Important Things You Should Know

Donating Your Hard-Earned Money

2010-01-31T05:52:00.000-08:00

There are so many charities, causes and organizations that beseech you for donations today it makes it hard to decide which ones are really doing the most good and making the best use of your money. How do you decide?

To help you make a better informed decision, the American Institute of Philanthropy has researched thousands of charities and given each a rating of A to F. On their website, www.charitywatch.org, they have posted a list of the top 500 organizations each with an A or B rating. Organizations are listed alphabetically and provide a direct link to the charity.

Their publication (Charity Rating Guide) is also available for a fee of $3 and lists all pertinent information about the charity and their financial performance in addition to their contact information and rating.

Their main criteria for a charity to be rated A or B is for the organization to use $.75 of every $1.00 donated to its cause instead of going towards commissions, soliciting or salaries. After all, you are donating to make a difference; not to have most or all of your money go towards some one's salary or a telemarketing company to bombard you with phone calls or mail.

It's a worthwhile site to check out to make sure that the money you worked so hard for is truly going to the cause you believe in.

Help With Your Car

2009-08-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

Found a great site- repairpal.com which gives you a wealth of information on maintaining your car, where to find a repair shop and answers to some of your repair questions.
By entering your zip code you are able to locate a repair shop in your area (up to 50 miles) and they are then displayed on a map. Shops are rated by stars and you are able to read reviews by customers who have used that shop. To me, "word of mouth" is an excellent tool in determining where my money can be spent wisely.
This site also allows you to post questions about your car via a community forum regarding both maintenance and repair. It also has a tool to track your car's maintenance if you are interested in doing so.
By entering your car's make, model, year, repair problem (the list is very comprehensive) and zip code you are given a estimate of what it would cost to make the repair. This is broken down by labor and the cost of the parts; which are listed separately. This section also gives some tips on recommended maintenance for your particular vehicle.
This site gives you the tools to make an informed decision on something most of us are in the dark about. These days it's all about saving money, maintaining what we have and being satisfied with the service we receive- all of which are becoming harder to come by.

Accumulation Rule

2009-06-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

You only use 80% of your personal belongings. So the new rule is, if something comes into the house then something must go out.
There are a variety of websites available to help you get rid of perfectly good items that you no longer want or use- freecycle.com is one that comes to mind. You can join a "chapter" near you to give away those items to someone that needs and wants them. They also have spinoff sites that you can advertise items for sale (tag sale), barter for services or adopt pets.
Besides the obvious EBay and Craig's List to sell your unwanted items how about trying a consignment shop? There are also local charities and the Salvation Army if you just want to get these things out of the house with no further hassle. Could a friend or family member use this item?
One thing you have to accept is that yes, you paid good money for this item. But, you are not going to get what you think it may be worth so just let it go.... It's out of the house and someone is making use of it.