To you

Natural gas is one of the most versatile fossil fuels used in the United States with approximately 22% of energy consumption coming from natural gas. Most gas consumed in the U. S. is produced in the U. S., with some coming from Canada. More than 60% of U.S. homes use natural gas as their main source of heating. It burns cleanlier than other fossil fuels with demand increasing at about 6% each year.
Natural gas is a non-renewable fuel that's odorless, colorless and tasteless. Then what's that awful odor when you turn on a gas jet that some say smells like rotten eggs? It's a chemical called mercaptan added before distribution as a safety device. Natural gas is moved from production fields to consumers and stored in large underground storage systems for use when needed.
Uses for natural gas include high efficiency furnaces and boilers, space and water heating, ranges, gas grills and fireplaces, spa and pool heaters. It's also a major source of generating electricity.
Studies reveal many benefits of natural gas making homes more valuable and desirable. Natural gas furnaces last twice as long as an electric heat pump providing a more comfortable heat.
Water heating and clothes drying are done faster and more effectively with gas. When drying clothes, dry consecutive loads to take advantage of built up heat. Separate heavy clothes from light weight fabrics to reduce drying time and use the proper water level for your load size when washing.
Gas is safer to cook with since you can see the flame reducing the chance of getting burned. Adjust the flame to fit the bottom of your pan. If the flame goes beyond the bottom you're wasting energy. Reach the desired temperature more quickly when heating food by using lids or covers.
Check and clean your furnace regularly to gain optimum benefits from natural gas. Have a professional tune up your furnace each year to save at least 2%. Turn off any pilot light if you're going to not be using that appliance for a prolonged period. Caulk and seal doors and windows when drafts are detected to keep the cold out. Shut fireplace dampers and close doors and vents in unused rooms.
A gas radiator located near a cold wall is inefficient. Place a sheet of aluminum foil between the radiator and the wall to reflect the heat back into the room.
If you're upgrading your appliances be sure and purchase the Energy Star models. With this program, you're sure to get the most energy efficient appliance available. Rebates may be available when you switch from electric to gas on some appliances. Your dealer can usually help you with this.
More home builders and home owners are choosing to use natural gas, especially for heating. When you save money and increase your efficiency, you might say you're cooking with gas.

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Few things match the thrill of getting an incredible deal on an item we really crave. It’s a basic human response that we all can relate to.

That’s why auctions are so much fun – they present the titillating chance of scoring something for a lot less than we would expect. And that leaves us feeling great, because we now have the object of our desire and we have money left in our pocket.

Marketers know this and exploit it all the time –hence the profusion of sales, discounts, coupons, and the like… so much so, in fact, that we become numb to the tactic. People just don’t believe they’re really getting a bargain.

But now there’s a new online company that has actually figured out a way to sell new must-have consumer products for jaw-dropping prices.

It’s called QuiBids – and it turns out that they are selling everything from the latest new Apple iPads and iPods, to MAC and PC notebooks, to HDTV’s and gift cards from the top retailers at prices as low as 5% of regular retail prices.

Now, of course, anyone in their right mind would be skeptical of such a claim – so we looked into it to learn just how they do it.

It turns out that both the prices and the products are real. QuiBids runs a unique version of the traditional auction - when you bid on an item you actually get charged a small fee of about 60 cents. Collectively, the amount collected for all of the bids on an item allows the company to sell the item at a price far below actual retail and even below the wholesale price they paid the manufacturer for it.

Figuring out how many bids to place and when to place them involves a little strategy but on QuiBidsit’s actually a lot of fun. Each auction has a strict time limit, and when you place your bid the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids come in. If you have the winning bid when the clock runs out – you win the item for that price. According to QuiBids CEO Matt Beckham, “Thousands of people are trying QuiBids every day – and then coming back again and again - so we must be doing something right.”

For the auction winner, the true cost of the item is slightly higher than their winning bid price because they have also spent a little for their bids, but this amount is usually modest, and the savings still work out to be spectacular in most cases.

And then there’s the “Buy Now” feature. This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price. So, you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don’t cost you anything.

So, if you want real deals - like a new iPad for under $34, a new Nikon Digital SLR Camera for less than $24 or a new 46” LED HDTV for under $25 – check out the action at QuiBids.

For movie lovers, there's often nothing better than going down to the theater, picking up a cold soda and some warm popcorn, and relaxing in a cool darkened room to enjoy the latest big-screen film release.

Unfortunately, movies have become really expensive—attending just two new releases a month can cost a person around $30 for tickets, with parking, drinks, and snacks added on top of that. And, while discount tickets are available, they normally can only be used during non-peak hours, long after the movie has premiered and been moved to smaller screens.

People are turning to online rental companies, but for real movie lovers they are no replacement; you wait months before you can watch your favorite flicks, and viewing them alone at home is just not the same experience as on a big screen with incredible surround sound.

That scenario, however, could be changing due to MoviePass— the first of its kind, unlimited one-price movie plan.

MoviePass offers film buffs a cut-rate subscription to attend unlimited movies across the country for a fixed monthly fee. There are no blackouts or limited screening times— you can view the latest releases when you want to watch them. Better yet, members can attend special screenings and events, preorder DVD/blu-ray copies of films, receive restaurant discounts, and score other exclusive membership perks. The MoviePass website also features daily updates with movie reviews, trailers for upcoming releases, and major scoops on entertainment industry news.

MoviePass is an independent company that caters to the consumer looking to grab a bargain.

Start by signing on and becoming a member. They offer a low-cost annual subscription plan of unlimited movies with no blackout dates. That means you can see as many movies as you want— 5 , 10, or even 20 per month for less than $30. The more movies you end up seeing, the more money you save.

And now, for a limited time, MoviePass is offering gift package plans for the holiday gift giving season. Whether it’s a stocking stuffer, a corporate gift, or something special for the last night of Chanukah, it's a gift that's sure to be appreciated for a long time to come.

Subscription plans start as low as $29.99 and gift subscriptions start as low as $49.99.

Gift subscriptions are good for 30 days with no blackout dates. They entitle the recipient to one 2D movie, everyday, for the full duration of their pass. Now, that's what we call a gift that keeps on giving!

MoviePass made the Business Insiders list of the “25 Hottest Startups in NYC” and it's backed by major investors including AOL Ventures and Lambert Media. With that kind of support, this really could change the way people see movies from now on.

Here's a stunning fact for you: According to the U.S. Post Office, Americans were sent approximately 84 billion pieces of advertiser mail in 2011. In fact, these sale flyers, circulars and catalogues make up about 50% of all mail delivered in the U.S. today.

While most people mistakenly refer to this simply as "junk mail," the reality is that these are incredibly useful, money-saving tools. Customers save thousands of dollars a year when taking advantage of the coupons and discounts found inside these near-daily deliveries. So the paradox is that even as people complain about these mailers, they're also using them—and with increased regularity.

The conflict can be most easily explained by a study from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. It looked at privacy and advertising mail, and found that Americans sometimes view advertising mail as a privacy issue because of how these flyers get targeted to individuals through various offers they've signed up for in the past. They also feel a sense of intrusion as piles of advertising material flow into their home.

So what's the solution?

CBS Local Offers has produced an incredible option for anyone who wants to save money but doesn't want a ton of papers piling up on their kitchen table. This easy-to-use website features free circulars for major stores—from Sports Authority and PetSmart to Dollar General, Orchard Supply Hardware, and everything in between. These are digital versions of the same flyers you'd get with your regular mail, including all the advertised sales and coupons, but they can be accessed from your computer, tablet, or smart phone.

Didn't get your circulars in this week's mail? Forgot to bring your flyers to the store? Need something to read while on the bus or train, or while waiting for an appointment to start? Want to score good deals but hate all the paper you're throwing out every week?

As long as you have Internet access, you can browse these circulars—anytime, anywhere, and without any of the clutter or trash.

And, unlike flyers that come in the mail, CBS Local Offers helps you spot sales quickly. Just visit the site and enter your zip code for sales in your area. You can then sort by topic or discount amount. For example, on the PetSmart flyer, it's easy to search for only cat or dog items, or products that are 50-60 percent off the regular manufacturer's price. With that kind of help, it not only speeds up your search, but also helps you find deals you may have otherwise missed.

Best of all, this is a free service. Just visit CBS Local Offers, enter your zip code, and start saving money.

Buying a vehicle is a huge purchase. In fact, after a home, it’s probably the biggest one you'll make.

Unfortunately, most people dread the process. We rarely trust the sales person at the dealership, who often seems a bit too slick. It feels like they’re holding back on their best offer, hoping to drag out the negotiation and wear us down so we'll agree to anything. And all that, of course, leaves the distinct impression that we've just paid far more than we should have for the vehicle.

This process basically strips away the pleasure you should feel from buying a new car.

Now, however, a new online service turns the process completely upside down. In fact, it may be the best thing to happen to the car buying process since the advent of the Model T.

The service is called CarWoo!, and it puts the car buyer in charge, making the car dealerships bow down to you.

Here’s how it works. First, visit CarWoo.com and enter the make, model and option you want on your new car and your zip code. CarWoo! will then show you all of the dealers carrying that vehicle in your area, along with an independent customer service rating for each. Then you decide how many of these dealers you want to get quotes from and the fun begins—for FREE!

CarWoo! lets the dealerships you selected know what you're looking for, without passing along your personal information. Those dealers then make you their best offer for your exact vehicle, all in a standard, easy-to-understand format. These sales people can see who else is bidding for your business and how much they are offering— so they're all highly motivated to offer you the absolutely lowest guaranteed price they can.

The dealer never gets your direct email or phone number so the negotiation happens on your terms. Dealers cannot email or call you directly. Instead, you use the CarWoo! interface to contact any of them to discuss the offers, email questions, and even try to drive the price down further and see if they will accept your counter-offer.

Then, when you're ready to buy, simply click a button to lock in the price and schedule a time to pick up your new car!

CarWoo! offers an exceptional support team that can help with your purchase. So whether you're on the website or at the dealership, they're with you the whole way; it's like having your own "insider" through the buying process.

CarWoo! is free to use, though they will charge a nominal fee if you search for more than one vehicle. That said, the service is practically guaranteed to save you hundreds of dollars and tons of time on your car purchase— so whether you're shopping around or know what you're looking for, it’s well worth it.

With services like CarWoo!, you don’t have to waste your time and gas driving from dealership to dealership to find the car you want, at a price you’re willing to pay for it. CarWoo! has already helped thousands of buyers save millions on their vehicles, and they can help you, too.

It's a rare family that's not on a food budget. The family food shopper searches for any way possible to cut back on the amount of money spent on food. One of those is using coupons.
Conservatively speaking, there are millions of coupons circulating every day that could cut your food budget by 30 to 50% - even more if you're willing to turn couponing into a passion.
Even the casual coupon clipper can become quite successful overnight and with more work and dedication become a super saver shopper. You have to be patient, flexible and perhaps give up your favorite brand, but it can be done and you can save a lot of money.
Remember, coupons are designed to sell a certain product and get you in the store but if the item is not one you need and use, then saving money on that item is a moot point.
Food coupons can be found anywhere. The Sunday newspaper is usually the best source but also look on line, at public libraries and at coupon swap boxes at the store itself. Some stores issue coupons at checkout for use on your next trip. Be sure and note expiration dates and if a cash value is offered. Don't let them expire and go to waste.
The keys to a successful coupon strategy are:
Organize before you shop. Keep coupons sorted by food type in an easy to search through container and match coupons with needs on your grocery list. Some coupons have mail in rebates. Beware of this and follow up.
Use Store Loyalty Card Programs. Sign up for a store loyalty card that usually offers coupons plus bonus points that are cumulative each time you shop. Using a store's own credit card can lead to double points and free item coupons.
Combine regular coupons with sale prices. If a coupon item is not on sale and it's not an urgent buy wait until it's on sale. Be on the lookout for sale and bonus points tags.
Compare ads. It may pay you to drive to more than one store if it's an item you need, have a coupon and it's not available anywhere else. But, before you burn up extra gas, ask if the store honors its competitor's coupons. Many will do this just to keep you in the store. You can call ahead to save a trip.
Don't buy too much. Don't be susceptible to the 2 for a dollar marketing tool unless it's to your advantage with a coupon. If you need two of the item go ahead and buy them; but save by buying only one if that's what you need. For example, the sign may read: 15 limes for a dollar. Unless you're a big lime user, some could go bad before you use them.
There was a time when some shoppers felt using coupons was not appreciated by the grocer and hesitated to use them. They didn't want to hold up the line while the checker scanned coupons.
It's a faster and easier method now with computers. Some of these strategies may not be right for you. It takes practice and patience, trial and error. If stretching your food dollar is your goal, there are few better ways than using coupons. read more →