(ARA) – You’re busy establishing yourself in your career and your life. You want to buy a home, get married and have children. There’s only one problem: you can’t even think about these things because all your money is going toward paying off student loans and credit card debt. And, oh yes — you have your eye on that plasma big-screen TV.Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

According to a survey commissioned by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), 54 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 believe they can’t afford to buy a home. Moreover, a quarter of them are considering a second or part-time job to cover their current expenses.

To help these overburdened young adults get on the track of financial well-being, the AICPA, in partnership with the Ad Council, created Feed the Pig (www.feedthepig.org), a national financial literacy campaign designed to teach them how to take control of their finances and make saving money a part of their lifestyle.

“Our goal is to create a savings revolution,” says Carl George, chair of the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission. “Even at their stage of life, it’s very important that young people know how to prepare for retirement. They won’t be able to rely on Social Security benefits and pensions to see them into the golden years.”

The symbol of the savings revolution is Benjamin Bankes — a humanized “piggy bank” many may remember from childhood. He’s all grown up and has a message to share: there is hope and there are little things you can do today that eventually will add up to significant savings tomorrow. Some examples of small steps you can take: stick to a monthly budget, cut up a credit card, use your neighborhood library instead of renting movies or buying books.

“We recognize young Americans face financial hardships,” says Barry Melancon, president and CEO of AICPA. “But if they don’t begin taking control of their finances now, they may find themselves working longer than they had intended. Even worse, they may not be able to retire at all.”

“Most importantly, make paying off debt a priority over discretionary spending,” says George. “Smart money management now helps build a solid financial foundation for the future.”

Feedthepig.org offers calculators, resources and award winning podcasts of interviews to help teach the art of finance management. Sign up to receive weekly tips and check out a related site, www.360financialliteracy.org, which helps Americans manage their finances through every stage of life.

Remember, if you feel you can’t afford to save, remember that you can’t afford not to.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

* Open up a 401(k). Check to see if your employer matches a percentage of your contribution. A matching contribution is essentially free money.
* Bank your raise or a portion of it. If you don’t get used to having the extra money, you won’t miss it.
* Keep driving that old car. Look for Web sites that help calculate savings if you keep your car for a longer period of time.
* Consider raising the deductible on your insurance policy. For example, if it’s $100, increase it to $200. It will likely lower your premium payments.
* Create a long-term, financial calendar in which you clearly state your goals, such as paying off student loans, in a shorter amount of time to avoid high interest rates. Place reminders in your e-mail calendar or PDA.
* Avoid retail therapy. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, then you need to seriously rethink any spending on nonessential items.
* Always pay your credit card bill in full each month to avoid interest charges.
* Cut down on premium cable channels or ditch cable all together.
* Consult your health insurance benefits — some of your gym dues may be covered. Or explore local community centers or local school systems for low-cost or no-cost options.
* Maximize your company’s health care reimbursement accounts. You contribute pre-tax dollars and reimburse yourself with tax-free dollars

RALEIGH, N.C. — Trees Across Raleigh, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the City of Raleigh’s appearance, fostering greater community pride, and promoting economic development by planting trees throughout the city, will sponsor “Spring Day in the Park” in Pullen Park on Saturday, March 29th starting at 9 a.m.

Since then, over 3500 volunteers have planted more than 7000 trees in public rights-of-way, medians, and parks at a value of over $930,000.

Read More:CarolinaNewsWire

(ARA) – As spring approaches, many of us begin dusting, sweeping and organizing our homes. Many of us, however, miss the one area most in need of a good scrub – the Family PC.

Between rarely used programs that hamper processing speed, and spyware or viruses inadvertently downloaded while surfing the Internet, the home computer needs to be maintained regularly. Just like your backyard garden.

The question is, how does the average family keep its PC running at top speed and protected at the same time? Consider these four easy steps to help keep your PC running smoothly:

1. Remove unused programs to boost startup speed.

Just because you aren’t using a program doesn’t mean it isn’t consuming resources and affecting your PC’s performance. Identifying and removing rarely used applications from the startup menu is an easy way to maintain the system and maximize the resources available to the programs you do use.

2. Update antivirus software.

Antivirus software detects and removes viruses, which attach themselves to a program or file in order to spread from computer to computer. By installing antivirus software and keeping it up to date, you help to keep your computer free from destructive viruses.

3. Clean up temporary files.

Obsolete temporary files can accumulate on your hard disk over time and slow down your PC. Removing these periodically is a good way to keep the PC running efficiently.

4. Defragment your hard drive.

Over time, your hard disk can become “fragmented,” which means that your files are scattered in pieces across the hard disk. With a fragmented drive, your computer must search the entire hard disk to find all pieces related to a file every time the file is accessed, slowing down the computer’s response time. It’s a good idea to defragment your hard disk regularly.

More than half (57 percent) of American adult computer users who have a home computer think maintaining a secure computer requires a great deal of time, according to an online study by Harris Interactive and Microsoft. However, software is available that can take the hassle out of it and automatically protect and maintain your PC. Consider using an all-in-one solution such as Microsoft’s Windows Live OneCare, which automates the cleaning process and keeps your PC maintained and secure all year.

For more information about Windows Live OneCare or keeping your PC clean and protected, visit www.getgreenstaygreen.com .

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – With the onset of spring comes the Easter holiday and the celebration is not complete without the traditional treat-filled basket. For those looking for a unique twist to this holiday ritual, consider customizing the Easter baskets you give your loved ones. Include a variety of trinkets and toys that match your little (and big) ones’ interests to create a fun, personal Easter celebration.

Here are some ideas for every personality type:

The Sports Fan: Spring means one thing to the sports enthusiast: baseball season! Complement the traditional jelly bean and bunny-shaped confections with trading cards and stickers from their favorite team. Throw in a catcher’s mitt and baseball and you will hit a homerun!

The Little Princess: Some girls’ love of the color pink never fades, so bring a smile to the face of your “girliest” girl this Easter with a pink-inspired Easter basket. Costume jewelry, lip gloss and a beaded purse give her the perfect dress accessories. Customize the “basket” further by delivering the items in a pink duffle bag or carry-all, leaving her with a basket she can use year round.

The Practical Joker: The refreshing humor of practical jokes and silly toys never gets old. Consider designing a basket filled with gag gifts and funny items. Clever treats like the Hubba Bubba Cluckers, a wind-up chicken that lays tasty gum eggs, are a great basket centerpiece for that true comedian at heart. Finish the basket with classic “funny” items like a whoopee cushion, slinky, googley eyeglasses and a movie starring your loved one’s favorite comedian.

The Intellectual Game Guru: Sudoku and crossword puzzles keep even the brightest of players on their toes. Keep brainteaser and puzzle fans guessing with a game-inspired Easter basket. Card games and mini board games provide hours of entertainment, particularly if your family is traveling over the Easter holiday or during spring break. Gift the items in a “basket” that can also be used to store the games once the season ends.

The Artist: For the creative one in your family, fill his or her basket with a small sketchbook, watercolors, paint brushes and a music CD. Add some colorful candy, like an assortment of jelly beans, to inspire their inner artist. You might end up with a new work of art for the refrigerator.

The Health Nut: Even the healthiest, most fitness conscious folks don’t want to miss out on the Easter basket tradition. Create a “wellness” basket with active lifestyle items like a jump rope, a training watch, a pedometer or an inflatable Pilates ball to keep your athlete on the move. Substitute traditional sweets with low-calorie alternatives like Extra sugar-free gum, which recently earned the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance for helping to improve dental health.

(ARA) – Are you still storing your business contact info in your e-mail program or on your cell phone? Or, worse yet, is your “database” a collection of business cards stashed in a shoe box? Stunning as it may seem, a significant number of small business owners still use outdated methods to store important business contact information.

“No matter their size or the sum of their annual receipts, businesses live or die on data,” says Tom Stearns, a data organization expert with CardScan. “For small businesses that rarely have access to advanced IT support, successfully organizing and protecting contact information can mean the difference between success and disaster.”

Organized contact information provides numerous benefits to small business owners, including less time spent developing mailing lists for marketing materials, and improved customer service. Paper documents, such as business cards, can get lost or damaged and are difficult to organize. Putting information on a computer hard drive can help organize information and make accessing it easier, but may also put it at risk if your desktop crashes or your laptop is stolen.

Stearns offers the following tips for small business owners looking to organize their contact data:

* If you haven’t already done so, consider putting your collection of business contact information into an electronic format. Readily available software makes it easy to capture and organize information.

* Look for programs, like CardScan software, that make it easy to input data. You’ll want to be able to scan hard copy business cards, but also be able to consolidate data from other software applications such as Outlook. The easier the better, too; CardScan actually allows you to highlight contact information in an e-mail or on a Web page, then drag and drop it into the CardScan program. The software automatically recognizes data fields and organizes them accordingly.

* Applications like Outlook are capable of helping you store and organize data, but aren’t dedicated to the task. Consider software that is specifically designed for data organization, especially one that is made with small businesses in mind.

* Be sure your database software can be synced with your other electronic devices or software, such as your mobile device, BlackBerry, smart phone or e-mail application. This ability will help ensure information remains current across all applications and devices you may use to access it.

* Backup your data regularly. There are a number of ways to backup data, but backing up to an online service offers several unique advantages, Stearns says. For example, users of CardScan At Your Service can opt to have their data backed up automatically on a regular basis. Further, the service automatically updates whenever you add or change information.

* When scanning business cards, opt for an application that prompts you to check the accuracy of information. “It may seem convenient to use software that directly captures information into an e-mail application like Outlook, but that can create data errors and duplications,” says Stearns. Choose software, like CardScan, that recognizes potential errors and duplications, and prompts you to verify information before it’s incorporated into your address book. “CardScan software interacts with the user during the capture process, so when it flags a potential duplication, you will actually see an alert that highlights the dupe and helps you reconcile any new information.”

To learn more about data organization for small businesses, visit www.cardscan.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – Food prices are up, way up. The overall cost of weekly groceries today is nearly six percent more than last year – higher than the inflation rate. As food prices continue to rise, shoppers are on the hunt for easy ways to save money on groceries.

“The key to cutting the grocery bill is not about changing the way you eat, but about changing the way you buy the foods that you like to eat,” says Stephanie Nelson of www.CouponMom.com. She offers three simple principles to help everyday grocery shoppers become “strategic shoppers” who can save big at the checkout.

Know How to Get Low Prices: Strategic shoppers learn the price ranges of their most common grocery items by starting a “price book” and stocking up when favorite items hit the lowest prices. By taking this approach, shoppers can save an average of 50 to 70 percent off of these items.

Store loyalty cards are another key strategy for saving at the grocery store. Some loyalty programs send extra coupons in the mail and even offer discounts on the food bill once a certain dollar amount is spent in the store.

Know How to Use Coupons: When it comes to coupons, it’s important to know when to use them, where to use them and where to find them. As a strategic shopper, be sure to recognize when favorite brand name items hit their lowest prices and use the coupons at that point to save the most money on the grocery bill.

Many grocery stores offer shoppers even more savings through “bonus” coupon programs. This means that these stores will double or triple coupons up to a certain amount, such as 50 cents. Shoppers can also use the free grocery deals lists for 41 stores in 50 states available at www.couponmom.com to save money by combining sales and coupons.

Know Where to Find Coupons: Strategic shoppers seek out coupons from traditional sources, like the Sunday newspaper, as well as from online coupon Web sites, like http://www.Shortcuts.com. A few coupon-collecting strategies include:

* Buy more than one copy of the newspaper when it is a high-coupon week.

* Sign up for store loyalty cards to receive special coupon mailings and coupons at checkout.

* Use free online coupons that can be linked to loyalty cards at http://www.Shortcuts.com.

* Review the weekly ads for local grocery stores for extra savings coupons and specials.

* Look out for coupons in the store: red coupon shelf boxes, tear off pads on store displays, at the customer service counter and on product packages.

Log on to http://www.Shortcuts.com  for a free e-book called “Shortcuts and The Coupon Mom System Show You How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half.” Full of tips to help shoppers take full advantage of coupons, this e-book offers tips that can help anyone see significant savings on their receipt, every time they shop for groceries.

Invest in an Industry that’s Seeing Growth

(ARA) – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” In the first few lines of “A Tale of Two Cities,” Charles Dickens was referring to conditions in the years leading up to the French Revolution; but he could just as easily have been writing about society today.

While we live in one of the most prosperous countries in the world, many Americans have in some way been negatively affected by problems with the current economy. The credit crunch has persisted despite aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate cuts; retail sales are down; thousands are concerned about losing their homes due to the sub prime mortgage crisis; and gas is so expensive, a lot of people have been forced to park their cars for the foreseeable future.

As if those problems weren’t bad enough, many Americans go from day to day fearing they may lose their jobs. For Shawn Crawford, 38, of Brownsburg, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis, you could say the writing was on the wall. He used to be the director of operations for a physician group that operated 30 doctor’s offices across the state of Indiana.

“I was responsible for set up, business development and customer service,” he says. “At first I found the job very rewarding, but once the economy started to get bad and the rapid expansion stopped, it reached a point where I feared my own job was about to be eliminated.”

Instead of waiting around to see what would happen, Crawford decided to follow his dream to start his own business. In July of 2006, he quit his job with the physician’s group and became a consultant; but spent every spare moment researching business opportunities.

“I wanted to do something that would capitalize on my experience and help people at the same time,” he says. “I figured people want to look good, feel good and be healthy, so why not open a gym?” But when he started looking into the costs involved in such a venture he became discouraged, that is until he came across some research that showed huge growth potential in health and fitness franchising. According to the International Health and Racket Sport Club Association, while the average growth rate for fast food franchises stands at 20 percent, the fitness sector’s five-year growth has been an impressive 144 percent.

There are a lot of health and fitness franchises out there, but the one Crawford decided to go with was Snap Fitness, a Minnesota-based fast-growing franchisor of compact, state-of-the-art 24/7 fitness centers in Canada and the United States. “The thing I liked best about Snap initially was their business model was pretty much turn-key,” says Crawford. “Unlike a traditional business start-up which would have required a lot of research, development and capital investment on my part, they did all the work for me.”

After he paid his franchise fee and found the perfect location, Snap Fitness provided the blueprint he needed to follow to get his business up and running. He was assigned a project manager who helped him every step of the way.

“The process was laid out and very easy to follow,” explains Crawford. “Snap provided everything I needed to get started – plans for the club design, access to vendors who would sell me the right equipment at a deep discount, all the tools I needed to set up my company Web site and the marketing materials I needed to get the word out.”

Snap also provided the financing, and today handles billing, security and other operational and marketing support for Crawford’s club, which opened for business in October of 2007 and now has about 900 members.

When people ask him for advice about franchising, Crawford advises them to do some investigative work. Talk to a business broker, pick up and read copies of Entrepreneur and the Wall Street Journal, and when they’re ready to proceed contact a franchisor like Snap Fitness directly. Most franchisor Web sites provide rich information about the business model, financial requirements and much more, and they grant access to executives and franchisees during your discovery process.

“We understand what a big decision opening a franchise can be, and that’s why I personally meet weekly with prospective franchisees to answer questions and help them make a decision that’s right for them,” says Snap Fitness CEO Peter Taunton.

“I followed the plan Snap gave me, and I’m quite pleased with my financial success, says Crawford, who is set to open his second Snap Fitness club sometime in April of 2008.

To learn more about this business opportunity, log on to www.SnapFitness.com and click on the link that says “Franchise Opportunities.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

If you would like help localizing this story, contact Snap Fitness’ marketing communications director Patrick Strait at 952-426-7173 or via e-mail at pstrait@snapfitness.com.

(ARA) – In response to the threat of the U.S economy falling into recession, President Bush signed a new economic stimulus package into law February 2008 which will provide more than 130 million Americans with a little extra money. The first checks are scheduled to go out in May. Yet, some taxpayers are confused about how they can get their money from Uncle Sam.

To get a clear understanding of the rules and how the phase-outs work, here’s a listing of how eligibility is structured:

Tax Rebate for Singles -
* If you earned at least $3,000 (and paid taxes), you’re eligible to receive $300;
* If you earned more than $3,000 (and paid taxes), you’ll receive $600;
* If you have children, you’ll receive an additional $300 per child under age 17 (your child’s Social Security number is a requirement);
* The phase-out reduction begins with those who have an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $75,000 and ends at $87,000 – at a reduction of five percent per $1,000 over the lower limit. If you’re single and earned more than $87,000, you will not receive a rebate check.

Tax Rebate for Couples –
* If you and your spouse earned more than $3,000 but you didn’t pay taxes, you’ll receive $600;
* If you and your spouse earned more than $3,000 and you paid taxes, you’ll receive $1,200;
* If you have children, you’ll receive an additional $300 per child under age 17 (your child’s Social Security number is a requirement);
* The phase-out reduction begins with those couples who have an AGI of $150,000 and ends at $174,000 – at a reduction of five percent per $1,000 over the lower limit. If you are a couple who earned more than $174,000, you will not receive a rebate check.

Also important to note is that $300 payments will go to seniors, veterans and veterans’ widows who showed $3,000 in veteran’s disability or Social Security benefits.

Many Americans are asking, “If I hold off on filing my 2007 tax return until April, will I get my tax refund and rebate on one check?” and “Do I have to file a tax return to get a rebate check?”

“To ensure you receive a rebate check that may be due to you, taxpayers must file a 2007 tax return. For those Americans who don’t earn enough income to normally file, a simplified filing process using Form 1040A has been rolled out by the IRS,” says Stephanie Behrends, spokeswoman for 2nd Story Software — makers of popular TaxACT tax software.

“However, whether you file your tax return in January or April, taxpayers who are expecting a tax refund will not receive a consolidated check representing their refund and stimulus rebate. In fact, rebate direct deposits and paper checks will be issued by the IRS based on the sequence of your Social Security Number.”

If you are a one-time stimulus filer, you can opt to prepare Form 1040A-3 the old fashioned way (by hand) and mail it in to the IRS. Another option for stimulus filers is to file electronically by visiting the Free File Program hosted by IRS.gov. For 2008, taxpayers filing their 2007 tax return and one-time stimulus filers may qualify to use the IRS’ Free File Program providing your Adjusted Gross Income does not exceed $54,000. Taxpayers are, however, encouraged to weigh their options carefully as some Alliance Partners place restrictions on the type of income and deductions taxpayers can claim while using the Free File Program.

TaxACT, the pioneer of free federal tax preparation software, provides taxpayers wanting a completely free way to prepare, print and e-file a federal tax return with its TaxACT Standard Edition — no gimmicks or fine print. More information regarding TaxACT is available at http://www.TaxACT.com .

(ARA) – It’s no wonder that online shopping has become so popular when you can shop from home, work, and now – thanks to Blackberries and cell phones – even on the go. New shopping sites pop up every day, making it extremely easy for you and your money to get lost in the virtual world. Any savvy online shopper will agree that it is possible to spend frugally while still living fabulously.

Here are some smart tips for saving money online that will leave cash in your wallet and a smile on your face:

Read the Reviews

Before you buy anything, read the reviews. Just because a product is flashy and has a high ticket price does not mean that it works well or even at all. Trust your fellow shoppers, and let their advice guide you to the perfect product.

Compare Prices

Comparison shopping sites are great for shoppers who already know exactly what they want but don’t want to spend the time searching multiple merchants for the best price. These sites search hundreds of online merchants to find the lowest price on your chosen item.

Think With Your Head, Not Your Heart

How many times have you fallen so hard for a hot pair of shoes, the newest MP3 player, or even a 12-cup coffee maker that you overlooked the unnecessarily high sticker price in order to get the object of your affection, only to feel guilty later? Next time, stop yourself before you add the item to your virtual cart. Take a couple of hours or even a couple of days to think about your purchase. Do you really want it? Do you really need it? If the answer is still “yes,” you’ll be able to make the purchase with a clear conscience.

Search for Online Coupons

Before making your final purchase, be sure to check out an online couponing site to save extra cash. Online couponing sites provide deals that you may not find in-store or even on the Web site of a particular merchant. CouponCabin.com (www.couponcabin.com), for example, is updated throughout the day and provides deals from over 900 merchants.

Save Money Even after You’ve Spent It

Most of the major online retailers have a customer protection policy that allows shoppers to ask for a refund of the price difference if the price drops shortly after you purchased the item. Some online merchants will even beat a competitor’s price. This requires some follow-up on your part, but it will pay off in the end – literally.

Online shopping may be an open frontier, but you don’t have to be afraid. With these tips in mind, you and your wallet can tame any shopping Web site.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

RALEIGH, N.C. – Wendell Falls, a first of its kind neighborhood in the town of Wendell, continues to grow. A historic home that is on the property has been moved to make way for the neighborhood’s parkway entrance.“When we were planning the location of Wendell Falls Parkway, it became clear that this great old house was in the middle of the route,” said Greg Ferguson, Managing Partner of Mercury Development. “It’s not listed on the Historic Register yet, but we believe it could be some day and felt it was important to save it.”
The Richardson Homeplace is a farmhouse once owned by Dr. William E. Richardson. It is a one-story frame dwelling of Italianate and Victorian character with a two-room deep center passage, a large front roof gable, interior brick chimneys, a foundation of stone piers, double-leaf round arch glass panel front doors and tall 4/4 windows. The house is believed to date to ca. 1870. Dr. Richardson (1845-1895) was a member of the North Carolina legislature in 1879 and a survivor of the Civil War. He joined the Confederacy at age 15 and served in the 62nd Georgia Calvary, which became the 16th Battalion of North Carolina Calvary.

Read More:CarolinaNewsWire