How to Outsmart Your Medical Bills

Okay, so you don’t have health insurance. Or your insurance has a low reimbursement limit or a high deductible. Or, you had to have your wisdom teeth out, and dental isn’t covered. However it happened, here you are, staring at a medical bill equal to the annual budget of a small Caribbean nation. Not a good place.

Use A Medical Negotiation Service.

You may think you have no choice but to pay this ridiculous amount, or else eventually face legal action. But there’s another alternative: Use a negotiation service to bring that stratospheric bill back down to earth. Though some specifics differ, all negotiation services work by reviewing your bill, contacting your doctor or other provider and suggesting a lower price. They do this based on extensive information about “usual and customary” charges…

Five Surprising Ways to Stretch Your Beauty Buck

Makeup is about beauty, and that extends to the packaging. We love shiny lipstick cases that snap shut, perfect eye shadow palettes, pretty bottles and boxes.

So you might think there’s nothing beautiful about an eye shadow compact held together with duct tape or a nub of concealer mashed into a jar. But especially if you buy high-end beauty products you can save a pretty penny by squeezing every bit of use out of them.

Here are five ways to save money on your gorg-ifying regimen. And if if makes you feel better, I’ve never seen a professional makeup artist lay out a row of pristine cases to work their magic. They mix, smash, drip and re-package.

Mend your broken makeup

When I was more free-spending, a dropped eye shadow would result in some mild cussing and another $15 charged at the makeup counter. But when I was unemployed and smashed a favorite MAC powder, it seemed crazy to spend so much on a little circle of pigment. Turns out, you can fix a broken shadow with a few drops of alcohol and a few other household items.

Downturnaround Deals: Drugstore.com, Gap, Lush, Nirvana, Chegg, Weight Watchers

Every week, we post online deals hand-picked for Recessionwire readers by the nice people over at Savings.com. Pass ‘em on for good financial Karma.

Save $10 and receive free shipping on orders of $50 or more at Drugstore.com. (See more Drugstore.com coupons.)

Receive a Savings.com exclusive 12% off Nirvana Chocolates. (See more Nirvana Chocolate coupons.)…

Ditching Your Home

It sounds so tempting: Throwing in the towel and saying goodbye to those overwhelming monthly mortgage payments and your underwater home. Starting anew with a home that’s more modestly priced (and valued) and a mortgage you can actually afford. It can seem like a pipe dream.

It isn’t, and it’s not entirely unreasonable to walk away from your home and mortgage. Enough people have weighed in on why it may make sense for you, and even urging you to take this option.

You Walk Away is one of them. The company’s daily blog is a lively and supportive read aimed at helping you become more comfortable with the idea. As long ago as December 2007, when the recession officially kicked off, You Walk Away was beating the drum for people to ditch their homes and default on their mortgages. The cheerful blog walks you through why it’s okay to walk away from your mortgage: “The lender did not loan you the money without intent to profit. The lender DID risk their money in order to make a profit. They created the terms. They should live with the terms they created.” YWA warns about the possible consequences of walking away: damaged credit for years; the anguish of having your home foreclosed upon; the judgment of others; wage garnishment…

Cashing In on Wedding Gifts

In some circles, it’s considered totally ticky-tack to give cash as a wedding gift. Well, times are tight and with people getting married later and later, couples are likely to already own not one but two sets of salad servers.

We expect cash to become more acceptable–and frankly, think it’s far preferable to some of the junk guests call “gifts.”

Deposit a Gift is a new site that seems right on trend…

How Credit Card Companies Are Making Nice

And you thought credit card companies held all the…well, cards.

Now they’re getting battered by the recession, as some consumers get smart about credit, and others get so broke they can’t pay at all. Then there are the new rules coming down from Washington.

So credit card companies are changing the way they play (a little). Lenders are actually getting friendlier…

Broadway, Movies, the Opera — for Free (or Almost Free)

Going to opera and the theater feeds the soul, but drains the purse. As a result, LearnVest brings you some budget-minded ways to enjoy the performing arts:

1. Join a Membership Group

In cities that support a major opera house, there is often the option to join a young subscriber club, often called a “BRAVO! Club.” For example, the Seattle Opera’s BRAVO! Club is available for people between the ages of 21 and 39. Membership costs $65 per year and provides discounted tickets (as much as half off!), special member events, and complimentary wine and coffee during intermission. To give you an idea of their usual prices, tickets for the upcoming show of Falstaff in the Dress Circle cost at least $140…

Cheapen Your Ski Time (in a Good Way!)

Ski season is here, but while skiing is a blast, it’s not exactly a cheap sport. Below, LearnVest’s tips on how to enjoy the slopes and save :

Get A Lift Ticket At Your Desk.

Our favorite site for this: Liftopia.com. We scored a pass for Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts for $29 (50% off). Savings: $29.
Fill ‘Er Up.

Some gas stations in ski-weather states offer deals, like the buy-one-get-one-free offer from Shell. Savings (if you ski at Monarch Mountain in Colorado): $46…

Five Simple Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2010

There are no excuses left for not getting a good, firm grip on your money.

I’ll just earn more? Last year, even the richie-richest learned that cash doesn’t always keep rolling in.

I don’t know where to start? There are countless resources on the internet.

I don’t have time? There are great tools that will break it all down into steps that can take as little as a few minutes.

Learn your lesson from the recession, already, and get your financial ducks in a row. Start your year with these simple steps:

Get organized

Don’t know where to start? Our friends at LearnVest (one of Recessionwire’s content partners–hey Caroline Waxler!), are running a financial bootcamp this month…

The New Year’s Second-Hand Shopping Guide

In New York, frugal women know about Encore, the consignment shop where Jackie O. famously sold all of her unwanted clothing for extra cash. And since the recession hit, such stores have seen consigners come out in discreet droves to pare their closets and pad their wallets.

What you may not know is that holiday time is the best time for closet cleaning — which means that the start of the year is prime for scoring bargains. And most of America doesn’t think to resell Grandma’s Chanel bag at Encore; often, great goods go straight into the hands of non-Vogue reading volunteers at charity thrift stores, who price them way below market.

Don’t believe me? Good. More cheap Valentino scarves to adorn my unemployed neck.

If you’re fashionable but poor, consider dropping the pride and checking out these four thrift shopping venues. For $3 you may be walking home in a pair of never-worn Florentine leather boots.

1. Estate Sales

The only thing sadder than the death of an elderly person is watching families hold estate sales so they don’t have to clean out closets. Luckily for the recently laid-off, you now have time to rummage through those boxes to find that pre-war handbag from Paris…