Saving Money

2009 was marked by a declining financial market contributed to by the highest unemployment statistics in 25 years. Many of those who lost their full-time status have taken this opportunity to reinvent themselves and generate their own income by becoming freelancers.

With a freelancer lifestyle, at one point you can be rolling in the dough while the next minute you may be rolling your eyes at the most recent excuse for a delayed check payment. Knowing and accepting this uncertainty is the key. By reviewing all the points comprising your financial health, you will have a "big picture" scenario of your financial budget and can make the task of budgeting easier and fine-tuning your money management skills will provide success. Some tricks for freelancer financial budgeting are:

Prepare for the Tax Man

Upon achieving full-time status, employees can rely on their employers to automatically withdraw taxes based on the employee's completed W-2 form. Freelancers complete W-9 forms and are responsible for paying for their own taxes. Freelancers must remember to put aside Uncle Sam's share (25% should do the trick) to avoid a financial conundrum on April 15. Opening an online banking account and nicknaming it "taxes is an easy way to move and store the cash.

Income Projection

Knowing an estimate of your monthly income is crucial. On a monthly basis, do your best to project your total earnings and then low-ball the number, in case something falls through.

Discussing the estimated workflow with your manager is the best place to start. Plus, if it is lower than average, you will have enough warning to find other opportunities for income during the time period.

Budget for Fixed Expenses

Every month rent or mortgage payments are due, electric bills must be paid and food must be put on the table. Freelancers must go through their budget and get a grip on fixed expenses.

As soon as you receive your check transfer the tax money and pay these bills first!

Health Insurance

One of the most important fixed expenses for a freelancer is private health insurance. As your own boss, you will be responsible for paying for this benefit and monthly premiums out of pocket. The great news is when it comes to tax time, this is one of the best deductions to claim and may allow you to keep some of the money you put aside for your taxes.

Stash Your Cash

Saving for a rainy day is just one trick to embracing and budgeting for a freelance lifestyle and multiple bank accounts is a way to assist in that task.

Accounts should include options for depositing your income, a savings account for an "out of sight out of mind emergency fund and finally an account specifically for "taxes." Even when money is tight by following the $5 rule (save ever fiver that comes your way). One woman saved $12,000 over a 3-year period with this method.

Living a life fueled by feast or famine is stressful to say the least. As a freelancer, you may find yourself in the position of hustling and bustling to secure your next gig. Not having a paying job is a risk that all freelancers take, but by taking the time to set up a financial budget and saving what you can in between, you will be provided with a rewarding work scenario.

If you're a freelancer, how to you budget?

Since the financial crisis hit in 2008, many individuals had to rely on food stamps to feed the family. In fact, recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) estimates that it helped put food on the table for 31 million people per month in fiscal year 2009.

With the rate of food stamp usage having increased dramatically from 2007 to 2009 (32 percent according to stats from New York Times), it makes you wonder what it means to the economy. Can our increased use of food stamps be compared to reliance on government assistance during other recessions or the Great Depression? Even more, how does one know if they should be on food stamps?

The Historical Need for Federal Food Assistance

The idea of distributing food to the unemployed got its start in the 1930s after the Federal government saw the need to get involved with food and monetary assistance, which until then was only handled by local communities and charities.

According to published data, in mid-1932, Congress authorized the Red Cross to distribute government wheat to the unemployed in the eve of the Great Depression. During its height in 1933, when nearly one in four people were without work, the government began distributing free pork as well. But it wasn't until May 1939 that the USDA initiated an experimental Food Stamp Program.

This program was discontinued in 1943 when the economy started turning around, then re-introduced in 1964 Food Stamp Act and reconfigured with the 1970 Food Stamp Act.

Since the Food Stamp Program got its start after the Great Depression, some wondered if the current recession and its need for food stamps equates to the soup lines of the early 1930s?

This issue has been debated by many who approached numbers from both time periods. In a report titled City Life During the Great Depression, it was noted that 82 bread lines in New York City served 85,000 meals daily in January 1931 alone, which equals roughly 2.64 million receiving food in one month.

According the City Room blog, 1.6 million New York City residents received food stamps in August 2009. Considering that New York City had an estimated 8.3 million residents as of 2008, compared to 6.9 million residents in 1930, we can see that the percentage of those receiving food assistance for one month during the Depression may have been roughly 38 percent, while it was likely closer to 19 percent for the current recession.

Of course, the numbers aren't perfect but they give an idea of where we stand from this recession to the Depression. Does this mean that food stamps aren't as needed now? Absolutely not!

What Food Stamps Mean to Our Economy

In a time where economic challenges are severe, as with the current recession, food stamps have become more important to families than ever. Marion Nestle wrote in her article, Food Stamps: The Economists of Eating Well, that the increase in food stamp usage is directly correlated with the increase in job losses.

However, what's interesting is that while an increase in the use of food stamps is automatically equated to difficult economic times, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi noted in January 2009 that both food stamps and unemployment insurance have the most stimulative effect on the economy. Most specifically, she says, food stamps come first in having the most stimulative effect.

On the other hand, Alan Viard, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research who responded to Pelosi's statement about food stamps explained that economic stimulus could never come largely from food stamps because the program simply isn't large enough.

Or is it that not enough people participate?

Nestle noted that only two-thirds of people eligible for the program actually apply for and receive benefits. One reason this may be the case, as written by Christopher Greenslate, co-author of On a Dollar a Day, is due to the application process being complex, intrusive and humiliating.

In his article, Benefits are Meager and Underused, he wrote, "The average applicant has to make five trips to a center, have every adult in the home fingerprinted, and is subject to home searches by the district attorney's office."

What's interesting about food stamp usage is that it undoubtedly represents a time of financial difficulty when a family needs help from a third party to eat. However, Pelosi thinks of the program as economic stimulus as opposed to temporary assistance for the unemployed.

This could leave some wondering whether the focus on stimulating the economy will be geared more toward job creation or more food stamps and unemployment checks.

Should You Be Using Food Stamps?

So you may be wondering if you're supposed to be using food stamps. With more people eligible than ever, there's a chance that you just may qualify. Here are some things you should know about eligibility requirements and the stamps themselves.

First, it's good to know that food stamps are not actually pieces of paper anymore. Now, the distributions are placed on a card every month and this card is swiped in the credit card machine when used.

Just to give you a rough estimate of income requirements to receive food stamps, for the dates Oct. 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2010, your gross monthly income cannot be more than $1,174 for an individual and $2,389 for a family of four (here is a full list of income limits). If you meet the income limits for these family sizes, you would receive the max of $200 per month as an individual or $668 as a family of four.

Only you know whether you qualify based on your income. If you do qualify, it's good to know that your benefits can buy you food, seeds and food plants; however, you cannot receive alcohol, tobacco, pet food, supplements, paper goods or hot prepared foods.

Food Stamps Paint a Bleak Picture of the Economy

We've heard plenty from government officials saying that the economy is looking up - at least on paper. However, even though the unemployment rate has retracted some (from 10.2 percent to 10 percent in recent months), the increased need for food stamps makes one wonder if improvement is really on the horizon for 49 million current recipients just trying eat three full meals every day.

It's hard to say at this point.

What do you think? Have you used food stamps?

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that we read a lot of personal finance blogs.

After all, we are in the business of helping you with your money. It only makes sense to see what else is out there. We point some of these articles out to you now and again, but we thought it'd be fun to start the...

The cost of heating and cooling can increase utility bills considerably each year. According to Energy Star , nearly half of the energy you use in your home goes to heating and cooling. This means that you spend a large portion of money that could be used for your other bills paying for your ...

Whether you have to buy a gift for that distant cousin's new baby or make that Secret Santa trade at work, it seems that you always have to buy Christmas presents - not the easiest way to save money .

If you could only get out of buying presents this year, you'd have more to save. Of course,...

Christmas lights and Christmas decorations are big business in the United States. According to industry analyst Ibisworld , Americans spent approximately $8.25 billion on Christmas decorations in 2008, and you can be sure a lot of those billions went to millions of light shows across the...

The holidays are, among other things, a head-on collision between wishes and reality. While we'd like to buy family and friends what they're dreaming of, there's only so much cash to go around.

The good news is that there are ways to spend modestly while at the same time create the appearance...

If you're trying to squeeze every single penny possible out of your holiday shopping budget, you're probably heading out to stores the day after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday, as the day is commonly known as, is always exploding with deals. Many sales continue throughout the weekend, but some are...

Are you ready to buy gifts for the holidays, yet don't know how you will be able to purchase everything without going over budget? You're not alone. According to a recent study from the National Retail Foundation (NRF) , nearly 85 percent of consumers plan to spend less this year due to economic...

The holiday season has rolled around again, which means holiday shopping is already well under way for many shoppers. From advertisements on TV to ads all over the Internet, you certainly can't miss the excess of promotions for holiday steals and deals. But due to the current recession,...