December is a great month of the year because of the Christmas, weather, better interpersonal relationships and because of promotions. This is the time of month when you can save a lot of money with little effort.

Most physical and online stores offer special deals on December, but not everybody take advantage of it. Some people think that taking discounts would make them less respectable, so they do not use coupons or ask for special prices.

Asking for special prices or using discount coupons is not anything to be ashamed of — in fact, it is something to be proud of, because you value your money.

Almost each and every niche have their own special prices in December, you only need to make a quick research and find the best deals for you. Sometimes you will find invalid information on the Internet, but if you research a little more you will be able to find great working coupon codes for many online and offline stores. You can even find deals for web hosting, legal services or insurances!

If you want to plan your next vacation, this is the right time of the year to search Priceline and get the best rate of the year. Prefer online shopping? Go to Amazon, and you will not be disappointed. If you just want to use Internet services at great prices, visit Network Solutions.

Even on a regular shopping mall you can find these deals, simply go to the guest relations and ask for the deals and discounts brochure. Making this type of research you will surely save some money and use it wisely donating it to the charity or helping the environment — Global Giving will help you do it.

Much have been said about building your own solar panel to save energy, but it is dangerous if you don’t have familiarity with electricity and it isn’t an easy task. However, everybody have the right to save on electrecity and help to save the planet, and by following specific steps contained in a good set of instructions, you can also make your solar panel.

The total cost of the materials for the solar panel can range from $100 to $300, depending on the size of the panel you plan to build and researching shops for the best deals. You’ll also need tools used everyday, such as screwdrivers, pliers and other tools.

As you are working directly with electricity, a lot of caution must be used and you shouldn’t proceed if you don’t have good instructions on your project. An googled article on solar panels isn’t enough, you need professional advice from some body who knows what solar panels are about.

You don’t need to be alarmed, because you can still make your own solar panel with proper information. Being fully prepared is very important, and if you are not prepared, it can cost you money, time and can harm you.

There are many ways of getting reliable information in order to make your own solar panels, one is free and the others are not. The method that is free consist of going to your local library and spend some time researching through books on solar energy and making anotations. It will surely take some time before you have all the information together, but hey, it is free!

However, if you want to save time and efforts, you can obtain the right information by purchasing books about solar panels in any store, such as Amazon.com, or even online if you know where to look for it. If you choose the online option, be sure that the material you are reading is written and designed by one (or more) expert and is aimed to non-technical people through all the steps until your solar panel is up and running, and I personally recommend that you check out the information on Earth4Energy, a great website on this subject. You should also want to have support during the process.

Remember that having wind generators or solar panel systems can save you many dollars in energy expenses in the long run, be a rewarding project and, most important, having this kind of energy is a great contribuition to our environment. I strongly advise you to try it.

by John Torquato

During some time of my life I didn’t like buying myself gifts, as I thought it would be selfish and that I could use the money in other ways. A lot of people think the way I used to, and I don’t say they’re wrong because each and every person is unique.

Time passed and I have changed. As my life goes on, I see my achievements and my goals and I think there’s nothing wrong on being rewarded for it. I don’t expect any friend, family member or boss congratulating me for what I’ve done, I do it myself.

It is obvious that we treat well everybody we love, sometime buying gifts — and it shouldn’t be different with ourselves. But sometimes we feel a little guilty by spending for us while we could be paying a mortgage, a loan, buying groceries or even donating the money. It is true, but we also need recognition from ourselves. Thus, I’ve developed a new habit that helped me save money to buy myself a gift without going broke or spending money I should need.

First, I’ve setted a day and month to buy myself a gift and started planning one year ahead. Everyday when I got home, I checked my wallet for $1 bills.  If I had more than one bill, I’ll simply put one bill in a jar and didn’t use it for what so ever. Never!

After one year I’ve checked the jar, and there was $284 for me to spend anyway I wanted: I could buy a Blue Ray player, a video game, some fancy clothes or whatever I’d could. When purchasing my gift, I kept in mind all my achievements thru the year and that it was a gift to me, a reward. Every time I saw or used whatever I bought, I had great memories about myself. And I just kept doing it year after year.

I gave this advice for a friend of mine and he said he was on a tight budget, so I told him to save $1 per week. Not using $1 per week won’t be tight, but after one year you’ll have saved $52, what is enough to buy a CD, DVD or Blue Ray, a book, a new pair of shoes and many other things. He tried, and guess what, it worked wonderfully! After he came back from the mall he called me and I was so happy for his excitement, so I learned that sharing good things with other people should be great for us too.

Try it — I’m sure it will work with you too. After one year, don’t forget to come and tell me your results!