Champ Money

During tough economic times, households around the country are tightening their budgets, cutting as many non-essential services as possible.

While it is wise to frequently evaluate which services are really necessary, it is equally important to make certain that cuts are not made where they shouldn’t be, resulting in possible risks to personal finance, health, or security.

Without question, home security systems should be considered essential during any economy. In fact, it can be argued that they become even more important in a troubled economy, which usually results in higher crime rates.

When it comes to home security systems, you should look for the more trustworthy company servicing your area. We find that most people need look no further than ADT.

In our home, ADT has proven over the years that its reputation has been well-earned.  Customer service has been exception, yet pricing remains extremely competitive.

There are areas to save money, but personal home security should not be one of them.

Here at Champ Money we’re continually looking for new money-saving websites. Our favorites are the best of the coupon code sites - those that maintain current discount codes.

Our latest discoveries, in no particular order, are:

Savings.com
shoppersresource.com
Couponwinner.com
Promotionalcode.com
Webcouponcodes.com
CyberMonday.com
Dealio.com

We encourage you to check them out before making any only purchase.

Are you still looking for a totally unique gift for that someone special this holiday season? A newly discovered favorite around this house is rc helicopters.

These little guys are surprisingly durable, yet very safe for indoor flying. In our official “testing” (also known as playing and having a blast) we managed to fly into everything from the walls and cabinets to the family dog – with no damage to anything. Although, the dog does run and hide from the chopper now.

With the multi-channel controllers, combined with the low cost of these awesome “toys”, you can easily create a small squadron of helicopters flying through your home. Once you have a couple of them flying around, creating new and challenging flying competitions becomes effortless.

These rc helicopters are a great gift for practically any age, including adults.

When trying to solve our work holding needs, we never need to look further than Reid Supply Company.

Whether in the market for spring clamps, vises, strap clamps or any other holding solution, these guys will have what you’re looking for, and they’ll have it at the most competitive pricing you’ll find anywhere.

Reid Supply Company has a very refined website, making it a breeze to locate the specific tool you’re looking for. This is much better than wandering around your local hardware store while being ignored by their employees.

All of those many homeowners out there who are now opting to update or remodel their homes rather than attempt to sell in this challenging real estate market, remember that some of the best deals can be found online.

Whether you’re in need of Kohler sinks, ceramic tile, carpets, or even tools to complete the job – shopping online is as practical as it is for books and electronics. Of course, continue to compare online prices with your local retailers to be sure of the best deal.

The fed has announced plans (another $800,000,000,000) to help “unfreeze” credit - such as credit cards, student loans, and auto loans.

The first question should be, wasn’t the first $700,000,000,000 bailout supposed to unfreeze the credit?

Instead, the major banks and lenders “hid” the money in less risky ventures - none of which actually helps the economy.

Keep your eyes on this as it unfolds, but don’t assume it will be a good thing. We do need readily available credit for consumers, but the question remains - will this latest funding become available to consumers? And, if it does, how many of them will just end up in the exact same situation that got us into this mess to begin with — with easy credit?

While researching companies with continued growth potential, we happened upon several in the cosmetics and skin care industry that piqued our interest.

Something that amazed us even more however, was the realization of just how far acne treatment products have advanced over the past decade or so.

There are some amazing products out there, and not all are from the big names in skin care. A little research will surely lead to a great product for each individual’s needs.

Don’t be discouraged when looking around your home and noticing all of the things that are either worn or in need of repairs. These mental lists can be overwhelming. Instead, think simple.

Most of us can’t replace everything in our homes all at once. In fact, many of us can’t afford to replace any non-urgent item at this time.

Do you really need to replace that kitchen floor right now? You could buy a lot of time with some strategically placed area rugs.

Maybe the carpets don’t really need replacing quite yet. You could buy some more time with a professional carpet cleaning.

New furniture? How about slip covers that will buy you another year or so.

Think first, replace later.

We are beginning to witness significant changes in the business world as companies come to grip with the reality of the challenging economy. Some of the changes are big - others are small. Some affect many jobs, but will give the business the best chance of survival.

An interesting trend, and a good one in the long run, is the move from printed material to online only. This is becoming the reality for magazines and even newspapers, as both see circulation and advertising numbers both in the decline.

The latest announcement came from Ziff Davis Media, as the declared the future of PC Magazing will be online-only, and will cease printing at the end of 2008.

We will being to see a lot more of this trend amongst the big names in publishing. It’s not a bad thing really, as it will hopefully allow the publication to survive the economic downturn - and will most certainly reduce waste with the discontinuation of the ink and paper tradition.

Online-only publishing also allows the publisher to provide a much quicker turnaround on articles, releasing them from the longer production times invovled with print.

As people try to lose weight this holiday season, despite all of those wonderful culinary temptations they’ll be trying to resist, they are choosing Fenterdren as their diet pill of choice.

There’s no doubt that exercise and continued smart dieting are always the best way to control your weight, but there are certainly times when some outside assistance is needed. Fenterdren is certainly a fast an easy way to lose weight – but we encourage readers to follow the manufacturer’s directions for safe usage.