"How To Save $8919.45 A Year"

That was an eye-catching title from an article by CNNMoney from October 22nd. Yes, I could certainly use an extra 9K laying around each year so I eagerly read this article....and was disgusted. But I'll let you be the judge.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/pf/0810/gallery.save_money/index.html

Here's the rundown for you. In these 6 easy steps you can save nearly 9 K dollars.

1. Plan out your shopping trip and use coupons
2. Skip coffee and a muffin at Starbucks each morning
3. Upgrade your appliances to lower your electric bill 150$/year
4. Buy generic/store brand groceries and toiletries
5. Pay an extra 1$ a day on credit card debt
6. Team up with neighbors to share a sitter

I keep telling myself that for the audience CNN is targeting, these 6 steps are epiphanies. But for the average Joe, this is a slap in the face with a little salt rubbed into the wound. Nowhere does it give real-life options for cutting back on finances....radical ideas like *gasp* cook from scratch, and *double gasp* stay home on date night. While paying an extra 30$ a month on debt is a great idea, there's many families out there that don't have an extra 30$ laying around at the end of the month. And honestly, for the working poor, buying generic groceries is a way of life, not a cute way to 'rough it' and save a little money.

Just another example of how out of touch Wall Street and the PTB (Powers That Be) really are.