go for 20%. When it comes to housekeeping services at a hotel $1 to $5 is perfectly fine and it’s better to leave the tip in a marked envelope.  And what about your tattoo artist? you should tip them 10% to 20%.

Bottom line is the holidays are not the only time you should tip for a job well done and even if you don’t have a lot of money a smile, a handshake, and even a thanks goes a long way.