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Everybody is going green, many because of the riduculous prices for gas, electricity and heat/ac. You can get solar panels and a hybrid car, but that could be quite costly for the average joe.

So before you spend money in order to save money on energy by upgrading to the latest energy-efficient ideas, check out calculators to make sure that it is really worth it.

Climate
A typical household uses the bulk of its energy for heating and cooling, it can be up to 44% of the utility bill.

Programmable thermostats can reduce energy wasted heating or cooling a house when no one is home or everyone’s asleep. Can be 20-30% savings.

Ceiling fans: Moving air tends to feel cooler so you do not need as much air conditioning.
Lighting, cooking and other appliances
Lighting and appliances at about 33% of a typical utility bill.

Compact fluorescent lamps use up to 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and can last up to 10 times longer.

Energy Star appliances are EPA approved for saving energy.

The refrigerator can comprise 10% of your electric bill

Water heating
Heating water is typically 14%-20% of your energy bill.

Hot water jackets can be great money savings.

Just some knowledge to take with you in order to try to save some money.

Death and taxes are universal, but financial freedom is truly the American way. We all want to figure out safe strategies for financial freedom. There are many means to the end. Here are some strategies to consider if you want to achieve financial freedom in your life:

• Buy used cars, purchasing a new car will cost you thousands and thousands of dollars
• Home purchase fees can be very costly: Try to negotiate the lowest fees possible and get the lowest APR you can
• If you can, do car and home maintanance yourself. Many of us cannot so get trustworthy mechanic and contractors
• Retirement Savings: Max out your 401k to the company match, after that max your Roth IRA, then max your IRA
• Save as a much of your salary that you can, and have at least 6 months of expenses saved for an emergency
• Term Life Insurance: Minimum of $250,000 policy, if not more
• Avoid credit card debt: Congress has passed laws friendly to credit card companies, so it is only going to be more difficult to pay those credit cards off
• Avoid leasing a vehicle: It rarely pays off to lease instead of buying

These are not the only ones to live by, but these safe strategies for financial freedom, if followed, can give you exactly that.

There are many types of production of ethanol in these days. Water ethanol, sugar ethanol and corn ethanol. The process of making ethanol is not the problem, it is the results and impact.

Ethanol produced from corn is all the rage in America and this attention has not missed the commodity markets. Corn prices have skyrocketed, which we might think is great for farmers, and for many it is very helpful. However, the repurcussions of this price increase will be felt throughout the country.

Many of the congressional representatives from farm states are pushing corn ethanol as the answer to global warming problems stemming from car emissions. This has brought more attention to corn and made many want to go into farming in order to make some money off the high prices. What most are not considering is the failures of corn ethanol, especially when it comes to reducing greenhouse emissions. The production of ethanol via corn is just as harmful, if not more, than the use of fossil fuels. But since the issue is now a political one it might be difficult to derail this before it blows up in our face. Another issue is the commodity price of corn; it has skyrocketed with all the attention to solving the global warming problem. This alone is not a problem, but when you examine its impact on other things it is very problematic. Because corn is used as feed, it becomes more expensive to feed livestock. That means the price of beef and chicken will skyrocket as well. This will affect entire industries as well as the average citizen who consumes these products. Remember, corn is used in many more things than just feed, so prices of more products will have to increase in order to cover the cost of rising corn prices.

So before believing the production of ethanol through corn is the holy grail, think again.

People are losing billions of dollars a year at casinos, but there is a way to lose a little less.

Casinos are giving away more in “comps,” the free food, hotel rooms and other goodies designed to get gamblers into the casinos and keep them there. In 2006 approximately $10 billion worth of comps were given away. Did you get any of this? If not, next time you go to a casino you need to keep the big comp giveaway in mind.

Free drinks and rooms are popular comps, but these days casinos are giving away a lot more. You do not have to be a “whale” to get these comps, although you will not get treated like whales are treated. Casinos are doing everything they can in order to attract and retain gamblers so they are willing to give out comps to all gamblers.

Frequent gambler cards are all you need now, beause the competition between casinos is so tough. These cards are evolving into similar credit card points where you redeem your points for certain comps. Receiving the points are easier than prior, but knowing how the points build up is a mystery.

Comp Tip
Casinos award comp points faster on games where the house odds are better. Ergo, slots are better odds for them than blackjack, so slots will get you more comp points, all things being equal.

Hotel Room Comp Tip
Pay attention to the calendar. Unless you are a whale, it pays to plan your trip when the casino business is slow. Atlantic City crowds drop off markedly over the summer, and while Las Vegas only slows down between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Hotel Room Comp Tip 2
If a hotel relies heavily on gambling revenue, it will offer more comps. You will do better at casinos that are not top-of-the-line.

Comps in Vegas or anywhere with casinos can be had. Get a card and follow some of the tips offered here and you might do a little better no matter if you win or lose at the casino.

Even though the unemployment rate in America is currently very low at 4.4%, at the end of March, people still have to continue dealing with job loss. When you lose your job it hits you in many ways. There is a loss of self-confidence and pride. Also, you feel like you have failed and that the future is all doom-and-gloom. But when dealing with job loss you must take a positive approach to it and stay confident.

DOs:

• Update your resume
• Apply for unemployment insurance
• Begin your job search online
• Spread the word among friends and family
• Talk about how your circumstances are affecting you
• Keep busy
• Consider COBRA health insurance
• Get your 401 (k) transfered to your own Rollover IRA

When you lose your job DO NOT:

• Sleep late
• Break your regular work routine: wake up, shower, eat
• Mope
• Feel sorry for yourself
• Go over should of, could of, would ofs
• Take it personally

Remember, you are not alone when you lose your job; you have a support system around you. Dealing with a job loss is one of the most difficult parts of life to deal with so it is important to remain upbeat and positive.

A personal finance forum is a great way to get some important personal finance information. Forums of all kinds are very popular, and personal finance forums allow you to ask basic to difficult questions while reading others’ questions and answers regarding personal finance.

MSN and Kiplinger Forums are my personal favorites and provide some excellent comments on personal finance. If you have a questions and post it, soon after you will have cogent, intelligent answers that provide you with actionable intelligence. MSN, obviously, has many boards that have nothing to do personal finance, but the personal finance message board provides some excellent insight. Kiplinger’s message board stems from its magazine, and online magazine. Kiplinger’s is all about personal finance so you can run the gamut of potential topics you want to discuss on their personal finance message board.

There are many other personal finance forums out there, and just like anything else you need to try some out to find which online community works best for you.