Eleven Ways To Save Money Every Month

How to Save Money Every Month

1. Cut cell phone service down to minimum. Talk to your current provider about reducing your monthly minutes, or eliminating features you just don’t use that often. We recently asked our cell phone provider to tell us the average paid minutes we used over the last six months and discovered it was well below the next smallest plan from our current arrangement. Dropping plans shaved $20 a month off our cell phone bill.

2. Shop for cheaper car insurance using tools such as Ai insurance  (free quotes available). We saved quite a bit just by switching carriers. If you have a solid emergency fund in place to easily cover deductibles, it might make sense to increase those deductibles on your auto insurance policy.  Raising deductibles from $250 to $1,000 can save you a few hundred dollars on insurance–just be sure you can afford that $1,000 in the event something bad happens.

3. Consider dropping home telephone service. Just about the only people who call us these days are telemarketers. Most friends and family have cell phones and those that are “in network” can talk to us for free for an unlimited amount of time.  Even if you don’t cancel your home telephone service, you can probably save some by cutting back on extras like call waiting, caller ID, etc.  Since you are not using the land-line that much, you won’t miss the features.

4. Reduce the temperature setting on your hot water heater.  This one does require a little effort, especially if your water heater is in an out-of-the-way place.  Set the temperature to around 120 degrees.  You can count on about a 5 percent reduction on energy bills for each 10 degrees you drop the water.  While you are at it, consider a thermal blanket to insulate your water heater, particularly if it is stored in an uninsulated location that gets cold in the winter (garage, utility room, etc.).

5. Run your ceiling fans in the winter. I know, it sounds crazy. By changing the blade direction on your ceiling fan to create an updraft, you can help recycle heat throughout a drafty room. Most fan models have a switch on the base of the unit that allows you to change direction.

6. Use microwaves in the summer, and ovens in the winter.  During the dog days of summer, cranking up an oven can put an air conditioning system into overdrive.  However, in the winter the warmth of an oven can lessen the load of your heating system.  Your monthly utility bill will thank you.

7. Divide credit card payments in half.  If you are already paying $100 a month on your credit card, half the amount and schedule two payments with the first coming about half way through the billing cycle.  Since interest is calculated using the card’s average daily balance, you’ll be reducing that balance earlier in the month by paying a little bit of the balance off, instead of waiting the full month to make a single payment.

8. Switch to generic prescriptions. Talk to your health care provider about switching to generic prescriptions, and be sure to check out places like Walmart and other grocery store pharmacies that now offer 30-day supplies of many popular generic prescription medicines for only a few dollars a month.

9. Disconnect electronic devices when not in use.The easiest way to do this is to plug devices into a single power strip and then unplugging the power strip when the items are not in use.  Electronic items continue to pull small amounts of power continuously even when powered down (this phenomenon is often referred to as “vampire power,” probably because it is sucking the life out of your finances!

10. Improve your car’s gas mileage by replacing the air filter.  I know I said these would be effortless, but this one is so easy you can do it in less than five minutes.  Stop by a parts store and ask for a new air filter.  They will need to know your vehicle’s make, model, year and maybe the engine size (six-cylinder, eight-cylinder, etc.).  All this information should be listed in your owner’s manual, or on the inside of your driver’s side door panel.  Following the directions in your owner’s manual, which include locating the filter’s housing, removing a few screws, and swapping out filters, only take a few minutes of time.

11. Use a drying rack for heavy linens. If you aren’t up for hanging a clothesline (or your neighborhood frowns on their use), consider buying  a simple drying rack to hang heavy towels and jeans over.  When the clothes are nearly dry, toss them in the dryer for a couple minutes with a fabric softening pad to freshen them up a bit and remove most of the wrinkles.

10 Common Misconceptions Dispelled

Baby Ruth Candy Bars Actually Were Named After Babe Ruth

Myth: Baby Ruth candy bars weren’t named after Babe Ruth.

     The rumor that they were not was actually started by the company who made them originally, the Curtiss Candy Company, founded by Otto Schnering.  They claimed it was named after Ruth Cleveland, the granddaughter of President Grover Cleveland.  Ruth Cleveland supposedly visited their plant and, while there, inspired the name for the candy bar.

     There are a few problems with the official line, but the main problem is that Ruth Cleveland died in 1904 at the age of 12 years old, some 17 years before the Baby Ruth candy bar was created and about 15 years before the Curtiss Candy Company was created. Further, Grover Cleveland hadn’t been President for 24 years and had been dead for 13 years when the candy bar was named, so there doesn’t seem to be a good reason they’d have randomly picked his granddaughter to name a candy bar after and the official reason they give, which at least sounds plausible, is easily proved false.

     In the official story, the Curtiss Candy Company also went on to discuss the fact that Babe Ruth wasn’t even famous in 1921 when the candy bar was named, so why would they name it after some random baseball player?  Here’s another problem with the official story, Babe Ruth was incredibly famous by 1921.
In that year, Babe Ruth  hit 59 home runs, had a .378 batting average, and a .512 on base percentage.  The year before that, he had his breakout year with the Yankees hitting 54 home runs with a .376 batting average and a .533 on base percentage.  From 1919-1921, he hit an astounding  142 home runs and was well on his way to revolutionizing the game of baseball. This all resulted in Babe Ruth’s fame skyrocketing from what it had been only a few years before serving primarily as a pitcher and pinch hitter for the Red Sox. Babe Ruth was a national celebrity in 1921.

     Further, the original version of the “Baby Ruth” candy bar was actually called the “Kandy Kake” and was coincidentally renamed to “Baby Ruth” directly after Babe Ruth had become a national celebrity.  The Curtiss Candy Company also tried to get Babe Ruth to endorse their product after its launch, which he refused to do.  Not only that, but the Curtiss Candy Company was headquartered very close to Wrigley Stadium and, in 1932, they setup a lit advertising sign near the spot where Babe Ruth’s supposed “called shot” landed, advertising Baby Ruth candy bars and fully visible in Wrigley Stadium.  This sign remained there for four years.

Over and over again they attempted to associate their candy bar with Babe Ruth.  The cover story told by the company was simply a way to get around having to pay Babe Ruth royalties for the use of his nickname and last name in their marketing efforts.   The Curtiss Candy Company even had to use this story in actual legal proceedings when the manufacturer of the Babe Ruth Home Run Bar challenged the Baby Ruth name in court, claiming the Curtiss Candy Company were using the name without Babe Ruth’s permission, something the makers of the Babe Ruth Home Run Bar had managed to get from Ruth.  The Curtiss Candy Company then successfully defended their candy bar’s name using the above “granddaughter of Grover Cleveland” story, which is full of inaccuracies and strains credibility.

Bonus Factoids:

• In 1923, Otto Schnering, the founder of the Curtiss Candy Company, hired a pilot to fly his plane over Pittsburgh and drop several thousand Baby Ruth candy bars over the city.  Each candy bar was equipped with a parachute, to avoid injuring people.
• Seventy four years after the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Ruth, Nestle, who now owns the rights to the Baby Ruth candy bar, finally officially acquired the rights to use Ruth’s name and likeness in Baby Ruth marketing campaigns.
• Nestle has since played this up even more when in 2007 they claimed the Baby Ruth candy bar is “the official candy bar of major league baseball.

5 Legal Tips for Peace of Mind

     Legal issues don’t have to be stressful.  In fact, you can use the law to reduce your risk, eliminate uncertainty, and plan for the unthinkable.  The law can help with your overall peace of mind.

1. Execute a will
     Estate planning isn’t just for wealthy old people.  If you’re an adult, you need an estate plan.  This spells out what happens to your property when you die.  While the law provides default rules for people who don’t specify their intentions, you might be surprised by what those rules say.
For the average person, an estate plan is simply a will (or “last will and testament”).  This document spells out who gets what from your estate.  Your handwritten will can be valid, but it’s safest to have a lawyer draft your will and walk you through the formal execution ceremony.  If you have a spouse or children, you really need a will to ensure they are properly taken care of.

2. Designate your health care wishes
     How should medical decisions be made for you in the event of an accident?  Without the appropriate legal papers, your next of kin will attempt to make the decisions that you would want.  But does he or she know all your wishes?
You should protect your health care decisions by at least appointing a health care power of attorney.  This designates the person who will make your decisions.  They are bound to make the decisions that you want, not what they think is best.
To go the extra mile, you can execute a living will.  This document attempts to set forth your wishes for different medical scenarios.  Then your health care agent will be bound to act according to this document.  If you neglect both of these health care documents, your life might be in the hands of someone you don’t trust.

3. Select the correct beneficiaries
     Do you have a life insurance policy or retirement plan?  Who are your beneficiaries?  If your estate is listed as the beneficiary, your heirs could be in for a surprise when you pass away.
Life insurance and retirement plans automatically pay the designated beneficiary when the policy holder dies.  To make sure your family or other heirs get this money, you should designate them by name as the beneficiaries.  If your estate gets paid directly, the true beneficiaries will be in for a long wait before they can be paid anything.  And your creditors might claim the money before anyone else can be paid.  Those beneficiary blanks are critical.

4. Get insurance, even if you rent
     Property insurance isn’t just for homeowners.  Even if you rent, you need insurance protection.  Homeowner’s or renter’s insurance primarily covers against loss to your property due to damage or theft.  But it can also be important if you’re ever sued.
When guests come onto your property, you legally take on a certain amount of liability for their safety.  If a guest is injured while on your property, you could be held responsible.  Fortunately, the typical property insurance policy provides some protection for you.  Guest medical coverage will pay for your guest’s medical bills.  For the cost of a renter’s insurance policy (at most $15/month), you can’t afford to neglect this coverage.

5. Separate your business
     If you run your own business, you should consider a limited liability business entity.  Running a sole proprietorship is simple, but it exposes you and your family to certain risks.  Creditors and people you have possibly wronged can come after you personally.  Your business could be putting the family home at risk.
To solve this problem, you can easily setup a basic corporation or a limited liability company (LLC).  Then when you sign contracts and incur business debts, you are only putting the business on the line.  It’s important to run the business properly to maintain your liability shield.  But without the formal business entity, you have no hope of limiting your personal liability.

250 Movie Character Introductions in One Amazing Video

     Some of the coolest moments in any movie are the character introductions. Who could forget the badass moment where the defeated villains hear "I am Batman," the silly moment where that gold robot introduces himself as "C-3PO, human-cyborg relations," or the iconic introduction of "Bond. James Bond." A new supercut video condenses 250 of these moments into one totally satisfying 9-and-a-half-minute romp.

     The supercut runs the gamut from action to sci-fi to comedy, but mostly sticks to mainstream flicks that you'll easily recognize. If you're stumped on any of them, there's a list in the video description on YouTube.

We are Urlesque, and we were unable to stop watching these introductions before the very end.