One month, I counted 92 telemarketing calls, 17 preapproved credit card offers, and a full recycling bin’s worth of fliers for satellite TV service (for the three extra rooms I don’t have), foreclosure avoidance help (despite my up-to-date mortgage payments and good credit), and consolidation deals (for my nonexistent “student loans).

Americans get more than 4 million tons of junk mail a year. (Not surprisingly, storage is a $2 billion-a-year business.) Our response? Call off the dogs already!

Did you throw away your “Do Not Disturb” sign?

Once a year, financial companies with which you hold accounts will ask whether it’s OK to share your name with “partners.” (Yeah, I tossed mine in the trash, too.) Other institutions have 18 months from the time of your last interaction to make contact (three months if you simply made an inquiry).

To get the businesses you know to stop bugging you, you can request another opt-out notice, or ask to be put on their internal do-not-call list. (To report abuse, go to www.donotcall.gov or call 888-382-1222.)

Some companies will do the legwork for you, and, for a fee, opt you out of telemarketing calls and junk mail. Better yet, you can use the opt-out list we lovingly compiled to do the exact same thing for free!

Dear [blank]: Buzz off!

Give your shredder, your mail carrier’s back, and your phone battery a break with this opt-out contact list.

• National Do Not Call Registry: 888-382-1222 (call from the phone — cell and/or home — you wish to register) or www.donotcall.gov
• Direct Marketing Association: Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, NY 10512 (free) or www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist ($5 charge)
• Pre-approved credit cards: 888-567-8688 or www.optoutprescreen.com

Real estate-related pitches

• Acxiom (provides tax assessor public records for marketing use): Opt-Outs/Consumer Advocacy, P.O. Box 2000, Conway, AR 72033-2000; 877-774-2094; or email optoutUS@acxiom.com
• Innovis: 888-567-8688

List vendors

According to Junkbusters.com, the largest marketing list-sellers house data on more than 90 million households. Contacting the following big guns will significantly cut the clutter:

• Abacus: P.O. Box 1478, Broomfield, CO 80038 or email optout@abacus-us.com
• InfoUSA: Product Quality, P.O. Box 27347, Omaha, NE 68127 or 888-633-4402
• The Polk Company: Opt-Out Coordinator, 26955 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, MI 48034-8455 or 800-873-7655
• LexisNexis: Download the form at www.lexisnexis.com and mail to P.O. Box 933, Dayton, OH 45401. (Opt-out provisions are limited to ID theft victims or those whose safety would be at risk if their information were exposed.)
• Metromail: Consumer Services, 901 West Bond, Lincoln, NE 68521 or 800-228-4571, ext. 4633

For more on keeping yourself underexposed, check out privacyrights.org and junkbusters.com.

You owe me one
When marketers tap into our natural propensity to return a favor, the money flows. That’s how Tupperware-party participants (plied with friendly chitchat and free crudites) get swept up in a buying frenzy.

Bob Cialdini, professor of psychology and author of Influence: Science and Practice, calls this strategy “reciprocity,” and he illustrates how powerful it can be in practice. When the American Disabled Veterans organization sent out its standard solicitation, it got an 18% donation-response rate. When customized address labels were added to the packet, the contribution rate jumped to 35%. “They become benefactors before they make a request,” he says. “I’ve gotten this gift with my name on it. As soon as I begin to use it, I feel obligated to say ‘yes’ to their request in return.”

Buy now or regret later
Flea-market shoppers must make split-second buying decisions. Savvy mass marketers also play on shoppers’ limited-time-only emotions to encourage unplanned purchases.

Costco CEO Jim Sinegal revealed how the warehouse chain takes advantage of that mindset. “We refer to it as a treasure hunt. We carry about 4,000 stock-keeping units, and about 1,000 of them are constantly in that changing mode. In the past, you may see that we have some Coach handbags. The next time you come in, the Coach handbags aren’t there, but perhaps there are some Fila jackets. The attitude is that if you see it, you have got to buy it, because it may not be there next time.” (Guilty!)

Tears cloud your cash decisions
A study in the mid-1990s found that disgust (triggered by showing a gross scene from the movie Trainspotting) made test subjects lower their valuation of a commodity, while sadness (brought on by a weeper clip from The Champ) increased people’s value assessments.

Jennifer Lerner, Ph.D., assistant professor of social and decision sciences and co-author of the study, explained that when people are disgusted, they want to get rid of things and avoid acquiring new things. Sadness, however, drives us to change our circumstances. “It’s out with the old, in with the new,” she says. But in pursuit of “the new,” our unhappiness dulls our ability to assign an accurate value, and we are more likely to pay a premium for replacement items. In other words, don’t shop on an empty stomach, or after watching Terms of Endearment.

More is better, and cheaper … right?
Ah yes, the 24-pack of tuna and 280-ounce bag of gummy bears — tempting, indeed. We haul home so much industrial-sized stuff that we should be charging it rent. Just remember, too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. The next time you see a supposed “deal” on something that is not an immediate need, ask yourself:

• Is it really a deal? Meaning, do you know the prices on similar products elsewhere, and recognize when the price you’re seeing on the item really is a rare bargain? Pay particular attention to higher-dollar items like cleaning products, Brita water-pitcher filters, dog food, or whatever it is that tends to comprise the bulk of your grocery bill. You’ll drive yourself crazy trying to sweat all the small stuff, so concentrate instead on big-ticket savings.

• Do I really need it — now or later? It’s easy to convince yourself that you absolutely cannot get by without the shredded Swiffer thingie that looks like an old-fashioned duster. (Somehow I’ve managed to make do without it for this long.) However, particularly while warehouse shopping, you’re likely to run across items you know will come in handy a month or two down the road. In that case, stockpiling is fine, so long as you don’t forget about those three tubs of peanut butter already in your pantry the next time you’re at the grocery store.

Now you know how to spot retailers’ mind games. And the next time feelings start invading black-and-white money matters, you’ll be better prepared to decide what’s ultimately best for you and your bottom line.

To make your home seem more attractive than all the rest, consider, well, making it seem more attractive than all the rest. The experts call this “staging.” You can hire a professional to do the job for you, or you can do much of the work yourself.

If you have a few good friends (who doesn’t?) and a couple of free weekends, you can make major improvements without shelling out a lot of money. Think of it as one of those home-and-garden television shows — just without the chummy banter among thin, well-dressed designers.

Start with some criticism
Start by asking particularly opinionated friends to come over and walk through the house as though they were potential buyers. Ask them to point out anything that might turn off a house shopper. Don’t take their comments personally. Everyone who comes to look at your home will walk through a critic. Better to hear the bad news now than suffer the consequences by settling for a lower price, or watching your house sit on the market too long.

With your friends’ list of complaints in hand, tackle the job. Next, get rid of clutter. We all have it, and we get used to looking at it. It’s time to banish it. Think in terms of making your home look like the picture-perfect rooms in those glossy magazines. What makes them so alluring? To begin with, your husband’s shoes aren’t strewn all over the floor, and the dining room’s not piled high with junk mail and dusty knick-knacks.

Empty it out
Remove things that overwhelm visitors with your personality. We know your collection of porcelain dalmatian dogs is charming, but it may interfere with buyers’ efforts to imagine themselves living in the house. Along these lines, experts recommend removing all your family photos. It’s my humble opinion that one or two well-placed snapshots give the warm impression that your home made your family happy, and that it can do the same for others.

Consider removing some furniture if your house is stuffed to the gills. To keep costs low, resist the urge to put everything in self-storage. Give away or sell anything you know you won’t use in your new home. Don’t pile it all into the basement or into a closet. Buyers will look in your closets, your kitchen cabinets, your garage, your basement, and probably even your underwear drawer. Almost nothing’s off limits.

Scrub-a-dub-dub
Then, clean. Clean like you’ve never cleaned before. Pretend Martha Stewart and your mother-in-law will stop by at the same time to inspect for cobwebs in the corners, dust on the mini-blinds, and streaks on the windows. Your potential buyers will consider your house well-maintained if it looks sparkling. Even old kitchens and bathrooms can look newer if they’re scrubbed to a shine.

Also go through your home with a bloodhound’s nose. Now is the time to eliminate the musty odor in the bathroom and eradicate any scent suggesting that Misty the cat likes to hang out in the basement. I recently found myself charmed by a house for sale in my neighborhood, for no other good reason than the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies hanging in the air.

Freshen it up
If you’ve been to many local open houses, you’ve probably realized that first impressions count, and that means your front yard and front door should be inviting. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, planting a few colorful annuals can cheer up an entrance. (Just pull them out if you can’t keep them looking healthy.)

Anything, including the front door, can look fresher with a new coat of paint. Even urbane city dwellers who know a screwdriver only as a drink with orange juice can usually manage to paint. If you’re not that handy, this can be one of the less expensive jobs for a professional. Make your priority any room that has decor you can date. Take note if your opinionated friends say something like, “That’s so mid-1980s country kitchen.”

Now is also the time to fix all the “quirks” that make your house your home. Fix the leaky faucets and running toilets, the broken stair rail, the loose doorknobs, and all the other little things that buyers won’t want to do themselves.

Watch your budget
Like many household improvements, this one can get expensive quickly if you let it. Before you know it, you could be thinking about buying that new sofa you’ve been eyeing, or upgrading all of your kitchen appliances.

But remember — you don’t want to spend all your potential profits. Don’t get carried away if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on this project. Put some elbow grease into the job — by cleaning and getting rid of clutter — before you start the projects that cost you money. Then set a budget, and do whatever gives you the most bang for your buck. Put painting and repair jobs for obvious problems at the top of the list. Flip through some of those glossy magazines for inspiration.

Staging is not glamorous work, but sprucing up your home can mean a faster sale — and a heftier selling price.

Visit our center on real estate investing for more information.

We all know what happened next. A few lucky people cashed out at just the right time. As for the rest — we’re still dealing with the aftermath of their stories. And many people are wondering: Did I miss the right time to sell.

A unique asset

First, remember that your home isn’t like other investments. When housing prices are up, your four walls and a roof may be the best investment you’ve ever made, but pocketing the profit is just half of the process. There are property taxes to consider and school systems to research; commutes to be calculated and condo fees to be factored in.

And guess what? If your house is worth a lot, odds are any house you’re interested in moving into also has a hefty price tag. You can always find a rental, which isn’t a bad option — if you successfully time both the top and the bottom of the real estate market.

Home, sweet investment

As a homeowner, you’ll find it easy to think of your home as a piece of your overall portfolio. You’re the CEO of 1412 Maple Lane. Make the most out of this piece of your portfolio by making sure you aren’t overpaying for your mortgage, and that you are making necessary upgrades to extend the life of your home — and enhance your time there.

In fact, you should approach the housing market — your housing market — with the attitude of a buy-and-hold investor. Long-term buyers know that they will most likely be rewarded, despite the market’s day-to-day ups and downs. Time in the market is a lot easier than market timing.

Granted, things change. It’s pretty rare these days for people to live in the same area for their entire lives. Depending on where you move, you might find yourself in a totally different real estate market, with different price levels and available features. But if you’re lucky, you’ll always be able to at least maintain your standard of living when moving from house to house — thereby enjoying the slow but steady profits that rising housing prices have given homeowners over the decades.

Hot or not

Whatever history tells us about this time period, remember that a home is where you live. Its value in your asset mix is more than a number on a piece of paper. But you already know that. And, honestly, after a weekend of watching homes being razed, refurbished, tricked out, flipped, and traded up on cable TV, we can’t blame you for wondering whether you should have dumped your house at the peak and rented a place until everything cratered.

But while hindsight may be perfect, we don’t have a crystal ball. And with your home, it’s an all-or-nothing proposition. You can’t just take a portion of your profits — say, sell the third half-bathroom with the bad ’80s wallpaper and the seldom-used dining room and unfinished basement.

So if you want to make a killing in real estate over the years, the right time to sell is never. By moving only when your needs change, you spend less on costs such as listing fees and mortgage loan charges — and you benefit from the slow appreciation that real estate has offered over time.

Effective money management is more important than ever in these troubled economic times. Through our partnership with The Motley Fool, we are able to provide you with great personal finance articles that can help you jumpstart your financial planning and give you the actionable advice you need to address the financial crisis.

Foreclosures, flagging home sales, mortgage-meltdown headlines — and bears, oh my!

The events of recent years have brought the risks of adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) into the public eye. If you’re a homeowner with an ARM, the question of whether you should try to refinance your mortgage can keep you up at night.

Mortgage pros recommend that you focus on three factors to make your decision:

• How long you plan on staying in your home.
• Which way you think interest rates will go.
• How well you can withstand rate fluctuations.

Based on my cocktail-napkin calculations, the answers to those questions will get you roughly 18.2% of the way to the right result.

As with so many financial decisions, it’s the details that matter — and those fine points of refinancing make up (again, in my estimation) that other 81.8% of the equation. In short, refinancing isn’t right for everyone.

ARM wrestling: Who holds the cards?
If you’re thinking about dumping your ARM, remember this: Refinancing products are being hawked by the same industry that aggressively pushed these nontraditional loans in the first place.

You should be just as careful getting your ninth loan as you were getting your first. Since the process is completely in your control — there’s no moving date looming — it’s easier to take your time and do it right.

5 key questions
Here are the considerations that will help you devise a refinancing strategy:

1. Do you really have a “risky” loan? Not all ARMs are created equal. The riskiest ones offer flexible payment options and carry rates that adjust frequently — anywhere from monthly to every six months. (Not surprisingly, they also provide the biggest commissions for the brokers selling them.) Surveys show that 70% to 80% of option ARM holders make just minimum payments. The danger with such loans lies in ignoring the adjustments — easy to do, since the required payment may change only once a year.

However, there’s no need to wait for a warning bell — your lender’s hand is hovering over the buzzer. Once you’re in negative amortization land and owe 110% of the original loan amount (some have a cap of as much as 125%), the bank will require fully amortized payments. That’s what they can stomach. But remember, it’s not their roof at risk if you’re forced into foreclosure.

Traditional ARMs include long-term adjustment periods. Some come with an interest-only option. But even if your ARM is due to reset soon, refinancing isn’t necessarily a slam-dunk decision. So let’s keep digging.

2. How damning will the rate adjustment be? It’s not enough to say, “I have a five-year ARM.” You need to dig deeper. What index is your rate tied to? When does your loan adjust? What is the annual cap? What is the lifetime cap? And — this is an important one — what is the initial adjustment cap?

According to an independent mortgage-advice site run by Jack Guttentag, professor emeritus of finance at the Wharton School and founder of mortgage technology company GHR Systems, rate increases are fairly standardized on all but the five-year ARMs (second only in popularity to one-year ARMs at the time of his survey). The initial adjustment cap on five-year ARMs ranged from two to six percentage points — a small detail that could have huge long-term consequences.

Say you started out with a loan with a 6% rate. If it caps the first rate adjustment at two percentage points, you’d face a maximum rate of 8%. But if it has an initial rate cap of five percentage points, you could pay as much as a whopping 11% interest rate. That’s quite a handicap right out of the gate.

3. What’s your FIR? One critical input in your refinance research is the current fully indexed rate (FIR) of your ARM — the current rate of the index your ARM follows, plus the margin. “This is the best available predictor of how your ARM rate will change,” Guttentag says. You’ll find the index and your margin in your loan paperwork. For the current rate of the index, go to mortgage-x.com.

When the FIR rate is higher than the fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate, refinancing might make sense. However, if the rate for your ARM is currently below the FRM as well (the most common scenario), it makes sense to wait until the next adjustment to refinance, unless you are extremely risk-averse.

4. When do you reach your breakeven point? Don’t let loans that emphasize the monthly payments cloud your judgment. Instead, look at the total cost of refinancing, which isn’t as straightforward as you might think. It’s not as simple as just comparing your upfront costs with your monthly savings. Keep in mind how quickly you’ll pay off your mortgage, and consider the lost interest on the money you use to pay refi costs and any prepayment penalties that apply.

5. Why did you pick an ARM in the first place? Maybe you chose an option-payment ARM because you have an unsteady income — a common situation for small-business owners or commission-based employees. Maybe you didn’t expect to live in your home very long. Did you get an interest-only loan so you could free up cash for other investments? Perhaps you got an 80-10-10 loan, or a “piggyback mortgage” — a primary loan subsidized by a home equity loan or line of credit — to avoid paying private mortgage insurance.

Plans change. It’s important to re-examine your original motivation and see whether those inputs have, too. Look at the equity you’ve built up. Take a truthful look at how you’re handling that “freed-up” cash. Are you investing it or blowing it at the mall? Research home values, which affect your ability to move up or sell. And check your credit report, particularly if you were forced to take a subprime loan because of past bloopers.

Photo: stargazer95050

Improving your credit score takes some elbow grease. Ruining it, on the other hand, is a piece of cake.

Just a few false moves, and in no time, your credit reputation starts to suffer. It doesn’t even need to be something extreme, either. Just a late bill payment here or a retail splurge there is all it takes. Woe to the consumers who make a few missteps in a row and find themselves slogging through suboptimal loans (high rates, high fees) the next time they’re shopping for credit.

The surest way to be blacklisted is to break the rules that matter most to the very folks measuring your creditworthiness. Here are the five key gotchas and some ways to stay in the lending world’s good graces.

1. Forget to put the check in the mail. Hey, it happens — you’re on the lido deck during your family getaway, and — doh! — you remember that the credit card payment was due three days ago. No big whoop, right?

Actually, you are right … to a point. Credit card companies actually do have a heart (or at least offer a little leeway), and they’re willing to let a few missteps slide, particularly in how they treat 30- and 60-day late payments that are brought up to date right away.

Still, if you make a habit of it, prepare for some brutal consequences, since one-third of your credit score — the most popular being the FICO score from Fair Isaac — is based on your bill-paying habits. According to Credit.com, a single 90-day-late payment is as damaging as a bankruptcy filing, a tax lien, a collection, a judgment, or a repossession.

The lesson here is simple: Pay your bills on time. Don’t skip any bills — and certainly not your rent or your mortgage payment. Send in just the minimum amount due, if you have to, but send it in. If you know your payment will be late, call your lender and explain, and he or she might give you a free pass, just this once.

2. Spend up to your credit limit. You’ve earned it, right? After all, a bunch of bankers in suits have deemed you worthy of a spending limit of $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, or maybe even $40,000 or more on your credit cards. Financing a Bugatti has never seemed so within reach.

Back to earth, Trump wannabe. Sure, you might have a $15,000 credit limit on your card, but that doesn’t mean that’s how much you can afford to spend. Even a temporary splurge could turn into long-term debt trouble if you’re not careful. Just ask Michael Jackson.

Keep those cards in your pockets and avoid coming anywhere near maxing out your credit cards. The measure of debt to your credit limits counts for a whopping 30% of your overall credit score. Our advice is to keep your debt to below 10% of your limit — and you are paying the bill off every month, right? If you can’t handle that, keep in mind that around 30% is “acceptable” to the banking world, and that red flags start waving when your debt-to-available-credit ratio exceeds 50%.

3. Dismiss your youthful indulgences. You may want to deny your past — that Limited Express charge card you used so often during college was so long ago.

But that’s the point. The longer your borrowing history — particularly if you’ve been a responsible, card-carrying citizen — the better your score. Too many people cancel old credit cards when spring cleaning their wallet, and then are shocked when it affects their credit score.

The length of time you’ve spent in the system determines 15% of your overall score, not to mention the impact of closing lines of available credit that factor into your debt-to-credit ratio mentioned above.

Celebrate and retain your credit history. If you’re going to cancel some credit cards, start with newer accounts, since the old ones help establish your long and illustrious credit record.

4. Sign up for a better card. And then sign up for an even better one. Given the number of credit card solicitations mailed out each year, it seems that everyone is in line to win the plastic popularity contest. Playing the field is tempting, and sometimes you should. If you’re trying to pay off debts, shopping around for the best deal makes sense. Most of the time, though, you should stick with what’s in your wallet.

Lenders like loyalty. Think about it: If you lent someone money, you’d probably get nervous if that person started asking all of his or her other friends for a loaner, too. Lenders check your credit file regularly to see whether you’re dating around. (New credit applications affect 10% of your credit score.) If they see you applying for lots of credit at once, they tighten their purse strings and fire a few warning shots at your credit score.

Also keep in mind that every line of credit you apply for will stay on your record for at least seven years, even if the account is open only for a day or two. So take great care when opening and closing accounts.

5. Grease a few palms to get ahead. Dressing to impress and picking up the happy-hour tab are classic tools to get ahead in some circles. So you may wonder whether there’s a way to buy your way to better credit.

There’s something to be said for variety. Those with perfect credit scores have a demonstrated history with a variety of loans — such as installment loans, like a car loan or mortgage, and revolving debt, such as your workaday credit card. Types of loans affect 10% of your overall score.

The problem with trying to quickly add variety to your borrowing portfolio is that doing so may put you in a worse situation than where you began. Remember, when you apply for loans, you’ll experience a short-term drop in your score. And then there’s the money — paying interest or annual fees or other costs of borrowing just to add some cards to your credit portfolio.

Don’t borrow money just to boost your score, and for heaven’s sake, don’t believe anyone who tells you that you have to carry a balance on your cards to prove your creditworthiness. That’s bunk.

There are just two things that are guaranteed to boost your credit score:

1. Time. (Remember, most bad marks fall off your report after seven years.)

2. The proper use of credit. (Responsible bill-paying habits matter most to those judging you.)

Photo: Lester Public Library

Put the car keys down. Don’t flip through the Sunday sales circulars or fire up the Net just yet. It’s time to learn how to shop like a Fool.

If you want to save some significant coin on your retail expeditions, you first need a game plan. Even if you’re rarin’ to score deals on every last item on your shopping list, trying to do so will no doubt result in extreme retail fatigue.

The most evolved shopper-gatherers concentrate their effort on the biggest prey. They’ve done the math: 20% off a $500 item nets $90 more than what they’d save scoring the same discount on a $50 trinket.

However, this basic rule of retail eludes the majority of consumers. Instead, we clip coupons for canned soda, look for the generic brand of our favorite cereal, and wait until the end of summer to score half-priced swimming trunks. And then we’re too tuckered out to save money on the things that will put some serious cash back in our pockets.

Consider the biggest slices of your spending pie, and practice cost consciousness where it counts: vacations, transportation, holiday and home expenses, and electronics. Really planning a shopping strategy to procure these items could save you some serious cash.

Get it done: Plan your next big purchases

Before you scratch that retail itch, you need to devote some time to composing a shopping list like no other.

1. Compile a major purchase shopping list: Depending on your budgeting constraints and the time you’re willing to devote to cost-cutting work up front, start off by defining what a major purchase entails for you — for example, it might be anything that costs more than $100, or $1,000.

2. Organize your wish list: Separate the items based on the time frame in which you intend to buy them. Which purchases do you plan to make during the next month? The next three to six months? The next six months to one year? More than a year from now? Remember, this is not a shopping agenda set in stone. Circumstances and needs change, so keep an eraser handy.

3. Make a list of must-have features: Take a first crack at compiling each item’s features that you absolutely cannot do without. (This is more essential with complex products and services than it is for ones that have no moving parts and limited color and size options.) Bonus points for ranking them in order of importance. While you’re at it, jot down the gadgets and add-ons that you really don’t need. Doing so will help you stay strong when the salesperson puts on the hard sell.

4. Pick a price range: Again, committing this item to paper in this initial stage helps you keep your resolve while others fall under the gleaming trance of whistles, chrome, and blinking lights.

Congratulations! You’ve now shielded yourself from the flurry of marketing madness designed to get you to buy bigger, stronger, faster, and shinier things than what you really need.

Still, in the face of retail might, even those with the strongest resolve get weak-kneed when the lighting and mood music are right. Don’t fret. We have advice on how to resist the most dastardly of retail tricks — the impulse purchase.

Get it done: Three tricks to curb the urge to splurge

The key to keeping your mind from playing tricks on you and your wallet is to master an emotion-free, neutral frame of mind during every shopping foray. Doing so prevents those mind games from invading black-and-white money decisions. Maintain this detached state with three simple tricks:

1. Fend off “the wants”: Kids aren’t the only ones who scream “I want! I want!” from the supermarket aisles. A little voice in all of our heads can be as stubborn as a toddler in a candy store. When you see a supposed deal on something that is not an immediate need, ask yourself two questions:

• Is it really a deal? Do you know the prices on similar products elsewhere and recognize when the price you’re seeing on the item is really a rare bargain?

• Do you really need it — now or later? It’s easy to convince yourself that you absolutely cannot get by without the latest and greatest thingamajig. Yet somehow you’ve survived up until now without it. If you do run across an item that you know will come in handy a month or two down the road, pick it up, so long as the next time you’re at the grocery store you don’t forget about those three tubs of peanut butter already in your pantry. One way to control the “once-in-a-lifetime” bargain temptation is to keep with you a list of long-term items that you need.

2. Keep separate tabs: “What’s another $50 when I’m already spending $500?” Contractors, car salespeople, and electronics-store clerks bank on this kind of faulty thinking. In the context of a larger purchase, somehow $300 cupholders and $3,000 Corian countertops start to make sense. Don’t let upgrades and add-ons pad your tab. Instead, consider each option separately and ask yourself whether you’d pay that same amount were you shopping solely for that item.

3. Leave home without your credit card: It’s easy — too easy — to pay with plastic. Studies show that people spend more — and more impulsively — when no actual cash changes hands. Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich, authors of Why Smart People Make Big Mistakes and How to Correct Them, say that plastic makes us devalue what we spend because we don’t experience the immediate loss of buying power that we do when we pay with cash. Like Vegas gambling chips, credit cards mask the tangible aspects of spending money. (Quick gut check: Visualize the difference between handing the cashier $40 of the $80 cash in your pocket versus putting it on your card. Feel the pain?)

Pay in cash only, and you’ll probably see a dip in your daily expenditures. Imagine the results after an entire year. Now that’s a rewards program that the credit card companies can’t match.

Ready? Set? Shop!

With your emotions in check and a map to the retail minefield in hand, you’re ready to tackle that shopping list like a pro buyer. An informed consumer can steer a shopping cart with confidence. So get ready to play ball.

1. Do some retail recon: Shopping before you go shopping might sound redundant, but the only way to spot the difference between a deal and a dud is by doing some retail reconnaissance work. Many ads leave out an item’s original price and simply scream out the sale cost. Get to know the pricing history of the items on your wish list. Keep a folder for sales circulars on items of interest.

2. Make merchants play good cop/bad cop: After you’ve done your research, you may have already identified the retailer that has the item you want at the best price. But you might be able to do better. Flash your cash and a competitor’s lower advertised price (you’ll need physical proof) and ask whether the merchant can match the offer or do better. Don’t get too cocky, though. Most will honor coupons or sale prices only if they have the exact item in stock. It’s all about finding the right salesperson and being willing to settle for your second-best option.

3. Don’t dismiss small chains and mom-and-pop stores: Many smaller chains and independent stores will meet or beat a big-box retailer’s advertised price or provide free add-ons when presented with firm evidence and a ready purchaser. Service at such stores is often better than at the big chains, too.

4. Ask about other ways to save: Don’t be shy. Chat up a sales clerk and ask when an item will go on sale or find out whether there’s a price break for using cash or buying multiples. And if you have a coupon, go ahead and present it — even if it is expired. You might be surprised how many stores will gladly accept it anyway.

5. Don’t get suckered by the upsell: When it comes to most electronics, skip the extended warranty, which can pad the price of the item by 10% to 30%. With just a few exceptions — such as treadmills and big-screen plasma TVs — warranties are rarely worth the extra price. If you feel the need to purchase extra protection, pay no more than 15% of the product’s price, and buy the manufacturer’s warranty, not the store’s version.

6. Reread return and exchange policies around the holidays: Holiday return/exchange policies become more labyrinthine every season. Restocking fees (particularly on electronics purchases) are commonplace — last year, Target, Circuit City, and Best Buy charged 15% to return many items. Some stores have instituted tighter deadlines on holiday refunds and exchanges and may give you credit only for an item’s post-holiday price. And some retailers like to crack down on frequent-return shoppers by limiting the number of returns you can make within a certain period of time. Christmas in July has never sounded better, eh?

Quick tips: Rebuy for holiday savings

Holiday shopping may not be your favorite sport. But if you leave it to the last minute, you could miss out on some bona fide bargains. Get a jump on the competition by checking out Black Friday websites (including BlackFridayAds.com, bfads.net, and Gottadeal.com) all season for a sneak peek at special promotions. Here’s a trick for avoiding the crowds and limited availability of advertised products: Buy the item before the sale and return on the day of the sale for a price adjustment for the difference. Warning, though: Retailers are becoming a lot stricter about their return policies around the holidays, so don’t assume that the same old rules apply. Scour the return policy with care, and be nice to the sales clerks.

Let your fingertips do the browsing

No trip to an outlet mall can match the breadth of product choices you can pull up on your computer screen. A crash course in your options is particularly useful if you’re shopping for a complex product — anything with a plug, for example. Plus, there are plenty of satisfied and unsatisfied consumers posting product reviews online.

Here’s how to navigate the Web retail bonanza without getting overwhelmed.

1. Check out comparison-shopping tools: Sites such as Coolsavings.com, Shopzilla.com, Streetprices.com, and Dealnews.com’s companion sites offer tools to compare prices.

2. Re-sort and revisit: Some comparison websites deliver results that are skewed by ad dollars — in other words, the stores that pay for placement get top billing or activated links to their storefront. Try loading results based on price, location, or rating to get a full picture of your options.

3. Go to the source: To capture results from retailers that may not be included in comparison sites and to check on the latest promotions, type in the URL of the store directly.

4. Erase your electronic footprints: Delete all cookies from your browser and search again another day. You want to make sure you’re getting as good a price on an item as a first-time visitor to the website would. Some e-tailers serve up your old search results (and old prices) to those who have browsed there before.

5. Compare clicks and mortar: Does your favorite store have an online outlet? Sign up for its newsletter for advance notice of sales and subscriber-only coupons. You should also compare online and offline prices, because they aren’t always identical.

6. Get a rebate for your spending: Many websites make money when they refer you to a particular online shopping site. A few sites let browsers — that’s you — in on the deal by offering a cut of the referral fee. Check out ebates.com and MrRebates.com. To get the dough, you need only register with the site and use its link to the destination store. However, before you click “buy,” you have one last stop for savings …

7. Crack the code: If you shop online, don’t leave money on the table by leaving the “enter promotional code here” box blank. Get the scoop on possible savings at sites such as Currentcodes.com, CouponCabin.com, and RetailMeNot.com. Or type in the retailer’s name and “coupon code” in your search engine to see what offers pop up.

Turn bad purchases into cash

There’s nothing worse than the tangible reminder of an unwise purchase. Hanging in your closet with the tags still on or lingering on your credit card statement, retail blunders are a bummer.

If you are unable to return an item for whatever reason, the game isn’t over just yet. Here’s how to get rid of the evidence and possibly get a little something back, too.

1. Swap it: Several websites let holders of unwanted gift cards to sell or trade them. Listing is usually free, but you’ll pay a fee if your card sells — anywhere from $1 to a percentage of the gift card’s face value. Check out swapagift.com, CertificateSwap.com, and Cardavenue.com. CDs, DVDs, and video games are swappable at zunafish.com for a $1 fee (plus shipping costs).

2. Sell it: You don’t need to set up shop on the front porch to hawk stuff you no longer want or didn’t need in the first place. Try your hand at copywriting and keyword-picking at sites such as eBay, Amazon.com’s Marketplace, and Half.com (also owned by eBay). If you don’t want to give these folks a cut for providing a selling platform, head to Craigslist. This online version of the local town crier offers free listings and person-to-person transactions.

For those who prefer not to deal directly with the bargain-clicking public, take your choice items (brand names and designer labels, in particular) to a local consignment store. The folks there usually take a 50% to 60% cut of the final selling price. But getting $25 for a tweed Polo blazer is better than letting it take up precious closet space.

3. Deduct it: The easiest thing to do with unwanted merchandise is to give it away or donate it to charity. However, doing the latter isn’t as simple as in years past, when you dropped off a bag and grabbed a blank donation receipt. The IRS now requires that any noncash charitable contributions must be in “good used condition or better” to qualify as a deduction. If the tags are still on the reindeer cardigan from Aunt Ida, chances are it’ll qualify. However, to avoid trouble with the tax man, Fool tax guru Roy Lewis advises his clients to take digital photos of everything donated and reference their current condition.

4. Regift it: Finally, when all else fails, there’s always that regifting closet to stock. Nearly one in four of us admits to passing off unwanted gifts to others. Just make sure it’s done tastefully and that you give us something that we really, really like.

Conclusion

Smart shopping may seem like a constant battle against the marketing machine, but remember that the ultimate reward is in what you do with the savings you’ve earned. By saving on big purchases, you free up cash for other pursuits — college for your kids, an early retirement, vacation with the family, or a down payment on a house. That’s something that only you can create — so it’s worth your time now to save for your future.

Effective money management is more important than ever in these troubled economic times. Through our partnership with The Motley Fool, we are able to provide you with great personal finance articles that can help you jumpstart your financial planning and give you the actionable advice you need to address the financial crisis.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average family shells out about $1,500 annually for utilities. With energy prices steadily rising, that may soon seem like a bargain.

Want to really slash your utility bills? Concentrate on cutting the biggest energy hogs in your household — heating and cooling, which collectively account for more than half of the typical home’s energy tab (and much more during the extreme weather months).

To twist a timeless cliche: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of sweat (or a few nights of shivering, depending on the time of year). Here are tips on helping your wallet weather the seasons by significantly slashing your utility bills.

Keep cool and save some cash

We’ve all heard it plenty of times: Turning up the thermostat keeps your cooling bill down. But there’s no need to suffer in sweltering heat. Even modest adjustments can make a difference. Small things (like changing the filter and cleaning the coil) can increase your unit’s original efficiency anywhere from 5% to 20% each year. But that’s not the only way to crank up the summer savings.

• Use your thermostat to dial down your bill: In the summer, energy pros say that each degree setting below 78 degrees increases your energy consumption by about 8%. And every degree you raise the thermostat equals 1% to 2% of savings on your summer cooling bill. A programmable thermostat makes it effortless to keep the house at a higher temp during the hours when you’re not around to fiddle with the dial.
• Use AC SPF: If you use a window unit, too much sun directly on your unit’s outdoor heat exchanger can lower its efficiency as much as 10%. Keep it shaded with vegetation, without blocking the air flow (or the maintenance guy’s way).
• Embrace the darkness: The cats might not appreciate their view being blocked, but closing the curtains during the day (particularly on east- and west-facing windows) will keep the indoor temp down. Also, try to limit all heat-generating chores (laundry, dishwasher-running, baking) to nighttime.
• Sacrifice the spare bedroom: If there are rooms (or entire wings) to the house that you don’t use much, close the vents and shut the doors and concentrate your air conditioner’s efforts on cooling the high-traffic areas instead.
• Go with the flow: All AC operation manuals recommend cleaning or replacing your air filter at least once a month. Most filters cost less than a cappuccino, and a clean one can lower your AC’s energy suck by 5% to 15%.
• Keep your coolant: According to the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), a system that’s 10% low on coolant (or freon, or the “refrigerant charge”) costs about 20% more to operate than a system that’s fully loaded. (Leave the topping-off to the pros, since freon’s a hazardous substance.) Additionally, low freon can cause the compressor to overheat and die early. That can result in a big-ticket repair bill if the compressor or condensing unit needs to be replaced.
• Clean sweep: During an annual checkup, your AC pro can also look for buildup on the outdoor air conditioning and heating coils, and clean them. Ask them how to check and clean the indoor coil, too. Because the coil is moist during summertime, it attracts a lot of dust. The ACCA says that dirt buildup on the indoor coil is the most common cause of poor efficiency.
• It IS the humidity!: Actually, it’s the dehumidifier that’s the problem. The folks at www.1800anytyme.com say that running your dehumidifier while the AC is on forces the air conditioner to work harder and runs up your utility bill. For window units, run the fan on “low” on humid days. The slower air flow through the cooling system will more efficiently cut the moisture. If you have central air and live in a humid climate, put your thermostat on “auto” instead of letting the fan run the entire time.
• Keep a lid on it: Grandma was right about drafts being dangerous. Worn out (or nonexistent) weatherproofing can result in serious air leaks that can contribute to more than one-third of cooling costs. (Looks like plastic sheeting and duct tape are handy to have around.) About 30% of the heat in your house is absorbed through the roof. Vents and attic fans can help keep things circulating and prevent your bills from going through the … well, you get it.
• Maintenance matters: Ignore regular maintenance at your peril. Overlooking the small things (like changing the filter and cleaning the coil) can reduce your unit’s original efficiency about 5% each year.
• Big chill savings: Switching to a high-efficiency air conditioner, though costly, will probably put the most money back in your pocket over time — cutting your energy use by 20% to 50%.

Stay toasty and still see savings

Heating your home efficiently can be boiled down to these major to-do’s: insulating, sealing leaks, and maintaining your home — all with the goal of maximizing your heating dollars.

Start your home energy audit with a DIY version at hes.lbl.gov, and get an upgrade report that calculates your savings, your return on investment, and your payback time in key areas (heating, cooling, water heating, appliances, and lighting).

Bring your insulation up to snuff: Part of your sleuthing expedition should include eyeballing your insulation to make sure it’s in good shape. Pay careful attention to your attic, crawl spaces, walls (check existing walls by removing an outlet cover and using a flashlight), and the underside of floors that are above unheated spaces. Consider purchasing special insulation materials designed for your water pipes and water heater.

Before you purchase insulation, consult a chart that shows you what type (graded in “R” levels) you’ll need, depending on factors such as climate and the location in your home where the insulation will be placed. For a step-by-step guide, consult the Department of Energy’s online fact sheet.

In many cases, you can install or replace old insulation yourself. However, if your insulation job is a complicated one — for example, insulating between walls in an existing home, working around old electrical wiring, or replacing wet or damp insulation, which could signal a leak — you may want to hire a contractor. Many insulation contractors will come estimate your home’s insulation needs for free, giving you a chance to determine which jobs seem like “do-it-yourself” projects, and which need a professional touch.

If you’re working in your attic (since heat rises, many folks start their insulation journey here), make sure there’s proper ventilation. Do-it-yourselfers sometimes mistakenly assume that more is better and cover up natural airflow at the eaves. However, this actually makes the home less energy-efficient, and prone to roofing problems because of ice dams or moisture.

Keep the bad elements out (and the good ones in) with proper sealing: Ensuring that heat isn’t leaking out through improperly sealed windows, doors, or other openings is another way to save big on your heating bills. You’ll want to pay special attention to duct work (a major culprit for energy inefficiency), cracks around doorways and windows, fireplaces, and other miscellaneous openings like attic pull-downs or access holes. Caulk, foam, and window-sealing kits can all be found at your nearest home-improvement store.

To learn more, consult the Environmental Protection Agency’s helpful online guide to detecting and sealing air leaks in your home.

Maintain your hermetically sealed sanctuary: Certain maintenance projects can enhance your energy efficiency when performed regularly. These include changing your furnace filters on schedule, having your duct work cleaned, and hiring a professional to “tune up” your heating system each year so it stays in peak working order.

Again, programming your thermostat (keeping it warmer during waking hours and cooler while you sleep) will also cut your monthly utility bills. Also, turn down the heat on your water heater if you have it set to “scald.”

Reaping the returns

If you’re in your home for the long haul, you may want to consider some longer-term measures to make your energy usage much more efficient. These might include replacing your windows and buying Energy Star appliances, household products that meet stringent energy efficiency guidelines set forth by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

As you can see, all it takes is a little effort to cut your utility bills. And the savings can make it well worth the effort.

All right, all right, we know that money doesn’t buy happiness. But let’s be honest: More money doesn’t exactly make us miserable, either.

The wealthy enjoy an intangible benefit that often eludes the paycheck-to-paycheck worker: a sense of control over their lives. They feel secure in their jobs and less stressed about their futures. (Plus, they can order room service instead of trying to make three meals out of a Subway sandwich.)

But are they much happier than the rest of us wage-earning, ’90s-model-Camry-driving schlubs? Not really.

Rich! Happy? Not really

Studies show that lottery winners, heiresses, and the 100 richest Americans are only slightly more satisfied than the guy toiling for his pay in the generic office-park cubicle. Still, mere mortals find it difficult to allow that an extra digit or two on the paycheck won’t put a permanent smile on our faces.

Why is it so hard to accept the idea that increased wealth doesn’t markedly improve our mental health?

Happy amnesia

The ability to imagine — to try to predict our future state of mind — is what sets us apart from less-evolved species. It’s also the very thing that stunts our shot at true happiness.

We assume that a sportier car, a bigger house, a better-paying job, or that dress will bring us joy because, well, they did in the past, right?

Not really, says Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor and the author of Stumbling on Happiness. “Research reveals that memory is less like a collection of photographs than it is like a collection of impressionist paintings rendered by an artist who takes considerable license with his subject,” Gilbert writes. We forget that the new-car high deflated well before our first trip to the mechanic, and the raise came with stressful late nights at the office and a steeper tax tab.

Our appetite for self-destruction

What’s so wrong with relishing and embellishing the good? It’s costly. Faulty emotional recall makes us do dumb things with our money, like buying cool new stuff that never quite satisfies.

In so many areas, we know when enough is enough. When we’re healthy, we don’t strive for extreme health. After a good meal, we’re sated — we don’t order another filet mignon to augment our satisfaction.

Yet our “pause” button shorts out when it comes to money. The brief pick-me-up that accompanies a raise or windfall (think of it like a caffeine buzz) drives us to want more. We get a raise, spend it, adapt to our improved circumstances, and seek more money, working up a sweat on what University of Southern California economist Richard Easterlin calls the hedonic treadmill.

But somehow the happy-o-meter stays in the same place, or even slows down. Consider that the average American is less satisfied with life today than we were in the 1950s — yet we earn twice as much (and, yes, that’s adjusted for inflation). No wonder they never crown a winner of the rat race.

How much is enough?

Absent total emotion recall and the ability to recognize when we’ve hit our happy set point, what will make us happy? How’s $50,000 a year sound? That’s the contentment calculation from a Roper/ASW survey a few years ago.

Of course, the amount is relative, but consider what it represents to the average (non-Manhattan-rent-paying) American: It’s enough to cover the bills and have some fun money left over.

After that, each incremental move up the pay scale has less long-term emotional impact. A 20% raise won’t make you 20% happier. And, in fact, chasing that extra 10 grand might just make you miserable.

So the guy in the corner office may actually be more bummed out than those of us in the cheap seats. Does that news bring a smile to your face? If so, it’s OK with us.