1.)    2011 Toyota Prius.  Most sources site this as the most fuel efficient car in the current economy.  Its average miles-per-gallon lists from 49-51, placing it as a solid frontrunner in the industry.  On average, people purchasing this model can expect to save between $200-300 per year on gas (at least).  Its average cost is somewhere around $22,350.

2.)    2011 Lexus CT. This compact luxury sedan averages around 41 miles per gallon, costing just under $30K new and using roughly $1,200 of gas in the average year.

3.)    2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid.  Although this model isn’t just a gas-powered vehicle, it still averages around 41 miles-per-gallon, placing it close to the Lexus CT.  Its annual fuel cost, however, is estimated around $1,371.  With an average fill-up cost of $57 it gets a bit pricey but it also ranks up roughly 600 miles per tank of gas.

4.)    2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid.  This model’s numbers mirror that of the Ford Fusion Hybrid, from the average cost to the average cost on fuel and the average miles per gallon.  For most practical purposes they can be considered almost the same vehicle, at least until new information surfaces after the two have been on the streets for longer.

5.)    2011 Honda Insight. Like the above three, this car also is believed to get an average of 41 miles-per-gallon.  Its average cost hovers around the $23,000 mark, making it virtually in the same price range as the previous cars.  The cost of gas annually is estimated around $1,200, as well.

6.)    2011 Chevy Volt.  This car tops the most-hyped list of recent cars released in the United States.  Well into 2010 ads for this vehicle hit the market, placing it as a forerunner at least when it came to anticipation.  The reality is that it places slightly lower than the above options, which weren’t fortunate enough to have the marketing prowess that the Volt did.  The Volt ranks it at roughly 37 miles-per-gallon, which is still extremely fuel efficient, all things considered.  The car’s average cost is in the low $40,000s which makes it rather pricey in today’s market.  It’s estimated to use up $1,500 worth of gas in a year.

7.)    2011 Lexus HS.  The compact luxury sedan sports a 35 mile-per-gallon highway performance, but also an estimated 34-mile-per-gallon city performance, which is uncanny for most cars.  It’s a little less expensive than the previous models, although it runs a little pricier when it comes to gas used over the course of a year.  However, it’s a practical option for those wanting something fuel efficient, and it prides itself on not sacrificing comfort, luxury, or usefulness.

8.)    2011 Honda CR-Z.  The ever-popular Honda brand always manages to find its way onto a top ten list, this year with the CR-Z.  It costs roughly $19,000 new and gets roughly 33.4 miles per gallon, still making it a highly viable option as a fuel-efficient vehicle.  It’s believed to use just under $1,600 per year on gasoline.

9.)    2011 Hyundai Elantra.  The compact sedan, which gets an average of 33 miles per gallon, comes at a more affordable price, usually clocking in around $15K.  Although its gas mileage is a little lower and its average use of gasoline is around $1,600, its lower price tag is a huge selling point for the popular brand.

10.) 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Similar to the Hyundai Elantra, but in hybrid form, the Camry Hybrid  averages 32.7 miles per gallon.  All across the board it’s virtually the same as the Elantra, the only key difference being that it costs substantially more, usually around $25K.

You can spend your Sunday afternoon clipping dozens of coupons out of the newspaper or you can find printable manufacturer’s grocery coupons online. However, you have to know where to look so that you don’t end up on a website where you are signing up for things that will wind up bringing nothing but spam to your e-mail inbox. In fact, some of these sites can be a little scammy and spammy themselves. So, in an effort to save you from spinning your wheels, let’s talk about the top 10 websites to find printable manufacturer’s grocery coupons.

1. www.CouponMom.com: CouponMom has become a very popular place for people to go in the last few years. A lot of that has been due to the fact that she was on Oprah and has gotten a lot of great press for her website. The site is really good because it offers links to many other sites where legitimate coupons are offered. It also gives you up-to-the-minute information on the best sales at local grocery stores and drugstores.

2. www.SmartSource.com: This site offers free coupons and discounts for many top brands as well as online coupons. They are very easy to print using the site’s online coupon printing software.

3. www.GroceryCoupons.com: This site has a free program that allows you to print your own coupons from thousands of name brands, but it also offers a coupon clipping service and local coupons as well as a deal finder.

4. www.RedPlum.com: Many people will know Red Plum from their circulars in the Sunday newspaper each week. They offer grocery store coupons as well as restaurant and drugstore discounts.

5. www.CoolSavings.com: Cool Savings offers printable name brand coupons as well as online coupon codes for consumers who want to save more money.

6. www.PPGazette.com: This site offers coupons from a variety of sources that you can print such as Valpak, SmartSource, RedPlum and Coupons.com. The site says that you can print them all from one convenient location.

7. www.Coupons.com: No list would be complete without a site called Coupons.com, right? The site is a virtual clearinghouse of coupons from a variety of different sources.

8. www.CouponDivas.com: This site is for the coupon diehard who wants to learn how to save big money using coupons. They have a retail coupon list, kids eat free list and coupon database as well as 70 hours a free tutorial videos.

9. www.GrocerySmarts.com: This site is for someone who likes a much simpler method for finding coupons as they are laid out by the week according to the manufacturer name. The site is definitely not hard to maneuver like many of the other coupon sites.

10. www.Kroger.com: Surprisingly, many of the grocery store chains have manufacturer’s coupons right on their websites. Some of them also have customer loyalty cards where you can electronically load coupons on your card so you do not even have to clip them and bring them with you. Kroger is just one grocery store at that has this option. You can certainly check at your local grocery stores to see what kinds of deals are offered on their websites and whether or not they have a loyalty card where you can load your coupons.

Couponing does not have to be the hard and arduous task that it used to be. You don’t necessarily have to carry a big envelope or binder full of coupons as long as you are careful in your planning before you make any shopping trips. Knowing in advance what you’re going to get and what coupons you have can save you a lot of time and money.

Being an avid international traveler I checked out what deals they found to my favorite destinations and they did not disappoint. They found a fare combination for me that was outstanding, $440 versus the current average of $770 for that trip. Amazingly enough, the trip plan wasn’t even that bad. It is not unusual to be routed along strange paths in order to get the cheapest fare, but this one was even convenient. So what can you save on at CheapOair.com?

Flights

As mentioned above, this site offers some great international airfares, but their advertised specials within the United States are great as well. I have been quite impressed with their search engines. This is certainly a site I intend to check for airfares. The service fee for booking flights on this site is currently $26. Please remember when checking airfares, that this site, along with many other similar sites, lists airfares without fees and taxes. Fees and taxes have really gone up in the past few years. They can be just as high as the airfare these days.

Car rentals

The current rates advertised on the site start at just over $10 per day. You aren’t likely to find a car rental any cheaper than that. One of the unique features I saw on their site was that they actually listed a SUV rental rate in Denver. It certainly is the kind of vehicle you may want to rent in Denver depending on what you plan to do. The only thing you may want to check on is any discounts you are eligible for as a member of a particular car rental agency.  CheapOair.com does not automatically give you your discount. You have to contact the rental agency in question yourself. A small effort to make for additional discounts.

Hotel stays

The deals abound here as well. With room upgrades, last minute deals and discounts negotiated on 100,000s of hotel rooms, you are likely to find a hotel room in the price range you want with the amenities you were hoping for. You are not limited to the United States here either. You will find discounted hotel rooms in many foreign countries as well, so whether you are a business traveler or planning the trip of a lifetime, you have a good chance of finding what you want on this site, even resorts. Of course, the site charges a service fee for their services. Just make sure you add that in when you are comparing prices. From what I have seen, you will still be impressed with the deals.

This site tries very hard to earn and keep your business. They are guaranteeing the lowest fares to the point where they actually pay you the difference if you find a lower fare on the same itinerary within two hours of booking your flight. The customer reviews seem to be quite positive as well. Give CheapOair.com a try.

What else does it come with?

Free directory assistance

Won’t it be nice not to be charged when you need to call directory assistance to find out the telephone number of your favorite restaurant?

Free call waiting

This is a nice feature whether you are living at the Grand Central station of incoming calls or whether you receive so few calls that every one of them is a call you simply cannot miss. You know if you are expecting two calls in a given day, they will both come at the same time.

Free voice mail

So what happens when you turn off your computer? It is as if you simply aren’t home. Your voice mail will answer the phone. From the outside, it will seem like nothing changed, unless you didn’t have voice mail before, then people will just think you finally upgraded.

Free caller Id

Are you getting tired of those pesky sales calls? You will be able to tell in advance whether you want to accept the call or not.

Free phone number

Every Magic Jack comes with a free telephone number. You can choose from a large selection of area codes available, or even pay extra to get a custom number if it is available.

Free calling to the United States and Canada from abroad

Do you travel a lot? This little device will even work from abroad. It works in most countries. You can find the list at their website. This is a great device if you are on a business trip and want to stay in touch with your family. You know you will have to travel with your laptop anyhow, and you are likely staying at a hotel with internet access, so this will let you call home or even Aunt Sally or Uncle Jim who haven’t joined the electronic age yet without it costing you any extra.

If you have internet, this device will certainly make you wonder why you are still paying for a land line. Just two months of a typical land line charge will pay for the Magic Jack and a year’s worth of unlimited local and long distance calling. That even includes calls to Canada.

And if you really like the feel of a house phone in your hand, relax. Simply plug it into the device, attach the other end of the device to your computer and you are set to go. You can talk on the phone just like you used to.

For those of you wondering how to stay in touch while spending a year in a foreign country, this may be the answer. While Magic Jack is only available for purchase in the United States and Canada, it works in many countries, so you could take one with you and you will be able to chat with all your friends as if you were still in your home town. How amazing is that?

- peace of mind that your vehicle will be in good mechanical condition

- predictable maintenance costs for your vehicle since the extended auto warranty will cover those unexpected repair costs

- better resale value of your vehicle since extended auto warranties can be transferable

With the Carchex extended auto warranty in particular, you can expect one of the lower premiums around since they can tailor the policy to your needs and shop around for the best value for you. What I like about this policy is that you can choose the repair location. So if you already have a favorite mechanic, you can still take your car there. No need to drive out of your way to locate the place an insurance company expects you to take your vehicle to.

Paying the repair bill is also consumer friendly. You pay your deductible but the company pays the remainder directly to the repair place, so you do not have to come up with the money out of your pocket. I am sure many of us have found ourselves waiting for reimbursement checks from insurance companies before. If your car needed a sudden unexpected repair, it probably was not in your budget, so this is a great feature of the Carchex extended auto warranty. At least I prefer using my money for what I budgeted for, not emergencies.

Most of the plans you can choose from also provide 24 hour roadside assistance and extended towing benefits. This may not be as important to people living in large cities, but those that travel extensively through the large expanses of the Western states will appreciate some help with the towing if the car happens to break down in a fairly uninhabited place.

You are likely wondering what this company’s track record is like. When checking for reviews online, I found the typical complaints such as, the salesperson promised some feature which wasn’t provided, or the company did not fully pay for the repair. The number of complaints I found was surprisingly low, so if this is a product which fits your need, check into it.

One word of caution is that Carchex extended auto warranty does provide extended auto warranties which are underwritten by other insurance companies. You will want to read any contracts you sign very carefully and check out the company you were referred to as well. You want a stable company with a good financial balance sheet, so if you have a claim, it will get paid. This company makes it easy to do business on the internet, but that does not relieve you of your responsibility as a consumer to check out what you are purchasing.

Make sure the policy you are looking at purchasing is truly what you want. The price has to be right, the services provided have to be right. Extended auto warranties only make sense if they save you money if something goes wrong with your vehicle. After all, if they didn’t, you might as well just pay for repairs when they happen. This one is definitely worth checking into.

If you enter your information online you may receive an AccuQuote Free Life Insurance Quote very quickly. The benefit of this service is that they check over 100 companies for life insurance quotes, so you can easily get an idea what the best rate available is. However, only about a dozen of those companies are the large well-known companies you are familiar with. You will want to research the insurance company they suggest yourself. Not all insurance companies are financially stable and for a life insurance policy, you want to make sure the company can pay out your policy if it becomes necessary.

As part of your AccuQuote Free Life Insurance Quote, you enter the amount of life insurance coverage you are interested in. Most Americans have about 4 times the coverage of their annual salary. However, you may find that this is not enough to cover the expenses that would occur should you die. This is especially true if you have young children who you expect to go to college some day. So you may want to bracket your inquiry by entering a minimum amount you think you should have and then checking for an amount you think it may truly take in order to provide your family with the security you would like them to have.

The beauty of automated systems is that they don’t care about having to do the work twice and you may find that the rates don’t scale linearly. In general, just about everyone needs life insurance at some point in their life. Whether you are a homemaker or a business man, your services would be expensive to replace. Even single people may find that they have financial obligations they don’t want their family to have to deal with without the funds to do it. This does not just mean the funeral expenses. This includes any businesses you may have, debt that is shared with someone else, or property that you may want them to be able to keep but has expensive maintenance.

It doesn’t cost anything to get a AccuQuote Free Life Insurance Quote, so why not find out how much it would cost you to protect your loved ones. You won’t be buying insurance online. That process still takes some medical check-ups which have to be done in person. At least to my knowledge blood samples cannot be sent over the internet yet. Who knows some day, such analytical tools may be available. For now you are stuck having at least a brief physical in order to obtain life insurance.

Checking with the Better Business Bureau, the various GEICO companies have mostly been accredited by the Better Business Bureau and ratings vary from B+ to A+ to no rating yet. In fact, the worst GEICO company I found had a complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau at a rate of one per day, but even that company managed to survive. Most of the complaints with the company had to do with advertising and sales practices and were resolved by the company.

It is not hard to see how a company could get into trouble with advertising.  GEICO Car Insurance regularly advertises with statements claiming to save money over other insurance companies. If you look at their website, you will currently find a claim of an average savings of $500. This claim is actually based on customer surveys, so if that one isn’t accurate, who is to blame? The company or the customers who didn’t report the correct numbers?

On the flip side, any company that can receive an A+ rating must be doing something right. If all I knew about GEICO was that it was owned by Berkshire Hathaway, I would consider it a great company to do business with. Warren Buffet believes in companies that are well managed. No service type company would be considered well managed if they didn’t take care of their customers. In the service industry not taking care of your customers is a fast track to bankruptcy.

So what coverage does GEICO offer? Basically, the full array:

- bodily injury liability

- property damage liability

- medical payments

- uninsured motorist

- comprehensive physical damage

- collision

- emergency road service

- rental reimbursement

- mechanical breakdown

The nice thing about GEICO is that it is an auto insurance company not a company that finds the cheapest insurance coverage for you from some other company. You deal with GEICO when you buy a policy from them and their customer satisfaction is very high. As with most websites, getting a quote from GEICO Car Insurance is very simple. You type in your information and you will be contacted with the quote.

Once you receive your quote, you should know if you can save money with this company. Have you ever considered, how average savings might be so high? There is an obvious reason. If you get a quote from GEICO and it is higher than your current insurance coverage, would you switch to GEICO? Obviously not. You have nothing to gain by switching, but if the savings were $500 per year, you would switch, wouldn’t you? So would everyone else. So when GEICO Car Insurance surveys their

customers, it isn’t unbelievable that they really did save that much. They are the ones that saved enough to be motivated to switch to GEICO.

With any luck, you too could save that much. Getting a quote online isn’t hard, so what are you waiting for? I recommend comparing your current coverage and premiums to what else is available at least every two years. Even though many people stick with the insurance their parents had, it may not be the best choice financially. If you make it a habit to check every two years, you make it a purely financial decision, not a family tradition.

When you look for auto insurance, you are asked to fill out an online form which seems to be comprehensive. They ask about all the little details that some insurance companies consider for giving you discounts on your insurance premiums, so the quotes you receive should truly reflect your situation. The form is very easy to fill out.

Here are a few things you should consider before using their services or the services of a similar company for that matter:

– What is their privacy policy?

Privacy policies can change at any time, so you will just have to read it when you are ready to try their service. US Insurance Online does have a privacy policy, so that is one point in their favor. Read it. I know we are all tired of reading these by now, those and EULAs (end user license agreements) but it can’t be helped. In this age of rampant identity theft, it is up to you to protect your privacy and you can only do that if you know how companies you do business with protect your privacy. There is just no way around it.

– Do they sell your information?

I generally avoid websites that sell my information to third parties. US insurance online says on their site that “Except as described in this Privacy Policy, or unless we are given permission by you, we will not sell or disclose your personally identifiable information to third parties.” This is acceptable. You have to read the privacy policy anyhow, so you will know if you are comfortable with using this site.

– How do they contact you?

Most online companies will contact you online, but that is not true of insurance agents. They       can range from the traditional telephone contact to home visits to online communication. In the case of  US Insurance Online they leave all options open. You will have to decide whether you can live with this. I know personally I hate telephone marketing. I have gotten to the point where I simply hang up as soon as I discover the person on the other end is trying to sell me something. That may be rude, but I work from home and being interrupted by a cold call is not   conducive to productivity. You may feel differently. I know some people who make a game out of leading salespeople along with outlandish stories. If that is you, have fun.

If you decide that you are comfortable with their conditions, this company will make your hunt for insurance coverage easier. They will provide you with quotes from a number of different insurance companies, so you can make an informed decision based on what is available. Since they do a good job of collection relevant information from you, those quotes will be accurate too. There really isn’t much more you can expect from a free service. Go ahead and try US Insurance Online.

At DentalPlans.com you will find the following features:

Individual Discount Plans

As the category says, these are for individuals. The nice thing about these discount plans is that they are very easy to pick up. Even if you are a student or self-employed you can pick up a dental discount plan. There are no health checkups required either.

Family Discount Plans

If you find yourself having to cover your entire family, the DentalPlans.com plans are affordable. You pay an annual fee of $200 or less and your entire family is eligible for the dental discounts.

Business and Group Plans

This could be a great benefit to offer your employees without having to break the bank. There are also no paperwork hassles since the discounts are given directly at the dentist visit. I don’t know about you but medical paperwork becomes a hassle quickly.

Zip code based search for plans available in your zip code

This is a great feature. I would do this first because it shows you which plans are available in your area. Then you don’t even have to bother checking the plans that aren’t available.

Last name search for participating dentists in your area

This is a wonderful feature if you have been seeing the same dentist for years and you are happy with him. Find out before you sign up which plan he offers if any. Alternatively, if you are signing up for a dental discount plan and need to find a dentist that accepts the card, you can use this tool to determine which dentist has an office close to your residence.

General information about the difference between insurance and discount plans

There is clearly written information comparing what an insurance policy may cover to what the dental discount plan may cover. Look at your typical dentist bills. Which discount plan will be best suited for you?

Fast activation

This feature comes in handy if you do not have dental insurance and discover that you need to visit the dentist. Some of the plans can be activated as fast as the next business day. You can print your discount card online and be ready to visit the dentist to take care of your emergency. I love this feature because it allows you to stretch your budget as far as it will stretch. You start your annual discount as close to the appearance of a needed treatment as possible and then have a whole year of discounts ahead of you.

First off, I have to say that this website is very easy to navigate. It is clearly organized and brings you to where you want to go quickly. The different kinds of plan options are easily accessible on the left side of the screen until they take a more prominent space.

DentalPlans.com lists dental discount plans by companies ranging from Aetna over Cigna to Uni-Care. These are not unknown companies. These are some of the best known companies in the United States. With the sample cost cards provided, you can easily compare the different offers and decide which one is best for you. Remember that the sample cards provided are just that, samples. If you already know which procedure is being recommended for you, contact the company whose card you are considering and ask them for their price for the procedure in your area. If the discounted price suits your budget, purchase the dental discount plan and make an appointment at your dentist.

Once you have run your current possible numbers with a debt payoff calculator, try running it with higher payments to get to the number of months you were hoping it would take, to pay off your debt. Now calculate the difference between the payment for your preferred pay off time and the one you can currently afford. That is the monthly amount of money you have to find from other sources. So here are you choices:

- Get a second job

This may not sound enticing, but you got yourself into this mess, so you have to work yourself back out of it. Is it realistic for you to get a second job that pays enough for you to make the extra income you need to cover the increased payment?

- Cut your expenses

Look at the way you spend your money. Are there expenses that are really not necessities? If you think about it, there are few things, people actually need. Food and shelter are the basics. If you cannot walk to work, you will need to pay for your transportation. Think about using public transportation or car pooling. Everything else is optional. Do you buy a drink at Starbucks every day you go to work? That could be $100 per month right there. Do you smoke? Cut down and save that money. You get the idea. Nothing is off limits. Cut the frills first, though.

- Get loans to pay off debt

If you have a lot of credit card debt, it may be beneficial to consolidate your outstanding balances into a single loan. This is particularly true if you have only been paying the minimum amount due. You likely have a high interest rate on your credit card balances, which could be reduced with a consolidation loan.

Remember, the idea is to pay off debt fast. In order for this to work, you will need to make changes to your lifestyle. No one is going to hand you a ‘Get out of Debt Fast’ pass. If you seriously want to pay off credit card debt, consider using all three of the above methods at once.

Getting a consolidation loan, should be the last option you consider, bec.ause loans are always affiliated with fees and you will still owe the same amount of money after you consolidate. It only makes sense if your interest rate drops significantly. If you use a consolidation loan, make sure you do not reduce the amount of money you pay towards the loan from what you are paying now to pay on the different debts you have. Remember, the idea is to get out of debt. So if your payments would be less with the consolidation loan, make sure you can pay the loan off faster without penalties, and then pay the money you saved in interest towards the principal balance of your loan.

Now you know how much extra money it will take every month in order to pay off your debt in the amount of time, you were hoping to. Get out your worksheet and start figuring out how you will get that amount.