Finding new movies on VHS is becoming pretty difficult. It’s becoming a somewhat obsolete format. Sure, you can still find the occasional VHS player and tapes — Amazon even sells a few. But most players are actually combined with DVD players at this point. Most of us with any VHS tapes are coming to a point where we’ll have to buy a new copy of the same movie on DVD (or Blu-Ray or some other digital format) or convert the tapes ourselves. Every time a new format rolls out, money comes out of our pockets. No media is safe — some people are already feeling a need to replace printed books with ebooks.
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One of the best things you can do for your tax efficiency is to take advantage of tax breaks at the end of the year. Before 2010 closes out, it is a good idea to consider your eligibility for the following five tax breaks:
1. Green Home Improvement Credit
You can get a tax credit for making green home improvements through the end of this year. You can get a 30% tax credit, up to $1,500, for making small energy efficiency upgrades such as adding insulation, replacing windows, getting duct seals and adding energy efficient doors. If you make a big upgrade, such as solar panels or a wind turbine, you can get a 30% tax credit — no limit to how much.
You should also check with your state government, as some states have their own tax credit programs related to energy efficient home upgrades.
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Describing what you’d do if you won the lottery is always a fun topic of discussion. Most people have a fairly good idea of their wish list if tens or hundreds of millions of dollars just fell in their lap one day. Most of us won’t win the lottery, but that’s no reason to deny your dreams from coming true, if on a less grand scale. Here are some of the most popular things people say they would do if they won the lottery:
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Whether you are shipping presents you bought for the holidays or sending packages year round, the costs involved can appear astronomical. There are ways to shave some of your costs, but it will generally involve a bit more planning on your part.
Holiday Time Shipping Strategies
Sometimes it seems as though the holidays arrive earlier each year. With the hectic pace most people endure year round, getting gifts purchased and mailed in time can be daunting. If your goal is to get those presents under everybody’s Christmas tree and not spend a fortune mailing them, you will need to get organized in the fall.
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There are superstitions about every aspect of money, from getting it to saving it. There are even conflicting superstitions, depending on the culture you grew up in: In Argentina, finding money in the street is considered extremely lucky. As long as you never spend it, it will bring you more money. But in Trinidad and Tobago, finding money in the street could bring evil spirits into your home.
While we each feel differently about superstitions — from ardent believers to scoffing disbelievers — they do show us how, deep down, we tend to think about money.
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My husband is in the process of looking for jobs online. He is just finishing up his Ph.D. work, and is looking for work. Because we live in a rather small and secluded town, it is clear that we will have to move in order for him to find work. This makes the Internet essential to his efforts. As he searches online, he is making efforts to search more efficiently, without spending time wading through irrelevant postings on huge sites.
With unemployment stubbornly high, the way you conduct your online job hunt could make a the difference between having a great job and being in one that you absolutely hate. Here are some things to consider as you work to improve your online job hunt:
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