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Whether you're married, dating or beginning a new relationship, you know doubt want to keep the romance alive without killing your wallet. In these challenging economic times we all need some tips for romantic gestures or evenings that won't blow our monthly budget. When the romantic feelings are there but the extra money isn't, use these 7 sexy ideas for saving your romance.

Whether you're married, dating or beginning a new relationship, you know doubt want to keep the romance alive without killing your wallet. In these challenging economic times we all need some tips for romantic gestures or evenings that won't blow our monthly budget. When the romantic feelings are there but the extra money isn't, use these 7 sexy ideas for saving your romance.

Create a Get Away Weekend Right at Home:

If you're with the one you love, it really doesn't matter where you are. Still, we all long for a get away. You can create a get away in your own home or backyard.

Camper's Delight

You can roast marshmallows in front of your fireplace with the lights off and a few lanterns on. Go ahead and throw the sleeping bags on the living room floor and just where the mood leads you.

French Connection

You can serve only cheese, fruit and chocolates for dinner for less than a dinner out. Add a bottle of wine and make a "french" connection.

Where do you really want to go? Use your imagination and bring your dream vacation home with some simple recipes, music and props.

Plays, Musicals, Ballet and Arts on a Budget:

If you're interested in the arts, you don't have to pay big ticket prices or travel to big cities. Check out area colleges and local performing arts centers that offer amazing talent at affordable prices.

Make a Local Sports Date:

Love sports but can't afford a NFL or College Football Game? Is ESPN not adding to the romance in your relationship? Try out a local high school sporting event. You will very little money and enjoy the crisp night air and experience the excitement of high school all over again.

Invest in an Entertainment Book:

For $20.00 to $35.00 you can get an Entertainment book in most moderate size cities. Simply slip your entertainment card and credit card in one motion with the big for huge savings like buy one get one free meals.

My husband and I went to a Cuban restaurant and indulged in Sangria, traditional Cuban dishes, a Cuban band and even free dance lessons for a total cost including tip of $28.00.

Now for the totally free romantic ideas... drum roll please.

Love Notes:

If you're not creative don't worry RomanceQuote.com has you covered. From silly, sassy, sexy, funny, there are quotes for any occasion or time in your relationship. In her briefcase, under his pillow, a romantic note can get really get the home fires burning.

Take a Walk in the Park:

Walk in the park, visit a reservoir or other nature trail and don't forget to hold hands. Fresh air and sunsets are romantic and free. This offers a great time to talk, admire nature and each other. Don't forget some breadcrumbs for the duck pond.

Kisses, hugs and e-mail greeting cards always free so there's no excuse for not showing a little affection even when there's only a little money left in checking.

The J.C. Penney credit card is a store-specific card created for use at J.C. Penney retail stores and at the online J.C. Penney store. Many consumers don't realize that you can also use your J.C. Penny credit card at CVS Pharmacy and Eckerd Pharmacy. These options are fairly new. Find out what else you may not know about the J.C. Penny credit card.

The J.C. Penny credit card is fairly easy to obtain. So if you can be disciplined about your spending, it can be a good first credit card to obtain to build or rebuild a positive credit score by making monthly payments on time.

The J.C. Penny stores do offer a variety of goods from clothing, shoes, house wares, home décor, beauty, jewelry and more.

Generally whether you shop or apply for a J.C. Penny credit card in store or online you will be offered an incentive deal for a percentage off of your first purchase.

J.C. Penny credit card fees: There's good news and bad news.

Finance charges on this credit card are high, with a going rate that presently stands at 21 percent annually. There is no annual fee, but J.C. Penney will charge you a late fee if the payment is not received in a timely manner. There is also the possibility of having your credit limit reduced if any payment is received late.

J.C. Penny credit card customer service: This one is a plus.

J.C. Penney offers continuous support for its credit card customers. You can logon to jcpenney.com at any time and view your account information, make payments or ask questions. There's also a support line, 800-527-4403, available between the hours 7am and 8pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday; 8am to 8pm on Saturday; and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

J.C. Penny credit card Pros:

Can be used in store or online
Can be used at CVS and Eckerd Pharmacies as well
Most malls have a J.C. Penny anchor store
Takes minutes to apply
Easy monthly payment schedule
Friendly customer service
Good discount incentives
No annual fee

J.C. Penny credit card Cons:

Higher interest rates
Limited usability
Watch out for lack of usage fees

Are low, low monthly minimum payments a good thing or a bad thing?

The J.C. Penny credit card offers very low monthly payments that are usually just a fraction of the balance. While this can be an occasional financial lifesaver, in general with the high interest rate of this card, it would not be financially savvy to pay just the low monthly payment each month.

Is the J.C. Penny credit card a good idea?

For some people the answer is yes. In general it is best to avoid store credit cards because of the high interest rates. The J.C. Penny credit card is more attractive than most store credit cards because of the no annual fee and incentives. However, you'll need to pay off the credit card right away for the deals to really be deals. One financial analyst says get the J.C. Penny credit card, use the incentives, pay it off the first month on time and cancel it to avoid lack of usage fees. The J.C. Penny credit card is also a reasonable choice for those with no credit or bad credit to build up their credit score.

Have you received a letter or email asking you to be a "mystery shopper?" Maybe you are a legitmiate mystery shopper and have received this "assignment." An assignment or job that appears too good to be true and that involves check cashing may just be a scam. Find our more about this particular scam, how to identify it and what to do if you have been a victim.

With the economy being what it is, as well as the holiday season taking a big bite out of our wallets, many people I know are looking for legitimate ways to make a little something extra. One job that is discussed quite often is that of being a "mystery shopper."

Mystery shoppers are people who are hired by companies to do a little research project. They may go get their oil changed, get an eye exam and purchase glasses or just go shopping in a specified section of a department store. There are legitimate companies that hire people to perform this research which includes completing the assigned tasks and turning in a report. Compensation varies as you may get paid for gas, time or reimbursed for expenses, each assignment and company is different.

However, mystery shopper programs, like many work from home programs, encounter a high number of scams and hoaxes that people get involved in thinking it is part of the legitimate mystery shopper programs. One such scam is the "check cashing" scam offered to many mystery shoppers in particular, but also sent to just about anyone who has an address or email address.

In this particular scam, targeting those interested in doing some mystery shopping, you may receive an email or letter requesting you to receive a cashier's check that you are to cash at a local bank and then use a wire transfer service to send the money to a designated location. In return for your services, you are able to keep several hundred dollars from the cashed check, with the remainder to be sent via wire services.

However, what you may not know is that this is not a real mystery shopper job. You are not really evaluating the wire transfer services, but are actually cashing a fraudulent check, which ultimately bounces and leaves you left holding the bag - and stuck with the bill. Now your "job" is to repay those funds that you obtained by cashing the check.

Fake funds may arrive in many different forms:
-cashier's checks
-money orders
-corporate
-personal checks.
Remember just about anyone can print a legitimate looking document with the right software, paper and printing tools.

Another version of this scam is to request you cash the check, purchase an item and then send the item to an address. You are able to keep the remaining funds as your commission. In the end, you have no item to return (to even try to get some of the funds back) and you still own the money to the bank.

The offer that you receive may be very convincing, right down to the copy of a legitimate lettered from a mystery shopping service like CRI (Corporate Research International) or they may claim to contact you through job search services like Career Builder. However, there are several ways you can tell that this is a scam. First, look at the wording, grammar and punctuation. You may receive a message similar to this one, (Mistakes are in Capitals to point them out)

If you are intrested (MISPELLED) in getting the (A) job in our company please reply (TO) this email. We looked through your skills and (GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX) became sure that you correspond to our requirements.
Job scheme (REQUIREMENTS) will (NOT NEEDED) comprise the following:
1. You (WILL) receive payments from our customers (By checks, Money orders e.t.c)(NO PERIODS)
2. Than (THEN) you (INSERT WILL) fill (OUT or better yet COMPLETE) forms with details of received payments in your Internet Office.
3. Transfer money to our main office by requested methods.
Your earning will be 8 (NO SPACE) % of the amount of each completed payment please answer this message with your Сontact Infomation and Attach your Resume to e-mail.(MISPELLED WORDS AND PUNCTUATION)

One of the best ways to tell if the offer is a scam is to look at these kinds of details.

"This is an ongoing problem that seems to be on the rise again," said Mike Mallett, CEO of CRI. "Law enforcement is obviously involved on a large scale, but we want to do our part in making consumers aware of these scams." "There are many legitimate mystery shopping firms offering valuable services," said Mallett. "But consumers need to be cautious. I tell people that they should never pay to become a mystery shopper and any offer that looks too good to be true is probably a scam."

What should you do if you have been a victim of the check cashing scam?
Unfortunately, you are responsible for the funds. You will have to pay them back to the financial institution that cashed the check. The most important thing for you to do is to report the fraud to these agencies:
• Contact The Federal Trade Commission for the complaint form or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
• Contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service or call your local post office. The number is in the Blue Pages of your local telephone directory.
• Report to state or local consumer protection agencies - see this page for a list of state Attorneys Generals.
Show the reports to the financial institution and discuss with them their policies and procedures for repayment options.

These types of scams carry with them some major consequences, not only the repayment of the funds but they are also federal crimes against the postal service and federal banking institutions. Additional penalties may be involved including criminal charges, prison and fines. It is important to avoid these scams and to report them.

Looking for a legitimate work from home position as a mystery shopper? Consider Corporate Research International http://www.mysteryshops.com/ and
Mystery Guest Inc. http://www.mysteryguestinc.com/contact.asp

Our holiday shopping spree is rapidly coming to an end with just days left before Christmas arrives. New Year's Eve is right around the corner and with it all our debts and bills from the holiday season will be coming home to "nest" and you need to find ways to save money to pay money. Or maybe you just want to make saving money each month your New Year's Eve resolution. Whatever the reason, these monthly money saving tips will help!

I practice what I preach here and my husband, a financial analyst, and I have created a monthly family budget and we meet regularly to talk about money. Recently we sat down to stock of our family's finances. As a family of six, we've been hit with rising in expenses as well as losses on investments. We met for a brainstorming session to see just how we could make our paychecks go further and save more money.

We were able to come up with a plan to save $300.00 each month. Here's how:

Tips for Saving Money #1: Eliminate Services You Don't Use

Our first stop reviewing our monthly expenses led us to our AT&T Bundle invoice. Yours may have a different name but basically it is your cable, DirecTV or pay for channels television bill. We realized that we were $9.99 each month per premium channel like Cinemax and HBO. While we enjoy watching movies, the reality is that with busy working and parenting schedules, we just weren't able to watch these movies at the times that they were on. Dropping the premium channels saved us $20.00 per month.

Total monthly savings: $20

Tips for Saving Money # 2: Reduce Unused Entertainment Expenses

Next we examined our entertainment expenses. We feel that we do well in this area using Entertainment Book, promotions, discounts and coupons whenever possible. Much our entertainment ends up being free or low cost using coupons and clubs like Simon Kidgets and Moxie Moms. Still we were back to the movie factor. We were using Blockbuster Online $15.99 a month. Further, you had to rent at least four movies each month to get your free movies in store. Realizing that there was a movie on our entertainment center that we had rented 6 ago, we saw that this was an expense that we could easily cut because we weren't getting the value for our money.

Instead, next time I went to Blockbuster I signed up for the Rewards program. It is $10.00 to join for one year. With it you get your first rental free (getting back $5.00 of your membership) and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it is rent one get one free. Perfect for our family, as there can be a grown up movie and a children's movie each time we go. Now I control what we spend on movies and when.

Cumulative Total of Monthly Savings: $35.99

Tips for Saving Money # 3: Look at Your Communication Expenses

We also examined our cell phone bills with Verizon. We saw that we were not using our full amount of minutes as our bundle package at homes includes unlimited long distance. We called Verizon and asked for discount ideas including corporate (we work from home) and school ( our son is in college). We changed our plan to Friends and Family and lowered the minutes. We shaved about 15% off of our phone bills which means a savings of $37.00 each month.

Cumulative Total of Monthly Savings: $72.99

Tips for Saving Money # 4: Packing Lunches

A look at our debit card and credit card statements let us quickly know where much of our money was going each month. We saw that my husband was spending about $6.00 a day for lunch. This of course doesn't even factor in the gas money for going out to get lunch. With an estimate of 20 working days per month, lunches out were costing us about $120.00 per month. By using reusable containers and packing leftovers, we're going green and saving money too. Not to mention that his packed lunch is healthier.

Cumulative Total of Monthly Savings: $192.99

Tips for Saving Money # 5 : Clip Coupons but Wisely

Clipping coupons isn't the most fun thing that I do but I have found that when you follow these clipping coupon rules, coupons do save money. There are rules to couponing:

Coupon Rule 1: Don't cut it if you don't use it.

Coupon Rule 2: Don't buy anything just because you have a coupon.

Coupon Rule 3: Make the most of coupons by stocking up when grocery items are on sale.

On a recent trip to the grocery store we saved $45.00 with coupons. Overall, we've found that we can save around $110.00 per month using coupons. In addition to Sunday circular coupons, we use Coupons.com, Smart Source and Red Plum.

Clipping coupons is hard work and I admit I do not always enjoy it. However, last month we saved $110.00 at the grocery store. Our most recent grocery trip, we had a savings of over $45.00 with coupons.

Cumulative Total of Monthly Savings: $302

How do we get these money saving tips accomplished? Each of you take some of the responsibility to gather information or to eliminate services or expenses. Give each other 24 hours and check back in. Make decisions based on your research and start your savings. Accountability makes sure that the job is done and that way there is no putting it off until another day when you are not so busy. Because guess what that day never comes and the money keeps being spent.

What could you do with an extra $300.00 a month? Start a savings? Pay off your Christmas shopping? Pay off debt? These are real money saving options that have worked for our family and we hope that you will use will use these tips to help your family start saving money now too.

If nothing else, the recent financial crisis has opened our eyes to the dangers of excessive credit card debt. Many consumers have long considered credit card debt part of life but when unemployment rises and foreclosures are festering, credit card debt seems like a nasty and preventable sore. Now many of us are wondering how we can quickly pay off our debt and save for our future. Try these paying off credit card debt tips.

Eliminating credit card debt takes discipline. In dieting they will tell you that you didn't gain the weight overnight or in one month and that you won't lose it in a day or month. In fact, it may take up to a year. Well with credit card debt the sad truth is that sometimes the debt is occurred in one night or one month and yet it may take years to eliminate credit card debt. Let's take a look at the most productive steps for paying off credit card debt.

Which debts should I pay off first?

Most families have more than one kind of debt. There are mortgages, car payments, student loans, personal loans home equity loans and in some cases second mortgages and of course credit cards. In most cases, the highest interest rates are on credit cards. Here's an example of the impact of making extra payments towards high interest credit cards.

Example:

Mortgage balance of $150,00 and 6% interest rate

Credit card balance of $10,000 and an 18% interest rate

If you paid an extra $100.00 towards your mortgage, you would save fifty cents on interests this month plus additional savings on principle each month thereafter. But if you send an additional $100.00 to your high interest credit card payment, you will save $1.50 this month plus additional savings on principle each month thereafter.

Paying extra toward a high interest credit card saves more money per month on interest, accelerates the payoff of high interest credit cards and increases your monthly cash flow in a short period of time. Once you've created a monthly family budget you can determine how much extra you can send towards a high interest credit card. If you have multiple high interest credit cards, start with the one with the highest interest but check out these tips for reducing credit card interest.

What Does Credit Card Interest Really Cost?

While interest rates on credit cards vary, most carry a rate that is between 15% and 22%. Store credit cards lean toward the upper end of this range. Many credit cards even have a provision that will increase the interest rate several points if certain terms are not met or if certain rules are not followed.

A common interest rate penalty results if a payment is late. Credit card companies will increase your interest rate by as much as five to ten percentage points if even one payment is received past the due date. Some credit card companies don't lower the rate back until the entire balance is paid in full. Here's an example of what charging $10,000 on a credit card really cost you in the long run if the minimum payment is $200.00 and you only pay the minimum payment each month:

Example:

Principle Balance: $10,000
Monthly Payment: $200
Months to Pay Off Balance: 94 (the last payment may be lower)
Total Payback: $18,622
Total Interest Paid: $8,622

Wow! So the television that you charged at the 25% off sale ends up costing you 180%.

How Much Does Sending Extra Reduce Credit Card Debt?

Here's the same example but now the minimum payment is $200.00 but you are sending in $300.00 a month.

Example:

Principle Balance: $10,000
Monthly Payment: $300
Months to Pay Off Balance: 47 (the last payment may be lower)
Total Payback: $13,967
Total Interest Paid: $3,967

You can see that sending only $100.00 extra above the minimum payment each month saves you a lot of interest and cuts the number of months to eliminate the credit card debt almost in half.

Paying more than the minimum payment is a great way to eliminate credit card debt. Also remember to make credit card payments on time and don't add any debt to the card that isn't absolutely necessary while you're trying to pay off the credit card.

What is the biggest issue that causes arguments between couples? You guessed it, money. Couples may argue over sex, kids and chores but money is the most divisive issue for married couples. Consider these 7 tips to make talking about money easier, more friendly and less argumentative.

Each person comes into a marriage or relationship with their unique experiences with money, feelings about money and assigned values for money.

Ideally couples will discuss money just like other big issues like whether or not you want children and how many and where you live but it's never too late to start talking about money as a couple. Whether you're newly weds, have a few notches in the marriage belt or just celebrated your 25th wedding anniversary, you can use these tips for talking to your spouse about money.

In our relationship, my husband and I sat down before the marriage and discussed the day-to-day basics.

Here are some of the topics to discuss:

Who will pay the bills?

In our case, we my husband my husband would pay the monthly bills.

How much can be spent without discussing the matter?

In our case we decided on $50.00 and agreed that all large purchases like a car or television would be made jointly.

How often will the two of you sit down and go over money matters?

We decided on monthly money updates and discussions.

Tip for Talking about Money with your Spouse #1:

Schedule a regular "business meeting." Put it on the calendar, circle it in red, add an alarm to you cell phone or whatever you need to do to make sure you sit down together to discuss your finances on a regular basis. Clear away all distractions from televisions to Blackberries. Make this a no interruptions time.

Tip for Talking about Money with your Spouse #2:

Come to your financial meeting prepared. Have your list of bills and income organized and bring whatever you need from a calculator, pen and paper or computer.

Tips for Talking about Money with your Spouse #3:

Be willing to be honest, open, and very clear about your expectations, concerns or desires. Often the two of you will need to compromise but by setting clear goals you're more likely to successful work together to meet those goals.

Tips for Talking about Money with your Spouse #4:

Treat this as a business meeting as much as possible. Spouses are partners. Money is an emotional topic but try to avoid the "blame game" and the "punishments." You know the "if you hadn't done this..." and the "well now you'll have to do that."

Of course it is healthy to talk about how broken financial ground rules make you feel, as in "I felt ______when you bought the ______ and we hadn't discussed it." You can share your feelings with out attacking, which is never constructive. Keep the tone of your meeting courteous and respectful and keep in mind that you are a team.

Tips for Talking about Money with your Spouse #5:

Create a monthly family budget. Decide together what has to be cut if the ends don't meet each month. On the other hand, if there is extra money decide together which debt should be paid off first, how much should be put away for savings or donated to charity.

Tips for Talking about Money with your Spouse #6:

Be willing to take "baby steps" and have patience. It is hard to change a lifetime of spending habits overnight. Make changes in reasonable increments like saving $50.00 more this month or spending $50.00 less in an area this month. Know your ultimate goal but don't expect a complete money makeover overnight.

Tips for Talking about Money with your Spouse #7:

As in all areas of marriage, don't take one another for granted. Show appreciation for contributions towards your financial goals whether it is a spouse working overtime, paying the bills (maybe while you watched a movie) or stretching the grocery money with creative meals.

I believe many couples will find that these tips and our experiences can help you to not only mange your money more successfully but can also strengthen your marriage.

This holiday season we are all hoping to find the best deals online, those deals that can save us money. But how can we know a good deal while Christmas shopping is also a safe website to purchase from? Find out what certificate you need to look for before you make that purchase online.

You may have seen an ad for SSL certificates or you may have seen a message as you surfed on the web pertaining to an SSL certificate. The "padlock" is a symbol of an SSL certificate that many consumers have come to trust for good reason. The "padlock" is a symbol of online security. Maybe you've been surfing the web or shopping and received a message that an "SSL" has expired. What does this mean? Is this a secure website? Just what are SSL certificates?

SSL stands for "secure socket layers." The web can be both a wondrous and a scary place, both a convenient and a risky place. An SSL certificate can ensure that you can enjoy the wonders and the convenience with the fears and risks. An SSL certificate provides a level of trust between web site owners and web site visitors by:

- Encrypting sensitive information during online transactions
- Holding unique, authenticated information about the certificate owner
-Verifying the identity of the certificate owner when it is issued

How do you know if you need an SSL?

If you are a web site owner you have to take into consideration that visitors are concerned about identity theft and online financial fraud. To determine if you need to have an SSL certificate, consider the following five questions:

Do you have an online store, accept online orders and credit card payment?
Do you offer a login or sign in to your website?
Do you ever process sensitive data including address, birth date, license numbers or ID numbers?
Do you promote and need to comply with privacy and security requirements?
Do you value privacy and want visitors to trust your site?

How does SSL Encryption Work?

SSL creates a private form of communication whereby data is encrypted during transmission, effectively providing a secure envelope that others cannot see through. Encryption scrambles the data of personal and private information, rendering it useless to anyone who shouldn't see it. There are two "keys" with SSL certificate, one to encrypt the data and another to unscramble it. When a website has a current SSL certificate, browsers and shoppers can enjoy a level of trust and for good reason.

How can online shoppers know if a website has an SSL certificate?

There are three signs that web browsers and online shoppers can look for to know if a website offers the security and privacy of an SSL certificate.

1. The first symbol is the "https" prefix in front of the URL address.
2. A "padlock" symbol should appear in the web browser when a site is opened.
3. A seal from the SSL certificate provider, such as Register.com or Verisign.com should appear on the website.

How much does it cost to secure a website and offer online consumers privacy and protection? SSL certificates are generally purchased for one to three years. For example, at register.com a one-year SSL certificate that includes up to 256-bit encryption is $24.95.

If you have a web site and you want to install consumer confidence, you need to invest in an SSL certificate. If you're an online shopper, you need to look for the signs and symbols that a web site has been verified and offers encryptions to protect your important personal information.