What would you like to chat about? Rewards cards? Frugal traveling? Funding that college account? Pick one, pick two, or pick all three – YOU’RE INVITED! Bankrate.com is making available to readers of The Wisdom Journal the inside scoop on their upcoming Live Chats. Hope to “see” you there!

Rewards cards live chat, 1 p.m. EST, Wednesday, March 16

Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate.com’s senior financial analyst, and Leslie McFadden, their credit card adviser, will clear up the confusion and tell you the truth about rewards cards in an upcoming live chat.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/live-chat/credit-cards/rewards-cards-live-chat.aspx

Frugal travel live chat, 2 p.m. EST, Tuesday, March 22

Jesse Michelsen from MoneyCrashers.com is a frequent frugal traveler, personal finance blogger and Tweet chat host. He’ll share how to find the best travel deals that at one time were only available to industry insiders.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/live-chat/frugal/frugal-travel-live-chat-3-22-2011.aspx

College finance live chat, 5 p.m. EST, Tuesday, March 29

College tuition isn’t getting cheaper, and financial aid budgets aren’t getting any bigger. But you still have options when it comes to paying for higher education.  Bankrate contributor Christina Couch can show you how a higher degree is within reach for either you OR your college bound children in our upcoming live chat.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/live-chat/college-finance/college-finance-101-live-chat.aspx

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

One of the BEST sites on frugality, saving money, and making good money decisions is Bankrate.com. They’ve opened up more eyes to the importance of saving cash than anyone could ever count. Now, they’re allowing you to share what you know as well as any secrets in a live chat.

Have two cents? Throw them in Bankrate.com’s Frugal ‘Free’-for-All live chat! Share your money-saving tips with other bargain hunters and frugalistas. This is a ‘BYOB’ event, so bring your own budget!

Know how to stretch your budget with the best of them? Think frugality has gone too far? Want to learn insider tips? Jump in and don’t be shy. We may even feature your comments in an upcoming story.

The event will be at the link below on Thursday, January 20 at 2 p.m. EST.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/live-chat/frugal-free-for-all-live-chat.aspx

And if you’re part of the Twitterrati, the Twitter hash is just #frugalchat …  so you can tune in on the Bankrate site and/or on Twitter.

Given that my home was damaged by a malfunctioning Maytag washer and State Farm is pointing fingers at our restoration company rather than stepping up to the plate, I’ll have some questions about homeowners insurance …

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

New Year’s Resolutions are notorious for being kept … for about 6 days. But there are several resolutions worth keeping this new year. One of them really should be to take full advantage of various cash back programs.

Two types of cash back programs are:

• Credit card cash back programs
• Debit card cash back programs

Credit Card Cash Back Bonus Programs

With the economy struggling lately, cash back programs have taken it on the chin, but there is cash back program that is still standing head and shoulders above the rest. It’s Discover Card’s $100 Cash Back Bonus with the Discover® More Card. Here are the details:

• Get $100 Cashback Bonus when you make $500 in purchases within 3 months
• 5% Cashback Bonus® in categories that change like travel, gas, groceries, restaurants, home improvement stores according to the following schedule:
  • Jan–Mar Travel and Restaurants 5% Cashback Bonus®
  • March Grocery and Drug Stores 5% Cashback Bonus®
  • Apr–Jun Home and Fashion 5% Cashback Bonus®
  • Jul–Sep Gas, Hotels, Movies and Theme Parks 5% Cashback Bonus®
  • Oct–Dec Restaurants and Fashion 5% Cashback Bonus®
• Up to 1% unlimited Cashback Bonus on all other purchases
• No Annual Fee

And for a limited time, you can get a 24 Month Promotional Balance Transfer at 0% (yes that’s ZERO percent) interest rate through February 28, 2010. There is a 5% balance transfer fee, but considering that it’s a one time fee to save money for 24 months, you’d have to currently have a credit card with a ridiculously low rate for it to NOT make sense to at least check it out.

Debit Card Rewards Cash Back Bonus Programs

Perkstreet is the best debit card cash back bonus reward programs out there. With a 2% cash back rewards program for non-PIN purchases all through the year and rotating 5% cash back categories similar to the Discover More card mentioned above, customers can expect to receive (on average) somewhere in the neighborhood of six hundred dollars per year depending on your spending choices and levels.

Over $600 in cash back every year.

For the average American family, it can add up to a lot of cash back. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average household spends $601 per week on things that could be put on a debit card, like utility bills, gas, and groceries. At 2% cash back, that would provide at least $625 towards helping you hit your financial goals. And there is never a cap on what you earn!

More ATMs

• PerkStreet gives you and me access to the largest surcharge-free ATM network in the country (STARsf®)
• Located in the places you and I already go – like CVS®, Walgreen’s®, Target® and 7-Eleven®
• These ATMs aren’t branded but they are completely free to PerkStreet  customers.  Some banks reimburse you for ATMs but you’ll owe taxes on that “income.” SURPRISE!
• Never make a special trip to a branch again
• More free ATMs than the big banks

So are you going to follow through with this resolution?

It certainly IS worth it!

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

New Year’s Resolutions are notorious for being kept … for about 6 days. But there are several resolutions worth keeping this new year. One of them is to back up your personal computer files on a regular basis.

Why should you backup your personal computer files?

If you’ve ever lost information that was even mildly important, you understand the critical nature of backing up your computer files. Hey, your company probably backs up its files, you should do the same thing. Today’s hard drives have thousands of songs you paid for, thousands of pictures you took, important tax files, and other information you wouldn’t want to be without. Backing up just makes good, frugal sense.

File Backup Options

• Backup on your hard drive
• Backup on an external drive
• Backup remotely

Backup on your own hard drive

Well, it’s better than nothing, but not by much. This backup option really only works to help you keep from accidentally deleting an important file, as long as you saved it to your backup folder. If your computer is damaged, lost or stolen, you’re out of luck.

Backup on an external drive

External drive backups on CDs, thumb drives, external hard drives or other media is a much better option but it has several problems of its own:

1. It isn’t automatic. If you forget, you could still lose information.
2. You can lose or misplace CDs, SD cards, or thumb drives. When you do, you run the risk of identity theft if you have sensitive information on them.
3. External hard drives can also fail.

Backup remotely

Remote backup is by far the best and safest way to backup your personal computer files. Yes it costs a little money, but honestly, at around one dollar per week, backing up your files with Mozy or Carbonite is a ridiculously cheap form of insurance. I personally use Carbonite.

Carbonite works by installing an unobtrusive little file on your system that works in the background, constantly scanning your computer for new files or files that have changed and need to be backed up. Since it works automatically in the background, there’s nothing for you to do. If you’re using your computer, Carbonite goes to sleep until your system has been idle for a set period of time. This feature keeps your system resources available for your use.

Another great feature is that Carbonite encrypts your files … twice. You are the only one who can view them.

Retrieving your files is easy. If you accidentally deleted something, just use your desktop icon and in a few clicks, you’ll have it back. If your computer is damaged, stolen or your hard drive crashes, just visit Carbonite’s website from a different computer. In just a few minutes you’ll be able to begin restoring all your files.

Backing up your files just makes sense

Considering everything you have stored on your computer, backing up your files just makes good sense. Our lives are contained in these files, backing them up regularly is a smart way to protect your identity and make sure that your personal information, your pictures, your music, and other important stuff is protected against damage, theft, or other loss.

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

Did you know that one-third of a home’s heat loss occurs through improperly sealed doors and windows, costing the typical homeowner hundreds, perhaps even thousands of dollars each year?

How to Test For Drafts

Figuring out where drafts are coming from can be challenging—the most likely culprits are the spaces around doors and windows. To locate the source of a draft:

1. On a windy day, light a candle, a smoke pencil (sold at hardware stores), or even an incense stick, and move it slowly around your door and window frames.
2. Any specific spot where the smoke wavers or the candle flame moves may indicate  a leak. In this case, smoke doesn’t indicate fire, but could indicate where your energy dollars are getting burned!

If there are leaks around the door or window casing, use expanding spray foam to seal up larger holes (greater than 1/4 inch wide), and silicone caulk for smaller spaces.

If you’re getting drafts from around your doors, replace the weather-stripping. Sometimes you may need to move the door jamb’s strike plate further to the outside of the door jamb (away from the closing door) by about a quarter of an inch so that the door is slightly more difficult to close all the way. Once closed, however, it will seal much tighter.

Windows are a different story. If your windows are more than 20 years old, or you notice significant drafts from your windows even if they’re sealed well, it’s time to replace them. Newer windows are light years ahead of older windows in terms of energy efficiency.

How to Choose the Right Windows

Windows are rated primarily by their U-values, which are a measure of the rate at which heat passes through the material. Another factor used to rate a window is by its R-value. In contrast to a U-value, an R-value is a measure of the window’s resistance to heat. The lower the U-value and the higher the R-value, the more energy-efficient the window is. Look for a U-value of 0.25 or lower, and an R-value of 4 or higher. It’s particularly wise to choose ENERGY STAR–qualified windows, which could save you some money in energy bills (as much as $450 per year per window) and you may qualify for a tax rebate. Other features to look for are:

• Glazing: Windows with double or triple glazing (which refers to the number of layers of glass used) have higher R-values.
• Low-e coatings: Made of thin semiconductor film, low-e coatings reduce incoming heat and keep your house cool, making them ideal if you live in a warm climate.

What type of window should you choose?

Several types of home windows are available on the market. If you want to be truly energy-efficient, casement windows are the way to go. Casements open outward on a side hinge and usually are the best-sealed and most energy efficient windows available. Awning windows, which open outward on a top hinge, and sliding windows, which slide open horizontally, are moderately efficient. Double-hung windows, which slide open and closed vertically, are the least efficient type of window because they don’t seal well. Ironically, double-hung windows are the most common. Replacing double-hung windows with casements will save you a significant amount of energy.

If you’re on a budget (who isn’t?), you can usually replace double-hung single pane windows with replacement double pane windows. Double pane windows have two panes of class with an air space between them for greater energy efficiency. Air is actually a great insulator when it doesn’t move. When your replacement windows are installed, take the opportunity to add insulation around the jambs if possible.

Window Installation

New windows won’t help you save energy if they’re installed incorrectly. Unless you’re relatively handy, pay a professional install your new windows, and after the work has been completed, check each window yourself with the draft test explained above. No matter how efficient the windows are, they won’t be able to do their job of keeping your house airtight if there are cracks and spaces between the windows and the walls.

Old Barn Window Photo by Feodora Umarov

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