Learning From Recent Mistakes

First, a few questions...and be honest:

Do you keep track of your monthly budget and expenses?
Do you check your free credit report at least once a year?
Do you pay off your credit cards regularly?

Well, if you said no to any or all of the above, you're not alone. It seems that most Americans of our generation don't really take their finances that seriously. Consequently, many of these same people find themselves in financial distress as a result of the current housing slump.

However, with every adverse situation comes an opportunity to learn (a "teaching moment" in parent lingo.) Here is a great article on some basic steps we should all be taking to get our financial house in order. Click on the link to read it.

6 Smart Buys to Help Save the Planet

By Kara G. Morrison
The Detroit News
Published April 19, 2007

Sunday is Earth Day, and with that in mind, we went out looking for six great buys that are almost a no-brainer for building a better planet:

1 Compact fluorescent lightbulbs. This may be one of the easiest ways we can save the planet. Replacing just one regular bulb in your home with a compact fluorescent one would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Sure, they cost a tad more, but they last up to six times longer. Manufacturers are making them look like regular bulbs, not just the squiggly designs. Four compact fluorescent 60-watt bulbs are $11.69 at Costco.

2 Water clock. Target.com and ThinkGeek.com sell an amazing little digital clock that runs on water. No batteries, no cords. Just fill up the four chambers on the back and set the digital display. $15.99 at Target.com.

3 Hand-crank flashlight. Brookstone sells the Readylight hand-crank flashlight radio. Crank for 30 seconds for up to 60 minutes of power. This handheld flashlight has five powerful LED lights, an AM/FM radio with telescoping antenna and a built-in (quite loud) siren with a flashing red light for emergencies. It's $50 at Brookstone stores or Brookstone.com.

4 Solar charger. Why don't we all have one of these? SolarStyle, a Baltimore-based company, makes a pocket-size solar charger that uses the sun (or any available light) to charge your cell phone, Blackberry, digital camera, GameBoy and even your iPod. The SolarStyle SC002 model comes with seven connectors (for phones and gadgets) for $55.99 at SolarStyle.com.

5 Cleaning products. Green cleaning products such as Seventh Generation (from Burlington, Vt.) and Mrs. Meyer's have a following. Seventh Generation (sold at Whole Foods) says if every U.S. household replaced one box of regular tissue with its 100 percent recycled box, we could save 283,000 trees, about 1,000 garbage trucks of landfill space and 102 million gallons of water. Seventh Generation two-ply facial tissue is $1.99 at Whole Foods.

6 Trees. Planting a tree offsets carbon emissions and acts as insulation for your home. Join the non-profit Arbor Day Foundation, and you'll instantly get 10 free flowering trees, oak trees or Colorado Blue Spruce trees. A six-month membership at ArborDay.org is only $10, including the trees. Members can buy additional trees at steep discounts.

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

Saving the Earth, One Light Bulb at a Time

Did you know...
Compact florescent light bulbs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and they last up to 10 times longer. Compact florescent light bulbs also generate 70% less heat, so they are safer to operate and can also reduce energy costs associated with cooling homes and offices.

To read more about the benefits of these bulbs to both the environment and your wallet, click here.