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by Mary K. Morgan
By now it’s no secret that prices on just about everything are sneaking up. Call it a recession, about of inflation or a glitch in the economy, it matters not. The end result is that your paycheck just isn’t stretching as far as it did last year at this time. Let’s see what we can do about that with a few money-saving ideas offered as a hedge against those economic demons that are bludgeoning your budget.
First, a generic tip — use coupons. Every chance you get, take a few minutes to obtain, clip and organize those valuable little slips of paper that double as money. And just as important, keep them handy so that you can actually use them! One thing I have learned is that coupons left at home save very little money.
The Internet is a great source of coupons, as are newspaper inserts, magazines and coupon books, but one of the very best sources is your network of friends and family. Just a few phone calls can net multiple copies of coupons that you are seeking. Be sure to ask which ones they are interested in having, and soon you may have what is known in the saving biz as a “coupon train” in progress.
A “coupon train” is such an easy concept; it’s a shame that more savers don’t use it. Each member of a group passes around a large envelope of assorted coupons. All involved feel free to take from, add to the packet, or both. Each “weeds out” oldies while looking through the collection. If distance is a problem, the envelope is mailed from member to member. The savings always outweigh the postage. Each “train” can set its own rules about holding time and categorizing. All aboard!
And if your car is becoming more of a burden than an asset, try the new car sharing rental plan recently initiated by Enterprise Rent-A-Car called WeCar. An environmentally friendly program, WeCar provides Toyota Prius hybrids, conveniently located around downtown St. Louis, for hourly rental.
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, these state-of-the-art, “green” vehicles are waiting you. If you live or work in the downtown area, this is an opportunity to give up the expense associated with car ownership with a bold new approach to transportation.
As to the “nuts and bolts” of the program — it goes something like this. You join the WeCar program for a $35 per year fee; subsequent rentals are $10 per hour. With membership comes an electronic fob that, when passed over the windshield of a participating vehicle, unlocks the doors. Inside, an ignition key awaits the new driver. When you are finished using the car, you simply return it to the place that you picked it up. The current fleet consists of nine Priuses that are parked at strategic downtown locations, near major companies, residential areas and public transportation hubs.
Chicago, New York City, Washington D.C., and now St. Louis all have WeCar programs in place that make transportation without owning a personal vehicle possible and convenient for urban dwellers. All of the details and membership information can be found at www.wecar.com/stl. Get rolling!
Digital TV is on its way! Yes, the target date for signal conversion is February 17, 2009. And there’s nothing you can do about it except to prepare for the big switch by getting your two free $40 coupons for converter boxes. The good news is that you will only need these TV add-ons for your old sets that do not have built-in digital capability and are not hooked up to cable or satellite service. In a nutshell, we’re talking about old, antenna dependent sets that are still in use.
And how do you obtain those two free coupons, and who is being so kind as to award them to us? Answer number one is easy — go to www.dtv2009.gov and request the certificates. Or call 1-888-388-2009. Answer number two is the National Telecommunications and Information Administration — sounds so official that I can only surmise that it is our tax dollars at work once more.
And after you get your coupons, take them to your favorite electronics store to purchase your converter. The going rate seems to be $39.99. What a coincidence!
P.S. I’d do this as soon as possible since the department in charge of issuing the vouchers reports more than five million requests so far. Sometimes the wheels of change can turn very slowly and you don’t want to be left watching “snow” on that old analog antique.
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