iMommies

Regardless of the latest bank promotions, which bank offers the best rates for monthly fees, interest rates, and minimim balances?  Which bank should you consider your primary?  Should you use separate primary banks for checking and savings?  Setting aside customer service and convenience factors, BankRate.com allows you to compare banks in your area to make the most of your assets, and avoid unnecessary fees.

Click the picture above to go directly to BankRate’s website and compare everything from checking/savings accounts to college, home, and vehicle financing.

Access Marketing hires virtual call center employees from all states.  Their main area of focus is business-to-business (database services, lead tracking, generation, etc.), and they have a great benefit package.

What’s the “deal” with Restaurant.com lately?  One can only assume that they’re trying to improve sales with all of the recent promotions…and I did notice that the number of restaurants partnered with Restaurant.com in our area has gone down in the past year.  Whatever the case, the deal of the week is 50% off, and good through Sunday, June 24th.

Just click on the picture above, select your gift certificates, and at the checkout, enter SUMMER, then recalculate the total to see your 50% savings. 

West at Home is currently hiring hundreds of independent contractors to help manage their increased weekend call volumes.  If you’re looking for a part-time job (working from home) to help pay the bills or add to your savings account, apply now, and receive confirmation in about a week. 

I gave up my Sam’s Club membership a couple of years ago, opting to keep the Costco membership instead.  The annual membership fees were more than my annual savings, so it only made sense to close it out.  With a free one-day pass, however, there’s no harm in stopping by.    Click the picture below to sign up for your free pass, good for one day between now and July 15, 2007.

Word of caution:  An additional 10% service fee applies to goods purchased with this one-day pass, so make sure your savings are greater than 10% before making your final purchase.

Never pay for another conference call or conference calling service!  We used to spend over $500 each month in conference calling services through MCI until we discovered FreeConferenceCall.com.  Whether you use conference calling for your home business, corporate meetings, or family events, FreeConferenceCall.com is the solution for your conferencing needs.

Just a few advantages of using this service:

• Allows up to 96 participants/6 hours for each call
• Provides free conference call recordings
• Has no limits for monthly usage
• Can be used from any landline or cellular phone, anywhere in the world

You don’t have to spend all day clipping coupons to save just a little money at the grocery store.  CutOutHunger.com has teamed up with major grocery stores in all 50 states to coordinate outstanding coupon circulars with store sales to achieve maximum savings.   Even if you don’t purchase the Sunday newspaper or receive the coupon inserts, sign up with SmartSource (one of the coupon insert providers) to have coupons emailed to you weekly.  Most stores that accept internet coupons also allow photocopied coupons (perhaps because they can’t tell the difference).

You can receive several items free each week, and many more items at HUGE discounts.  I stocked up on Betty Crocker potatoes last month, because at $0.10 per box, the deal was too good to pass up.  If you don’t have time to mess with coupon clipping, but have no issues with saving money on groceries…CutOutHunger.com is perfect!  While you’re at the store, pick up a couple of free or discounted items to donate to charity.

(There are other sites that offer this service, but most charge a monthly fee…CutOutHunger.com is a completely free website…as is SmartSource.com)

Formica countertops can be painted for much less out of pocket expense than a complete countertop replacement.  There are several steps required to achieve a professional appearance, but the outcome can have a dramatic impact on the overall look of the kitchen.

Sherwin-Williams has a color visualizer that allows you to pre-select colors for your countertops online to save time choosing colors at the store.  A new countertop finish can drastically change the look of your kitchen, so compare colors with your existing cabinets, appliances, and flooring.  Click on the link below to access the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer (located on the left side of their page).  

Register as a Preferred Customer of Sherwin-Williams for 20% Savings!

1.) Wash the countertop with an ammonia-based cleaner or warm ammonia diluted with water. When the surface is dry, place strips of painter’s tape on any trim around the countertop and backsplash.

2.) Prime the countertop surface with a bonding primer to ensure the paint will stick to a non-porous surface.  (Sherwin-Williams PrepRite® is a great bonding primer, though others can be substituted.)  Follow the primer manufacturer’s instructions for applying the primer, and allow the primer to set for about 24 hours before painting.  (Open any kitchen windows to ventilate the room and remove the strong odor.) 

3.) When the primer has dried, paint the existing laminate countertop with the paint color of your choice.  Use water based paint as the chemicals in oil based paints may make their way into food that comes in contact with the countertop.  Apply two to three thin layers of paint using a foam roller, letting each layer dry between coats. 

Rustoleum makes a spray-on product called Stone Creations that gives the countertops a bit of a pebbled effect for interesting texture.  If you opt to use this product, or one similar, you’ll need to cover everything in the kitchen as the spray is difficult to confine to only the countertops.  (The price of textured spray paint per square foot is higher than simple paint, but the results are well worth the few extra dollars if you like the stone look.) 

4.) Finally, you’re ready to seal the paint.  Three coats of a water-based satin or high-gloss non-yellowing polyurethane offer maximum durability, and prevent the paint color from changing after the sealer has been applied.  Apply the sealer with a foam roller and allow 24 hours drying time. 

That’s it!  Enjoy your new kitchen!

Sister site to KidzEyes, TeensEyes offers surveys geared toward teens, in exchange for points (again, each survey pays the equivalent of $2-$20).  No one’s going to get rich from online surveys, but if you have a teen, you KNOW how opinionated they are…it doesn’t hurt to constructively channel those opinions, and allow them to earn a little cash in the process!   

KidzEyes is an online survey site geared toward 6-12 year olds.  With parent approval of each survey offered, your child completes the survey, and earns points (equivalent of $2-$20 per survey).  Once your child’s point account reaches $10, they can cash in their points for a “paycheck”.