Stop giving the big banks more power and find the right community bank to fit your needs.

Move Your Money says:

Not all community banks or credit unions are risk free. Some of them got involved in the same risky behavior that took down some of the biggest banks. There are a few different ways to search for community banks and credit unions in your area, and most of them use slightly different rating systems. We wanted to give you as many options as possible.

Use this tool to find a community bank.

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The pressure of spending money for big holiday meals can be overwhelming even when you're gainfully employed. When you're unemployed... well, it could make you just want to go hide under the bed!  (Then perhaps NoJobSurvivor MoodFood should be on the menu.)

To help take the pressure off, here are 6 tips from well-being guru, Dr. Andrew Weil, a favorite with NoJobSurvivors:

1. Focus on vegetables. They are filling, nutritious and cost less than meat. Yesterday's Daily Tip offered ideas for serving a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner - read it for some delicious vegetable-based meal ideas. Also see NoJobSurvivor Frugal Foods.
2. Make it a potluck. If you are having family and friends over, assign each to bring an item. It will help keep your costs - and stress levels - manageable.
3. Make your own dessert. You can make pies a few days ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate them, a good way to cut down the bottom line.
4. Use your leftovers. Turkey soup, potato pancakes, casseroles that combine some of the side dishes, cranberry sauce on whole grain toast for breakfast - there are plenty of ways to use traditional Thanksgiving leftovers.
5. Calculate how much food you really need. The more food you make, the more it costs. If you aren't a fan of leftovers, consider making just enough food to feed the number of people who will be eating.
6. Clip coupons. Whether from your local paper or a website, there's no downside to the cost-savings coupons offer. Many stores offer double or triple the value around the holidays, so do some homework and take advantage!

Pictured: NoJobSurvivor Cheap Crunchy Croutons (recipe)
Good luck and hopefully your friends and/or family and even your pets will be able to help out and get you through it. Remember... you're not alone!  And, there's always NoJobSurvivor Comfort Food.

For tips and laughter on stress-free family holiday gathering, check out this guide from The Onion!

Here's a job idea: start a crouton business!

How better to make oodles of money... take 5 slices of bread, cut 'em up, spice 'em up, toast 'em up, call 'em gourmet and sell the package for $5!

And, in the meantime, just because you're not getting a regular paycheck, doesn't mean you can't have gourmet croutons to dress up your already frugal salad.

Simple crouton recipe:

• 4 slices of bread, cut up in small squares
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon basil flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon red wine

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl
3. After mixing the herbs, wine and oil together, pour over the bread cubes
4. Mix the cubes so they are well coated
5. Spread the cubes on a cookie sheet or baking pan and bake on the top oven rack for 35 minutes with turning the cubes over for even baking.

Add to salad or soups.

Recipe is adaptable to your specific herb preferences.

 

You are at a store buying whatever and the store offers you a discount if you buy it with a new store credit card. Good deal right? Wrong. That new store credit card could cause your credit score to go down, you may end up paying more for that discounted item, and encourage you to buy something you don't really need.

Jim Randel, author of The Skinny on Credit Cards, cautions that every time you apply for a card your credit report is checked, taking a nick out of your credit score because the application “creates the appearance that you may be loading up on debt.”

Experts estimate that one inquiry about a store card can lower your score by two to five points. “Apply for several store brand cards in a couple of months, and you will shave as many as 20 points off your credit score,” Randel says. And if your application is accepted and you actually open a new charge account, it will cost you an additional five to 15 points.

Also suppose you save 10 percent on a $100 pair of shoes, Randel says. The $90 final price, plus sales tax, is charged to your new account, which has a 21 percent annual interest rate. “If you make the minimum monthly payment of $10, the shoes will end up costing you about $107—$7 more than if you just paid the full price,” says Randel.

“The discounts associated with opening or using these cards are only worthwhile if you pay the balance off completely before accruing any interest,” he adds.

So before accepting a cashier’s offer to open a store-brand credit account, ask yourself:

• Does the store accept a credit card I already carry? If so, put on the brakes. Too many cards can damage your credit score.
• Will having this account fuel my urge to splurge? Easy access to a new line of credit may derail your budget train, especially if you’re an impulsive shopper.
• Am I planning to buy a car or house in the next six months? If so, don’t open any new credit card account of any kind, as it is likely to take your credit score down a notch. This could cost you dearly in interest you are charged for your major purchase, or may even prevent your approval for the financing.
• Do I have the money to pay the charged amount in full before any interest is due? If not, don’t open the account. You’ll probably spend more in interest than you saved at the register.

 

And remember to take the "stranger test."

Is it possible to live on unemployment benefits?

It isn't fun or easy, but it can be done, for some. Try these tips:

• Minimize your required commitments. Repaying debts? Call the creditors and explain your situation and ask for an abatement. This won’t get rid of your debt, but it can minimize your requirements for the time being. Getting rid of credit card debt should be a priority. Have you noticed recently credit card interest rates and fees rising ahead of credit reform?
• Try to save as much money as possible. Rethink all your purchases: Use the "Stranger" purchasing test.  Do I really need this? Could I possibly get it at a better price? Could I possibly use something else instead that costs less? Buy what you need, not what you want.
• Get Rid of the Car. Having a car is probably your largest single expense after housing. Seriously consider getting rid of it and saving a bundle on gas, insurance repairs etc. Many US cities and towns have poor public transport and are dangerous to ride a bicycle regularly so if you can't live without a car,  consider downsizing it and using it as infrequently as possible. You may even reduce your medical bills due to your increased health and fitness by riding and walking.
• Spend no more than $200 USD a month on household necessities (food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc). The only way to pull this off is to cook pretty much everything yourself (buy raw ingredients instead of pre-prepared food), or get government assistance.
• Simplify your life. Purge and learn to live with less. Garage sale all that unused stuff in your closets and garage. You will be a much happier person and maybe generate some cash.
  Live small, find a smaller house. Consider renting; it enables you to be free to leave without incident. Less is more. Less time to earn and take care of things and more spare time to relax.
• Take every side opportunity you can. There are all sorts of little opportunities to make more money if you pay attention. Doing things like helping someone shingle a roof for $10 an hour cash is an opportunity you can’t let pass by. Free meals? Take them. Twenty bucks for helping an old man clean out his garage? Do it. Ask around for odd jobs and other small-scale moneymaking opportunities – perhaps even get started on your own “handyman” business.
• Minimize your possessions. There are a lot of reasons for doing this. The biggest one is that the more stuff you have, the more money you’ve wasted. Also, fewer possessions mean that you need less room to live. If all of your worldly possessions (clothes included) fit in a single Rubbermaid tub – that'll make it extremely easy to actually live in someone’s living room for a while, if you need to. Sell items you don't need. Amazon, Craigslist and E-bay are great places to sell your stuff. Be wary of scams however. Fewer possessions means you will be more mobile to move to a more job "rich" or lowere cost area.
• Grow your own food. You can grow a significant portion of your food, condiments, and healing herbs yourself very cheaply and for a few hours work a week. If you don't have a backyard, many areas have garden allotments available for those who sign up. You can even grow food in containers, on the floor, in window boxes, in hanging baskets, and in 'window farms'. Common seeds are cheap. Or, take home and plant such items as potatoes and herbs from the natural foods supermarket. Many will grow quite well at home because they don't have growth inhibiting chemical additives.
• Get a second job. Face it, you don't have a lot of money to spend on leisure anyway and that first job is taking maybe 10 hours at most out of your day. A second part time job can reduce your expenses while making a huge difference to your total take home pay. It also gets your foot into another door that may lead to a much better paying position if you do your job well.

 

We will add more tips from the web and our readers. Visit again.

And check out the "22 Frugal Tips." Also send in your favorite money saving ideas.

Before the credit card there was the "layaway." Layaway is a riskless form of consumer financing that has been in decline over the years with K-Mart, Burlington Coat Factory and Marshall's among the remaining large retailers that still offer the service.

Layaway is a simple concept. The customer makes a deposit, usually with a modest service charge included, and the merchant puts the goods aside, or lays them away and does not release the goods to the consumer until they are paid for in full.

Layaway plans are making a comeback, according to a recent article in The Economist. A website, eLayaway, updates the concept to the internet age. It helps users find the right retailer with the right merchandise and the right layaway plan. Then eLayaway sets up automated payments from the customer's bank account to the retailer. The payment platform is designed and maintained by HSBC.

Read more...