Watch the video below.

The average family can spend over $600 dollars a year on household cleaning supplies.  While most of these cleaners do an adequate job and are produced by trusted American companies there are better ways to clean that won’t cost you much.  Here are some simple ways to keep some of that money in you wallet.

If you buy your manufactured cleaning products, scale back.  You don’t need a different cleaner for kitchens, bathrooms, floors, or toilets.  One all purpose cleaner can clean counters, floors, sink/tubs, and toilets.

Make your own cleaners.  Many manufactured household cleaning supplies are expensive and leave harmful chemicals behind after you use them.  To save money and keep your home healthier make your own cleaning products with baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap.  Baking soda can be used for everything from freshening your fridge to cleaning lawn furniture. 

Check out these household cleaning tips…

Distilled white vinegar is a natural disinfectant and is safe on most surfaces including hard wood floors. Check out the sites below to get recipes and tips.

Don’t waste your money on drain cleaners and toilet cleaners.  Both products are expensive and contain harmful chemicals.  A quality plunger will work better to remove clogs from drains and is much safer.  An all purpose cleaner or even distilled white vinegar will clean your toilet as well as manufactured products and are much safer.

For more information on how to save money cleaning check out armhamer.com, realsimple.com, and marthastewart.com and heinzvinegar.com for cleaning solution recipes and tips. 

Want to get deals on everything from local resturants to major gift cards for up to 50% off?

Check out group buying sites like Groupon.com and LivingSocial.com.  Group Buying sites work by getting businesses to offer great deals on products in exchange for customers.  The deals are short lived and change every day so don’t miss them.  Group buying deals range from half off at your local chinese restaurant to special discounts on teeth whitening services.  You’ll be surprised each day with these offers.

Groupon.com is the original group buying site and is probably the largest reaching, however sites like Living Social, Tippr, 8coupons, Halfoff.tv, and Buywithme all offer great deals.  Some of these services may not be available in your area yet.  It’s best to look around and see what group buying services are offered in your area and sign up for a few of them.




Smart Folders
As simple as it sounds, this feature was missing on the iPhone. The folders feature in iOS 4 will help you declutter your home screen, letting you compile under a single location up to 12 applications.

To access folders, enter customize mode (tap on an icon until all icons start jiggling), slide any icon on to another and a new folder is created. You can rename the folder to your liking, but iOS 4 will also suggest a folder name if applications grouped in a folder belong to the same category (like games, utilities, travel).

Wallpapers everywhere
iOS 4 lets you set a wallpaper not only for the lock screen (as previously available), but also for the home screen. Like on the iPad, you will have the option to select a different image for the lock and home screen, or you can use the same image throughout. There is no way to set a wallpaper for each of your home screens, though.

E-mail improvements
The first thing you will notice in the Mail app in iOS 4 is the unified inbox. Users will multiple e-mail accounts have been longing for this feature for a while, and Apple finally delivered.

There is also support for threaded messages, so you can easily follow up on conversations (each discussion has a single entry that you can tap on and expand it). A big boon for business users will also be support for multiple Exchange account, as only one per device was available by now.

Spell-Checker
Alongside the predictive typing on the iPhone, spelling corrections were missing, but this issue is resolved with iOS 4. Misspelled words will be underlines with a jagged red line, and when tapped correction suggestions will be displayed. This feature works system-wide, including in Mail and Notes.

SMS search & Character Count
You can search through SMS messages in iOS 4, just like you do with e-mails in the Mail app. Just flick the top of the main messages screen and a search bar is revealed. A character count while typing a message is also displayed, so you can keep tabs on your SMS allowance.

iPod Playlist Creation & Editing
iOS 4 bring a few enhancement to the iPod app as well. You will be able to see a new music control bar at the bottom of the screen when listening to music in the background. There is also the capability to create and edit playlists on your iPhone with iOS 4, which get synced with iTunes when connected to your computer.

Orientation lock
The iPhone screen won’t annoyingly rotate any more when you are laying in bed reading on a side. The new OS brings a software orientation lock feature, which you can access by double-tapping the Home button and then swipe to the left (the same way you access the iPod controls).
See more at PC World: http://www.pcworld.com/article/199380/apple_iphone_ios_4_arrives_10_reasons_to_upgrade.html?tk=hp_blg

Open a checking account and get a Flip Ultra^TM camcorder, plus a whole lot more:

• A Visa^® Debit Card – Get it on the spot
• Use any ATM – No withdrawal fee from us
• Online Banking – with FREE Bill Pay

How can you get your Flip Ultra?

•    Use your Visa Debit Card for 8 purchases; and

•    Make 2 payments with Online Bill Pay within 45 days of account opening

•    Find out more about qualifying transactions and payments

It’s true.  The Federal Government passed a $300 million package to provide consumers rebates on energy efficient appliances.  

This rebate program has already started in many states.  You won’t need to turn in your older, less efficient models just purchase models that qualified for the Energy Star designation.  So, if your dishwasher is acting up or you are thinking about adding a second refrigerator or freezer, now is the time to start your research.  In most states the rebate program will cover washing machines too.

In addition to the cash for appliance rebates there are few other web sites that can help you enjoy the savings.  Energystar.gov has a rebate locator.  Simple type in your zip code to see if Energy Star partners are offering rebates, tax exemptions, or recycling programs in your area.  

Remember, you can comparison shop brands at all of the major online retailers.  This a great tool to help you decipher between manufacturers.  Also check out our quick tips for purchasing specific appliances below.

Dishwashers

When you are buying a dishwasher, or any major appliance, before you do anything else sit down and make a list of the features or qualities that you must have, would like to have, and ones that you don’t care about. Next go measure what you have to make sure that the new appliance will fit.

For dishwashers there are a few items to keep in mind.  If cleaning is your only concern, lower priced models clean just a well as more expensive ones.  Dishwasher performance is determined by the number of water levels a machine has with 3 being the average.  Therefore higher levels equal better performance.

Features that can influence price include child safety locks, electronic sensors for soap and water usage, quiet mode, adjustable shelves and convertible racks which allow you to customize the inside of the machine. 

To stainless or not to stainless?  On the interior, a stainless steal tub will not improve washing performance.  It is stain resistant, but will cost more than a plastic tub.  Some newer machines are now offering gray speckled plastic tubs which do not show stains as much as their white counterparts. 

Check out Consumer Reports Dishwashing Buying Guide to learn more about specific brands.  You don’t have join unless you want to view the rankings. 

If you are looking for a new refrigerator or thinking about adding a second one in the garage or basement check out our quick buying tips to help you make the right choice. 

• Find the right size – Measure the height and width of your space to make sure that the new refrigerator will fit in your space.  Check the cubic feet of your current refrigerator to help identify if you need a larger or smaller unit.  Bigger families usually need bigger models to accommodate more food.
• Choose a style – There are six main styles of refrigerator.  To help you determine which is best for you read through Consumer Reports refrigerator buying guide. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/kitchen-appliances/refrigerators/refrigerator-buying-advice/types-of-refrigerators/refrigerator-types.htm

 Read reviews – Do your homework and read what other customers have to say about the models and brands that you are thinking of purchasing.  Lowes.com, Homedepot.com, Sears.com and Bestbuy.com all have customer reviews posted.

Some other sites that might help you choose are:

http://www.consumersearch.com/refrigerators/review

http://www.refrigeratorpro.com/

http://www.greenerchoices.org/products.cfm?product=fridge&page=RightChoices

When it comes to cell phone service most people think signing a 2 year agreement with one of the big wireless carriers is the only solution.  The video below may have you think twice before signing your next cell phone contract.

The Waxman – Markey bill or better know as the Cap & Trade bill, is at this time working its way through the House of Representatives and Senate. This bill is designed to limit Americas carbon emissions and will end up being one of the largest Taxes ever levied. The bill will in fact levy financial penalties against companies that churn out carbon dioxide and other gases. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of burning wood, coal, gasoline, etc.

Who do you think is going to bear the brunt of these taxes? You guessed it you and I along with every energy intensive establishment in this country. Coal miners, especially those on the east coast will probably be put out of business. Coal power plants that produce more carbon dioxide than they’re allowed will have to buy the right to produce more. That additional cost will be passed on to consumers, you and I.

US steel makers are large carbon emitters and will probably get crushed by this legislation also. Foreign steel makers won’t be affected by this and steel imports will increase dramatically, which is just more bad news for our already fragile economy.

Then there’s the refiners they’re accountable for over 40% of carbon emissions and as such will be the biggest buyers of carbon credits. Many of the smaller and older refiners will go out of business and we’ll be importing more foreign gasoline. More bad news for the economy and the price of a gallon of gas.

This whole nightmare amounts to a molehill compared to how insignificant it’s going to affect ‘global warming’. Let’s all understand one thing right now, this 1,200-page bill isn’t about saving the ecosystem over the next few decades, its all about dollars – yours and mine – right now.

According to analysis by the Heritage Foundation (a conservative think-tank), the combined cost of the bill would be $3,000 per family in 2012 and $20,000 per household by 2035. How can you or your family be expected to handle the burden of an added $20,000/year. What’s that going to do for your standard of living?

The question you should be asking yourself is, can I profit from this fiasco? The answer is, I think you can.

Who stands to profit most? Probably the Green Energy companies. You can look for some green energy ETF’s, that way you’ll be more diversified than buying one or two of these small cap stocks. Nuclear power producers will probably be another winner, they don’t produce carbon dioxide. They just keep getting paid to do what they always done, but now they’ll have the added income from being able to sell their carbon credits.

Make no mistake selling credits will be big business. That brings to mind the brokers that sell these carbon credits, they’ll also get a good boost to their bottom line.

Boost your homes value by following these quick fixes.