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A lawsuit filed by several states could be heard within weeks. The states are seeking billions of dollars from the federal government in unclaimed bonds.

The bonds began being sold to raise money during World War II. Most American families bought at least one bond with the understanding that they wouldn't be paid off for 40 years.

However, according to the Associated Press, "More than $16 billion worth of the bonds are unclaimed, either lost or forgotten about with the death of the original purchasers."

You can always check to see if you have bonds that have already matured here.

Six states--Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina and Oklahoma--are suing for the rights to the unclaimed money in part because they all have unclaimed property departments. The lawsuit argues the states can try to locate families who are owed money--something those states say the federal government is not doing.

The bottom line is those states also want to earn the interest on that money. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Some states, such as California and New York, stand to reap as much as $1.6 billion, according to figures compiled by the states based on federal data."

You should do a search at least every year to see if any state has money you may be owed. States update this information yearly that's why it's a good idea to check at least once a year. I've used this site numerous times and have even found money for friends and family.

You can also go here to find individual states' unclaimed property web sites. Remember this is free, you do not need to use pay sites to get your money. However you may be asked to provide specific information including your social security number in order to make a claim.

What do you think about this law suit? Should the federal government be doing a better job locating bond holders?

Or should the states get the money and then try to locate people? Add your thoughts below.

And let me know if you find any money.

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Categories: Money |

Luckily in Central Texas we don't use our heat that often.

But for those that do, there may be some early good news for the upcoming winter season. The Energy Information Administration says it looks like it will cost families less to heat their homes this winter.

Lower fuel costs and an expected milder winter means the upcoming season could be about 8 percent cheaper compared to last year.

The report says,"Households are expected to pay an average of $783, nearly 12 percent less than last winter, for natural gas, and $1,821 for heating oil, about 2 percent lower. People using electric heat will pay $933, a decline of 2 percent and those using propane $1,667, or 14 percent less than last winter."

The biggest savings will be seen by users of propane. Those families are expected to save an average of $280 this winter about 14 percent less than last winter.

The report covers the winter period from October through March.

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Categories: Home | Money |

It may be too small to notice, but the Texas Farm Bureau says we're paying less for our groceries--at least the basics. We paid 1.42 percent less in the second quarter than we did in the first quarter of this year.

The national index, which is called the Consumer Price Index found that overall food prices rose 0.1 percent nationally.

The Texas Farm Bureau began the Grocery Price Watch earlier this year as a way to evaluate 16 staple grocery items at various supermarkets across the state. Twenty-five shoppers volunteered for this latest survey. Volunteers did their price checks the week of June 21-27.

Here's a snapshot of some of what the agency found:
Milk--$.16 cents cheaper;
Bread--$.30 cents cheaper;
Lettuce--$.17 cents cheaper;
Corn Flakes-- $.12 cents more expensive;
Tomatoes--$.17 cents more expensive;
Steak-- $.14 cents more expensive.

"Survey results showed that nine of 16 items decreased in price over the last quarter. The total list of items, on average, fell roughly 1.42 percent (74 cents), from $51.97 in April to $51.23 in June," according to the Texas Farm Bureau.

Are you noticing a difference?

I've noticed milk and bread seem cheaper. The Farm Bureau says chicken prices are down, however at my grocery store they have jumped quite a bit. I bought a big package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts two months ago for around $13 and recently spent $15 for the same size package.

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Categories: Money |

The Federal Government wants your bright ideas.

As part of The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the first ever government-sponsored technology competition. It's called Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes (L Prize) competition.

According to the DOE, "The legislation challenges industry to develop replacement technologies for two of today's most widely used and inefficient technologies: 60W incandescent lamps and PAR 38 halogen lamps. It also calls for development of a 21st Century Lamp that delivers more than 150 lm/W. The competition will award significant cash prizes, plus opportunities for federal purchasing agreements, utility programs, and other incentives for winning products."

We're talking $10 million dollars.

The New York Times says, "The L Prize has garnered significant attention in the lighting industry because 60-watt incandescent lamps represent 50 percent of all the lighting in the United States, with 425 million sold each year. The Energy Department says that if all those lamps were LED equivalents, enough power would be saved to light 17.4 million American households and cut carbon emissions by 5.6 million metric tons annually."

Phillips became the first to enter the competition.

It's not just for big companies. You can find all the competition requirements here.

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Categories: Home | Money |

There was an interesting experiment I came across the other day on YouTube. A couple of guys from Austin decided to try to give away $200.

They stood along a busy stretch of road where many homeless people typically stand. Peter Nevland created a cardboard sign that said 'free money' then tried to give away the cash.

It's pretty interesting to see how people responded.

Would you have taken the money?

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Categories: Money |

There are more ways than ever to leave your gift cards, credit cards and reward cards at home.

Starbucks launched a new app yesterday for iPhone users that allows them use their phone as a Starbucks gift card.

You just upload the number off your activated gift card and your phone becomes the gift card. Then you can add money to it to keep it active.

The coffee company is also testing out an app in California and Washington that will allow users to use their iPhone in place of a debit or credit card.

Tyler told me about this other app called Card Star that turns all of your membership and reward cards into bar codes so you no longer need to carry them in your wallet. The bar codes can be scanned right at the checkout counters. It can keep everything from grocery store savings cards to frequent flier miles card numbers.

You can download the app free. And don't worry, if you're like me and you don't have an iPhone, the company is working on an app for Blackberry users.

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Categories: Money |