Living Well in a Down Economy For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Introduction 1

<b>Part 1: Facing off Against a Recession 5</b>

#1: Determining Your Net Worth 7

#2: Calculating Spendable Income 10

#3: Calculating Required Expenses 14

#4: Calculating Discretionary Spending 17

#5: Tracking Expenses 20

#6: Setting Spending Practices 22

#7: Creating a Budget 27

#8: Breathing Away Tension 30

#9: Tensing Your Way to Relaxation 32

#10: Stretching Away Your Stress 35

#11: Practicing Habits of Effective Stress Managers 37

<b>Part 2: Bumping Up Your Bring-home 41</b>

#12: Updating Your Resume 43

#13: Choosing the Right Resume Format 47

#14: Making Your Resume Stand Out 49

#15: Preparing for a Job Interview 53

#16: Standing Out during an Interview 57

#17: Dealing with Video Interviews 60

#18: Employing Post-Interview Tactics 62

#19: Trying Quick Ways to Find Good Jobs 64

#20: Looking into Federal Jobs 67

#21: Checking Out Best Career-Changing Tips 68

#22: Figuring Out Whether You Should Change Your Career Course 70

#23: Telecommuting as an Alternative to Traditional Work 72

#24: Persuading Your Organization to Let You Work from Home 74

#25: Considering Self-Employment 76

#26: Getting Acquainted with Home-Based Businesses 78

#27: Setting Up Your Home-Based Business 80

#28: Taking a Few Steps Before Leaving Your Job 88

#29: Getting the Cash Flowing 90

#30: Surveying Tax Deductions Available to Home-Based Businesses 92

#31: Recognizing Often Overlooked Ways to Save on Your Taxes 94

#32: Ensuring the Survival of Your Home-Based Business in Tough Times 96

#33: Boosting Your Household Income with a Side Hustle 100

<b>Part 3: Putting Your Personal Finances On Firm Footing 103</b>

#34: Categorizing Your Financial Records 105

#35: Setting Up a Filing System for Your Financial Records 107

#36: Finding an Insurance Agent 112

#37: Having a Balanced Insurance Program 115

#38: Deciding between Permanent and Term Life Insurance 117

#39: Choosing a Permanent Life Insurance Policy 119

#40: Selecting a Term Life Insurance Policy 121

#41: Avoiding Life Insurance Mistakes 123

#42: Saving Money on Your Homeowner's Policy 126

#43: Looking into Umbrella Policies 127

#44: Buying an Umbrella Policy Wisely 128

#45: Reducing Risk and the Expense of Car Insurance 130

#46: Getting the Right Car Insurance Coverage 132

#47: Cutting the Cost of Your Car Insurance 134

#48: Continuing Health Coverage When You Leave Your Job 136

#49: Capping Out-of-Pocket Health Expenses 138

#50: Saving on Individual Health Coverage 139

#51: Using Health Savings Accounts 140

#52: Tapping into Short-Term Health Insurance 142

#53: Examining Health Insurance Options for the Self-Employed 143

#54: Considering Long-Term Care Insurance 145

#55: Seeing the Tax Benefits of a 401(k) Plan 146

#56: Knowing the Limits on 401(k) Contributions 148

#57: Reducing the Amount You Invest in a 401(k) 149

#58: Timing Investment Allocations to Match Employer Contributions 150

#59: Protecting Your Retirement Goals with a 401(k) .152

#60: Withdrawing Money from Your 401(k) with the Fewest Penalties 155

#61: Borrowing from Your 401(k) 157

#62: Taking a Hardship Withdrawal 160

#63: Rolling Over Your 401(k) to Avoid Taxes 164

#64: Leaving Money in Your Old Employer's Plan 166

#65: Avoiding Lump-Sum Withdrawals 168

#66: Taking Your 401(k) Plan with You to Your New Job 170

#67: Investigating Tax-Deferred Ways to Save for College 172

#68: Considering Costs of Different Colleges 175

#69: Working Part-Time and Summer Jobs 178

#70: Applying for Financial Federal Aid 180

#71: Squeezing Out Every Drop of Available College Money 182

#72: Looking into Federal Assistance Programs 185

#73: Using Federal Loans 186

#74: Deferring or Discharging Student Loan Debt 188

#75: Consolidating Your College Loans 189

#76: Getting Tuition Discounts and Waivers 190

#77: Finding College-Based Scholarships 193

#78: Accessing State and Local Scholarships 194

#79: Looking into Charitable Foundations for College Funds 195

#80: Tapping Organizations for Scholarships 197

#81: Accepting Work-Study Opportunities 198

#82: Receiving College Funding in Exchange for Service 199

#83: Searching Out Merit-Based Financial Aid 201

#84: Negotiating Better Financial Aid 203

#85: Carefully Considering Retirement Accounts for College Expenses 206

#86: Knowing When to Refinance Your Mortgage 208

#87: Calculating the Cost of Refinancing 209

<b>Part 4: Living a Recession-busting Life 213</b>

#88: Developing Good Shopping Habits 215

#89: Buying Store Brands and in Bulk 217

#90: Seeing through the Gimmicks Grocery Stores Use 219

#91: Using Coupons and Rebates 221

#92: Targeting Seasonal Grocery Sales 223

#93: Planning Your Meals Economically 225

#94: Stretching One Meal into Two (Or More) 229

#95: Finding Alternatives to Store-Bought Food 231

#96: Saving on Baby Food 233

#97: Cooking Up Money Savings 235

#98: Canning and Preserving Your Food 238

#99: Freezing Fruits and Vegetables 241

#100: Trying Other Ways to Save in the Kitchen 244

#101: Getting Toiletries on a Budget 246

#102: Saving on Salon Expenses 248

#103: Cutting Your Kids' Hair 249

#104: Expanding Your Wardrobe 251

#105: Getting Stains Out of Kids' Clothing 253

#106: Reconstructing Your Clothes 255

#107: Shopping for Secondhand Clothes 257

#108: Utilizing Community Resources 259

#109: Having Fun in Your Own Backyard and Beyond 260

#110: Saving for a Family Vacation 262

#111: Traveling on a Few Dollars a Day 263

#112: Finding Transportation Bargains 266

#113: Saving on Phone Bills 270

#114: Staying Cool on the Cheap 271

#115: Keeping Warm 273

#116: Making Your Own Cleaning Solutions 275

#117: Fixing Squeaky Floors 278

#118: Extending the Life of Your Roof 281

#119: Fixing Roof Leaks 282

#120: Prolonging the Life of Your Siding 284

#121: Using Less Energy 289

#122: Keeping Your Fridge Running Well 291

#123: Insulating to Save Energy Costs 295

#124: Insulating Pipes 298

#125: Insulating Heat Ducts 299

#126: Stopping Air Leaks 300

#127: Identifying and Fixing Plumbing Leaks 302

#128: Improving Water Heater Efficiency 304

#129: Helping Your Furnace Work More Efficiently 306

#130: Saving on Your Vehicle Fuel Expenses 308

#131: Adding Antifreeze 312

#132: Checking and Changing Your Oil 314

#133: Taking Care of Your Tires 319

#134: Easily Making Other Automotive Checks and Fixes 323

#135: Choosing an Automotive Service Facility 326

#136: Finding and Evaluating a New Automotive Service 331

<b>Part 5: Making the Most of Holidays And other Special Events 333</b>

#137: Entertaining on a Shoestring 335

#138: Throwing a Party on a Budget 337

#139: Making Inexpensive Easter Baskets 339

#140: Creating Frightfully Affordable Halloween Costumes 340

#141: Celebrating a Budget-Friendly Thanksgiving 342

#142: Trying Creative Hanukkah and Christmas Ideas 343

#143: Hosting a Frugal Birthday Bash 345

#144: Packing Up Treats on the Cheap 347

#145: Finding Inexpensive Gifts for Your Sweetheart 349

#146: Checking Out Frugal Gift Ideas for Any Occasion 351

#147: Making Great Gift Baskets 353

#148: Cutting Costs with a Birthday Box 355

#149: Exploring Alternative Gift Ideas 356

#150: Looking at Gifts for Bridal and Baby Showers 358

<b>Part 6: Staying Afloat if the Boat Starts to Sink 361</b>

#151: Spotting Signs of Financial Trouble 363

#152: Avoiding Credit Pitfalls 365

#153: Getting Copies of Your Credit Report and Scores 367

#154: Checking Your Credit Report 371

#155: Disputing Inaccurate Info on Your Credit Report 374

#156: Adding Positive Info to Your Credit Report 378

#157: Taking the First Steps to Dig Out of Credit Card Debt 380

#158: Gauging Your Need for Help with Credit Situations 382

#159: Taking Debt Situations into Your Own Hands 384

#160: Working with a Credit Counseling Agency 387

#161: Creating a Debt Management Plan 390

#162: Talking to Creditors to Work Out a Solution 392

#163: Negotiating a Payback Arrangement with Collectors 397

#164: Avoiding Debt Settlement 399

#165: Keeping Credit Under Control While Unemployed 400

#166: Consolidating Debts 404

#167: Taking Control When Foreclosure Looms 406

#168: Drafting a Plan of Attack to Offset Foreclosure 409

#169: Understanding Types of Bankruptcy 412

#170: Avoiding Bankruptcy 416

#171: Choosing Which Bills to Pay When You File for Bankruptcy 419

#172: Negotiating with Creditors to Avoid Bankruptcy 421

#173: Handling IRS Debts 423

<b>Part 7: the Part of Tens 425</b>

#174: Ten Ways to Trim the Money Tree 427

#175: Ten Ways to Handle Financial Emergencies 429

Index 431