Angie’s List is giving away a free Flip digital camcorder this month during it’s Report Drive. Members will receive a free Flip when they submit 15 reports (3 of which must be in the medical category.) Plus each report you submit enters you in a drawing for a $5,000 gas card. You must be a member to post a report. To save $20 off your membership fee enter promo code HANDYOCT.

Now back to the reason why I was on Atlanta & Company. I was sharing my perspective and tips on the current financial situation. Here are the notes from the segment:

Many financial pundits are projecting a very gloomy future. But the future doesn’t have to be so gloomy.

Change Your Perspective

Just like constantly looking at a clock makes time go by slower, constantly looking at your stock and retirement accounts makes market fluctuations seem even more painful. Take a step back and breathe. Unless you live on Wall Street, the stock market is part of your long term savings strategy. Daily fluctuations should not rattle you.
Even if you are close to retirement and are worried about how much you have “lost” don’t be too worried. Remember retirement is a long term perspective as well. Just because your account is down 30% doesn’t mean you have lost that much. It’s not like you are going to take out all your money next year. You will only take out a portion of your account, so the loss will only be on that portion not the entire account.

Don’t Be Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish

It’s easy to be tempted by sales and coupons and to spend time chasing the savings they can provide. But here are few things to keep in mind so that you really do save money:
1. Whether it is toothpaste or a T-shirt don’t buy something just because it is on sale. If the item will not be used by you or your family then you have essentially thrown your “savings” away.
2. Don’t get consumed with finding coupons (don’t forget about coupons on ShoppingQueen.com) only to let your bills pile up. I have seen many people chase sales yet complain about late fees and interest charges on their past due bills.
3. Concentrate on monthly savings on bills. This is where you can see the savings add up. Here’s how:
a. Cable, phone and internet services: With so many choices for internet service as well as cable and satellite services, you have competition working for you. Call your current provider and ask them to match other providers’ rates. Most of the time, you will get a rate discount.
b. Credit card rates: Credit card companies send you a lot of offers before you finally become their customer. Once they have you, they don’t want to lose you, especially if you carry a balance and pay finance charges. Save money by contacting the credit card company and asking them to give you a lower rate. If you have good credit and have been paying on time, they will usually knock a few percentage points off your rate.
c. Natural gas service: Do you know how much you are paying per therm? Is it the best deal around? (Only for Georgia) To find out visit the Public Service Commission’s Natural Gas Marketer Price Chart. (http://www.psc.state.ga.us/gas/pricecard.asp) See what prices are out there and call to see if your marketer can match the rates or if you should switch. This can save you a hundred dollars or two in the winter depending on your current rates.

With Phase One, every year in April I have to  spend countless hours researching health care plans, options and costs. I work with an insurance broker, but thus far I haven’t found one that is truly knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of the various plans. I have to do my own research and let’s face it health care policies aren’t exactly easy reading.

Once I have chosen a health plan and filled out all the appropriate forms, applications and consent forms I can move on to Phase Two. Now I have to spend countless hours researching and planning the cost of doctors’ visits, lab fees and all the other endless costs. I have had to make sacrifices to make it all work. For example, I had to leave my beloved obstetrician when I found out I was pregnant with our second child. Why because she wasn’t affiliated with the lower cost hospital.

Finally, I have to reconcile all the bills, quotes and codes. Many of the bills I receive have either a clerical or billing error. So checking up on the billing and making sure everything is priced correctly is the final and most important part. I can now recite many billing codes from memory now.

We are constantly reminded to be green and to recycle instead of adding to the landfills. But do you ever wonder where or how to recycle something? Real Simple has compiled an A to Z Recycling Guide. This is a excellent resource. For example, did you know there was even such a thing as the National Crayon Recycle Program?

And yes, I do donate and recycle all the magazines I finish reading.

Taste of Atlanta

Grab a plate and enjoy tastes from over 70 of Atlanta’s favorite restaurants like Dolce, Imperial Fez, The Sundial and more. In addition to great food there are kids activities, entertainment and cooking demonstrations from national and local celebrity chefs.

You can also catch Grammy Award winner and cookbook author Trisha Yearwood, food and wine authority Ted Allen, and Top Chef Finalist Richard Blais at the event.

As a Shopping Queen reader, you can receive $5 off your ticket. Purchase tickets by visiting www.TasteOfAtlanta.com and entering Promo Code SHPQN to receive this exclusive discount.

If you want to win your tickets instead, enter my first ever giveaway. One lucky person will win a pair of tickets to Taste of Atlanta (general admission) for Sunday, October 12th.

Enter by filling out the form below. You get one entry for providing your name and email. Here’s how to earn a few extra entries:

1. Click Here to Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment below letting me know.

2. Signup for the Shopping Queen newsletter and leave a comment below letting me know.

3. Share a link. Post a link to this contest (or this blog in general) on your blog or on discussion groups or forums you belong to (please follow posting guidelines) and leave a separate comment for each link you share. 

The giveaway is open for entries until Tuesday, October 7th, at 11:59PM EDT. One winner will be chosen at random, and announced October 8th. Good luck!

This contest has ended. The lucky winner was Jennifer G.

1. Shop during special occasions – Retailers have gift card promotions during major holidays such as Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Many times they will offer an added bonus to a gift card purchase. You especially see this at restaurants. The Brinker restaurant group which owns Macaroni Grill and Chili’s for example offers a free $5 bonus for every $25 card purchased.

2. Look to credit cards – Credit card issuers such as Visa, Mastercard and Amex frequently have gift card promotions on their discounts website. Amex for example has an offer for 10% off Linens N Things or Visa has a discount for Spawish.com.

3. Costco: Costco and Costco.com offer a variety of gift cards for less than face value. You can find $100 worth of Starbucks gift cards for $79.99. Other gift card offers include restaurants, iTunes and Spafinder.

3. SwapaGift.com – This website offers discounted gift cards. If you purchase a card directly from SwapaGift, it is guaranteed. If you purchase one through one of it’s users, its only guaranteed up to $100.

4. Buying from eBay or craigslist – There are many listings on both sites for gift cards, but you have to be especially careful and do some legwork. You should ask to verify the balance before you purchase. You need the card number and the toll-free balance check number. You should also ask about the expiration date. Many cards have expiration dates where some or all of the value is lost.

1. Look for non-wedding vendors for wedding deals. For example, Costco.com offers Weddings at Costco where you can purchase flowers, invitations and even your honeymoon.

2. Consider bundling or unbundling services. For example, some event facilities simply rent their facilities and give you the power to choose your own caterer and bring your own alcohol. Other locations require you to use their own or affiliated food and beverage services. Many times choosing your own caterer and purchasing your own alcohol to serve can save your money. Sometimes getting a bundled service might come out cheaper. This all depends on what is or is not included in the package such as linens, plates, glasses, cake service and more.

3. Don’t call it a wedding. When getting prices, first start over the phone and just say you are getting pricing and service information for an event. Many times vendors charge higher for a service related to a wedding than other kinds of events.

4. Don’t take prices and contracts at face value, negotiate. Ask the vendor if they can give you a discount or include other items and services without an additional charge.

Parents must be in good health, employed and earning less than $40,000 a year. To see if you qualify and to apply online visit Mass Mutual Life Insurance LifeBridge.

There are also local sign-up opportunities as well. I couldn’t find a national list, just one for Atlanta. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance will take applications Sept. 28 at Ben Hill United o Church, 2099 Fairburn Rd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those interested must call ahead of time to make an appointment for Sept. 28 with Corliss Simmons at 404-344-0618 or Jennifer Washington at 770-551-3407.

You will need to make reservations. However, reservations aren’t currently available. Make sure to check out your city and see when reservations can be placed. Each city has their own day and time when they open reservations. Shows and theatres are being constantly added too. Here is the list of locations and shows for Free Night of Theater 2008.

1. I checked out Amazon’s Toner Prices and found the same toner for $108. (Note: make sure you only look at products sold by Amazon.com and not other sellers.)

2. I called Staples and asked about their 110% price match guarantee. They reduced the price to $104.

3. I then applied my Staples $25 off $75 purchase coupon. (I got this coupon by being a member of their free rewards program. If you sign up you not only get rewards credits you also get coupons on a regular basis.

4. Not even calculated into the price is the $8 I will receive in rewards credits from Staples for my toner purchase.

Now I just hope I won’t need to replace the toner drum anytime soon.