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Hi gang! Check out the new Sister Thrifty logo designed by my son and niece at www.sisterthrifty.com

Lisa Vish from Georgia is one of my favorite people in the world. She sent in this great tip: Each week you can go on www.cutouthunger.com and see the shopping deals for your state at your favorite grocery store and match up the coupons. Thanks sweetie pie! (To be said with a southern drawl.)

If you're thinking about buying a car from a dealer, think again. Last weekend I saved a bundle on a 2005 vehicle I bought at auction. The people I was bidding against were dealers. Most of the cars are almost new and in great condition. Rental car companies like to use new cars and then sell them at auction before the warranty expires so that they don't have to mess with repairs. The car I bought only has 11,000 miles on it! If you're interested in learning how to do this, just let me know and I'll give you more details!

Speaking of cars, new little cars are coming into the market and you’re going to like what they can do. Honda, Toyota and Nissan all have new “smart” models in production, and all get about 40 miles per gallon. American automakers are years away from getting into this market, so they’re shaking in their boots. These cars won’t be very pretty, but they will seat four people and get you around town in a jiffy. Nissan is offering the “Versa,” which gets 38 mpg and costs between $12,000 and $15,000. Honda’s model is the “Fit,” which gets about 35 mpg and costs $13,000. The Toyota “Yaris” gets 37 mpg and starts at $11,500. Keep an eye out for them all!

How would you like to travel anywhere in America and surf the Web for free? That is a promise coming from three companies: Skype, Fon and Google. The three have set up a joint venture that allows you to share your Internet access with member of a co-op and vice versa. If you’re a member, you enter all of the cities where you’ll be and the system spits back locations where you can get access. Thousands of people are signing up every day. The network is called “Linus” and it’s named after the man who invented the Linus operating system. That system is free. The other option is to join the “Bill” network, which costs money and is named after Bill Gates. To learn more about it, go to www.fon.com and sign up. You’re going to see this all over the world because it just makes too much sense.

I want you to be aware of a dangerous, new phishing scam out there that purports to be from the National Credit Union Administration. It targets people who are members of credit unions and it looks very official. Not only are the graphics very real looking, but the link in the e-mail looks real too. You NEVER want to update your information or your accounts through an e-mail. Always go to the Web site itself or call the organization.

Ok, who has the guts to send the following letter to the IRS?...
Subject: Dear Internal Revenue Service
Enclosed you will find my 2005 tax return showing that I owe $3,407.00 in taxes. Please note the attached article from USA Today, dated 12 November, wherein you will see that the Pentagon (Department of Defense) is paying $171.50 per hammer and NASA has paid $600.00 per toilet seat.
I am enclosing four (4) toilet seats (valued @ $2,400) and six (6) hammers (valued @ $1,029), which I secured at Home Depot, bringing my total remittance to $3,429.00. Please apply the overpayment of $22.00 to the "Presidential Election Fund," as noted on my return. You can do this by sending them one (1) 1.5" Phillips Head screw (see aforementioned article from USA Today newspaper detailing how H.U.D. pays $22.00 each for 1.5" Phillips Head Screws). One screw is enclosed for your convenience.
It has been a pleasure to pay my tax bill this year, and I look forward to paying it again next year. Sincerely, A Satisfied Taxpayer

Have a great week!
CENTSerely,Sister Thrifty