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Your frequent flyer miles might be expiring December 31.

Ok, so I am not what one would normally call a frequent flyer…I fly 4-5 times a year at most. About 3 years ago, I flew Delta for a few of those trips and gathered up 27,000 miles. Since then, I have not flown Delta, as my last company was using American Airlines, and now I have so many miles with them I only use them. Anyways….I have tried for years to get a free ticket on Delta, to no avail. Not once were my requested dates available, so I kind of forgot about the miles. Until I read somewhere that unused miles would be expiring December 31, 2006 under some new changes that they are implementing for the program. I logged into my account, and sure enough, Dec 31 my miles would have gone away. So I called customer service and was told that I had two choices to keep my miles for another two years:

1. Buy more miles. For $29.95, I could buy 1,000 miles.

2. Redeem an award ticket for some future date and then either take the trip or change the dates again. Though this sounds like the better option, it would have been $50 to change the ticket later.

So, for $29.95 I get to keep my unusable miles (sorry Delta, but really, I have tried for years to redeem them) for another 2 years. I guess the moral of the story is: Check your frequent flyer miles before they disappear.

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Renewable Energy=The Next Job Boom?

Ok…I graduated from college over 10 years ago…make that 12…and well, there was no such thing as renewable energy discussions or climate change talk. But now, according to MONSTER.COM, there will be many jobs available for new graduates in the coming years dealing with solar power, renewable fuels, green building and other environmental issues. So, if you are in college, or soon to be graduating, now might be a good time to reconsider that basket-weaving degree you have been working so hard on…chances are the world could use you to help it out, and not with it’s falling basket market.

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Netflix users rejoice, Blockbuster gives you free rentals

So, you are a Netflix user and you have the tear off sheet once your movie arrives, right? Well, bring it on up to Blockbuster and get yourself a free rental. Yup, just with the piece of paper you tear off when your movie arrives. From Ars Technica

Blockbuster has launched a new promotion to attract Netflix users to its DVDs-by-mail service: give them free in-store movies. Through December 21, Netflix users can bring in the address flaps off their mailers and exchange them for a free rental at any local Blockbuster store.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Source: Blockbuster gives free rentals to Netflix users

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A survival guide for the uninsured – MSN

Over at Money Central, they have a pretty good article up for those who are uninsured: A survival guide for the uninsured – MSN Money. Here are their tips for looking for alternative insurance:

Some of the options include:

COBRA: If you were covered by health insurance at work but are about to lose your job, you’re typically entitled to coverage for up to 18 months under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. Unfortunately, you have to pick up the whole tab for this coverage, which can be tough to afford. Coverage for a family of three can easily cost $500 to $1,000 a month.

High-deductible policies: You’ll pay more of your routine medical costs out of pocket, but these policies protect you against catastrophic medical bills. Having the coverage also entitles you to insurer-negotiated discounts with doctors and hospitals. (It’s shocking, but many medical providers charge the uninsured higher rates and fees because they aren’t covered by such discounts.)

An individual HMO policy from Blue Cross with no deductible might cost a single 24-year-old female in San Francisco $299 a month. Choose a plan with 20% co-pays and a $1,000 deductible, however, and the cost drops to $51 a month.

Short-term coverage: Many insurers that provide individual policies have a bridge or short-term option, typically designed to cover you until you land your next job. These are typically cheaper than a regular individual policy because the insurer is exposed to claims for a limited time. Try the nearest Blue Cross, or talk to an experienced health-insurance broker.

High-risk pools: If a health issue, rather than the cost, is keeping you from being insured, check to see if your state has a high-risk insurance pool. The American Diabetes Association maintains a list of state programs and contact numbers at its Web site.

Health insurance for kids: Most states sponsor low-cost or free health insurance for children, and a few will cover their parents for an additional fee. A family of four in most places can qualify for insurance for their kids with an annual income up to $38,700; in higher-cost areas, that limit may be higher. (A family of four in California, for example, could qualify for that state’s Healthy Kids program with an income of $48,384.) For more information, visit Insure Kids Now!, a government-run Web site.

Medicaid: This government-funded coverage is generally reserved for people with very low incomes and few assets; each state has different guidelines. For more information, visit Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a U.S. government site.

If you are looking for a little more info on getting insured, this might be a good article to read. Personally, we have a high deductible policy, per my article “Consider getting your own health insurance, it could save you a bundle of money.” It saves us a lot of money per month/year, and it still gives us full coverage in case of an emergency. If you are younger and healthy, it makes sense to go this way as you are spending less out of pocket and you can still pop in to see your doctor and get prescriptions at a “reasonable” cost.

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Festival of Frugality is up at The Frugal Duchess!

It’s Tuesday morning and the Festival of Frugality is up at The Frugal Duchess. A big thank you to the Duchess for including my article “Sometimes the simple things can save the most money“, and for leaving such a nice comment.

Go…now….check out the Festival of Frugality is up at The Frugal Duchess


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