The 405 Club

(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can.  As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.

Whether you have an iPhone, Blackberry or just a simple cell phone, you are probably not using your mobile gadget to its full potential. Instead of getting the latest and greatest gadget that everyone is getting, like the iPad, why not figure out new creative uses for your current tech toy?  You’ll save hundreds of dollars that can be put to better use, like a suit for your next interview!

Here are 8 uses for your mobile device:

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(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can.  As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.

The savings rate for US households has steadily gone up in the last couple of years.  One benefit to the Great Recession is that it makes people think about what is necessary and putting everything else in the nice to have category.  Ask any personal finance blogger, and you will get a list of ways to save and boost your savings rate.  Here is my take on some habits that can help you boost your savings, so you can get what you really want in the near future.

Seven Habits Of Saving:

1. Use your neighborhood library for books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, video games and all sorts of entertainment.  I bet you didn’t know half that list was offered by the NYC library system.
2. Eat home cooked meals.  Bring food from home.  Doing this can save you an average of $50 to $70 a week, assuming your lunch costs around $10 to $15 each.  Yes, you can find cheaper fare, such as the $1 pizza slice I tweeted about several months ago, but how much pizza can you really eat?  Home cooked / prepared is usually much healthier to boot!

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Tax time is almost here.  If you are getting a refund, you should have filed already!  If you are going to be paying taxes because you did not withhold enough, here are some tips to minimize that payment.  Even if you cannot use all these tips for this tax season, they will come in handy for next year’s tax season.

Give Giving really can be rewarding.  Not only do you feel good about giving to the causes you believe in, you also get some money back from Uncle Sam.  If you’ve given to your church, charities or other non-profit organizations - all you need is the receipt and you can deduct the amount you gave.  If you need ideas, I can suggest the NYC Libraries, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Red Cross, your local church, museums and numerous other charities.

Deduct Job hunting expenses If you are looking for a job, and these days it seems like half the people I know are, then you should not forget about deducting your expenses.  These can include printing resumes, transportation to and from interviews, cell phone bills, suits and other clothing for interviews.  The catch is, you need to be looking for a similar line of work.

Go Green. Many people in the recent past have bought a Toyota Prius and get a deduction.  But going green doesn’t stop there.  If you put a good amount of money into your home to improve energy efficiency such as heating or cooling systems, insulation, or alternative energy sources such as solar, you can get a nice tax credit on your return for that year.

Educate Yourself. Continuing your education can be good for your future earnings and your wallet.  There are tax credits and deductions for you to take.  Interest from student loans are deductable from your return as well.  If you have a large enough loan, this can be pretty significant.

Tax Preparation. Books, classes, software and tax preparation services are deductible on your tax return as a miscellaneous itemized deduction.  It’s easy to find this tip using software such as Taxcut or TurboTax.

What tax savings tips do you have to share?  What deductions and savings are you taking this year?

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

photo by alancleaver_2000

(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can.  As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.

Do you have a ton of photos living online on Facebook, Flickr, your blog and a ton of photo sharing sites? Sharing it online is great, but sometimes its nice to have a physical photo to pass around at party. Wouldn’t it be great if you can print it for free?

Some of you may have signed up to photo sites because they had a “deal” that gave you free photo prints or other photo goodies. Today I wanted to share my latest discovery, HotPrints. How would you like to get photo books printed for FREE, one every month! The best part, if you live in the US, UK or Canada, shipping is free too!

I have not tried the service yet, but will be signing up and giving it a go! If you are on Facebook, you may have seen them already. Their primary product is HotBook, which is the free product. This sounds too good to be true right? How do they make money? Well, they sell advertisements, so you will see some ads in your free HotBook. Is it worth it? I think so, but I leave that judgement up to you.  Have a question about their product?  They’re on Twitter too!

Have you tried HotPrints? If you have I’d love to hear what you think of their product.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can.  As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.

We’ve had a good amount of snow this winter in NYC.  Some of you have gone skiing and some may have even taken advantage of the snowfall and went cross country skiing in the streets! If you have never tried skiing or are just a beginner, like myself, you will love this deal. No car necessary!

Thunder Ridge Ski is just 70 miles north of the city in Patterson, New York. Thunder Ridge Ski Area’s scenic slopes are perfect for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, from beginner to expert. There are slow and gentle trails, which I would be on, as well as advanced trails to challenge the adventurous! You can find a great package from the Metro North One Day Getaway. The Day package includes: Discount round-trip rail fare, all-day/all-night lift ticket, shuttle to/from the train station to the ski area and a $5 discount on rental equipment. If you have kids, this is an even better deal.

Cost: From Grand Central Terminal or Harlem-125th Street: adults, $51.50; seniors, $35; children 12, $39.50; children 6-11, $19.50; children age 5, $6.50; children under 5, $5. Save an additional 5 percent on rail fare when you purchase this package through WebTicket.

To get there: Take the Harlem Line to to Patterson Station where a shuttle bus meets designated a.m. trains to take you to the ski area…

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