The advantages of the ceiling Fan

If you don't have an ceiling fan it is a very good idea to fix it for the following advantages below:


Cooling: the ceiling fans can give good cooling and make you feel 3 to 8 degrees cooler when you are under it. Thus you have to rely on the air conditioner very less. The ceiling fan produces an wind chill effect by pushing the warmer air away from your body at higher speeds.


Heating: Yes, the ceiling fan can be used in the winter for getting a little warmer. The hot air always rises up. so when you turn on the ceiling fan at the lowest speed setting. the fan pushes the hot air down.since the fan is rotating at an very slow speed there is no windchill effect and you actually feel more warmer.

Work-Study Programs

Work-study is funded by the federal government, which dispenses money to colleges and universities throughout the United States. The colleges then use the money to hire students for part-time work in various capacities.


In order to be considered for work-study, you have to begin by filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This is the form mentioned in an earlier blog that every potential college student should submit for consideration for financial aid. On the form, there is a box to check to indicate that you are interested in work-study.


In addition to checking the box on the FAFSA, you must apply to the college you are attending in order to participate in the program. There are limited funds available, so jobs are meted out on a first come, first serve basis. Therefore, it pays to fill out the FAFSA and apply for employment as quickly as possible.

Stafford Loans for College

Stafford Loans are federal student loans made available to college and university students to supplement personal and family resources, scholarships, grants, and work-study. Nearly all students are eligible to receive Stafford loans regardless of credit. Stafford loans may be subsidized by the U.S. Government or unsubsidized depending on the student's need.In most cases it makes more sense to apply for an unsubsidized Stafford loan than it does to get one from a bank or other source.

Stafford Loan Information: Benefits

Low fixed interest rate - Stafford loan rates for the 2011-2012 school year are as low as 3.40%

Increased borrowing limits - up to $20,500 per year depending on degree status and years in school

No payments while enrolled in school

Acceptance not based on credit

1. Even though the interest rate is more for an unsubsidized loan than a subsidized, it is still a decent rate, and will not change during the life of the loan.
2. Almost everyone qualifies as long as you are at least a half-time student.
3. There are no credit checks.
4. You will have to pay interest on the loan while you are in school, but you won’t be required to begin paying it back until you graduate.
5. When it comes time to begin paying it back, there are many different options including basing your payment on your income, or starting your payment with a low amount and increasing it as your income increases.
6. You won’t be penalized if you choose to pay your loan back early.
7. If you have several Stafford loans, you can apply to have them consolidated, resulting in a lower monthly payment.
8. If you lose your job or are off work due to illness, you can apply for a temporary deferment of your loan repayments.
9. Going in to the military or employment in certain fields may entitle you to a reduction in the amount you have to repay.

Stafford Loan Information: Eligibility

You must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. permanent resident, or eligible non-citizen accepted for enrollment or attending a school that participates in the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Additionally:

You must have submitted a FAFSA to be eligible for a Stafford loan

For subsidized Stafford, you must have financial need as determined by your school

You must be enrolled or plan to enroll at least half time.

 For more information on Stafford loans and information about alternative student loans, visit this site: http://www.staffordloan.com/.

Saving On College Text Books

It’s that time of year again when college students have to shell out hundreds of dollars for textbooks in addition to all their other expenses. a website that specializes in renting textbooks: http://www.rentscouter.com

Another new website, http://www.localtextbook.com/ helps students to connect with other students in their area who may have a textbook for sale. Those who have a textbook they no longer need can list it on this site for a small fee.

If you’re looking for more ideas on how to save money on textbooks, check out the PIRGS’ suggestions at http://www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks/tips

Alternative Spring Break Program

If you are a college student and do not have enough budget to go for a trip in the summer break check with your college whether they have an alternative spring break program.


This program is one where students volunteer their time in various institutions such as schools, non-profits, or governments throughout the country. A small registration or application fee is usually required, and you may have to cover meal or transportation costs within the city to which you are assigned. Some universities offer scholarships to participants, and others have fundraising opportunities.


You gain a lot of experience in these programs and you get to know new friends and explore different parts of the country and you can save lot of money which you can save to buy something else. Also remember most of these programs are for a good cause.

Free Audio Books

If you like listening to audio books, you an find some nice collection of audio books from the sites bellow:


http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks. Here’s another source for free educational material, both audio and video. It includes such things as language learning and university courses.


http://storynory.com/. A wonderful site for finding stories for children, they add a story every week, all read by professional actors.


http://amblingbooks.com/books/index/free_audio_books. This has free books as well as ones that can be purchased, some for as little as $1.00.


http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video. This site has lots of educational materials including lectures and sermons. It also has audio and video products for sale.


http://librivox.org/ These books are read by volunteers. If you enjoy listening to them, you might want to consider volunteering to be a reader too.

Back To School Sales

Buying items for your kind then you can take advantage of the back to school sales from stores:


1) Stock items which you feel will be required a lot for your kids. If it’s something you know you’ll use a lot now or in the future, it pays to get the maximum amount.


2) Buy the specials from various stores. Most stores are hoping you’ll buy all of your supplies there, not just the specially priced ones. Your true savings will come by only buying the specials at each store, and then walking to another store. 


3) Remember about your time and gas millage when you are searching for specials in various stores.If you can team up with friends and divide the shopping regions then you can do a joint purchasing by buying the specials for each other and sharing the bills later on. A phone call is much cheaper than roaming around searching for specials in various stores.

Rebates from ENERGY STAR Partners

To encourage customers to buy energy efficient products, ENERGY STAR partners occasionally sponsor special offers, such as sales tax exemptions or credits, or rebates on qualified products. Partners also occasionally sponsor recycling incentives for the proper disposal of old products. 


Visit the ENERGY STAR site HERE and find such special offers or rebates where they exist, based on information that partners submit to ENERGY STAR.

Rebate Coupons

You can save money for almost all the daily basic day to day items by taking advantage of dealer promotion coupons. The most famous sites for getting these rebate coupons are:


1) http://www.coupons.com


2) http://www.smartsource.com


3) http://www.printablegrocerycoupons.net/


4) http://www.hy-vee.com


Unnecessary items:
Please select coupons only for the items you need to buy (The essential items). When you are going through the coupon sites you might find many rebates of items which are really not required they just tempt you with the rebate offer.Most people get fooled by these rebate coupons and tend to spend more money on unnecessary items. Which will unnecessarily stuff your refrigerator or stock room and after a while you might even forget that you bought them and they just become junk.My advice is make a list of the items that you need to buy and then search for coupons only for those items in the list do not look for other items which are not in your list.


Wholesale offers: 
Also do not get tempted with wholesale offers. Just think for a while and analyze whether you can use up all the quantity before their expiry period or known lifetime. There is no use of stocking items because of a great offer and latter be forced to throw them because they have expired.Don’t go wasting time chasing “free” stuff that will just end up cluttering up your home.


Be careful on unknown brands:
Now another thing i noticed is that there are crazy rebates on brands which are really worthless products ( I cant really say worthless because everyone's tastes differs, but i think you get the idea I mean) .Which will end up in the garbage and become a big waste of money and time.If you are really curious just buy one item as an sample and try it out or ask friends whether they have used it and get there feedback.



Double coupon days at local grocery stores:
Keep an eye for double coupon days for local stores nearby you. these offers can help you gain a lot of savings.Here is a site which can help you out: Double Coupon Per State



Coupons in newspapers:
Usually many of the Sunday editions of newspapers comes with many coupons.Just check them out for any interesting coupons.


Google It:
Just Google for a product you like and add the word coupon after it. and if you are lucky you might find a coupon for it. You can do this for any product even software for you computer.

Get More Leg Room In Economy Seat Flights

How many times we travel in economy seat flights for long distances and suffering due to less leg room hoping for better leg room. Now you can get more leg room by just selecting the seats next to the emergency doors. Its that simple, but of course there is one drawback which i noticed you cannot keep any luggage with you under the seats or on the floor.

Have a luxurious economy flight!!

Using A Inverter Air Conditioner

This is a new technology which has been incorporated to air conditioners.


Benefits of Inverter Air Conditioning


Inverter air conditioning is more expensive than non-inverter air conditioning but let's see what are the benefits of an inverter air conditioning compared with a non-inverter air conditioning:-


1) At least 30% - 50% cheaper to run as it consumes less power
2) Far quicker to achieve desired temperature
3) The start-up time is reduced by 30%
4) Much quieter
5) No temperature fluctuations, maximising comfort level
6) No voltage peaks from compressor


All most all inverter air conditioning are heat pumps which in itself is one of the most energy efficient forms of heating


Is it worth paying more for an inverter air conditioning? 


So, in summary an inverter air conditioning can reduce your energy bill.  It will be worth paying more for an inverter air conditioning if you use your air conditioning:-


1) All year round
2) used for heating
3) With energy costs now running at approximately 12cents per kWh and still rising there is no doubt this will save you money in the long run. 


What is the difference between inverter and non-inverter air conditioning units?


Non inverter or Fixed speed air conditioning deliver a fixed amount of power via a fixed speed. This means the compressor has to stop and start to maintain the desired room temperature. The air conditioner turns on till it reaches the specific temperature and then turns off. And again as the temperature varies the air conditioner turns on. 


Inverter air conditioning system varies the speed of the compressors, delivering precise cooling or heating power as required. When the cooling or heating capacity needs to be increased, the compressor will operate at a high speed and will increase the amount of refrigerant flow. Conversely, during moderate outside temperatures for example, when the cooling and heating capacity needs to be decreased, the compressor will operate at a low speed and will decrease the amount of refrigerant flow.


When the inverter air conditioning is switched on, the compressor operates at a high speed in order to cool or heat the room quickly. As the room temperature approaches the set temperature, the compressor slows down, maintaining a constant temperature and saving energy. Any sudden fluctuation in the room temperature, will be sensed and instantly adjusted to bring the room temperature back to the set temperature


This technology has also been incorporated to washing machines ( giving you an 20% increased power Efficiency). If you see any product displaying that it is using inverter technology, it is very efficient.

Saving Energy With Your Existing Fridge

Turn off the anti-sweat feature: Many fridges have small heaters that keep moisture from forming on the cabinet. This uses an extra 5-10% extra electricity. Most models that have this feature have a switch that lets you turn it off, usually labeled "Energy Saver"


Set the temperature for only as cold as you need it: Fridge should be 36-40F, and the freezer should be 0-5F (-17 to -10C).  Fridges set 10 degrees lower than needed (or freezers set 5 degrees lower than needed) can increase energy use by as much as 20-25%.


Don't put hot foods in the fridge: Food safety experts say you should refrigerate hot food to prevent contamination. But that doesn't mean you have to refrigerate them immediately. The USDA says to refrigerate within two hours of preparation (or one hour if the room temp is above 90°). One to two hours of cooling off time will definitely make your refrigerator work less.  It's a tradeoff -- the sooner you refrigerate the safer the food, but the more energy you use. Of course, meat and dairy foods are most susceptible to contamination, which is yet another reason to not eat meat and dairy in the first place.  Vegan foods are much safer.


Thaw frozen foods in the fridge rather than on the counter: They’ll help cool the fridge as they defrost.


Pick a good spot for the fridge: Your fridge will use less energy if you keep it away from heat and also place it where the heat it generates can easily dissipate.  Position your fridge out of direct sunlight, and away from heat sources such as the oven and heat registers. Help the fridge get rid of the heat it generates by placing it along an external wall. If you don't use air conditioning then put the fridge in front of an open window to let the heat easily escape. This doesn't just make your fridge work less, it keeps your house cooler too. If your choices for locating your fridge are limited, then at the very least make sure that there is at least 2" of space all around to allow for circulation.


Defrost a non-frost-free freezer before the frost exceeds a quarter-inch thick: More frost makes the freezer work harder. But better yet, if your fridge isn't frost-free, that means it's old, and old fridges use tons of energy. Replace it with a newer model, made in 2001 or later.


Make sure the gasket is in good shape:
The gasket is that piece of rubber going around the door that seals the door to the refrigerator.  If it doesn't seal well, then cold air is escaping, so your fridge is working a lot harder.  If parts of it are coming off, then re-attach it with some adhesive caulk.

Trade In Your Old Refrigerator For A New One

The main way to save money with your fridge is to use an efficient model.  New fridges aren't just a little more efficient, they're incredibly more efficient.  A 1986-era 18 c.f. fridge uses 1400 kWh a year, while a modern energy-efficient model uses only 350 kWh -- a whopping 75% reduction.


If your fridge was made before 2001, then yes, you should almost certainly trade it in. Older fridges are wildly inefficient.  The best modern models use less than half of what 1993-2000 fridges used.  For older fridges it's even more striking:  Replacing a 1992 fridge with a modern Energy Star model could save $1400 in electricity costs over the useful life of the fridge.  So if you've got an old fridge, yes, trade it in


Skip the ice maker and dispenser.  These ratchet up the energy use quite a bit.  According to the EPA these features mean 14-20% in extra energy, but Consumer Reports testing showed that these features could double energy use.


Old manual defrost fridges won't save money. You might have heard that manual defrost fridges use less energy than frost-free, so you might be tempted to look for an old manual defrost model.  Don't.  Old fridges use way more energy than new ones; even if the old one is manual defrost.  I once had an old manual-defrost model that used 1000 kWh year, which is more than twice what a modern 425 kWh Energy Star, frost-free model uses.