I first came across Swaptree in early 2008, I believe, which was not too long after it started. Swaptree is a website for swapping books, music, movies, and video games that you no longer want for one that you do want.  As opposed to buying and selling items, you can swap  one item for another- basically bartering, and turning 2 transactions (selling your unwanted items and buying a new one) into 1, with no money changing hands but a swap of goods.

After you register and create an account, you create two lists, a “want list” and a “have list”.  Items that you have that you are willing to trade, you put on your have list, while items that you want, you put on your want list.

Swaptree’s computer system will search for people with items that you want, and in turn want items that you have, and will propose a trade.  One key point is that their automated system will work out multi-way trades, so you may end up trading with a 3rd party who does not get the item you have for trade, but something different that was worked out in a multi-person swap.  Once you accept a trade, you mail it to the person who will receive your item.  Since Swaptree deals with books, movies, and games that qualify as media mail, the postage is usually quite reasonable, usually in the $2-$3 range.

After you create your “have list” swaptree will also show you a list of items you can get that are not yet on your “want list”. If you see any of these, you can click a button to get a trade started.

I’ve recently begun trading again with Swaptree after not doing so for a year or so (you can pause your account at any time so that your items are not available for trade- this is for times when you don’t want to trade or are unable to do so in a timely fashion-like being on vacation, etc.)  As before, I like it quite a bit, and in the 10 trades or so I have done since I first started,  I have been happy with the service and satisfied overall.

The only caveat I would have is that if you have a more valuable item on your have list that you are willing to trade, you may lose out dollar wise slightly if you accept a trade for a less valuable item that is on your want list.  To avoid this, I normally list books in the $3-$10 range that I am willing to swap, so I am not too terribly concerned if I lose out a buck or two here and there, as it will likely even out over time. If you did this regularly, though, you may want to consider selling those items somewhere like Amazon or Ebay.

Keep in mind though, just like buying used books from ebay or Amazon, sellers can vary, both in their responsiveness and in their ability to describe an item properly. Swappers are rated based on previous trades, so be sure to check out a person’s rating before swapping. Overall, I am a big fan of swapping items, and plan on using swaptree more frequently to get rid of some of my older books and CD’s and get some new material.

Have you tried out a bartering or swapping service like Swaptree or Paperbackswap? How was your experience?

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This guest post comes from Michael, a contributing editor of the Dough Roller, a personal finance and investing blog, and Credit Card Offers IQ, a credit card review site.

If you had to guess how many credit and debit cards were in circulation today, (active) what would your answer be?

With an estimated US population of 308,500,000 people, would it be safe to assume one card per person? Maybe two cards? Well, guessing aside, the actual number of credit and debit cards in circulation today is 2.1 Billion! (2,180,000,000). If you break it down to cards per person, everyone is responsible for an average of 7 cards, including kids born in the hospital yesterday. That’s a lot of plastic!

The average credit card weighs a fifth of an ounce (0.20oz) so the total weight of these 2.1 billion cards is a whopping 2.7 million pounds. Just thinking about that amount of plastic will ruin the day of eco-activists, but the demand will surely increase year after year and the supply will need to be met.

So how are these light but powerful pieces of plastic made? The entire process is fairly simple and tens of thousands of cards can be made in a matter of minutes. Depending on the issuer of the card, a special series of inks and dyes are used that are specific to plastic and the use of magnetic ink ensures the coded strip on the back of every card works every time. The actual manufacturing takes place in the following four stages:

1. Compounding and Molding – Credit or debit cards are created in sheets and the plastic for the sheet is made from melting PVCA (polyvinyl chloride acetate) with other materials. The mixture is then placed on a flat surface so it can be pressed down to the appropriate card thickness.
2. Printing – After the sheet has cooled down, it’s time to send it to the printers. Silk screening is used to print each card and the design on every card is the same so the process is seamless.
3. Laminating – That beautiful gloss that you find on every credit or debit card is created after the card has been printed and every credit card sheet that contains 63 total cards is laminated.
4. Embossing and Cutting – Finally, the last step in creating a credit or debit card is embossing it with a name and a card number then cutting it from the sheet of 63. It is in this step that a credit card becomes unique and is embossed with a number to verify its legitimacy. Each card endures a quality control check to make sure it can withstand normal wear and tear, it’s magnetic strip works and the information printed on the card is accurate.

The American National Standards Institute defines the quality that a credit or debit card must have before it is mailed to customers and with the change in technology every year; the quality standards for credit cards are updated regularly. Some issuers like Bank of America take the production of credit and debit cards one step further and include a picture ID on the card that can be used to identify you when purchases are made.

Thankfully, these credit cards can be recycled if you want them to be and many of the guitar picks and plastic key rings you use are made from old credit cards.

The next time you have an expired credit card in your wallet you have a decisions to make… do the financially smart thing and cut that card into shreds and toss it in the trash or be green and recycle it.

Upromise – Turn your everyday spending into college savings

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Medical debt can be overwhelming to deal with. Besides the stress of dealing with owing someone money, it is frequently accompanied by a sickness or illness, making it all the more stressful.

Unlike other types of consumer debt, many people get into medical debt without having a choice. Even with heath insurance, the deductibles and co-payments can add up quickly, causing medical bills and subsequent debt to quickly spiral out of control. Many causes of medical debt are hard to avoid- most people don’t get into trouble with hospital bills because they want to, but because they have to to. According to this article from cnn.com, over 60% of all bankruptcies were attributable to medical debt, with the majority (over 75%) of those people having health insurance. Here are 5 tips for avoiding and dealing  with medical bills and debt.

If possible research treatments and costs ahead of time-i.e., educate yourself- It’s not always possible to research costs, treatment options, or prescription prices ahead of time, but if it is possible, try to educate yourself on the potential treatment options or drug/prescription options available. Doctors won’t always give you a choice, so if you are educated on the particulars of your sickness or ailment, you can bring them up and discuss them with your doctor.

Review your bills carefully- This one seems like a no-brainer, but when dealing with poor health it can be even more difficult than usual to remember to check the hospital or doctor bill carefully.

Negotiate your medical bills- For some reason, unlike negotiating buying a car, people see doctors and hospitals as “above” negotiation and haggling. The truth is,  hospitals, even non-profits, as with doctor’s offices, are a business. They are in business to make money, and they do negotiate with patients all of the time. Don’t be afraid to ask them to lower the bill to something more reasonable or to reduce the total of your bill.

Offer a lump sum reduced payment, especially cash if possible- Even if you can negotiate a lower total bill, offering a cash payment for a reduced amount can possibly reduce your bill even further. I have a friend who, after the birth of each of his children, went to the hospital billing office with cash in hand and successfully reduced each bill several hundred dollars on a bill of $1000, which was his portion after insurance covered everything they were going to cover. It never hurts to ask, after all.

Always make some payment, even if it isn’t for the full amount- One thing you definitely want to avoid if possible, is having your bill go to a debt collector or debt collection service. Once that happens, the hospital or doctor has already agreed to take a lower amount than the total, only the debt collection agency will try to get the full amount from you in order to keep the rest for themselves and make a profit. Discuss payment arrangements with your doctor or hospital before it gets to that point, they are very likely to be willing to work with you. In each of the several times  I  have had a hospital bill of more than $1000, the hospital was willing to let me pay it off over several months- most of the time, they will not even charge you interest or fees- they never did to me.

Credit Crisis Concerns? Get 20% off FICO credit scores now

• Lower Your Medical Bills Through Negotiation, Cost Comparison, and Haggling
• Negotiating a Deal and Tips on Becoming a Better Negotiator
• The Health Savings Account (HSA) and Can I Do Better Than a Health Insurance Company?
• 31 Ways to Save on Health Care and Medical Costs
• How Did My Health Savings Account (HSA) Perform Last Year?

Festival of Frugality #218- America Saves Week Edition

Welcome to the Festival of Frugality #218- America Saves Week Edition.
It is America Saves Week this week, February 21st -28th, 2010,  and what better way to save money than by practicing frugality! Honestly, the fastest way to save money is by being frugal and spending less than you earn, as for most people it takes time in order to increase their income. Since the theme is saving money this week as well as frugality, I tried to include as many money saving related articles as possible with this week’s festival.  My thoughts or comments follow each article in italics. Hope you enjoy!

To read more about the America Saves Campaign and America Saves Week, visit America Saves and America Saves Week.

Editor’s Picks

It was tough to pick, but here are my favorites from this week’s submissions:
Frugal Babe presents When The Going Gets Tough posted at Frugal Babe. Great thoughts and tips for avoiding “frugality fatigue”.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents How To Use Electronic Coupons With Your Grocery Card posted at The Digerati Life. This is something new to me-have you tried electronic coupons yet with your grocery card?

Jason presents Finding Happiness: How You Can Own More by Owning Less posted at Redeeming Riches. Living on less can lead to a more rewarding life.

Nicki presents Drawing The Line With Cell Phone Plans posted at Domestic Cents. Waiting as long as possible before upgrading electronics and other gadgets is a great frugal tactic.

Now, on to the rest of the festival!

Frugality and Spending Less

PT presents Fun, Frugal, Family and Friends Outings posted at PT Money. Good tips on getting frugal outside of the house.

J. Money presents Life in Grad School Doesn’t Have to Suck…All Your Money posted at Budgets are Sexy. Some great tips from Mrs. Sexy (had to point that out-its not often you get to use “Mrs. Sexy” in a personal finance blog post unless you happen to be J. Money ) on saving money in grad school.

Jeff Rose presents How to Keep Your Computer Files Safe and Sound posted at Good Financial Cents. Ways to back up your important files on the cheap.

Sally presents 5 Ways to Save Money On Cosmetics and Toiletries posted at Money Crashers. Tips on saving money by examining your habits and the brands you buy.

FMF presents Save Money by Shipping Your Luggage posted at Free Money Finance. With all of the extra fees most airlines charge for luggage these days, it may save you money to ship it separately, believe it or not.

Selina Johnson presents Cheap Date Night Ideas posted at Tips and Snippets. Just because Valentine’s Day has passed doesn’t mean you can’t be romantic on a budget on a regular basis.

Oilandgarlic presents Simple Living, Italian Style: The Kitchen posted at Oilandgarlic’s Blog.  Do you really need the latest kitchen appliances and gadgets to cook- or is it really a want and not a need?

Joe Johnson presents How to Be Fashionable on a Budget posted at Fashion Merchandising. I don’t know much about fashion, but these are good tips on spending less whether you are fashionable or not, I think.

Nicole presents Fix-It Friday: Cat Door posted at Rainy-Day Saver. Doing it yourself is a good way to be frugal.

Polly Poorhouse presents Negotiating camp prices posted at Economic Crunch. Always ask if there is any type of aid or discounts for camp and other school activities or functions-it could save you money.

Bucksome presents 4 Steps to Successful Gift Giving posted at Buck$omeboomer’s Journey to Retirement. Simple tips, but effective!

Financial Samurai presents Let “Freement” Reign! Spending Paralysis, Material Lust And Obsession posted at Financial Samurai. If freement becomes a word in the Oxford English Dictionary one day, you can say you knew the guy that coined the word!

Penny presents Tomato Tandoori Seitan, and Miso Seitan Stir Fry posted at Penniless Parenting. Kick your frugal cooking skills up a notch!

Dawn presents A Crockpot Succeed and Failure posted at Frugal For Life. My wife uses the crock pot all of the time (she does let me turn it off for her sometimes but that is the only time I’m allowed to touch it), she would be totally bummed out if her’s broke! (Read part 2 of the article for positive results though!)

Kyle James presents Frugality In Practice: Needs Vs. Wants posted at Rather-Be-Shopping.com. Have your needs vs. wants changed over time?

Taxes & Credit

Four Pillars presents How Long Before I Get My Income Tax Refund? posted at Quest For Four Pillars. Get your money back as quickly as possible to start saving right away! Giving free loans to Uncle Sam isn’t really frugal.

Peak Personal Finance presents Don’t Forget These Home Office Tax Deductions posted at Peak Personal Finance. Not taking deductions you are entitled to is definitely not frugal!

Single Guy Money presents Taxes Filed – Results Not As Bad As I Thought posted at Single Guy Money. Minimizing your tax refund can be a great way to increase your cash and save more during the year.

Craig Ford presents How To File Federal Taxes Online For Free posted at Money Help For Christians. A good guide to free tax filing online, and we know free = frugal.

David deSouza presents Tax Rebate Forms – Tips and Advice posted at Tax Return Blog. Tax rebate tips for those in the U.K.

Money Beagle presents How Citibank Paid For Our New TV posted at Money Beagle. If getting a TV for free isn’t frugal, I don’t know what is!

MDP presents New Credit Card Laws to Protect Consumers Begin posted at My Dollar Plan. Make sure you know what effect the new credit card rules may have on your finances.

FIRE Finance presents Annual Fee Introduced for Citi Cash Returns Credit Card posted at FIRE Finance. Paying unnecessary credit card fees is undoubtedly “unfrugal”. So don’t do it!

Budgeting and Debt

The Smarter Wallet presents Dave Ramsey: A Debt Fighting Guru’s Money Philosophies posted at The Smarter Wallet. Frugality and debt reduction can be a powerful combination.

Jim presents  Budgeting Is About Your System, Not Your Tools posted at Bargaineering. Budgeting can be a great way to live more frugally and save money.

Jason presents Budgeting Bulimia posted at Live Real, Now. The binging in government spending has been going on for a long time know-when will it end?

Other Great Frugal & Money Saving Articles

vh presents Rant: Costco’s consumer-proof packaging posted at Funny about Money.  It is ridiculous how much waste some companies use when packaging their products- and how hard they are to open!

DR presents Are Discount Health Plans a Scam? posted at The Dough Roller. Getting ripped off while trying to save money  is definitely not cool- especially on something as important as health insurance.

The Investor presents Should you lose pay when snow keeps you from work? posted at Monevator.com. Not getting paid is certainly no way to save money-avoid it if you can.

LeanLifeCoach presents The Space Pencil posted at Eliminate The Muda!. I must admit, I love my Fisher bullet pen (fits easily in my pocket), but how many things are wants instead of needs? I am still not sure what I would do with an apple iPad (what is it supposed to be used for?), although of course, they do look cool!

Wealth Pilgrim presents Financial Aid Forms ? Best Way To Increase College Aid for Free? posted at Wealth Pilgrim. Saving money on college expenses can be huge.

Joe Plemon presents Lessons Irvin Taught Us on Driving, Finances and Life posted at Personal Finance By The Book. Great tips on driving that relate to  finances learned from a father-in-law.

Paul Williams presents How to Find $50 a Month to Give to Charity with Minimal Effort posted at Provident Planning. Want to give more? Start by cutting your personal spending.

Financial Uproar presents The Solution To Financial Literacy Doesn’t Lie In Public Schools posted at Financial Uproar. Is school really a good place for kids to learn about personal finance? Is it better than nothing?

Darwin presents Is Paying Kids for Good Grades Wrong? posted at Darwin’s Finance. Is it OK to bribe kids for good grades? It may not be frugal for parents, but it could save them money in the long run.

Case Ernsting presents Unemployment Doesn’t Have to Suck posted at FinditLocal411 Blog. Some tips for staying positive & cutting expenses if you lose your job.

Next week’s Festival of Frugality will be hosted at Miss Thrifty, so be sure to send in your submissions!

Great personal finance photos courtesy of alan cleaver

• Celebrate “America Saves” Week
• Weekend Roundup- Thanksgiving Week Edition
• Weekend Roundup-Cool Spring Day Edition
• Personal Finance Links- End of Summer Edition
• Weekend Roundup- Xmas Edition

I’ve had a lot of distractions lately- plenty busy at work (which I am grateful for), the Saints winning the Superbowl, and Mardi Gras here in New Orleans ending last Tuesday. All of these things have left me with very little free time and lots of distractions over the last few weeks (as well as being tired out!), but over the last couple of days things have finally been getting back to normal- whatever that is.

Anyway, here are some great reads over the last week or so from the PF blogosphere:

Marketing or Manipulation, a guest post by Lean Life Coach at Financial Samurai

14 Tax Time Tips at PT Money

How to Rise from Poverty at Brip Brap

Couples and Money: Learn How to Stop Fighting Over Finances in Your Marriage at Generation X Finance

9 Ways to Multiply Your Sources of Income and Pay off Your Debts at Gather Little by Little

I also participated in the following carnivals over the last couple of weeks:

The 241st Carnival of Personal Finance at My Journey to Millions

Festival of Frugality at Ultimate Money Blog

Carnival of Personal Finance #243 at Get Rich Slowly: Valentine’s Day Edition at Get Rich Slowly

I‘m hosting the Festival of Frugality #218 this coming Tuesday, so if you are a PF Blogger be sure to submit an article !

Upromise – Turn your everyday spending into college savings

• Personal Finance Links- End of Summer Edition
• Weekly Personal Finance Links-Weird Weather Edition
• Weekend Roundup-Cool Spring Day Edition
• Personal Finance Links- New Orleans Saints 10-0 Edition
• Weekend Roundup

Occam’s Razor is a rule of thumb or principle, that can be stated as follows:

That all things being equal, the simplest  explanation or strategy is usually the best or correct one.

Another related quote sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein : Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. And then there is the KISS Principle, or “Keep it Simple, Stupid”.

For some reason, I think many of us are to quick to dismiss simplicity when it comes to personal finances and money management. Maybe we think that managing money and becoming wealthy is more complicated than it really needs to be. It can’t really be that simple, can it?

For example, I think there are a lot of personal finance truisms, that many of us are to quick to dismiss as being cliched, such as “spend less than you earn”.  When we read or hear it, it is very easy to say or think that our own personal financial situation is more complicated than just spending less than we earn, isn’t it? But if everyone spent less than they earned, there would be a lot fewer people with money problems.

Simplifying your personal finances can go a long way to helping you live with less stress and worry.  It can also help in eliminating distractions that keep us from reaching our financial goals.

One high interest savings account (or even a regular one)  is enough to start building  wealth, isn’t it? Do we really need 3 or 4 accounts, moving money around to get that extra 0.1% in interest for a month or two? When we are focus on things that make our finances more complex, what are we not spending time on? We could be making more money or spending less instead of juggling multiple accounts, credit cards, etc. I am not really picking on having multiple savings accounts or credit cards in particular, but just using that as one example.If you don’t have a problem with, and many people don’t, then it is likely not a distraction to you.

However, the fastest way to get wealthy is to make the gap between what you spend and what you earn as large as possible, for as long as possible. If that difference was 1 million dollars a year, for example, a lot of the things that you might worry about now regarding your finances might soon disappear. There might be new things to worry about, of course, but over time they would likely get less and less worrisome-at least when it come to money.

Are your finances simple and easy to deal with, or are they too complex? Do you to focus on the wrong things when it comes to building a secure financial future?

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• Identifying Your Biggest Financial Fears and Taking Steps to Alleviate Them

Self reliance seems to be somewhat of a lost art in this day and age. 75 years or so ago, I think it was a lot more common for people to do many things themselves, that these days seem out of the ordinary for many people.

Self reliance, or self sufficient living, can mean different things to different people.

It can mean practicing sustainable living, simplicity, homesteading, or just learning to do more things yourself and for yourself, that you might have to pay , hire, or depend on someone else to typically do.

When I refer to self reliance, I generally think of doing more things my self, such as cooking, cleaning, yard work, growing your own food, minor home and auto repair and maintenance, and similar activities.

It also means fixing or repairing things instead of just throwing them away. I think this is one area in which today’s society has really lost a step or two on previous generations, certainly here in the U.S. So many things today, from clothes to electronics, and dozens of other items, have become “throwaway” when they get damaged, torn, or broken.

Part of the reason I think that many people in society today is that we have this sense that we just don’t have enough time to do many of these activities ourselves, or certainly not enough time to learn how to perform new tasks.

Is this really the case? I don’t know for sure, but I often feel like much of the demands on my time are self-imposed, so to speak- I can spend hours on the internet reading if I am not careful, for example, when I could actually be learning something.

The science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein has a great quote on what human beings should be able to “do”- some of them may be a little outdated, but you get the idea.

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

— Robert A. Heinlein

How many things can you do?
What are some things you would like do yourself but haven’t learned how to do yet?

Credit Crisis Concerns? Get 20% off FICO credit scores now

• Mastering Frugal Living- Living a Simpler Life and Avoiding Consumerism
• Save Money by Practicing Moderation in Your Life
• Weekend Roundup- Fall is in the Air Edition
• Walking the Fine Line Between Being a Spender and a Saver
• Looking For a Cheaper Alternative and Deciding To Do It Yourself

Charitable donations made to Haiti Earthquake relief efforts are tax deductible immediately, according to the IRS, which means they can be deducted on your 2009 tax return if you itemize.

Taxpayers can choose to deduct the donations made to Haitian relief efforts on either their 2009 returns which they will be filing shortly, or on their 2010 tax returns to be filed in 2011, but obviously not both.

Only cash contributions ( as opposed to property or goods donations) made to these charities after Jan. 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010, are eligible. This includes contributions made by text message, check, credit card or debit card.

Filing Status requirements

The tax deduction is available only to those who itemize using schedule A, those who take the standard deduction are not eligible.

Charity eligibility

Taxpayers should be sure their contributions go to qualified charities. Most organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible donations are listed in a searchable online database available on IRS.gov under Search for Charities. Some organizations, such as churches or governments, may be qualified even though they are not listed on IRS.gov

Records /Receipt required as proof of donation

Federal law requires that taxpayers keep a record of any deductible donations they make. For donations by text message, a telephone bill will meet the record keeping requirement if it shows the name of the donee organization, the date of the contribution and the amount of the contribution. For cash contributions made by other means, be sure to keep a bank record, such as a canceled check, or a receipt from the charity showing the name of the charity and the date and amount of the contribution. Publication 526 has further details on the record keeping rules for cash contributions.

(Source info from irs press release IR-2010-012)

Upromise – Turn your everyday spending into college savings

• If You Use GEICO for Your Car Insurance- Are You Eligible for a Discount that You Don’t Know About?
• Personal Finance Links- Help Relief Efforts in Haiti Edition
• Make Reducing Poverty One of Your Motivators for Improving Your Own Finances
• The Roth IRA: A Closer Look at a Powerful Wealth Building Tool
• Saving Money for College- Education Savings Accounts and 529 Plans

Well, the reports are in, and it’s official. Hell has frozen over, as you can see from the accompanying photo.

The New Orleans Saints have finally made it to the Superbowl after 42 years. It’s still hard for me to believe, and I have not been suffering the full 42 years as I am a little younger than that. Win or Lose, they had a great season (although I think they will win, of course), and the irony on playing against a Manning (the 1st family of football in New Orleans and probably the rest of the NFL as well) makes it an even more exciting match-up. I can’t wait!

On to this week’s links- I would be remiss if I did not give a shout out first to two personal finance bloggers who are also Saints fans-I am sure there are others, but I have known these two were Saints fans for a while so I thought I would start off by highlighting a couple of their recent articles.

2010 Roth IRA Conversion: Should You Make the Move by PT from Prime Time Money

How Shopping Helped Me Save over $500 on Insurance by B Simple from Simple Financial Lifestyle

Geaux Saints!!

Other good reads this past week:

What is the Time Value of Money? Textbook Personal Finance at Finance for a Freelance Life

What Will the Next Ten Years Be for You Financially? at Free from Broke

Saving With a Purpose: Early Retirement at Frugal Dad

Foolish Investors Make Foolish Predictions at Bad Money Advice

Last week I also participated in the Carnival of Personal Finance-Support Haiti Edition over at Million Dollar Journey

photo by southerntabitha

Credit Crisis Concerns? Get 20% off FICO credit scores now

• Personal Finance Links- New Orleans Saints 10-0 Edition
• Weekly Personal Finance Links- Cool Front Edition
• Personal Finance Links- Getting Back to Normal Edition
• Weekend Roundup- Fired up about Personal Finance Edition
• Link Round Up -Carnival & Festival Edition

E-filing, or electronically filing your taxes, is becoming more and more popular every year.

Last year, IRS e-file delivered 95 million tax returns, 66 percent of all returns filed.

According to the IRS, the error rate is 1% for efiling vs. 20% for paper returns, meaning everyone should consider e filing to reduce their chance of error.

You might think efiling is only for those who are receiving a tax refund, but according to the IRS, for those who owe additional tax, e-file is still the best option. People can file now and pay later, as long as the payment is received by April 15.

As someone who has filed his taxes electronically for the last 4 or 5 years (at least, I would say, but I would have to go back and check to see exactly how long I have been filing my taxes electronically), I can attest to fact that it is much easier than filing out a paper return, and if you are due a refund, you get it much faster than if you fill out a paper form and mail it in. So what are the options for efiling?

E-File for Free Eligibility

If you make under $57,000.00 per year, you are likely eligible to efile for free. The IRS has a page with a list of companies that you can choose from to use for the free efile program, some of which have slightly different criteria for whether or not you qualify to use their service to take part in the free efile program. Some are slightly lower limits than $57,000, while others have certain age restrictions or even provide additional filing eligibility to those in the military, for example.

Free Fillable Forms

For those who do not qualify for the free e-file program, the IRS also provides free fillable forms, if you are interested in filling out the forms yourself (they are fillable pdf forms), which you can then file electronically for free. The forms look just like the regular IRS tax forms (1040EZ, 1040, and 1040A, for example), and according to the site it does provide a basic math calculator, which may be enough to get by with, but I have not tried this option myself.

Online Tax Filing and Software Options for E-Filing

If you want to use tax software or an online tax preparation service to file your taxes, there are many options available to choose from, such as  Turbotax , H&R Block At Home (formerly Taxcut), and Complete Tax.  Most will allow you to file a simple return, using a 1040EZ, for free, so if you are eligible you may be able to file your return for free even if you don’t qualify directly through the IRS sponsored program. Since my tax returns are not always simple, I like using online tax filing vs. paper forms to make sure my math is correct, I am getting all of my deductions or credits, getting my return filed faster and, most importantly, if I am getting a refund, to get that as soon as possible-it’s my money, after all!

Direct deposit of refund

Whether you efile or fill out a paper form, you will have an option for the IRS to mail you a paper check or direct deposit your refund into a bank account, assuming you are getting a refund. I have filled out paper forms and mailed them in and gotten direct deposit of my refund, and based on my experiences you will get your refund quite a bit faster if you opt-in for direct deposit to your checking account as opposed to letting the IRS mail you a paper check. So if you are looking to get a refund as quickly as possible, a direct deposit from the IRS is the way to go.

• Not Going to Finish Your Taxes by April 15th?- How to File For An Extension
• 7 Reasons You May Not Have Received Your Economic Stimulus Rebate Yet
• When Will I Get My Economic Stimulus Rebate Check from the IRS?
• Don’t Let Last Year’s Stimulus Check Mess Up Your 2008 Tax Return
• Why You Should Prepare Your Taxes Now

I’ve known about redbox some time ago but never even really knew how it worked until recently, when a redbox showed up in front of a gas station a block from where I work and I decided to try it out.

Redbox is basically a vending machine for renting DVDs, and the great part of it is that it is only 99 cents for a one night rental, if you return it by 9 pm the next night.

It is a great alternative to the video stores or pay-per-view on cable, that charge 3.99 or more  for a rental.  Also,  if you are like me and don’t rent very many movies at this point in your life, it is a cheaper alternative than netflix if you don’t rent enough movies over the course of a month (I probably average 1-2 per month) to make their subscription plan worthwhile. I actually love watching movies, I just can’t seem to find the time in my life with two small kid, work, and everything else going on in my life. At some point I could see netflix being a worthwhile option, just not right now.

As an added bonus I discovered that there are free redbox rental codes that are good for a free one night’s rental that are put out from time to time (seems to be about monthly), that show up on deal finding websites such as slickdeals. Just search a site like slickdeals or even google for “free redbox codes”, and you are likely to find some. They will also send you a code for a free rental if you sign up for redbox email list.

I’ve only rented 3 movies from redbox over the last 2 or 3 months, but my experience has been a good one thus far with redbox.

What service do you use to rent movies? Netflix, redbox, or something else?

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• Book Review: A Million Bucks by 30 by Alan Corey
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Living in New Orleans and having gone through Hurricane Katrina and the the aftermath, I’ve seen what the destructive forces of nature  can do to a community.

What has happened and is happening in Haiti, however, is 1000x worse. Haiti is a country that was already wracked by extreme poverty and substandard infrastructure compare to anything here in the U.S., before the earthquake, so they need assistance from others that much more.

If you have the ability to donate some amount, no matter how small, please do so to help the relief efforts going on there now, which will have to continue for a very long time in the future before there is some resemblance of normalcy.

• You can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by sending a text message stating  “HAITI” to number 90999. A $10 charge will appear on your phone bill.

• You can also make donations to the American Red Cross via their Haitian Relief donation page.

Other groups providing assistance in Haiti:

• Doctors Without Borders donation page

• Partners in Health Haiti Page

• Unicef Haiti Donation  Page

There are probably dozens of other charities, legitimate ones, that are assisting in the Haitian relief efforts, so if you have one in mind, please donate. If you are unsure on the legitimacy of a charity you are considering making a donation to , make sure to check it out first before you donate so that your donation will have a positive impact.

Here are a few great posts I read over the past week:

The Two Income Myth at Brip Brap

8 Steps for Having a Financial Game Plan at Couple Money

How We Paid Off Our Mortgage in Under Ten Years at fivecentnickel

Are Prepaid Legal Plans Worth It? at Bargaineering

Coupons 101-Frequently Asked Questions at Northern Cheapskate

The Best 101 Debt Busting Posts of 2009 (from 101 Frugal Bloggers) at CESI Debt Solutions

I participated in 2 carnivals over the past week:

Carnival of Personal Finance #239- Hot Money Trends for 2010 Edition hosted at Darwin’s Finance

Festival of Frugality #21-New Beginnings Edition at Yes, I am Cheap

Upromise – Turn your everyday spending into college savings

• Charitable Donations To Haiti Relief Effort Tax Deductible for 2009 Taxes
• Personal Finance Links- Saints in the Super Bowl Edition
• Weekly Personal Finance Links- The Terrible Towel Edition
• Weekend Roundup- Keeping Busy Edition
• Personal Finance Links- New Orleans Saints 10-0 Edition