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Start Saving!

So you are loaded down with bills to pay each month and are wondering how you can begin a savings account for emergencies and other high-expense endeavors. In other words, where can you find that extra cash to put away for later?
Firstly, when configuring your budge, plan for your savings first. You will grow richer each month if you begin to pay yourself first. Before paying any bills, decide on a set amount that you will pay yourself first—maybe five or ten percent—or whatever you decide—of your paycheck. Then, deposit the amount into a savings account before paying any bills.

start savingWhen you do this at the beginning of the month, your entire paycheck will not suddenly slip through your fingers. If you wait until the end of the month, there may be nothing left to save. Paying yourself first will give you a systematic way to make your money grow. Regardless of your profession or your income, this system will work if you stick to it.
Another technique you may try for saving money is to empty your extra change into a coffee can or a jar each day. At the end of the month, roll the coins and put them into your savings account. You may be able to save 30 or 40 dollars each month just with your spare change.
Remember that good money management is more than just a mathematical formula. It’s too closely tied with the ups and downs of living to be just that. Your money management plan is always subject to change if your life situation changes. The object of a good budget is to make your money go the farthest in helping you reach your goals, it is not there to force to you to abide by rules.
Don’t get discouraged if the budget plan doesn’t work perfectly right away. It may involve some revising and editing until it fits your needs. Then, make sure to review it often, and be sure it is making the best use of every penny! Because we know how helpful those spare pennies can be!

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Rebates – Reward or Rip Off?

Rebates have become increasingly popular in the last few years on a lot of items and certainly on electronic items and computers. Rebates of $20, $50 or $100 are not uncommon.

I’ve even seen items advertised as “free after rebate”. Do these rebates come under the heading of “too good to be true”? Some of them do and there are “catches” to watch out for but if you are careful, rebates can help you get some really good deals.

reward or rip offThe way a rebate works is that you pay the listed price for an item then mail in a form and the bar code to the manufacturer and they send you a refund thus reducing the price of what you paid for the item except with a time delay of several weeks.
Rule #1. Rebates from reputable companies are usually just fine.

You can be pretty sure you will get the promised rebate from Best Buy, Amazon or Dell but you should probably not count on getting one from a company you’ve never heard of. If you really want the product and are OK with paying the price listed then buy it but don’t count on actually getting the refund.
Rule #2. Check rebate expiration dates.

Many times products will stay on the shelf of a retailer after the date for sending in the rebate offer has expired so check that date carefully.
Rule #3. Be sure you have all the forms required to file for the rebate before you leave the store.

Rebates will almost always require a form to be filled out, a receipt for the purchase and a bar code.

Rule #4. Back up your rebate claim.

Make copies of everything you send in to get your rebate including the bar code. Stuff gets lost in the mail all the time and if the rebate is for $50 it’s worth the trouble to back up your claim.

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Blue Groups – In Music History

I recently had an email question posed to me from my site that asked me what I thought was the most successful “Blue Group?” (I have narrowed it down to the word "blue" in the beginning of the band name) I can only say with such an eclectic list of choices that you would have to narrow it down to what type of music is being played by the group, how you define success and of course, personal preference.
If you are looking for a hard-rock group, you have several selections, including Blue Cheer, a 60's group that some refer to as one of the first heavy metal bands.  Their hit, a remake of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” spent ten weeks on the American Billboard Top 40, peaking at number 14 in 1968.  Even with numerous personnel changes, San Francisco’s Blue Cheer was able to release several breakthrough and influential albums.

blue groupsHowever, if you are looking for commercial success and longevity, one could argue that Blue Oyster Cult, another hard-rock/heavy metal band could top that list.  In 1972, with their self named debut album, Blue Oyster Cult combined the elements of hard-rock and intense touring to pave the way for their upcoming success.  In 1976, they broke through to the mainstream arena and FM radio with the album “Agents Of Fortune” that included their biggest hit, the classic and infectious “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”  Blue Oyster Cult proved that they were more than a one-hit wonder with more than fourteen albums to their credit.

Furthermore, if you a looking for one of the top “blues” blue albums, there are several in that realm.  The Blues Brothers (formed by Saturday Night Live alumni’s Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) rode the success of an SNL skit and with many superstar musicians scored several top 40 hits including “Soul Man.”  Blues Traveler, with singer/harmonica virtuoso John Popper are known as a “blues jam Band” with strong improvisional skills and their top hit “Run-Around,” one of the biggest singles in 1995.

The Blues Project, a group formed in 1965 by guitarist Danny Kalb and Steve Katz, was one of the first “underground” groups in the US, mixing rock/blues/pop and folk; they compiled a couple of eclectic and revolutionary albums in the mid 60's.

But if you are looking for the definitive blues album by a blues band, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers (with Eric Clapton) provide the perfect example of a blues and boogie combination extraordinarily played by the astonishing Clapton.

The psychedelic music genre is well represented with the Bronx-based Blues Magoos who charted in 1967 with “(We Ain’t Got) Nothing Yet.”  Throughout their short career they rode the psychedelic era horse and played a mixture of infectious rock and roll and unrelenting garage rock.

A largely unknown blue band “Blue Things” was able to mix their Byrdesque folk and energetic pop rock to become a regional success in the Midwest and Texas.  Despite a national record contract with RCA, they remain one of the better examples of the mid 60's music era that you probably never heard of.

A group from Toronto, Canada named Blue Rodeo has drawn comparisons to the Beatles/Dylan with smooth harmonies and rootsy folk rock, they are certainly worth a listen if you like alternative country rock.

Other blue groups include Blue Nile, formed in 1981 in Glasgow, Scotland, were highly praised for their dreamy-pop sound.  The Blue Ridge Rangers gets a mention merely because of the iconic John Fogerty, who released an album under that name (even though, technically the group was just Fogerty playing all the instruments), that although was not a huge commercial success, proved he belonged as one of the top performers in rock and roll.

“Ride Captain Ride” was a top 40 hit in 1972 for Blues Image, a rock group that featured Mike Pinera (who later joined Iron Butterfly).  Blue Magic, an R & B vocal group from Philadelphia scored two top ten hits in 1974.  Additionally, a group named Blue Haze, a reggae group from England secured a top 40 hit in 1972 with the song “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.”

Now, I may not have completely answered the email question, I think that is up to personal preference and taste.  But I will give you an opinion of the worst song by a blue group.  That distinction belongs to Blue Swede and the remake of the song “Hooked On A Feeling,” a hit in 1974, complete with the sickening and dreaded “OOGA Chacka” lyric added to the song.