It is easy to lose sight of the big picture when everything around you is failing. It is important to keep focus and know that your health and your family are usually the things you hold dear. Here are some tips to maintain your health and avoid getting stressed out.

1. Stop watching the news and the changes in the Stock Market. Most people are not in the market for short term gains, unless you are a day trader. Keep focused on the long term gains and stick to well managed companies. Remember to diversify your portfolio.

2. Enjoy nature. It’s free and some extra sun will help boost your mood up.

3. Organize your bills and payments. No need to add more stress by missing deadlines. Write down the dates when bills are due.

4. Cook your own food. You will know exactly what goes in your food. Sometimes it’s cheaper to make your own food. I know I tend to eat more when I make my own food. As long  as you keep some leftovers for lunch, you won’t have to spend money on another meal.

5. If you have friends or family that you can talk to during this period of financial turmoil, please do so. Relationships can easily be ruined by money and it’s important to let others know how you feel. Don’t put all the financial burden on yourself. It is also a good way to create social networks.

6. Be happy! Smile every day. You have your health. Remember that.

Since people are saving and being frugal in this recession, what could be better than finding free money. Here are a couple of places where you can look. Some claims have deadlines.

Whatever your opinion is on lawyers, it’s hard to complain about free money. TopClassActions has list of open settlements that where you might bequalified to make a claim. Did you do business with Bank of America, Sprint or maybe, Lenscrafters? You might qualify for some free money. These claims do take a while to mail their checks out. So, it’s not immediately found money. Think of it as an unexpected check from your favorite uncle.

The IRS might owe you money if you didn’t file a 2004 income tax return.

Unclaimed refunds totaling approximately $1.2 billion are awaiting about 1.3 million people who failed to file a federal income tax return for 2004, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. However, to collect the money, a return for 2004 must be filed with an IRS office no later than Tuesday, April 15, 2008. – source

See if you are eligible for government lending money loans and asisstance by visiting Benefits.gov. There is an online screening process and if you qualify, you could get a direct payment, loan, insurance, training, or other services.

How about some pension money that you forgot about? If you were involved in a ”defined benefit” pension plan in a private company that transferred the plan to Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, you might have free found money.

“Defined benefit” pension plans are traditional pension plans which promise to pay a specific monthly amount to participants when they retire. Plans such as profit-sharing or 401(k) plans are not considered defined benefit plans. PBGC does not insure federal pension plans.

Did your brokerage firm go bankrupt and they still have your funds?

The statute that created SIPC provides that customers of a failed brokerage firm receive all non-negotiable securities that are already registered in their names or in the process of being registered.

Go to Securities Investor Protection Corporation and file a claim.

Here are a bunch of other sites that can help you find free money to help you survive in the bad economy.

• Treasury Hunt: Unclaimed U.S. Securities and Payments
• HUD/FHA Mortgage Insurance Refunds
• Credit Union Unclaimed Shares
• National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators

Now go get that free money!

Going back to school, to update your skills, is a tough decision when you have to pay the bills. In addition to not making money, you end up taking a loan to pay for school. So have you considered the alternatives? First, let’s figure out your reasons for going back to school.

• You want to add more skills to your resume (Yes.)
• There are no jobs available for you (Wrong.)
• You want to increase your future earnings (Yes.)
• You have no other options (Wrong.)

Don’t ever go back to school because you feel you have no other options and can’t find any jobs. There are always jobs available. Yes, even in a bad economy. Go back to school to improve yourself. When you approach school positively, you are won’t be trapped by the idea that, “I need to make money so I’m going back to school.” You are not there to make money, but to improve yourself.

Alternatives to Schooling

Here are some alternatives:

• Become an apprentice and learn a trade skill for free. This is a hit or miss because not everyone will like it if you tag along on their jobs.
• Learn everything online. The Internet is a HUGE resource as long as you don’t get lost in all the information. Stay organized as this method requires a lot of discipline. Set the hours each day for this and stick to the schedule. The MIT OpenCourseWare is a great place to start.
• Enroll in an online school degree program or a specialized course like online medical coding. You can pick and choose your courses and slowly boost your marketable job skills.
• Instead of going back to school, start a business where you can learn as you go. The alternative here is to learn how to run a business selling products or services. Instead of putting your money into a college or place of higher learning, invest the money or loans into your own business. It is hard to compete with all the recent graduates with higher grade point averages. With a startup business and real world experience, you can gain the skills they have been spending 4+ years learning and writing about.

Alternatives to Schools