Computer infected with a virus

I haven't been keeping up to date with my blogs because I'm trying to fight of a computer virus. I think I might have isolated it but I won't know for sure until I completely remove it and reboot my computer. I'm scanning it right now, and I hope this will solve the problem.

Apparently I didn't have one of the patches installed on my computer and I think that's what made it vulnerable to the virus.

I'll keep you updated as I try to fix it.

Recycling Update - $5.44 - enough for a car wash

Recycling my glass and plastic bottles got me $5.44

I was going to use that for lunch, but instead I treated myself (or rather my car) and got my car washed and vacuumed.

Tip of the Day

Today's Tip of the Day brought to you by Google Gadgets:

"Spend less than you earn. While this seems obvious, Americans are notorious for doing just the opposite. Stop spending and start saving."

Yes this does seem obvious, but if we all spent less than we earned, no one would be in debt. The best way to track your spending is to pay cash for everything you buy, save all your receipts, and think twice about large purchases. This last one can be difficult because most people buy on impulse. If you just took a day or so to really think about whether or not you need to buy that expensive item, you will probably realize you don't need it, and you'll save a lot of money.

Keep track of your take home pay, after taxes. Then subtract all your expenses. If you're spending more than you make, then you need to look at your day to day expenses and see where you can cut out some things to save money.

Once you've cut spending and have extra money, that money should go to retirement savings, emergency funds, or any other saving account you've promised not to touch until it is really needed.

Same Money and Calories - Order a Kid's Meal

Tonight I saved a little money while out for dinner at the mall. I ate in the food court and decided to order a kid's meal both to save money and to get a smaller portion of food. I can never eat a full adult meal, and if I do, I get so full, it's just too much food. So tonight I thought, why not just order a kid's meal. I'll save money, and eat just the right amount of food, with no left overs.

The kid's meal was $5.50 versus the adult's $8.00. I was totally satisfied with my meal, I didn't stuff myself trying to finish a big plate, and I saved $2.50 at the same time.

All Earnings will now go to Charity

Today I decided to donate all of my earnings from my blogs to charity. I have been pondering this decision for some time, and I finally decided to just do it. I don't need the money I earn from my blogs, plus it's not that much any way, so why not give it to some one who needs it more.

The last few months I've been writing, dropping cards on EC, and trying to promote my blog to make more money, instead of just blogging for the fun of it. The blogging became a chore, and I didn't want to do it anymore. Plus my wrists are hurting from being on the computer all day, and trying to drop as many cards as I could.

It's going to be difficult for me to keep track of exactly how much I earn for charity, but I found a few apps that I will try out. I haven't decided for sure which charities I want to raise money for, but I have it narrowed down to 3 or 4. I might just rotate them around so that each of them gets part of the earnings.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please post them here. All feedback is welcomed. Thanks to everyone who has supported me in the past, and who will support me, and my charities, in the future.

Buy a lot of books? Then Check out Booksfree.com

I found this cool site that saves you money on books. If you like to read and buy a ton of books, then maybe you should try Booksfree.com This site lets you rent unlimited paperback books, audio books and CD/MP3 audio books. It's like a Netflix or Blockbuster online video rental, but for books.

There is a monthly fee, but you can keep the books for as long as you want, and there is no limit to the number of books you can rent per month. The monthly fees start at $10.99 a month and shipping is free.

This service is good only if you find yourself buying and reading a lot of books, then get stuck with boxes of books you don't know what to do with. Why spend $10 on a book you're only going to read once? You can spend $10.99 and get and read several books each month. Check out there huge selection at Booksfree.com

Tip of the Day

Today's Tip of the Day brought to you by Google Gadgets:

"Have an emergency fund. Have at least three months' income (some say six) in a high-yield savings account that can be easily accessed."

Having an emergency fund is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your financial stability. It's not an optional item, it's a MUST HAVE!

People underestimate the importance of having an emergency fund because they don't think they will ever be in the position to need it. They don't think they will ever lose their job, or have some medical emergency that will prevent them from working. Without a job, there is no income, and without income, the bills don't get paid, and the trouble begins.

Today's tip is good, but I believe it could be better. I believe that an emergency fund should contain enough money to support your household for at least 6 months (not 3). This is different than having 6 months' income. If you need $2000 a month to run your household then you should save at least $12,000 ($2000 x 6 months) in your emergency fund. Some people live beyond their means, and only make $1700 a month, when they need $2000 a month to run their household. If they saved only $10,200 ($1700 x 6 months) they would actually be $1800 ($12,000 - 10,200) short. This is why I say you should have saved what your household would need to survive for 6 months (not just your income for 6 months, because those numbers are probably different).

Think of the emergency fund as insurance in case something bad were to happen to you or your spouse. You probably have health insurance, life insurance, or car insurance, so why not have an emergency fund as a job loss/loss of income insurance. It's always better to be safe than sorry, and it will always make you feel better knowing that you'll be okay if you lose part of your income for a short period of time - your emergency fund will cover you until you get back on your feet.

Las Vegas Money Tip: Take a FREE Shuttle

Here's another money saving tip while on vacation in Las Vegas:

Most major hotels offer free shuttle service. Harrah's owns the Rio, Harrah's, Flamingo, Caesar's Palace, Paris, among other hotels, and you can get a free ride to any of these hotels with their free shuttle.

The Coast Casinos: Gold Coast, The Orleans and Suncoast have free shuttle service as well.

Whether you fly to Vegas, or drive, you can still take advantage of this free deal and save money on gas, bus fare, taxi fees, or monorail fees.

There's always a way to get around Las Vegas for FREE, you just have to know where to look.

Manny Who?

What did I say about the Los Angeles Dodgers? Losing Manny Ramirez has not only saved them money, but they're actually doing really good without him.

Here's to the Dodgers saving money, and hopefully realizing that they don't need high priced trouble making players on their team.

Today's Tip of the Day

Today's Finance Tip: " High deductible is your friend. Keep those monthly premiums as low as you can." - from Google Gadgets

What does this mean?

Well for car insurance it means that if you raise your deductible, you could save a little money each month, which will end up saving you a lot of money each year.

The deductible is the amount of money you must pay if you get in an accident and have to pay to repair your car. You have to pay this first, then the insurance company will cover the rest.

If you can make sure you have enough money saved to cover your deductible (usually $250-$1000) then why not raise it up, say to $1000. So that if you do get into a car accident, you will have the money to cover the deductible. Raising your car insurance deductible is an easy way to save a little extra cash each month.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, etc. I hope you all have a wonderful day, you deserve it.

My money saving tip for today, it's your day, so don't spend a penny on anything. Let your family and friends around you pay for everything. Today is the one day you should allow yourself to be a little selfish and think about yourself first.