People Are Starting to Steal Gas Now??

Gas prices in my area are averaging about $3.65/gallon. Apparently, this price is expensive enough to encourage people to steal gas from other people.

My buddy called me yesterday with a disturbing story. He drives a huge SUV and lives in a large gated apartment complex. He went to the gas station and filled up his monster SUV Sunday evening. Monday morning when he got in his car to go to work, he realized he had less than a 1/4 tank of gas left. He looked under the car to see if he possibly had a leak but did not see any evidence of a leak. His neighbor was also getting ready for work outside and he checked his vehicle and the same thing had happened to him. It was then that they both realized, SOMEONE HAD SIPHONED THE GAS FROM THEIR TANK! I'm not sure how many cars were involved in the complex.

I know gas has gotten expensive but that is ridiculous. Someone had the nerve to steal the gas right out of their gas tank. They both doubt it was someone they knew since they don't know any of the same people.

This made me start to worry about my car. I don't live too far from my buddy and my car usually stays parked at my house during the week because I drive a company vehicle. I don't have room to put it in the garage right now so it is parked outside in the driveway. If this is becoming a common occurrence, I want to make sure no one steals my gas.

I went on Amazon and ordered a locking gas cap. It was very reasonable and will hopefully help to deter any fuel theft.

Stimulate Your Finances Every Month

One of the hottest topics of conversation on and off the Internet is about the Economic Stimulus Rebate checks being mailed out. Everyone wants to know when they will receive their payout and what they plan to do with the funds. Some people have already received their rebates and have either used them to actually stimulate the economy by making a purchase they would not have normally made. Others have done what I would do and just stick it in my savings account. Unfortunately, now I'll be using it to make up the shortage in my mortgage escrow account.

I've heard some people saying they will use it to start a savings account. It's great that they will be actually be using the money to save for future needs and not blow it. It's important to have money to fall back on in those lean months. If you are using your stimulus check to start your savings, that's great. If you already have a fully funded savings account, that's great too.

You don't have to wait for an economic stimulus check to give your savings account a boost. There are numerous ways to find a little extra money in your monthly budget. Every little bit helps. It can be $5 or $50 but with regular savings, the amounts add up.

Where will you get the extra money to add to your monthly savings?

Adjust your W4. Are you paying too much in federal taxes? If you get a large tax refund every year, you are probably giving the government too much money. Adjust your federal withholding and put extra money in your pocket with each paycheck. Check out the withholding calculator at the IRS website.

Take Advantage of Free Money. If you haven't signed up at Revolution Money Exchange, you should definitely consider it. RME is like Paypal but without the fees. Right now, they are offering $25 just for opening an account. It takes less than five minutes to sign up, doesn't cost anything and the bonus is instant.

• If you want to open a new savings account instead, consider using ING Direct, you get a $25 bonus when you open a new account with at least $250.
• If you want to get a little extra money from your everyday purchases, consider opening a Upromise account. Upromise contributes a percentage of your purchase to a college savings account when you shop at participating stores or buy participating products. Anyone can open an account whether you have kids or not. If you don't want to use the savings for college, you can withdraw the funds from the account for free.

Save Money on Expenses. Do you really need all the premium channels in your cable package? Do you need home phone service and cell phone service? Can you reduce your cell phone to a lower plan? Do you pay too much for insurance? Take a few minutes to get quotes from multiple auto and home insurance companies to see what you can save. Insurance.com is a great place to get multiple free quotes.

Those are just a few ideas of how to save extra money to boost your savings each month. There are a gazillion other ways to save money each month. Do a simple search for "saving money" on Google and you will get hundreds of ideas to save money.

Save Money on Gas with the Discover Open Road Card - 5% Cashback on Gas and Auto Maintenance

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Image Credit: Mykl Roventine

Sunday Link Love

Here are some of the articles I've enjoyed from around the blogosphere this week:

• Are you frugal or cheap? Take this test over at Moolanomy.
• Want to know how it feels to make a large purchase and not have to finance it? Check it out at PaidTwice.
• Lynnae over at BeingFrugal lists the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs. I have over half of the same websites in my RSS reader.
• Thinking about withdrawing money from your 401k before retirement? Cash Money Life gives numerous financial reasons why you should not do it.
• Think we are in a recession? Gibble gives us several good tips on how to keep things afloat during the down times.
• Looking for cheap gas? The Dough Roller gives us several websites to check for the cheapest gas.
• Frugal Dad shares the story about the Soggy Hotdog and his financial meltdown.
• SingleMa had an unbelievable experience with a pizza delivery driver. I can't believe this nerve of this guy.
• NCN has an interesting conversation with a clerk offering a store brand credit card.
• Tricia over at Blogging Away Debt used her economic stimulus check wisely and paid down debt.

Be sure to check out all the great articles listed above.

Save Money on Gas with the Discover Open Road Card - 5% Cashback on Gas and Auto Maintenance

In Honor of Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all of the Moms out there! In honor of Mothers Day, here is a poem for you.

No Love like a Mother's Love

There is no love,

like a mother's love,no stronger bond on earth...

like the precious bond that comes from God,

to a mother, when she gives birth.

A mother's love is forever strong,

never changing for all time...

and when her children need her most,

a mother's love will shine.

God bless these special mothers,

God bless them every one...

for all the tears and heartache,

and for the special work they've done.

When her days on earth are over,

a mother's love lives on...

through many generations,

with God's blessings on each one.

Be thankful for our mothers,

for they love with a higher love...

from the power God has given,

and the strength from up above.

Poem Credit: Jill Lemming

Image Credit: DryIcons

Carnivals This Week

I participated in several carnivals this week and I'd like to thank all the bloggers who hosted the carnivals and included my posts.

Save and Conquer hosted the Money Hacks Carnival #11 - Ebb and Flow Edition and included my post, Reasons to Join A Credit Union.

Frugal for Life hosted the Festival of Frugality #124 and included my post, When a Second Job is Not A Good Idea.

Free From Broke hosted the Carnival of Money Stories #58 - Dollar Coins Edition and included my post, Remembering How Lucky I Am.

Thanks again to all the bloggers who hosted the carnivals. Be sure to visit them and check out all of the great articles.