“Thousands glean fields in Platteville” reads a headline in the Denver Post this week. It tells the story of the Miller family, which owns a 600 acre farm. They decided to have a “free food” day rather than let the extra produce on the ground go to waste with the next freeze. Come and haul what you want or need, they said.

The Millers expected between 5,000 and 10,000 people. What happened? Nearly 40,000 people showed up for the free vegetables.

“Overwhelmed is putting it mildly,” said farm owner Chris Miller. “People obviously need food.”

Read the full article here.

Now is a good time of year to remember how lucky most of us are: we have food to eat, a place to live, and survival basics like water compared to so many others around the globe.

However: as the economy tightens and shifts more people unaccustomed to such scarcity will go hungry.

Consider volunteering or donating money to your local soup kitchen or emergency food bank. It’s a great way to mark the holiday and celebrate your comparative wealth.

What are you thankful for? Tell us in Money Confessions.

It is so easy to get caught up in the holiday season, especially when it comes to gift giving. When you are just constantly handing over your credit card to the cashier, it is hard to remember how much money you have spent all together. Little items here and there will add up to a very large bill at the end of the month. If shopping is already something you love to do, it is extremely easy to become addicted at the holidays.

This year, try using cash for many of your purchases and see if it makes a difference at the end of the month!

1. First, Make a List and Stick to It – Making a list for the people you need to buy for can be seriously beneficial when it comes to your budget. Making a list of what you need to buy for who and what it will cost you. This will allow you to budget just the right amount of money for each person (and not go overboard). Make sure you first take out enough money that you will need that month to pay your bills and then designate the rest to purchasing gifts, food, etc.

2. Leave the Credit Cards at Home – Leaving your cards at home will resist the temptation for impulse shopping. Those little items that you see around the cash registers that you think would make great stocking stuffers are typically over-priced and a waste of your money anyway. Stick to the items that you had planned for. Leaving your credit card at home is the best bet. If it makes you too nervous to leave it at home (just in case something happens) then leave them in the car instead.

3. Makes for Easy Returns – When you pay with cash at the holidays the person you bought the gift for will also be really grateful. If someone wants to return or exchange your gift giving them the receipt so they can get their money back is so much easier. When you pay with your credit card the recipient always has to get something from that specific store. This way they can use the money on whatever they want.

4. No Big Bills to Pay Off – At the end of the holidays it will feel great to be debt-free and not have to worry about paying an overwhelming credit card bill. Obviously there are still some purchases that you will have to pay on your credit card, but by paying with cash for the most part you will see your credit card bill be much lower than usual.

It isn’t always easy to make lists and stick to them, but in the end this will end up saving you a lot of money. Stick to only using your cash. You will be much happier when the New Year arrives.

Photo: Dani Simmonds

Having just a few changes in your routines can help you save a lot of money. Here are a few ideas that are pretty simple, yet can make a big impact!

Pack a brown bag lunch. What’s a few dollars a day you say? Well, a five dollar lunch each day for a year equals about $1,300 – enough money for an “okay” down payment on a car. So if you are spending more than that, imagine what you could do with that money instead!! Along those lines, why not save money and lose weight by letting go of all of those sodas and drink water instead! It’s better for you, and costs less!

Become a “power nazi”. Growing up, most parents get on their children for leaving lights turned on even tho they aren’t in the room. Now that you are older and have a house your own, you may begin to understand why. Switch off lights as soon as you leave the room. Or, if you are in the room, during the day, why not open a few blinds and let in some sunlight! Change your computer settings for optimum balance between power savings and practicality.

When it comes to your budget, if you don’t use it, save it! Some people feel like if they saved money with coupons and sales, then they could buy just that much more stuff. But then again, did they really need the extra stuff? Instead, put your savings into your savings.

Can you think of some more ways to save money and maybe even a little time? Share them in our groups such as It’s Time To Budget and Financially Frugal Families!  Blown your budget?  Confess it to us here, we’ll understand!

(Photo Courtesy Of : MConners / www.morguefile.com)

By MainStreet.com Staff Writers

If you are concerned about your cardiac health, take note.

According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented that the American Heart Association meeting in November, a large scale study comprising 17,802 patients at 1,315 sites in 26 countries (the Jupiter study), concluded that a $20 blood test could help predict if you are at risk for heart attack or stroke.

High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein is an inexpensive blood test that your physician can order to determine if your C-Reactive Protein level is elevated. If it is, by treating you with a statin type drug you could reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke by nearly 50%.

If you are on a statin drug, you need to have simple blood tests on a routine basis to monitor the effectiveness of the drug as well as to check for any liver enzyme issues. These tests can be administered with a point of care (POC) device such as the Cholestech LDX which will provide the test results in minutes. Once you have the results, your doctor or other health care professional and evaluate and manage your cholesterol levels, prescribe any dosing changes and schedule a follow up appointment.

Other companies provide monitoring and management tools that health care professionals can use. One developer, Standing Stone, Inc, has web-based software applications deployed at hospital and physician offices throughout the US.

By some estimates, everyone with elevated High Sensitivity C-Reactive protein were placed on a statin, it would reduce the incidence of heart attack and stroke significantly and save the U.S. healthcare system hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

For more information click here.

For more health-and-money related discussions, check out Geezeo’s Health Insurance — AHHH! Group.

Once it’s on you can’t tell expensive cosmetics from the drugstore variety. Geezeo Expert Farnoosh Torabi & Kristin Bentz explain.

Have you considered starting a small business? This weekend my partners and I opened a small neighborhood grocery store.

Here are the top six things this experience has taught me so far:

1. Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses The four of us behind the grocery store had several discussions about our respective strengths, weaknesses, and related experience. As we moved forward on the store our roles naturally fell into place. However, we probably avoided conflict by clearly defining the responsibilities and organizational hierarchy from the start. Have these frank decisions early and expect some compromise.

2. Know Your Partners and Prepare for Disagreement It’s great that the four of us are friends — but assuming a friendship can withstand the stress of a business is one of the classic traps that bring down businesses and the friendships. We knew there would be disagreements over the natural course of things so we prepared in two ways. First, we legally set up the business so that at any point any of the four of us can sell our share and leave without hurt feelings. Second, we established both a hierarchy of decision-making and formal plan for what happens if we disagree. Luckily, at the moment we share the same vision. The few disagreements have been over small details.

3. Plan for the Unexpected How’s this for a predicament? The night before we opened our freezer died! Our freezer held about 1/3 of our selling product. Thankfully, we had a back-up plan in place. We didn’t think we’d be tested so soon but our back-up plan worked — as did our legal contract with our food vendors whose food went bad. Lesson learned? Spend time discussing what could go wrong and how it could be handled so you can quickly move to action.

4. Set Realistic Goals Everyone wants a business to be a smashing success. No one plans for failure. We literally spent weeks evaluating our business plan. We projected three possible scenerios over the next year. That influenced one major decision: to alternate work hours so that we could save ourselves the cost of an employee this first year. Luckily, that choice was possible because we could trade hours between those in the partnership.

5. Don’t Re-Invent the Wheel Like most business start-ups we feel we have some creative ideas for our neighborhood grocery store. But: we all realize that similar stores exist (just not in our area!). So, we took the time to research the approach of these other stores and modeled our offerings on what had worked for others.

6. Know that Forecasting Accurately Will Take Time We anticipate a lot of learning curves the next year. First and foremost we’ll get to know our market (a small town of 25,000). We’ll be adjusting our approach and working to fine-tune our business. Each partner brings a diverse career background. We’ll be able to tap into this experience and perspective.

By Richard Posluszny | MainStreet.com

I had never been nervous about receiving a vehicle to test drive. Until now.

For one, would I fit? And would it be safe? Two questions that weighed on me when I took on the task of reviewing a Brabus Smart ForTwo CDI.

I was shocked at how small the Smart appeared. However, after pulling it up next to another car, you realize it’s not that tiny. In fact, the Smart ForTwo is taller than most automobiles and its width isn’t much narrower than the average car. The explanation for the car’s petit appearance is its length — the severe drop-off behind the passenger compartment — and golf-cart tires.

The Smart car has an overwhelming sense of character that will bring you far — 58 miles per gallon during one recent weekend jaunt.

Surprisingly, I managed to fit inside quite well, even better than my current daily driver. This finding was echoed by several people I picked up throughout testing. But don’t plan on going cross-country in this bugger unless you pack light.

Now, more importantly, let’s get into the drive train and diesel technology. After reviewing some of Audi’s latest clean diesel technology, I was expecting more of the same: a smooth engine, quick pickup and no fumes. I was sorely mistaken. The Brabus CDI was more of a traditional diesel: chattery, slow and the interior had a bit of a diesel-esque odor. Actually, the scent made me quite nostalgic of my grandfather’s farm equipment in the Catskills.

When accelerating, there was no putrid, black smoke, but between the turbo whistle and engine note, the ForTwo CDI will make anyone believe there is a tyrannical 18-wheeler closely following. Picture a Chihuahua barking like a pit-bull — it is peculiar.

What the Smart CDI lacks is power. It is equipped with an inline 3-cylinder producing 40 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. Although the car was set up by Brabus, known for tuning your average Mercedes-Benz into a 600-horsepower monster, the ForTwo hit 0 to 60 miles per hour in 19.8 seconds. Merging on to the New York and New Jersey highways made for an entertaining 20 seconds. Break out your sundials and a prayer sheet.

Knowing that acceleration was lacking, I wasn’t confident on the highway. Then I discovered how much third and fourth gear pulled. Before you knew it, I was blasting past anything that moved. Above 65 mph, the Smart is a blast. However, concentration must be given to the road because the unforgiving suspension and small tires will jolt you harshly.

Probably the most fun aspect of the Brabus Smart was the transmission. Considered a six-speed sequential automated manual, it is technically a manual transmission. But there’s no clutch. The driver is given the option to shift VIA paddles behind the steering wheel or the shifter. The paddles made it difficult to time the feathering of the throttle in order to stabilize the jerkiness of the shifts. Stick to the shifter. Automatic mode worked rather well, keeping shifts smooth and letting the car utilize the most of its limited torque.

The Smart CDI has an overwhelming sense of character, although some aspects have been compromised. The name of the game is miles per gallon, which the clean diesel annihilated. During my weekend with the vehicle, I tallied a mind-boggling 57.8 mpg.

Curious as to what a normal Smart had to offer, I made sure to get some seat time. The U.S. Smart boasts 70 horsepower alongside 68 pound-feet of torque. Compared to the diesel variant, this car was a rocket ship, doing 0-60 in 12.8 seconds. The catch: mileage drops to 33 in the city and 40 on the highway.

Here’s the kicker: The Smart ForTwo CDI has yet to be offered in the U.S., although that is probably a good thing considering its pitfalls. While I learned to appreciate the vehicle’s personality and shortfalls, I am confident the average consumer would shun the diesel variant.

What will be interesting is the introduction of an electric Smart. A source, wishing to remain anonymous, claimed it will arrive on our shores within several years.

So, the takeaway? If you are looking for a fun, small car to get around town, the gasoline Smart is more than capable of limiting gas guzzling. Had a diesel Smart been offered stateside, it would have more than likely irritated you with its traditional diesel characteristics and ubiquitous odor. Unless, of course, you have a lot of room in your heart and approximately $15,000 to take care of import fees.

For years spam emails have suggested ways to get money from Microsoft and eBay. (Mostly by forwarding the spam to everyone you know). Here, however, is a real way to get cash back from eBay and Microsoft. Just in time for holiday shopping, too!

Microsoft is paying cash rewards to use it’s search engine Live.com. Here’s how it works:

First, sign up for a Windows Live cashback account. Then search for a product you’d like to purchase by using Microsoft’s search engine Live.com. At the top of the search you’ll see an eBay link that says “Live Search” with the coin image above. Click on the link and complete your purchase with eBay’s “Buy It Now” feature.

You’ll get 25% of the purchase price, up to $200 total!

Fine print: The cashback deal is only available for 60 days after completing your purchase and must be deposited into a Paypal account. Also: only US searches qualify.

Enjoy!

Handing over your hard earned money to someone else is not easy to do (even if you are the least selfish person around). It takes a lot of time and effort to earn your money, so when times are tough it is hard to give it up as well. I’m definitely not saying that you shouldn’t borrow money to people, but there are many things that you should consider before you hand the money over.

How Long Have You Known the Person? – This is a huge consideration. It takes a lot to build a relationship and trust someone enough to pay you back. If you have just met someone and they are asking you to borrow $200 for example, how do you know if you will ever see that money again?

Have They Asked For Money Before? – If someone is consistently asking you for money then something is probably wrong. I understand that times are rough, but if someone is taking the money they borrow from you and going out to buy some new clothes then they didn’t really need the money in the first place probably (unless they had no clothes to begin with).

Are They Family? – The hardest people to say no to when it comes to money is your family. You definitely don’t want to step on anyone’s toes or make anyone upset that will ruin your family relationship. There is a great article from our partners at MainStreet.com about How to Say No When Family Asks For Money. It gives some great tips and makes you realize that saying no does not always have to be your answer.

Do They Already Owe You Money? – If someone hasn’t paid you back yet for money you have already borrowed them then it probably is not the best idea to lend them some more. Saying no is hard, but losing money that you might need in the long run is even worse.

Can You Actually Afford to Lend Them Money? – Times are tough for everyone. Although the person asking you for money might need some right now, you may realize that you will desperately need some in the future. When you work hard for your money you really need to consider yourself (and your family) first and foremost. You don’t want to lend money to someone one week and realize the next that you really need it back, because if something goes wrong and the person can’t pay you back right away, you might be the one asking for money.

Really think through some of your options before you lend someone money. It is a difficult situation to work through but one that needs consideration before you answer “yes” or “no”. Another consideration could be to ask the person if there is any other way you can help them besides lending them money, maybe there is something else that could be more beneficial to them. Whatever your answer may be, make sure you are looking out for your own financial situation as well.

Photo: Ronnie Bergeron

As the Obama administration takes shape, so do worries about how the government will pay for any health care reforms.