You can give kids big money fun on a dollar store budget. As I discussed in a previous post, you can get lots of great deals by dollar store shopping.

If you have an event where kids need to be entertained and remain seated, create gift bags for them. You can find coloring books, markers, Crayons, and little games all for a $1 a piece, or sometimes less. Package the items in a paper bag for each child. You could even personalize and decorate the bags if you’ve got the time. Or better yet, challenge the children to decorate their own bags with the materials you’ve given them inside.

This next idea was something my mom came up with for a family 4^th of July party one year. She purchased toys at the dollar store, like bug catching kits and games. My parents happen to have a sand volleyball court, so she buried the toys in the sand and gave each child a plastic bucket, a shovel, and a “treasure map” to the items they had to find. If you don’t have sand nearby, you could still hide the items around your home and give the kids clues to find their prizes.

Look for sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Just give the kids access to some concrete, chalk and a bottle of bubbles each (so no one fights over them), and they can entertain themselves for quite a long time. I was able to find packages of bubbles that were 3 for $1 at my local Dollar Tree.

If you’re looking for entertainment and education, look for flashcards, puzzles and workbooks. I’ve found lots of great things like this at the Dollar Tree, too. They are great for teaching kids and keeping them busy.

The key is to be creative. You don’t have to spend tons of money to entertain children.

First, some of the easy ways to make the most of every gallon of gas:

·        Drive the speed limit. Speeding is one of the fastest ways to cause your miles per gallon to plummet. (And yes, there was a pun intended.)

·        Keep up with the routine maintenance of your vehicle.

·        Make sure your tires are properly, but not overly, inflated.

·        Eliminate any unnecessary weight in your car.

·        When traveling below 40 miles per hour, turn off your air conditioner and open your windows. When you’re traveling over 40, it’s actually more efficient to run your air because of the drag the open windows will cause at higher speeds.

There are some drivers who have taken fuel conservation to a whole new level. They are known as “hypermilers.”

I have been reading a ton of stuff lately about “hypermiling,” which is basically a driving practice that is supposed to lead to maximum fuel efficiency for your vehicle.

There are people out there who are hypermiling experts. Then there are a whole lot of people who have jumped on the bandwagon in the wake of high fuel prices.

Hypermiling involves going beyond the obvious things we can all do and starts to get into some other practices. I read some blogs about hypermiling and thought, “Some of these things sound really unsafe?”

And apparently I’m right … and sort of wrong.

It turns out that some drivers who don’t really understand the principles of hypermiling have started using some techniques — like drafting, driving excessively slow or turning off their engine — that are hazardous on the roadway.

Check out this article that details some of the dangers. The hypermiling web sites do not advocate some of these practices.

Driving too slow can be dangerous on busy highways. Drafting, aka tailgating, behind big trucks is not safe because it reduces your ability to see ahead of you and increases your chances of rear-ending the vehicle ahead of you. And turning off your vehicle means you lose all of the power to your car including steering and brakes.

It’s important to increase your fuel efficiency, but it’s even more important to stay safe.

If you’re interested in learning more about getting better fuel economy from your vehicle and being a safe driver visit:

www.hypermiling.com

www.cleanmpg.com

www.fueleconomy.gov

For a short time I rented a storage locker to house my possessions. The lease on one apartment was up. I was planning on moving out of the area and didn’t want to renew, so I temporarily moved back in with my parents. Once I got a new job and apartment I got my stuff and stopped paying for storage.

I had assumed this was how storage worked for most people. You’re in some sort of transition and need a temporary place to keep your essential possessions.

Apparently this isn’t always the case.

There are people out there who are paying for storage simply because they have so much “stuff” that they don’t know what to do with it all. I know one of these people. He’s in his 30s and hanging on to toys and art projects from elementary school — along with a ton of other stuff he’s collected over the years. Most of it could go to the Goodwill or the trash bin.

M.P. Dunleavy addresses this topic in her latest article. It’s interesting to look at some of the numbers she cites as far as how much the storage locker business has expanded in the past couple of decades. It seems apparent that many of us simply have too much stuff.

(I will admit that I have too much stuff, and I’m trying to reduce the amount of unnecessary things I’m cramming into my home. I’m also not spending money every month just to store my things, which is important to note in these tough economic times.)

Having too much isn’t the only reason people are turning to storage.

A while ago I wrote about people selling their possessions in order to pay the bills and put gas in their cars. Yet another trend is emerging from the subprime mortgage meltdown and all-around tougher financial times: Storage auctions.

The New York Times ran this story about the increasing frequency of auctions at storage facilities. The auctions are held by the facility after the unit’s renter is delinquent on his or her payments for a certain period of time.

Bidders get barely a glimpse into the storage unit before they place their bids. Only after someone wins the bid do they get to find out exactly what’s inside.

For people who put their items into storage after a foreclosure, I would imagine it would be particularly difficult to see what amounts to nearly all of your possessions auctioned off, often for a minimal price.

Some people have even been found illegally living in their self-storage units after losing their homes.

On the flip side, some people are turning another’s misfortune into profit. Many bidders wade through their new items and resell them at flea markets or on online auction sites.

Do you pay every month to store “stuff?” What do you think about self-storage auctions? Have you ever attended this type of an auction? Have you ever had your possessions sold?

Shelters across the country are overflowing with pets that were either: a) abandoned and left on their own when their owners lost their homes; b) given to the shelters by owners who lost their homes; c) given to shelters by people who simply can’t afford to care for them anymore.

Many people who must move are left trying to decide what to do with their pets. USA Today wrote about this problem.

Some pet owners are apparently afraid putting their animals, especially older animals, in a shelter will lead to their being euthanized. Instead these well-intentioned, if not misguided, people are leaving their pets in abandoned houses with food and water, or they are turning their pets loose. The USA Today story explains the problems with these options, both of which end up being worse than a shelter.

These stories in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the New York Times also address the problem of homeless pets.

Some people simply can’t afford to care for their pets. Other people are renting homes or apartments and aren’t allowed to keep their furry friends.

Shelters are overflowing with pets. Many pets are being euthanized because shelters have too many animals to care for and no other option. Some of the stories of the pets, and their families, are heartbreaking. It’s bad enough that people have lost their homes, but then they have to give up pets that they regard as family members.

I’m asking myself what can be done about this situation.

If you are thinking getting a pet, first and foremost look at your budget and make sure you can afford it. Pets can be walking money pits. Make sure you not only have the financial resources for the initial costs and food every month, but also for any emergencies that may arise.

If you decide that you can comfortably afford a pet, consider adopting a pet from a shelter.

When I decided to get a cat several years ago I thought about getting a pure bred cat. Then I saw a Humane Society kitten that I couldn’t resist. He’s a little mischief-maker, but he’s a wonderful and entertaining member of our household. And I feel good knowing that I provided a home for an animal in need.

Check out shelters in your area and see if there’s a future member of your family just waiting for a home.

Oh, I should add one important note for anyone considering a pet … Please make sure that the pet you choose fits with your lifestyle. Too many pets also end up in shelters because someone purchased a particular breed of animal on a whim without researching what might fit in best with their family. Then when the dog is snappish or the cat scratches furniture, it ends up right back in the shelter.

This term immediately sent an image of little, red flags streaming across my brain. As I read the company’s web site, the images of red flags were accompanied by the screaming sound of warning bells.

This company promises to repair your credit for a fee, though they don’t disclose the amount of the fee on their web site. The company claims it can increase your credit score by 60 to 125 points within six months. They also claim that they can remove anything from your credit report including bankruptcies and charge-offs. Finally, they claim the only reason people don’t know about this is because the credit reporting bureaus don’t want you to know.

Here is a very important thing to understand about the claims this company and others like it make: THEY ARE NOT TRUE!!!

No one, absolutely no one, can remove legitimate items from your credit report.  If you have an account in charge-off status, it will remain on your credit report for seven years. If you settled an account, that will remain on your credit report for seven years. If you filed for bankruptcy it will remain on your credit report for 10 years. Period. End of story.

If a company claims it can make negative items disappear they are either not telling the truth or engaging in an illegal practice.

If you have negative items on your credit report that are a mistake, you can have them corrected on your own. If there are items that should be removed from your credit report because the statute of limitations has past, you can have those removed on your own. You don’t need to pay a third party to do it for you.

You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus each year. You can get this report by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com.

If you see any errors, there will be directions on the web site to guide you through the process to correct the errors. You can also write to the credit reporting bureau requesting the incorrect or expired information be removed.

The only way to increase your credit score is to pay your bills on time, develop a positive credit history and wait for legitimate negative items to drop from your credit report.

If you are still considering doing business with a company that offers credit repair, do your homework. Check the company on the Better Business Bureau’s web site. I found one law firm that claims to specialize in credit repair. A quick visit to www.bbb.org showed the firm had 293 complaints filed against it in the past 36 months.

In addition to the BBB, check with your state attorney general’s office and the Federal Trade Commission.  You can check out companies and look into the FTC operation known as “Operation No Credit” that is targeting agencies making fraudulent claims.

When it comes to matters of finance in general, make sure you know who you’re dealing with and that all terms and fees are disclosed up front.

If you would like even more information about the IRS’s position regarding credit repair and credit counseling agencies, click here.