Free Services (and Other Things) Most People Don't Know About

I come from a working-class family that believes in saving money but stresses that cheap is not always best. From this I learned that every so often you can get a good pair of designer shoes for less than $20 or with the combination of a supermarket sale and coupons, you can get certain item free or get cash back without going through that mail-in rebate process (I'm still training myself to do this). Sometimes saving money can be fun and other times it can require more thought than most are willing to dedicate at the moment.

When I began working for the school system, I knew I was taking a slight cut in pay in an exchange for steady work hours and my pay frequency changed from weekly to monthly so this was another sacrifice that affected my lifestyle. So I thought it wise at the time to enlist outside help. I re-joined my mail order book club and bought all the books I could on saving money. The Tightwad Gazette series, which started out as newsletter published by Amy Dacynzyn gave some good hints but overall, is a little extreme if you do not live a rural life and have no children. Like everybody else, I'd seen Matthew Lesko's commercials on late night TV that promise free money, grants, etc. In Lesko's books, most of the resouces listed are the same ones found in the federal government's Consumer Information booklet that you can pick up for free at your local library, are in the government section in your White/Yellow pages or the information may have been a little exaggerated. For example, he once incorrectly listed a Los Angeles non-profit as being able to give a $10,000 grant to small businesses. I know this for a fact because these people assisted me with my home business and the most they can guarantee is less than half that amount. For more feedback on any of Matthew Lesko's books, go to amazon.com and read the comments section before spending any money.