Freebie - TaxCut Premium Software Giveaway

It's almost that time of the year again, when we have to file our Federal and State income taxes. To help you deal with your taxes and to save you a pocketful of change, I'm holding a giveaway for H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + e-file. I've used TaxCut software for several years now and it has done a great job for me.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post titled TaxCut 2008 Deal Of The Day. If you do your own taxes, unless you are a CPA or other tax professional, you will find using this software will make your job much easier - not to mention fewer errors resulting in a possible IRS audit. There will be a total of two copies of H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + e-file to be given away (shipped to you free of charge). I have not done a Saturday post in some time now, but I wanted to give my audience a few extra days to enter!

Rules for the contest

You must be a US Resident to be considered for this contest. Hopefully you're a regular reader of FrugalNYC, if not, then now's the time to start! Tell your friends and family who may want to enter! Write a comment on this post answering the following questions:

1. What do you like best about FrugalNYC
2. How long have you been reading FrugalNYC
3. How often do you visit FrugalNYC
4. What would you like to see more of on FrugalNYC
5. Finally - Tell me if you subscribe to FrugalNYC via RSS or Email.
   

Bloggers will have a second chance to win

• Write a post answering the above questions with a link to this post mentioning FrugalNYC and what you find helpful from this blog.
• Post a comment with the URL to your post.

Winners will be chosen randomly using Random.org's number generator, the numbers assigned by your comment position. The first comment gets number 1, second comment is 2, etc... The bloggers list will be assigned similar numbers, first blog link is 1, second blog link is 2, etc...

Winners will be announced via Twitter and on this post's comments on Friday March 6, 2009 at 5PM EST. Any comments posted after this time will not be considered for the Giveaway.

You must provide me a way to contact you, just email me or send me a Twitter DM so I can let you know you have won. If you do not provide contact information, the prize will go the the runner-up.

Good luck on the Giveaway! If you do not want to enter the contest and just want to purchase a copy of H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + State + e-file, you can do so with the Amazon affiliate link below, you will also be helping FrugalNYC if you purchase from this link.



For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Metrocards

I had a little problem with my Pay-per-ride Metrocard on Wednesday morning. I've had these issues before, thankfully it is not often. I usually just pick-up an envelope from a subway station agent, which contains a questionaire. I mail it in, and if they find a problem that occurred on their system matching my card, I will get a refund in the mail in the form of a replacement Metrocard.

Whether you are a local New Yorker or a tourist, I think you will find some of these tips and links helpful. When it comes to Metrocards, you essentially have two choices, a Pay-per-ride Metrocard or an unlimited Metrocard. To learn more about different type of metrocards, you can check this Metrocard 101.

If your Metrocard does not work, has expired or is lost or stolen you can check out this Metrocard Problems link for some answers and hopefully a solution. You can find a good amount of information about the Metrocard on the MTA's NYC Metrocard section of the website. If you ever lose your 30 day metrocard you can call 1-800-METROCARD (1-800-638-7622) to get a refund. You can also call 212-METROCARD (212-638-7622) to get your refund. This refund offer is only valid if you purchased with a Credit Card or Debit Card and from what I've read, you can only get two refunds per calendar year - I guess this helps cut down on fraud.

There is a new offering, you can have an automatically refilled Metrocard using the new EasyPayXpress Metrocard. I'm not sure I would sign up for something like this, but it is convenient for some people. A new fare hike by the New York City MTA went into effect on Sunday March 2, 2008. With the new bonus of 15% for Pay-per-ride Metrocards, it is easy for your Metrocard to have annoying uneven balances when you add funds to your card. You can use this link to Calculate how much you need to add to get a usable balance from this handy calculator.

There are discounts to museums, restaurants and other venues you can get with a Metrocard. You can find more details here. An interesting link I found recently was the SUBWAYblogger site. As you can probably guess, it talks about anything related to the NYC Subway system. SUBWAYblogger also has a twitter account.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Save Money By Using Prepaid Wireless

I've been meaning to write an article on prepaid wireless service and the benefits, but have not had the proper motivation until now. I was reading this article about people giving up cell phone contracts on the NYTimes Technology section and decided to put my thoughts on the matter.

There are many reasons why someone would opt for a prepaid service, instead of the standard contract that most people have on their cell phone service today. Visitors from other countries may want a temporary phone during the stay in the US, you may want a backup phone for emergencies, you don't want to pay overages anymore, you're sick of hidden fees, the list goes on.

I started looking into prepaid cell phone services when I had a need for a secondary cell phone that will not be used very often. It did not make any financial sense to obtain a one or two year contract when all I wanted to do was a phone that is used primarily as a backup or for emergency calls. So I opted to look into prepaid wireless services.

First I asked around in stores, and started off with Verizon's prepaid service. I read some information on their "plans" and decided it was not exactly what I was looking for. There seems to be some kind of service commitment attached to it as well. So I did a bit more hunting around and then found other carriers. After a bit of research, I decided I will go with either T-Mobile or Tracfone. My advice on looking for a prepaid plan is to know these three items:

Know your calling patterns - if you only use about 200 minutes a month, why pay for 500? If you continue to have overage monthly, then switch to a plan with more minutes. When it comes to prepaid, its the same thing, but what you need. If you really will be making hundreds of minutes worth of calls monthly, go with one of the new unlimited plans.

Buy the right plan for you - This is basically comes down to knowing your calling patterns. Don't buy more than you need and don't buy less than what you need. Learn a lesson from Goldilocks, and get it just right!

Getting the phone you want - Not all prepaid plans will have the phone you need. Much of the cost of phones are usually absorbed by the carrier when you sign up for a monthly contract. So by going the prepaid route, you will most likely pay more for the phone you want. In my case, I just needed a phone, and I got a free one to boot!

Services and available Carriers
I've listed those I looked at and a few more. Also reasons why I didn't choose it.

Verizon Wireless Prepaid - The Goliath in the North East US. They have enough business, no wonder their prepaid service isn't that enticing. You pay 99 cents for everyday that you do use it, AND pay for the minutes you use.
Sprint Nextel - I didn't go for this due to network coverage. Plus monthly plans didn't make sense for my current needs.
ATT (Cingular) - Also comes with a daily access fee, like Verizon. I didn't go for the GoPhone.
T-Mobile - This seems to require a contract for what I was looking at, so I didn't go for it.
Tracfone - Uses the ATT networks. You can buy a "tracfone" in many stores including
CVS, RiteAid, etc..
Jitterbug - Simple cell phones Minimal minutes. Check out their plans here. This seems like a good plan for those needing very few minutes, but I would still go for something else.
MetroPCS - This came to NYC very recently and looks promising. At $40 / month I may use this in the future.

So what did I choose? I went with Tracfone. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen some tweets about it. Tracfone had the flexibility and cost model that I was looking for. Plus the fact that I ended up with more bonus minutes than I purchase didn't hurt! I basically bought a used phone (free) along with the 400 minute card for $100 plus tax. I ended up with over 1100 minutes of calls. I think that is a bargain. What about you? Do you use prepaid phones? What service did you choose and why? Share your thoughts in the comments.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Photo by Refracted Moments

Sign The Petition To Save Our Libraries!

This past weekend I was at the Flushing branch of the Queens Public Library. It is one of the main branch libraries and also the first Queens Library branch, as mentioned on this post. Upon entering the Library I noticed a table occupied by two ladies with petition forms. After reading a sign next to them, I decided I wanted to do what I can to help the cause.

The petition is to prevent a proposed $14 million cut in the Queens Library's funding from occuring. If the cut goes through, it will mean fewer books and cuts in the hours of operation. In particular, the Flushing Library will no longer open on Saturday and Sundays any longer. Other branch libraries will also cut back in days and hours of operation.

Regular readers of my blog know that I am an advocate of libraries. I believe libraries are the doorway to a level playing field for those who are less privileged. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and libraries have provided knowledge to those less privileged but are determined to advance their lives.

I hope all my readers and bloggers will help this cause by spreading the word out on this petition. Those in Queens NYC, I hope you will head to your local libraries and sign the petition to keep the budgets from being cut. Perhaps you can do even more than sign the petition. If you have the time and inclination to do so, volunteer and help the libraries in various ways. I will be contacting Jimmy Van Bramer, Government and Community Relations, Queens Library, to find out more information and to find out what we can do to help. You can call him at 718-990-8585 if you would like to call him as well.

If you know of other resources to help the Queens Library, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment. Pass this message on to all your friends and family, especially those who use the library on a regular basis, since they will be affected directly.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Logo from QueensLibrary.org

Ways To Make Your Car Last

I read an article about cars that last a million miles and was inspired to write a post on ways to make your existing car last longer. I hope this will be a good reminder to all the drivers out there as well as a checklist for myself and others to take better care of your car - it will take better care of you and your wallet!

• Read your owners manual (use the Kaizen method if you need to).
• Keep your tires properly inflated. I've seen some half inflated tires being driven.
  
• Change your oil every 3000 miles, or whatever your owners manual says.
• Drive slower, use the 80/20 rule, keep to around 60MPH when driving on highways. Just cruise.
• Avoid stop and go as much as possible, slow down if you can.
  
• Warm up your engine in the cold months. Let it idle in park for about 5 minutes (this number varies). I wait until the engine temperature gauge has moved a little bit.
• Never let anyone else drive your car. This assumes you are a safe and careful driver to begin with.
• Keep it simple - always purchase the most basic version of the car model. All the extras usually result in extra initial costs and extra maintenance costs.
• Find a good mechanic who you trust, someone other than the dealer you purchased from.
• Buy a manual stick shift - if you can drive a stick shift, it may last longer. Again, less to go wrong and repair.
  

If you have additional tips to make your current car last a little longer or to make it edge closer to the million mile mark, please let us know in the comments.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Photo by stevoarnold

Free Games That Children Play

If you enjoyed my post 7 Super Duper Games For Free and you have young children, you'll love this post!

I have seen many children in the Queens Public Library's Flushing branch play many of these games. Each time I visit the library, I see a new game being played by young children. The waiting list for computer use, mostly for these games, can be a long time. In order to play your children must sign up with their own Queens Public Library card, you can apply for it for free if you are a NYC resident.

Below are a list of sites that contain children's games I have found thus far. So instead of waiting to play them in the library, which many kids opt to do, for the company, you can let them play in the comfort of your own home. I will update this post when I come across new sites or if you add comments to this post with them.

• Nick Jr. Games - You’ll find games with characters such as Dora The Explorer, Go Diego Go, Blues Clues, Wonder Pets, Miss Spider, Ni Hao Kai Lan and many other Nick Jr. Characters.
• PBS kids games - You’ll find games featuring famous characters like Big Bird, Clifford, Curious George and many others.
• Qubo games - Qubo is a 24/7 Children's television network. You can find it on channel 31-2 on DTV. On this site, you will find characters such as Vegetales, 3-2-1 Penguins, Babar, The Zula-Patrol and others.
• Sesame Street Games - You’ll find games for some of your favorite Sesame street Characters such as Elmo, Zoe, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert and many others.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Screenshot from Nick Jr. website

Simple Single Purpose Online Services

“Keep things as simple as possible, but no simpler.” -Albert Einstein

There is a movement to simple and single purpose tools. Tools that do one thing and does it very well. I've come upon some of these useful single purpose website / services in the last several months. I think they are a very interesting concept and they put simplicity to practical use. This post will contain all such useful single purpose services I find. Check back often for additional interesting sites I come across or that you recommend!

NowDoThis - A very simple to do list, you can save a copy on your own computer!
UmbrellaToday - If you want to know whether you need an umbrella today. You enter your zip code and it tells you in HUGE LETTERS a YES or NO.
Goingtorain - This is even simpler than Umbrellatoday, it detects what city you are in based on your computer IP address (I assume), and gives you a YES or NO to the question - Is it going to rain?
Is Alternate Side Parking In Effect - This is for NYC only, it tells you if Alternate side parking is in effect today, so you can move your car and save yourself a parking ticket!
Twecipe - Tweet your ingredients and get a Great recipe. Very simple and single purpose minded site!

Of course there's the almighty Google, who pretty much started the simple web service concept. I'm sure there are many other services out there that are not listed here. If you know of any, please let us know so I can add to this list!

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Photo by SATOBOY - VERSUS2009

TaxCut 2008 Deal Of The Day

This is a one day deal on TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + State + eFile. I've been using TaxCut for some time now and find it helpful to analyze your tax circumstances and prepare for any financial changes. It also helps me determine if I should contribute to IRA accounts and whether the contributions are worth it. For today only, Amazon is selling this software for $29.99. The link is an affiliate link and you would be helping to support FrugalNYC.

If you prefer TurboTax, you can get a copy here.




If you find this helpful, please click through and purchase your copy. Hope this has been a helpful post. For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.