Celebrate America’s Birthday With Fireworks July 2nd and 3rd

I love living in Dallas this time of year. There are so many fireworks shows to ring in another birthday for America. You can literally stand in one place and turn around in a circle to catch fireworks from any direction. To help you celebrate in style, we’ve put together a comprehensive schedule of fireworks spectaculars. Listed below are the events taking place on Saturday, July 2^rd and Sunday, July 3^rd. See our next blog post for events scheduled on July 4^th.

9th Annual Frisco Freedom Fest

Saturday, July 2
Simpson Plaza at City Hall
6101 Frisco Square Blvd.

Festivities include Party in the Plaza, Children’s Expo, Taste of Frisco, and more, ending with a 20-minute fireworks show at night.

Kaboom Town 2011

Sunday, July 3 p.m.
5 p.m. to Midnight
Addison Circle Park

Kaboom Town is rated one of the top places to watch fireworks in the country by the American Pyrotechnics Association, USA Today, Travel + Leisure and The Wall Street Journal. You can see the fireworks from just about anywhere in Addison. The 30-minute fireworks show is choreographed to music simulcast live on 100.3 JACK FM.

Liberty by the Lake – The Colony

Saturday, July 3rd

Enjoy an entire day of fun and family friendly activities on the shores of Lake Lewisville, ending with a fireworks extravaganza at 9:30 p.m. The prime viewing area will be Stewart Creek Park.

Fireworks on Main - Rowlett

Sunday, July 3rd
6 pm – 10 pm
Fireworks at dusk

Enjoy live music, food, children's activities and more!

Light Up Arlington

Sunday, July 3rd
6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Enjoy a night filled with live music, great food and children’s activities, topped off with a fireworks show.

Cool Your House for Less This Summer

Summer in Texas can be brutal. We’ve already had several 100+ degree days in the Dallas area, and this is only the first week of summer. If this keeps up, your electric bill could easily double or triple by August. There are some very simple ways to keep your house cool without overheating your budget this summer.

Keep your compressor and filters clean. My husband cleaned our a/c filter this weekend and I actually had to bump the thermostat up a degree or two. The house was freezing. I had no idea how effective a clean filter could be. You also want to check the unit outside your home and be sure it’s clean from dirt and leaves. That will help your compressor (the part that actually cools your home) operate more efficiently.

Program your thermostat and keep it there. Adjusting the thermostat makes your a/c work harder, which requires more electricity. Program your thermostat for lower temperatures when people are home and warmer temperatures when nobody is home. Energy companies typically recommend setting the thermostat at 78 degrees when people are home. Every degree below that will increase your electric bill by about 5 percent to 7 percent.

Turn on your fans. It costs about a penny an hour to keep your fans running. That’s a small price to pay to keep cool air circulating through your home. You don’t need them on when the home is empty, but they are a cheap way to lower the temperature in your home without raising the electric bill much.

Close the vents in unused rooms. If you have a guest room or other rooms that rarely get used, close the doors and the a/c vents. That helps redistribute more cool air to the rooms used frequently.

Cook with slow cookers and convection ovens. If you’ve ever stood cooking at a stove for any length of time, you know how much heat it gives off. Use cooler, alternate cooking methods during the summer months, like slow cookers and convection ovens. Better yet, take advantage of the inexpensive produce available in the summer and prepare more salads and sandwiches.

Use energy efficient light bulbs. Lights add heat to your home. Replace the high energy light bulbs in your home with energy efficient bulbs, and be sure everyone turns off the lights they aren’t using. It will make a big difference.

Close blinds and drapes. Are there certain times of the day when the sun shines in your windows for long periods of time? Close your blinds and drapes during those times. You’ll be amazed at how much cooler your home stays.

When it comes to being energy efficient, use common sense. Figure out what puts out heat in your home and find a way to reduce usage during the summer months. Being just a little sensible will save you a lot of dollars and cents.

Get One of the Highest CD Rates in the U.S. at NCU – 2.50% APY

Have you noticed how low deposit rates get when the country is in an economic recession? The government does this by design. It wants us to spend money, because that is what stimulates the economy. The government lowers interest rates to make it easier for people like you and I to buy things that we typically need loans to purchase, like cars and homes. Unfortunately, when loan rates go down, so do savings rates at most financial institutions.

There’s something the government doesn’t tell you as it’s lowering interest rates. Saving money during a recession is more important than saving money when the economy is booming. Have you seen the unemployment rate? In the last two years, it’s only gone down by one percent. Businesses are still closing unexpectedly, and employers are still laying off without much notice. In the past, financial experts recommended having three months worth of income in savings. Now, they recommend at least six months of income in savings to help with unexpected job loss and other financial emergencies.

Neighborhood has a way to help you maximize the return on your money. We currently offer a 60-month certificate of deposit with a rate of 2.50% APY. Go to moneyaisle.com, and you will find that our rate is better than both the national average and state average by almost an entire percentage point. That means no matter where you go, you most likely won’t find a better rate in the country on this particular CD. Plus, the minimum deposit required for this CD is only $2,500. With the magic of compound interest, you’ll earn nearly $330 on your initial investment over the course of five years.

Here’s how that compares with other savings accounts. The rate on our money market account is currently 0.15% APY. Saving $2,500 for 60 months in that account would earn you $19. The rate on our share savings account is 0.25% APY. Saving $2,500 at that rate for 60 months would earn you $31. There’s a big difference between $19, $31 and $330, especially when it’s your money.

When it comes to saving money, it helps to think about what you have at stake. How would you pay for your house if you had an unexpected job loss tomorrow? Could you make your car payment and still keep the a/c running when it’s 100 degrees outside? Could you afford the basic necessities like food and water with the money you have in savings right now?

It’s not just about saving money. It’s about maximizing what you’re earning on your savings. Choose an account that’s going to give you the best return. You work hard for your money. It’s time to start letting it work hard for you.

Daily Deal Sites That Give You More Than Discounts

Daily deal sites are a growing phenomenon. It seems like every day I log on to Facebook, someone else is posting a new site promising to provide a deep discount on something. I probably get daily e-mails from at least five, and just this week, I discovered two I had never even heard of. Are they worth the hype?

I think they are. It can be annoying to filter through multiple e-mails offering deals I may not need, but it’s also nice to receive a steep bargain I didn’t have to work hard to find. In fact, filtering through those daily e-mails takes less time combined than it would to come across some of the deals I’ve purchased. This weekend, my husband and I had a date night at a nearby restaurant I never heard of until I received a deal in my inbox. I spent $10 for $20 worth of food and found a new place to eat, all because of the 30 seconds it took me to read an e-mail.

But not all daily deal sites are created equal. Here are a few that reward you with freebies and site credits when your friends buy, too.

Moolala

In addition to discounts of 50 percent to 90 percent on dinners, classes and all kinds of services, moolala has a five level rewards system. It pays you back two percent of your purchase price. You also get two percent of any purchases your friends make, if they mention you as the referring person or they make a purchase using your unique URL. You’ll get two percent on their friends, too, and so on, for five levels. What I love about this site is that you can create your own customized link and post it on sites like Facebook and Twitter so you get the credit for people who make purchases.

Living social

Last week, I scored four AMC movie tickets for $18. If I was paying attention, I could have had six for that price. If three different people order the same deal through your unique link, you get yours free. The deal was two movie tickets for $9. I bought one deal for myself, then went back in and ordered another deal in my son’s name. A friend of mine also bought through my link. I just needed one more person to buy. By the time I realized my husband could have gone in and ordered the deal too, it was too late. Use this link, and you’ll get five deal bucks to use toward your first order.

Lot 18

Lot18 is a membership by invitation website for wine and epicurean products from coveted producers at attractive discounts. Members have access to some of the finest wines and specialty foods, made available in small quantities at extraordinarily low prices. Join here and get a free $10 credit. You’ll also get $25 when you invite friends to join and they place their first order.

What other sites reward you for referring friends? Post a comment here so everyone can benefit.

 

Finding Affordable Airline Tickets

I discovered something interesting while shopping online for airline tickets recently. Airline rates have started changing faster than mortgage rates do. If you’ve ever shopped for mortgage rates, you know they can go up and down several times a day. This is normal behavior for mortgage rates. I’m hoping it’s not the new norm for airline tickets, because it takes a lot longer to plan a trip when the prices change so quickly. It’s doable, though. Here are some tips to help you find affordable airfare.

Start Early

If finding the most affordable rate is your number one goal, you should start looking for airline tickets many, many months before your trip. My family is headed to Boston in a few weeks. I knew about the trip in January and started searching casually for airfare in February. I started by looking at flights to several different airports so I knew what my options were, and what prices I eventually wanted to beat.

Don’t Rely On One Source

Sites like Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz used to have the cheapest prices, hands down. That’s not always the case anymore. In fact, many airlines no longer sell tickets on these sites. I usually start my search on these sites, because they give you the benefit of viewing ticket prices for multiple airlines at the same time. I then go to the websites of the individual airlines to see if I can save money buying from them directly. Buying direct was cheaper 90 percent of the time this spring.

Set Rate Alerts

I like Airfare Watchdog, but many sites offer this free service, including the ones mentioned above. Simply enter your travel itinerary and set the price you’re looking for. If the airfare gets down to that price, you’ll receive an e-mail alert. If you’re close to several airports, set multiple rate alerts. Naming your own price on Priceline could also work for you.

Look for a 24-Hour Cancellation Policy

When I landed the price I wanted for our tickets to Boston, I found out that my husband still had not cleared his time off at work. Knowing rates would most likely be higher the next day, I felt like I had to book those tickets at that time. Continental not only had the best price. The airline lets you cancel or change your reservation at no charge within 24 hours when you book on their website. If your plans change or you find a cheaper, last-minute rate, you have an out. Other airlines may do this, but I know many of them don’t.

Be Flexible

If your travel dates or times are flexible, use the feature on travel sites that lets you compare airline prices for several different days. My family saved  more than $200 per ticket by extending our stay by two days. Our cost to stay in a hotel for those nights was just a fraction of that cost.

Wherever your travels take you this summer, have a safe and enjoyable vacation. 

 

Should You Fly or Drive to Your Vacation Destination?

It’s the question so many of us wrestle with when it’s time to plan a vacation. Should we fly or drive? It used to be cheaper to drive. As gas prices rise, however, driving is not always cheaper. There are other considerations, as well.

My family is flying to Boston later this month. We already have our tickets, but out of curiosity, I decided to use this online fuel calculator to see if, mathematically speaking, we made the right choice. The cost to drive is about $250 cheaper, plus we have to rent a car when we get there.

If money was my only consideration, driving would be the best choice. For us, time is also a factor. My husband just started a new job six months ago and has limited vacation time. Driving to Boston is 3,600 miles round trip. Averaging 70 miles per hour, it would take us a minimum of 51 hours to get there and back. Our round trip travel time by plane is about 10 hours, which means we get several more days in Boston by flying.

There are drawbacks, though. When you take your own car, you leave on your own schedule, delays are minimal, there are no baggage fees and no fees to change your plans at the last minute. When I was booking our plane tickets, schedule was a huge concern. Many airlines only fly between Dallas and Boston very early in the morning or very late at night. I was not going to wake up my family at 3 a.m. to catch a plane at 6 a.m., and I was not going to come home at midnight when my husband has to go to work the next morning. We also had the issue of layovers in different cities. I eventually got exactly what I wanted, but it took a lot of effort.

I have a friend who usually drives from Denver to Houston every summer. This year, her cost would have been about $500 to drive, but Southwest Airlines had flights from $56. It’s actually cheaper for her to fly, but she’s already lamenting not being able to stop at the few places where they stop every year that have become a tradition. That’s the benefit of driving. You can stop and see more sights or eat at restaurants you only find in certain parts of the country. However, it does put wear and tear on your vehicle (and your sanity if you’re traveling with kids).

If you really like driving, but it’s not cost-efficient, consider renting a more fuel efficient car for your road trip. I have rented cars very cheaply on Hotwire and Priceline. Many car rental companies also offer last-minute deals on their websites.

Whatever your choice is this summer, have a fun and safe vacation!

Next week: Look for tips on finding affordable airline tickets.

 

Free and Almost Free Things to Do This Summer

Let’s face it – summer can be expensive. It’s often worth the money to not hear the kids say, “I’m bored” every five seconds, but your price tag on summer activities sure can add up fast. For the past few summers, I have spent over $1,000 on camps for my one child. Now that he’s older, we’re scaling back and taking advantage of more free and almost free activities. Here are a few we enjoy.

Summer Movies

Cinemark and the Studio Movie Grill both offer a summer movie series. Cinemark movies are $1 per person. Studio Movie Grill charges $1 for children and $2 for adults. None of these movies are new. You may have seen all of them on DVD already. But, they get you out of the house and provide a few hour of entertainment for the family. These are not just for kids. Cinemark is showing the Wizard of Oz this week, and I know my son’s teacher will be the first one in line for that. You do want to be sure and get there a little early because some of the more popular shows sell out.

Cinemark schedule        Studio Movie Grill Schedule

Kids Bowl Free

KidsBowlFree.com partners with several bowling alleys in the area which offer two free games of bowling per kid, every day this summer. There really are only three conditions:

• Kids must be 15 and under
• You must pay standard shoe rental, per person, unless you own your own shoes
• You must comply with the hours of the bowling center you choose

If you have a large family with young adults, consider the family pass for $59.95. The family pass allows for two games of bowling per day, per adult family member, up to four family members all, summer long! I bought this last year and put two of my unemployed friends on my pass. We all bowled free with our kids the entire summer, and I definitely got my money’s worth.

Check the Local Library

Our local library has free programs for kids (performances, zoo animals, etc.) every Tuesday and free movies and popcorn every Thursday afternoon. Most local libraries offer similar activities.

Free Summer Reading Programs

Barnes & Noble, Half Price Books, and Borders Books all have reading programs that help kids (and some for adults, too) earn free books. The best part is you can overlap and count the same books for each program.

Spraygrounds and Aquatic Centers

Lots of cities in the North Texas area have spraygrounds, pools and even aquatic centers that are free or cost very little to use daily. Check out last year’s blog about free spraygrounds. The cities of Allen and Rockwall also have indoor aquatic centers that are cheap and worth checking out.

What free summer activities do you enjoy? Post a comment here so we can all benefit.

 

Saving Money at the Movies

Movies are not cheap. Period. Add concessions, and a family of four could spend $70 - $100 to see the latest blockbuster on the big screen. If you’re a movie buff, that price tag may be worth it to you. I refuse to pay it, which doesn’t always make me popular with my seven-year-old (who is already planning to see Transformers 3 when it opens July 1^st). To avoid being the “worst mom ever,” I have found ways to view blockbusters on a budget:

Go to the movies before noon any day of the week. You’ll see the same movies everyone else is seeing, but you’ll save up to 50 percent on each adult ticket and about $2.50 on each child ticket.

Say no to IMAX and 3D. Theaters add $5 or more to the cost of each ticket for these “enhanced” features which don’t always enhance the film. Last summer, we paid the extra money to see Toy Story 3 in 3D because we had a gift card. It quickly became one of my all-time favorite flicks, but I will never be convinced 3D added anything to that movie.

Wait until the movie hits a dollar theater. If you just want to see the movie on the big screen but don’t need to rush out on opening day, wait just a few months and catch it at the discount cinema. That’s how we caught Megamind on the big screen. There are several dollar theaters in the Dallas area:

Cinemark Hollywood USA Movies 15 on Shiloh Road in Garland
Starplex Mesquite Cinemas 10  just down the road from our branch on Belt Line Road
Cinemark Movies 10 on Coit Road in Plano
Starplex Irving Cinemas 10 on Pioneer Road

Do the math with concessions. At AMC, three small popcorns cost almost twice as much a one jumbo size, and the jumbo comes with unlimited free refills. Our family of three orders one jumbo popcorn and two empty small popcorn bags, and we share. My son can practically climb in to the jumbo bag, so we’ve never needed refills. If they won’t give you bags, ask for water cups. I’ve also been known to bring a few small bowls in my purse. I also bring a juice box for my son and water bottles for my husband and I. Now, I’m not telling you to break the rules about no outside food and beverages. I’m simply telling you what has worked for me.

How much will you save? When I follow each of these tips, my family of two adults and one child pays $21.50 to go to the movies and eat a jumbo popcorn. That’s a savings of $37. Without these cost saving measures, it would cost us nearly $60 to see a movie. I have yet to see a movie worth that much money.

Next Blog: Almost Free Summer Movies and Other Activities