Open Low Minimum Roth IRAs for Kids (Kiplinger’s).  Kids who contribute to a Roth IRA will head into adulthood with a great financial advantage.  Here are three companies with kid-friendly requirements.

How to Master the Art of Negotiation (US News).  It’s amazing what you can get if you just speak up.  We recently had a not-so-great hotel experience, so I brought it to the attention of the chain’s customer service department.  I didn’t even make a specific request, but they credited my loyalty account with 50,000 points!

5 Things I Look for In a Great Job Interview (Inc).  Words of wisdom from one who has interviewed lots of candidates.

Job Hunters Still Not Careful on Social Media: Study (MSNBC).  Your resume is a carefully crafted work of art, but what about your social media presence?

Tweet Your Way to a New Job: 8 Twitter Templates (CBS MoneyWatch).  Are you using Twitter as part of your job search?

And from the blogosphere…

What’s Next After Debt Freedom? (The Simple Dollar).  It’s always encouraging to hear about people gaining true financial freedom.  This post also reinforces the importance of Knowing the Why Behind Your Goals.

Financial Goals That Are Easy to Accomplish (Canadian Finance Blog). This list includes several important steps people often put off.  It’s well worth it to review this list and schedule these activities.

A Crash Course in Couponing 101 (One Money Design).  Good advice for getting value from using coupons without making it a second job.

The Ins and Outs of Getting and Using Your Free Credit Report (The Consumerist).  When was the last time you checked your credit reports?  Here’s how to do it and what to look for.

9 Healthy Habits to Help You Manage E-Mail Overload (Lifehack).  It’s so tempting to check e-mail throughout the day, but the advice in this post is consistent with that of other productivity experts.

Got a question or a response to any of the above?  Be sure to leave a comment.

Who else would benefit from this post?  Why not forward a link to my site? And if you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.  Two or three times a week, you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

10 Things Boomers Should Never Do With Their Money (Mainstreet).  Good advice that pertains to younger people as well.

How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions (US News).  This is a whole category of questions many job seekers fail to prepare for.

15 Fall and Winter Maintenance Tips for Your Home (Kiplinger’s).  Great reminders about preparing your biggest asset for the upcoming harsh weather season (quit laughing all you sun belt dwellers!).

What You Need to Know About Estate Planning (US News).  I liked the idea about using events in the news to spark family conversations about estate planning.

Alternatives to Pricey Kids’ Birthday Parties (US News).  Had your fill of trying to keep up with ponies-in-the-backyard parties?  Here’s how to regain some kids’ birthday party sanity.

And from the blogosphere…

Real World Math: Put Kids in Charge of Their Money (Parent Hacks).  Really good points about the financial lessons kids learn through making their own decisions.

9 Secret Ways Stores Seduce Us Into Buying (LearnVest).  The only way to not be at the effect of marketing is to know how it works.

9 Apps to Help You Find Coupons On the Go (Living Richly on a Budget).  Forgot to clip coupons before heading for the store?  No problem.

How to Talk to Your Aging Parents About Their Finances (Generation X Finance).  Good added insights to go with the estate planning story above.

Enough is Enough (Credit Karma).  If you can get past the bad photo, this is a great article that reminds us of how well we have it, even in these tough economic times.

Got some feedback on any of the above?  Be sure to leave a comment.

Who else would benefit from this article?  Why not forward a link to my site? And if you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.  Two or three times a week, you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

No Joke: Walmart Coffee Tastes As Good As Starbucks (via TIME Moneyland).  Hard to believe, but true: you’ll enjoy your scone every bit as much with Wal-Mart coffee as with Starbucks coffee.

Overdraft Fees Remain Steep at Largest Banks (via MainStreet.com).  Have you gotten caught in the overdraft fee trap?  Read this MainStreet article and then read my advice.

The New Freshman 15: Financial Tips for College Students (via Dailyfinance.com).  Are you headed back to campus this fall, or do you know someone who is?  Read this advice first.

Pet Insurance: Rarely Worth the Price, In Our Analysis (via ConsumerReports.org).  Why you should pass on the insurance, but build an emergency “kitty.”

And from the blogosphere…

25 Gifts You Can Make Today (via Wisebread.com).  How to save money and give more personal gifts at the same time.

Spotify: The Future of Music is Here – And You’ll Pay Less For It (via GetRichSlowly.org).  A good review of this new online music service.

5 Frugal Green Cleaning Products That Work (via OneMoneyDesign.com).  How to clean while minimizing cost and environmental impact.

Extreme Couponing 101: How to Extreme Coupon and Save 84%+ on Groceries (via MoneyCrashers.com).  Learn how a couponing superhero cleans up at the grocery store.

Netflix Prices Have Gone Up: 5 Netflix Alternatives For You To Try (via BibleMoneyMatters.com).  Netflix’s new pricing plan got you down?  You have options.

Know someone else who would benefit from this article?  Please forward a link to my site.  And if you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.  Two or three times a week, you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

How Die-Hard Couponers Do It (via CNNMoney).  Feel like you’re missing out because you’ve read about the coupon pros who by $1,000 of groceries for $10?  Here are five tips most mere mortals can follow to save some dough at the grocery store.

Best Price Comparison Tools (via Mainstreet.com).  I use PriceGrabber fairly often to find the best prices, but this article mentions several other good price comparison web sites and smartphone apps, including one that’ll help you figure out what secondhand goods are worth and another that’ll help you calculate the best price per ounce or per count for items at the grocery store.

Should Your Kids Have Life Insurance? (via Bankrate.com).  Some good reasons why to say no to this idea, along with some good alternatives.

5 Ways to Save Big on College Textbooks (via Mainstreet.com).  If you’re a college student of if you know one, this article will point you to five places to get textbooks for a lot less that the college bookstore.

How to Get the Best Price When Selling Your Gold (via USA TODAY).  With the price of gold going through the roof, you may be tempted to part with some of your gold jewelry.  Here’s some good advice on how and where to sell it.

And here are five especially good posts from personal finance bloggers.

How We Keep Our Grocery Budget Under $250 Per Month (via Faith and Finance).  Tim writes about the practical steps he and his wife use to keep their food spending under control.

2011 Sales Tax Holidays for Back-to-School Shopping (via FiveCentNickel).  If you’re buying something you need and it’s on sale, why not shop during a tax-free time as well?

Make a Starbucks Frappuccino for $.32 (via Sqawkfox).  Many are the bloggers who bemoan Starbucks.  I like it when one teaches you how to enjoy pricey coffee on the cheap.

My Car is Dying, What To Do? (via Financial Samurai).  Sam raises some good questions about when to finally part with an old vehicle, and his readers weigh in.

5 Common Resume Mistakes You Should Avoid (via Couple Money).  If you’re in the hunt for a new job, here are some good points to keep in mind.

Know someone else who would benefit from this article?  Please forward a link to my site.  And if you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.  Two or three times a week, you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

It’s obvious to me that there are fewer discounted items at the grocery store these days.  And, when I reached for a can of one of my favorite brands of coffee recently, which was promoted with what looked like a nice discount, it didn’t take long to realize that the can had shrunk (Consumer Reports has chronicled the incredible shrinking container in everything from dish soap to hot dogs and from orange juice to ice cream).

So, getting a good deal today means being especially vigilant about cost per ounce or cost per count comparisons, along with all of the other typical tactics for maximizing your grocery dollars like following the advice of super couponers, buying store brands, and using a list.

But there is one money-saving move that’s especially worth putting into practice in these inflationary times: cherry picking.  That’s where you buy the marked-down milk at one store, the bargain bologna at another, and the super saver sugar at a third.

It’s Not Worth My Time – Or Is It?

The common complaint about cherry picking is that it takes too much time to visit all those stores.  But a well-designed research study conducted at the Wharton School of Business a number of years ago concluded that it is, in fact, worth our time to cherry pick, especially if we follow two key guidelines.

First, the item must be something we need anyway.

Second, we stock up on the item.  So, while it may be worth our time to cherry-pick perishables like milk, it works best for non-perishables.

Advanced Cherry-Picking Tactics

Here are two other guidelines that I recommend.  First, be disciplined about buying what you set out to buy.  Of course, the reason retailers mark items down is to draw shoppers into their stores with the assumption that they’ll pick up plenty of non-bargains as well.

And second, make sure you don’t let marketers get the last laugh.  While we often think we’re getting a great deal when we buy the huge “value” size, marketers know that when we buy the jumbo crate of cookies or anything else, we tend to consume more of the item per usage occasion than when we buy the smaller package size.  The same principle can easily apply to stocking up.

So, use a list to cherry-pick the items you’d buy anyway and stock up.  Then keep all the extras out of sight until you need them.

What other tactics are you using to deal with food inflation?

Who else do you know who would benefit from this article?  Why not send them a link?  And if you haven’t done so already, sign up for a free subscription to this blog by clicking here.  Two or three times a week, you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

Save Money With the Right Reaction

Many years ago I remember hearing a negotiation expert talk about one simple technique that’s virtually guaranteed to save you money.  He called it “the flinch.”  When buying anything from a salesperson, right after he or she mentions the price, your job is to look very surprised.

With the first plumber we talked to, this was easy.  My wife and I were genuinely shocked when he told us he would charge $300 for installation.  That’s on top of the $150 he estimated a new disposal would cost.  That seemed outrageous, so the look of surprise on our faces came very naturally.

After telling him we’d think it over, he left but then called back within 30 minutes to say he could do the job for $200.  That’s the flinch in action.  Look surprised at the price, save $100.  I told him we’d think about that price as well.

Save Money By Shopping Around

My next step was to call another plumber we’ve worked with before.  He quoted an installation price of $150.  The couple of minutes it took to make a phone called cut the price by another $50.

Before going any further, I wanted to check on the disposal brands recommended by both plumbers.

Make Sure You’re Getting the Best Product

I don’t like recurring fees, so we don’t subscribe to very many publications.  But one subscription I believe is well worth the money is our online subscription to Consumer Reports.  I trust their recommendations and was pleased to see that they had a list of recommended garbage disposals.  After reviewing what they had to say, I decided to go with a disposal other than the one recommended by both plumbers.

Now, where to get the best price?

Save Money By Shopping Around Again

I assumed Amazon would have the best deal, so that’s where I looked first, but its $240.00 price seemed high.  So, I clicked over to PriceGrabber.com, entered the brand and model, and was happy to find it offered for $170.00 at a local retailer that would not only deliver it for free but would also install it for $130.

We spent $20 more for a better disposal, but then got the $20 right back on the cost of installation.

Save Money by Looking for a Rebate

My next step was to visit ebates.com, a site that gives rebates on all sorts of products and services.  I happily discovered that the local retailer was on ebates’ list.  By entering the retailer’s site through ebates, we earned a 2 percent rebate.  That only amounts to a few bucks, but it only took a few seconds.  It doesn’t cost anything to sign up for ebates, and we get about $100 in rebates each year by using the site.

See If Any Other Discounts Are Available

Our last step was to search for a coupon code using the name of the retailer and “coupon codes” as the keywords.  Sometimes you can get one more discount this way, but not this time.  Still, through a few relatively simple steps, we got a well-rated disposal with a strong warranty and paid a little less than $300 for a job that was initially quoted at $450.

Which of these money-saving tactics do you use on a regular basis, and which other ones do you recommend?  Leave a comment below.

If someone sent you a link to this blog, please sign up for your own subscription.  Two or three times a week you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

My favorite way to double dip on deals is to use RetailMeNot in conjunction with Ebates.  RetailMeNot is a deal aggregator.  It searches the Internet for all of the coupon codes available for a specific merchant and pulls them together in one place.  Ebates gives rebates valued at a percentage of what you pay for items at over one thousand merchants.

But you can do even better.  Very often, you can triple dip.

Since we have just one vehicle in our household, I sometimes rent vehicles from Enterprise.  In fact, just last weekend I rented a car to get to a speaking engagement.  First I found a coupon code on RetailMeNot and copied it.  Then I entered the Enterprise site through Ebates.  I got a discounted price via my coupon code, and I got a rebate from Ebates.  But the savings didn’t stop there.  Using the Entertainment Book our four-year-old’s preschool forced encouraged us to buy, I saved another 30 percent.

I also triple dipped recently when buying tires for our vehicle. I researched the type of tires I wanted to buy, discovered that Sears was offering a $70 rebate, found an additional $5 off coupon code, and made the purchase online (while setting up an appointment for installation) after entering the Sears site through Ebates, which generated an additional $20 rebate.

How many discounts do you typically score?  What are some of your favorite money-saving secrets?

I can’t say the ABC piece really walked people through the exact procedures used by Cataldo and Engels – only the obvious note that the best deals are found when you can use a manufacturer coupon for an item that is also on sale at a particular retailer.

Cataldo’s web site promotes her Chicago-area workshops and offers limited instruction via an FAQ section. However, she offers a great Coupon Lookup tool.  Just type in a product category, brand, or type of product, and it will bring up numerous coupons that can be printed from the site.

Engels’ web site offers some instruction via  “virtual classes,” which are mostly lists of couponing tips and tricks, as well as coupon forums in which couponers keep each other informed about the best deals.

I still find CouponMom to be one of the best coupon sites on the Internet. Run by Stephanie Nelson, there’s plenty of instruction.  The site also provides an up-to-date listing of items on sale in stores near you along with help finding matching manufacturer coupons.  Plus, I like the fact that Nelson regularly encourages people to donate some of their deals to local hunger relief organizations, rather than turning their garages into mini warehouses.

What are some of your favorite grocery coupon sites?

What are some of your favorite money-saving web sites?

Food is one of the biggest expense items for most households.  So, even if we never get to the point of figuring out how to buy over $200 worth of groceries for a penny, many of us could probably become a lot more effective in how we spend at the grocery store.  One site that can help is CouponMom.com.

Here’s one more way to get the money thing right in 2010.  Join me for a free Financial Freedom webinar on January 19th at noon central time.  During the session, I will walk you through the steps for setting up and using a cash flow plan that will guide you toward the accomplishment of your goals.  To sign up, click here.