Save money by using Offermatic

Offermatic is a savings program kinda of like your grocery store card. It scans your credit card transactions to see which stores you purchase at. It will then offer discounts at your favorite stores.

For example i got $5 off $30 at amazon.com and $5 off $30 at Kohls. You get points by your transactions and you can use the points for a gift card at your favorite store.

Use the link below to save your self some $.

http://www.offermatic.com/refer/10705

$10 Target E-Giftcard for $2

Using a special promotion Dealpulp has you can get a Target E Giftcard worth $10 for $2. Dealpulp is another deal site like Groupon and LivingSocial.

Use the code below to get your $10 Target E Giftcard for $2:
http://dealpulp.com/i/yay866fv

Using a FSA to Save on Health and Childcare Costs

FSA plans are a great way to save money if your health care or childcare costs are through the roof. Up to $5,000 a year can be set aside for your FSA, the amount set aside is pretax which will allow you to save more money.

For example if you made $30,000 a year and your taxed at 32%, if you put $5,000 in your FSA you would save $1,600 a year from your FSA.

Your FSA deferral can be using towards childcare, health care costs, and dependent care costs.

PS3 160gb for $295 Plus Amazon $50 Credit

This is an unbelievable deal, The $50 promotional credit is like cash since you can use it on anything at Amazon. I buy from Amazon often since its the low price leader with free shipping and no tax.

Amazon is also great to do research to see if a product is good or bad since there are tons of customer reviews.

Free Textbook Rentals for first 100,000 @ Neebo

Neebo a new online textbook rental website is allowing the first 100,000 customers a free textbook rental. The fine print says you just be a fan of Neebo on Facebook. Shipping is not free but its a lot cheaper than renting your textbook from another site.

Shipping Rates:
Ground (3-7 business days): $7.99
2nd day (1-2 business days): $13.75
Next day (1 business day): $20.75

http://www.neebo.com

They have a pretty good selection and you can't beat the price.

24 Hour Fitness 14 Day Pass

For those of us who's new years resolution is to lose weight 24 hours has a free 14 day pass. This pass is good for people who are new or have not been a member for 6 months or more.

https://www.24hourfitness.com/PromoOfferHome.do?promoCode=AFFIL14DAY

The passes they usually give out are 7 days, so this is great for trying them out.

Free Redbox Rental

Another free Redbox code, the code be used once per a card. The promo code is BREAKROOM.

Mortgages to Pay Off or Not?

Mortgage rates have been rising recently to about 5%. The lowest mortgage rate for 2010 was at 4.30%. I was able to refinance at 4.5%, pretty close to the low of 4.30%. My original mortgage rate was at 5.25% for 30 years, the refinance saved me about $200 each month..not bad.

I thought about selling some of my stocks and cashing out CD's to pay off my mortgage. I realized that it was a good decision to leave my money in the stock market. The stock market run has been nice with returns of about 15% for 2010 v.s. 4.5% by paying off my mortgage.

One thing to note about paying off your mortgage is that your actual mortgage rate is lower since you can deduct your mortgage interest on your tax return. So for example if your mortgage rate is 5% your actual mortgage rate is 4% because of your tax deduction.

The market isn't always going to guarantee a 15% or even a 10% return but it not very hard to make a 4% return.

Free Redbox Movie Rental

So I just came back from Ralphs and saw they have a promotion flier near the ads. You can rent a DVD for free from Redbox with the code DVDONME. I tried it and it worked flawlessly.

I rented two movies with 2 different credit cards. The code is valid one time with a credit card.

Promo Code: DVDONME

Happy Saving!

Free Blockbuster Rental Expires 1/10

Blockbuster is offering a free rental of a DVD.

Enter Code: SHTZFR1

To find your nearest location: http://www.blockbusterexpress.com/

Happy Savings!

Free Tax Prepration and E-Filing for Federal

Tax season is just around the corner, I have been looking into free preparation and e filing for Federal Taxes. The main reason I use E-Filing is E-Filing helps save on ink, paper and postage.

Below are free online preparation and e-filing sites you can use:

IRS: http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html?portlet=8
-Your income must be less than $58,000 in 2010
or
-They have blank forms you can fill online with basic calculations with no income limits.

TaxAct Federal: http://www.taxact.com/taxes-online/free-online-tax.asp

H&R Block Federal: http://www.hrblock.com/

TurboTax: http://turbotax.intuit.com/person...dition.jsp
(Turbo Tax free does not include Schedules C,D,E,F)

Happy Saving!

Twitter!

We are now on Twitter! Follow us @ http://www.twitter.com/savingwisely.

Get Rid of Bottled Water

Bottled water is expensive and is bad for the environment. I recently read an article that provide the grade of the quality of water that major bottle water companies provide.

How does your bottled water brand stack up? Here's a look at the 10 top-selling* U.S. brands:

1. Pure Life Purified Water (Nestle), EWG grade = B

2. Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = C

3. Aquafina Purified Drinking Water (Pepsi), EWG grade = D

4. Dasani Purified Water (Coca-Cola), EWG grade = D

5. Deer Park Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D

6. Ice Mountain Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D

7. Ozarka Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D

8. Poland Spring Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D

9. Zephyrhills Natural Spring Water (Nestle), EWG grade = D

10. Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine Spring Water (CG Roxane), EWG grade = F

Installing an under the sink water filtration unit will save you a lot of money. They are quick and easy to install and get an A grade by EWG (Environmental Working Group).

Getting a Free Credit Score

If your in the market to buy a car or house then its crucial that you know your credit score and try to improve it as much as possible before you make your purchase.

For example my roommate who did not establish any credit at all was hit with a 20% interest rate for his car. That is more than double the average car loan rate. With a higher interest rate when buying a house you will be paying thousands more over 30 or 15 years.

Credit Karma gives free credit scores that are very accurate. You able to track your credit score and it will give you advice on how to improve your credit score.

http://www.creditkarma.com

Money Hack: Save Money on Directv

DirecTV is smart about luring customers in for a 2 year agreement. The first year they discount packages as low as $29.99 + box rentals and HD, however after a year your base package discount skyrockets to about $78 and you are locked in for another year.

I used this tactic to save myself $220.

1. Call Directv and say you would like to cancel service
2. Tell them you are unable to afford your service based on the economy.
3. They will try to keep you by offering you credit usually its $100 or more depending on who you get and how hard you try to bargain.

By using this tactic you are able to save at least $100.

Happy Saving!

For Retirement Getting Taxed Now is Best

If you live in the United States you can see the turmoil the real estate crisis has caused. We are now in a recession with 9% unemployment and increasing costs for oil and natural resources.

The US budget deficit is over $14 trillion as of Dec 2010. Health care costs are skyrocketing even if insurance is provided by your employer. It is inevitable that we will face increasing taxes.

The solution to put your retirement $ in a non taxable account such as a Roth IRA or a Roth 401k. If your employer has a Roth 401k I envy you since mine does not have one yet.

The huge advantage is when you retire you will know exactly how much money you will get rather than guessing and paying a high tax rate in the future.

Using Sites to Save Money

I been using sites to save money for over 10 years. These sites compile some of the best deals so you don't have to do all the leg work looking at ads. I am able to save a considerable amount each year. It allows me to save time and quickly scan through and create alerts on what is on sale.

These sites also have different forums hot deals, coupons, freebies and finance. They are a good source of information to help you save for an overall strategy.

I recommend two sites:
1. Fatwallet - http://www.fatwallet.com
2. Slickdeals.net - http://www.slickdeals.net

Some of the deals I was able to get include TV's, clothing, housewares, credit card offers, food discounts, computers, console systems, games, electronics, and hotels/travel.

Funding a 401k for Free Money!

Many of us have a 9-5 job which allows us to participate in a 401k plan. What many people do not know is that you can actually get free money from your employer by participating in your company 401k plan.

Participating in a 401k plan is a good way to reduce your taxes and build a nest egg for retirement. Typical 401k plans have a company match usually the first 6% of your salary for 50 cents per a dollar you contribute For example if you make $50,000 a year you would get $1,500 in free money a year if you put in $3,000 of your own money.

One thing before leaving a company is to make sure the vesting period for the free money your received is yours completely. Some companies may have a 1 year vesting period others may have a 3 year vesting period.

Happy Saving!

1st Post!

Welcome to my financial blog for documentation and sharing my financial triumphs and failures. I will write about my experiences and how I manage my money as well as educational sections and tips that I use to help save and grow money.

I been working for 6 years now in I.T. and will openly share the details of my financial adventures.

Being 30 years old I have a networth of about 500k, below is a break down of my assets: