One thing the recession has not hurt is the number of people having babies. There is a baby boom going on right now.
So now that you’ve had the baby. How do you pay for it? Children are not cheap. Just knowing what it costs can help you prepare. http://www.babycenter.com says:
• The first year alone will cost you an extra 11-thousand dollars.

• By the time the kid is ready to go to college.- you will have spend more than $200,000 extra.

• That’s why you should look for deals. Buying baby cloths at a thrift store.

• Getting a friend or member of the family to baby sit.

• Trade toys with other parents.

• Use the library to teach the child to read.

• And when they go to school - make their lunches.

Here is that website for more information:
http://www.babycenter.com/cost-of-raising-child-calculator

The fact is, if you go green at home, you can get special financing to do it. It applies no matter whether you are buying, selling, refinancing or remodeling a home.
• You can apply for energy efficient financing through a government insured or conventional loan.

• Contact your state energy office first.

• There are two types of energy efficient mortgages.

• One for a new home that is already energy efficient.

• The other for an existing home that will become energy efficient.

• The loans are also available if you need money to remodel your home to make it more energy efficient.
For more on this just go to this government link to the Department of Energy: 

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10380

Since you are a nice person who cares about other, you are probably nice enough to want to help someone in this time of crisis. But don’t get cleaned out by scammers who will take advantage of your good graces. Beware of the latest scam! Its call the, “Haiti Relief Scam”. It can hit you in your email box, or someone may come to your door. The thing is, they may show you a card with a logo that looks very real. So the website “Scam Busters” has some things you need to keep in mind.

• Always ask for an address and phone number of the charity.

• Ask if it is registered with the Better Business Bureau, then call the B.B.B.

• Verify the charity by calling its office.

• Never give in cash! You can always stop payment on a check.

• Better yet, decide in advance which charities you will support. And then say “no” to the others.

• Now that is not easy to do, so to help make it easier, just decide on a broad charity, then give a little each month. That way you can always say, “I give to the (name of your charity) already.”

Here are a couple of websites that will help:
http://www.scambusters.org/charity.html
http://www.give.org/reports/index.asp

Ordinary people like you and me don’t have to worry about paying a billion dollar bail out but we do have to worry about paying off our credit cards. So here are some ideas from the website The Motley Fool:
Paying the minimum each month is what the banks want you to do. It takes forever- they make more money, so try to double your monthly payment.

If you have several cards, pay the minimum on all but the highest interest card and funnel as much as you can there to pay it off quicker.
Pay off the credit card by borrowing from your 401-k, most of them let you borrow up to 50% of the total.
You do have to pay it back with interest- BUT -  you’re paying it all to yourself.

Here is that website with some more good ideas:
http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/credit/9-ways-to-pay-off-debt.aspx

As we get closer to tax season, a report has been critical of the customer service offered by the I.R.S. and its important to your wallet that you know about it.
The report says the I.R.S. is using liens excessively and computers are automatically setting the liens with no people involved. That means those with fewer assets will be hurt more.
The government is also paying refunds before verifying an employers w-2. and that means you may learn later that you owe more taxes, and then have to pay interest and penalties.
The good news is, for the first time, the I.R.S. will require additional training and testing of tax preparers which should help you avoid that dreaded audit.

For more go to http://www.irs.com

Recently, stories have hit the media about the latest round of huge bonuses that executives with big companies on Wall Street got this year; even though the economy has been in the dumper. Most of us don’t get bonuses.  So with some help from http://www.ehow.com , here are three ideas that can help you save what little money average people like you and me have:
• The website says you should set up three bank accounts:

One account for bills and expenses
Another for savings
One for shopping and entertainment.
• Money should be apportioned to go into savings first, then to bills and expenses and the least should go to entertainment. When money runs out in either of these, that’s all there is. 

• Now, decide what you don’t need in your life. Maybe that home phone, an extra cell phone, or possibly those extra cable channel.  Then, get rid of them! It’s hard to do, but once it’s done it’s easier to deal with.

• Finally, take back your life! Find at least three free events that you can do with your family each week. And then get out and do them.

• To make it work you have to have these four attributes:
Commitment, creativity, an open mind and focus. 

Good luck with your new way of doing things, for more on how to do this go to this website:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5821026_spend-less-money-save-money.html

Gas prices are higher today then they were all of 2009.  So with higher gas prices we thought we would remind you that you have to make changes to save money. And If you make some big changes now, you can save later.

• Think about making you next car a diesel. They get better mileage and ou use cheaper bio-diesel fuels.

• Hybrid are a hot item right now. Not only do you save tons of gas with them, but you may be able to get a $2000 federal deduction on your taxes when you buy one, however, make sure the vehicle you buy is included by the I.R.S. in the program .

• Of course simple buying a smaller car in general will help. SUV’’s and Large sedans just eat up more gas because they weight more.

• And think about a motorcycle or scooter to go back and forth to work. They get 70 miles per gallon. But they can be very cold this time of year.

Here is a website with a bunch of ideas that can save you big:
http://www.wikihow.com/Save-Money-on-Gas

Buying fresh healthy foods is not only good for your health, it can be good for your pocket book too. But when you go to the grocery make sure you keep an eye on what your spending. And Here are a few hits:
• Those pre-made meals tend to be the most expensive.

• When you go shopping having a little something to eat first.

• Invest in a water filter pitcher instead of buying expensive bottled water.

• It costs a lot more to buy the parts of a chicken, so buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself

• Buy larger amounts of meats when they are on sale and freeze some for later.

• And be careful at the check out aisle that’s where you’ll be tempted to go for a candy bar or large sweet drink.
Try this website for more ideas:
http://nutrition.about.com/od/recipesmenus/a/nutritionbudget.htm

Now that we are in the decade, getting focused can save money. Here are three great ideas from MSNBC:
• Get in the habit of tracking your expenses-every penny.  Try free financial management sites like http://www.mint.com or http://www.wesabe.com. You can set budgets in individual categories.

• Haggle over everything!  Don’t be afraid to ask if they will give you a better price. Surveys say 8 out of 10 times, they will.

• And pay cash.  A Federal Reserve survey showed you can get discounts on just about everything if you flash cash instead of a credit card. Cash is cheaper for the retailer.

Here is that direct link to the information:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/blog/page.aspx?post=1513704&_blg=2,1516025

Since the Super Bowl is only a month away, we thought we could help watch your wallet with some ideas on an inexpensive Super Bowl party:

• Food- “Pot Luck” - have your guest bring their favorite dish and share.

• Or you can make spaghetti or chili, its inexpensive and filling.

• Decorations- use Jerseys or those foam fingers you have around the house.

• Drinks. Ask guests to bring what alcohol they want to drink and you make a pitcher of tea.

• Or provide an inexpensive pony keg of beer, it’s a lot cheaper than bottles or cans.

• And, make a list of the snacks you’ll need and ask each guest to bring one thing on the list.

Here is a website that might help:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4708332_throw-inexpensive-super-bowl-party.html