Eating Right When The Budget Is Tight

When household expenses are under the knife, a few simple changes in the kitchen can help you cook up many beneficial savings and health advantages. Consider these money-saving tips from the Cookware Manufacturers Association:

• Save on lunches. Large-capacity cookware lets cooks prepare soups and stews that provide extra portions for freezing and reheating for next-day meals.

• Pressure cookers and slow cookers save time and money. Each cooks foods economically, requiring less energy. Because they tenderize and heat foods thoroughly, you can use inexpensive or less-prepared cuts of meat.

• Size the portion to the pot. Pots or pans too large for the amount of food cooked use more energy than necessary.

• Consider multiuse pans that pull double duty. An oven-proof skillet, for example, can be used for baked casseroles. This reduces the number of pieces used and later cleaned. Check labeling to prevent going over a pot's or pan's temperature tolerance in oven heat.

• Baking bread at home is easier than many people realize. A few cups of flour, water and yeast combine with heat and turn into golden brown breads. The warm, inviting aromas fill the home. Today's bread makers make the task of kneading even easier.

• Measure out all the dry ingredients for several loaves of bread at one time and store the mixtures in plastic resealable bags. Just add the wet ingredients to the premade packs when it's time to bake.

• Don't stop with bread--The steps in making pies and cookies are surprisingly simple, too. As an added bonus, baking at home from scratch helps you avoid processed ingredients and preservatives.

• Using a lid when boiling water and other liquids takes less time, therefore less energy in heating.

• Inspect kitchen equipment and replace items without lids, with poorly fitting lids, loose handles or a damaged cooking surface.

• When replacing kitchen equipment such as pots, skillets and baking pans, get durable materials. Quality cookware makes cooking more enjoyable, and the products are easier to clean.

• Learn more. Much more information on cooking and cookware can be found in the "Guide to Cookware and Bakeware" offered by the Cookware Manufacturers Association at www.cookware.org.

Keep a selection of pots, pans, skillets and other items of various sizes in your kitchen to meet different needs.

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Your Recipe Creation Could Be Worth $1 Million

The 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is now open for entries. One hundred finalists will compete for the $1 million grand prize. The entry deadline is April 20, 2009. For contest details, visit www.bakeoff.com. This recipe example from the 43rd contest fits the Entertaining Appetizers category. The simple step of spraying the pan with no-stick cooking spray helps create a crispy, nicely browned crust.

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Mango, Prosciutto And Goat Cheese Appetizer Pizza

1 tablespoon CRISCO® pure olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (½ cup)

1 firm ripe mango, seed removed, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces (1 cup)

⅓ cup SMUCKER'S® sweet orange marmalade

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 to 2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust

4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

1 cup crumbled goat (chèvre) cheese (4 oz)

Heat oven to 400°F. Heat 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and starting to brown. Reserve ½ cup mango. Stir remaining mango into onion. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in marmalade, mustard, vinegar and soy sauce. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and most of liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; cool while preparing crust.

Spray large cookie sheet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Unroll pizza crust dough on cookie sheet; press dough into 15x10-inch rectangle. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.

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Spread mango-onion mixture over crust. Top with prosciutto; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and goat cheese.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with reserved ½ cup mango.

Makes 24 appetizers.

• Bake-Off is a registered trademark of General Mills

• Smucker's and Crisco are registered trademarks of The J.M. Smucker Company

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Free Debt Help Is At Your Fingertips

If the time ever comes when your debt outweighs your income or you're able to make only the minimum payment on your credit card or cards, be concerned. These are some of the standard warning signs of out-of-control debt.

There are many free services and tools available to bank customers who are looking for new ways to pay down debt or save more. These tools and solutions help customers take action, take control and manage their money better.

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The first step is easy: Go to your bank's Web site and take an online tour. Or you can head to a branch and speak with an expert about personal financial management tools. These services can provide guidance to those who feel weighed down by debt or have a hard time setting up and managing a budget.

Here's what you will find at one major bank:

Wells Fargo has a new online Smarter Credit resource center. It includes a wide variety of tips and tools and a section called "Reduce Debt." This is aimed at helping consumers start to pay down debt, reduce interest costs or lower their payments.

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Within that section you can find the company's new Debt Pay Down Solution that can help consumers get out of debt faster. First, it suggests that people consolidate high-interest debt and potentially get lower monthly payments through a personal loan.

Then, people can use the free online tool called My Spending Report with Budget Watch to find opportunities each month to spend less. It's an easy-to-use, automatic budgeting system that, in addition to tracking deposits and spending, helps customers create a budget and monitor their progress toward meeting it.

My Spending Report with Budget Watch offers quick setup, budget alerts and a variety of charts and graphs to analyze and track spending. A unique "What's Left" feature shows any surplus at month's end and allows customers to apply it to long-term financial goals such as reducing debt, building savings or planning for retirement.

Finally, customers can transfer some of their "What's Left" to the principal of the new loan to accelerate the pay down of their debt. Another tool called My Savings Plan makes it easy for customers to put "What's Left" to work for them through savings.

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You may be able to save money and pay down your debts faster with help from an online budgeting tool.

Recession Tips: Value Programs Help Consumers Shop Smarter

In these challenging economic times, consumers are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their spending without drastically altering their lifestyles. What many may not realize is that the key to stretching dollars isn't always about spending less; sometimes it's simply a matter of shopping smarter. Here are a few tips:

• Compare prices to find the retailer that offers you the most savings.

• Buy the staples you need first, then re-evaluate your budget for additional wants.

• Plan a shopping list in advance to avoid buying items you don't need.

• Seek out in-store sales and look for coupons, many of which are posted online. Stay on the look-out for special online-only deals as well, such as free shipping.

• Buy store brand/generic when possible. They generally have the same ingredients but can cost up to 50 percent less than name-brand items.

• Shop for groceries after you've eaten and while you have a full stomach. You'll be less inclined to purchase food you don't need. At supercenters like SuperTarget, it's possible to shop for fashion, electronics and groceries in a single location-and even have lunch at the food court.

• Look for in-store savings programs designed to help consumers get more out of the money they spend. For example, some grocery stores offer special pricing for consumers who sign up for a discount card.

• Look for specially marked areas on retailers' Web sites that call out value and sales. Some Web sites such as Target.com have areas where you can search product categories by price.

• Consumers can get even more for their money by using store credit cards such as the Target Visa. Each time you use it on Target purchases, you earn reward points toward 10 percent off an entire day of shopping.

• Shop for items before you run out. Buying in bulk when the unit price is less can help you save money.

• Take advantage of rebate offers.

• Shop discount retailers that offer not only trend-forward products but also competitive pricing.

Smart shopping is all about getting quality products at the right prices.

Looking for special value programs can be a useful, convenient way to get more for your money.



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Increase Your Paycheck, Reduce Taxes With Your W-2

The key to a bigger paycheck is Form W-2, the tax form you get from your employer in January.

The American Payroll Association, a leader in payroll education, offers these W-2 tips to save you time, money and headaches during tax season:

A. Is your W-2 correct? Check it against your final 2008 pay stub.

If any figure on your W-2 seems incorrect, contact your payroll department.

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Things to watch include:

• Box 1 should differ from your final 2008 pay stub year-to-date gross pay if you participate in a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored savings plan.

• Box 3 total should not exceed $102,000--the 2008 Social Security wage base.

• Boxes 1, 3 and 5 should be less than your final 2008 pay stub year-to-date gross pay if you use pretax deductions like medical and dependent care spending accounts.

B. Did you get everything you need for accurate taxes?

You should receive a W-2 from every company that paid you in 2008. Contact payroll in any company you worked for in 2008. Have your full name, Social Security number (SSN), employee number, and address--especially if you have moved--ready. Request a "reissued statement" to replace any lost W-2s. If you earned more than $600 from a single company for any freelance work, you should receive Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income instead of a W-2.

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C. Does your SSN match your Social Security card?

The name and SSN on your W-2 must match your Social Security card to receive your Social Security benefits. Ask the payroll department for a corrected W-2 if they do not match.

D. Are you eligible for any tax credits?

Read the back of your W-2 copies B, C and 2 to determine if you are eligible for any tax credits. You could be missing out on hundreds or thousands of dollars in tax credits.

E. Can you increase your paycheck?

If you get a big tax refund each year, it means you are overpaying your taxes--the average person overpaid by $200 a month in 2008! Making just a minor adjustment to your W-4 form could give you more money each payday.

The W-4 assistant at www.nationalpayrollweek.com/W4 can help you determine the proper withholding allowances to claim on Form W-4.

For additional tips to help you get more from your paycheck, visit www.nationalpayrollweek.com.

Both your income tax and Social Security benefits for 2008 are based on the Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement.

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Rosy Tips For Valentine's Day

Roses reign supreme for Valentine's Day. A well-known statement of love, for many, sending roses is the perfect way to say "I love you."

To make this loving gift a long-lasting one, follow these tips from Julie Mulligan, lifestyle expert from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM:

• Always use clean vases or containers.

• Fill the container about ¾ full with warm water and floral food.

• Remove leaves that will be under the water while in the vase, as they will rot.

• Give each stem a fresh cut on an angle while holding the stem under water to prevent air from getting into the stem.

• Place the vase in a cool spot, away from heat.

• Change the water and flower food every three to four days and recut the stems.

From roses to tulips to orchids to lilies, there are flowers to please all the important people in your life this Valentine's Day, says Mulligan.

More holiday inspirations are at Mulligan's floral and lifestyle blog at 1800flowers.com/Julie.

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Roses are a tried-and-true way to say "I love you" on Valentine's Day or any day.

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Valentine Gifts: Finding The Best Fragrances For Less

While a shaky economy may wisely inspire you to do without some extras, one item a woman would be foolish to forsake is her favorite perfume.

For many women, perfume is an essential accessory that elevates the mood and inspires self-confidence. Fortunately, if you know where to find fragrance for less, you can keep your favorite scent and economize, too.

Great sources include stores that specialize in fragrance at reduced prices. Some fragrance sites offer the most popular scents at a significant reduction.

For example, Perfumania.com
, a prominent online fragrance retailer, specializes in the sale of genuine designer fragrances, bath and body, cosmetics and skin products and related gifts and accessories for men, women and children for less.

The site's fragrance consultants are trained to provide customers with personalized service and expert advice about today's most popular fragrances, as well as the classics and hard-to-find fragrances.

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.

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