June Anniversary!

Congrats to Bonnie B & her husband Larry
on their 20th Wedding anniversary


6-20-09

June Birthday's!

Happy Birthday to our June friends :)


Doug S. 6-18


Tom M. 6-22

VC News - June 2009

I will be sending a monthly as needed VC News Flyer for any important information regarding VC.

If you have anything you want to share, please email me and I will include in the flyer.

This communication is strictly for Actual VC Company information / news to be communication to the VC Post Group.

If you know of others not in our group, please pass the information as to them.

Thanks to everyone for helping to keep everyone in the loop!

http://www.box.net/shared/lg8ioy1qda

June 09 Newsletter - NOW AVAILABLE!

http://www.box.net/shared/0abtu1be25

Be on the look out!

The June Newsletter will be sent out
on Friday 6-29-09!

June 09 Email Addresses

Post VC - June 09 Email Addresses have been updated and emailed out!

**Note - If you no longer wish to be included on the list or to receive communications, please send me an email to be removed.

Don't worry, No hard feelings!

*** If you are not listed and would like to be added, please email me and you will be added for the next release..

New Friends!

I have pulled some email addresses off of the Linkedin site under my contacts and a few i found off of other emails. The email addresses that I have located may be address for the spouses of a Post VC Friend. If so, please share with your wife or husband.

If you would like to participate in our group and I have your work email, please send me your personal email address.

(NOTE - All communications are send BCC for privacy purposes)

NEW FRIENDS!
If this is the first email you have received from me then please accept our invitation to join our Post VC Group of friends who are staying in contact. I have a Blog site, a VC Facebook group, and I send out monthly a master email list and newsletter and weekly emails to our group. If you know of others that would like to join our group, please pass the info on and have them email me to be added!!!


**Note - If you no longer wish to be included on the list or to receive communications, please send me an email to be removed. Don't worry, No hard feelings! ***

Thanks, Cathy

$250 stimulus check might be just a loan

http://columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/28/social2.ART_ART_05-28-09_A1_VFE0FSE.html?sid=101

$250 stimulus check might be just a loan Payment to be recouped from workers on Social Security Thursday, May 28, 2009 3:35 AM By Doug Caruso The Columbus Dispatch Bill Martell works part time at the Dublin Community Recreation Center to supplement his Social Security, meaning he won't get to keep all his stimulus money. Bill and Charlotte Martell were still waiting last week for their $250 stimulus checks from the U.S. Social Security Administration. They know exactly what they'll do with the money: "I'm not going to do a damn thing with it except put it in the bank to pay it back," said Charlotte Martell. The couple considers the money a loan. Why? The Martells, like millions of other retirees who receive Social Security benefits, also work to help make ends meet. She works a few days a week as a bookkeeper for a Columbus law firm. He works about 25 hours a week as a trainer at the Dublin Community Recreation Center. Their paychecks make them eligible for another stimulus program: a $400-per-person tax credit called "Making Work Pay." They can't have both stimulus payments, so the government will require them to take the $250 Social Security payment out of their tax credit at tax-filing time. Confused? "This $250 will be a reduction to your Making Work Pay tax credit on your 2009 return," said Earl Goldhammer, a retired tax lawyer who volunteers as an advocate for the AARP's Ohio office. "If you're due a $400 credit, your net credit would only be $150. They don't want you to double up." The Social Security stimulus checks represent nearly $14 billion in the $787 billion economic-stimulus bill that President Barack Obama signed in February. About $528 million is on its way to Ohio's adult Social Security recipients. About 55 million Americans will receive the $250 checks, the Social Security Administration said. Many of them also work. About 13.7 million tax filers earned enough money to have their Social Security benefits taxed in 2006, the most recent year for which the IRS could provide figures. In Ohio, more than 2 million people will receive the checks, which will be mailed or directly deposited through June 4, according to the Social Security Administration. If the national numbers hold true in Ohio, as many as 500,000 people who work and receive Social Security benefits will have to give back the $250 at tax time. "The way I feel is: Why even send it out?" Mr. Martell said. "We're talking about a lot of money just to print the checks and send them out to us to collect them back in." The Social Security Administration expects to spend $60 million this year and $10 million next year to send the checks out, answer questions from recipients and pay other costs related to the program, said William Jarrett, a spokesman for the agency. He said Social Security does not keep track of the employment status of most recipients, so it would have been impossible to send the checks only to those who don't work. "They figured, rather than cull people out, they'd just settle it on the tax return," Goldhammer said. Each time that happens in Washington, the tax code becomes more complex. "It's getting so complex that the average person that files their own income tax gets confused and lost," said Bob Wilson, who supplements his pension and Social Security by working four hours a week as a bookkeeper for an insurance agency. He understands what's going on because of his job, he said. "I just have to make sure I still have it at the end of the year. I'll use it, but I'll have to put it back over a period of time." dcaruso@dispatch.com

Big Lots profit up in first quarter

http://columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/05/28/big_lots.html?sid=101

Big Lots profit up in first quarter
Retailer cautious but raises earnings outlook for 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009 11:33 AM
By Tim Feran

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Big Lots today reported a drop in sales but an increase in profit for the first quarter. It raised its earnings outlook for the year.

The company's stock was down about 2.7 percent in late-morning trading.

Big Lots reported income of $36.2 million, or 44 cents per share, on sales of $1.14 billion during the first quarter. A year ago in the same quarter, the company reported a profit of $34.5 million, or 42 cents per share, on sales of $1.15 billion.

Analysts had expected earnings per share of 40 cents, according to data compiled by FactSet.

"We remained focused on our own strategy," CEO Steve Fishman told analysts during a conference call. "Our seasonal (merchandise sales) was encouraging during March and April. Our home business is still not great, but some parts are starting to post positive results. It's all about the deal, the quality and the value."

But although the Columbus-based closeout retailer is mildly optimistic about the coming year, it took a conservative view of the coming quarter.

Big Lots upped its prediction for its 2009 income to between $1.85 to $1.95 per share from a previous prediction of $1.75 to $1.90 per share. Last year's income was $1.89 per share.

However, the company predicts comparable-store sales will decrease in the second quarter.

Bounce Dryer Sheets

The US Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.

Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The insects just veer around you.

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

· It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.

· Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.

· It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

· It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

· Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.

· Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

· Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

· To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

· Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.

· Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

· Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

· To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

· Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.

· Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

· Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs..

· Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

· Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

· Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

· Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers
overnight.

· Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

· Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.

· Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce.


Quick,
Bounce this along within the next 5 minutes! Nothing will happen if you don't, but your friends will be glad to hear these hints!

Check out The Columbus Dispatch : DSW profit slips in first quarter

http://columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/05/27/dsw_earnings.html?sid=101

Company's earnings outlook for '09 below analysts prediction; shares fall in after-hours trading

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:04 PM

By Tim Feran

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Columbus-based footwear retailer DSW Inc. today announced first quarter profits fell to $7.1 million, or 16 cents per share, from $10.3 million, or 23 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenue rose to $385.8 million from $366.3 million last year. Same store sales decreased 4.7 percent during the quarted that ended May 2.

The report beat the expectations of analysts surveyed by FactSet Research, who estimated a quarterly profit of 14 cents a share on revenue of $379.5 million.

The company estimates earnings for 2009 will be approximately 30 to 35 cents per share, while analysts estimated the figure at 46 cents a share.

The earnings report was issued after the market closed. Shares of DSW closed normal trading at $12.97 but fell 14.7 percent to $11.07 in after-hours trading

All natural human sounds. NO INSTRUMENTS. ONLY SINGERS.

Thanks Trudi for this neat one!

Purple Iris

There comes a point in your life when you realize:

Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore...
And who always will..
So, don't worry about people from your past,
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

Give these flowers to everyone you don't want to lose in 2009, including me, if that's what is in your heart. Try to collect 12; it's not easy!

Be kinder than necessary
Because everyone you meet is fighting Some kind of battle.

Tyson's Daughter Dies After Accident

Posted May 25, 2009 9:05 PM

By JONATHAN J. COOPER

(AP)

PHOENIX (May 26) - The 4-year-old daughter of boxer Mike Tyson died at a hospital on Tuesday, a day her neck apparently got caught in a treadmill cord at her Phoenix home, police said.

Exodus Tyson had been on life support and police have said their investigation showed her injury on Monday was a "tragic accident."

"There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus," the family said in a statement. "We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal."

Police said Exodus either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under the console. Her 7-year-old brother found her and told their mother. She took Exodus off the cord, called police and tried to revive her.

Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR as they took the girl to the hospital.

Former heavyweight champion Tyson was in Las Vegas at the time of the accident and flew on Monday to Phoenix, where he was seen entering the hospital.

Tyson spokeswoman Cynthia Schwartz said the family had not arranged a funeral yet.

Careers Articles - "When I updated my status that I had been laid off...

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2009/05/14/i-found-my-job-on-twitter/?ncid=AOLCOMMjobsDYNLprim0001&icid=main

I Found My Job on Twitter

Filed under: Employment Trends, Interview Tips

Posted May 14th 2009 2:30PM

Forget the classifieds, these days unemployed workers are finding more job opportunities through social networking sites.

By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK -- In today's tough job market, it's critical to stand out. So how to make sure your application gets noticed: A flawless cover letter? Killer résumé? Glowing reference from the CEO?

Not even. In the worst job market in 25 years, building an online presence is crucial to getting a job. Who you connect to, "follow" and "friend" can be just as important as conventional tools like résumés.

"Not only are employers looking for better candidates, but ones that are well versed in social media and seeking out opportunities," said social media expert and president of Affect Strategies Sandra Fathi. "These mediums are here to stay and also a great way to differentiate yourself."

Not only are valuable connections forged with potential employers and colleagues on sites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and LinkedIn, but openings are also posted there, sometimes in lieu of job boards.

Find a Job

Search by Company | Search by Industry

Keyword(s): i.e. bank jobs or IT

City, State or ZIP

Making the right connections

LinkedIn, which has over 40 million users, is geared specifically toward professional networking. Expansive networks are built by posting a profile which acts as an online résumé, making connections and getting references from your connections that potential employers can view.

For Barbara Maldonado, LinkedIn was the gateway to a great opportunity. Maldonado, 32, participated in a professional group on the site for "Innovative Marketing, PR, Sales, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators." Another member of the group posted a question and liked Maldonado's response. From then on they kept in contact.

"When I updated my status that I had been laid off, he referred me for a position that was open at his company, which is where I work now," she said of her current marketing position at the firm in a suburb of Chicago. "Without actively participating in that discussion, I would not have made the contact for the job."

Other sites like Twitter and Facebook, while popular among teens and young adults, have also been embraced by professional communities. Friends on Facebook typically share status updates, pictures and video. Twitter limits exchanges between people, also known as followers, to messages of only 140 characters.

If it weren't for Jen Harris' followers on Twitter, she would not have been notified of another job opportunity, only moments after getting laid off from Idaho-based MPC computers in October.

As Harris packed up her desk she sent out a tweet that read: "just been laid off from MPC."

"By the time I left the parking lot, I had a job offer from a friend that had a Web development company in town," she said.

More From CNNMoney.com

• Hired! Finding Work in the Auto Industry
• Exec Lands Job by Re-applying to Employer
• Recession-Proofing Your Career

First dibs on job openings

But job seekers don't have to rely solely on others for information about possible job openings. There are a variety of services associated with social networking sites to help too, like TweetMyJobs, which sends out automatic updates of new openings in a specific field and region sent to your cell phone or by Twitter.

If you fan a company on Facebook or follow internal hiring managers on Twitter, you might be the first to find out about job openings at the employer of your choice.

When the Minneapolis office of Weber Shandwick was looking to hire a junior Web developer, the digital strategy manager, Greg Swan, sent a 136-character tweet to over 2,000 followers which read: "Weber Shandwick Minneapolis looking for mid-level HTML developer and PSD slicer. Plus you get to work with me. DM or @ me for more info."

Doug Hamlin, 23, landed the job after responding with his résumé and information.

Job seekers can also seek out and follow professional recruiters, like Shane Bernstein, to get first dibs on job opportunities.

Bernstein runs an IT talent agency based in Los Angeles and says he uses social networking exclusively to find candidates for technical jobs.

"Social network is going to take over job boards," he said. The greatest advantage to Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and LinkedIn is that job candidates and employers can meet through people. Those connections make it easier to break the ice, he said.

Too much information

But for job seekers, there can also be a downside to that type of access. "It does open up a more 360 degree view," Fathi cautioned.

A prospective employer may see your friends, your pictures and your personal information, "so you can't have drunken pictures of yourself in Cancun," she said.

For starters, Fathi recommends cleaning up your online image. Job seekers should do a Google search on their own name to get a sense of what information is out there.

Because of their popularity, social networking sites will generally pop up first. But make sure the privacy settings are activated so that a potential employer can only access the content that is appropriate.

If a Google search returns no results at all, that means that you don't have an online presence, which is also a bad thing.

Fathi recommends that job seekers immediately create a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook page, join Twitter and any relevant professional networks or communities in your field.

"Even adding your name to a directory or commenting on a high profile blog can create new content for a prospect employer to find when searching for information on you," she said.

Next: Top Companies Hiring Now

Gallery: Top 10 Companies Hiring Now

Last call for info to share in the June Newsletter!

Last call for info to share in the June Newsletter!

• June Birthdays
• June Anniversaries
• VC Funniest or Best Memories
• New Employment Info for those with new jobs
• Any new email address to be added to the public listing
• Any new friends to be included in the emails/blog info/newsletter, etc.

& Anything else you want to share with the group!

Feel free to email me at CLBAUER2000@AOL.COM

Thanks and have a great week!

Cathy

Positive/ Encouragement section for those who have found new employment!

Hi Everyone!

We have had a few suggestions for the Blog & Newsletter....

One of which is a Positive/ Encouragement section for those who have found new employment!

If you are willing to share your excitement with the group, please send me your info to share with the others.

For example,
- What Company
- What Position

& Anything else you want to share about your new Journey!


Feel free to email me at CLBAUER@2000@AOL.COM

Thanks In Advance :)

Cathy

ONE YELLOW ROSE

Thanks Heather for this one!

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.

Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't.

Columbus's Sewing Super Store Blowout Sale

I received an email about this store's going out of business sale..
Thought I would share for all those who may be interested.

Daily Almanac - Highlights in History

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/05/25/2_HIST0525.ART_ART_05-25-09_D2_MUDTRHA.html?sid=101

Today is Monday, May 25, the 145th day of 2009. There are 220 days left in the year. This is the Memorial Day observance.

Highlights in History

• On May 25, 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed on takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare airport.

• In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began meeting in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.

• In 1810, Argentina began its revolt against Spanish rule.

• In 1895, playwright Oscar Wilde was convicted of a morals charge in London; he was sentenced to two years in prison.

• In 1935, Babe Ruth hit the 714th and final home run of his career, for the Boston Braves, in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• In 1961, President John F. Kennedy, addressing Congress, called on the nation to work toward putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

• In 1986, an estimated 7 million people participated in "Hands Across America," forming a line across the country to raise money for the nation's hungry and homeless.

• Ten years ago: A bipartisan congressional report said China's two-decade effort to steal U.S. weapons technology continued well into the Clinton administration; President Bill Clinton responded that his administration was already "moving aggressively to tighten security."

• Five years ago: The Boston Archdiocese said it would close 65 of 357 parishes, an offshoot of the clergy sex-abuse scandal.

• One year ago: NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived to search for water on the Red Planet.

Thought for Today

"A historian is a prophet in reverse." -- Friedrich von Schlegel, German diplomat and writer (1772-1829)

Source: Associated Press

The Columbus Dispatch : Baby Names in Ohio

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/databases/community/babynames.html


What was the most popular name in Ohio? How popular is your name now? Search Ohio birth certificate data to find out.

First Name
Gender	Both Male Female
Rank	AllTop 10Top 50Top 100

Powered by Caspio

Dear Abby: Take a moment to remember the fallen

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/05/24/2_ABBY0524.ART_ART_05-24-09_E10_4DDQPN5.html?sid=101

DEAR ABBY Take a moment to remember the fallen Sunday, May 24, 2009 3:36 AM By JEANNE PHILLIPS Dear Abby: Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Please invite your millions of readers to observe the National Moment of Remembrance by pausing wherever they are at 3 p.m. in honor of our fallen. Memorial Day (first called Decoration Day) began in 1868 to remember those killed in the Civil War. Since World War I, Memorial Day has been a time to honor all those who have died in service to our nation, from the Revolutionary War to the present. To unite the country in remembrance, Congress officially established the National Moment of Remembrance in 2000. This act of unity is a time of reflection and commitment to honor America's fallen. More than a million men and women have died for our freedom. Their sacrifices for us live on in each constitutional right we enjoy. On Memorial Day, major-league baseball games will stop, Amtrak trains will blow their whistles, and 6,200 Buglers Across America will play taps, while citizens everywhere pause to honor those who sacrificed for our freedoms. The National Moment of Remembrance is a small down payment in our debt to remember these precious souls. -- Carmella La Spada, executive director, White House Commission on Remembrance Dear Carmella: I hope my readers take your letter to heart. Each of the men and women who laid down their lives for this country was someone loved and cherished by family and friends. They are deeply missed. We are diminished by their deaths and enriched by the example of their courage and dedication. Dear Abby: When I was growing up in the late 1960s and '70s, I heard very little profanity used. Today, it seems accepted. My husband often uses it even though he knows I hate it. When he's mad at me, the filth is directed my way. That may be why profanity upsets me so much. Sometimes it makes me sick to my stomach. Also, the most recent book by my favorite author includes many instances of the "f-word," which she has never done before. I'm tempted to write her and say that I am put off by the language. Should I? -- Non-Cusser in Nebraska Dear Non-Cusser: When filth is directed at someone, it qualifies as verbal abuse, a weapon used to show contempt and destroy another person's sense of self-worth. The swearer, besides being a bully, isn't smart enough to come up with vocabulary that adequately describes feelings powerfully enough to have them appreciated. Because the verbal abuse your husband hurls at you sickens you, it's time to look at why you tolerate it. And write the author and tell her that you thought her book was a real turnoff. Write Dear Abby -- who appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays -- at Universal Press Syndicate, in care of The Columbus Dispatch, P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, Calif. 90069; for a reply, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Or visit www.DearAbby.com.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/special_reports/stories/2008/stretch.html

The Stretching a Buck series

Our "Stretching a Buck" series offers advice on saving in nearly every area of life -- from food shopping and dining out, to cheap dates, mortgage payments, furnace maintenance, clothing, athletic gear and pet care.

Readers have also shared their own money-saving tips.

Read the full series and reader tips below.

• Save a buck with advice we'll share
• Your thrifty advice helps many others

Stretching a buck - Day 1

• How can you stretch a buck? Try living like the Bennetts ...
• Or try living like those who survived the Depression
• Lessons learned from the Depression
• Living frugally
• Audio: Listen to your elders
• Reader tips: Stretching a buck

Driving - Day 2

• Extra miles in your tank
• Mileage-boosting tips
• Reader tips: Save money on driving costs

Utilities - Day 3

• Energy efficiency best way to cut bills
• Reader tips: Save money on energy costs

Entertaining - Day 4

• Economical alternatives fill up summer guests for less
• Reader tips: Save money on entertaining guests

Bartering - Day 5

• For this market, trading is heavy
• Life in Barterville
• Reader tips: Save money through bartering

Amusement parks - Day 6

• Abundance of deals makes amusement parks less scary
• Top 10 ways to squeeze a bargain from amusement parks
• Reader tips: Save money at amusement parks

Entertainment deals - Day 7

• 7 days of entertaining deals
• Reader tips: Save money on food and entertainment

Coupons - Day 8

• Strategizing with coupons, sales adds up to big savings
• Reader tips: Save money with coupons

Housing costs - Day 8

• Should I buy or rent?
• Philosophy on tools is relative
• Reader tips: Save money on housing costs

Free attractions - Day 8

• Feel free to visit these sites at no cost
• Reader tips: Save money by visiting free attractions

Budgeting - Day 9

• Spending cuts vital to dig out of debt
• Reader tips: Save money by living on a budget

Thrift shopping - Day 10

• Secondhand gems
• Reader tips: Save money with thrifty shopping

Pet care - Day 11

• Ray Stein commentary: Best care far cheaper than treatment for ailing dogs
• Reader tips: Save money on pet care

Dining out - Day 12

• Your dining dollars: Programs, coupons offer values in food
• Reader tips: Save money dining out

Home improvement - Day 13

• Nailing down savings
• Reader tips: Save money on home improvement items

Buying a car - Day 14

• Research is key to smart car-buying
• Reader tips: Save money on automobiles

Groceries - Day 15

• Bargain buyer myths disputed
• Reader tips: Save money on groceries

Home maintenance - Day 15

• Maintenance matters
• Reader tips: Save money with home maintenance

Cell phones - Day 16

• Saving on cell phones
• Reader tips: Save money on cell phones

Movie theaters - Day 17

• Comparison reveals best deals on tickets for movies
• Popcorn better when price is right
• Reader tips: Save money at the movies

Work expenses - Day 18

• Trim the fat on work costs
• Saving money at work
• Reader tips: Save money at work

Clothing - Day 19

• Bargain bingeing
• Thrill of finding incredible deals makes hunt worthwhile
• Reader tips: Save money on clothing

Car Maintenance - Day 20

• Easily help your car, cash go the extra mile
• Reader tips: Save money on car maintenance

Insurance - Day 21

• Shopping for coverage
• Reader tips: Save money on insurance

Sports equipment - Day 21

• Gearing up for sports
• Reader tips: Save money on sports equipment

Communication costs - Day 22

• 'Bundled' services not always a deal
• Reader tips: Save money on communication costs

Travel promotions - Day 22

• Promotions aim to ease gas pains
• Reader tips: Save money with special promotions

Buying in bulk - Day 23

• Buy and save in bulk at warehouse clubs
• Reader tips: Save money by buying in bulk

Nontraditional buying and selling - Day 24

• Garage-sale deals on foot, online
• Reader tips: Save or make money by purchasing or selling in nontraditional ways

Healthy foods - Day 25

• Items offer healthful eating without breaking budget
• Reader tips: Save money on healthy foods

Beauty bargains - Day 26

• Readers tout favorite stylists
• Reader tips: Save money with beauty bargains

Rewards programs - Day 27

• Used wisely, cards offering cash back or points can pay off big
• Reader tips: Save money with reward programs

Heating - Day 28

• Options abound for heating bills
• Reader tips: Save money on your heating bill

Back-to-school shopping - Day 29

• Parents' smarts pay off in stores
• Wardrobe 101 update
• Reader tips: Save money on back-to-school shopping

Health care - Day 30

• Cut health-care costs, not corners
• Reader tips: Save money on health care

Transportation - Day 31

• Buses, bicycles, van pools can get you to work
• Reader tips: Save money on transportation

Legal services - Day 32

• Pricey legal fees can be made to bite a little bit less
• Reader tips: Save money on legal services

The mindset of saving - Day 33

• To save, you must spend some time analyzing spending
• A little extra help
• Reader tips: Save money

---

Stretching a buck: Holiday edition

Your tips on saving money

We're returning with some additions to our "Stretching a Buck" series of stories on saving money in your everyday life.

The new stories in the series are aimed at helping you save as you navigate the holidays, when our hearts are often bigger than our wallets.

We'll publish stories daily between Friday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Dec. 5, and we'll publish stories occasionally between then and Christmas.

• Click here to share your own tips on keeping holiday expenses within the budget.

Stories to date

• Entertainment: Frugal, festive not mutually exclusive (Dec. 4)
• Creating an inexpensive gift that someone will cherish (Dec. 3)
• How to save when shopping online (Dec. 2)
• PC means price cut (Dec. 1)
• Green Christmas: Keeping Earth healthy at holidays helps wallets, too (Nov. 30)
• Gift cards still good, just buy with care (Nov. 29)
• What to do when you want to take stuff back (Nov. 28)
• Try this household budget calculator from the Associated Press
• Americans' buying impulse has dimmed, at least for now (Nov. 23)
• Benjamin J. Marrison commentary: We're back with more thrifty tips (Nov. 23)