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FREE RESOURCES--are you leaving money on the table?

Top ten Money Saving Tips:

1. Get your federal and state income taxes prepared and filed for free during the tax season...details will be posted in January 2011!
2. Claim federal and state income tax credits

   State of Maine

   • Eligible Maine residents can receive a partial refund of property taxes and/or rent paid on their primary residence. Click here to find out if you qualify for the Maine Property Tax and Rent Refund
   • If you are a Maine resident, and have owned your home for at least one year, be sure to claim the Maine Homestead Exemption. Click here to apply: Homestead Application
   • Click here to find out if you qualify for other Maine Property Tax Exemptions

   Federal

   • Click on the following link to learn about your federal income taxes (IRS Web site)

        Do you know...

     • What records to keep to file your taxes?
     • If you qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit?
     • What to do if you owe money to the IRS? (Pine Tree Legal Web site)
     • That you can get a tax credit for purchasing energy-efficient products for your home
     • That you can get a tax credit for purchasing your first home?
   • If you have questions about your federal income taxes, click here: IRS individual taxpayer Web site, or the IRS home page
3. Use local resources
4. Participate in a Family Development Account...get up to $8,000 in matched savings!
5. Take a free financial education workshop...

   In Greater Portland

   • Do you know how to establish savings goals? Sign up to take "Credit Yourself" at Woman, Work and Community (South Portland, 799-5025)
   • Do you want to purchase a home? Sign up to take a homebuying class through HoMEworks, (classes offered through Consumer Credit Counseling Services or People's Regional Opportunity Program, and are $30-$40)

   Online

   • Sign-up for live money management workshops by Money Management International (Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Maine)
   • Take the self-paced Money Made Easy course offered by KeyBank
   • Try Money Smart, an easy-to-understand, self-paced program offered by the FDIC
6. Control your spending (National Endowment for Financial Education)
• Earn interest (using a savings account) throughout the year instead of getting a tax refund: use the IRS Withholding Calculator to find out how
• Learn how to create a spending plan (National Endowment for Financial Education)
7. Avoid paying bank and credit union fees, and stop purchasing money orders and paying to have your checks cashed
• Learn what kind of fees banks and credit unions charge, and how to avoid these fees
• Open a free checking account at a bank or credit union:
  • Gorham Savings Bank eEssential Checking: $25 to open an account (must keep $25 in the account at all times)
  • Key Bank Key Express Free Checking: $50 to open an account (no daily minimum balance)
  • Maine's Credit Unions offer free or low-fee accounts
8. Learn "All About Credit" (click on the link on the right)
   • Be sure to check your credit report every year: get your FREE credit report now at www.annualcreditreport.com
   • Do you know about the fees and interest you pay when you use credit? Click here to read more (FDIC Web site)
   • Do you need credit counseling or debt management? Read about it here (FDIC Web site)
   • Read more about credit protection from the State of Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection: click on Consumer Guide to Credit Reports (6 pages) or Consumer Credit 101 (61 pages)
9. Weatherize your home
10. Find a new job, start or continue your education