Looking for work? You’re not alone. Unemployment has hit a 14-year high. That means hoards of people are heading to the Internet with hopes of finding a new job. There are lots of job listing sites and resources for the unemployed online. But where do you turn for reliable, up-to-date information? Here are some sites to consider when looking for work online:

Indeed.com

The site says it’s posted nearly a million new jobs in the past week. But it’s how you sort through those listings that makes this site so great. It works pretty much like the search engine Google. Put in keywords, job title or company name along with a city, state or zip code. You’ll then be able to search through the listings you like.

MarketVendorJobs.com

This is a great site for anyone looking for a job or looking for an employee in the financial sector. With so many banks getting hit hard, this is a popular area for job seekers. If this is your industry, you’ll definitely want to check out MarketVendorJobs.com.

Vault.com

Research is key for staying on top. Head to Vault.com for valuable data on industry trends, companies your targeting or schools you may want to attend. Search jobs, get help with your resume or network on the message boards.

LinkedIn.com

Networking is a great way to find a new job. Use LinkedIn.com as a social networking tool to reconnect with old co-workers or meet new people in the field you are targeting. Soon the site will let users notify members when they’re on the hunt for a job.

GlassDoor.com

This site offers a free inside look at over 18,000 companies. Find out how much businesses are paying for people in your position. Read reviews about different companies.

You’re a procrastinator. You still haven’t purchased gifts for long-distance relatives, let alone shipped them off at the local post office. Rather than forking over big bucks for last minute shipping in order to get it there in time for Christmas, try a gift you can e-mail. Here are a few suggestions.

Restaurant.com

Sign up your friend or family member for the Dinner-of-the-Month Club at Restaurant.com. Choose between 3, 6, and 12 month memberships. Each month a $25 gift certificate will show up in their inbox. All they’ll have to do is print it out and head to the restaurant for a free meal. Plus, you’ll get rewarded with a $10 gift certificate with a three month subscription, $25 with six months or $50 with a year.

GiveAnything.com

Shop in hundreds of thousands of stores. Pick the one you want, select and amount and with a couple of clicks your gift is on its way to your loved one’s inbox. It will even arrive with an electronic greeting card with a special message from you.

Charitable Donation

Buy a dozen chicks, a goat or a cow. At OxfamAmerica.org you can purchase animals in the name of a loved one, and people who really need the animals will receive them. Do something good and make a donation in honor of your family member. Gifts are at all different price points so you can spend as much or as little as you want. Send the recipient an e-card to notify them of the purchase you made in their honor.

Credit card users have someone on their side– the Federal Reserve, the Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration. Those government organizations are supporting new rules to regulate practices of credit card companies. Here are a few of the new rules expected to go into effect mid-2010:

1. Interest Rate Changes: Credit card companies must disclose the annual percentage rate (APR) at the time the account is opened and if they plan on raising the rate, that must be clearly communicated when the account is opened.

2. Reasonable Time to Pay: Credit card companies can not treat a payment as “late” unless the consumer has at least 21 days to pay it.

3. Payment Allocation: If you have account balances with different Annual Percentage Rates and you pay more than the minimum, that extra money will go towards the account with the highest balance or it will go equally to all of the accounts.

4. Double-Cycle Billing: Credit card companies cannot do this anymore– it’s when they tack on finance charges based on balances associated with previous billing cycles.

These new laws are the most strict regulation efforts against the credit card industry in decades. Although the rules take effect July 1, 2010, the Office of Thrift Supervision hopes credit card companies will start complying as soon as possible.

Photo Courtesy of Andres Rueda

The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates this week, which is good news for home buyers and owners. The National Association of Realtors released a statement saying that the lower rates make the dream of homeownership attainable again. “That is the lowest rate in nearly 50 years and will bring buyers back to the market,” NAR President Charles McMillan said. “We are pleased that the government heard our message and responded to our call for action.” Rates had averaged 6.3% in the third quarter, but have now fallen into the 4% range in some parts of the country, making it the lowest rate in nearly 50 years. That has enticed many homeowners to consider refinancing.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage applications rose 2.9% last week. Refinancing made up 76.9% of mortgage activity last week, bringing it to a five-year high. The average rate on a 30-year fixed rate dropped to 5.18% last week. What does that mean as far as potential savings? On a $165,000 loan, the payment would be $906 with current rates, down from over $1000 a month just a month ago.

So how do you know if refinancing is right for you? Try this Mortgage Refinancing Calculator. It will tell you what your new monthly payment will be as well as how much in interest you can save over the course of the loan. That way you will know if refinancing is right for you.

As 2008 wraps up, it’s time to start thinking about taxes. There is some good news out there for homeowners. Recent tax law changes could mean new tax breaks for you, according to this article from Kiplinger. Here’s a rundown of the potential tax breaks:

First-Time Buyers

If you bought your home after April 9, 2008, or even during the first part of 2009, you may be eligible for a tax credit equal to 10% of the purchase price, up to $7500. It works like a tax-free loan that must be paid back over 15 years. To qualify, individuals must meet income requirements and if you move before the 15 years is up, you have to repay the loan in full.

Non-Itemizing Homeowners

If you don’t itemize, here is another tax break you can take advantage of. It’s a standard deduction of $500 for individuals and $1000 for married couples. The purpose of it is to offset real estate taxes that you would be able to deduct if you itemized your tax return. This could be a good option for those that purchased homes late in the year and don’t have enough interest paid to make itemizing a good choice.

Homeowners Paying PMI

If you didn’t put down at least 20% of your home’s purchase price, chances are you’re paying PMI, or Private Mortgage Insurance. If you made PMI payments in 2008, and your income is less than $50,000 as an individual or $100,000 as a married couple, you can deduct 100% of your PMI. Your home must have been purchased or refinanced since January 1, 2007.

DC Homeowners

Congress also extended a tax credit for home buyers in the District of Columbia. First-time homeowners are eligible for a tax credit of up to $5,000.

I found this and thought it was funny enough to share:

Cathy Cartoon

I have been able to snag some great deals for Christmas presents this year:

*Buy one get one free symphony tickets
*A winter coat for $12.50 for a charity gift
*Half-off a sweat suit, plus a $5 off purchase coupon
*And of course there’s that free Entertainment Book I told you about

Even though I do get excited about my bargains, I don’t think I would tell someone who just opened a gift from me what a good deal I got on it. How about you? Do you like to share your bargain-hunting success stories, or keep them between you and other frugal-minded folks?

I’ve saved on dry cleaning bills, bought half-price theater tickets, and received free coffee (that’s a big one for me!) by using The Entertainment Book. But for some reason, forking over $15 for one still seems a little scary. What if I don’t use it? What if there are no good coupons inside this time? Will I really get back what I spent? Well, now I don’t have to worry about that because I got a free entertainment book.

Have you heard of Cashbaq.com? It’s pretty similar to Ebates.com. You get cash back from shopping at popular sites. Typically you earn a percentage of whatever you purchase. When you sign up for a CashBaq.com account you automatically get a $5 sign-on bonus. Right now, if you buy an Entertainment Book through CashBaq.com, you earn another $10 into your account. Plus, Entertainment Books are $10 off right now through CashBaq.com. That $10 coupon made the Entertainment Book for our area $15, the same amount I will be getting back from CashBaq.com, which makes my Entertainment Book free.

Just to recap, here’s the math:

Regular price of entertainment book: $25
Coupon from CashBaq.com: -$10
Additional Cash received for purchasing book: -$10
Sign on bonus from CashBaq.com: -$5
Total cost of Entertainment Book: FREE!!!

CashBaq.com pays through check or via PayPal. You must accrue a minimum of $10 to get paid. If you don’t have enough that money carries over from month to month until you do. But if you buy an Entertainment Book you will have enough to get your money right away. The site sends out payments around the 20th of every month. Now start saving!

Some deals need to be passed on. Like this one from Hertz: enjoy one free weekend day car rental when you include code “PC#127595″ in your reservation. This discount works on economy through full-size cars through March 31, 2009. Here’s the really sweet part of this deal– you can use it once a month until it expires and there is no minimum rental. That means you can use your free day and turn the car back in. So you may even be able to work it out where you rent a car to the destination, and your spouse rents the car on the way home, giving you a free weekend of travel to and from a destination. There are a few rules. Here’s what the website says:

Terms and Conditions: Advance reservations required. Blackouts may apply. Subject to availability, this offer is redeemable at participating Hertz locations in the U.S. (excluding , NY Metro area, Florida and Hawaii). This offer applies to minimum one day weekend rental (weekend defined as pick-up noon Thursday through Noon Sunday), has no cash value, may not be used with Tour Rates or Insurance Replacement Rates and cannot be combined with any other certificate, voucher, offer or promotion. The Free Day value applies to weekend rental time and mileage charges of economy through full-size class vehicles. Hertz age, driver, credit and weekend rate qualifications for the renting location apply and the car must be returned to that location. Taxes, tax reimbursement, age differential charges, upsell charges, fees and optional service charges, such as refueling, are not included. Discounts apply to time and mileage charges only. One redemption per customer per month. Offer valid for vehicle pickup through 3-31-09.

Give it a try and let me know how much money you saved!

Photo courtesy of mrkathika

Here’s an option you may not have considered for holiday shopping: layaway. It’s a practice that was popular before credit cards found homes in just about every wallet. It basically allows the shopper to set aside the item they wish to buy by giving the retailer a small amount of money. Then the shopper makes payments towards the item when they have the money. But they don’t walk out of the store with the item until it’s paid in full.

Since banks are lowering credit limits and consumers seem more hesitant to rack up credit card debt, the Detroit News reports that layaway is becoming a popular option once again. In fact, Sears started offering layaway again for the first time since 1989 and it’s been a good move this holiday season. Kmart has had layaway for decades, but started an advertising campaign in October promoting the service prominently. So far it’s paid off.

There are some things to know before trying layaway according to creditcards.com:

1. Does the retailer provide full or partial refunds if the layaway is not completed? (Many stores charge a penalty for not completing the purchase. Kmart, for instance, keeps 10% of the purchase price.)

2. Does the retailer provide store credit toward future purchases if the layaway is not completed?

3. What is the payment amount?

4. When is it due?

5. How often must the payment be made — weekly, every other week or monthly?

6. Are any service or layaway charges added to the purchase price?

7. Are there additional charges, such as for shipping?

8. Will the layaway item be physically separated from other store merchandise, or marked “sold”?

9. If the item is not in stock and needs to be ordered, under what circumstance (such as once half the purchase price has been paid) will the order take place?

10. What are the product’s details (color, size, stock number, model number, trade name or manufacturer, etc.)?

There are also websites that offer layaway services including lay-away.com. Shop for the item you want and lay-away.com will help you buy it without using credit cards. They don’t charge a fee, because they make money off commissions from selling certain products. So if you’re giving up credit cards, but you’re a little short on cash, layaway may be a good option.

Gift cards are a popular present. Usually when I receive a gift card it’s for $10, $15, or $20. And usually the thing I want to buy with it costs more than that. There are ways to amplify your gift cards so that you can get more from your money. For instance, I recently received a $15 gift card for the Yankee Candle Company. I can easily double the value of that gift card by taking a few minutes to do a little online research.

One of my favorite sites for finding printable coupons is this one. Search through categories for apparel, books or automotive. I happened to find this coupon that gives me $10 off any $25 purchase at Yankee Candle. That means my $15 gift card is now amplified to $25! And since the gift card is good until 12/27 I’m guessing I could find some great clearance items that will make my spending power even more amplified.