By Colleen Rothe

Hypermiling is a term coined by the king of fuel economy, Wayne Gerdes. Gerdes is a power plant operator in Illinois, who, following 9/11, has become an advocate for doing everything possible to get the most of a vehicle’s gas mileage.

Gerdes contends in postings on cleanmpg.com and recent mass media interviews that traditional driving habits of Americans “throw gas away.” Other scientists and automotive experts agree with Gerde, to a point.

By Linsey B. Knerl

My A/C is running full blast and the pool hasn’t closed yet for the season – this is the PERFECT time to think about all those Christmas gifts I need to scrape up before December. It’s not that I’m cheap – in fact, I try to get each of my giftees thoughtful and personal gifts that they can really use and that won’t end up in the landfill. This is why I begin now, and spend less than 50% for each and every item.

By Gene Ayres

OK, we've talked about saving water and electricity and gas. And it strikes me that there should be an appealing aspect to all this, even for confirmed couch potatoes. After all, isn't saving energy what life is all about (to some of us anyway)?

Pundits have already noted that few consumers have yet complained that other commodities such as milk, cheese, vegetables and fruit have risen in price much further and faster than gasoline. In fact, for those of you still hooked on bottled water (bottled tap water, to put it bluntly) you are paying considerably more for your water than you are for your gas. So much for those pseudo-scientists that claim to have invented an engine that burns water!

Meanwhile, back on the home front, here are a few more ways to cut costs considerably, while awaiting that winning lottery number or jackpot.

By Colleen Rothe

Since December 2007, I’ve been waiting for the corporate headquarters folks to call me from Puget Sound Energy. We are in dispute. They claim I owe payments for power to a house I used to live in. The bill is for a six-month period of time when I did not live in the home.

They acknowledge there’s something amiss, but they are investigating. However, by the terms of the agreement any PSE customer enters when receiving power or gas from them, I am bound to pay the bill until it can be fully investigated and determined one way or another. They have all my documentation and evidence, but I need to wait in line. Each month I call them to determine my status. Each month, the kind customer service reps say that my case is being reviewed and I should have a call from “the corporate folks” soon.

My situation above should be a lesson to those who might actually get a call from the power company. A scam hitting all over the country, but especially in the flood-torn Midwest, where attention is not on point for scams, but just survival, folks are getting calls from their power companies. Or so the caller claims. The call comes in to the customer telling them that their payment hasn’t been received and that unless they pay right that moment, the company will be forced to shut off service. Panicked, many conscientious consumers pull out their credit card or checkbook and make the payment. Making that payment means they’ve just been duped by the latest identity theft scam.

By Linsey B. Knerl

I am always amazed at how simple it can be to save 20-30% on everyday purchases. No, you won’t need a coupon, special invitation-only savings event, or a tiring haggling session to get it. You just need to try another area of town.

By Gene Ayres

E.J. Dionne in July 18th’s Washington Post reports that, according to the International Energy Agency, Americans use almost double the amount of energy per capital as the Japanese and Germans, and more than double what the Swiss use. All of who now have better per capita lifestyles, incomes, education, medical care, and benefits than us Americans. So it's a big relief to hear from our Fearless Leader that “the economy is doing well.” What you still won't hear from Bush & Co., amazingly enough, is the word “conserve.” Which leaves us bewildered consumers, in the meantime, with the prospect of digging ever deeper into our pockets at the gas station and supermarket checkout line in order to enjoy all our “prosperity” while our job prospects, income and outlook continue to decline.

So here are a few more suggestions on cutting costs while awaiting that next big raise and promotion:

By Colleen Rothe

We’re all being pushed out of our comfort zones when it comes to our personal finances because of the current recession. Many of the actions taken by our leaders in Washington, D.C. have completely missed the mark and actually made things economically worse. But the reader will be saved the depressing list of the things that have made them worse and we’ll concentrate on five things you can do to buffer the blow to your personal finances and perhaps get you through to the time we start seeing an upswing.

By Linsey B. Knerl

Here’s a situation familiar to many: Your early model Toyota Tacoma shows premature but extensive rust damage. Getting it fixed seems impractical. Before you decide to dump that truck, you need to know about Toyota’s offer to repair it – for free!

By Gene Ayres

You all remember the old days when if you had something to sell, you bought a classified ad in your local newspaper, and listed it in the closest suitable category? Some things defied categorization, of course. What category should that rooftop luggage rack go under: cars? I don't think so. Household furnishings? Not hardly. Electronics? Obviously not. Plus, it was time consuming and expensive. A typical classified ad in my day might run $25. Which means forget about selling all those stuffed animals in your attic, unless they were made in 1885.

By Colleen Rothe

It was a gorgeous, perfect day at Virginia Beach. I had taken my children for a quick camping trip to Fort Story. We lounged on the warm sand and frolicked in the Atlantic Ocean. They got to see sea birds and giant freighters off the coast, build sandcastles and eat and drink right on the shore. The day ended with the most gorgeous, poster-perfect sunset. They still talk about that trip today. Not for the memory of Mom hanging with them, but for the wicked sunburn that I sustained, that still scars my back today.

By Linsey B. Knerl

It’s just another day in the land of class-action lawsuits, and this one had me more interested than usual. Time Warner Cable subscribers from many years back (1994 to 1998 to be exact) may be looking at some compensation for some questionable marketing practices by the cable provider. Too bad the settlement is barely worth the paper it’s written on.

By Gene Ayres

We've talked about conservation—a word non-existent in GWB's lexicon. Go shopping is more like it. At Wal-Mart, if you're lucky enough to still have a job. But there are other ways for consumers to keep even, if not get there (don't even talk about “get ahead,” ain't gonna happen).

By Colleen Rothe

On principle, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for either medical expenses or child care seems really smart. But many employees are feeling dumb after signing up and not getting what they bargained for – unless you count mounds of paperwork, double taxation, lost money and general inconvenience as a bargain.

By Linsey B. Knerl

While my travels have been fairly local lately, I do have friends and associates who fly often – many of them using British Airways or Virgin Atlantic for their “long haul” travel. A recent class-action lawsuit may get them back a few extra dollars towards their next flight (or to check in a bag, anyway).