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Georgia’s Tax Free Week: July 30-Aug. 2, 2009
Applies to:
-Clothing under $100 per item
-Computers/computer equipment under $1500
-School supplies under $20 per item
Georgia has a separate tax free week for the purchase of energy efficient appliances (priced under $1500) for October 1-4, 2009.
Summer green beans are here! Perhaps other beans, too, so substitute any of the three beans with what you can get on sale or from your garden…or the neighbors’. Canned garbanzos, pintos or black beans are fine, too, in this beautiful and delicious summer salad that works as a side dish or protein-filled vegetarian entrée. Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a light, whole grain with plenty of protein by itself. It’s inexpensive and easy to prepare. Once you try it, you’ll invite it back to your table again and again.
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces, cooked and rinsed in cold water
1 1/2 cups frozen Shelled Edamame, thawed
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1 (15-ounce) can 365 Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Italian Dressing (or mix oil and vinegar with some seasoning)
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Method
Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Stir quinoa and a pinch of salt into water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Put cooled quinoa, green beans, edamame, peppers, kidney beans, dressing, tarragon, salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Find more great recipes at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes
Volunteers from the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign are hosting “Super Tax Day” on Wednesday, February 4th from 9-5. All earning less than $42,000 in 2008 are eligible to have their taxes done free of charge, and volunteers will be preparing tax returns in the Georgian Bank Room at the Mansour Center on this date
Tax assistance will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. Questions should be directed to the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign at (404) 614-1000 or www.atlantaprosperity.org.
The Mansour Center is located at :
995 Roswell Street, NE
Marietta, GA 30060
(770) 701-0315
www.MansourCenter.com
by Jessica Dickler
In tough times, consumers are looking to stretch their dollars further. Here are six simple ways to save thousands.
1. Strategic Shopping
Potential annual savings: $5,200
Stephanie Nelson, founder of couponmom.com, a site that tracks deals at your local grocery store, says that shoppers can save an average of $50 to $100 a week on their groceries if they spend about 30 minutes once a week planning out their supermarket trip. Coupons can be found in newspaper circulars and on online coupon sharing sites like coupons.com, but grocery stores like Safeway and Pathmark often have coupons on their sites. There are also coupons available direct from manufacturers. For example, SC Johnson offers printable coupons on its Web site for $2 off Windex and other popular household products. “People can save 50% on their grocery bill by using the store’s sales, putting coupons on top of that and going to the Web for additional online coupons,” Nelson said.
2. Skip Starbucks
Potential annual savings: $2,425
David Bach, the author of Go Green, Live Rich, contends that it is easy to save a few thousand dollars a year and cut down on waste simply by eliminating that morning coffee and a muffin. That’s what he calls the “latte factor,” and you’d be surprised how quickly that $5 breakfast-on-the-go every morning adds up.
The same goes for lunch. The average American worker who buys lunch during the workweek spends $6.60 a day, according to a recent “Brown Bag” survey by ConAgra. And they are eating up a substantial savings opportunity. Buying enough ingredients to pack a lunch from home just three days a week can save about $600 a year.
3. Upgrade Your Appliances
Potential annual savings: $150
While we’re on the eco-friendly bandwagon, using compact fluorescent light bulbs saves about $30 in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime.
But to really impact your bottom line, consider upgrading an old appliance like a refrigerator or dishwasher. Newer energy efficient appliances can save $50 to $150 a year in energy costs, according to Energy Star.
4. Go Generic
Potential annual savings: $161.20
Generic brands of food and drugs can cost 20% to 50% less than the name brand and you’re not likely to tell the difference. “Don’t be afraid to try a cheaper brand,” advises ShopSmart deputy editor Sue Perry.
For example, just buying the store’s own brand of butter instead of Land O’Lakes can save about 25%. If you switch to your supermarket’s generic brand of milk as well, that will translate into about $3 a week in savings, and that does a wallet good.
5. Pay an Extra $1 On Your Credit Cards
Potential annual savings: $203.25
Everyone knows that carrying a credit card balance can be costly. But if paying off that balance isn’t in the cards, even the smallest change can pay huge dividends. Instead of buying a soda from the vending machine, Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com, recommends putting that dollar toward your credit card balance.
For example, if you typically pay $100 a month on a $5,000 balance with a 14% APR, try upping that payment by just a dollar a day. By paying an extra $30 a month, you’ll pay off your balance in 52 months rather than 76 months, or cut your payments by two years. And you’ll save $874 in interest payments over that time.
6. Sitter Sharing
Potential annual savings: $780
Sheila Lirio Marcelo, CEO of Care.com, which helps families find local caregivers, suggests teaming up with neighboring parents to share one babysitter.
Although most providers pro-rate their fees according to the number of children they are watching, families that pool together can still save between 20% to 50% off the cost of childcare while they enjoy their weekly date night.
Recipes for Financial Fitness is a wonderful new toolkit for anyone who wants to learn or teach about financial matters. Over 100 recipes for success – developed with guidance from Habitat staff and partner families – cover these important topics:
- Credit, Credit Scores and Credit Problems
- Controlling Spending and Saving
- Owning a Home
- Finding a Good Job
- Protect My Money and Identity
- Getting an Education
The Recipe for Financial Fitness Toolkit allows anyone who faces financial challenges to immediately find useful information and practical advice.
For someone who wants to learn or teach about a specific topic, the recipes are organized into lessons that include interactive worksheets, quizzes and links to online resources. For maximum benefit, the program can be taken as a self-help course, beginning with a full assessment of your family’s understanding of finances. Then each recipe can be engaged in order as you use the work sheets used to track progress toward meeting your goals.
The Recipes for Financial Fitness Toolkit is made possible through a generous donation from, and in collaboration with, the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE). HFHI and NEFE have partnered for over a dozen years to provide Habitat families with the tools they need to become financially secure.
Launch the Recipes for Financial Fitness Toolkit
As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills — and your comfort.
Furnace filters cost very little, and are usually sold in quantity packs to save you even further. Replacing filters once a month – especially in the the cold winter months and hot summer months – improves the furnace’s efficiency, helps it last much longer, and provides health benefits as well.
A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system — leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure.
A furnace that does not work efficiently, will cost you more money in energy.
To know what you need for size, pull out the old filter, they are usually located for easy access on the furnace. The size will be marked on it, be careful to note the full dimensions, as even thickness is important. Filters are available from hardware, grocery, and discount stores.
We’re most familiar with olive oil in relation to cooking, but there’s so many other ways it can be used; often avoiding the need to use chemicals, compounds and substances that aren’t very environmentally friendly. For these tips, you don’t need to use the best grade of olive oil.
- After polishing copper or brass, rub it with a little olive oil to slow down the reocurrence of tarnish
- Can be used as a stainless steel cleaner; apply sparingly
- Rub olive oil into wooden cutting boards to help prevent cracking, repel staining and marking
- Remove paint from hair or skin by dabbing a cotton ball dipped in olive to the affected area Read the rest of this entry »
Between now and August 9, all floor care items and appliances are an additional 20% off at the Home Depot Clearance Center.
Home Depot Clearance Center
3999 Austell Rd.
Austell, GA 30106
(770)941-9600
Forget store-bought cleaners! Save a buck and the environment, too, with these earth-friendly solutions from DIY:
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/pac_ctnt_988_leader/text/0,,DIY_26336_68432,00.html
Looking for appliances, lights, tile, tools, porch furniture, area rugs etc? It’s worth checking out the Home Depot Clearance Center in Austell. Some of the items are scratch and dent, some discontinued, but everything is heavily discounted (some way below cost) and you’re sure to find a bargain.
Home Depot Clearance Center
3999 Austell Rd-Ste 101
Austell, GA 30106
(770)941-9600
When you don’t have much money or the money you have never seems to last, you’re constantly backing yourself into financial corners. Instead of gradually building your wealth over time, you tread water or go under.
- In the past, you might have been able to count on raises at work and a gradually improving standard of living to bail you out. But those doors are closing for many because:Incomes aren’t growing the way they used to. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, median incomes are below where they were in 1999, the Census Bureau tells us.
- Inflation and health care costs chew up a bigger part of what we earn.
- More people experience wider swings in their income.
A swing upward is great, but not if you base your spending on getting overtime at work and then your hours are suddenly cut or your job is eliminated.
It’s setbacks like those that, when you’re already struggling financially, can easily send you over the edge into bankruptcy. Read about what those traps are and how to avoid them at: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBudget/7SurefireWaysToStayPoor.aspx?page=2
The Center for Family Resources is offering a Legal Aid Workshop “Being An Informed Tenant, How to prevent evictions and disputes with your landlord, and how to handle problems when they occur.”
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Thursday, July 10 from 6:30pm – 8:00pm
They are also offering, “Financial Management,” a one-on-one/group session designed to provide financialmanagement tips, how to make the most of what you have, and how to save money.
Sessions: Every Thursday, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free childcare! To register contact Dianne Chiarella at 770.428.2601 x 247 or DianneChiarella@TheCFR.org
Center for Family Resources
995 Roswell Street NE
Suite 100
Marietta, GA 30060
http://www.thecfr.org/class_schedules.htm
Many scam artists are scheming new ways to get your economic stimulus payment from you…by any means necessary. Be on the look out for these schemes or anything that seems unusual.
- You don’t have to pay a fee to get your stimulus payment or to receive your payment faster. There are individuals who claim they can speed up your payment—for a fee. Some will even ask you to sign away your benefit to them. This is a scam. No one can speed up your payment.
- If someone claiming to be from the IRS calls or emails you about the payments and asks you for a Social Security, bank account or credit card number, it is a scam. The scammers are trying to get your personal and financial information so they can empty your bank account, run up charges on your credit card or steal your identity.
- Do not give out personal information if you are contacted by phone or e-mail.
- Please keep in mind that only the IRS can send you an official letter regarding your tax situation. The IRS will NEVER do any of the following:
• NEVER call you and ask for Social Security Number or bank account information
• NEVER e-mail you and ask for Social Security Number or bank account information
• NEVER send a letter that tells you to respond by phone
• NEVER send a letter that tells you to respond via e-mail
• NEVER come to your home
To report IRS scams, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
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