Hack the planet(‘s bank account)

Through the years I, like many of you, have managed to get myself onto a lot of junk mailing lists. Whether it’s a credit card offer or a catalog, it seems as though I’m frequently inundated with letters and books that are destined for a straight shot into the recycling bin, sometimes by way of a shredder. Rather than waste the post office’s time (and my time), wouldn’t it better if there was a way to cut these off entirely?

Yes, that’s where Opt Out Prescreen comes in. By signing up to Opt Out Prescreen you stop a majority of the financial related direct mailings. It’s those credit card offers and bank offers that present the most risk because they contain a lot of personal information and many an identity theft has profited off those mailings.

Once you get past that, there are a few other places you can go to stop catalogs such as Catalog Choice and Direct Mail.com. Finally, add your name to the Do Not Mail petition to create a Do Not Mail Registry much like the Do Not Call registry.

The interest rates on high yield savings accounts is plummeting, with many banks now offering below 3% APY! The lone leader of the high yield savings account wars is still Dollar Savings Direct, with a yield of 4.00% APY.

The best way to guarantee a solid return on your saving is to lock it into a CD. The best CD rates are now all under 4% with Dollar Savings Direct recently falling from 4.0% APY on their 16-month CD to a more average 3.50% APY. A regular savings account does not guarantee the rate, only CDs do.

More and more television stations are broadcasting their shows online, there’s almost no reason why you would need cable anymore! NBC, ABC, and Fox all broadcast their television shows online in their entirety absolutely free, after they’ve aired on normal television. If those aren’t enough, you can catch other shows and movies on sides like Hulu.com, Sling.com, and TV.com.

Cut cable and save a few hundred dollars next year.

Happy New Year!

Like any other retail business, car dealers need to make their monthly, quarterly, and annual sales goals. Today, the 30th, is probably one of the best days in the year for buying cars because a slowing economy, sales goals, and desperation will come together to make for car salesman willing to cut a few deals to move units off the lots. With the prospects of car sales slowing next year, salesmen will be trying to make their numbers harder than ever. Take advantage!

Everyone knows the best place to buy stuff is on the internet. You can avoid the lines at the mall or the store, you can often save some cash because there’s no sales tax, and it’s overall a better experience because you can do it while wearing your pajamas!

The only frustrating part about shopping online is the feeling that you’re missing a coupon code somewhere. Well, that time has passed because with RetailMeNot.com, you can find every single coupon code instantly. Not only will you find the codes but you’ll also know if they work. People will indicate whether they were able to use the code and you can see the percentage of success. Lower percentage of success ratings might me the code is dead, saving you some time in trying it yourself.

If you haven’t used it yet, RetailMeNot.com is a definite place to check out!

With it being Christmas Eve and all, your faithful servant will be taking the rest of the week off to spend time with friends and family. Thank you to all who have come here to look for the best daily money hacks and I appreciate your visits very much. Have a wonderful, happy, warm and safe holiday and I’ll see you all back on Monday!

The name Pulaski Bank has been on the posts of all the hot deals forums as all sorts of deal finders are discovering that Pulaski is offering two credit cards with no fee 6 month 0% balance transfers. The six month isn’t really appealing but the fact that it’s 0% and has no fee means it’s basically a six month breather from whatever it is you’re trying to pay back. If you want to do the whole arbitrage game, that’s up to you as to whether six months is worth your trouble (the high yield savings accounts aren’t giving up that much these days).

But who is Pulaski Bank? They’re a bank located in Little Rock, AR that has been FDIC insured since 1991 with certificate #33538. They’re a legitimate bank with a legitimate credit offering a no fee 6 month 0% balance transfer.

Citibank is offering a $25 bonus for first-time Citibank deposit account customers when they open an Ultimate Savings Account and deposit $1,000. You must then keep that $1,000 minimum in the account for three consecutive months to quality for the $25 bonus. You can apply online or call them up at 1-877-695-9400 with the code CYA8. Expires 1/31/2009.

Terms & Conditions:

$25 offer is not valid for existing Citibank deposit customers. To qualify for this offer you must: (1) Open and fund a new Ultimate Savings Account with a minimum initial deposit of $1,000 by 01/31/2009 using offer code CYA8 and (2) maintain a minimum balance of $1,000 in your account each month for the next 3 consecutive calendar months. $25 will be credited to your Ultimate Savings Account within 120 days from the date of satisfaction of offer terms. Account must be open and in good standing at the time of $25 credit. The amount of any bonus payment will be reported to the IRS as interest earned in the year credited.

$25 on $1,000 is not bad, plus you get 2.75% APY for as long as they offer it. Be sure to check fees and other conditions before applying.

RecycleBank is a new service where you can get rewarded for recycling if you happen to live in a community that supports it in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Vermont. If it’s available, you are given a cart to put your recyclables and a truck comes by to pick up your recycling. Then, you get 2.5 REcycleBank points for each pound of recyclable material that can be converted into gift cards.

Not a bad way to recycle and earn some extra cash!

With the winter months coming up, it’s becoming increasingly important to lock down your home so that all that warmth you’re paying for doesn’t just lead out the cracks in your door and windows. The easiest way to do this is to replace the weather-strip on your old windows and doors, which some estimate can save you 15-30% on your heating bills. If you don’t want to do that, you can always put up plastic sheets and effectively “seal” the window (doors probably won’t work well with this option).