Organized Diva

Watch for Tighter Return Policies

This holiday season shoppers should be aware of changing return policies. While 11% of stores are relaxing their return policies, 17% are tightening them.

Some of the changes to watch for include:

• Extension or shortening of the return deadline.

• Varying restocking fees that apply to different types of products, such as electronics or furniture.

• Special return fees for open or used items or gifts that are returned past the deadline.

If you are considering returning a gift, make the decision early, don't open or use the item, and be certain you return it by the deadline. For a sample list of return policy for some major retailers, go to Consumer World.

Money-Saving Shopping Helpers for the Holidays

Most of us need to be more frugal these Holidays. Even if money wasn't a concern, who wouldn't want to be a smarter consumer? The magazine Electronic House has listed some great online shopping helpers that can help us save money and be wiser shoppers.

Free Shipping, Deals, and Coupons

Freeshipping.org - Find the retailers that are offering free shipping. You'll get details like minimum order requirement and by when you have to purchase at the retailers.

Retailmenot.com- Search for coupons by retailer or keywords. They have some interesting widgets that you can put into iGoogle or your Mac dashboard.

DeaLoco.com - Find particular product deals from reputable merchants.

Track Your Purchases for Better Prices

Priceprotectr.com - Keep track of your purchases and be alerted if the price drops on your purchases. You can then often get a refund from the merchant.

Help Others Shop Wisely with Wish Lists

Kaboodle.com - Create wish lists for items you want. Then share those lists with loved ones.

Giftag.com - Select items, create wish lists and share them with friends and family.

Source: Electronic House Volume 23 Issue 10

Keep Your Money Safe - Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan!

I know this book won't be published until December 30, but current financially difficult times make it necessary to already mention the new book Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan!

To start off the year right, we need a little help. In the Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan! topics include saving and protecting your family, spending, credit, real estate, retirement investing, and paying for major purchases such as college. In the book Suze Orman "discusses what safeguards should be put in place, appropriate actions to take, costly mistakes to avoid, and even opportunities to be had, so that you are protected during the downturns and prepared to prosper when things take a turn for the better."

The book is available for pre-order at most online bookstores, including amazon. Orman plans on making an appearance on the Oprah show on January 8.

Give a Polar Bear Adoption as a Holiday Gift

Do you have good-hearted friends that you don't know what to give? I do. The gift decision was easy once I saw that the World Wildlife Fund lets you adopt endangered species in the names of your friends.

I chose to donate two polar bear adoptions for two friends' families. Along with the adoption, each family is sent a soft, plush 8" polar bear, a framed picture and adoption certificate, and a gift box. It is such a wonderful package that the World Wildlife Fund put together, that I cannot wait to see what they look like when they arrive at my friends' houses in the next two weeks.

The World Wildlife Fund has the same gift programs for the snow leopard, tiger, gray wolf, gorilla -- a total of over 90 species. The adoption kits range from $25 to $250 and go to an extraordinary organization.

Go to the World Wildlife Fund Adoption Center to view the species and programs.

Tipping Guidelines this Holiday Season

Most people will give a tip or other thank-yous to the people that provide them with important services throughout the year. Even in this economically challenged holiday season, many should still try to show their appreciation. Consumer Reports came out with their Holiday Tipping Guideline.

What Types of Gifts to Tip

First, the always welcome cash is great for most service personnel, but not so highly regarded for teachers or other government employees. This can vary from district to district though.

Secondly, a gift card can be a great alternative. However, I strongly recommend you stay away from those that incur fees or those from banks or retail establishments that could go bankrupt.

Thirdly, a small present with the service person in mind is also a good way to show your appreciation. Some suggestions include CDs, candles, candy, cookies, or small gift baskets. The important thing is to get them something that you think they will like.

Lastly, if you really are not in a position to give a gift or just want to say your appreciation, write the service person a thank-you note. Simple gratitude can often go a long way. In any event, you should always include this with your gift.

Who Gets How Much Tip

You should take a few things into consideration when deciding upon how much to tip this holiday season. Aside from your financial situation, take a look at the quality of the service, the frequency with which you get the service, the service person's helpfulness and friendship to you, and how long this person has been providing this service. You may also want to match your neighborhood, since tipping will most likely be higher in New York City than in Kansas City.

The average holiday gift values below come from a Consumer Reports survey.

Cleaning person - average of $50

Child's teacher - average of $20 (a present or gift card of that value is recommended rather than cash, particularly for most school districts)

Childcare provider - average of $38

Fitness instructor - average of $25

Hairdresser - average of $20 (the average for a barber is $15)

Lawn care crew - average of $25

Mail carrier - average gift of $20 (cash or cash-redeemable gift cards are not allowed, so opt for a regular gift card or a present)

Manicurist - average of $20 

Newspaper carrier - average of $20

Pet care provider - average of $20

Sanitation worker - average of $20

School bus driver - average of $15

Building superintendent  - average of $25

Sources:

Consumer Reports

Consumerist

Yahoo HotJobs (What to regularly tip bartenders, waiters, concierge, salon personnel, doorman, etc.)

See How Much You Can Afford with Suze Orman's Expense Worksheet

When it comes to our money, most of us have sadly realized is that we have to change the way we manage it. To gain control, we need to know how much cash is coming in and how much is going out. Suze Orman has made her expense worksheet available online for us to clearly see the state of our household budget.

With good oversight of our finances some of those very important questions will be answered: What are our total expenses and income? Are we overspending? Can we save any money? Where can we cut expenses? Can we pay off more of our debts? How much can we afford to spend on Holidays? The questions can feel complex and the answers may be unwelcome. But they need not be. With the online tools available now, such as the free online Quicken accountI wrote about recently and this Orman expense worksheet, you can see your household budget and available money much more clearly.

If you haven't started yet, this may be the right time to begin using a financial management tool, no matter which one you prefer. Knowing in advance how much you can afford before the upcoming holidays will make everything less stressful. You will also limit high credit card bill surprises come January. And, just think, if good money management has been on your New Year's resolution list, starting now will give you a head start.

Download the Suze Orman Expense Worksheet.

The Suze Orman Show at CNBC.

Further Reading:

How Does Your Household Budget Compare to What's Recommended? Try CNBC's Budget Calculator.

Manage Your Personal Finances with Quicken Online - Now Free

Layaway Instead of Credit - A New Trend?

Are Women Charged Much More for Health Insurance than Men?

Did you know that women pay a high percentage more for personal health insurance than their male counterparts? In some cases health insurance companies charge women even 49% more than men for the same coverage, as noted in the New York Times.

What could cause this major disparity? The health industry says women use health care services more, particularly during the child-bearing years.

Are health insurance companies making the decision for women to have children, since the costs have become so prohibitive and one-sided?

Most individual health insurance companies provide maternity health services only as an optional benefit, as a rider, or for an additional, expensive premium. No matter what, maternity care covered by the insurance is often inadequate. 

Childbearing benefits the fathers as well and is vital to a healthy society. Additionally, women take more advantage of preventative and maintenance health care, which costs the health industry much less than a serious preventable health issue that should and could have been caught early on. For these reasons, this discrepancy should be evenly divided.

Is this gender-based discrimination even legal?

There is a serious problem with a health industry that discriminates on such a basis. They wouldn't dare charge differently based upon race or religion and they should not charge differently based upon gender. The question we need to ask our lawyer friends out there: Is this even legal?

Do company group health coverage costs increase the more women a business hires?

Women should seriously look into this disparity when selecting a personal health insurance provider. They should also make their decision against a discriminating health insurance company for corporate group insurance, where such discrimination is prohibited by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

It is an ethical choice. Some of the serious offenders include Humana, UnitedHealth, Aetna, Anthem, and many state insurance pools, among others.

Source: Women Buying Health Policies Pay a Penalty

Is Sarah Palin Really Impressing the Right People With her $150K Clothing Budget?

Not to choose political sides, although I'll admit I'm definitely a Democrat, I'm thoroughly appalled by the clothing budget that the Republicans have overspent on Palin. How can a woman who says she represents "Joe the average plumber" and the small-town hockey mom spend more than $150,000 on a clothing budget? How many plumbers, small business owners, maintenance people, and homemakers do you know that can afford to spend so much money on their clothing, make-up and hair in such a short time? Who is really being impressed by this and paying for these extravaganzas?

We already know that Palin isn't paying for these items herself and the RNC has claimed responsibility for these expenditures! Now we know where our tax dollars are hard at work. That would make her the first candidate to not pay for her own clothing. One can understand that a working mother on a limited budget can't afford such expensive outfits, especially a mother of a child with a severe disability, such as Downs Syndrome.

What does a soccer mom or even a father do with such a fancy wardrobe, other than attend a single Convention? I certainly haven't seen any on the soccer field sidelines. And, I can't imagine any of them not spending that money on their disabled child.

How can she justify spending all that money on over-expensive clothing, when most people with a disability or a child with a disability can't afford to pay for healthcare of any kind?  In her blog article: "Sarah Palin: Disability Advocate or Rhetorical Cloud?" Emily Elizabeth summed it up very well when she criticized McCain's push to reduce government's spending on Medical Benefits for the young, old or disabled, including our War Veterans, of which he himself is one.

It makes me furious to think that McCain and Palin think that spending all this money so frivolously will be erased from our minds by telling us that it will be donated to "charitable purposes" as stated in the MSNBC article. Who in their right mind would spend any amount of money for something Palin wore at an obscure event, especially if she may not get elected.

Time for a reality check for the McCain/Palin Team. Start thinking of the average Joe who doesn't have health care, electricity, heating, food, clothing or even a roof over their head and stop spending their hard earned tax dollars on $2500 Jackets worn only once!

Let me know what you think of this type of wasted money spending. Hope you have better places to put your money these days. Good luck in finding a more affordable outfit. DivaAnke

Photo: AP

Layaway Instead of Credit - A New Trend?

Guess what is making a comeback? The Layaway Plan!

On a layaway plan, you buy something over time and then take it home with you. If you think about it, it makes more sense than buying on credit and paying high interest rate fees. It also makes sense if you want to buy a higher priced Holiday or birthday presents now, but don't need them immediately. Once you have the item paid off, you also don't have to encounter the credit card bill shock in January.

Large discount retailer Kmart has made layaway buying available for their customers this month. They see that their customers need to purchase some higher priced products and get ready for the holidays, all while having to strictly watch their spending. More frequently, their customers are worried about maxing out their credit cards, paying hefty interest, and are living paycheck to paycheck. It's cash crunch time, people!

Some other stores, such as Burlington Coat Design, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls also have layaway plans. On the internet, elayaway.com and lay-away.com already cater to the layaway customers. Let's see if other large discount stores will follow. This would be a great alternative to credit cards.

Source: cnbc.com

Manage Your Personal Finances with Quicken Online - Now Free

We all know an overview of our income and expenses is very important to financial health. To help us see our finances more clearly, the personal finance software company Quicken has now eliminated their online access fees. Anyone can now open a free personal account online and begin tracking their income and expenses.

Much of what we spend or not spend our money on comes from our gut feeling. But to really see what we could change in our spending habits, we need to see where our money is going. There really is no other way around it. In Quicken they group our personal spending expenses into major categories, such as housing, food, and entertainment. We can then compare our personal pie chart with the recommended spending pie chart that I had recently talked about in How Does Your Household Budget Compare to What's Recommended? Try CNBC's Budget Calculator.

Please remember that the recommended pie chart at CNBC should really only serve as a guideline. Expense percentages are going to vary, depending upon the size of your family, any health situations, even what type of business attire you have to wear, for example.

Please let me know how you feel about this.

Source: Lifehacker