For awhile now, I’ve been making a little bit of money here and there by doing surveys. I’ve heard about these types of websites and programs before, and they’ve never really worked out or at best they paid a couple of cents per survey. However, I’ve now found a site where you can earn a couple of dollars per survey and have a check sent to you. I’m not being paid to promote them, but I thought I’d share with you what has already worked for me.

The site is Opinion Outpost, and it’s actually run by a company that my college entrepreneurship professor started and then later sold. All you have to do is sign up with an email address and then fill out the profile questions so they know what surveys to send you. You then wait for them to send you emails with various opportunities and your account gets credited with the associated points. Once your account reaches $5.00 you may request a check which typically comes in about 3 weeks or so even though the site says it may take 4 - 8 weeks.

I’m not going to promise quick riches with this program, but it never hurts to get a bonus check every once and a while. It’s also something that I actually do myself and know works. So try out the program and see what you think.

With all the talk about the run up in food prices, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on keeping your food bill down these days. I’m a firm believer that complaining about increasing prices will get you nowhere and do nothing to change the situation. Instead, you need to focus on things that you have control over and ways that you can change your situation. Here are a few of them:

1. Change What You Buy. There’s no law that says you have to continue buying the same things that you’ve always bought in the past. Prices haven’t gone up on everything these days. If dairy products have gone up, just purchase less of them and choose cheaper alternatives. If it’s the packaged foods that have gone up, make your own “hamburger helper”. It’s just ground beef, noodles, and seasonings anyway, a far cry from rocket science. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to return to some of the basics either. Rice is still cheap, as are beans. And take a look at the fruits and vegetables that are in season instead of buying just your favorite all year round.

2. Change How You Shop. If you’re one of those people that plans what you want to make during the week and then goes and buys the needed items, maybe you should change your approach. Instead, browse the grocery store circulars and find the loss leaders and other things that are on sale. When these items are cheap, stock up on them. Your meal choices then come from what you have on hand. It’s actually quite simple, but if you’re not used to doing things this way, it can take some getting used to. For example, I have an unofficial rule that I only buy meat (such as steaks, chicken, pork chops) that is $2 a pound and under. I buy what’s on special and that’s what we eat. Pretty simple.

3. Change The Quantity You Buy. There are two parts to this one. First of all, I’m sure most of us could stand to eat a little less. And eating less means you don’t have to buy as much. Secondly, many items can be purchased cheaper in bulk. Use your head with this one though; don’t buy pounds and pounds of perishable items that you’re going to end up throwing away. But you can buy pasta, rice, beans, can goods, etc. in large quantities and they’ll last a long time. You can even buy huge bottles of olive oil for much cheaper than the smaller ones and then just refill the little one. These are just some examples, but you get the idea.

The point here is to think about things that you can do to keep your food expenses in line instead of just complaining about rising food prices. I’m sure I’ve missed many other ideas, so feel free to share yours in the comments.

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of business credit. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Many people are gearing up for a summer vacation, particularly those with children who will be out of school soon. However, vacations are far from cheap and gas prices are making road trips even more daunting than usual. If you find yourself bored this summer or — even worse — if you have a bored child who is clamoring for something to do, try the 10 free activities below.

1. Play in the Park – Even if you don’t have children, there are plenty of activities at your local park. You could enjoy a walk, play some sports and even have a go on the swing set (come on, you still love it).

2. Swim at the Lake / Beach – If you live near a lake or are lucky enough to have a beach nearby, you can usually swim for free at either one. Why pay for entry to a neighborhood pool when you can enjoy some natural (and free) water?

3. Take a Daily Walk – While a daily dose of exercise isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, a walk can provide some much-needed fresh air to those of us who are stuck inside all day. Oh, and the exercise really can’t hurt you.

4. Hang Out With Friends – Hey, your friends probably already know you’re a frugal person. So, why not invite them over to just hang out? It is hard to be bored when you are surrounded by good company.

5. Play Board Games – Whether you do this with family or with some friends you invite over, board games can be a lot of fun. More importantly, you probably already have quite a few in the closet, so they won’t cost you a dime.

6. Volunteer Your Time – If you are bored and are trying to save money, you should volunteer some time to charity. This will take care of your boredom and will remind you that some people have it much worse. Karma points are always a good thing, too.

7. Visit Your Family – Is your mother putting guilt trips on you because you never visit? Drive out there and stay for a while. You can probably score some free food while you’re there, which saves you some money.

8. Be Creative – Both drawing and writing are cathartic ways to pass the time and can be done for free. You don’t have to be a genius, just have fun with it.

9. Start a Blog – There are many sites that let you start a free blog, such as Wordpress, Blogger and Tumblr. Whether you are writing a personal blog or one that you would like to monetize, it is always a good way to spend your time.

10. Go to the Library – Not only is reading a lot of fun, the library offers many free cultural events, particularly in the summer. If you have children, this should definitely be a regular summer haunt for the family.

Over the past week while we were in Dallas I was re-introduced, let’s say, to something that I remember liking and is pretty cheap. One night for dinner my sister-in-law had made corn on the cob to go with dinner. I don’t know why I’ve never done this myself before, and I don’t think I’ve had it since I was a kid. Anyway, it was really good just with some butter, salt, and pepper.

So now that we’re back home, we went grocery shopping and I decided to look for some of this fresh corn on the cob. Not having bought this before, I can’t say whether the price of it has gone up or not in the recent past, but it’s still pretty cheap regardless. At both grocery stores we went to it was selling 3 for a dollar. That’s much cheaper than buying asparagus and many other vegetables.

It’s also really easy to prepare. All you do is just pull the husks of and break off the stem. Then you boil them for several minutes and you’re done. That’s really all there is to it. So if you’re looking for something new to try that’s fresh and still cheap, I’d definitely recommend getting yourself some corn on the cob.

Gas prices where I live are typically on the low end of the national average and they probably still are, but today they finally broke the three dollar barrier up to $3.099. It didn’t really come as a shock since rising gas prices have been in the news for the past couple days along with the recent run-up in crude oil prices. Is it going to go down anytime soon, or will it stay at these high levels? It’s really anybody’s guess, and like I’ve talked about before we just have to deal with it.

There is one thing that I’ve noticed about gas prices though, and it’s helped me to rarely, if ever, buy gas at the peak points. It’s actually quite simple. Prices typically spike up quickly and retreat slowly. There are actual economic reasons behind this behaviour that I’m not going to go into here, but the important thing is realizing the behaviour and using it to out advantage. Just by knowing this general trend with gas prices you can lower the average price at which you buy gasoline.

Basically, I never fill up on the day that gas prices spike up. I just wait a little bit until the price comes down a little bit. Where people will get in trouble with this is by trying to time the absolute bottom before it spikes up again. You’ll only end up frustrating yourself. Just buy gas a little after it falls back from it’s most recent high. It’s really not that difficult. It’s not an exact science here, but it’s a tip that you can use if want.

I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of buying something on an impulse or a whim. Some people to a greater degree probably than others, but we’ve all done it. Whether it’s randomly buying a DVD because you saw it on a sale rack or picking up a Snicker’s bar in the checkout line, it’s something that you don’t need, didn’t plan on buying, and most likely wouldn’t miss had you never bought it to begin with. I’ve also seen some quite extravagant impulse buys such as new TVs, appliances, and jewelry. So here are a few ways to stop making unnecessary purchases and break the impulse buying habit.

1. Make a list and stick to it. This applies mostly to grocery shopping, clothes shopping, or other similar outings. For larger purchases a list would just be silly since there would probably only be one thing on it. However, no matter what you’re shopping for, decide ahead of time what it is you’re going to purchase, and don’t come back with anything else. Doing this relies on your will power and fiscal determination. If that’s not enough then you’ll need to keep reading.

2. Reward yourself for not spending. I’m not talking about making one frivolous purchase as a reward for not making another one, but rather to save what you would otherwise have spent. It goes something like this. Whenever you find yourself about to buy some unnecessary item, instead of actually buying it, keep track of the price of the item. Then transfer whatever amount into your savings account (which you should already have set up). The reward is watching your account balance grow faster than before.

3. Don’t be afraid to return things. Sometimes you won’t catch yourself before the purchase is made; it’s human nature. But just because you’ve bought something doesn’t mean that you have to keep it. As long as you haven’t used the item and you’ve got a receipt you should be able to get your money back. I’ve talked with plenty of people who have kept things they don’t need or really even want simply because they’re too busy or embarrassed to return it. Don’t be one of these people.

These are some ways that you can begin to break the habit of making impulse purchases. Ultimately though, you’ve got to find what works for you. Not everything works for everyone. So what are some things that help keep you from making random purchases?

I often hear people talk about their savings and investments almost interchangeably. I hear about people taking their savings and investing it as well as people who rely on their investments to be there if they need any savings. It may seem trivial to many of you, but I believe that there is or should be an important distinction between the two.

The Purpose of Savings

The primary reason for having some money readily available is in case of an emergency. This is why you’ll hear about emergency funds time and time again from many personal finance bloggers and other financial resources. There are many different opinions about what the size of such a fund should be and how it should be determined, but it’s usually agreed that we should have an emergency fund of some sort.

Savings also provide a sense of financial security and stability. Not only does it keep you from having to constantly worry about your finances, but it also allows you to invest with confidence. You’re able to make more rational decisions when you’re not worried about having to use any of your investments for near term emergencies.

The Purpose of Investments

Investments are a way for you to secure your future and have your money work for you eventually replacing your current forms of income. Investments are meant to provide alternative forms of income or are used to increase your income producing capacity. These are all different purposes than what standard savings are meant for.

A Practical Implementation

Both of these are important aspects of your finances, and one shouldn’t be done without the other. Fortunately, it’s all too simple to make progress in both areas while also keeping them separate. All you need to do is set up two different savings accounts or money market funds into which you can easily transfer funds. Each time you get paid or have some sort of income, just take a percentage of the income and transfer some into each account. The funds in the investment account can then be used for any investments that you want to make.

It’s important to keep these account separated from the beginning. I’ve talked to some people who keep putting money into a savings account and then raid it from time to time in order to invest in various things. Unfortunately, a lot of investments seem to be so good that more money is taken out of savings than what should be. Without an adequate savings buffer, it can then be difficult to weather any investment storms that can come.

Obviously there are many different ways to handle your finances including your savings and investments. This, however, is the best way that I have found so far to handle both savings and investments. It’s simple, straight-forward, and gets the job done. What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you handle things differently?