As I mentioned earlier, Consumer Reports makes it sound easy for the average family to find $500 a month in saved expenses. Scott Burns calls this the “power of attentive spending.” Pay attention to the little details and you can end the year with $6,000 more in your pocket than you would have otherwise.

The $6,000 in “found money” is tax-free. By reclaiming money you’ve earned but might have spent, you’ve basically increased your income without adding any extra tax expense. It’s not technically correct, but it’s an interesting way of looking at saving money. Think of what else you could do to increase your after-tax income by $6,000.

You could get a raise or a promotion, but usually these things have to be deserved. Working harder at your day job may inspire your boss to reward you with a bonus, raise, or promotion, but to make that $6,000 increase in your pocket, you may need a $10,000 increase in your paycheck. Scott Burns points out that a $6,000 increase represents six years of typical annual increases for the average employee.

It will be just as difficult for many people to generate that same additional annual $6,000 through investments.

Suppose, for instance, you have the good fortune to live in a no-income-tax state and want to get all your return from a portfolio of common stocks. At a 15% tax rate on dividends, you’d have to collect gross dividends of $7,059 to net $6,000 a year. With the S&P 500 Index yielding 2.29%, you’d need to have $308,246 in your portfolio.

You might fare better in interest-bearing savings accounts. In the 33% tax bracket, you would need to earn $8,955 before taxes in interest income. Earning an annual 3.5% which is possible right now in a few high-yield savings accounts, you would need a starting balance of $255,864 to end up with $6,000 in taxes. That would be an additional $255,864 above what you have saved now.

Looking at these numbers, finding possible savings within expenses looks like a good option.

Save $6,000 by paying attention, Scott Burns, MSN Money, August 13, 2008

I may have fallen back into old habits. Several years ago, when I was refreshing my life and beginning to control my finances, I made deep cuts into my expenses. I took on three roommates, paying only $325 a month for my portion of rent. I didn’t own a car and relied on mass transit for most of my transportation. When I did move out on my own, finding one of the least expensive apartments in town, I eliminated all but the most basic cable television.

There was more I could have done had I wanted to reduce my expenses, but I reached the point at which I was consistently investing and saving money every month.

As my income has grown over the past few years, I’ve allowed my expenses to follow. I moved into an apartment I actually like and feel comfortable spending some cash on unnecessary things I like, such as amateur coin collecting, amateur photography, and amateur high-definition entertainment enjoyment.

I’ve already thought of some ways to reduce my expenses by $10,000 a year. Consumer Reports has some suggestions for finding another $6,000 a year, but only a few apply to me. How about you?

Find cheaper auto insurance. I mentioned that several years ago I didn’t have a car. That wasn’t quite by choice; my license was suspended when I was younger for failure to pay speeding tickets. It would be easy to say that I received those tickets thanks to a stressful job working 100 hours a week and my failure to pay was because I had no money, but I should have been more responsible. Until I got rid of the car, my insurance was about $4,000 a year if I remember correctly. Now my insurance is about $1,500 a year, and I could only find that rate by shopping around for a while. It’s been several years since I’ve shopped around, so that’s something I will consider. I need to add renter’s insurance as well—something I’m sad to admit I’ve never had despite its reportedly low price.

Optimize your life insurance. Right now, my cat Rupert is the only living being that relies on my income to survive. I have not opted for life insurance yet as it will be generally unnecessary until I have a (human) family. According to Consumer Reports, insurance premiums have decreased on average, so it may be a good time to replace your policy with a new one. You may be able to get the same coverage for less.

Shop smart for food. Buying food for a single guy is not simple. Food is usually packaged for families. This means I usually end up spending more per meal and eating larger portions that I should be. I don’t enjoy spending time preparing and cooking dinner. I have accepted my failure at brown-bagging my lunch and moved on. Consumer Reports’ advice is tailored to a family, indicating on average an household could save $190 a month by shifting to less expensive food. My entire monthly grocery bill is about $190, though eating out (and ordering in) matches that.

Plan menus around sales on fresh poultry, fish, meat, dairy, and produce, and make use of leftovers. Avoid costly prepared meals. Eat more low-priced, high-nutrition foods such as beans and potatoes… Shop in lower-cost stores such as Aldi Foods, PriceRite, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Wal-Mart, and Sam’s Club, but be sure to compare prices. Try less-expensive store brands. Sign up for store discount cards. Stock up on sale-priced staples.

Stop paying bank fees. This is one of the most unnecessary expenses for just about everyone in the United States of America. There is rarely a reason that you should have to pay incidental or monthly fees for any basic banking service if you manage your money. Avoid overdraft fees or over-the-limit fees by being aware of your account balances. Avoid monthly or yearly maintenance fees by taking advantage of only free accounts—there are many to choose from if your bank insists on charging you a fee for your banking. Avoid cash withdrawal fees by using the right ATMs.

According to Consumer Reports, 52% of consumers don’t pay any bank fees, but the rest pay lots.

Optimize your telephone service. I don’t spend that much time on the phone. I could probably save a lot of money if I were to choose a prepaid cell phone plan. However, I chose a Blackberry plan with Verizon Wireless, which I use more for business, and I don’t intend on changing the plan.

I’ve helped other people look at their telephone usage habits and choosing a plan that better fits the amount of time they spend on the phone. On many plans, going over the allotted number of minutes can be very expensive. If you’re consistently exceeding your limit, you can save tons of money by switching plans.

Pay off your credit card. According to Consumerism Commentary, “On average, consumers who carry a balance owe $2,200, on which they pay 15.2 percent in annual interest charges.” Paying that much interest negates any progress you may be achieving with your savings or investments. To get rid of credit card debt, stop using the cards and then apply the Debt Avalanche.

It’s been several years since I’ve paid interest on a credit card, but I still pay about $30 a month on my student loan interest. I still have a student loan because several years ago, I applied some tuition reimbursement towards expenses rather than my loan. I probably should have done whatever possible to avoid that, but for whatever reason, it was the choice I made. At the time, the interest on the student loan was about 2% and I was earning more in my savings accounts, but that’s no longer the case. Therefore, I have been increasing my debt repayments every month this year, with the goal of vanquishing the remaining balance by the end of the year. If I decide that goal still makes sense, I’ll have to accelerate in order to achieve it.

According to Consumer Reports, the average family can save $500 by making the changes listed above. I have a feeling that many Consumerism Commentary readers are already optimized.

Cut your spending by $500 per month, Consumer Reports, August 2008 (subscription required)

Why is it that everyone wants me to advertise for them for free, particularly when it is related to sports? At almost every baseball game attend, I can receive “free” gifts. Last year, in return for buying a ticket to one particular game, I received a bucket hat with my team’s logo. Just several hours ago, my “free” gift was a “bobble-head” figure of one of the top players on the team. Throughout the game, ambassadors and mascots use air cannons to launch “free” tee-shirts to fans in the stadium.

On the bucket hat, just as large as the team logo is the logo for Gulf. The bobble-head figure—which was broken when I took it out of the box, by the way—has a plaque reading AIG, bigger than the player’s name. The free tee-shirts are sponsored by Pepsi (the only drink brand allowed in the stadium, by the way), and would undoubtedly be emblazoned with that company’s logo.

Many years ago, I decided I would not wear any item that had a company’s name or logo plainly visible to other people. This probably came as a result of seeing one to many GAP sweatshirts. I certainly wasn’t going to pay to provide some company with free advertising by buying clothing emblazoned with a logo or brand, no matter how “cool” I would be if I did thanks to the positive image of the brand being associated with the wearer. (I would, however, consider wearing clothing with brands if it would be considered ironic or obscure, which just shows that I’m not immune to marketing anyway.)

This holds true for sports brands as well. While I’m a fan of the Mets, I generally don’t advertise for that particular company’s brand by wearing logo-emblazoned clothing unless I’m going to a baseball game where it’s expected. I don’t see much difference between sports brands and product brands. It’s still free advertising.

Corporate sponsorships allow things to get done, though. Without the money from Citi, the Mets wouldn’t have a new stadium next year. (Who decided the team needs a new stadium, anyway, especially one with fewer seats and—wait for it—more options for corporate ticket owners and fewer for everyday fans?) It makes sense from a company’s perspective to allow sponsorship (which explains why I accept advertising on websites, for instance), but I try to avoid being an unpaid part of that sponsorship as much as possible.

I’ll likely remove the AIG plaque from the bobble-head figure and, if I decide to ever wear that bucket hat to a game, I will cover up the unfavorable logo with something.

FreeCreditReport.com is the heavily advertised company that offers “free” credit reports (if you sign up for a trial offer for their monitoring service with a monthly fee. They have huge billboards at Shea Stadium, where I will be tomorrow to see the (currently) first-placed Mets.

Keep in mind that the place to get truly free credit reports, three times per year (once from each bureau) as mandated by law is AnnualCreditReport.com. FreeCreditReport.com took clear advantage of the media surrounding the law when it was introduced a few years ago and convinced many people to sign up for “free” credit reports. Many customers feel deceived because they didn’t realize that they were at the wrong website and that they signed up to pay a monthly fee after a trial period.

Lately, FreeCreditReport.com has improved their disclosure, and the company is still a reminder that you should either read and understand all fine print before signing your name to anything or accept the consequences of ignorance.

Nevertheless, if you feel you were duped into signing up for FreeCreditReport.com’s Triple Advantage, you can still request refunds for what you’ve been charged. This is another reminder to check your bank and credit card statements at least once a month so charges like this don’t go unnoticed.

Here is Consumerism Commentary reader akk’s experience with getting refunds from FreeCreditReport.com.

I called this number to cancel my account and get a refund: 877-481-6826. First thing I did was ask for the name of the person I was talking to and her employee ID number. I told her that I wanted to cancel my account and get a full refund. The lady said that she would cancel my account but I could not get a refund.

She said that this automatic subscription is stated clearly on the web site, blah blah blah blah blah. I told her that I wasn’t going to stop until I got a full refund. She then offered me a one month refund. I told her that was great, but again, I am not going to stop until I get a full refund and I wanted to speak with her supervisor. She put me on hold to talk with her supervisor, then voila, I got a full refund.

For me, they weren’t that bad when I actually called. Just don’t let them try to convince you that you do not deserve a full refund. Just keep demanding a full refund and hopefully they will do it.

At this point, FreeCreditReport.com understands they’re in a tight spot and they want to improve their reputation. They may be more willing to provide refunds even if the company is not completely at fault in all cases. From a business perspective, it may be better to provide the refunds now than deal with angry consumer groups.

A recent Nielsen study revealed that almost two-thirds of consumers in the United States, many more than those surveyed just one year ago, have cut back their expenses, specifically due to escalating gas prices.

According to the study, which queried about 50,000 consumers during the first week of June, when regular gas averaged $3.98 per gallon, 78% of consumers are combining shopping trips, 52% are eating out less and 51% are staying at home more. Consumers are also clipping more coupons, doing more shopping at supercenters and buying less expensive brands, the survey found.

Over the past eight years, eerily coinciding with the time that those in the White House were individuals with very strong ties to oil companies and the energy industry, I’ve seen prices at the pump climb 300%. But unlike the majority surveyed, I can’t say that I’ve changed my spending pattern due to this incredible increase in price. I have changed a few habits to save money, like switching to generic brands for certain items, but I find I am spending significantly more in just about every category compared to my expenses in 2000.

I’ve never been much a coupon clipper. If a coupon happens to find its way to my line of sight, and it’s something I might need in the foreseeable future, I will clip it to my refrigerator door and I may remember to bring it with me on my next shopping trip. This hasn’t been changed by gas prices. I am not traveling less, either.

Have you changed any of your habits due to the increase in gas prices?

Gas prices have consumers cutting back – study, Associated Press, July 17, 2008.

In January 2006, thousands of TIAA-CREF customers experienced service problems with the financial services firm when attempting to transfer funds, withdraw funds, or receive distributions.

The company publicly blamed its problems on a tough transition from one computer system to another. This was the reason for my missing contribution that occurred during this period.

Since then, TIAA-CREF recycled their executive team and brought in new leadership, but technical problems persisted. One year passed, and visitors to Consumerism Community continued reporting their woes. On May 31, 2007 (almost a year and a half after the first major reporting of the issue), Joann wrote:

TIAA CREF has serious customer service problems and the problems detailed on this page are quite typical. Their call center operators are completely ill-equipped to deal with most customer problems. They have been going through a major system conversion for the last several years, and almost all problems are blamed on technical glitches beyond their control. It’s frustrating for those of us who have depended on TIAA CREF and don’t have other options.

A supposed former TIAA-CREF employee of eight years added this commentary in July 2007:

Forty-two percent of the employees have been there two years or less. Morale is extremely poor. It is no wonder that service is poor. Don’t blame the employees. When the current CEO came on board several years ago, there was a need for change and improvement. He seemingly had a plan. However, the execution has been dreadful… Both individual and institutional customers are pulling out their assets. Those of us who can’t are very worried about the future. It is astounding that the Boards of Trustees have let this continue.

The Chief Technology Officer (perhaps the individual responsible for computer system transition problems) was forced out of the company by August 2007, but apparently computer issues are still to blame.

Today, Red wrote in to say the following:

About two years ago, TIAA-CREF failed to deposit my monthly withdrawals for two months. I was told they were transitioning to a new computer system and having trouble. Evidently, they are still using this very lame excuse, because when my monthly withdrawal and directs deposit didn’t happen for July, I called and was told TC is “transitioning to a new computer system.”

In the back of my mind, I wonder just how fast TC wants to get my (and other’s) retirement disbursement out. I mean, is it not to TC’s advantage to hold onto our money just as long as possible (due to computer glitches, of course)?

In January 2006, my contribution to TIAA-CREF was missing. I asked for my contribution to be on a certain date and for the funds to purchase shares in a mutual fund. The date came and went, and no purchase was recorded. It was several weeks before they were able to record my transaction. Since the original date, the price of the mutual fund had increased. When TIAA-CREF eventually recorded the transaction, it was backdated to ensure I received the agreed-upon price for the mutual fund shares.

But I wonder if the same holds true for distributions. If they do not sell an investment as instructed due to a “computer glitch,” are they earning interest or keeping a profit on the funds held by the broker until they finally release the funds to the customer?

Regardless, I am not surprised that customer service representatives are still using the “computer system transition” excuse. How many transitions should a company experience over two and a half years?

I’ve come across a number of interesting websites thanks to the Wall Street Journal podcast, the Tech News Briefing, including the E-Report with Tom Dziubek and and Paul Herrmann. (Note: Tom has interviewed me three times for the E-Report.) Most recently, the podcast informed me about RepairPal, a website that helps you find a local mechanic including reviews, get your car questions answered by other community members (or by experts for a fee), and keep track of your own car’s service records.

The tool I find most interesting is a survey of the actual costs paid to have maintenance performed on any make and model. For example, I wanted to compare my recent oil and filter change for a Honda Civic with the prices paid by those living near me. I paid $25 after rebate.

Here are the results. The prices paid for an oil change range from $22 to $40 in my area, with the low end of this range paid at independent shops and the high end paid at dealerships.

The search results also include links to location information, phone numbers, and reviews for local shops. If the site can attract enough people to write reviews, this will be a handy resource. As of now, the site is new, so the list of shops is use but not as good as word of mouth for recommendations.

Here is the third part of the list of gas stations in New Jersey that are ripping off customers. For more information, see this first part and the second part.

The first part also contains a map of every gas station fined for violation of a variety of regulations.

This list begins with Morris County. Read the rest of this article »