How To Get Free Business Consulting Advice

If you're just starting a new business, or even if you're an established business in need of excellent advice, you can get free business consulting from a source of professionals that most likely have the answers to your questions. The Small Business Council of Retired Executives, better known as S.C.O.R.E., is an online mentoring group of retired successful business executives that will consult with small businesses for free. They can give you recommendations and help on a variety of small business subjects. Everything from writing a business plan to securing a business loan.

If you're an entrepreneur just researching starting a new business, the S.C.O.R.E. website is an excellent place to learn tips on how to jump start your new business, finding out if you can afford to start a small business and even tips to help your new business survive. All of these business consulting resources couldn't be found with a better price tag. Free!

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How To Save Money on Electric Bills - Heating & Cooling

Below you'll find some pretty simple tips on how to save money on electric bills. A few of these tips you may have heard of before and it should go without saying that the more energy we use the higher the electric bill. To save money, your goal is to limit energy use in your home as much as possible...conserve energy. What that means is, sometimes we have to go out of our way to save an extra dollar or two. That could be anything from getting up out of bed at night when you forgot to turn off a light to setting your thermostat higher in the summer to save on cooling costs. If you want to really save on your electric bills, you need to be somewhat willing to compromise.

Save on Cooling Costs

• Your biggest savings from cooling costs can be found right at your thermostat. The closer your thermostat is set to match the outside temperature of your home the more money you will save. If you can set your thermostat around 77-78°F in the summer, you should see a reduction in your next electric bill. If you can manage to set your thermostat even a few degrees higher, all the better.



• If you're going to be sitting or working in one place for any length of time, have a fan blowing towards you to help you feel cooler.



• If your heating and cooling ducts are uninsulated, try to have them insulated as soon as possible. And be sure to check for any leaks at least once a year.



• You can also have a programmable thermostat installed that will help to lower your daily energy use. A programmable thermostat can be set at different temperatures for different times of day. This is very helpful for controlling cooling costs.



• Closing the curtains during the day, when you're not at home, helps to save money on cooling costs.



• Have your air conditioning unit serviced regularly.

Save on Heating Costs

• Pretty much the same principle applies to heating costs in winter as it does to cooling costs in summer. For winter, keep your thermostat on as low a setting as is comfortable. Should you get a chill, you can wear more clothes in winter to make your body feel warmer and drinking warm liquids always seems to help.



• If you live in a rural area and have access to plenty of land with trees, you may want to consider heating with wood.



• Inspect around exterior windows and doors for any cracks that may have developed. If you find any, apply caulking to reseal.



• Be sure you have adequate insulation in your attic. Don't know what the recommended insulation R-Value is for attics in your area? Use this ZIP Code Insulation Program from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Water Heater Savings

• A fair amount of money can be saved annually by lowering the thermostat on your water heater by a few degrees.



• Install a water heater blanket on your water heater to help prevent heat loss.



• Make sure you don't have any water leaks, especially from the hot water lines.



• Insulate approximately 6 feet of the water lines that enter and exit the hot water heater to help prevent heat loss.



• Maintain the efficiency of your water heater by draining about a gallon of water from the bottom of the water heater tank several times a year. This helps to prevent any buildup of sediment.

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How To Save Money on Medicine | Discount Medicine

Are you wanting to know how to save money on medicine prices? Whether it be prescription medicines or OTC drugs, there are several ways to fight rising medicine costs. And the money saving tips below should help you lower the expense of your medicine purchases.

Choosing Pharmacies

Let's face it, more and more pharmacies are competing heavily for your prescription filling needs. Most pharmacies now offer super-low prices on many common prescriptions and if you're not taking advantage of the savings, you could be losing an abundant amount of money. Wal-Mart pharmacy has their $4.00 Prescription Program and many other pharmacies have now followed suit. There's no reason to be paying full price on common generic prescriptions covered under these prescription plans when you can get a 30 day supply for just $4.00. Or for even more savings, talk to your doctor and ask them to write a prescription for a 90 day supply and you'll only end up paying $10 for prescriptions covered under these money saving plans.

Check Prescription Drug Costs

When your doctor prescribes a new prescription drug, be sure to ask what the average price is for that medication. There's no feeling quite like going to purchase a new prescription and learning that you just can't afford the costly drug. If there's a problem in being able to afford a certain prescription your doctor may be able to help you by prescribing a similar medicine.

Buy Discount Generic Prescription Drugs

There are certain cases in which it's just not worth the risk to switch to or buy generic prescription drugs. But for many, buying discount generic equivalent medicine can save an enormous amount of money and still provide the same effect as a brand medicine. You should speak with your doctor or pharmacist to determine whether a generic prescription would work in your particular case.

OTC Generic Drugs

Many of us have grown up using brand name OTC medicines. But when money is tight, you can be frugal and still use a medicine that will most likely suit your medical needs. Most OTC generic drugs are manufactured to have the same medicinal effect as brand name drugs. And many generic drugs use the exact same ingredients in their manufacturing process. The next time you're out at the drug store looking to heal what ails you, compare the ingredients on the back of the bottles and you'll find many with the exact same ingredients and/or mixtures. You can then choose if you want to really save money on your medicine needs or pay for brand advertising.

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How To Get Better Gas Mileage MPG | Saving Money

Learning how to get better gas mileage helps you save money on fuel costs. But if you factor in some of the methods used for achieving better gas mileage, you can also save wear and tear on your vehicle in the long run. Listed below, you'll find a multitude of ways to get more miles per gallon out of each tank of gas.

Better Gas Mileage Tips

• When starting your vehicle in the mornings, let your vehicle warm up no more than a minute before driving. Excess idling burns fuel and cuts into your gas mileage. If you plan to stop somewhere during your commute and you will be away from your vehicle for longer than 30 seconds, turn off your vehicle's engine. It's always a good idea to turn off your engine and remove your keys from the ignition to prevent your vehicle from being stolen.



• When accelerating to cruising speed, try to get up to speed as quickly as possible, but don't floor the gas pedal to do so. A nice and steady acceleration will get your vehicle up to optimum MPG speeds with the least amount of gas burned.



• Speaking of optimum speed for better gas mileage. Did you know that most vehicles burn the least amount of gas around 55 - 60 miles per hour? If you can drive that speed without getting run over, try to achieve that limit. Otherwise, do your best to keep at a steady cruising speed and plan ahead to avoid unnecessary braking & acceleration.



• If you happen to be a NASCAR fan, you've probably heard the race announcers talking about how light the bodies of the cars are. One of the reasons for this is for fuel conservation. A heavier vehicle means less MPG. If you use your vehicle as a storage shed, ditch what you don't really need and you should see better gas mileage.



• If your vehicle comes with Overdrive, use it. Follow your owner's manual when using Overdrive. Some examples of times when Overdrive shouldn't be used are on long uphill grades at cruising speed or when you're pulling heavy objects such as a loaded trailer or boat.



• If you have a habit of using your left foot for braking, break it. The habit I mean, not your foot. If you have a left foot braking habit, you could be riding your brakes without realizing it and that can really cut into your chances of getting better gas mileage.



• When is the last time you had a tune-up? Taking your vehicle in for a tune-up can substantially increase your gas mileage, depending on how long the last one was performed.



• While some may argue that air conditioning causes fuel consumption, so does wind drag. The difference is so minimal that it would have to be proven in a wind tunnel and I simply don't have the funds for purchasing one of those this month. So crank up the air conditioning and stay cool. The only drawback to this plan is if you're stuck in stop and go, bumper-to-bumper traffic on the hottest day of summer idling over sweltering blacktop, you have to roll the windows down and turn off the air, because then your air conditioning would be a gas hog and you couldn't use wind drag as an excuse. Sorry, these are the rules. I don't make them, I just follow them.



• Air your tires up to their recommended PSI. You should find the recommended PSI located on your tire sidewalls.



• And last, but certainly not least, shop around for gas prices. Gas Buddy does a pretty good job of keeping track of current local gas prices.

Here's hoping we all get better gas mileage this coming summer!

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How To Save Money on Food | Save Money on Meals

Learn how to save money on food bills with these simple, but often forgotten frugal tips. As the average cost of food seems to be constantly on the rise, we sometimes forget tips and tricks for saving on meals that have been passed down over the ages. Here's a few tips for saving money on groceries that should leave a little extra change in your pocket to get you through until next month.

Saving Money on Food Purchases

• One of the easiest ways to saving money on food is to use coupons. It only takes a few seconds to clip coupons to help you save big. Here are some places online to find money saving coupons:
  
  Coupons.com
  
  Smartsource.com
  
  Eversave.com
  
  Coolsavings.com
  
  Valpak.com
  
  



• Take your meals to work instead of eating out. Brown bagging it can save up to $1000 dollars a year on food purchases. You work hard! It's equally important to save hard.



• Another way to save money on grocery bills is by using grocery store loyalty cards. Use these cards during grocery sales with/without coupons and you could walk away not having to pay a dime on certain products.



• Watch when buying store brands vs. brand names. Sometimes, especially during food sales, the store brand can actually be priced higher than the brand name food item. Also be sure to price items per ounce or unit price. Sometimes buying bulk items can be even more expensive.



• Buy in bulk during grocery store sales. You may end up with a freezer packed full of meat, but you'll have saved a bundle if you play your cards right.



• Shop for groceries at scratch and dent or salvage food stores. My father works at a huge national food supplier chain. We pretty much grew up on these types of groceries. Sometimes it's just that a forklift driver makes a mistake and sends a steel fork through a box of canned items and the case is no longer good for sale as a whole lot. Items like these are rewrapped on a pallet and sold for individual sale to some salvage retailers. Many of these food items have not one single thing wrong with them. They were just unfortunate to be in the wrong case at the wrong time. One word of caution: Be sure to check dates on all food purchases. It's not a deal if you have to pitch it in the trash for being out-of-date.



• Many of us are concerned about our source of drinking water. It doesn't take long for bottled water to really add up on the grocery bill each month. Especially if you're drinking the recommended amount of water daily. Buy a water filter today and quit wasting money on bottled water.



• You can save a bundle on food costs by eating in instead of eating out. If you don't know how already, learn to cook. It's not really that hard and if you're reading this, you have the almighty internet to guide you along. Virtually any question you have on cooking can be answered online. There are online food forums specifically built for people like yourselves.



• Shop less - Save more! When you do shop for food, buy as much as you can when you shop. Travel costs should be included in your grocery store trips and fuel costs can contribute to less money in your bank every month.



• If you do find yourself having to eat out, use coupons for fast food purchases. They can save you at the very least several dollars for each food purchase.



• Grow a garden! Even if you live in an apartment with a balcony, you can grow vegetables in containers and save big on fresh produce. Those of us with a decent size backyard can grow the majority of our fruits and vegetables right in our own backyard. And one of the benefits of a garden is that it helps to keep you physically fit.

Hopefully, some of these tips will help you save money on food purchases!

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