WOMEN LIFE SAVING MONEY

Set up a schedule.

As with food shopping, you should have a plan of attack for dining out. Instead of buying another $10 salad at lunch or hitting a casual dining spot after work because you're not in the mood to make dinner, sit down each week and figure out what dishes and what places you really want to enjoy. Then find out when you can get a great deal—such as early dinner specials or lunch, says Roxanne Weber, associate editor at chow.com. And carve out time in your schedule to pack a lunch or cook at home—it saves a ton of cash. Insurance and Financial Fees Save almost $600 a year Some credit cards sock you with fees of $30-plus, the FDIC reports, if you’re even a day late with your payment. Say you have a bad math week and bounce a check—that’s a fortune right there. Stay on top of these painful fees and save yourself from spending money that does nothing for you. Set up an overdraft account. “Link your checking account to your savings account, so that if you overdraw, the money comes from savings, says Luke Reynolds, head of the FDIC’s community outreach efforts. Just make sure you always have a $300 cushion in your account.

Set up automatic withdrawal. Avoid late fees on your card by having your card issuer automatically withdraw the minimum amount before your due date. Many issuers also let you pay by phone. This helps during those months when you realize the due date is…today.Don’t pay for credit reports. You know those ads promising free credit reports? Despite the catchy tune, the reports really aren’t free, notes Reynolds—they can cost about $15 per month. For a truly free report, head to AnnualCreditReport.com. You can get one free credit report each year; for most people, that’s plenty, he adds.Cut ATM fees. Sure, having an ATM on every corner is convenient. But it’s also pricey, if you go outside your own bank’s network. Some ATMs charge $2-to-$3 per transaction. Your own bank may take on another couple bucks. If you use these once a month, that’s $60 out the window by next year. To avoid the fees, head to your bank’s website, and find the branches and ATMs near your usual stomping grounds. Make a point of using these whenever possible. What if you’re away from home and need cash? Use stores as your ATM—pay with your debit card and then ask for extra cash back when you check out, Reynolds suggests. Many times they do this without changing any fees.Raise your deductible. The average annual bill for homeowner’s insurance was $804 in 2006, according to the Insurance Information Institute. However, by raising your deductible from $500 to $1,000, you could save up to 25 percent on your premium, the Institute says. If your annual tab is about the average, that works out to $200 per year. Same with car insurance: Kick it up from $250 to $500 and you’ll save between $171 and $257 per year, says Sam Belden, vice president with Insurance.com.Revisit your policy. If you’ve changed jobs, for instance, and drive less to work, you may be able to reduce your car insurance rate. Low mileage rates, which can save you five to 15 percent, typically come into play if you drive less than about 7,500 miles each year, Belden says.

Get steamed.

Home dry-cleaning products, such as a $12 kit of Dryel (which uses the heat from your dryer to steam clean your clothes), can help you get a fresh-pressed look at a lower price. "It really works," says Lilliana Vazquez, founder of cheapchicas.com. While it won't completely replace dry cleaning, you can probably alternate between home cleaning and sending it out. But keep in mind that some items—suits and wool sweaters in particular—aren't meant to be cleaned frequently. "Any more than two times a year and you'll wear out the fabric," says Kathryn Finney, founder of thebudgetfashionista.com.Food Shopping Cut $30 a week x 52 weeks = $1,560 You don't have to live on soup to save money on groceries. "Take a strategic approach to shopping and you'll save a lot of money without having to eat poorly," says Stephanie Nelson, founder of couponmom.com.

Plan ahead.

If you stop at the supermarket every night on the way home from work, you're wasting a lot of extra cash. A study found that people who take numerous quick trips buy 54 percent more food than those who carefully plan a once-a-week attack. A smarter move: Come up with a week's worth of meals, then shop on the weekend for only what's on the list. To speed up your planning, build a grocery list online (check out grocerywiz.com, knotler.com, and ziplist.com).

Go no-name.

"Today, many generics or store brands taste great and run about 25 percent less than their big-name counterparts," says Jim Hertel of the market research firm Willard Bishop, which specializes in the grocery industry. But you don't have to go completely off-label—just experiment and see what you can live with. Rice, pasta, and cereals are less likely to have noticeable differences in flavor or texture than, say, a spicy tomato sauce or peanut butter. Eating Out $30 x 24 times a year = $720 Going to restaurants is usually the first victim of the cost-cutting guillotine. But with the right strategies, you don't need to be a slave to your stove.

Buy gift certificates on the cheap.

Websites like restaurant.com offer them well below face value. Type in your zip code and you'll find a list of nearby participating restaurants that offer $25 certificates for $10. (Sometimes they have killer 80 percent off sales, so you can get a $25 one for only $2.) Done twice a month, you can pocket several hundred dollars over the course of a year.

WOMEN LIFE

Sneaky Money Suckers
Covert cash leaks are draining your bottom line this very minute. Stop them and you could save more than three grand this year—painlessly!

We've all heard it a thousand times: If you're trying to tighten your financial belt, cut back on Starbucks runs. But what if you just loooove Starbucks? What if it's a caffeinated oasis in your crazy, full-throttle life? Instead of dropping something that's meaningful to you, how about ferreting out the real money suckers—those small purchases that contribute little to your quality of life but subtract a whole lotta cash from your bank account?

Do some smart trimming and you can save yourself thousands of bucks a year without missing a thing.

Dry Cleaning

Cut $25 a month x 12 months = $300The cost of wearing nice clothes doesn't end at the cash register. It's the upkeep of those gorgeous things that takes you to the cleaners—literally and figuratively. So here's how to look freshly pressed without spending a ton of dough.

Shop around.

The cost of dry-cleaning a blouse, for example, can range anywhere from $1.50 to $7, depending on where you go—so comparison shop to make sure you're getting the best deal possible. While you're at it, ask each cleaner for a full price list to make sure you're being treated fairly. For instance, some places charge more to clean women's shirts than they do to clean men's shirts. "A reputable cleaner should have a gender-neutral pricing policy," says Lara Hollenczer, a spokesperson with the Laundry and Drycleaning Institute. If they don't, demand the lower price, and take your shirts elsewhere if they don't concede.

Cover your mouth

We're talking about a lip balm with UV protection, not ruby red lipstick. Your lips (along with your eye area and upper chest) have some of the thinnest skin on your body, so they need extra shielding.
A survey by a member of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery found that only 47 percent of respondents used lip protection containing UV blockers. That's bad news, because "when skin cancer originates from the lips, it's especially aggressive and has a higher risk of spreading," says Erin Welch, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Guard your smackers by stocking up on balms with sunscreen, like Softlips Lip Protectant/Sunscreen with SPF 20 ($4 for two tubes, drugstore.com).

WOMEN BEAUTY AND STYLE

Skin Tips

Don't wash money down the drain

There's no need to buy an expensive cleanser loaded with fancy ingredients," says photobiologist Daniel B. Yarosh, Ph.D., author of The New Science of Perfect Skin. "They're on your skin for less than a minute, so they don't have time to really do anything."

Adding injury to insult: Some pricey ingredients can actually cause irritation (that would be you, peppermint and eucalyptus). Start with inexpensive face washes (try Biore Revitalize 4-in-1 Foaming Cleanser, $7 for 6.7 oz, drugstore.com) and see-through glycerin soaps like Neutrogena Facial Cleansing Bar ($3, drugstore.com).

Both remove dirt, oil, and dead skin cells without stripping away your skin's natural (and necessary) oils.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Mental Health Concerns

Diagnosing a mental health condition can only be done by a qualified health professional. But there are some symptoms that may raise awareness that there's a concern brewing. Knowing more about the symptoms of various mental health conditions, and how they are diagnosed, can help you better understand if you or a loved one is in need of help.

• Defining the Problem A-B
• Defining the Problem C-Z
• Symptoms
• Symptom Checker and Screening Quizzes
• Diagnosis A-D
• Diagnosis E-Z
• Children

Self-actualization - What have we made of the gifts that we have been given? We all know people who have surpassed their potential and others who seem to have squandered their gifts. We first need to recognize our gifts, of course, and the process of recognition is part of the path toward self-actualization. Mentally healthy persons are persons who are in the process of actualizing their potential. In order to do this we must first feel secure.

CHARACTERISTICS

• The ability to enjoy life - The ability to enjoy life is essential to good mental health. James Taylor wrote that "The secret of life is enjoying the passing of time. Any fool can do it. There ain't nothing to it." The practice of mindfulness meditation is one way to cultivate the ability to enjoy the present. We, of course, need to plan for the future at times; and we also need to learn from the past. Too often we make ourselves miserable in the present by worrying about the future. Our life metaphors are an important factors that allow us to enjoy life.
• Flexibility - We all know people who hold very rigid opinions. No amount of discussion can change their views. Such people often set themselves up for added stress by the rigid expectations that they hold. Working on making our expectations more flexible can improve our mental health.

What is Mental Health?

It has always been easier to define mental illnesses than to define mental health. In the United States the American Psychiatric Association has traditionally been the organization to define mental disorders (beginning as early as 1917 when it was known as The Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions of the Insane). More recently many have recognized that mental health is more than the absence of mental illness. Even though many of us don't suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder, it is clear that some of us are mentally healthier than others. The study of the characteristics that make up mental health has been called "positive psychology." Here are some of the ideas that have been put forward as characteristics of mental health:

Here are some treatment tips to keep in mind:

• It takes time for antidepressants to work. Although you may start to feel better within a couple of weeks, the full antidepressant effect may not be seen for several weeks. It is important to be patient and give the medicine a chance to work.
• Once you feel better, it is important to keep taking your antidepressant for as long as your doctor tells you to. Continued use, if recommended by your doctor, can help lower your chances of becoming depressed again in the future.
• Although some people only become depressed once, others—especially those who have been depressed before or have several risk factors—may need longer term treatment with medication.
• If you want to stop taking your medication, do so ONLY after discussing this with your doctor.

Like many drugs, depression medications can cause side effects and interact with foods or other medications. Tell your doctor about any medical conditions you have and about other medicines you're using. If you experience drug side effects, contact your doctor right away.

Treating Depression

Depression can make you feel hopeless and helpless. But just taking the first step—deciding to get treatment—can make all the difference.

In this section, you'll learn about medication and psychotherapy, or "talk therapy", the standard treatments for depression. Plus, you'll find Look, Listen & Learn™ features like:

Treatment Tips

Antidepressant medications work for many people—they can make you feel better, and can improve or completely relieve your symptoms. But sometimes people have unrealistic fears or expectations about them. Some hope to feel better overnight; others worry that medications will change their personalities in ways they won't like. Both extremes are unlikely. The first step towards getting better and staying better is to take your medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

Life with depression

Working with your doctor, you can learn to manage depression. You may have to try a few different medications to find the one that works best for you. Your doctor may also recommend that you see a therapist and/or make certain lifestyle changes.

Change won't come overnight—but with the right treatment, you can keep depression from overshadowing your life.

DEPRESSION

Some people say that depression feels like a black curtain of despair coming down over their lives. Many people feel like they have no energy and can't concentrate. Others feel irritable all the time for no apparent reason. The symptoms vary from person to person, but if you feel "down" for more than two weeks, and these feelings are interfering with your daily life, you may be clinically depressed.

Most people who have gone through one episode of depression will, sooner or later, have another one. You may begin to feel some of the symptoms of depression several weeks before you develop a full-blown episode of depression. Learning to recognize these early triggers or symptoms and working with your doctor will help to keep the depression from worsening.