June 12th, 2009 by Esswi

Ask for One Month’s Rent Free:

It is difficult for landlords to find great tenants to fill vacancies.  If you are a reliable and good tenant any landlord today would be willing to accomodate you.  You can either ask for a break or try extending the lease.  By extending the lease you can make a deal to pay less on your rent for agreeing to stay longer.  Think about it, both sides wins.

Get a Free Workout with a Trainer:

Stop by your local gym and tell them you are new in the area and  you are looking to find the right gym or studio to join.  You’d be surprise of the complimentary class or free trial period offered to you.

Free Night Out:

Look in your newspaper and check out the culture section that has information about openings at art galleries and various cultural events.  Also, check out metromix.com.  You can go to events that offer free wine, cheese and entertainment or “visual stimulation.”

Free Hotel Upgrade:

Just ask for it.  Many hotels carry empty rooms.  Say to the receptionist or manager, “can I get an upgrade for my stay here?”  Most likely, you’ll be happy you asked.

Free Shopping Spree:

Join freecycle.org for e-mail alerts about clothes, appliances, housewares, electronics and other items that locas are giving away.  If you are looking for a specific item, don’t be afraid to post it.  You might just get what you request.

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

June 12th, 2009 by Esswi

Make Your Own Coffee (Save between $540 to $1,500 annually)

Negotiate lower Credit Card Rates

Compare major services such as phone, cable, cell phone service

Monitor Accounts

Change filter on Air Conditioner (Conserve Energy and Save Money)

Join an online DVD rental service.  If you’ve already tried you library, check out Blockbuster or Netflix (netflix.com)

Adjust your Insurance policies and save between 15 to 30%

Get more out of Banking: Try internet banks such as, ingdirect.com, etrade.com, hsbcdirect.com and make your money work your by yielding more interest on every penny you save.

Conserve energy and money by using less energy.  Consider fluorescent light bulbs and changing the filter on  your air-conditioning and heating system.

Cut back on personal costs.  Consider beauty schools to get your spa treatments, nails and hair care.  Also, consider dental schools to get your cleaning and annual checkups if you do not have any insurance.

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

June 12th, 2009 by Esswi

To save money, try:

www.dinnerbroker.com (get up to 30% off bill for making off-peak reservations).

www.opentable.com (get off-peak rewards and points for each reservation, redeemable for $20 at any of the 8,000 participating eateries).

www.restaurant.com (buy a gift certificate for $25 or $10 and receive dinning at a greater value)

www.entertainment.com (get coupon books and save lots of money on your daily spending)

Financial Blessings,
Nisha E.

March 23rd, 2009 by Esswi

Excerpt from www.soyouwanna.com

An Air Courier is someone who travels without luggage to fill a seat a company has purchased in order to send goods or papers. So you simply take a seat that otherwise would be physically empty. Companies resell the tickets at massively discounted prices because they need a warm body to accompany their stuff and make sure it gets where it needs to go. It can also be cheaper for a company to sell the seat at a major discount than to send the stuff over via airmail. The benefits to the company are 1) the swift transportation of important items and 2) faster customs clearance than regular cargo.

The benefit to you is a cheap ticket, anywhere from 50% off or more. The drawback of being a courier is the possible lack of advance notice about your flight and traveling with only a carry-on bag, especially for longer trips. But it’s crazy cheap, especially for international flights.

Note that most courier travel companies require you to become their member for an annual fee. Some places to contact include:

* The International Association of Air Travel Couriers
* Worldwide Courier Association
* The Air Courier Directory
* Now Voyager Travel
* Global Courier Travel
* Courier Travel News

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

March 13th, 2009 by Esswi

Many stores are now allowing you to return items you’ve purchased online back to their physical store for immediate credit. So for example, if you buy an item such as shoes or clothing that you do not like, instead of returning it in the mail, you can go their physical store and return the items. This is a major plus for many of us because ordering clothing and shoes online can be a little scary. And honestly, many times the physical stores do not have a great selection as the online store. “The online has options galore,” as my friend Javoni says. She also said, now she won’t hesitate to buy when the online stores have free shipping and coupons cause she doesn’t like the fit she can get her money back at the store.

Many stores honor these online returns, such as, DSW, Target, Express and lots more. So if you are shopping at an online store that also has a physical store and you are weary about whether you should go for it in case of a bad fit, call your local/physical store and find out if they will accept returned items from their online store.

Also, let’s say the online store offers free shipping if you purchase a certain amount. Please take advantage. Also, if there is one undesirable items you want to return, you can return it at the store and still take advantage of the free shipping at a lower purchase threshold (warning: this may not work at all stores).

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

March 10th, 2009 by Esswi

According to Woman’s Work Magazine, razume.com is “where pros are waiting to help you create a tailored resume that will get the attention of hiring managers and win job interviews for free, no need to worry about extra fees.”  The site is  basically your resume builder and advisor to help you through the job search process.

Excerpted from razume.com

Razume is your online guide to the job search process.  According to the site Razume helps “to make the job search process fun and easy… by providing you with all the [career] tools, resources and guidance you need to find and land your perfect job. “  The builders says “if [they] can’t find something that meets [your] … standards, then [they will] build it for you.”

Also, check out Razume’s Job Finder and search over 7 million active job posts.

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

February 4th, 2009 by Esswi

BY DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

What’s in the package?

“Everything and the kitchen sink,” said Barry Bosworth, an economist at the Brookings Institution, only half-jokingly.

The total price on Obama’s package is a whopping $819 billion, of which $211 billion will pay for new tax cuts. The remaining $608 billion is government spending.

The shopping list is long and varied: $43 billion for transportation projects, $19 billion in water projects, $21 billion for school modernization projects, $32 billion to fund a so-called smart electricity grid, $6 billion to bring high-speed Internet access to rural America and many, many more items that some call pork, others jobs.

On the tax side, the big ticket item is a $500-per-worker ($1,000 per couple) tax cut for two years for anyone making less than $100,000 a year ($200,000 per couple). The government would simply not withhold as much as it does now, leaving workers with an extra $20 a month or so in their paychecks.

The theory is that, while workers would stuff the money under the mattress if handed to them in a lump, they’ll spend it if it’s spread over 24 months in smaller chunks.

How will it help?

Obama has predicted his plan will create up to 4 million jobs over the next two years, much of it through huge increases in government spending on roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

That’s good for welders, bricklayers and anyone else in the construction trades, as well as engineers and other white-collar types dedicated to improving the electrical grid or boosting Internet services. And the money they can spend from their earnings will help the economy at large.

The money could also serve as job protection for many state and city workers, who right now face the prospect of layoffs as tax revenues plummet. A hefty $88 billion is intended to shore up Medicaid and the many health care jobs the program supports, and $4 billion in grants is earmarked to boost law enforcemen

Whom will it help?

Much of the stimulus package is weighted toward the working poor, a group Obama repeatedly vowed to help during his campaign. Workers who right now pay no income taxes, for instance, will be entitled to $1,000 per-child tax credits and other new benefits.

But there are other perks even for middle- and upper-income workers caught in the economic tsunami.

Couples making up to $160,000 a year, for instance, would be entitled to $2,500 in new tax credits to pay for college in 2009 and 2010.

And laid-off workers - no matter how high their previous incomes - will qualify for Medicaid under Obama’s plan.

Alternatively, if laid-off workers want to pay to maintain their health benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, better known as Cobra, the feds will pay two-thirds of the cost. Now, they pay none.

Financial Blessings,

Nisha E.

January 31st, 2009 by Esswi

Save on SPA treatments and Beauty services at local specialized schools. If you do not want to do your own nails and save yourself at least $300 (i.e. figure $25 a month for 12 months) or cut your visits in half and save $150 a year, then consider going to Beauty schools to get your hair, nail, waxing, and makeup done. Search Google or the Yellow Book for local listings for Cosmetology, Esthetician and Massage Therapy schools.

$ Go to www.SpaBeautySchools.com type in your zip code and find your local Spa & Wellness Schools. This site gives you local listing of a variety of schools that ranges from Acupuncture & oriental medicine, aromatherapy, physical therapy, reflexology, yoga/pilates, chiropractic and feng shui to massage therapy.

Don’t be too concerned about the quality of work. The students who perform these services are about to graduate (not first-year students) and all services are supervised by licensed instructors (you can always check the schools and instructors’ credentials for your peace of mind). According to Daily News 1/29/09 City Smarts’ spread, “[Specialists-in-training] need real people to practice on; thus, cost are heavily discounted (often by 50% or more). “

If you do not have schools in your area but still want to save on these spa and beauty services, purchase salons “Passport;” the first services are usually half price. And sometimes if you’ve purchased a certain number of services you can get one treatment free of charge.