>> male announcer: the cost of everything in our lives is spiraling out of control: grocery bills, home heating costs, electricity bills, cable service, insurance, you name it. and in these tough times, it's getting harder and harder for most americans to pay these ever-increasing bills. the answer is to do what our parents and grandparents taught us: to save money. our editors have scoured and studied over 167 industries to reveal the little-known tips and insider secrets that will get you special discounts, privileges, and savings you never knew existed. join consumer advocate greg sherwood and learn how to save money on every important money decision you make in your life. be part of the new frugality movement. and remember: a dollar saved is a dollar earned. get ready to save money now.

[applause] >> hi. i'm camille dixon. i'm here with greg sherwoo and our goal is to show you how to save money in every aspect of your life. so let's get started. greg, really, can we save money in our every day lives? >> we really, really can, and i'm thrilled to be here to help people save money. i've been doing all the work on the background for this program, and saving money is now a passion of mine. i love the wisdom that gets passed down through the ages. as confucius once said, "he who does not economize will have to agonize," and, boy, if you're like me, you probably have friends and family who are agonizing right now with all of the economic turmoil we're dealing with: stock market down, home values off. well, here's my promise to you. if you start using the tips and suggestions in this program, you will save hundreds if not thousands of dollars every month. it's an easy step-by-step way to get real savings for real

people. this is main street stuff, not wall street stuff. every one of the ideas and tips we're gonna share with you over the course of this program have been researched and vetted by leading professionals in the field. all of these ideas are practical and doable, and they're for normal people and normal families. these ideas are ideas that will work for all of us, not just the few rich and powerful, so i hope you're included in that group, camille. >> well, i wouldn't call myself normal, but yeah, definitely not in the rich and powerful set. so what do i do? >> well, here's a great way to get started. let's review what a famous penny pincher can show you about slashing your monthly bills. indeed, a self-made millionaire, radio host, and consumer advice author has this to say about saving money, and i quote: "people tell me they cannot save enough money even when they cut back on luxuries." well, my solution: cut your recurring base costs.

most people, it turns out, can decrease their so-called fixed costs by 10% and still live very well. that means, for example, a family living on $90,000 a year should be able to save $9,000 a year or $750 a month. that's quite a bit of money. >> that is a lot of money. i can just start to think of all of the things i could do with $750 a month. okay, so i'm listening. >> oh, good. i thought i'd get your attention. that was the idea. now here are some of his best suggestions, 'cause he just didn't make that statistic up. there are ways to actually get there. for example, save money on your monthly electric bill. >> and the added advantage here, of course, is while you're saving money, you do a little something to help out mother earth as well, and you can feel good about that. >> exactly. you're gonna save the planet and save yourself a few dollars at the same time. that's a happy win-win situation. there are, happily, big ways to save on the fixed monthly costs that you have. simply ask your utility company about what they call time of day

energy programs, in which you're charged a lot less for energy use during off-peak hours. it's a really incredible opportunity. or inquire about what they call the utility company's power credit plans, which will allow the company to control the amount of power used by your air conditioning system during peak hours. the change to your home's temperature will be modest, maybe a few degrees, but typically, you get $20 just for signing up. that's a credit you get, plus you could save as much as $40 a month, so already, we're a few minutes into the show, camille, and we're already saving a good chunk of change here. >> okay, another area that really affects me is grocery shopping. i was shopping the other day. i mean, why just say the other day? it happens to me all the time. get to the check-out counter, i'm absolutely floored when they total it up. even in tough times, we still need to eat. is there a way to save on our grocery bills? >> well, happily, here again, camille, we can learn something from our experts and from our

grandparents. clip coupons. but you got to learn how to update that valuable activity for the 21st century. you can actually cut your grocery bills by a whopping 75%. yes, 75%. i know that sounds crazy, but if you clip coupons from the sunday newspaper, the statistics show the average savings per coupon is about 81¢. now, that's a good deal. no doubt about it. but if you look beyond the obvious places, your savings can actually be extraordinary. i personally know a professional shopper and consumer advisor who conducted an experiment with grocery store coupons and reduced her weekly spending for food and household items from $100 to less than $25. and she's especially proud of many items, like toilet paper, spaghetti sauce, and razor blades, she was actually able to pick up for free, so i mean, the deals are out there. >> okay, so i'm trying to add all this up in my head. i'm a little bit slow there, but i know these are big enough numbers that i'm definitely listening.

>> well, good. good. i wanted to get your attention. now, saving money is really addictive. once you get started on this kind of exercise, you're really not gonna want to stop, but remember, you have to start. you have to take action. please, start small. put one of our save money now tips to work and see how much you save. and our research team has made the whole process much easier by doing all the homework for us. they spend the hours, the months and years looking for the deals, so we can conveniently take advantage of them, right here and right now. if you think reviewing your bills is a thankless task, please, think again. a publisher of newsletters cites the many errors her colleague caught simply by taking a few extra minutes to peruse recent phone bills. she found, for example, an incorrect leftover charge of $42.88 from a previous long distance provider, there was a $20 switching fee which she wasn't supposed to pay, there was a $2 charge for an international call option she

hadn't even selected, and there was a federal excise surcharge tax of 42¢ which she'd been charged twice. >> so really, not reviewing your bills can be a missed opportunity, and i'm so guilty of that. i never look at my bills. >> hey, i think we're all like that, and here are just a few more commonplace examples. cell phones: people who consistently exceed that free minute allotment on their wireless phone plan should ask their providers if another plan in their bevy of plans would save them money. you may be able to actually even change your plan retroactively and rescind extra charges from the previous month. i know somebody who ended up doing that and ended up saving $500 using that simple strategy. now, in the area of tax bills, if the irs sends a notice that your taxes were underpaid, and there is a valid assessment there, you can still ask to have the penalties waived. all you got to do is talk to your accountant. in the arena of hospital bills,

there are incredibly error-ridden forms. and this happens. we've seen this over and over again. patients pay an estimated average of $1,300 in overcharges every year. so always, always ask for an itemized statement and always sit down and take the time to check it out. a 13 extra hundred dollars after taxes would be a nice chunk of change for an hour's work, let's say. >> that would certainly make a difference. i think so many of us take that for granted and think, "oh, this is all computerized--" >> it must be right. yeah, computer did it. must be right. but i don't want to overwhelm viewers so early in the program with a million money-saving details when we've got a great way for them to get all these insights neatly arranged and packaged for them. when they show just a little bit of support for this public television station, the very station you're watching and, i hope, enjoying, right now. >> as we said at the beginning of the program, we have two goals for this show. one is to give you tons of neat ways to save money in your life.

and two: convince you that this public television station deserves a few dollars of your money so it can continue to do the good work it does here. >> hey, and the really delightful thing is, we've got just the right gifts to offer you in return for your pledge of support when you call, i hope, right now. you know, all these gifts can help you take advantage of the money-saving ideas we've been sharing with you throughout this entire program, starting at, i hope, the affordable $50 level of support. call in your support at that level, and we'll be happy to send you the dvd called strategies for super saving. it is filled with even more ways to save money now, including how to talk your way into better deals, simple ways to save $8,000 a year, and shrewder ways to shop online. all advice is based on industry experts and is thoroughly vetted for accuracy by the bottom line fact-checking team. every one of the ideas you hear us speaking about in this program has gone through a rigorous system to make sure

they actually work and they're 100% accurate. >> if you can move up to the $125 level of support for this station, we'll send you what we're calling our penny pinchers package. in it, you'll receive the book that all these great ideas for saving money have come from. it's called save money now. it's a 400-page hardcover book from the editors at bottom line books, including practical and vetted tips for saving money in over 1,400 areas of consumer spending. in addition, we'll send you the save money now: financial survival secrets. this newly revised 90-page book is a collection of seven special reports prepared for 2009, so this is entirely up to date, and it includes information about retirement, taxes, and how to avoid scams. it is literally packed full of great ideas that you can actually put to use as soon as you receive it. and to make sure you really take advantage of all these money-saving ideas, you'll also receive the save money now action planner. this planner is a tool that will

help you put your money-saving strategies right into action right away. it includes budgeting tools, checklists for every area of your life, for shopping, banking, cars, home, retirement, insurance, taxes, and so much more. also at that $125 level of support, you enjoy our 3-dvd set of save money now videos. each one is designed to get you saving right now in different areas of your life, to do it easily and quickly. >> this is a great little library of dvds. the first one of the three is entitled strategies for super savings, focusing on helping you develop strategies for finding money-saving opportunities in your everyday life. it's really filled with dozens of simple ideas that you can put to work in every facet of your daily life, like enjoying vip treatment when you arrive and get full, half-price-off dinners at some of the nicest restaurants in town. now, you move on to the second dvd, which you'll also get. it focuses on money-saving ideas

in your home, with your car, and when you travel. now, wouldn't you like to know how to save up to 87% on your monthly electric bill with one simple phone call? now, finally, the third dvd, which you'll also get, is called your health, your money, and your taxes. it outlines how you can save in some areas that i bet you thought there was just no wiggle room for savings: your health and health care costs, your money-management expenses, and your taxes. just in the section on saving money on your health care alone, there are ideas that could easily save you over $100 a month for the rest of your entire life. or how about a simple strategy that results in more money being put into your company 401(k) plan without lowering your paycheck by a single dollar. the great philosopher cicero once said, "cannot people realize how large an income is thrift?" well, boy, is that at the heart of what we're doing with save money now.

the money you save really is income to you. he had it right over 2,000 years ago, and we're trying to get it right again, right now. take advantage of the years of research done by the consumer advocates at bottom line books. the editors and researchers there have spent thousands of hours looking for legitimate, practical, and workable tips and secrets for saving you money, and they're letting us send them to you in exchange for your modest gift of support to this station. and remember, before a single tip or insight gets put into the book, it's vetted by leading third-party experts in the field in question. if it's in the book, it means that it's something that you can actually do. >> all you have to do to get this money-saving ball rolling is to move on over to the phone and call the number on your screen. it's that simple. it could be the best money-management investment you've made in years. it's a simple and easy plan. you give this station the gift of your financial support, and we'll return the favor by sending you the tools for saving

hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the course of a year. this is a serious win-win proposition, but it only works if you make the call right now. >> so it's all up to you. we're waiting for the call from you right now. give us that call and that pledge of support. >> you know, greg, some of our viewers might not want to admit it, but they are over 50 years of age. now, in the unlikely event one is over 50, is there any silver lining to that age--and yes, i did mean that pun--like a few cost-saving benefits maybe worth mentioning? >> well, i've been over 50 for a--many, many--i've been 50 now for about ten years, so there are some magnificent money savers for folks over 50. it's the silver lining about getting older. and there are some really, really pleasant surprises when you do get to be at that slightly more mature age. so if you're one of those people that thinks the words "senior discount" conjure up the image of old folks lining up for the early bird special, well, let me tell you. times have changed. with the aging of the baby boomers, my generation and the

generation of many of the people i know watching right now, the opportunities for money savings are everywhere. just listen to some of these deals. but more importantly, you got to learn to speak up. no one's gonna walk up to you and say, "boy, you certainly look old enough to be a senior. would you like a discount?" so you probably wouldn't want them to do that anyways, so you've got to learn to speak up. wear your maturity with pride because it can save you some real money when you do. >> we have--we have friends who have no compunction, you know, when it comes about asking for those--for those discounts, because that's very important, you know? wear it with pride. you've earned the gray hair. you've earned the wrinkles. i'm looking forward to this myself. >> well, you know, don't jump on it, but there are some examples. when you go to a mall, for example, stop at the customer service kiosk and ask them which of their stores are offering coupons or senior discounts. and when you visit the hair salon or the shoe repair shop, the hardware store or the drycleaners, say, "hey, i'm a

senior. can i get 10% off my bill?" no matter where i go with my 80-year-old father-in-law, he does this trick and nine out of ten times, he gets 10% off just for asking. and according to my wife, he's been doing it for 40 years, so it's working. he's a new yorker, so you get it. and now, if your request is declined, ask to speak to the owner and suggest that he or she create a senior discount. we mature adults tend to reward the providers of dependable discounts by returning again and again, so it's a great deal for them; it's a great deal for you. >> really, it works out so well for everyone, so, you know, you could be doing yourself and everybody in your community a big favor by asking for those discounts, so that's good to keep in mind. >> but, camille, just keep in mind, they may ask you for your driver's license, your medicare card, or your membership card in an over-50 group such as aarp, and if you begin looking and asking, you're going to find those senior freebies and discounts everywhere. and let me just give you, once again, some real common examples

that you may have overlooked: museums, movies, stage plays. by proudly proclaiming your senior status, you can often save $5 or much more on admissions. sporting events: ask the public relations department of your local stadium or arena about membership opportunities, and senior citizen's days. lots of things to check out here if you're just willing to own up to the fact that you been around a few decades. >> and that is something, once again, to wear with pride, because there is some great deals out there. i really like these ideas. >> yeah, particularly if you enjoy getting the outdoors. the u.s. national park service offers seniors an unbelievably good deal. at age 62, you can purchase a lifetime america the beautiful pass for only $10. you know, that's right. $10 for an entire lifetime of unlimited entries into our national parks, historic monuments, recreation areas, and wildlife refuges.

and this pass not only applies to you, if you're driving or just in the car, but everybody else who's a passenger. so it's really a great way to treat friends and grandchildren to a little bit of a discount. okay, you know, i could keep talking about this subject, and use up all the time we have for this program, probably all the time we have for the broadcast scheduled for the rest of the day, but i know that's not the objective here. i want to give people a great overview, but the information's so exciting, i can't help but drill down into the details sometimes. >> you know, you're almost making me look forward to almost. actually, i'm closer to 50 than you might think, so this is good to get all of this lined up and ready to go in my own mind. >> stick with us, 'cause there's a lot more to come. you know, we all tend to complain about taxes and our sort of one-way relationship with the federal and state governments that we pay them, too, but the fact is, there are dozens of useful programs for seniors in which our government actually gives back generously. the $10 american beautiful pass is just one terrific example. let me give you a few more.

for example, you got free legal help for seniors. there's a not-for-profit senior legal hotline. they're funded through the older americans act, and they're supported by legal services corporation, or state bar funds. the hotlines are staffed with experienced attorneys who will provide tele as referrals for additional professional help. this legal advice is free, except in florida and pennsylvania. now, for a list of senior legal hotline phone numbers, visit a website entitled seniorlaw.com, and that will give you all the-- you can see it right there--it gives you all the information you need to take advantage of some of these wonderfully discounted services. >> you know, when you're a little kid, you get a discount on things. when you're in this middle age, there's really not a whole lot there for you, so, you know, this gives us a little something to look forward to as we get older. >> yeah, and there's great places--for example, get a personalized report to help you cut prescription costs. if you're 55 or older, you can

now get a personalized report on all the programs that can help you reduce your prescription drug costs. this is coming from the national council on aging--has created the website there--you can see it there. lots of great places for you to go. it searches out more than 1,200 programs in all 50 states, selects the benefits that you qualify for and then delivers this personal report directly back to you. more than 1,450 brand-name and generic medications are included in their research. >> before we move on to our next money-saving topic, let's just take a moment out to convince a few more people that now is a great time to make an investment in public broadcasting, particularly if you'd like to get ahold of all the money-saving ideas that you've been hearing on this program, plus over 1,000 more. the centerpiece of the $125 penny pinchers package is the 400-page save money now book:

over 1,400 money-saving tips in an easy-to-use format. just look through the table of contents and you'll find exactly what you're looking for. there are strategies for super savings, around-the-house money savers, money savers for your retirement, and so many more. the package also includes the recently updated financial survival secrets book, with seven special reports. and we have the action planner, so that you can take all of this information and put it to use right away and start seeing the benefits of saving money. we also offer in this package three dvds with even more information. you know, another reader of the save money now book from new york who's 84 years old said, "this book is the best source of information that i've ever found." >> you know, unfortunately, too many of us have fallen for that old english proverb, "a fool and his money are soon parted." now's the time to take action and regain control of your financial life by making this call right now.

seem like the world has been full of all sorts of financial gurus promising all sorts of get-rich-quick programs. now with the stock market down and the real estate market tumbling, those experts have all seemed to go into hiding. >> well, the knowledge you'll gain with these gifts is practical. it is grounded in the real world. and i have no idea what the real estate market or the stock market is going to do tomorrow or next month, but i can tell you, if you take advantage of just a handful of the hundreds of suggestions and insights and tips in our money savers package, you'll have more money in your pocket to spend on anything that makes sense to you. >> you know, savings really is addictive, and i'm so delighted to be able to have participated in this program really describing dozens and dozens of wonderful ideas for saving money in all aspects of our life, but the real opportunity here, and frankly why i was really excited to do the program was that i realized that we were gonna be able to give all these great thank-you gifts away to you in

exchange for your support of my favorite television network, the public television service. and if you've been listening to any or all of the program, you've probably heard a lot of ideas, some of them you might have known about, but a lot of them you didn't. well, as you know, camille, literally hundreds and hundreds of ideas that we have not the time to go over right now are in the book alone. >> this is a wonderful opportunity for you to get ahold of the terrific gift: 400-page book, 1,400 tips, strategies, and suggestions that you can put to use right away. so much great information into this in a very easy-to-read format. and this is gonna be a fun read for you. one of the other books is the financial survival secrets. it's a 90-page publication. i love what it says here, "how to spend like scrooge: live in luxury and retire rich in tough economic times." it's all true, and it's been updated for 2009, so you're getting the latest information. that's book number two. now, once you get all of the information, what do you do with it? you put it into an action plan. you want to start saving that money right away, you want to start spending it on the things

that really matter to you, so we will include the action planner in the $125 penny pinchers package. so--want you to remember that when you call in with your pledge of support. and along with the three books, we have three dvds. greg, you want to tell us-- >> yes, well, this is really neat because, essentially, everything you've heard us just touch on in the little bit of a summary way on the program is covered in-depth in these three dvds. one focuses on health and home issues, one about travel and your car, and then another one that's just got these really incredible strategies for super savings. now, you could say, "well, you know, i've got the web now. i'll just go and google 'save money' and see what comes up." well, you know what'll come up? a lot of things. probably about 150 million things, and you have no way of knowing which of those things is something that you can do, that really has been vetted and will really work for you. and the neat thing about this package is, it comes to us from a group of editors and researchers at bottom line books, and that's all they do

there, is their whole mission, their whole reason for being, is to go out into the world and find great deals for people like you and me. they organize them in the books and they've been organized in the pamphlets and the dvds, and as camille said, we're even giving you an action planner, at that $125 level, that comes with the books and comes with the dvds so you don't do what a lot of us do when we hear a good idea on tv. you know, you go off for the rest of your day and then you forget about it. there are too many good ideas in this package, in this penny pinchers package for you to walk away from them. that's why we've got the action plan in there. it's going to really hold your hand and get you to making some of these changes. now, camille, i don't expect that everybody's gonna do all 1,400 different ideas that are in this book, but i can guarantee you, if you did half a dozen, you'd probably save ten times the amount of money that we're asking in support of this public station. >> and all that is is a $125 pledge right now. call the number on your screen. become a member of this station,

and let us know that these types of programs are important to you, and when you do, we'll send you the penny pinchers package and you'll start saving money right away. think of all of the things that you could do with a little extra money. maybe you could get out of debt. maybe you could take a trip. maybe you can use it to help your children. maybe it--you know, the possibilities are unlimited. and it is entirely up to you, but we need you to go to the phone and make that pledge of support to your public television station right now. you're the one who counts. >> exactly. it's such an easy phone call to do. you probably been thinking about doing it maybe for months or years because you tune in to this station and enjoy all sorts of programming. not just how-to programming like this, where we're exploring the ideas about saving money, but you might enjoy watching the kids' programs with your children or grandchildren, the nature programs, the science, the news and information. it's all here on public television, largely because individuals just like you, over the past decades, have volunteered their financial support. it's an odd way to run a business, but it's worked out

for public television for just about half a century, and we want to keep it working, and we want to stay there and be there for you, but we can't do it without your support. and it's a really neat thing, camille, when we can offer a thank-you gift that actually is gonna make more money for the people that join than the money that we're asking. it's really a win-win situation. >> you know, greg, a lot of us aren't feeling really good about our homes. not exactly the brilliant investments they were just a year ago, but still, there are lots of real costs associated with keeping them up and running. we do want to keep them in good condition, so do you have any ideas for ways that we can save in this area? >> oh, yeah. you know, there are lots of really wonderful ideas that the researchers and the editors have found for us. you can save, believe it or not, for example, at least 75% on your home energy bill. this is really true. you know, our homes can be a financial burden, but, happily, our researchers have actually pulled together a list of money-saving ideas from green consulting groups who only study

ways to achieve energy efficiency, but they also play an active role in preserving our natural environment. >> now, this is very, very important to a lot of people. i mean, we obviously all want to save money, but we are focusing more and more on protecting the earth and making it a better place for us to live in, so it's nice to know that that information is out there. >> yeah, and one of these groups report that americans could be saving a full 3/4--just as i said, 75%--of the $150 billion a year we spend on energy every year. so let's look at some of the simple ways that we can simultaneously save money and actually preserve the planet. one of the big things to do is to replace your heating and ventilation and air conditioning--called your hvac system--and you want to replace that filter every six months. first you got to find it, but once you find it, you can replace it. you know, a clean filtering system is absolutely fundamental. by replacing the filter at least every six months, it's gonna

markedly increase the energy efficiency and save you up to $20 a year on your energy bill. one simple thing and you save $20 a year. >> certainly, just a few minutes of care will make a huge difference. >> now, there's another area about simply going around and caulking and weather stripping various aspects of your home. believe it or not, every year 13 billion--that's billion with a "b"--dollar's worth of energy escapes through little holes in the cracks in american homes. that little 1/8 inch gap under the door is equivalent to a two-inch hole in your wall. obviously, the job of plugging up air leaks around windows and doors can reduce heating and cooling bills, they say, as much as 30%, which in most cases, can add up to about $400 a year for your typical home. >> $400 a year? that's incredible, you know? i'm thinking now if i just have added up all of the savings that i'd enjoy by just doing the few

things that we've mentioned on the program so far, i think i'm close to about a $1,000 a month in savings, and we're just getting started. >> you're absolutely right. there's a lot more to come, and we have only just begun to save, so please stick with me. for example, this weatherization job is really a do-it-yourself job, if you want it to be. shouldn't require more than ten minutes per door or window. the cost in materials is less than $5 per window, about $10 per door. hvac professionals recommend that you check for deterioration and new leaks about every five years. >> well, that sounds like a pretty good investment, $5 or $10 per window and door for that long. that's-- >> yeah, for five years worth of $400 a year worth of savings, that is a good investment. now, there are lots of other holes in your home, believe it or not, where money is leaking out. for example, you should consider insulating your water heater. insulating your water heater will save about $40 a year if

you have an electric heater, and about $15 a year if it's natural gas. now, the cost of the insulation wrap is minimal, about $20 for a typical-size tank. >> once again, something that i don't think most people even consider, so these are great ways to really start making a difference. >> yeah, and, you know, the whole idea is to really sort of start building more energy efficiency into your home, and while we're on the subject, if you're considering buying or renovating a home, you've got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when you do that to make super cost-effective decisions that will save on bills and energy bills on a monthly basis, literally, for years to come. >> so basically, as we're spending less money on electricity and other sources of energy, we're actually using less, so, you know, pay attention to how much you're spending and how much we're using will take care of itself. >> well, this is a great way to save money in the long run and in the short run. now, this is a really cool idea that i'd never even heard of before, but the bottom line researchers found this.

it's--you called harvesting the geothermal heat form the ground. now, this geothermal heat pumps have been around for more than half a century, but they're finally receiving widespread attention as homeowners are searching for alternatives to the high cost of fuel oil and natural propane gas. geothermal heat pumps, also known as geoexchange systems, use liquid-filled pipes to shift heat from the ground or groundwater into your home. they just--you know what? just a few feet down in the earth, the earth maintains a year-round temperature that's surprisingly stable and nice, and so you can--the pumps can actually draw a reliable source from the ground of heat during even the coldest winter days, and in the summer, obviously, the process reverses itself. the pumps transfer the heat into the ground and actually cool your home, so this is sort of a almost sci-fi but cool way to manage the heat in your house. >> i'd never heard of that either. and let--you know, as we're

trying to do a little something nice for mother earth, let her do something for you as well. >> exactly. that's really taking advantage of mother earth. now, i must point out that the savings do, depending on your area vary greatly. homeowners can usually cut their heating costs by at least 25%, sometimes as much as 75%. the larger the home, obviously, the more you're gonna save. and the g.h.p.s. can also supplement your water heater, heat for a swimming pool, even melt snow right off your driveway. >> oh, i like that. i like that. i live part-time in a snowy area, and the less i have to shovel, the better. >> so if this is at all intriguing to you, for more information on incentives for geothermal and other heating systems, go to a website called "database of state incentives for renewables and efficiency." there is the website address right there. you can also find information and technical assistance about geothermal power at the geoheat center. there's their website. two great resources if you're sitting there, agonizing over

the cost of heating and cooling your home. here is a really cool, high-tech, very environmentally sound, sustainable solution. all right, speaking of heat, i think you've kind of overheated my brain with all of these money-saving ideas on so many different topics. i kind of feel like my head's about to explode with all of these ideas and tips. >> i'll stand back. >> okay. all right. good. watch out. >> so--well, you know what? camille, i have just the solution for anybody who, like camille, is suffering from a little brain heating overload because we've informed you with just a little bit--one or two too many good ideas. all you got to do is get over to the phone and show your support for this public station, and in exchange for your gift to us, we can send you some great tools for bringing all these money-saving tips and discoveries into your life. and it's really gonna make it easy. the whole thing, the package is designed to make it very easy for you to take advantage of them and, literally, every single idea that i've shared with you in this program is in there, and many times, in great

more detail than i've shared with you over the air. so if you're interested in these ideas, if you're interested in saving money, we are really interested in hearing from you on that phone number you see on the screen. give us a call right now. >> so it sounds like we're at a good juncture to take a short break in our save money now program and ask you for a little financial support of this public television station. as greg said, we have some great thank-you gifts that can make it super easy for you to put as many of these money-saving ideas into your life as you want. all you have to do is call the number on the screen and say yes to supporting your public broadcasting station. >> and with our penny pinchers package at the $125 level, you're gonna learn how to save 87% off your electric bill, save a whopping 75% of your grocery bill. you're gonna learn how to reduce the cost of chronic conditions by up to 66% and how to pump up your retirement, enjoy life even in these challenging times. you can save, if you put these ideas to work, hundreds if not

thousands of dollars every month. in fact, one reader of the book from indiana said, "i wish i had this book a year ago." another said simply, "i love this book," so we're talk--when i talk about the book, camille, this is the book with every single idea that we've been sharing with people on this program today. >> yeah, and this is the book. this is over 1,000 powerful strategies for super savings. 400-page book. fantastic information. it is very, very easy to read. and there is so much that you can be taking advantage of when you become a member of this public television station. first of all, when you pledge at the $125 level, we'll send you the penny pinchers package with all this great information that will allow you to start saving money right now. these are ideas you can put to work the very first day you receive these items. you can be so proud that you are a member of this public television station, making sure that programs like this will be on the air for years to come, all because of your financial

support. and when you ask for the penny pinchers package, we'll send you the three books, we'll send you the three dvds with all the information that we've been covering here in the program and so much more that you don't get the chance to hear right now. this will help you put all of it in order. this will help you understand it and use it easily, especially when you put that action planner to use. so please give us a call at the number there on your screen and become a member. let us know that this is important to you and let us know that you're ready to start saving money. please give us a call right now. >> yes, indeed. we we'd really love you to consider. the one that i hope that you'll consider is the $125 penny pinchers package. this is a wonderful opportunity, particularly, camille, for people who have been a little overwhelmed, as i know you have, with all the information that i've been sharing over the course of this show. with the penny pinchers package, at the $125 gift level to this public station, people don't have to worry about scribbling notes and going crazy trying to

remember all these websites and everything. you can get everything that we've been talking about, frankly, 'cause a whole lot of it is in this book, and this comes to you. it's the save money now book. this is the book we've been referring to on and off again throughout the show. this is the book that has the 1,400 different ideas on how to save money, and it's yours with your gift to this public station when you make the phone call-- you got to take action--when you make the phone call and pledge your support at that $125 level. i can tell you, and you probably already know, if you've watched more than five minutes of this show, any two, three, or four of these ideas--one of these ideas could save you much more than $125 this year if you just listen to it and you take the action. and, camille, that's not all. along with the penny pincher package and the book, we've got some other great tools for helping save money. >> we are waiting to hear from you right now with your pledge of support, so please let us know that this kind of thing is important to you. you know, as i was getting to

know some of this information, the thing that i was most surprised by and most delighted by is the fact that if you spend just a few minutes of care, you can make a huge difference in your life. well, start those few minutes of care right now by making your pledge of support at the number right there on your screen. you're gonna talk to people who are friends because they love this public television station, and they're so happy to be able to bring you programs just like this. think of all the things you've learned from public television over the years. you've learned how to, you know, install a fence in the backyard, or maybe you've learned to cook something new, or maybe you've learned about a part of the world that you've never been able to travel to. this is what public television does. think of the benefits that you will have when you can start saving money in easy, simple ways that are very profound. well, we're gonna get all this information to you when you pledge at the $125 level. ask for the penny pinchers package. declare yourself a penny pincher today. take action and call the number right there on your screen, and we'll send you the three books and the three dvds that are part

of this package. >> when i was putting this package together, i had the good fortune of meeting the good people at bottom line books who actually are all the people that do all the hard work to bring all this great resource of information together that we can offer you today and we've been sharing in this program. i also met the boss, the publisher of the organization. i was so impressed with their philosophy and their approach on how to get information out to the public to people like us, i wanted to share a few words directly from her. >> hi, i'm marjory abrams, the publisher of bottom line books and newsletters. for 37 years, we've been helping consumers to be healthier, wealthier, and wiser by providing the most useful information from the most knowledgeable experts in the world. let me tell you a little bit about our process for gathering all this amazing information. first we find the best experts in a particular field, whether a consumer advocate, car specialist, home repair guru, computer consultant, an accountant, or a doctor, and extensively interview them about

their areas of expertise. our research editors carefully fact check and verify all the information. we then ask the expert to review the edited story for accuracy. lastly, we have an independent expert review the final copy so that when it gets to you, our valued reader, we know that you are getting the most credible and trustworthy information. we're committed as a company to accuracy and accessibility in all our publications and content, and in making our customers' lives better. >> the people at the bottom line editors and their research has have spent every day of their careers trying to find the little tricks of the trade, the little insights, the hidden discoveries--many of them people don't want you to know. i'm sure that the phone companies, for example, camille, don't want us to know that we could be saving 75% of our money if we just moved our phone service over to the computer, but those are the kind of ideas--that's one of 1,400 ideas in there for helping you save money. lifelong learning is what public

broadcasting is all about. and we'd like you to keep it here. and we'd also like you to take advantage of the money-saving proposition we've got here, but it all starts with that one phone call and your pledge of support to this station. >> so, greg, let's get back to more money-saving ideas, the ideas that we can all use. now, next to our homes, gosh, it's got to be our cars. they're likely to be the other big expense in our life every day, so tell me what do the bottom line experts have to say about saving money in this very expensive part of our life? >> well, you know, this is-- there's a quote from a famous guy who said, "happiness is making the most of what you have," and that sort of sums up my sense of many of the strategies that we can have with our cars. if we treat them well, if we make smart purchasing decisions, we can make our dollars go much, much farther in the area of car ownership, car maintenance, and buying gasoline.

you know, high gasoline prices make it really more important than ever for us to save on fuel. i think most of us have already learned to save on gasoline, first, by keeping the tires inflated. that's one that's been around. everybody seems to know about that one. how many of the people have actually done it is the different thing. but do you realize the--also, that you don't need to use those higher-octane fuels unless they're specifically required in your car manual, and many of the experts even say you don't even have to do that. that being said, there are, camille, some other money-saving ideas that we may have not all, as--as--as a society come across. these are a little more hidden, and i think you're gonna find them interesting. >> sure, just being able to extend the life of your car is so important. i am proud to admit i have a vehicle that i've now passed onto my son that has over 300,000 miles on it, and it still has a long way to go. and that can make a real difference. >> it sure could. i mean, you could make the book with that kind of story. those are the kind of stories

that are in the book, by the way, people who've really figured out how to do this kind of stuff. but, please, be aware of the amount of gasoline in your tank. one trick is to start looking around for a gas station when it's about half full. this gives you plenty of time to comparison shop. while you're shopping, you know, keep in mind that, obviously, the interstate and highway gas stations generally charge 10¢ to 15¢ more per gallon for the same brand grade than those stations that are off the beaten track a little bit. >> yeah, that's a really good idea, to start looking while you still have time, so that you don't end up spending more money than to go on to a place that's out of your way in order to save those few cents. >> yeah, right. you know, it's sort of like--it becomes like, "is this really worth it, to drive halfway across town to save 5¢?" but if you do it when you're there, it makes sense. now, here's an idea that i didn't really know about. if you get a gas credit card, like, the major gas companies like bp and sunoco and exxon offer 1% to 6% discounts if you use their visa or mastercard

when buying their brand of gasoline. the visa card sponsored by aaa gives 5% back on all purchases at the pump regardless of the brand. there's their website and phone number, so that's a very nice one to take advantage of. just be sure to pay your bill in full each month so the interest costs don't wipe out the savings. and by the way, this is an example of why i love our bottom line experts, our researchers and editors there. i, you know, i have been a member of aaa for over 25 years, and for some reason, until i read the book, i didn't know about this simple money-saving offer, and that's just, camille, one little example of how, you know, we all have, you know, lots of good money-saving ideas in our head that we don't execute on, but let me tell you, it's great to have them in one volume so you can go, "okay, i'm gonna do these thing." >> okay, all right. but what else do you have? i want to hear more. >> okay, i think these days,

we're all sitting in a situation where we want to find every little--we want to literally pinch every penny that we've got, and to go on about talking in our area of saving money with gasoline, some of the big box wholesaling clubs like b.j.'s discount gas for members only, and that can be, like, a 12¢ a gallon savings off of a regular station, so you want to compare prices to see what's going on in your area. go to gaspricewatch.com or gasbuddy.com or fueleconomy.gov to compare fuel economies of various brands of cars as well, which is a great thing to figure out. >> you know, i know that there are some grocery stores that also have, you know, affiliations with fuel centers, and they can give you rewards when you use their shopping card just, you know, for buying your groceries, so that's something else. >> yeah. no, there's lots of strategies out there if you take advantage of them. and here's an ea--interesting little hint that some of you may have been aware of, but i wasn't. buy gas early in the morning

or late in the evening when the weather is coolest, because, believe it or not, reducing the amount of evaporation can actually make a difference. same with allowing your car to idle for more than a minute. an idling motor consumes up to one gallon of gas per hour, and it also wastes far more gas sitting there than actually turning it off and restarting the engine. >> now there is a myth. that--i did not know that. i had always been told my whole life, turn of--you know, to keep the engine running because it's going to take more fuel to actually start it back up again, so-- >> yeah, well, that's one of those little things when they actually do the test. and with the new cars, this is the way that it works. and of course, another strategy that's really important to keep in mind, and i'm sure most of you know this, but it's worth mentioning. drive strategically. combine errand, map out your route so you don't waste time and gasoline getting lost. use your cruise control. believe that i didn't know this about cruise control. it can cut down on gasoline as well as speeding tickets. of course, if you put it up at the wrong speed, it's not gonna work.

and don't accelerate rapidly, and try not to overuse your brake. these are really, really neat tips, and, you know what? they can really help you. i didn't know this information, but, you know, getting rid of a couple of these bad habits can lower your gas usage by 33% at the highway levels and 5% around town, so it's one thing to know something. the other thing is to realize how much money it could be saving you just by simply employing some of these simple strategies. so this information is something that i hope that you'll take advantage of. when you do the math on the savings--think about saving 33% on a tank of gas over the course of the year, and we're talking, once again, about a category where hundreds of dollars can be saved based on how much you drive. >> gee, that's a lot of great information already, but is there anything else still that has to do with cars where we can save? >> well, let's just wrap up with a couple of miscellaneous things, things you may know about, but they're really worth knowing. keep your windows closed when

traveling on the highways. open windows create a drag and can reduce your mileage. now, i knew that, but i didn't know it could reduce the mileage by 10%. and on the other hand, park in a shady spot in hot weather so you don't need to turn on the air conditioning and blast it when you're getting back in the car and it's 120 degrees. you know, air conditioning really does reduce fuel economy drastically, so the less you use that, the better off you are. >> this is such great information, and we're so happy that you're here presenting it to us today. i understand you have a b.a. in economics, and then by day you're a consumer advocate. is that true? >> that is true. i do a lot of work for public broadcasting 'cause i'm a big fan of public broadcasting, but my day job is actually going out and talking to consumers about what their needs are. big corporations all over the united states ask me to find out what their consumers are thinking about what they need, and what i have heard in an overwhelming numbers is, they want price savings. most people are value shoppers by nature, but what we have got here are great savings that even

a person with a degree in economics can't find, because when you go to an economics program, you don't learn how to simply save money on a day-to-day basis. you can understand the macroeconomic sense of the world, although it's so topsy-turvy now, i don't think phds in economics understand it. what we've got here in this program in some of the thank-you gifts we're offering people when we ask for their support are really practical well-vetted ways for people to save money that a professor in economics might not know, but they can save you money, so i hope you'll stay with us and learn more about how to save money now. >> well, it is very important that we hear from you with your pledge of support right now so that you can hang on to the things that mean most to you. public television offers so much to you, and for a $125 pledge, we have the penny pinchers package that we'll send you as a way of saying thanks for making that all-important pledge of support, so please, give us a call right now. >> hey, and the really delightful thing is, we've got just the right gifts to offer

you in return for your pledge of support when you call, i hope, right now. you know, all these gifts can help you take advantage of the money-saving ideas we've been sharing with you throughout this entire program, starting at, i hope, the affordable $50 level of support. call in your support at that level and we'll be happy to send you the dvd called strategies for super saving. every one of the ideas you hear us speaking about in this program has gone through a rigorous system to make sure they actually work and they're 100% accurate. >> if you can move up to the $125 level of support for this station, we'll send you what we're calling our penny pinchers package. in it, you'll receive the book that all these great ideas for saving money have come from. it's called save money now. it's a 400-page hardcover book from the editors at bottom line books, including practical and vetted tips for saving money in over 1,400 areas of consumer spending. in addition, we'll send you this save money now: financial survival secrets.

this newly revised 90-page book is a collection of seven special reports prepared for 2009, so this is entirely up to date, and it includes information about retirement, taxes, and how to avoid scams. it is literally packed full of great ideas that you can actually put to use as soon as you receive it. and to make sure you really take advantage of all these money-saving ideas, you'll also receive the save money now action planner. this planner is a tool that will help you put your money-saving strategies right into action, right away. it includes budgeting tools, checklists for every area of your life: for shopping, banking, cars, home, retirement, insurance, taxes, and so much more. also at that $125 level of support, you enjoy our 3-dvd set of save money now videos. each one is designed to get you saving right now in different areas of your life, to do it easily and quickly. >> this is a great little library of dvds. the first one of the three is entitled strategies for super

savings, focusing on helping you develop strategies for finding money-saving opportunities in your everyday life. it's really filled with dozens of simple ideas that you can put to work in every facet of your daily life. now, you move on to the second dvd, which you'll also get. it focuses on money-saving ideas in your home, with your car, and when you travel. now, finally, the third dvd, which you'll also get, is called your health, your money, and your taxes. it outlines how you can save in some areas that i bet you thought there was just no wiggle room for savings: your health and health care costs, your money-management expenses, and your taxes. just in the section on saving money on your health care alone, there are ideas that could easily save you over $100 a month for the rest of your entire life. or how about a simple strategy that results in more money being put into your company 401(k) plan without lowering your paycheck by a single dollar?

take advantage of the years of research done by the consumer advocates at bottom line books. the editors and researchers there have spent thousands of hours looking for legitimate, practical, and workable tips and secrets for saving you money, and they're letting us send them to you in exchange for your modest gift of support to this station. and remember, before a single tip or insight gets put into the book, it's vetted by leading third-party experts in the field in question. if it's in the book, it means that it's something you can actually do. >> all you have to do to get this money-saving ball rolling is to move on over to the phone and call the number on your screen. it's that simple. it could be the best money management investment you've made in years. it's a simple and easy plan. you give this station the gift of your financial support, and we'll return the favor by sending you the tools for saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the course of a year. this is a serious win-win proposition, but it only works

if you make the call right now. >> you know, camille, that reminds me of a famous line by ben franklin. he said, "beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." and we don't want your family's ship sinking, so what we're gonna do here is use some, again, of our experts' advice, who have been following areas of savings for years to give you some money-wise suggestions, starting with advice from author and expert on a money management who insists that there are hundreds of ways to save money regardless of the state of the economy. her advice is to stop procrastinating and start saving and put those savings to work for you now. >> i mean, y anymore. that's the hard part, i think, for a lot of people, is to just take that initial step and get going. so what do we do?e right place, where you want to make some changes. here are a few of her top choices for smart management of

your personal finances. credit unions are a very thrifty alternative to banks. they usually pay more interest on savings and charge less for consumer loans. so call the local credit unions to ask whether you qualify for a membership or contact the credit union national association. there's their website to find out the address of your state association. but there is a caveat: join a credit union only if its savings accounts are insured by the national credit union administration, which provides federal protection identical to that that we're all familiar with, the federal deposit insurance corporation does on banks. >> okay, so one more area is credit card debt. you know, we all say, "yeah, we need to lower our credit card debt," but what does that really mean for saving real money? >> well, it can be real money. let me tell you, camille. take a look at this example. it's provided to us by our financial expert. say you have a money market

account which is currently paying a very low interest rate of .75%, and you have a credit card debt which coasts you 14% in interest. the net effect is that you're losing 13.25% in interest every year. so what you want to do is use the low-paying money market savings to pay off your credit card and then put that card away in some drawer and throw away the key. that's the hardest part. just, you know, making sure that you lock it away and that you really only use it for emergencies. >> exactly. exactly. >> i'll put that one on the list. >> okay, now, there's another way you can cut your car insurance by 30% with a simple step of increasing your deductible from $250 to $500. if your car is five years or older, you should also cancel any collision coverage. save thousands of dollars in interest by accelerating your mortgage payments. add $50 or $100 with each

monthly mortgage payment, or pay half of your monthly mortgage every two weeks. you'll shave thousands of dollars off your mortgage interest and pay off the loan years earlier. >> now, that seems actually pretty simple, just to, you know, split it up into a couple of payments. that's not very difficult. and if you can save that much money, it would be worth doing, even if you put a stamp on the envelope. >> right, exactly. you know, a year and a half ago, you might have heard that advice and said, "i can live without it," but now i think that extra mortgage payment a year would be pretty nice. another opportunity is to buy government instruments like savings bonds and treasury notes to save on investment expenses and taxes. there's no purchasing fee, and earned interest is free of any state taxes. you know, federal taxes can be deferred or even exempted for educational expenses. you know, savings bonds like series "ee" and "i" can be purchased from your bank or online at savingsbonds.gov. treasury bonds and notes can be

purchased at the federal reserve bank or directly from the u.s. treasury at treasurydirect.gov. so lots of ways that you can cut out the middle man and get your savings in a nice safe place where it's earning a reasonable amount of money. >> okay, and that's a lot of information, and it makes me very happy that it's all in the book so that i don't have to try to remember all of this at once. yeah. >> here's another opportunity, if i don't want to overwhelm you, but this is a good one too. buy stock through dividend reinvestment plans-- they're called "drips" for short--which enable you to purchase stock directly from a company and reinvest the dividends for additional shares, and there's only a small administrative charge typically for these kind of purchases. for more information, go to the website moneypaper.com. >> now, i know it's important for us all to consider cutting back on, you know, nonessential purchases, but sometimes it's kind of hard to see the advantage of not spending a dollar here or a dollar there. do you have any suggestions for that? >> yes. well, the simple one is, you'd really got to wake up, pay attention, and cut needless