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Curtis

Home ownership is more expensive than ever today. Plus, the cost of fossil fuels is climbing again and will likely continue until the time comes when there literally is no more to be had.

Doing everything possible to reduce our use of energy in the home goes beyond our desire to keep U.S. dollars here at home. It's imperative that we do everything we can to support new technologies that are aimed at removing our reliance on oil and other resources that at some point in time will just run out.

Fortunately, the federal government is seeing the light on these issues. And because of our rather lackluster economy, the government is now offering a multitude of incentives aimed at encouraging homeowners to invest in upgrades and home improvements.

The goal is not only to help reduce our use of fossil fuels, but also to provide an avenue for homeowners to make longterm money-saving improvements to their most important investment: their homes.

There is one problem with having this long list of incentives that TV commercials and news broadcasters have seemingly addressed in a rather piecemeal manner...how is one to know if they've heard about all of the possible homeowner-related tax breaks?

Homeowner's insurance is definitely something that every household needs to take seriously!

How many times have you read about some poor family who let their insurance lapse -- only to have their home burn to the ground? Experiencing a home tragedy of any sort can be a guaranteed trip to financial ruin... if you don't have a good homeowners insurance policy in place.

With construction costs continually rising and prices for home furnishings climbing just as fast, do you have enough replacement coverage on your home to replace what might be lost in a fire, flood, or home break-in?

How about personal injury? With medical costs skyrocketing, an old policy with a low coverage ceiling could leave you holding the bag when the neighbor kid gets injured on your property.

And don't forget, flood Insurance is not a normal part of your typical homeowners policy. This video shows how scary rising waters can be after days of heavy rain:

Thankfully, the process of getting an up-to-date home insurance online quote these days is easy... and quick.

Yep, the Internet can lead you to the best deal around without ever leaving your house!

Here are tips for finding home insurance quotes online...

There are times when making use of a hotel for periods longer than, say, a week would make sense.

Whether it be because of employment circumstances, moving, or even an extended vacation, an extended stay at a hotel or motel may be just the answer you're looking for when it comes to finding a cost-effective solution to your housing needs.

The big question becomes: are extended stay hotels a practical option?

Times are tough these days. Many people are jumping at the chance to bring in a few extra bucks.

You've seen the cash for gold commercials on TV, right? They say that you can mail in your old damaged and out-of-date gold jewelry, and they'll send you cash. It looks like quick easy cash, that's for sure.

With promises of big checks and no risk on your part, they even go so far as to say if the offer isn't what you expected, they'll gladly return your jewelry! 

With gold prices escalating toward the $1,000 per ounce mark (see Live Market Prices), it doesn't take a very large pile of scrap jewelry to amount to enough cash to mean something -- especially when you're having a hard time meeting your day-to-day living expenses.

The big question is:

Is it worth it to send away your gold in exchange for cash? Are the cash for gold companies you see online and in TV commercials likely to pay you what your gold is really worth? 

While it may be too late for some year-end tax tips, there are still some things you can do to reduce what Uncle Sam will be looking to collect from your hard earned income this year.

As you know, April 15th is the dreaded deadline to file your taxes. It shouldn't be a surprise; it comes the same time every year.

Despite the knowledge that preparing my tax return is inevitable, I too am among those who procrastinate until the last week. I usually wait until just before penalties are assessed to finally prepare my tax return.

Hot dogs are a simple food that requires very little in the way of preparation, is modest in cost, and is as American as apple pie.

Every ball park, county fair, and football stadium sells them. With a large captive customer base, serious money changes hands during these and many similar events.
 

Fun facts about hot dogs sold at baseball stadiums.

Here in Duluth Minnesota, there is a long-established hot dog vendor business selling under the name "The Original Coney Island." The largest portion of their business is generated from the sale of coney dogs, dressed with coney sauce, mustard and onions.

Many years back, I often picked up "5 coney dogs with everything" for lunch at a cost of about $2.50 it was an economical meal that came guaranteed with heartburn to carry me through the rest of the day.

Today, I'm more likely to order just two, but the tab will come to $3.50, indicating a healthy profit on a very small investment for the modern hot dog vendor.
 

Read one man's story about selling hot dogs through the recession.

Looking for a fun way to pick up the slack and increase the paycheck during these tough economic times? Why not try a simple service business, such as driving a food catering truck?

My first exposure to the tasty delights that can be found on a catering truck was on a military base overseas. Every noon hour, the chow wagon (affectionately referred to as the "roach coach") rolled onto the tarmac in front of the hanger where our two C-123B cargo planes where based.

This was almost 40 years ago and I can still recall the taste of their Asian fried chicken lying on top of a bed of fried rice -- all packaged up in a neat little box that served as both a delivery container and serving bowl.

Over the years, I've worked at many different locations that were faithfully serviced by a shiny chrome truck bringing snacks, quick meals, and often local specialty dishes that you just couldn't get anywhere else. One thing that all worksites have in common is hungry workers. No matter if it's a construction site, a sales lot, or even a multi-story office building -- wherever more then a dozen people are employed, a catering truck of some sort is likely to include those locations on their daily route.

Catering trucks that service job sites throughout the work day usually come in 2 styles:

• The lunch truck -- a stainless steel catering unit, mounted on a pickup truck cab and chassis. The vendor stands alongside and the truck's sides open like wings to display the products. Usually, one side of the truck is the cold side with the display case filled with ice, and sandwiches, cold drinks, fruit, and anything else that requires refrigeration would be located on that side. The other side of the truck would likely be equipped with a large coffee urn, and warming oven to keep heated items ready to serve.
   
• The catering truck -- a full service stand-up rolling kitchen. Usually this type of catering truck is manned by 2-3 people. One may work the crowd outside collecting money and passing orders to those inside who are doing the cooking and packaging. This is where burgers, fries, breakfast specials, and other specialty items are cooked to order on the spot.