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My birthday is next week and people have been asking what I want. What would you want for your birthday as a present in the range of about $100? I need help!

Please give me ideas in the comments. Thanks!

I occasionally hear a radio commercial saying that if you call a business, that they can help you with your “right” to lower your debt. You do not have any right to lower your credit card and tax debt. That is a fallacy. You might have an option to negotiate lower debt, but that might not be the best option.

If you owe $20,000 to a credit card company, it is because you bought $20,000 dollars worth of stuff. You bought it. The company did not force you to buy it. If a credit card company negotiates a lower balance with you, it looks really bad on your credit report. It might feel like you are saving money, but you are probably doing much more harm in the long run.

When a company “forgives” debt, they are writing off the debt as a loss. This is reflected on your credit report. A write off looks much worse than a late payment. Late means you still paid. Write off means you did not. It is that simple from the eyes of a lender.

The same goes for taxes. A tax settlement might get you out of some of your debt, but it looks really bad. To get to the point of settling, you probably already went through a rough spot and collections. All of these things look bad on your part. It is no one’s fault but yours.

I know it might sound hard if you are in a tough spot, but you should figure out a budget and figure out how to pay off your debt. Once it is paid off, you have that much more cash to save and pay for your life. It is a short term struggle with long term benefits.

I am fairly computer savvy. I have even been called a computer nerd in the past. I had some funky things happen in Firefox, and I decided it was a good time to scan for viruses.

I found one. Then another. Then another. By the end of the 110 minute scan, I had 7. After a deletion and reboot, all is fixed and well. I am going to change all of my banking passwords just to be safe.

Take this as a call to action: scan for viruses! Do it! Hopefully you will not have any, but that is my financial advice of the day. Trojans can have keystroke loggers and screen shot capabilities that lead to theft of money and identity.

Par value is a term used in the stock world that might not make a whole lot of sense to the Average Joe. If you are average Joe, here is an explanation.

Par value means nothing to you. That is all you really need to know. It is used by lawyers and corporate accountants when issuing stock. It has little real world meaning.

When discussing bonds, par value is a term used for the bond face value. For preferred stock, par value is a term often used for the dividend paid by the share.

That is all you need to know. See, everything stock related is not complicated.

Just a reminder, keep on top of those tax forms. Mine have started to come in full force, and I have found that it is best to keep a folder for them as they come in. Some of mine can be printed online too.

So far, I have 2 income forms from employers and a few different bank interest forms. I also have records from donations and education expenses.

I fill out a form for my accountant. My taxes are fairly complex from eduction, scholarships, and investments. I found that an accountant ultimately makes me money as I have little working knowledge of the many deductions, credits, and income rules regarding my situation.

What do you all do? Do you have an accountant or do you file your taxes yourself?

You all know that my favorite part of the personal finance arsenal is Mint, a banking aggregation site that helps with budgeting and transaction history.

Thrive has popped up as Mint’s number one competition. The site offers what Mint does with a different emphasis. While Mint focuses on the budget, Thrive focuses on goals and advice. Wesabe, another Mint alternative, gives advice in the form of community support. Thrive acts as a free professional financial adviser.

Check it out at JustThrive.com.

Update: I have written a new post on this, Mint.com vs. Thrive Comparison.  The new post gives an in depth look at Thrive and a full comparison of both sites.

It is easy to make plans to go out on a Friday or Saturday night. Many twenty something professionals do it. It is fun. I went out last night to a movie and drinks with friends.

However, sometimes it is just a fun and better for your checkbook to hang out at home. I have an ADD productivity thing, so when I am at home I try to come up with fun projects that in someway make my life better.

Either way, hanging out around the house is a much needed way to relax on the cheap. Lounge around in your pajamas and lie in bed until noon. Watch an old DVD or a TNT drama marathon on TV. Make yourself a yummy breakfast that costs 1/8 what it would cost at a cafe. Don’t get dressed until sunset, if at all.

You get the picture. You work hard during the week. Saturday is my downtime. For some people it is Sunday. Either way, take a day this weekend or next weekend to just relax. It is good for the soul.

Food
1. Make your own coffee
2. Take your lunch
3. Buy generic brands
4. Skip the candy
5. Use coupons
6. Buy in bulk
7. Bake from scratch
8. Cook for yourself
9. Take back your bags or bring your own (many stores give a discount)
10. Look at the per ounce/pound price. Bigger does not always mean cheaper.

Car
1. Keep your tires inflated (saves gas)
2. Go to GasBuddy.com to find cheaper gas
3. Do not change your oil every 2,000 miles (check your manual. Mine says 5,000)
4. Get cheaper insurance if you qualify
5. Keep to your maintenance schedule to avoid big costs later
6. Don’t carry extra weight in the trunk
7. Accelerate slower out of lights and stop signs
8. Do not drive over 55 miles per hour
9. Take public transportation if it is cheaper than gas/parking
10. Find cheaper parking lots when in urban areas

House
1. Lower your thermostat
2. Lower your hot water temperature
3. Switch to compact florescent light bulbs
4. Wait until the dishwasher is full to run it
5. Water your lawn less
6. Take shorter showers
7. Let your grass grow a little more before cutting it (unless you use a hand power mower)
8. Get winter window insulation kits (I use Frost King. It really works!)
9. Skip dryer softener sheets. They don’t really do anything anyway.
10. Turn off the lights when you leave the room

Bills
1. Downgrade to a lower cable/satellite plan if you don’t use all of the channels
2. Pay your credit cards in full every month to avoid interest charges
3. Stop newspaper or magazine subscriptions unless you really read them. Online is free!
4. Re-evaluate that cell phone plan. Do you really use those minutes/texts? (Beware of ETF)
5. Prepay your car/mortgage loan to save interest in the long run. Every bit counts.
6. Refinance the mortgage if you have a high rate
7. Pay on time. Late fees suck!
8. Pay online. Some companies give a paperless discount.
9. Save the stamp. Another saving for paying online.
10. Consolidate your student loans to a lower interest equity loan

Spending
1. Don’t buy that impulse DVD at Target/WalMart (I know that one is hard)
2. Do not buy the whole CD if you only like one song. Buy the MP3 online for $1
3. Distinguish between wants and needs
4. Distinguish between wants and needs (I really need to emphasize that one)
5. Do not buy drinks at restaurants. Water is free (and healthier).
6. Avoid the bars. Drinks at home with friends is much cheaper.
7. Find a hobby that costs less than your current hobby
8. Get books from the library rather than the book store
9. Get movies at the library rather than Blockbuster or Hollywood Video
10. Enjoy going outside. There is no admission fee for most parks and trails.