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Money Tip: Free Tax Advice For One More Week

SavvySugar — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:22:36 -0800

The way January has been flying by, April 15 will be here before we know it. There are two services offering free tax advice until Jan. 31, so you should take advantage of them while you can.

Submit a tax question online at Turbo Tax, and a tax professional will call you within 48 hours. They'll give you up to 20 minutes of tax talk.
H&R Block's service is basically the same deal, but they give you the option of communicating with a tax professional over email or phone.

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Reader Tip: Pick Up a Copy of How to Get Out of Debt

SavvySugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:58 -0800

We each develop a unique saving style over the years, which is why we started the How Do You Save? group for you to divulge your winning tactics. It offers a place for you to dole out your advice to other SavvySugar readers trying to save a little moola and learn from their experiences. PureGrace recommends picking up a copy of How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt & Live Prosperously. She says:

The book has been a life changer for me and my finances!!! When I read this book over a year ago I had $16,000 in total debt, a loan with an APR of 16.99 percent and a feeling like I was living in austerity. Since then I have stopped using credit cards completely, paid off $6,000 in debt including paying off my student loan and a store credit card. It recommends simple techniques that have made a huge difference. You write down everything you spend and then put it into categories. Create a spending plan based on the expenses you write down but also set up long term goals. I created a savings account for vacation, clothing, pampering, Christmas, taxes, etc. The most important thing I learned from this book was to pay myself first. My old spending plan had me trying to paying off a bunch of bills and then trying to live off the rest. Now I have flipped that and feel like I'm really enjoying my life and still making progress towards being completely debt free.

Do you have a tip for readers or a book that's changed your outlook on career and finance troubles? Join our How Do You Save? group and share your helpful suggestions. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Reader Tip: Make Your Deductible Donations Before January

SavvySugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:00:07 -0700

Over time we each develop a unique saving style, which is why we started the How Do You Save? group for you to divulge your winning tactics. The group offers a place for you to dole out your advice to other SavvySugar readers trying to save a little moolah and learn from their experiences.

Cocoangel reminds us to clean out our closets, donate items to charity and reap the reward of a tax deduction, more closet space and giving. With 2009 coming to a close, now is the ideal time to make a big donation and pass on items you haven't used in a while. She says:

We stopped having garage sales years ago when our accountant pointed out that if we didn't have the money to give charities we could still claim deductions for the clothes, toys and household goods we donate. Even though we write checks now I still go through the closets and house looking for items that are still useful to someone else. I take a picture of the bags/boxes, attach it to the receipt left by the charity and file in our tax folder.

Do you have a tip for readers? Join our How Do You Save? group and share your helpful suggestions! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Grab Bag! Who Should Pay For the First Date?

TresSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:00:00 -0700

A man answers the age old question: who should pay for the first date? - The Frisky
Non-hysterical advice on talking to teen girls. - Jezebel
Dane Cook said what on Oprah?! - Gawker
Stephen Colbert announces a coke party, to protest planned taxes on soda. - Indecision Forever
Recession love: how to have a love life when you live with the parents. - Lemondrop
Roundup of Obama photoshopped into Star Trek characters. – Urlesque
Public art in New York City - Good
The new language of feminism - Double X

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Tax Tip: Take Pictures to Track Your Donations

SavvySugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:15:40 -0700

When I sheepishly told my tax preparer that I'd misplaced my receipts for the donations I made to Goodwill throughout 2008, he gave me a good-willed evil eye and then offered a great piece of advice. He said that while he's claimed thousands and thousands of dollars in donations throughout the years, and never once has anyone come knocking for proof, but that not everyone is left unbothered.

He picked up a smart tactic from his clients, and I'm going to start using it the next time I have a donation bag ready to go: Take pictures of the items you donate and then upload the photos to your computer. Should anyone come asking for evidence, you have more than a receipt to support your story. When it comes to taxes, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

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Will You Hit These Money Milestones by the Time You're 30?

SavvySugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:30:52 -0700

Turning 30 can be a dreadful birthday for some reluctant 20-somethings, but no matter how full of dread you may be there's a way to gracefully enter the next decade in regard to money management. In order to set you up for smooth sailing, MSN Money created a list of six money milestones to reach by the time you're 30. Do you think these milestones are appropriate for most people in their twenties? Is there anything you'd add or remove?

Scale back the credit cards. If you aren't able to live on your earnings and are still taking on credit card debt when you're 30, it's going to be difficult for you to save enough for retirement.
Own a home, or have a plan. One expert says that homeownership should be a priority, and to start saving for a down payment.
Have skills. Develop a set of marketable skills by the time you are 30 and try to bring something new to the table.
Give money away. Financial advisor Scott Hanson says, "I think it's financially healthy to give."
Know thyself. Decide what's important to you. Hanson explains, "Start to know yourself and build parameters so your life and money line up with those parameters."
Know smart people. When you need advice, turning someone who's good at their job can save you money in the long run, whether it's a tax preparer, financial adviser, attorney, or insurance agent.

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Pop Watch: Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, Season Two, Ep. Two

PopSugarUK — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:30:00 -0700

The second episode of Secret Diary of a Call Girl packed a lot in, giving us an amusing first date, a dangerous encounter and plenty of shots of Belle's breasts (although pregnant Billie Piper used body doubles for a lot of the nude scenes).

The episode starts with Belle at the plastic surgeon's office, considering whether or not to have a boob job. The doctor and nurse tell her she has "tuberous breasts", which means they're long rather than round and pert - way to make a woman feel great about her body, right? It turns out the plastic surgeon is a client of Belle's, and he arranges to see her. Belle's in two minds about whether to have the operation, but muses that if she did go ahead at least she could claim it back against tax. Heh.

To read my thoughts and leave your own comments just read more.

Belle listens to a voicemail from young attractive Alex, who's still keen to go on a date. Although it's clear she really likes him, she continues to ignore his calls and tells herself she can't go on a normal date because she's a prostitute. Like I said in my recap of this season's opener, I think this series will be all the better for a new love interest, as it will add a new dimension to Belle/Hannah's struggle living dual lives.
Bambi pops up again (I can see there's going to be no getting away from her this series), and is suitably annoying again. Belle takes her to see her former madam Stephanie (played by Cherie Lunghi, who is currently dancing with James Jordan in the new season of Strictly Come Dancing). Stephanie and Belle have an amusingly catty exchange, which results in Bambi deciding she wants to go it alone as an independent escort. This is obviously not going to work out.

Although Belle refuses to be Bambi's mentor (or "men whore", as Bambi quips), she does offer to give her advice and shows Bambi her website. When Alex phones yet again, Bambi convinces Belle to answer and go on a date, but while Belle's out of the room Bambi (yet again) steals a client who has contacted Belle, even though Belle had explained this emailer wasn't a suitable client. It's clear Bambi's going to get herself in to trouble with all this and I haven't warmed to her character yet.
Belle meets the plastic surgeon as her client this time, but he's unable to, ahem, perform. She jokes that her "spaniel's ears" are putting him off, but he admits he's too distracted thinking about how she wants to change her body - he likes her because she's normal. He lightens the mood by messing about with a pen, writing "Please don't cut me" across her chest and drawing a moustache on her top lip. Then he drops a bombshell, telling Belle he wants to continue seeing her, not her replacement who answered the phone to him before. Ha, busted Bambi! Belle leaves a furious message for Bambi and then heads out on her "real" date with Alex.
Alex and Belle's date is the highlight of the episode for me, as it's full of those hilariously awkward first date moments, as well as some more unusual exchanges (like the fact that Belle still has the remains of the drawn-on moustache on her top lip!). I like this guy, what about you? They get drunk and start having a great, flirty time but then Belle receives a frantic phone call from Bambi who's in trouble with her stolen client.
Belle rushes to the hotel and finds Bambi alone, as the man had left. As Bambi gets dressed we see that she's got scars on the top of her arm - probably from self harm cutting - but she tells Belle not to worry, they're from ages ago. She wants to sleep at Belle's place that night, and when she gets in to bed with no makeup on she looks really young and vulnerable. I'm starting to find her more interesting now.
The episode ends like it began, with Belle looking at her body in the mirror. This time, however, she's saying that although the job may be taking over her life, at least one thing's still Hannah's. Well, two things.

So there's my recap and opinion on the second episode. What are your thoughts? Stay tuned for my thoughts and rundown of the third episode, which airs on Thursday.

How Much You Need in Your Emergency Fund

SavvySugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:30:08 -0700

More than half of you are still building up savings for a rainy day or haven't been able to save anything just yet. In order to be sure you're on track or to set a goal in the first place, you need to determine how much you'll need if emergency strikes. The biggest case for an emergency fund is job loss - if you lose your job or temporarily lose your ability to work then you'll need to rely on the money you've saved to get by.

Standard advice says that a solid emergency fund has three to six months of living expenses. Determining our individual (or family) living expenses is necessary to know if we're on track to support ourselves without income for a few months. CNN Money recommends reviewing the past three months of bills and expenses to figure out a monthly average. They remind us to include certain expenses in our calculations. Check out its must-include expenses when you read more.

Mortgage (or rent)
Utilities, including bills for cable, Internet, landline, and cell-phone service.
Groceries.
Insurance premiums, including home, auto, and life. Add in at least $400 for individual health insurance - 1,000 for a family - in case the partner whose work provides it is the one to get laid off.
Other car expenses including gas and loan payments.
Property tax (if not included in the mortgage payment)
Discretionary spending. Be realistic! Certain things may be easy to cut, but don't delude yourself into thinking you can suddenly make a drastic change.

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On The Newsstand: How to Improve America's Standing

LibertySugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:00:02 -0800

For its latest issue, Foreign Policy asked 12 of the world's leading thinkers to answer one question: What single policy or gesture can the next president do to improve America's standing in the world. The response pieces are insightful and diverse, and I really appreciated reading actual solutions, rather than tired complaints.

Some of the best advice:

Step on the Gas: Harvard Economist Kenneth Rogoff urges the next Pres to raise the price of gasoline for consumers and manufacturers to prove to the world that cheap oil is not America's only priority. He argues the tax, by reducing the deficit and benefiting poor countries, will put America back on the proper moral and fiscal track.
Holy Order: Reza Aslan, an Islamic scholar, says that the next president must strip the war on terror of "the overt religious connotations forced upon it by reckless politicians." In a conflict charged with religious fanaticism, he argues, even the appearance of religious motivation can have disastrous consequences.
Lend them Your Ear: Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House, wants the next president to immediately embark on a series of visits to capitals around the world, including Ankara, Amman, Beijing, and Cairo.

These are just three of the creative suggestions. To get a taste of the other ideas please read more. Other advice includes: expanding the G8, opening talks with Syria, demanding human rights for Chinese, promoting global women's issues, ending the Cuban embargo, following international law, traveling to Tehran, continuing Bush's diplomacy of freedom, and finally, saying sorry.

How would you answer the question: What single policy or gesture would put America back on track with the rest of the world? Do you think an apology is in order?

What's Money This Week

SavvySugar — Sat, 24 May 2008 07:07:19 -0700

This week we discovered how the CA gay marriage ruling will affect same-sex couples' taxes and benefits.
The IRS announced they're behind schedule with depositing rebate checks.
I gave new grads some advice for entering the post-college world.
Burnt out at work? We talked about ways to fight the burnout blues.
If you've been wondering how normal are your spending habits, Glamour told us which habits are normal.

Anger isn't usually one of the reactions we have here, but we were furious about this week's news in air travel.
Determined to go to the May 27 Sex and the City premiere in NYC? Craigslist has tickets for sale.
I shared three tips for organizing your receipts online.
And six tips for finding extra money to start your emergency fund!
Finally, I asked what you would do if a creepy ex-coworker followed you to a new job.

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