ING DIRECT CD RATE OPPORTUNITY

I received this in my e-mail today and thought I would share it with all of you. I have 3 savings accounts with them and I am really excited about this CD rate. Teen daughter has some money in a savings account at our local Small-Town bank and the % rate is paltry! Here is what the email said:

"GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF SAVINGS with the 12-Month 2.00% APY Orange CD from ING Direct. (The National Average is 0.69% APY)

• Guaranteed return with no market risk


• FDIC-insured


• Open online in under 5 minutes

Sign in to ingdirect and click 'Open an Account' to get started.

Annual Percentage Yield effective as of 12/24/09 and may change at any time. As with any CD, early withdrawal penalties may apply. The 12-month national average is from Informa Research Services as of 12/08/09."

With the New Year fast approaching, now is a good time to think about those New Year Resolutions! Mine are definitely all money-related:

• How to Save More and Spend Less, and
• How to Maximize What I Do Have Saved

HAVE A WONDERFUL BLESSED CHRISTMAS DAY!!

P.S. This is not a paid post. btw. I just happen to love ING Direct! :)

**A.Marie**

BUDGETING FOR DIFFICULT ECONOMIC TIMES

I have been working and re-working my budget, as I'm sure a lot of you have, and I am definitely having challenges in getting my dimes to stretch into dollars (I really wanted that name for this blog, but it is already taken...drats!)

Anyway, I was looking through the internet for some budgeting tips for tough economic times, and you won't believe the "advice" that I am finding. Here are some examples:

• Start by cutting the fat from your budget. Do you really need the maid service (MAID SERVICE??) or the lawn care people (LAWN CARE PEOPLE?). By eliminating these, you will save approximately $80/week. And, just think (advises the article) of the extra exercise that you will benefit by doing these chores yourself.

Ummm..yeah, okay, I'll take THAT advice to heart.

• If both of you are working, only use the husband's income, not the wife's, because when the children come, she'll stay at home, and you won't have her income anyway.

I'm trying not to be sarcastic here, but I think this author is stuck in the 1950s. Last I knew, "Leave It To Beaver" was NOT the hottest show running on television, and 2 incomes are now the norm...not because the wife WANTS to work, but because she HAS to.

And, Finally, (I thought of you, Annie Jones, because of your comment on my other blog!) :)

• Don’t buy clothes in the sales. The clothes may be going out of fashion and you may only wear it a few times. Much better to buy something that you really like and wear it a lot.

WHAT?? HELLOOO author of THAT comment.....we are in a recession here, remember? Most of us can't worry about whether or not the item is "in fashion." Who cares if it's a "sale item?"

Is it just me, or are some people not getting this whole recession thing??

None of my friends have maid service or lawn care service. Most of them are working 2 jobs and barely getting by. They don't live extravagantly nor do they have the "best of the best." They are just doing the best that they can and trying to keep their heads above water.

So, with that in mind, here are MY three real-world budgeting tips:

1. Stop Keeping Up With The Joneses" (Not you, Annie Jones!) ...They're Broke!


2. Try and pay cash for most of your purchases. This will really stop that overspending.


3. Give back to the Lord; this will pay many dividends in the future!

You don't have to agree with them; those are just MY suggestions. I love to hear back from all of you, so go ahead, comment, and give me YOUR Real-World budgeting tips!

**A.Marie**

PAYPAL $10.00 STUDENT OFFER

Give Your Teen A Gift

Give your teen the gift of a

PayPal Student Account and we'll

give them $10 to start.*

**Offer Sponsored By American Eagle Outfitters

LEARN MORE HERE: paypal-promo.com

Since we already have a PayPal account, this process was fairly simple. I signed up both teens, and since they have their own e-mail addresses, that wasn't a problem either. All you do is have them confirm the e-mail address and the $10.00 will be put into their account.

I copied and pasted this from the site:

TERMS & CONDITIONS
Your new Student Account holder will receive $10 when you open a Student Account no later than December 31, 2009 (“Offer”). Offer begins November 12, 2009 12:00:00 AM PST and ends December 31, 2009 11:59:00 PM PST. To receive the Offer, you must: 1) have a U.S. PayPal account in good standing, 2) provide the email address associated with the adult PayPal account holder and accept the Offer terms when prompted to, and 3) open a new Student Account between November 12, 2009 and December 31, 2009. The $10 USD will be deposited into the Student Account no later than January 22, 2010. Maximum amount allowed under this Offer is limited to $40 for all student accounts under one parent account.