The Big 10 on how you can save money!!!!

First Things First
1....Make a budget. Distinguish between your “wants” and “needs” and see where all your money is going. You can even do it online—many sites offer free, easy-to-use budgeting tools to get you started.

Now that you know where your money is (and where it’s going), it’s time to start making decisions about what matters most. Follow these tips to get going.


2.....Prioritize your “wants.” This is where you’re going to be making the big cuts, so figure out what you care about and what you can live without.

3.....Eliminate the unnecessary. Do you have a gym membership you never use, or every single premium cable channel? Cancel whatever you don’t use regularly or don’t get your money’s worth from.

4.....Consider lower-cost options for your “needs.” Can you get Internet service cheaper from a different provider? Do you really need a cell phone and a home phone? Are the designer jeans really worth it? Assess, evaluate and make changes as necessary.

5....Be realistic. Be careful not to get so idealistic that you create a budget you can’t live up to.
Put away the plastic. Credit cards can be real trouble on a budget because they provide the oh-so-alluring "just this once" opportunity to splurge. But those "just this once" uses add up quickly and before you know it, next month's budget is blown paying off this month's indulgences. Make it easier on yourself—leave the credit cards at home.

6.....Consolidate your debt. Know what you owe and make a payment schedule to get it paid off. And don’t just pay the minimum due—at that rate, it’ll likely take years to get it off your back.

7.....Start saving. Treat your savings account like a bill—set a monthly amount for yourself (whatever you can afford) and start putting it away. Even if you can’t afford to save much now, the fact is it goes hand-in-hand with successful budgeting and will be vital to successful financial planning in the future.

8.....Be honest with yourself. Identify your spending habits and determine whether or not you need to exercise a little more self control.

9.....Start a Spending Diary. Keep track of receipts and monitor cash in-flow and out-go to make sure you stick to your budget.

10....Carry cash. Instead of a debit (or worse, credit) card, get your allotted spending money for the month in cash. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

77 new jobs available in the area!

Click above to see all the new job postings in the area!

Channel 2 budget calculator!

Where are you at? Check your budget here...

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How to save $3960 or more per year!

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How to eliminate stress!

In the busy world we live in today the words stess and tension are common place. Stess is a known contributor to many health conditions. Not to mention stress makes a hard situation much more difficult to manage. The following tips will assist you in eleviating stress and the tension you experience on a daily basis.

1....The time is now. What are you waiting for. In putting off action you are multiplying the stress and the tension involved. Deadlines are present in most situations. There really is no time better than now. For those items you dislike strongly to do, if they are done then you are able to move forward to the more enjoyable. How much time is wasted thinking about what is not as favorable? If it is done you have a feeling of accomplishment. Not to mention you won't end up with a late fee on your credit card bill. Just to put it into perspective. Procrastination is opening the door to stress and tension. Get it done and move on.

Step2....Stop feeling guilty. Make guilt a productive experience. This is the time to improve your life by admitting to an experience and moving on. Don't allow shame to enter the equation. Shame is nonproductive and leads to destruction of self esteem. Looking badly upon yourself is not going to achieve anything. Your human so you will make mistakes. Instead, admit to yourself the error and use it to prevent future occurrence. Then move on.

Step3....When experiencing a predicament look at the how, when and why. When the components are known you will be able to create a plan of action. A plan of action can be simple or as complex as you desire. This is a blueprint of how to work the situation out and how to deal with in the future. The plan of action will give you steps to achieve the end result. Steps make a situation conquerable where the whole picture is just overwhelming. You are capable of achieving anything you put your mind to. The ticket is motivation and believing in yourself. Making a plan just breaks it down and gives you encouragement by reaching achievements which put together the final picture. This is energizing and motivating.

Step4.....Keep your eyes open. Look for options. Too many times we are stressed and miss the opportunity which lies right in front of us. By maintaining an open mind and seeing what surrounds us we can decrease stress by utilizing current resources. Don't reinvent the wheel. Look at what is there and how it may be tailored to meet your needs. This will save time, energy and sanity.

Step5....Know yourself. What does your body do in reaction to stress or tension? Do you experience headaches? Do you dive into the chocolate? Do you become impossible to be around? By being aware of yourself, you will be able to uncover the source of stress. By knowing the source you can work on decreasing the stressor. Yes, this takes time. But your health, family and friends will appreciate it. You will appreciate it. Taking the time to do a self check will help you to know what needs to be done. This is maintaining mental health. By knowing your stressor, realizing the source and working through the problem your tension level will decrease.

51 jobs available in Reno!

Looking for work...you might finmd something here.

How to avoid foreclosure!

If, you are facing foreclosure on your properity..there is help. Check out this site to learn more.

http://www.hud.gov/foreclosure/

Job tip of the day-sponsored by Reno Help Wanted

Here are the jobs now available in Sparks!

How to dress for the interview

The first impression you make on a potential employer is the most important one. The first judgment an interviewer makes is going to be based on how you look and what you are wearing. That's why it's always important to dress professionally for a job interview, even if the work environment is casual.
You'll want that first impression to be not just a good one, but, a great one. The candidate dressed in a suit and tie is going to make a much better impression than the candidate dressed in scruffy jeans and a t-shirt.

How to Dress for an Interview:
Men's Interview Attire
Suit (solid color - navy or dark grey)
Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit)
Belt
Tie
Dark socks, conservative leather shoes
Little or no jewelry
Neat, professional hairstyle
Limit the aftershave
Neatly trimmed nails
Portfolio or briefcase

Women's Interview Attire
Suit (navy, black or dark grey)
The suit skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably
Coordinated blouse
Conservative shoes
Limited jewelry (no dangling earrings or arms full of bracelets)
No jewelry is better than cheap jewelry
Professional hairstyle
Neutral pantyhose
Light make-up and perfume
Neatly manicured clean nails
Portfolio or briefcase

What Not to Bring to the Interview
Gum
Cell phone
Ipod
Coffee or soda
If you have lots of piercings, leave some of your rings at home (earrings only, is a good rule)
Cover tattoos

Hot job tip in Carson City

This is from Eric in our Here To Help Network...

"This is a Great Job, I am looking for a person who loves their work and is customer service friendly. Has cooking experience. This is a 19 bed hospital, we do Room Service style Service and Cooking. A very fun environment. Monday - Friday 11am - 7:30pm Full time 36-40hr week. Pay is competitive. Please contact Chef Eric at 283-3663 or 233-7314 (c) Mon-Fri 7am-2:30pm or enkcampin@sbcglobal.net if you email me please write "not spam" or I may delete."

Jobs in Reno...sponsored by Reno Help Wanted

Here are a few to check out including The CW and Northern Nevada Medical Center. Good luck!

Grocery shopper on a budget! Tip 1

Q. How do I cut costs at the grocery store?

A. Make a grocery list before you go shopping; it will get you out of the store faster and prevent you from spending money on things you don't need. Take advantage of sales! Check out the weekly grocery store ads before you go shopping and stock up on items that can be stored. Canned goods, pasta and grains have long shelf lives; poultry and meat freeze well. If a convenience item significantly reduces your time and hassles in the kitchen, it may be worth the extra cost. But anything that can be done quickly and easily at home, such as bagging small portions of chips and slicing cheese, can save you money.

How to create a budget!

Creating a budget may not sound like the most exciting thing in the world to do, but it is vital in keeping your financial house in order. Before you begin to create your budget it is important to realize that in order to be successful you have to provide as much detailed information as possible. Ultimately, the end result will be able to show where your money is coming from, how much is there and where it is all going.

Lets take this in 7 easy steps!

1....Gather every financial statement you can. This includes bank statements, investment accounts, recent utility bills and any information regarding a source of income or expense. The key for this process is to create a monthly average so the more information you can dig up the better.

2....Record all of your sources of income. If you are self-employed or have any outside sources of income be sure to record these as well. If your income is in the form of a regular paycheck where taxes are automatically deducted then using the net income, or take home pay, amount is fine. Record this total income as a monthly amount.

3....Create a list of monthly expenses. Write down a list of all the expected expenses you plan on incurring over the course of a month. This includes a mortgage payment, car payments, auto insurance, groceries, utilities, entertainment, dry cleaning, auto insurance, retirement or college savings and essentially everything you spend money on.

4....Break expenses into two categories: fixed and variable. Fixed expenses are those that stay relatively the same each month and are required parts of your way of living. They included expenses such as your mortgage or rent, car payments, cable and/or internet service, trash pickup, credit card payments and so on. These expenses for the most part are essential yet not likely to change in the budget. Variable expenses are the type that will change from month to month and include items such as groceries, gasoline, entertainment, eating out and gifts to name a few. This category will be important when making adjustments.

5....Total your monthly income and monthly expenses. If your end result shows more income than expenses you are off to a good start. This means you can prioritize this excess to areas of your budget such as retirement savings or paying more on credit cards to eliminate that debt faster. If you are showing a higher expense column than income it means some changes will have to be made.

6.....Make adjustments to expenses. If you have accurately identified and listed all of your expenses the ultimate goal would be to have your income and expense columns to be equal. This means all of your income is accounted for and budgeted for a specific expense. If you are in a situation where expenses are higher than income you should look at your variable expenses to find areas to cut. Since these expenses are typically essential it should be easy to shave a few dollars in a few areas to bring you closer to your income.

7.....Review your budget monthly. It is important to review your budget on a regular basis to make sure you are staying on track. After the first month take a minute to sit down and compare the actual expenses versus what you had created in the budget. This will show you where you did well and where you may need to improve.

The big 7 job hunting tips in a tough market!

1. Request more face-to-face meetings. During boom times, it might be okay to rely on phone conversations and e-mails with networking contacts and recruiters. But right now, "people need to have more in-person meetings, in order to gather more information and make a better impression," says Stevens.
2. Step up your job-search activity. "The sheer numbers of letters and phone calls also need to increase," says Greg Gostanian. "Plan on making up to 40 phone calls a week, and sending out between 15 and 20 letters to prospective employers, recruiters, and others. It's important to keep quality in mind when developing these contacts, but there's no question that part of this process is a numbers game. In a slower economy, you need to better your odds by making more contacts."
3. Try to be as flexible as you can. With so much uncertainty in the air, employers may not be jumping to offer you a full-time job at the salary you have in mind. Instead, they might propose contract or project work, bringing you on-board part time, or hiring you full time at less than what you were hoping to earn. If you can possibly afford to, at least for a few months, accept what they're offering, especially if it's at a company where you see growth and the potential for bigger opportunities later. Once you have a foot in the door, says Stevens, "show what you can do, and how you can help them achieve their goals."
4. Consider relocating. Job candidates who are willing to move are in even shorter supply than usual these days - partly because tumbling real estate values in many places mean that relocating involves selling a current residence at a bargain-basement price (in some cases, for less than is owed on it). But being open to the idea of moving improves your chances for success, Gostanian notes. "When you expand the geography where you're willing to live, you have a bigger playing field with more opportunities," he says.
5. Scour the hidden job market. "In good times, only about 20% of available positions are ever advertised or posted. In a slower economy, even fewer jobs than that are publicly announced in any way, because employers don't want to be inundated with resumes," Stevens says. So dig deeper into uncovering unadvertised openings through networking, and by contacting potential employers directly. Whenever possible, register on companies' web sites to receive e-mail updates about new openings that fit your experience and skills.
6. Spend very little of your time on Internet job boards and help-wanted ads. It's fine to keep an eye on the job boards and post your resume on job sites, especially niche sites that specialize in your industry or your area of expertise. But don't fritter away too many hours online. "Fewer job openings mean more people are chasing the same advertised and posted positions," notes Gostanian.
7. Take advantage of social networking sites. If you aren't already using web sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Friendster, and MySpace to re-connect with old acquaintances and make new ones, this would be a good time to start.

How to avoid financial stress!

The economy isn't always where people would like it to be. There are times when America stands in a stunned silence as its hopes and dreams begin to crumble. Of course, what happens on Wall Street isn't nearly as bad as what happens in homes across America. Losing a job or having your hours cut can cause panic and stress. This financial stress is a problem we all face at least once in our lives. It's a problem that has caused divorce and even alcohol abuse. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce financial stress and rid yourself of this problem.

Step1...Make a list of expenses. Much of financial stress stems from the fact that people often don't know how much money they're spending. They go through life blindly paying for this and that without any conscious thought. It's no wonder so many Americans are financially stressed. Not knowing whether your paycheck will last to the end of the week is scary. That's why you must make a list of expenses and become aware of your spending habits. Write down absolutely everything you spend money on.
Step2......Decide which expenses can be cut or reduced. You'll notice that not all of your expenses are necessary. For example, you may look at your grocery bill and realize half of your bill is convenience/junk food. Many of your expenses can be cut or reduced by doing things for yourself. Instead of buying pizza every Friday night, make it at home.
Step3.....Talk to your family about the new budget. Financial stress can become worse when there are other people involved. It doesn't have to though. The main reason people fight over finances is because they aren't open and honest about them. Taking time to sit down with your spouse to talk about the money coming in verses what's going out can help reduce stress.
Step4.....Look for ways to earn extra income. Extra money coming into the house is always a good thing. Even if the amount is small, the money can be used to help cover your expenses. If you still have a job, but your hours have been reduced, consider online work. You may be able to make enough money writing or programming to pay a few of your bills.
Step5......Reevaluate your budget on a continuous basis. It's important to keep reviewing your budget to make sure you're on track. You may find even more expenses you can do without.

How to get the job Pt 3

HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL JOB INTERVIEW AFTER THE APPLICATION & RESUME HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED
*Be on time or up to 10 minutes early. If you must be late, call the interviewer as soon as possible.
*Make sure you know the exact location of the interview, the time, and the name of the person or persons with whom you are to interview.
*Set aside plenty of time for the interview, especially if you have more than one in a day.
*Don't overdress or underdress. Wear what you would for the job. Be neat and clean. Don't wear a lot of makeup or jewelry.
*Greet the interviewers with a warm, confident "hello", and a firm handshake. Be sure you now the interviewer's name, and by what you should address her/him by.
*Look alert and interested. Don't chew gum, smoke or play with your jewelry. Keep eye contact.
*Know as much about the job and the employer as possible beforehand. Understand the job description.
*Think before answering questions; if you don't understand a question, ask to have it explained. If you don't know the answer, be honest, but let the interviewer know you will be sure to find out.
*Be honest about your background and experience, sell yourself with enthusiasm, confidence and interest. *Don't make excuses or blame schools, employers or fellow workers, if a past weakness or failure comes up. Explain the situation and what you've learned from it.
*Don't worry about wage , salary and benefits at the interview. This information can be gotten before or after the interview. You can always turn down an offer. The important thing is being offered the job!
*At the end of the interview, ask any questions you have that have not been answered. Ask about when the final decision will be made and how you will be contacted.
*Thank the interviewer(s) for her/his time.
*A follow-up call on or after the day when the final decision was to be made is often a good idea.
*Send a thank you note for the time the employer spent in the interview.

Good luck!!!

Hot job tip of the day....sponsored by Reno Help Wanted!

Jobs available at Online Career Options, The Grand Sierra Resort, and Northern Nevada Credit Union...click the logo above!

Help if your facing forclosure

WHAT TO DO

* Contact your lender NOW! Many people avoid their mortgage lenders when money problems occur, but they can help. Most lenders have workout options and are willing to explore every possible option. The key is to contact them as soon as problems occur.

• Stay in your home. You may not qualify for assistance if you abandon your property.

* Talk to a Housing Counselor. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - approved housing counseling agency near you at 1-800-569-4287. They can help you assess your financial situation, prioritize your debts, determine your options and help you negotiate with your lender. They have information on services and programs that may help you. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - approved housing counseling agency near you at They can help you assess your financial situation, prioritize your debts, determine your options and help you negotiate with your lender. They have information on services and programs that may help you.

WHERE TO FIND HELP:Homeownership Preservation Foundation's NeighborWorks National Housing Hotline 1-888-995-HOPE (1-888-995-4673)

How to get the job Pt 2-The Interview

Are you ready for the big day? Here are a few tips to help you get the job.

*Shake hands (men and women) upon entering and leaving the room.
*Relax as much as possible.
*Never apologize, be positive.
*Have an answer ready if asked, "Why should we hire you?" Think about it beforehand. Have your own sales pitch ready.
*Do not take notes during the interview.
*Be on time, punctuality is a must.
*Smile and be responsive.
*Do not be hostile. Aggresiveness is all right, but hostililty - never!
*Be yourself and emphasize your strong points.
*Be enthusiastic; enthusiasm can be contagious.

Good luck!

Hot job tip of the day....sponsored by Reno Help Wanted!

View all the jobs available in Reno by clicking right here...

http://regionalhelpwanted.com/p/jobs_city/39/Reno/?SN=39

How to get the job-Pt 1 Prepare!

THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE INTERVIEW!
Pre-Interviewing Techniques
*Do your homework. Find out as much as possible about the firm or agency and person who will be interviewing you. Career Services has a Human Services Directory on file, which may be of help.
*Think of questions you would like to ask during the interview.
*Be aware of what NOT to ask, as well.
*Dress as you would if you were working for the agency, i.e., men in suits, shirts and ties; women in suits or conservative dresses and panty hose.
*Make sure you are neat and presentable - hair cut to a reasonable length, clothes pressed and shoes shined.

*Get plenty of sleep the night before.