10 Easy Ways to Save Money

Building a financial future — whether it’s your retirement, your family’s future needs or simply attaining your personal goals and getting the things you want — all starts with saving. Savingis the best and most important way to make sure you’re financially safe when it counts. And it’s easy to learn how.

Saving doesn’t just mean getting discounts on your purchases. It also means putting away money for a rainy day and pretending you never saw it; creating an emergency fund so that if something does go wrong, you won’t be sick with worry; wiping out debt once and for all; paying off those bills that never seem to go away; and, eventually, it means putting your money to work for you.

By finding ways to lower your everyday costs, you’ll build habits that can change the way you look at your life, your household and the future. But it starts with some basic principles and some potentially terrifying concepts: Budget! Savings account! Spending habits!

Those are just a few words guaranteed to scare you to death or fill you with guilt. But if you can step back and look at your patterns of behavior, your dreams for the future and the real impact of your choices every day, you’ll be surprised how painless — and fun — saving money can be.

#10 Saving on Entertainment

Almost any information you want is available free, and up to the minute, online. Those magazines all over the house that you insist you’ll read one day? You won’t. Call and cancel your subscription today, and get a refund on the undelivered issues. They already have your address; now all they need to do is send you the check.

What about those little red DVD envelopes? How often do they sit around collecting dust because you don’t have time to watch them?

Or the health club membership? If you don’t have time to use it as much as you’d like, it’s just costing youmoney and making you feel guilty. Hit the streets for a walk or run, get out in the sun with some friends or use the park’s exercise equipment. You don’t need to pay for a bunch of machines you aren’t using anyway.

We all love to buy new clothes, eat delicious food, hit the spa or see a rock band from the front row. But those things are called luxuries for a reason and should be purchased in moderation. You deserve to feel special and to treat yourself! Just make sure it’s something you really want, and try to spend your money on experiences you’ll always remember. Via: howstuffworks.com

#9 Saving on Automotive Costs

New cars tend to decrease in value by 25 to 40 percent in the first two years [source: Fuller]. Buying a car that’s a year or two old means somebody else paid that 40 percent when they turned it in, or sold it to you, without a substantial drop in quality. That change in price will also be reflected in yourwarranty and insurance prices — another thing the previous owner paid on your behalf.

As we all know, the best way to save on month-to-month car expenses is by watching your mileage. But it doesn’t have to be a statistical nightmare. Just think about the basics: If you drive 80,000 miles (129,000 kilometers) over an average of five years, you could be buying 2,000 fewer gallons (7,600 liters) of gas simply by choosing a 25 mpg (11 km/L) car over a 15 mpg (6 km/L) model [source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]. That’s a lot of gas saved!

Did you know that just changing your air filter could raise your mileage by as much as 7 percent [source:Roth]? Or that for every 2 pounds per square inch (psi) — 14 kilopascals — that your tires are running low, your mileage goes down by 1 percent? Most cars are 5 to 10 psi (35 to 70 kilopascals) under their manufacturer’s requirement, and just airing them up, at negligible cost, means an improvement of around 5 percent [source: Parkhurst and Zatz].

All these little things add up to save you money — plus, keeping your car in top condition means many more years until you’ll need to buy a new one! Via: howstuffworks.com

#8 Saving on Food Shopping

When it comes to food, we often pay for convenience, when a few simple changes would make life healthier and less expensive.

Spending $6 a day on lunch means spending about $800 a year — double that if your spouse or partner does the same. Brown-bag it just a day or two a week, and you won’t only be eating cheaper, but healthier (and maybe tastier, too!).

Bottled water isn’t just bad for the environment; it’s also a great way to pay a lot for something you can get for free. Buy a faucet filter and some fun, reusable bottles.

Making your own coffee in the morning, instead of stopping at a chain, will save you tons of money each week. Stashing snacks at work and in the car means never having to hit the vending machines or a drive-through. A little prep time is worth a lot!

Planning your meals for the week based on what’s on sale at the grocery store is a solid strategy (as long as you stick to your list). Have a snack before shopping, and go into the store knowing exactly what you need — this can save you tons of cash at the register. The faster you’re in and out, the less money you’ll drop on nonessentials. Via: howstuffworks.com

#7 Saving on Family Expenses

 Did you know that all generic versions of drugs and baby formula are FDA-required to provide the same benefits as name brands? Name brand companies spend a lot of money on developing and marketing products, and the generic versions don’t have to spend any of that. They pass the savings on to you, with products made from the same ingredients as their pricier counterparts.

If you’ve been planning to quit smoking, money is a great incentive. The benefits are far beyond just the money you’ll save on the actual cigarettes: Your insurance premiums and health care bills will go down, and you may live longer. Dropping your bad habits is a great way to save money and raise your quality of life. Think of it this way: All those addictions and habits are just another way to send money out the door and get nothing in return.

Anything involving your health, your family’s well-being or your child’s future is going to come at you with a lot of marketing behind it, because companies know you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re doing the most you can. Make it a rule of thumb to check behind the curtain, and compare prices and long-term costs with things like life insurance, baby products, medicines and financial planning. Companies trying to make a sale may not know what’s best for you and your family. Via: howstuffworks.com

#6 Saving on Household Energy

Buying Energy Star-rated appliances and making sure your home is well-insulated and energy efficient are the best ways to save money on day-to-day electrical costs.

By turning off your computer or unplugging the TV or coffeemaker when you’re away from them, you’ll save a good bit of energy over the course of the year. The computer workstation you’re using right now might be connected by a power strip. If so, turn that baby off when you’re done for the night, and unplug anything else you’re not using. Keeping your computer’s energy settings on “power saver” is another way to keep from wasting energy.

Remember, wasting is the opposite of saving. While there may not be a single big change or trick that will drastically reduce your energy costs, being mindful of the way energy is used in your home will help you save a significant amount of money over time. Via: howstuffworks.com

#5 Saving on Personal Expenses

If your favorite shows are going to be available online tomorrow for free, why pay for cable? And if you do love your cable or satellite, compare your local providers’ “bundle” offers. Here’s a tip: You may pay less for cable and Internet by agreeing to a telephone landline, even if you’ll never use it.

While each mobile phone plan may make financial sense for somebody, that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. There’s a perfect plan out there for your particular circumstance, and that includes the best price. Compare service plans with your provider, and be realistic about your habits. It’s nice to have 600 anytime minutes, but do you really use that many? Do you really need unlimited text messages, or could you get by with less? Try cutting back to a less expensive plan, and see if it still works for your needs.

Half of saving is being diligent, which can mean sacrificing convenience or thrills. But the other half is finding a solution that works for you. The more money you save, the more you’ll enjoy seeing those pennies add up. Via: howstuffworks.com

#4 Other Money-saving Tips

If you find you spend too much online, consider removing your credit card number from your online accounts. Then it will require a little extra effort every time you’re making an impulse purchase, and you may think twice.

Establish a one-month grace period for purchases you’re excited about. Write down what you want instead of buying it, and a month from now, see if you still want it.

Cut up your credit cards. Those companies make their money from interest paid by customers who can’t pay off their statements each month. It’s simple: If you can’t pay your cards off, it means you’re buying things you can’t afford. Save up for the items you really want, and you won’t have to hand over all your money just for the privilege of having things immediately. You’ll value them more, and you’ll have more money in hand for your next big purchase.

When it comes to gift giving, the gifts we remember most are the ones that made us feel the best. A gift of service — whether it’s an evening of babysitting, lawn care or boarding a loved one’s pet — costs nothing, and for the recipient, it means you really thought about their needs. Via: howstuffworks.com

#3 What Now?

Remember the reason you’re saving in the first place: To build a store of money, not to move it around, to blow it on your next big purchase or even just to cut expenses. Create a strategy and habits that will eventually mean your money’s working for you.

The first essential part of any plan is your emergency fund. That’s money you can access easily (as in asavings account) in an emergency. Most experts agree on a fund equaling three to six months’ worth of expenses. That means looking honestly at your household spending and deciding how much you’ll need to stay afloat if the unthinkable happens.

Once you’ve established your emergency fund, look at paying off debts as the first form of real savings. It’s not as exciting as a savings account you can watch grow, but being debt-free feels great — especially since you’re not forking over interest.

Saving means spending less than you make; it’s the only way anyone ever builds wealth. That means looking at money in terms of your hopes and dreams. Look for the best ways you can keep the money you earn for yourself and for your family.Via: howstuffworks.com

#2 Make (and Stick to) a Budget

Online banking makes it easier to figure out how much you’re making, how much you’re spending and how much you can save or use to pay off your debt. Don’t think about what you should be doing, just focus on being honest about your daily life: the money you make and the money you spend.

Setting sky-high savings goals can sometimes work in the short term, but you’re not just saving up for a new TV: You’re trying to create an entirely new habit and make it a part of your life. It has to be something you can do every time, not just when you’re feeling optimistic.

Any expert will say that one of the most important habits to learn is paying yourself first. Get that money out of checking immediately, using your bank’s automatic transfer system if possible. When you think of saving as something you do with the money left over, you don’t save: There’s never going to be any money left over!

However you do it, the point is to teach yourself that once you’ve started saving, that money is no longer yours to spend. Saving is just something you do, every paycheck, regardless of what else is going on. Via: howstuffworks.com

#1 Make Your Money Work for You

So you’ve created a budget and seen how long it will take to pay off your debt and build up your emergency fund. You created long-term purchase goals to keep yourself motivated, and made some decisions about retirement. But you’ve changed so many little habits and routines, now you can’t stop saving money!

The whole point of creating an emergency fund is to have that money available immediately. You pay for that access, because it means earning less interest. But there’s a world of financial products that are safer and less time consuming than trading stocks, and that still make your money work for you.

Certificates of Deposit (CDs) are a good way to start. You define the terms — how long it will take to mature — and that money goes away. When it comes back, it brings more money with it! You then have the option of reinvesting, changing the terms or just taking the cash. The longer the terms, the better the interest rate, because you agree to leave it alone for longer and pay stiffer fines for opening it up early.

A fun way to balance accessibility and higher yields is by setting up several CDs at once, with different maturity terms. That way, you get the option to reinvest or take the cash more often, which means you’re never that far from having cash available if you need it.

Read on for links to more tips on saving and investing. Via: howstuffworks.com

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Top 10 Visions Of The World In 1000 years

“What will the world will be like in 1,000 years” seems like an absurd question to even ask, especially since the degree to which the world changes in 100 years is overly ambitious enough to consider.  Yet curious people do wonder, and certain people like Ray Kurzweil (thought by many to be the Thomas Edison of today) spend all their time working to find the answers.

In honor of our 1,000th Toptenz article, Ray is going to take the podium to share with us some of his ideas about the future.  According to Ray, some of the same people living today will still be around in 1,000 years!  Technological visionary, leading inventor of our time, the recipient of the National Medal of Technology, inductee into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame, and the recipient of 19 Doctorates and Honors from 3 U.S. Presidents, Ray gives us the top ten reasons to look ahead.

10.  A Future With Aliens?

Contact with other species, other civilizations?  With technological advancements looming large in the distance, a future with aliens may in fact be on the horizon.  Ray believes that advancements in technology will soon enable us to travel farther and longer into space, where we may encounter other planets and other life.

According to Arthur C. Clarke, another futurist, inventor, and science-fiction writer, technology is advanced enough already for us to make contact with aliens.  To our good humor, some people already believe they have come in contact with alien life, and television shows like “Alien Hunters” and the like are around to prove it.  Ray, more of a humanist than an alien hunter, focuses more on technology and of the progress of humankind and our current world, which takes us to our next topic – the future of the Earth itself.

9.  The Future Of The Earth?

When people think of the future, they tend to think of the planet Earth, and the mark we are leaving on its oceans and forests, and the havoc we have brought to it.  Which lands will be swallowed up by rising sea levels?  About climate changes: how to support a rapidly growing population in respect to food, fuel and natural resources?

Many pessimists foresee the worst (many doubt we will even survive another 1,000 years).  Material greed is swallowing up the Earth’s resources faster than it can replenish itself.  The future, in this vein, sounds rather dark, but Ray believes technology is going to help solve many environmental problems.

Still, who can stop asteroids and comets from colliding with the Earth?  Who can keep it from spinning off its axis like a marble shot out of bounds on the play yard?  And what about exploding stars in space shooting out bursts of gamma-rays stronger than millions of atomic bombs in far-away galaxies, with power strong enough to obliterate everything within millions of light years?  What kind of future exists for the Earth then?  According to Ray, much more interesting things, and less destructive possibilities, are on the horizon.

8.  Solutions To Energy And Environmental Concerns?

Ray believes that environmental and energy concerns can, and will, be solved with technological solutions in the future.  He claims that that the Earth will not turn into a polluted, over-crowded, tumultuous wasteland, but instead believes that nanotechnology will be capable of cleaning up environmental damage, meet our energy needs, purify water and air, and capture the energy of the Sun through solar panels and more.

He believes that we will meet our projected energy needs by 2030, with the development of these new technologies.  Will his overly-positive predictions win out to restore the planet Earth, or will the technology only be more waste to add to the heap?  Certainly the next 1,000 years will reveal the correct answers to Ray’s claims, either about our resourcefulness or about our inability to solve the problems we have created.

7.  Population Growth Problems Solved?

1,000 years from now, the world population is estimated to be roughly 14 billion.  Although such predictions are unlikely to be accurate, the concern is real, and more and more people are working fast and hard for solutions.  Will engineered food solve hunger and meet with growing food needs, or will it prove to be harmful to our health and environment in the end?

According to Ray, one day we will take in our nutrition like plants take in the sun, and as technology grows more advanced, our dependence on the Earth’s resources with become less and less.  Sounds like something straight out of a science fiction book, only better, if it proves to be true.

6.  Technology Of The Future

Ray calls it “the singularity,” a time when technology itself will merge with those creating it.  From devices in our eyeglasses and contact lenses, to displays being written directly into our retinas, emergent technology will not only change us, but will change everything.  There will be a time when we can use space itself to generate energy.

By changing our DNA, Ray believes that farther and farther space travel will be possible.  Sound like a technological utopia?  Certainly.  Taking it a step further, the technology we are currently creating will soon grow more intelligent than we are.  What to do then?  Simple: merge with that technology in order to compete.  Due to our slower evolutionary processes, only by doing this will we be able to survive against the uprising of future intelligent machines.  One day soon, Ray says, you will not be able to tell the difference between human and artificial intelligence.  This brings us to the next section on our list: intelligent machines.

5.  Visions Of Intelligent Machines

The emergence of intelligent machines, Ray believes, will quantify in the future as another species, regardless of whether we encounter life outside of our solar system or not.  He believes we will be sharing our planet with robots, who will soon surpass our own intelligence, and only by becoming like the technology we create, will we be able to compete with those intelligent machines.  Ray says “the result will be an intimate merger between the technology-creating species and the technological evolutionary process it spawned.”

Ray explains extensively the exponential growth of technology versus the growth of evolutionary processes.  Intelligent machines will make it imperative to change ourselves and, in the process, we will be changing the evolution of life through intelligent machines.

4.  Space Exploration In 1,000 Years

Humanity has not kept its feet on the ground and, whether it be to the limits of the Earth or our own biology, we are always on a quest to discover and explore our world, and the space beyond it.  In 1,000 years, just how far will we have gone?  According to Ray, we will have mapped out much more of the the cosmos.  We will be able to foretell future cosmological occurrences that can affect the Earth, and the repercussions that any those events could incur for humankind.

The biggest reason for space exploration, however, is not only to discover how the universe works, but to scout out new and interesting planets that have the potential to support human life, should unfavorable conditions appear.  So far, possible planets to live on that we have discovered are too far out of our reach, which brings us to our next section on the list.

3.  The Future Of Space Travel

Futurist Arthur C. Clarke, considered a visionary about space travel, believes it is only a matter of time before we have safe and economical space propulsion systems.  The questions, however, are not just in building that technology and making it affordable, but to change ourselves to withstand the negative effects that space travel has on the human body.  Ray believes that we will soon be able to alter our own DNAwith emerging technology in order to withstand space travel, as DNA does not fare well in space. By doing so, we will be able to take farther and farther journeys out into space.

2.  Progress With Extending Human Life?

Of all that has been listed, number two probably has the most evidence to support it, specifically in recent years. Gerontologists and scientists are finding more and more evidence that the aging process can be slowed down.  Ray speaks extensively on how nanotechnology and nano-bots will slow the aging process, by travelling into the bloodstream to destroy pathogens, reverse the aging process, and correct DNA errors.  To add to that, Ray even talks about downloading the mind into another carrier, which is easily the most unlikely, but most thought-provoking, idea that Ray has introduced yet.

1.  Future Visions Of The Obliteration Of Death

If stopping the aging process wasn’t enough to shock you, try taking it even farther by saying that future technologies will stop aging completely, one day making death obsolete.  Ray believes that, one day, humans will live forever.  He refutes the idea that “the purpose of life is to accept death,” that “death always means a profound loss in relationships, talent and potential, but that up until now we have had no choice but to rationalize it.”

Source: www.toptenz.net

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Top 10 Futuristic Concept Bike Designs

Innovations are born from ideas, and, in this case, from hand drawn designs. While many of these still remain a sketch in a notepad or a 3-D image in a computer, eventually we could see them riding up the street or highway in our local neighborhood!

10. Icare Motorbike

The Icare is a high-end futuristic bike that includes style and a unique, one of a kind look. Designed by Enzyme in Paris for Honda, the Icare motorcycle is conceptualized to have a 6 cylinder 1800CC engine. This beauty could also be more than just a concept before long considering Enzyme’s last concept, Atomo V1000, went into production.

9. Peraves Monotracer Jet Bike

You may think you saw this design before in a Sci-Fi movie somewhere. The Peraves MonoTracer Jet Bike is an aerodynamic design with speeds that top off at 155 miles per hour. Similar to the controls to a car, the design is a pedal operated accelerator with steering wheel control. The two door, dual seat design is an updated version of the Swiss Econmobile.

8. Wind-Solar Energy Bike

This eco-friendly, wind-solar concept bike conserves energy – your energy that is. Can’t make it up that steep slope? No problem, switch over the automatic motor! The Wind-Solar Energy hybrid bike is covered with solar panels with a spoiler to help provide life force to lighten the bike weight and a motor and electricity coils setting designed at the front and back wheel. This means the Wind-Solar Energy bike can produce electric power while rotating at ordinary times.

7. Harley Davidson 2020

This is not your traditional one of a kind Harley, but it is still one of a kind. This design will be easy to recognize and retains the company’s well-known air-cooled v-twin powerplant. Other features are a powerful 883CC engine with big wheels and bearings. Those are the only design features the company has kept, however, and the design uses a hubless drive system as its centerpiece.

6. Bombadier Embrio

Using hydrogen fuel cells and an electric motor for the main wheel power, the Bombadier Embrio emits only water as its fuel by-product. Gyroscopically balanced, the design is mean to be a one-wheeled recreational and commuting vehicle. This robotic unicycle is a “smart,” or robotic to be more precise, vehicle with sensors to balance passengers. With a trigger on the left handlebar to accelerate and turned by shifting body-weight rather than steering.

5. Detonater V4 6.0

This one of a kind concept bike has taken the bike design one step further. Without conventional steering, the Detonater has an electromagnetic sled behind the front wheel and the rider controls the impulse with two independent handlebars where the front light is mounted.

4. Victory Vision 800

Trying to differentiate themselves from Harley, the Victory Vision 800 is designed to show how innovative and radical Victory’s thinking is. Using a 800CC, parallel-twin engine with a Continuously Variable Transmission, there is no clutch and gear shifting all the foot controls to the handle bars.

3. Hyanide

This all-terrain concept motorcycle looks more like a military tank or high-tech snowmobile than a motorcycle. Using tread rather than wheels, the Hyanide has an advanced turning system making it capable of making sharp, fast turns because the entire frame of the bike bends to make the turn.

2. Batpod

This concept may be the most recognizable from its appearance in The Dark Knight Rises batman movie. Designed by Nathan Crowley, the concept is powered by a high-performance, water-cooled, single-cylinder engine.

1. “One” Folding Bike

Worried about having your bike stolen or simply hoping for a more efficient way of transporting and storing your bike? The “One” folding bike solves your problem by folding into a small super-portable package. A prototype has already been created for the super futuristic design by Thomas Owen, but it doesn’t seem quite road ready yet.

Source: gizmocrazed.com

Top 10 Futuristic Concept Bike Designs

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