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Once young people make the transition to college, they want to be able to get around so that they can explore and enjoy their new found freedom. During an economy crisis, parents may be weary and concerned about how they can help their college student with their transportation needs without it costing the family an exorbitant amount of money. Here are three great and cheap ways that everyone can get what they want…students can get around and parents can keep some of their hard earned cash in their wallets:

Bus it! Using public transportation is one way that many people are able to get around without the expense of maintaining a vehicle. This economy crisis and the high gas costs have made it more feasible for people to use buses, subways, and trains more often. Students usually qualify for low price tickets or special pricing for monthly passes for unlimited riding. Students can buy for cheap a bus or transit pass as they learn the different routes to meet their own personal travel needs.

Always encourage them to use school provided transportation when available. Many colleges and universities will offer students free transportation to popular local venues. The cost is often incorporated into their university fees. This can be a great benefit for students that need to go to places within walking distance of the various university bus stops. Not only is this a chance for frugal students to get around and save, but it is also a safe alternative that parents can appreciate.

Encourage your frugal student to create a carpool or ride share program at their school. It’s fairly easy to set up and would allow for everyone involved to save money and still do their local travel around town. These types of ride share programs work great for students that don’t have any other transportation access and for students that work at common places like malls or city centers.

The way that a ride share program would work is that those who have a vehicle would charge a small fee for others to ride along to these places. The fee could cover the cost of gas and possibly insurance for the students. Students without vehicles benefit because they can buy for cheap rides all over the place, and their parents don’t have to worry about paying high insurance bills or keeping their gas tanks full.

Set a gas budget for students with vehicles. If your college student just has to have his or her own wheels, then, it is best to set a budget for their gas expense. This will help them to learn to manage their time and resources. When students understand that they can only spend a certain amount of money, which parents can regulate by providing students with a gas card or prepaid credit card, they will limit unnecessary travel.

One of the best things that you can ever teach your college student is how to practice money saving, cost-consciousness, and careful spending. Tell him or her to buy for cheap their gas so that they can stretch their budget and still have gas to get to all of the places that they want to go. College is about learning to be a responsible adult. Finding ways to save and still enjoy life are a big part of that. When it comes to your college student, help them to become the frugal fashionista that they need to be to take care of their transportation needs by researching and spending wisely during the economy crisis, and for the rest of their lives!

Summer goes almost as quickly as it comes. The end of those long, hot days of fun signifies the start of the upcoming school year. That’s when parents, teachers, and kids start preparing for the “back to school” season! But, during an economy crisis, such as we are in, people are a little concerned about how far their hard earned money will stretch this year. Truth is, there are plenty of ways for families for get FREE back to school clothes or to buy for cheap any clothes that the kids will need to make a fashion statement this school year without making a bad statement on your bank account. Here’s how:

Organize a clothing swap. For teenagers, especially, you can create a party dedicated specifically to fun and fashion. Get a large group of parents together and secure a large free space, such as a church basement or community center. Each parent commits to providing a low cost snack or drink, and make sure to have “shopping bags”. Have parent and teens bring their clothes that are too small or that they are just ready to let go. The key to making the event go over is for everyone to bring clothes in good condition, making sure that they are ironed, laundered, and on hangers. Organize the clothing by size and gender. You could even offer a small bin for clothes that “need help”, which families may be able to use as the base of sewing projects. Then, invite the kids, play some funky music, watch them snack and shop… all for the cost of a little snack! Every family will benefit from the free clothes and the event will be a blast for the kids.

Make the most of consignment. Take all of those clothes that your kids can no longer fit or that they never had a chance to wear to your local consignment shop. These wonderful shops will purchase your slightly used clothing from you. You can expect to get paid 30-50% of the price that they will be selling your stuff for. Then, after you get your money, you can buy some of the cool stuff that they have there. Expect to find high quality, top name brands for up to 85% off of the regular retail price. Use the money they give you for your old stuff and you will be getting a whole new wardrobe for FREE!

Work the off -season sales! Buy for summer in the late fall and for winter in the early spring. By following this simple formula, you will be able to buy for cheap any and everything that you will need. From shoes to sweaters, flip-flops to swimsuits, when you buy off season, you can expect to save upwards of 90% off of the regular retail price. When you find a really good deal, buy in abundance, and have great stuff for the kids as they grow.

Malls don’t always offer the best ways for saving, cost-cutting, or opportunities to buy for cheap. During this economy crisis, you may need to try other places and ways for buying those back to school clothes that your kids will need. Creativity and a little planning could take your dollars a long way!

We all know that babies need to eat. But, the cost of buying commercial brand baby foods can quickly mount up. For the frugal fashionista, it seems almost impossible to keep up with the demand when it comes to buying those jars of baby food. Even when you can buy for cheap with coupons, the cost of purchasing pre-made foods far exceeds the cost to make your own baby food.

Things are expensive during this economy crisis. From baby necessities like diapers to the optional stuff like specialty powders for baby, families know that it’s easy to spend a lot and not get a lot when it comes to baby things. But, if families took the time to seek out great frugal recipes for making baby food from scratch, they may be able to save enough on food to be able to buy those cute little extras. Here’s how:

Never throw away the parenting tips and brochures that you receive from the hospital and other family organizations. These brochures often have some basic, frugal recipes that families can use to get started with making homemade baby food. Not only will these pamphlets often provide you with the frugal recipes, they may also tell you when and where to buy for cheap the things that you will need.

Do an online search for organic and natural parenting websites that offer recipes. It may not be feasible to buy real “organic” foods, but having recipes that feature all natural baby food can be very helpful. You can always “cheapen” the recipes to make them true frugal recipes that you can use for your baby, but just substituting the expensive “organic” produce with regular produce that you can buy for cheap or on sale at the grocer’s.

Frequent the local farmer’s market to get the best deals on fruits and vegetables and while you’re there, ask a farmer for some recipe help. Farmers are by their very occupation all natural folks, and many probably don’t use manufactured baby foods for their children. Ask your local farmer if he or she would be willing to share some frugal recipes that you can use to make homemade baby food for your little one. Not only will you probably walk away with proven great recipes that your baby will enjoy, but you will most likely save upwards of 50% off of your produce by shopping at the farmer’s market.

Ask people at parent support groups, that are experienced parents, and senior citizens that have had children. You might be surprised at how much old people remember about the “good old days” when they didn’t have manufactured baby food, and they didn’t have a choice but to make their own! Parent support groups and other experienced parents may also be great resources for frugal recipes as they are prone to have a wealth of information about how parents can stretch their dollars and still feed their babies.

The key to keeping your recipe cheap and easy is to make sure not to overdo it on the ingredients. Buy for cheap everything that you can, make only what you need, and freeze whatever you can use at a later date without it losing its nutritional value too much. Making homemade baby food can be a lot of fun also and experimenting with these frugal recipes will give you something to look forward to. Break free from relying completely on jar or processed baby foods, find and try frugal recipes for a healthier, more natural diet for your baby…and of course, you will also have a healthier bank account to enjoy also as you experience great savings!

I applied with the Los Angeles County Assessor early 2003, I was one of 900 applicants for 25 positions as a Real Estate Appraiser Trainee. I was one of the 25 chosen for the class they hired that year. As a trainee I went through an 18 month probation period and a 12 month training with them including classroom training, many exams, field training in all aspects of real estate appraisal, property tax law and the processes within the Assessor’s Office. If had I failed any one of my series of exams or gotten a bad performance review I would have been kicked out of the program.

At the end of the year long training I took an exam with the State Board of Equalization to be Certified as a Property Tax Appraiser. I was promoted from Trainee to Appraiser. Independently, I chose to become a licensed Residential Appraiser through the Office of Real Estate Appraisers meaning I could do private appraisals also, ones used by banks. I personally purchased my first home at the age of 23, my second at the age of 24, my third at the age of 25. While I was learning appraisal and assessments I was also buying, selling and repairing homes so I saw all aspects of real estate. Additionally, I was the administrator of a family estate while in college so I had already had a background in trusts and estates and my experience working for the Assessor and in real estate had shed light on what I had done years earlier with my family.

The position I had is considered to be prestigious because of the nature of the job. Determining assessments, people paid property taxes based on the amounts I determined every day. I affected over 6,000 properties in Los Angeles County while I worked for the Assessor. The prestige comes from the nature of the job and the knowledge acquired. There is definitely a false sense of power that goes along with the position because if taxpayers really understood the law and how it all works, suddenly the prestige would be gone because the bottom line is always the numbers.

My job changed with the real estate industry: different types of work during different types of markets. I had an excellent reputation within the Assessors Office, was known for being fast, proficient and thorough. I was chosen by higher level management several times to work on different projects and help with other departments within the Office. When I left the Assessor to go to law school (which I dropped out of), months even up to a year after I left, taxpayers would ask for me since I would assist them more than others who worked there. Even the clerks in the office would come to me with problems since they knew I would assist them. I had a bright future with the Assessor and would have risen through the ranks had I chosen to stay there.

NATIONALLY: In just about every state in the US property taxes are a percentage of market value. Market value is the critical factor. The greatest issue is that every Assessor’s Office in every county in all states is a massive assessment government entity. They have hundreds of thousands of valuations to complete year after year and usually don’t have enough man power to do the work based on quality instead of quantity. The Assessors exists to serve, to do their jobs to follow the law and to be as fair as they can be. Frequently values aren’t what they should be simply because they don’t have the time or the man power to be more thorough.

CALIFORNIA: California Property Taxes are different than the rest of the country. As the real estate market was declining homeowners were calling and coming into the Office looking for help. I was assistinghomeowners get the temporary tax break called Prop 8 and I knew a much more bigger break they could get. I know a way for taxpayers in California to get a PERMANENT break in their property taxes. The typical taxpayer in an urban area lost over a $250,000 in value which means $3,000 PER YEAR in property taxes! Totally legal, just out of the box – really just a different way of looking at the law and it wasn’t okay for me to share. Most who work for the Assessor aren’t aware of this loophole! Day after day, homeowner after taxpayer…I knew a much better way. Most taxpayers wouldn’t qualify for the temporary break based on the perimeters of it. I felt compelled to make this loophole known so that I could help taxpayers in a substantial way. So, I left and created the Property Tax Little Black Book.

If a taxpayer can get their loan modified to permanently lower how much they owe on their home why shouldn’t the same be applicable to their property taxes? The law is ALWAYS on the taxpayers side…they just dont know it!

While I worked for the Assessor I processed single family home values at 3 or 4 an HOUR… some were higher than they should have been since I didn’t have the time to make sure they were right and some were lower also. Only if the homeowner complained was the assessed value researched. All taxpayers need to learn some basic appraisal and assessment to ensure they are aren’t overpaying property taxes. Understanding is the key. Every homeowner can understand and handle this process to feel in control of what they are being taxed on their house.

Truthfully the Assessor is afraid of the people because the people, the tax payers, the homeowners are the ones who keep them in office. No one in assessments wants to deal with a disgruntled tax payer!

This is the bottom line: its not us against them or them against us. Its just understanding and dispelling fear in times like today. This is the GREAT news about this low real estate market! Its a time for taxpayers to save and educate themselves so that they can be proud of their home ownership and know that they can save. Low real estate market means: modified loans, lower property taxes! Yes, the real estate market is down and this is how it can help you! This is one of the many reasons the retraction of the economy is good!

My vision, my goal is to empower the homeowner! No more fear. Fear comes from ignorance and my goal is to educate and ultimately dispel fear. In a time of turbulence and change, it is more true than ever that knowledge is power. – JFK Feel free to contact me! I look forward to hearing from you.

About the author: Valerie Faltas, Property Tax Expert has been involved in all facets of real estate for over ten years including assessments, appraisals, estates and trusts, investing and much more.

Ideas change over the years, and these days people are considering solar power for homes and businesses a truly viable alternative.This has been known for some time now but it is just beginning to capture people’s attention because they are finding out about other kinds of fuels. This isn’t new knowledge. It has been around for a while.

The primary causes of this is the rising cost of oil, fuel oil, and electricity in general. The ability to deal with the rising fuel and energy costs is the main reason people are searching for more affordable methods to operate their homes. It appears there are advantages along with drawbacks to solar power for homes. Let’s start by discussing the advantages of residential solar electricity.

The noticeable advantages to changing to solar and designing a house to use energy efficiently are numerous. The most often discussed are the fact that these resources can be renewed; this means they’ll provide on an ongoing basis and never stop. This is also a much cleaner power source and can be cheaper per kilowatt than many other options. Any kind of assistance we can offer the environment is surely a good thing.

Electric bills around the globe have increased dramatically in recent years, while petroleum costs are skyrocketing due to the cost of production and so called dwindling reserves. This current trend is only going to get worst so it is a great time to consider solar power for homes.

With changes in the way we live, a lot of folks are unable to afford their monthly bills. A lot of families don’t have any heat since they can’t pay their bills, and some families don’t have a home to live in.

This is a tragic reality in today’s world. Presently, residential solar systems can make use of sunshine so that we may save some money with this no-cost and easily available resource.

Next, we need to talk about some of the negative factors involved with solar power for homes. You can only point to a single one.

The primary drawback to using residential solar systems is the big expense of purchase and installation of these sun-harnessing panels. Until the current time it was almost impossible for the normal household to have residential solar electricity. Fortunately, the passage of time and wise thinking have combined to change that.

The average person can find how to build and install solar power for homes using web based instruction manuals written by experts in solar energy. At a cost of just a couple hundred dollars, it is possible to buy all that’s required to assemble them at home in a matter of days.

Anybody can use the power from the sun and make solar power for homes without the price being a main consideration. You can save both cash and the environment while enjoying your free solar power.