Blog Posts by GALTime.com

By GALTime.com Contributor Elizabeth McGuirk

In many parts of the country, spring is prime yard or garage sale season. If you've never gone "yard sale-ing" before, you might want to give it a try. With the economy tight, more people are selling unneeded household items, and more people are turning to yard sales for the great bargains. Learn just a few tips to make it less overwhelming, and soon you'll be wowing your family and friends with your great finds!

First of all, scout out your area. I usually check CraigsList and local weekly newspapers for yard sale listings each weekend. However, it's hard to know how good the sale will be until you actually see it. In my area, many homeowners' associations host community yard sales, where many homes in the neighborhood host sales on their lawns on the same morning. I love these events, because you can just walk or drive around the neighborhood and hit many sales without going far. I also look for sales in more affluent

By GALTime.com Staff

Cinco de Mayo is a great excuse for many of us to sip on tasty tequila drinks and savor the flavor of Mexican fare. While we love the traditional Margarita, here are a couple other options that make us say !Ay Caramba!

By the way, do you know what Cinco de Mayo is all about? Why and where is it celebrated? Click here to find out.

HOT 'N SWEET
SIGNATURE CINCO DE MAYO DRINK RECIPE from Sazerac - Seattle, WA

MARGARITA SLUSH- Hint, it's got lemon sorbet, lime sherbet and orange iquer. Now, that's something to celebrate. Click here for the recipe.

• Sneaky Smoothies
• Biggest Mistakes Women Make in The Bedroom
• Best 'Mom' Movies of ALL Time. What's Yours?
• Perfect

By GALTime.com Contributor Tania Reuben, Pure Natural Diva

Uninspired about what to do for your mom this Mother's Day? Here are two ideas that promise to transcend typical offerings - they are gifts that will keep giving and will truly make a difference in the lives of the recipient.

Instead of sending another box of candy full of calories she'd rather avoid or flowers that will wilt in days, consider a gift that will make an unmeasurable difference in the life of someone on the other side of the world.

I can't think of a better way to honor your mother than to help another.

Make a difference in the life of a Refugee

The International Rescue Committee has created a program that will allows you to honor your mother and make a real difference in the life of a refugee family.

For example with $24 you can purchase a safe birthing kit for a refugee mother, which includes vital supplies for a safe home delivery in a conflict zone, plus a blanket and clothing for

By GALTime.com Parenting Pro Michele Borba, Ed.D.

Over the last few weeks I've been reviewing studies involving children and play. "Shocked" and "disturbed" are the best two words that describe how I feel when I read those reports. Every study has one conclusion: Good old-fashioned play is becoming an endangered pastime for today's kids. Worse yet, play is not only disappearing from our homes and neighborhoods but in our schools as well. Here are just a few facts:

• Since the late 1970s there's been a 25 percent drop in free play

• In the same time there has been a 50 percent drop in unstructured outdoor activities while at the same time kids spend in organized sports have doubled and the number of minutes kids devote each week to passive leisure, not including watching television, has increased from 30 minutes to more than three hours

• The average[i] U.S. child is now "plugged-in" to some kind of digital device-not including cell phone and text-71/2 hours a day

• More

By Marianne Mancusi GALTime.com Staff

My grandma sure knew how to save a buck. And she loved sharing her secrets with anyone who'd listen. Sunday afternoons my mother and I would settle down in her vinyl kitchen chairs (acquired at a yard sale down the road) and sip apple juice (purchased on sale with a fifty cent mail-in rebate) and watch as she'd proudly present her weekly finds. An economy size box of garbage bags? Only 39 cents after double coupons. A can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup? Fifty cents off when you bought three. A box of Captain Crunch cereal? Why, she'd actually made money after triple coupons, in-store sale, and mail-in-rebate.

This was obviously much bigger than just saving money. Heck, she didn't even use half the stuff she bought. But for her, every bargain was a treasure -- won by hard work, thorough research and meticulous record keeping. The woman had thrifty down to a science.

And today, Grandma would be in right in style. According to a

You can't stop hearing about the US Census. There are signs on the street, ads on the radio and surveys filling up your mailbox. On May 1st, census takers will begin going to door-to-door to roughly 48 million households that did not mail back their census forms.

As much as the government wants you to respond, Uncle Sam also wants you to be careful who you turn over your personal information to. It could be a scam!

It's incredibly important that you answer the US Census. Accurate population information helps the Federal government allocate money to your state for dozens of important projects like schools, road construction and even funding for health studies.

But how can you tell if you're falling for a census scheme? Remember these tips:

*The US Census Bureau never asks for Social Security numbers.

*The Census never asks for credit card or bank account information.

*And it never contacts people by e-mail or conducts surveys online.

Federal Census

By GALTime.com Family Finance Contributor Jodi Grundig

Analyzing Your Spending

Have you been tracking all of your expenses? We went over the importance of this in PART ONE of this series. If you haven't written out your expenses, make sure that you grab a notebook or set up an Excel spreadsheet and track every single dollar that you spend. You should at least capture a month's work of expenses prior to doing the analyzing below.

Once you have put together expenses from the last month, set aside some time, and gather all of your information in one place. Then, by category, determine how much you have spent in the month. You can create your own categories based upon your own personal situation, but some examples are home, auto, student loans, groceries, eating out, heating & cooling, clothing, tuition, etc.

• First, look at each category and see if there are any surprises. Are the expenses what you expect them to be? You may find that you are spending more on a particular

By: Mary Schwager GALTime.com Consumer Watchdog

As complaints about airlines rose, Uncle Sam decided to crack down. The US Department of Transportation issued brand new rules to protect passengers from what some called "airline abuses" and they go into effect today. What can you expect the next time you're flying?

• Time limits on tarmac delays: The new rule prohibits domestic flights from sitting on the tarmac for more than three hours without deplaning passengers. If there's some sort of of safety or security situation though, all bets are off. You're stuck on the plane. For international flights operated by US carriers, the airline must tell you its own time limits for deplaning.
• Snacks if you're stuck: Carriers are required to provide adequate food and drinking water for passengers within two hours of the aircraft being delayed on the tarmac and to allow you to use the lavatories and, if necessary, provide medical attention.
• Late fees for late planes: The