Earlier this week I went to a nice restaurant, enjoyed a free dinner and took home a bunch of free products. How did I do it? I served on a focus group. We were asked our opinions on some of the products and about our buying habits. It was a fun night filled with great food and good discussion. I was able to participate in this focus group due to a connection through church, but if you want to participate in a focus group there are other ways.

One site I found that looks useful is GreenBook.org. GreenBook.org is a directory of market research companies. You can search by metropolitan area, by state or by market research specialty. This site makes it easy to locate specific research companies that may be looking for people to participate in focus groups. For instance, if you live in the Atlanta area, a quick search would bring up PVR Research. If you visit the company’s website, they have an online form to register for participation in focus groups.

Another site that may be helpful is FindFocusgroups.com. The site works a little like a job board, listing open focus groups and surveys, along with the pay rate. In some cases the surveys and focus groups listed here are geographically specific, but in other cases they are conducted online or via telephone and anyone can participate. Many of the links on this site will take you to Craiglist postings.

Participating in focus groups and surveys can be a quick way to make some easy money. Just make sure you don’t fall for any scams. Never pay money to participate and use caution when selecting a firm to work with.

So you want to celebrate Independence Day with a little red, white and blue, but you don’t to spend much green? That is perfectly OK. There are plenty of places to get decorations that will show your patriotic side without having to spend much money or any money at all.

Print Off Flags

Did you know there are a bunch of websites that help you to print flags off your home printer? PrintOurFlag.com is one of those sites. After seeing a flag shortage after 9/11 the site began to offer printable flags. You can choose between several designs and sizes. If you want a jumbo flag you can print one out using multiple sheets of standard printer paper.

DIY Decorations

Feeling a little crafty? If the emphasis is on “little,” get some help from Twig and Thistle. They’ve got well-designed 4th of July templates to help you make matchbook covers, sparkler cards and straw flags to spice up your backyard party. The templates are free, but you’ll have to buy a few of the supplies.

Shop Sales

Head to your local craft store like Hobby Lobby for deep discounts on 4th of July decorations. Michaels also has several patriotic project ideas ranging from a 4th of July windsock to all-star patriotic cupcakes. Register to receive Michaels’ emails and you’ll get a 50% off coupon.

Use Fabric

Fabric can be an affordable way to add color to a party without spending much money. Get some assistance from Martha Stewart and create some star medallions to help decorate your backyard. You’ll be seeing fireworks long before the sun goes down.

Twitter can be a great way to get a regular flow of tips, ideas and information about money, budgeting and investing. But with so many people on Twitter, how do you know who to follow? Check out this list of 20 Twitter people to follow if you’re looking for tweets about money.

1. @WhatToKnow: WhatToKnow tweets about information and resources that can help consumers make wise decisions. Most of the tweets promote articles published on WhatToKnow.org. Not all of the articles are about money, but most of them cover financial topics such as education, insurance and real estate.

2. @KeepCash: Passionate about coupon codes? So is KeepCash. Follow them for a flow of sales and deals on gadgets and electronics that they also post on their website, KeepCash.com.

3. @CollegeMoneyGal: She’s young, she’s a college student and she blogs! Follow CollegeMoneyGal for tips on the best coupons to print and how to choose the best bank account. Much of the material on her website is geared towards younger readers, but it’s very interesting stuff.

4. @Freebies4You: Sandra Niziolek is the woman behind the tweets at Freebies4You. From fruit snacks to iPods, she’s got the best freebies from the web on her website, FreebieZone.

5. @FreeSampleLady: Everybody loves free stuff. If you like trying out new products be sure to add FreeSampleLady to your follow list and check out her website, FreeSampleLady.com.

6. @MomSavesMoney: She’s frugal and loves to tweet about it. Follow MomSavesMoney to track the latest deals and giveaways. She also writes about it on her website with the same name.

7. @FrugaliciousMom: Don’t let the name fool you– FrugaliciousMom is actually a mother/daughter team, hunting down bargains one at a time. You can also track their findings on their website, FrugaliciousMommy.com.

8. @SavingSense: Whether you need encouragement or insight into the coupon game, SavingSense can help. You’ll find even more information on her website, SavingCentswithSense.com.

9. @Couponing101: Her name gives her tweets away. She’s a coupon addict, excited to share her passion with the Twitterverse. You can also track her coupon use on her blog, Couponing101.com.

10. @MissBargainista: If you thought saving and style didn’t go together, try following MissBargainista’s tweets and blog posts.

11. @Publix4Pennies: Attention Publix shoppers! If you are a regular at this southeastern grocery store chain, follow Publix4Pennies for tips on saving big on food.

12. @ChristianPF: The leading Christian personal finance blog (for now!) ChristianPF.com is a great resource for advice on investing, debt reduction and money matters from a Christian point of view.

13. @SweepStakesGirl: If you’d like to have a shot at winning cool prizes, follow Sweepstakesgirl. She’s also got a blog that will keep you informed about the best giveaways the web has to offer.

14. @FreeFromBroke: Working to get out of debt? Follow FreeFromBroke for helpful hints and encouragement. His website has great information, too.

15. @NotMadeofMoney: NotMadeofMoney is a mom to four kids who also blogs about personal finances at NotMadeofMoney.com. She writes and tweets about everything from homeowners insurance to how to have a successful yard sale.

16. @YourFinances: YourFinances tweets about what else– your finances. Interesting posts can also be found at thetruthaboutyourfinances.com.

17. @bargainr: Jim Wang is a popular personal finance tweeter and blogger. For information and inspiration, add him to your follow list.

18. @DebtKid: Feeling bad about your mounting debt? Follow DebtKid and you might feel a little better. Through tweets and blog posts, you’ll be able to follow DebtKid’s attempt to tackle more than $300,000 worth of debt.

19. @MoneyMatters: For another Christian approach to personal finance, track MoneyMatters on twitter and in the blogosphere.

20. @ChristianDebt: That’s us! We do our best to share the latest and greatest information on personal finance through our Tweets.

While most of the time I try to offer valuable information and advice to the readers of this blog, sometimes I need a little of it myself. I am a bridesmaid in a wedding in early August. Last night I got an email from the maid-of-honor, a close friend of mine, planning out the two days of activities before the wedding. The more she started to talk about the cost of everything the more sick I felt. I started to add up what this wedding is costing my husband and I. You see, not only am I a bridesmaid, but my husband is the best man. He’s not even particularly close to the groom, but most of the groom’s family and friend are unable to attend the wedding for financial reasons. So here is a rundown the current expenses that I am aware of:

My dress: $130
My accessories: $30
Hotel for Three Nights: $300
Plane Tickets: $700
Total: $1160

We still haven’t been told what my husband will have to buy for his outfit, but I know they will not be renting tuxes. My guess is that we will be spending between $100-$150 on the outfits. Add to this total food, gas money for getting from the airport to the lake where the wedding is being held, and a gift and we are probably over $1500. The made-of-honor is planning a pre-wedding day of manicures, pedicures and parasailing. So here’s my question– the made-of-honor is asking us all to chip in to pay for the bride’s day of fun. She says it’s up to us whether we want to pay for ourselves to have manicures, pedicures and to go parasailing, which would add about $150 on to my expenses. I don’t really want to do it, but do you think it’s ok to just be an observer for the day? Or will it take away from the bride’s experience? We also aren’t sure whether my husband– who is technically the best man– is responsible for paying for any activities with the groom.

According to manners-guru Peggy Post, bridesmaids are not responsible for paying or participating in any pre-wedding activities. That actually seems a little harsh to me, but tell me what you think. I know for my own wedding we paid for everyone to have their manicures and pedicures because they were flying in from out of town. We also paid for their hotel rooms and I picked out $30 bridesmaid dresses from Target. But then again, I also know I am probably more frugal than the average person and because of that I am likely more sensitive about putting a financial burden on others. So go ahead– give it to me. Should I just fork over the money and forget about it? Or should I back off from participating in extra and expensive activities?

The following guest post is by Jim Wang, who writes about personal finance and other issues at the outstanding personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

In our current economic times,we’re all looking for a little edge in managing our finances. Whether it’s trying to squeeze a couple tenths of a percent out of our savings or paying off a little more on our existing debts, finding a quick financial win here or there can really make the difference.

There’s also a psychological impact. With all the bad financial news, we all need to see the silver lining among the storm clouds. There’s only so much Recession-talk we can take before we get sick of it and throw our hands up. That’s why I wanted to offer up some quick financial wins that hopefully will help both your finances and your psyche.

1. Start An Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is a must-have for any responsible individual in our economic times. Well known anti-debt advocate Suze Orman has now changed her advice on whether to pay down debt or save an emergency fund. She now advocates that you continue to make minimum payments on debt until you build up a large enough emergency fund reserve. The logic behind this advice is sound. You want to have that cushion in place so that you don’t need to lean on credit to meet any shortfalls.

2. Open A Roth IRA

A Roth IRA is a retirement investment account that grows tax free. That’s right, tax free. The contributions you make are not tax deductible but any investment gains you have will never be subjected to an income tax. The Roth IRA is so good that they limit how much you contribute each year to $5,000 a year (2009). If you have a high income, you may also be subjected to income phaseouts for the Roth IRA.

If you have a Traditional IRA that you’ve been itching to convert to a Roth but were unable to because of the income rules, 2010 will be your year. In 2010, the income restrictions for Roth IRA conversions will be lifted, thus making it possible for you to turn the taxable Traditional IRA into a tax-free Roth IRA (after you pay the taxes).

3. Check Your Credit History & Score

Check your credit history and your credit score. Get a copy of your credit histories through the government website AnnualCreditReport.com to ensure that your credit history doesn’t have any errors or omissions. You can get a copy of your credit score for free from a service like Credit Karma or by signing up for service trials that offer free FICO credit scores. By getting a copy of your reports and a look at your score, you have a better idea of where you stand in the spectrum of consumers. As we discussed yesterday, sometimes it actually makes good sense to buy a free credit report.

4. Ladder Your Emergency Fund

Laddering your savings is a great way to boost your interest rate yields without adding any risk to your life. Laddering refers to the technique of opening CDs with varying maturity dates so that they mature on a monthly schedule. While some of the best CD rates have been fairly low lately, it’s better to lock in the interest rate today before the rates fall. By laddering your CDs, you ensure you get the highest rate possible for your savings.

A recent survey conducted by NationalChristianPoll.com for Christianity Today International’s Your Church Media Group reveals how the recession is impacting churches and how they are handling current economic conditions. According to the survey, 40% of those polled said that the recession has caused weekly giving to drop by at least 2%, while just 9% say that weekly giving has increased by at least 2%. One-third of those polled estimate that giving has not changed despite the current economic downturn.

Here’s a look at where churches are getting their income:

• Nearly all churches depend on tithes and offerings as one of their church’s principal sources of income.
• One-third of churches’ say all of their principal sources of income are from tithes and offerings.
• 35% of churches rely on investments as a main source of income.
• 24% of churches rely on special campaigns as one of their church’s principal sources of income.
• 20% of churches rely on rental or lease income.
• 18% of churches rely on net income from ancillary programs/ministries as one of their primary income sources.
• 11% of churches rely on denominational and/or missions support as one of their church’s key income sources
• 9% of churches rely on “other” sources as one of their church’s principal sources of income.

So how are churches responding to this change in income? Interestingly enough, three out of four say that they do not feel any affects of the recession. Those that are taking action are most commonly turning to salary freezes. Three in ten churches have decided to issue a salary freeze. Other churches are instituting hiring freezes, pay cuts and layoffs.

This weekend I threw my neighbor a baby shower. There were about 25 guests and everyone had a great time. I was a little nervous about how much the party would cost since the guest list was a little large, but I managed to pull it off for a little over $100 including food, decorations and games. Here’s how I saved money on this baby shower:

I threw the party at my house. We considered renting a space that would be large enough for everyone to be able to relax in an air conditioned space, but that would have cost about $100. So instead, we decided to throw the party in our backyard. We have a circle driveway that actually turned out to be a great party space with plenty of room.

I borrowed tables and chairs. Rather than rent tables and chairs, I borrowed four six-foot tables and about 25 chairs from neighbors. This saved me a lot of money. I also used a card table and another round table to hold gifts and food. I also borrowed some paper lanterns to hang from the trees.

I used what I had. When my expecting friend told me one of the colors for the nursery would be chocolate brown, I knew that had to be one of the party colors. Not just because I wanted to coordinate with the nursery, but also because that was one of my wedding colors. I knew I could use table cloths and some other decor items that I already had to help transform the backyard.

I took any help that was offered. A couple of guests offered to bring food and I gladly took them up on it. Also, rather than pay for expensive invitations I asked a graphic designer friend to make them for me. I took the file to a local printer and paid just $12 for all of them.

I shopped at a bulk grocery store. The day before the big event I hit up Costco. I bought flowers, hamburger and bottled water here to save money.

I got crafty. I knew the look I wanted to go for when it came to the tables. Rather than buy fancy center pieces I made some from a guide I found online. I also got a little help from Martha Stewart and made tissue paper pom poms to hang from the trees.

I planned and planned. The date for the shower was set for about a month so I got started right away. This helped me keep an eye out for the items I needed so that I could find them on sale or search for the best price. Waiting until the last minute can be bad for your budget.

Perhaps you’ve caught yourself humming along to the jingle in that pirate commercial for FreeCreditReport.com. It is a catchy tune, but does it really offer a free credit report?

Not exactly.

Sign up and you’ll agree to be billed $14.95 per month until you cancel. There is, however, a seven day free trial period during which you can view your full credit reports AND your scores from all three major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. You must cancel your seven day day free trial within nine days to avoid being billed. (We don’t know why they don’t just call it a nine day free trial, either.)

So, the use of the word ‘free’ is a bit dubious here, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a great product for people who are about to apply for a mortgage or those who are actively trying to clean up credit reporting mistakes and boost their credit scores. As you may know, the three credit bureaus are now legally required to provide you with a completely free copy of your credit report once every twelve months, which you can order at AnnualCreditReport.com. However, these reports take up to fifteen days to be delivered to you and if you want to make any changes to your reports, you’ll need to either wait another year to get the reports again or pay to view updated reports…via a site like FreeCreditReport.com.

Furthermore, your free annual credit reports will not include your credit scores, which change frequently and are what lenders primarily use to determine if they will approve your loan application and what terms they will provide. FreeCreditReport.com provides you with your scores from all three credit bureaus, so you can monitor improvements as you clean up credit report errors and make progress towards paying down your debt.

We don’t love their use of the word ‘free’, but FreeCreditReport.com does provide a worthwhile service to those who are making an active effort to boost their credit scores.

I recently read Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy. Even though I’m not a mom, the book gives a lot of great advice for anyone looking to save money on household expenditures. THe book was originally published back in the early 1990’s and apparently the publisher, Bethany House, felt many people would be interested in the valuable information this book offers in light of the recession.

McCoy does a great job of mixing in couponing tips with low-cost recipes and fresh tactics on saving money. One of the topics McCoy touches on throughout the book is the cost of working. At first that may seem like an incorrect statement– don’t you make money by holding down a job? McCoy argues that while you do earn a salary working, there is also a price you pay– and often a big one at that– for having a job. For example, McCoy argues that in order to have a job you pay more in transportation, wardrobe, and child care. Factor in the cost of tolls, parking, gifts for co-workers and occasional housekeeping help and it adds up quickly. She says that you also spend more money eating out because there’s less time to work and you may end up paying more for groceries because you don’t have time to use coupons or shop in multiple stores to take advantage of the best deals.

McCoy says that when she left her job she was able to save her family $595 a month by reducing expenditures in the following categories:

Groceries: Reduced by $250 a month
Not eating out: Reduced by $125 a month
Clothes: Reduced by $75 a month
Haircuts: Reduced by $60 a month
Automobile gas and insurance: Reduced by $50 a month
Medical Insurance: Reduced by $25 a month
Cleaning Supplies: Reduced by $10 a month
Total Reduced Spending: $595 a month

Combine that with the cost of working which McCoy says was $915 per month for her and she saved a total of $1,510 each month by not working. That equals out to $18,120 to not work. So if you’re considering staying at home, or if you’ve been laid off, consider the cost of working as well as the earning potential you have.

I started using coupons over a year ago. I can’t remember exactly how it began, but I do remember how it evolved. I’m wondering if other coupon users have gone through a similar evolution? Here’s a look at the stages I went through:

Phase 1: Sale Shopper

My hunt for savings at the grocery store started by chance. I’d show up one afternoon with a short list. I’d spot things that were on sale, buy one get one free, and I’d purchase a few of those items. My receipt would tell me I saved $20 and that got me really excited.

Phase 2: Using the Sunday Paper

Slowly I started picking up a Sunday paper– when I remembered to do so. I’d sit on the couch with a pair of scissors and clip out the coupons that interested me. I left behind the coupons of products I didn’t think I’d use. Just because I was clipping coupons out doesn’t mean I always remembered to bring them with me.

Phase 3: Organizing Coupons

After many shopping trips where my coupons (and my reusable shopping bags) were forgotten at home, I decided to take the next step. I bought a coupon organizer and started sorting my coupons. Not only did I file them away, but I bought a purse big enough to hold this coupon organizer so it would be with me wherever I went.

Phase 4: Combining Sales and Coupons

Soon I started to realize the power of combining the coupons I had with the products that were on sale. I even wrote about the excitement of this process on this blog when I found toothpaste on clearance at Target. (This is especially funny now since I no longer pay for toothpaste, but always get it for free.) Even though I was finding great deals I did little planning. My grocery shopping trips often lasted well over an hour because I’d walk the aisles, keeping an eye out for what was on sale. If I saw something on sale I’d flip through each coupon in my file to see if I had one that I could use. While I was saving more, my grocery shopping was time consuming.

Phase 5: Research and Planning

I started to realize that the information about what was on sale at my grocery store of choice, Publix, was already on the web. This allowed me to research ahead of time, pull out the coupons I needed and create a grocery list before I even left home. I started planning my meals around what was on sale and stockpiling some items when I found a great deal.

Phase 6: The Drugstore Game

After months of resisting it because it seemed like a hassle, I started to get involved in the drugstore game. It was a deal for Dove soap that roped me in. The soap was $1 a bar and when you bought ten you got $8 back in Register Rewards at Walgreens, which meant you could essentially get 10 bars for $2. I came home with 40 bars which quickly lead me to the phase number seven.

Phase 7: Buying for More Than Just My Family

It struck me that me and my husband could spend a year going through all of that soap. Meanwhile there were plenty of other people who needed it now. I started keeping a donation bag in our kitchen and every time I bought something that was either free or super cheap that we didn’t need, I put it in this bag. Typically I get a bag full of items each week or every other week. This has been one of the most gratifying parts of my shopping evolution because it is no longer just about saving my family money, it’s about helping others.

Has your coupon use gone through an evolution? If so, which stage are you at? I know I still have more to learn which makes this entire process so fun. I can say that throughout this evolution, couponing has become a hobby for me which is why I think I am able to be successful at it.