Medical insurance costs are skyrocketing and many places of employment no longer supply medical insurance without a major dip into your pocketbook. The impact of under-insured or uninsured Americans and senior citizens are taking a toll on households across U.S.

I have been without insurance. At one time I had to purchase medicine with a price tag of over $1,900 a month. Because of that time, I was inspired to find out what I could do to help defray the cost of the medicine.

What I discovered is one of the best kept secrets in the medical industry. The secret is that pharmaceutical companies and major pharmaceutical company sponsors provide free prescription medicines to individuals and families that qualify.

For those individuals and families who can’t afford the cost of or the co-payment their prescription medications require, help has been around for years. The first step is to find out who manufactures the prescriptions you are taking.

Once you know the manufacturer, go to their website and download their application or apply online for their program. Some of the pharmaceutical websites and pharmaceutical company sponsors have websites that have the program information easily available.

Other websites you will have to search to find the program. Once you either fill out their application online or downloaded the application, you will in most cases need to get a signed consent form from your doctor to fax or send to the company. Every program has different rules and procedures.

Please take advantage of this opportunity to help you, your family and friend defray a bit of the medical costs from your budget.

Traveling is a lot of fun and a great way to invest time with friends and family on vacation. To save money and time as well as plan a fun trip, please use the following tips.

Planning a trip “off season” can save you a lot of money on airfare, hotel and sight seeing. Lots of fun, not a lot of people and a lot less expensive. Last January we went to Florida, stayed at a five star resort and flew on a non-stop flight for less than $1,500 for two people, including Disney World and Epcot Center tickets. In addition to not spending much money for 7 days, lo and behold not a single line in Epcot or at Disney World. Amazing! To get on any of the rides at Disney World or see Epcot in its entirety was astonishing. No waiting at all.

We booked a trip to Australia and Tahiti for three weeks that cost half the price it did during the months of June through August. We stayed in four and five star hotels, traveled on a great airline, went to three different parts of Australia and had limousine service at some locations for less than $1,900 each. The locals weren’t tired of overwhelming tourists and there were no lines or sold out signs anywhere.

Another trip to Hawaii was the same as the Australia trip. Did you know that Hawaii could be less expensive if you book it from California? Let me explain. If you live on the East Coast, a trip to Hawaii for seven nights (airfare, car, hotel) will cost on average of $1,700 (providing you book it on off days and online) and you will spend upwards of eight hours or more on the plane, not including layovers.

However, that same trip, booked out of Los Angeles, California will cost you on average $986 (using the same dates and the same online provider, with an upgrade from a three star hotel to a five star hotel) and you will fly non-stop for five hours, sometimes more and then arrive in beautiful Hawaii.

Instead of booking the trip from the East Coast, why not purchase the trip as if you lived in California and then book a round trip ticket on an airline such as Jet Blue (great to fly on and free television the entire flight) for as little as $32 (yes I just saw it advertised, $16 each way from New York to Los Angeles) on up to $149 and then either wait a few hours in the airport at LAX or book an overnight hotel in Los Angeles and see the town.

This is a great way to break up a grueling flight. Either way, you will save approximately $1,600 for you and your travel partner (unless you are traveling alone, then your savings will be half.) Even if you stay in a five star hotel in Los Angeles or Bel Air and the hotel cost is $789 a night. You will still save nearly $900.00!

For European or Eastern travel, use the same principal. Find out the route a plane would take to go to Europe from where your airport is, then find out how much it would cost to book the trip from it’s last stop in the United States (or where you live). Add on the price of a round trip ticket from your airport to the last stop in your country., and often times you may find that it’s less expensive to book that way. Pay close attention to departure times to ensure that your plane will catch your connecting flight. That’s why I believe it’s best to stay overnight at a hotel in the city you will be leaving from and see the town before you leave for Europe, the East, Hawaii or any other destination.

There are also two types of airports. There are “hubs” and “line stations”. A “hub,” is a large station that usually feeds directly into other airports. A “line station” is a station that usually only feeds into limited “hub” stations, and other small “line-stations.” It is much less expensive to fly out of a “hub” station, because there are fewer connections.  You can save a lot of money by enlisting a friend to drive you to a further away Airport that is a “hub.” (Make sure it makes sense with gas prices of course. Usually your savings will be a few hundred dollars for reference.)

When traveling, try to choose package or all-inclusive deals that will give you a better rate on everything. If you can pack a small suitcase filled with non-perishable, foods (remember the baggage weight limit on the airline you chose) you will save time that you would have to sit in a restaurant for travel and money for travel as well.

Go to Costco or Sam’s Club and stock up on items that will help you save money on eating out. Definitely, use credit cards that give you cash back or bonus rewards and sign up for the frequent flyer miles for each place you stay, car rentals and airlines. They will add up. I have received many free flights and free trips using frequent flyer miles. Save money on travel by using youth hostels and if you are heading to Europe, be sure to purchase a Euro-Rail pass.

Here are a few great sites to help you get on your way to a great vacation and business travel:

http://www.travelocity.com
http://www.mobissimo.com/
http://farechase.yahoo.com/
http://www.kayak.com/
http://www.lowestfare.com
http://www.priceline.com/
http://www.hotwire.com
http://www.orbitz.com
http://www.expedia.com
http://www.cheaptickets.com/
http://www.cheapflights.com/
http://www.travelzoo.com
http://www.cheapseats.com/
http://www.cheaptrips.com/
http://www.faremax.com/

Large assortment of web only, unpublished deals for the traveler who wants to save money. 

http://www.onetravel.com
http://www.cheapoair.com
http://www.onetravel.com (check out their “Farebeater Ultra.”)

Here are a few extra useful tools to help you on your journey.

http://www.easycruise.com/ Helps find inexpensive cruise travel.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/ is a great place to find out about the different cruse lines.

Bon Voyage!

Sometimes, eating out can be less expensive than eating in and a lot more fun (but be very careful, because in the long haul eating out on a consistent basis will cost you quite a bit of money and, a much larger waistline). In order to get the most value for your dining experience, buy coupon books from a school and help them make money while you save!

These coupon books are a dream value for saving money. Two for one dinners and entertainment. If you don’t know any kids who are selling them, you can also buy The Entertainment Coupon Book at http://www.entertainment.com. The $10 – $20 you pay for them will return back to you with only a few coupons.

Find a restaurant chain in your area that allows children to eat free during certain nights.  Take advantage of those deals. Bring their friends for more fun! Check out the early bird and lunch specials as well as happy hour for half-priced entrees and hours devours.

Another great tip: Try eating out during lunch. Eating at a restaurant during lunch can be a lot less expensive for the same items than during the dinner hour. Most restaurants use “lunch specials” to draw in customers during a normally slow lunch period.

Some of the finest restaurants have early bird specials that will cost you 2/3 less than ordering during prime time. Many restaurants offer salad or soup, an entrée that includes two vegetables, desert and soda, coffee or tea for one small price. Look for combination meals, rather than ordering al la carte.

A recent five star restaurant we ate in, Pittsburgh, PA offered an incredible deal. For $16, each member of our party had the best meal they had ever eaten. I had the most flavorful, tender steak (12 oz), a large salad (the size of a dinner plate and stacked high), water (although I had my choice of beverages), an incredible rice pilaf and a heaping portion of asparagus and fresh homemade (real) key lime pie all for $16.29 (not including tip of course).

While bringing home a doggy bag may not be your idea of a good taste, you are wasting a lot of money by throwing your meal away, when you could have a great meal the next day as well. If you are reticent about bringing home leftovers, why not ask the restaurant if they serve half portions for less money?

Many restaurants will have a marked down half meal that is not on the menu. If they don’t and you have a friend with you, why not split the meal and the ticket price? You will need to ask the restaurant if there is an extra charge to split a meal. If there is, you may not want to go this route. However, if there isn’t an extra charge, ask for an extra plate so you can split the meal up.

Enjoying a meal now and again at a restaurant with your family or just by yourself can be enjoyable when you learn to save money and pay yourself by doing so.

Having a fun day out with family, friends, your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse does not have to be a costly affair. Many fun and fantastic date and outing ideas will cost you very little money if any. The following is just a list of a few ideas that will help you when everyone is stuck for an entertainment idea, or short on cash.

This list of fun ways that you can spend time that either cost very little money or none at all (there are expensive, but most are not). Some of these are seasonal or are conducive to areas that have a specific type of weather.

1. Go ice-skating on a pond (you will need ice skates).
2. If you own a motorcycle, take a ride around your neighborhood.
3. Barbeque (grill out).
4. Build a sand castle and barbeque at the beach.
5. Check out local farms in your area. Some of them may have free tours of their facilities and tutorials showing how they are run, which can be very interesting and a great time. If you have a candy factory in your neighborhood, they often give free tours and free samples too!
6. If you have a fireplace, curl up next to a fire and listen to music, dance by it or watch a movie. Make some popcorn and talk about past fun times and laugh. If you choose to dance by the fire, just move some of your furniture to accommodate you and have fun.
7. Dare to dream together about fun things you want to plan for the future. Think outside the box. There is an old saying: “I asked God for a quarter and a quarter is what I got. What I didn’t know was, I could have asked for a $1.00 and He would have given it to me instead.” So think outside that box!
8. Purchase some stale bread at the bakery or the store for $.75 (or free at some stores) and feed the ducks at your park if they allow it. While you’re there, why not go fishing?
9. Go out for a cappuccino or an ice cream.
10. Many theme parks have nightly firework shows. Why not pack a car picnic bag and go to the edge of the park, park your car where it’s safe and legal to do so and have a picnic under the fireworks?
11. Check out your local pet store and check out the animals. It’s like going to a free zoo.  Some cities also have free or very inexpensive zoos. Why not visit one?
12. Go to a chess cafe and learn the game or play if you know how. Some parks have chess games going on, and you can get into the action free.

1. Many cities have great art galleries you can visit at no cost. Discuss the art and have fun enjoying it. If there is something you think is just too funny, wait until your outside before you burst into laughter or you might be kicked out.
2. Check out your local historical sights. Many are free. 
3. Go to the park and swing on the swing set. Take turns pushing each other. 
4. If it’s snowing, why not build a snowman? 
5. Canoeing can be lots of fun and many state parks that have lakes rent the canoes, boats and paddleboats for very little money. Rent a boat for the day, get some exercise and make sure to pack a picnic lunch. Bring a kite to the park and fly kites and have a picnic. 
6. Get involved in a fundraiser together. 
7. Have a chili cook-off with your neighbors. 
8. Have a snowball fight or in warmer weather a water fight. 
9. Find a beautiful place to hike and go for a hike.
10. Learn about the stars and constellations together. 
11. Print some lessons for an instrument you have laying around your house and learn to play it together. Alternatively, if there is an instrument you have wanted to learn, check out your local garage sales and get a bargain then print lessons on the internet and learn it together. 
12. Watch the Food Network or other cooking channels and learn to cook something together. 
13. Set up a tent in your backyard and camp out. Or if it’s cold, build a tent in your living room, pop some popcorn, turn off the lights and pretend that you are camping. If you have a fireplace, build a “camp fire” and roast hot dogs and s’mores over it.
14. Painting together can be a lot of fun. Why not paint a picture together?
15. Gardening is another fun activity and planting a garden (and planning it together) can be a great bonding experience. 
16. Share some memories by putting all those pictures you’ve been waiting until you had some spare time into a photo album. Write memorable phrases below them and talk about the wonderful time you had.  It will the next best thing to being there. 
17. Make plans for your dream house. Map it out and look through magazines to figure out what you would like to have in yours. 
18. Sit under the stars with a nice cold drink and a cozy blanket.

Are you in dental despair? No dental insurance or green to pay a dentist for a cleaning let alone the tooth that is now causing an earache?

Don’t despair. You have several options to help ease the pain in your mouth and your pocket book. The following are a few options to help.

1. Check out the local dental schools in your area. Many dental schools offer deep pocket discounts to be their test patient. Don’t grind your teeth just yet. There are licensed dental practitioners that oversee anything from cleaning to procedures that are more extensive.In addition, at a fraction of the cost, its well worth the extra time you will spend in the chair during the instruction. Think of it as paying yourself and hourly wage. Because a cleaning at a regular dental office may cost $119 and up (not including x-rays and other procedures) compared to $20 or $30 you might spend at a dental school, you have made quite a bit of money for your time. How much money do you normally make an hour?
2. Look for dental deals. Type “free dental clinics” in Google to find dental clinics in your area that offer free services. Many times, they have offers such as, “Tuesday free cleaning day.” “Monday free toothbrush clinic day.” As well as other such incentives.
3. Find dental plans that are affordable. A few programs I know of are GE Wellness Plan. A family plan with GE is $189 per year. Aetna Dental Access has a plan that costs $149.95 a year for the entire family. And Smile Dental Insurance (you will need to call for a quote, but it is very inexpensive.)
4. Look for a dental student who is about to take their dental hygiene boards or dental exams. They might even pay you a small fee. The great part of this deal is they will do the work free, even if they pay you a small fee.

Therefore, if your tooth is bothering you, your teeth look gray when you smile, or you have not been to a dentist since you were a small child, you can get help with the work your need.