A lot of people who listen to audio books believe Audible is the only real place to go, but there are actually a lot of different ways to find and download mp3 audio books online. There are services which allow you to download public domain books for free to listen to of varying qualities and a number of other subscription sites which can, in a lot of cases, save you money over Audible’s $15.00 per month subscription service.

One of these services is music-clubs.com. They offer both fiction and non-fiction audio books. Some of the types of books available include business, careers, self-help, children’s, young adult, and spirituality. Whatever you’re looking for, chances are music-club.com has what you’re looking for. Their collection is fairly large in size, it’s not the biggest out there, but chances are you’ll be able to find something worth listening to.

Music-Club really shines when it comes to fiction books. Regardless of which audio books authors you’re looking for, you’ll find it. If you’re looking for the latest fantasy novel or a science fiction adventure, Music-Club is the place.  One of the recently released definitely worth checking out is ‘Anathem’ by Neal Stephensen. It’s a science fiction mystery about a world where scientists and intelligent people are herded and locked into sanctuaries so they don’t create something that will destroy humanity.

Music-Club offers two subscription plans, a gold membership, and a platinum membership. The gold membership has a special where you can get 50% off for the first three months, and pay a mere $14.95 per month after that. With the gold subscription, you get one book of any size. Unlike audible, there aren’t books that are “two credits” which make the book take two months of one’s subscription. There is also a platinum level membership for $22.95 per month that comes with 2 free audio books up-front, 2 downloads per month, and after that you can purchase additional audio books for just $11.47 for each download. Both of the plans offered are very competitive with Audible’s services, and depending on which books you buy, you can save a substantial amount of money.

This service might not be the best fit for everyone, but it’s very competitive with Audible’s, iTunes’ and other stores pricing levels, so check it out.

Unfortunately, with a difficult economy, some people need a little extra cash from time to time. Unexpected expenses can make it impossible to make it to your next paycheck without a little assistance.

If you have poor credit, your only option may be to consider a cash advance. Advances in technology can make it easy to get a faxless payday loan. These loans are easy to apply for.

Before you take out a payday loan, make sure you consider two important things.

First: You need to understand how much payday loans cost. Payday lenders, like other lenders in the U.S., must disclose the “Annual Percentage Rate” (or “APR”) of each loan. The APR is a way for you to compare two different loans to each other. The loan with a higher APR is more expensive. Payday lenders typically charge between $10 to $30 for each $100 borrowed. When disclosed as an annual percentage rate, this can range from around 390 percent to 780 percent.

The APR is calculated by a formula that takes into account the amount the lender is charging you, the amount you are borrowing, and the length of the loan. It breaks down all the costs of the loan, including the interest rate, and that rate is known as the annual percentage rate. On a 30-year fixed-rate loan, the APR is the actual annual cost of the loan if you make 360 payments. Since payday loans are typically short term loans, the APRs can be quite high.

Don’t use the APR of a payday loan to compare with an APR of a mortgage (a long-term loan). Use APRs to compare different payday loans of equal lengths. Use it to decide Which lender is going to give you the best loan rate. Here are two examples to show how to use the APR to decide which payday loan is a better deal.

Example One: If you are going to borrow $200, the lender is charging you a fee of $30, and the loan is due to be repaid in two weeks, the APR is 782%.

Example Two: If another lender is going to charge you a fee of $20 for the same $200, two week loan, the APR will be 521%.
Obviously, the second lender is a better deal. Use a payday loan calculator to figure out which loan is cheapest.

Next, before you take out a payday loan, you need to understand what a “rollover” is. Most payday loan borrowers renew or rollover their loan at least once. When a borrower files for an extension on their loan, it effectively rolls it over to a future repayment date which is the next paycheck. Additional fees are paid for each rollover which can create a seemingly endless cycle of debt. Many States allow unlimited rollovers.

Before you take out a payday loan, make sure you will have enough money to repay the principal in its entirety on the first due date. Do not get sucked into an endless cycle of rollovers, as you will end up in a worse situation than you are currently in.

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People are constantly looking to save money without reducing their quality of life. The trick to saving money is to make frugality a habit; so you don’t even have to think about it. Here are 4 money saving tips you maybe overlooked that could save you substantial amounts of money over time:

1. Maintain Your “Things”: Everything has a limited lifespan, however, most items will have a longer useful lifespan if they are maintained properly. Maintaining your car is a prime example – keeping the oil changed, tires properly inflated, and brakes replaced regularly will help extend your car’s lifespan. Maintaining household appliances and clothing are other areas that you can extend the use and save money over having to replace them more frequently.

2. Shop Around: When you do have to buy something, take the extra time to bargain hunt. With the invention of such websites as pricegrabber.com and bizrate.com you can take a look at what many different retailers are selling the item you need for. Don’t forget to check the Consumer Reports guide (also online, consumerreports.org) before making a large purchase, as they offer unbiased reviews and advice for many products.

3. Discount Clothing: There are many ways to reduce the amount of money you spend on clothes that it seems a little ridiculous to spend $70 on a pair of jeans when you can get a similar pair for $20. Try shopping at outlet stores, or Cosco for reduced prices on clothing. If you’re up for it, you can buy used clothing on eBay, at yard sales or consignment shops, or the Goodwill Store (as a bonus, you’ll know the profits Goodwill earns from the sale of items in their retail shops goes towards charity). Many times you can find clothing in perfectly good condition for a fraction of what it would cost new – and sometimes there are items with the tags still on them!

4. Grocery Shopping: Unfortunately, we can’t completely eliminate paying for food but there are many tricks to paying less for our food. First, shop with a list and use cash. This way, you can only get what you have cash on hand to buy and you won’t be tempted to throw a few extra items into the cart. You might be surprised at how much extra you spend on each shopping trip with those little “extra” items that make their way into the cart! Clip and use coupons on items you ALREADY buy, but don’t clip or use a coupon just because you have one. That defeats the purpose and doesn’t help you save money.

With the economy facing a down turn, Many Americans are taking a hard look at their finances and finding that they are in a much worse position than they might have originally wanted to admit. They have all sorts of credit card debt, cars that they owe more on than what the car is actually worth and home mortgages which are very disproportionate to their incomes. Many are now following financial advice offered by more conservative financial authors such as Dave Ramsey and Daniel Lapin which suggest that we should have a buffer of 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings and that we should work to reduce our consumer debt as much as possible.

Of course we can only use a dollar bill to do one thing at a time, and we are forced to prioritize. Do we start throwing as much money at our consumer debt as quick as possible in hopes of getting debt relief, or do we start saving and build a up a buffer to prevent us from getting into any further debt. Many have said that to get out of a hole, the first thing one needs to do to get out of a hole is quit digging down. Certainly one will never get out of debt by taking out new debt while paying off old debt, so first we must accept that we won’t take out any new debt for any reason.

If we make a commitment to not take out any new debt, we’re going to need some money in savings to take care of emergency situations, such as car break downs and trips to the hospital, but we’re not going to want to save up tens of thousands of dollars earning 3% interest while we’re paying 20%+ in interest on credit card debt.

Radio host and financial author Dave Ramsey suggests that we save $1000 and then start paying off our consumer debt. This is a good number because it gives us some cushion and allows us to pay cash for many of the smaller things that would traditionally cause us to take out new debt. After that $1000 is saved we can start paying on our highest-interest or smallest-balance debt. Either way is fine, as long as you pay off your debt with focused intensity and treat it like the cancer that it really is. Of all of the debt relief options on the market, paying them off as fast and quickly as possible is the single most effective way to get out of debt.

For many living paycheck to paycheck, it often feels like there is never anything left over to tuck into a savings account. Saving money may not be a priority and therefore will always end up feeling more and more like a struggle. There are a number of ways to start saving, whether it be to set specific savings goals or to budget your money with savings in mind.

One particularly simple way to save cash is to automate the process. By establishing and an automated withdrawal and deposit of funds from one account to the other, you are more likely to stick to your savings plan. One reason is because the automated process doesn’t allow you to get your hands on the cash that you are likely to spend. Many people find saving money to be a nearly-impossible task. Because of the onslaught of bills and expenses each month, they have a hard time making saving cash a priority.  They feel that whatever money is “left over” will go into the savings account and are surprised each and every time when there is no money left over.

By establishing an automatic plan to save, you essentially set your mind to accepting the withdrawals each time. You no longer have a reason to worry about what’s left to save and as time goes on and you see the account grow, you will likely become a more motivated, more confident saver.

How Automation Makes It Easy

Setting up an automated savings plan is pretty simple. In fact, there is more than one way to do automatically deposit a set amount of money into your account on a regular basis. The first way you can automate your savings deposit is through your employer. If you have signed up for direct deposit of your paychecks, you can complete a form that allows you to direct deposit the bulk of your money into one account and assign another amount to your savings account. This way, each time your direct deposit goes into the bank, you will add a little more to your savings account on a regular basis without any extra steps.

For those who do not have access to direct deposits, you can visit your local bank branch and request that your checking and savings accounts link together so you can establish an automated transfer from one account to the other. Again, with automated money transfers, you never have to touch the cash or remember to make a deposit.

Set It and Forget It

Once you start depositing money into your savings account, forget about that money. Of course, you should always keep your eye on your banking statement for errors but as for the money, forget you ever had it. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you could “borrow” from your savings account unless it is for a true emergency. The likelihood of you paying yourself back early on is not realistic. Over time, as you begin to see the account growing, you may be less likely to use the money impulsively. But in the beginning, you have to learn to practice self-control and leave the money alone.

Keep the Accounts Updated

If you get a raise or other increase in income, don’t forget to make adjustments to your automated savings accordingly. Should you pay increase, it makes sense to have your savings deposit increase as well. Don’t forget to update your bank accounts and automated deposits of your paycheck. In the event you get a cash bonus or other unexpected windfall, plan to put it into the savings account and let it sit for awhile, otherwise it will probably burn a hole into your pocket.

Whenever you go to a wedding and want to purchase a gift, there is usually a list of stores that the couple is registered at. You’ll go to the store, look up their registry, and purchase an item on their list that hasn’t already been taken. Recently the idea of a gift registry has expanded to monetary gift registries for weddings, gift registries for baby showers, and now there are even monetary gift registries for college savings.

Most 529 college savings plans allow parents to invest money on behalf of their children to pay for college on a tax-advantageous basis. Depending on your 529 plan, the money could be invested in stocks, bonds, CDs, or just about anything. Freshman Fund has brought a unique take on the idea of a 529 college savings plan.

Freshman Fund allows parents to setup a 529 savings plan for their children and then invite friends and relatives to contribute to their child’s college education. Imagine for a moment that you have a child who was having their one year old birthday. Friends and Family members might buy them a toy to play with or a new outfit that they’ll inevitably grow out of in a few months. Either way, the gift given is usually forgotten about within a year.

Imagine for a moment that your friends and family invested that money on behalf of your child into their 529 savings plan. If you were to receive 10 $25 gifts for your child, you would have $250 deposited into your account. Over the course of 18 years, that money would grow to $1,922 if it were invested into a decent mutual fund. That’s a lot better than a few toys or items of clothing that will be gone in a few months.

The monetary gifts from friends and family members won’t replace your personal college savings for your child, but it’s a great way to reduce the amount of money that you and your child will have to pay for school. There’s no reason why a few decent sized gifts throughout the course of your child’s childhood couldn’t pay for a semester or two of college.

For balances up to $30,000, you can earn 5.06% interest on your Interest Plus Checking Account with Heartland Community Bank, and receive free ATM transactions nationwide.  

For each statement cycle, meet the following requirements to keep your 5.06% interest:

• Make at least 10 check card transactions
• Receive a monthly Electronic Statement
• One direct deposit or ACH Auto Debit
• Access Online Banking

In addition to a sky high interest rate, and free ATM transactions nationwide, meeting the above requirements with your Interest Plus Checking account also entitles you to write unlimited checks per month, without paying a per-check fee;  not be restricted to having a minimum balance requirement, no monthly service charges, and access to Overdraft privilege is available.  You’ll receive a free ATM or Visa check card with your account, as well as the ability to bank by phone or via Internet Banking.

The Bank of Blue Valley makes it possible to earn interest similar to what you’d earn on money saved in a certificate of deposit through your every-day checking account.  The Performance checking account earns 5.38% interest (5.51% APY) up to a balance of $25,000.

Performance Checking

In addition to the premium interest rates earned on balances held in a performance checking account at the Bank of BlueValley, you get up to $25 in nationwide ATM fees refunded to your account if you make at least 12 signature based debit card transactions per cycle and have a direct deposit or ACH debit transaction per cycle.  If you don’t meet these basic requirements, you still earn base interest of 1.24%, so all is not lost!

You can open a Performance checking account with no minimum deposit requirement.  There are no monthly service charges to keep your account or minimum monthly balances to maintain.  You get a complimentary debit card and access to your account online - which includes online bill pay.

In addition, your account entitles you to Complimentary Financial Planning Services and a Complimentary Trust Review, as wel ass a Complimentary Investment Services Review.  Bank of Blue Valley’s Wealth Management Division works with account holders to help them plan for the future. You receive the initial financial planning meeting as a complimentary service, and then subsequent progress checks are offered to all Bank of Blue Valley’s clients.

When you choose the Smart, Essential or Tuned In Checking Accounts from Capital Bank, you have the option of upgrading those accounts to take advantage of a number of bonus benefits.  For Essential and Smart checking accounts, you can earn rewards for a fee of $3.99 a month; and just $1.99 for Tuned In Checking accounts.  Rewards and benefits include:

Local and National Dining Savings - Save up to 50% on dining from fine dining to casual eateries and fast foods with an average annual savings of $100.

Local and Online Shopping and Services Discounts - Save up to 50% on professional services (automotive, grocery, beauty, home, dry cleaning, gardeniing, music, video, etc) Annual savings value estimated at $25.

Travel, Hotel and Recreation Discounts - Save on hotels, theme park tickets, sporting events and car rentals.  Estimated annual savings over $350.

$5,000 Travel Accidental Death Insurance - Get automatic protection whenever you travel through a scheduled airline, bus, train, taxi or your own car with a $5000 travel accidental death insurance coverage. Estimated annual value of $12.

Payment Card and Identity Theft Protection - Losing an ATM/Debit card is no big deal with this protection.  Call the toll free number!  If you are the victim of identity theft, you could be reimbursed for up to $1,000 on identity theft recovery expenses.  Estimated annual value of $30.

All Capital Bank checking account options offer great service and value, with or without the addition of the above rewards program.  The Smart Checking offers interest earning checking without fees, and requires a minimum deposit of just $100.

Tuned In Checking refunds your ATM fees and pays for your music (up to $9.99 per month in iTunes music).

Essential Checking doesn’t charge monthly service fees, allows unlimited transactions and a Visa Debit card.

National City Bank offers several checking account options.  If you open one between now and December 31st, 2008, you can qualify for a $150 Visa Gift card.  That’s a nice little bonus for yourself - or to give as a holiday gift!

To qualify for the gift card, here are the 3 steps you must take:

1. Apply online, visit your local National City branch or call 1-800-622-6650 to open your checking account by 12/31/08.

2. Use our Switch Service to set up a $250 direct deposit from your paycheck into your new checking account. Direct deposit must be received within 60 days of your account opening.

3. Accept our free National City Visa CheckCard** and make at least 10 purchases within the first
60 days

Your checking account choices with National City include:

Elite Checking - Minimum $50 to open your account, a $15 monthly fee (unless you have a $10,000 balance and that fee is waived); one box of free checks, and a 2% APY.

Free Checking Plus - Minimum $50 to open your account, No monthly fee, one box of free checks.  This account does not earn interest.

Interest Checking Plus - Minimum $50 to open your account, $10 monthly fee (or maintain a $1,500 minimum daily balance and skip the monthly fee), one box of free checks.  The interest earned on this account depends on your balance - up to $4,999.99 earns .25% with higher balances earning higher interest.

Interest Checking - Minimum $50 to open your account, minimum $10 monthly fee (or maintain $1,500 minimum daily balance and skip the monthly fee), no free checks.  Interest is the same as Interest Checking plus, up to $4,999.99 earns .25% and higher balances earn additional interest up to .60%.

Free Checking - Minimum $50 to open account, no monthly fee, no free checks, and no interest earned on your balance.

Online application for a checking account with National City is limited to residents of FL, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, OH, PA, WI.