FurloughFinancial Survival Guide Managing your furlough hours

							                        Furlough/Financial Survival Guide

       Managing your furlough hours/temporary salary reduction
Tip #1: Optimizing furlough hours
   - Take a look at your monthly bills and the time of the month they are due, take a 4-hour furlough
       in the pay period you have a little more cash flow.
   - Combine your furlough with another form of approved leave to still get the benefits of a full day
       off.
   - Take your furlough during the pay period ending 12/28/10 -- no health deductions will be taken
       at that time.
   - Take as much furlough time as you can afford before the end of the calendar year to reduce
       your taxable income.

Tip #2: Need help with your finances? Attend the Financial Seminar presented by Jeannie Henry
from the Maryland State Retirement System on August 18th. Sign up to attend through the Office of
Professional Development website at http://mdcourts.gov/hr/opd.htm/

Tip #3: For additional financial survival resources, follow the links below:
https://www.secumd.org/html/secu/lower.htm?page=news.press_releases&target=267
https://www.secumd.org/html/secu/lower.htm?page=news.financial_counseling


    Personal Finances
Tip #1: Always shop around for the best deal. Sites such as shopzilla.com and pricegrabber.com
compare prices of many on-line retailers. You can often save big money on the exact same item!
Even if you don’t buy on-line, many retailers will price match if you ask. Visit a local consignment
shop for slightly used items at a good price. Yards sales are a great too!

Tip #2: If you don’t have access to the internet at home or work, go to your local library. Every public
library in Maryland offers free internet access, but you may have to pay for printing. You also may
need to obtain a library card.

Tip #3: Many companies offer discount to government employees. Ask! You may save big bucks on
everything from hotels to cell phone service.

Tip #4: If there are certain stores you frequent, ask to join their preferred customer club and their
mailing list. Not only will you get advance notice of sales, you will often get discounts and/or
coupons. Ask about “senior” discounts and “senior” shopping day of the week.

Tip #5: Are you paying too much for car and home insurance? Find out! Call your insurance agent
and ask if there are any discounts available.

Tip #6: Combine trips. If you need to run several errands, do them in one trip or on your way home.
Plan your errands and start at the farthest point and make your way back home.

Tip #7: Are you paying separately for cable, land-line phone and internet? Check to see if these
services can be bundled. Bundling can often save you several dollars a year. Have you considered
cancelling your land-line phone service and using your cell phone only?

Tip #8: Watch your electric bill! By setting your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter
months and a few degrees higher in the summer, you can see a savings on your bill.
        Coupons and Discounts

Everybody loves a bargain. Check out these websites to compare prices on thousands of products
and find coupons to help you save even more.

Dealio http://www.dealio.com compare prices and get online store coupon codes and the hottest
daily online.

Pronto.com http://www.pronto.com provides easy to use comparison shopping tools for discerning
consumers seeking the right products from the best merchants at the lowest.

PriceGrabber.com http://www.pricegrabber.com/about.php here savvy shoppers can instantly find
and compare millions of unique products.

Coupons!!!

RetailMeNot http://www.retailmenot.com offers coupons from more than 40,000 stores. Get tips and
deal info from others. You also can have the week's most popular coupons e-mailed to you.

CouponWinner.com http://couponwinner.com has more than 24,000 coupons and lets you compare
coupons from up to five retailers.

At Coupon Sherpa http://www.couponsherpa.com the staff tests promotions and works with
merchants to ensure the coupons work.

Dealnews http://dealnews.com pick the best deals among the thousands they get daily.

Gift-card deals. Never pay full price for a gift card again. Plastic Jungle
http://www.plasticjungle.com/pjweb and Gift Card Granny http://www.giftcardgranny.com sell
merchants' gift cards for less than face value. They'll also buy gift cards you don't want (for 80 to 90
percent of the card's value).

Get cash back. Another way to spend less is to earn cash while you shop. That's the premise of
FatWallet.com http://www.fatwallet.com and Ebates http://www.ebates.com . Join their cash-back
programs and you can get cash back from select merchants. Be sure to read the fine print: The cash
accrues and is sent to you periodically.

Deal apps. At the store try an application that uses your phone's camera to recognize a bar code and
does a quick product search to help you compare prices at other stores. If you have an iPhone, you
can download the RedLaser app for 99 cents. Got an Android? Download the Google Shopper app for
free. If shopping online, be sure to look for privacy and security seals on retailers' sites and know the
return and exchange policies.

Why not put the money you save in an emergency fund or IRA. You'll help the economy and your
personal finances.

Tip #1: Use coupons! In addition to the paper coupons that come in the Sunday newspaper and
those listed above, you can get coupons on-line at sites such as couponcabin.com, coolsavings.com,
coupons.com, grocerysmarts.com, smartsource.com, shortcuts.com and shoplocal.com. Check the
manufacturers’ web sites for products you use all the time.

Tip #2: Are you a senior? Ask about a “senior” discount at your favorite store or your local movie
theater.
         Free Things To Do!

Tip #1: Visit -- http://visitmaryland.org for lots of interesting things to do in Maryland! Click on
“Events” or “Things to Do” for a list.

Tip #2: Visit your county website for a listing of activities in your county.
Anne Arundel - web.aacounty.org

Tip #3: Pack a lunch. Visit one of Maryland’s many parks www.dnr.state.md.us

Tip #4: Visit a museum; in Washington, DC the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art, the Air and
Space Museum, and the National Archives to name a few. Most of these museums are free!

Tip #5: Don’t buy books – check them out at your local library or swap or share a good book with a
friend.




         Free Summer Events
- Little Italy Film Festival - FREE! http://www.littleitalymd.com/ Every Friday in July and August 2010 -
Entertainment will be provided by Aldo and Corrado Locco from 7:00-9:00p.m. Free popcorn will be
provided by Colombo Bank and the film will begin at 9:00p.m. Bring your lawn chair and come early to
get a good spot at the corner of Stiles and High Streets in Baltimore's Little Italy. Free to the public.

- Federal Hill Park Flicks @9:00pm - Free to the public. http://www.avam.org/ Outdoor family films on
Federal Hill screened under AVAM’s Golden Hand! It’s free and the flicks are related to the theme of
the exhibition—Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness. Museum is open and free from 5–9 pm before
the flick.

July 1: Singin' in the Rain         July 29: King Kong (1933)
July 8: Avalon                      Aug 5: A League of Their Own
July 15: Princess Bride             Aug 12: True Stories
July 22 Radio Days                  Aug 19: Rocky

- ARTSCAPE - FREE: JULY 16-18, 2010 http://artscape.org/ or Phone: 1/877-BALTIMORE Artscape
features 150+ artists, fashion designers and craftspeople.
Location: 140 West Mt. Royal Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21201