Those cooking tips are really helpful, especially the one about using leftover fruit juice for marinade. That's a really good one.

FTFA at Kiplingers:

Longer term, tax hikes will go even further and hit more people and businesses. The only other option is deep cuts in spending, including Social Security, Medicare and defense, and the public won't buy that. As a result, anyone making more than $100,000 a year will be at risk for higher taxes. The most likely option is to raise the cap on income subject to payroll taxes. It now stands at $106,800.

Besides, if it had to come down to our household paying a point or two more on the paltry amount our annual income exceeds $100K in order to balance the budget, then so be it. In other words, whoopdedoo! Here's twenty bucks. That ought to cover my share.

That has got to be one of the best topic photos ever!

@HurtsSoGood: Exactly. The entire article was fearmongering, with no evidence to back up the claims made.

That's freemoneyfinance for you, though. He's a religious, conservative personal finance blogger who made his love for Palin and disdain for Obama quite clear in the runup to the election. He'll point you to anything that hints at doom and gloom for this administration, no matter how stupid it is.

Missing from this analysis is a discussion of:-

State and Local taxes
All kinds of taxes disguised as fees.

Here in NY State and City, they are talking about (not all have been approved):

-higher marginal income tax rates
-higher mass transet fees
-taxi fare surcharge
-auto registration tax increase
-tolls on currently free bridges and tunnels
-cell phone tax increase
-electricity tax increase
-sales tax increase
-cigarette / liquor / beer / wine tax incease

-a whole bunch of other stuff.

The "fees" are, of course, paid even by those exempt from income tax.

Be prepared for governments at all levels to take an increasing part of your income to spend it on what they want, not what you want.
-huge real estate tax increases

@pecan 3.14159265: You can also beat up leftover fruit juice with confectioner's (10x) sugar to make a glaze for baked goods (usually cakes, but also things like sticky buns/jelly rolls/etc.). Just thicken until you like the consistency!

You can also heat it with fruit pieces and sugar (regular or 10x) on the stove to make a fruit syrup to use on pancakes. Frozen bagged fruit you can keep in the freezer works fine for this and actually adds a little more thickening sometimes.

Re: Emergency fund tips. I believe the author is conflating the terms "recycling" and "redeeming." When you return your beer bottles, cans, etc for the deposit, you are redeeming them. Recycling is throwing them in the bucket with the other jars, bottles etc on recyclable day. But maybe it's a regional colloquialism.

Also the tip is only valid in states that charge deposits. I live in a state that doesn't charge a deposit on cans and bottles.

@pecan 3.14159265: I'll add a slight variant of the filled milk jug in the freezer--if you use a clean container, it can also be emergency water in the event of outages or weather disasters. If you don't have space for a gallon jug, you can use bottled water to fill in the empty spots and become your water supply when you need it.

I confess that I either add the leftover juice to smoothies or I just drink it. Mmm, pineapple juice.

@floraposte: When I read that tip I started laughing because my fridge is pretty much always packed with food..if not chicken stock I make every few weeks, with frozen vegetables and seafood. I have little room for a gallon of anything!