Maybe you should consider sharing rather than owning a car.

More than 300,000 drivers have already joined more than two dozen car share programs across the country, which allow the to use — and pay — for a car only when they need it.

It’s possible to save $300 to $500 a month, depending on the cost of the vehicle you’re giving up and how often you take to the road in a shared car.

You can find car share programs where you would expect them, in urban areas like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.

But they are also in less obvious cities, such as Waterville, Maine, Nashville, Tenn. and Winona, Minn.

Fuel-efficient compact cars comprise the bulk of car share fleets, but some larger car-share fleets offer pickup trucks, crossovers and midsize cars.

Rental rates vary by program, but most let members rent by the hour or the day. Hourly rates range from $3.50 to $13, while daily rates range from $50 to $115.

Operational costs such as parking, fuel and insurance are often included.

Other costs may include a small one-time application fee and either annual membership dues or a minimum monthly charge.

How much can you save?

Let’s say you were going to buy a 2009 Honda Civic EX four-door, which will cost right at $30,018 to own over the next five years using Edmunds.com’s “True Cost to Own” calculator.

That’s $500 a month for a relatively frugal model that depreciates at a lower-than-average rate and gets better-than-average fuel economy.

Zipcar is the biggest car share program with operations in 50 cities. Here’s what it costs to use a car for four full days a month with its “Extra Value Plan” in Atlanta:

• A $50 minimum monthly commitment fee which is applied against the first $50 in rental charges.
• A daily rental charge of $62.90 per day.
• 45 cents for each mile over 180 miles on any single rental.

That works out to $202 a month if you don’t incur any extra mileage charges — or $298 less than it costs to own the Honda Civic EX.

The savings are even bigger when compared to the cost of owning a bigger, more expensive car or truck. Owning a 2009 Ford Taurus SEL, for example, would cost $469 per month more than car sharing.

The tradeoff is obvious. Your ride isn’t waiting right outside the back door.

But car share programs park vehicles in convenient locations around participating cities that can be reserved months in advance or picked up with just a few minutes notice.

Most programs post an easy-to-navigate area map on their Web sites pinpointing each reserved parking space around the city and identifying the vehicle parked there.

That’s 0% financing.

If a finance company is willing to lend you $20,000, $30,000 or more for free, we say, grab it.

Here’s why.

If you finance $25,000 for four years at 0%, you’ll pay $521 per month or a total of $25,000.

That same $25,000 financed at 7% — the current average cost for a 4-year new car loan — will cost $599 per month or a total of $28,746.

Your monthly payments will be $78 lower and you’ll save $3,746 in interest charges over the four-year life of the loan.

If you borrowed $15,000 for four years, you would save $2,247 with 0% financing.

Even if you were going to pay cash, it makes sense to take advantage of that no-cost money instead. You would use the lender’s $25,000 for free while earning interest on your $25,000 through savings or investment.

If all you did was put that $25,000 into a CD compounding interest annually at a 3% rate, it would earn $3,138 during the 48-month car loan period.

It’s like finding money in the street.

Automakers will often give you a choice between a discount loan or cash rebate that can be used to reduce the purchase price of the car or truck.

A 0% loan will trump all but the most humongous rebates — and you don’t have to guess.

This “Rebate vs. Low-Cost Loan Calculator” will tell you exactly which discount saves the most.

Check out Angie’s List, which I just did for the first time.

A few friends had used Angie’s List to vet contractors — they wanted to find companies that others had raved about instead of looking in the phone book.

Getting hosed by a painter or plumber is not only a financial mess but a major headache.

I knew I wanted a new dermatologist.

Not only did my ex-doc’s smarmy billing tactics piss me off, but he made me feel like an ATM machine: He got his cash and he got me out of there.

I wanted a doctor who would take time with my office visits, listen to my concerns, look at my medical history and offer solutions instead of a wham, bam, thank you ma’am approach.

I talked to my primary care physician about recommendations, but he didn’t offer much more than a list of dermatologists who take my insurance.

I typed “dermatologist” into yelp.com, which is a user generated review site, but the results were too noisy.

While I appreciate the “free” aspect of yelp.com, it’s not really regulated. Someone with a personal grudge could make up a profile and start ranting against a local business. Or a doc could sign up all her friends and start saying nice things about her services.

Searching “dermatologist” didn’t always bring up actual doctors, either. Cosmetics and beauty supply places? How’s that going to help my eczema?

So I ponied up the $15 activation fee and $7.50 for one month of Angie’s List services. (You can also pay $59 for one year, $106 for two, $159 for three or $189 for four.)

Angie’s List started in 1995 in Columbus, O.H. by a woman named Angie (shocker, right?) who wanted more information on local contractors.

Since then the service has expanded to 124 cities with 750,000 consumers on its roster. In March 2008, Angie’s List added health care categories to their list of ranked and reviewed providers.

Like free review sites, consumers submit reviews, whether they pay for the service or not. But Angie’s List has a few layers of checks and balances to make sure those reviews are legit.

No matter who submits, they can’t do so anonymously — they have to be available to Angie’s List staff. Because they screen all reports before they go online.

Companies are allowed to give their side of the story for any negative review, but they can’t pay Angie to ditch a bad review.

Angie’s List only accepts one form of advertising from companies it ranks. Those who consistently get an “A” or “B” rating from consumers can offer coupons. That’s it.

The reviews customers give are detailed, too.

For dermatologists, I could read every customer’s full reviews and read details like how long they waited for an appointment, how the doc handled first time patients, billing policies and the condition of the office and exam rooms.

If you don’t have time to read all the reviews, an average grade is listed for each doctor, in everything from office environment to bedside manner.

Impressive.

I went through the list of doctors reviewed and drew up a list of five possibilities, which I’ll start researching this week. I feel like an empowered consumer, not just someone at the mercy of my primary care doctor’s list of who’s available.

They’re still paying more than 4% and offering their high-yield, or reward checking accounts as they’re sometimes called, nationwide.

Bank of the Sierra, with 22 branches in central California, has been paying 4.51% on balances up to $25,000 since October.

Patriot Bank, with five locations north of St. Petersburg, Fla., has been paying 4.01% on balances up to $50,000 since February.

Ouachita Independent Bank, with 11 offices in northern Louisiana, has been paying 4.01% on balances up to $25,000 since December.

High-yield checking accounts have been the biggest banking oddity of the recession and financial crisis.

As the returns on everything from certificates of deposit to savings accounts fell to record lows over the past two years, these checking accounts created by hundreds of community banks, became the most lucrative way to save.

The only drawback is that you’ve got to follow some very specific rules, such as making a minimum number of debit card purchases each month. (If you’re unfamiliar with how these work, take a look at our ABCs of high-yield checking accounts).

Although many of those banks initially accepted applications from anyone, anywhere, they were quickly overwhelmed and started turning away out-of-state depositors.

Others tried to stem the flood of money into their vaults by lowering their interest rates because, as with all checking and savings accounts, these are variable interest accounts.

But Sierra, Patriot and Ouachita have done neither. They’ve been the most dependable purveyors of widely-available, high-yield checking accounts so far this year.

Bankaholic is three this summer and we thought it would be a good time to look back and pick our 10 favorite, dare we say greatest, deals.

We combed through almost 600 posts to find everything from the most sky-high CD rate to the all-time best gift for opening a new account — and it ain’t no stinkin’ toaster.

Our favorite:

Certificate of Deposit paid 6.01%. It was a 9-month CD from World Savings Bank in August 2006. If only we could have locked in that rate for 99 months.

Mortgage came from AimLoan.com, which offered a 30-year, fixed-rate home loan for an astounding 4.375% in early May, right after mortgage rates hit an all-time low. The $1,995 in fees and 1.673 discount points didn’t diminish a deal that was available in 40 states.

Savings Account earned 6.00% APY from HSBC Direct in March 2007. When we see Chase paying 0.01% APY on its savings accounts this summer, it makes us weep bitter tears.

Money Market Account paid a similar 6.00%. It was from Dime Bank back in July 2006.

Free Gift was a 22-inch Sharp LCD HDTV worth about $300 to anyone who invested at least $20,000 in an 11-month CD paying 2.21% APY from Irwin Union Bank. And that was just last month. It was a little ray of sunshine in this dreary summer for savers.

Checking Account Bonus was a $100 gas card US Bank gave to new customers last summer when pump prices were over $4 a gallon.

High-Yield Checking Account is from Bank of the Sierra in California. It’s been paying 4.51% APY on balances up to $25,000 ever since its Sierra Reward Checking was launched last October. And it still accepts out-of-state applicants.

Bonus Miles or Cash Credit Card Deal was from American Express. Sign up for a Business Gold Rewards Card in July 2007 and you could get 25,000 reward points, enough for round-trip domestic plane ticket, or $250 cash.

No-Interest Credit Card Deal had to be Capital One’s “No Hassle Miles” card in February 2009 — 0% on purchases for a full year. And it’s a great card.

Auto Loan was 3.99% for 48 months, and 4.09% for 60 months, from Think Bank back in April. Here’s the really good news, you can still get 3.99% financing for 24 months, 4.19% for 48 months and 4.29% for 60 months.

Give Thrive, a free financial advising service, a whirl.

Designed with 20- and 30-somethings in mind, Thrive takes the account numbers and passwords to your bank, credit card, mortgage and investment statements and automatically downloads all of the info it needs.

It then analyzes where your money goes and offers advice on how to trim expenses, pay off your credit cards and get your investments rolling.

Once you’ve sent the computer program on its way, Thrive requires surprisingly little work from you. Just answer a few questions. (You may need to tell it that Wegmans is a grocery store or that you shop at CVS for prescriptions, not magazines).

Thrive is an ideal service for people with irregular incomes, too. Unlike other advice sites that start by asking for your monthly income, it determines how much you make by looking at six months of bank statements.

Just be prepared for some tough love, with advice like “You’re overspending, slow down,” or a sobering calculation of how quickly you’d run out of money if you were fired.

Concerned about turning your financial passwords over to a Web site?

You have good reason to be, but Thrive insists they’re safe. They use the same kinds of safety measures and coding as your bank. And then some.

“We don’t actually store your passwords. You come in, you enter your password, we create a secure, one way tunnel with your bank,” says Matt Wallaert, the lead scientist at Thrive. “They send us the equivalent of the statement you’d get in the mail, but with less info.”

If hackers broke into the site, they might be able to see how much you spend for groceries, but they wouldn’t be able to steal your identity by taking your passwords and account numbers.

It’s not a perfect system. If you already have a mortgage, for example, the site will still tell you how much home you can afford to buy, and prompt you to set up a plan to buy one.

Wallaert says they’re working on that, and to make spending and budget suggestions more action based.

Instead of saying “you have $300 to spend on meals this month,” he wants Thrive to figure out that your average restaurant bill is $30 and tell you that you can go out 10 times this month.

But for a free service?

It’s a valuable one that could help you budget your money more wisely.

A lot, judging by the fare war that erupted Tuesday and is clearly aimed at filling a lot of empty seats between now and early winter.

Three discount carriers got the whole thing started.

Southwest Airlines is offering fares of $30 each way on flights of 400 miles or less, $60 for flights between 401 and 750 miles, and $90 longer trips. You’ve got to travel between Sept. 9 and Nov. 18, those fares aren’t available on Fridays and Sundays, and tickets must be purchased before the end of the day.

AirTran Airways has cut fares as low as $39 each way, with the cheapest tickets available for flights on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Saturdays. You can travel from mid-July through Nov. 11, but tickets must be purchased by Thursday.

Frontier Airlines’ sale covers travel from Aug. 10 through Jan. 15, with blackout dates around the holidays, and you have until Tuesday to buy tickets.

With most competitors scrambling to match those prices, this is an excellent time to book a trip you might have been planning.

The chance to win a few days at a Florida resort shouldn’t figure into the decision.

But that’s the hook Trustmark National Bank of Jackson, Miss. is using to attract new customers.

Apply for a new checking account before Sept. 25, 2009 and you’ll receive a lottery-like scratch-and-win card.

Five winners qualify for a five-night stay at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort on Florida’s Gulf coast between Pensacola and Panama City.

Up to four guests can enjoy a two-bedroom condo and a few perks, including a free breakfast or lunch, beach chairs and four rounds of golf.

Ten other winners will receive three-night stays for two in a standard hotel room, with a free breakfast or lunch.

The fine print says transportation isn’t provided, you’re responsible for taxes and gratuities, and you can’t go during some popular holidays like the Labor Day weekend.

The scratch cards are being given away at Trustmark Bank branches in Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee, but not Florida for some reason.

What about the nine different types of personal checking accounts Trustmark offers? They’re pretty typical of what you’ll find at most banks. None of them jumped out at us as a great deal.

Umbrella Checking, which Trustmark says is its most popular checking account, charges a rather steep $9.95 monthly fee ($7.95 for customers under 25 years old).

The Positively Free Checking account looks like a better deal to us. You get most of the same benefits, except free checks, without the monthly fees.

So if banking at Trustmark makes sense for you, by all means do it.

But don’t be swayed by the vacation offer.

In fact, here’s something else from the contest’s fine print. You don’t have to open a new checking account to get a scratch card.

You can request a game card by sending a 3-by-5 card with your name, address and phone number to:

Trustmark Bank Sandestin Giveaway
ATTN: Sales Management
P.O. Box 291
Jackson, MS 39205

It’s hard to know exactly how much money kids need for college because so much depends on where they plan to go.

But a new type of calculator is providing much better estimates of how much parents will be expected to pay, and what kind of financial aid a student might qualify for, based on family income and the school’s tuition and housing costs.

A higher education law Congress passed last year requires all colleges to have net price calculators on their Web sites by 2011, and they’re already available at schools including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, Princeton University, Amherst College and Williams College.

The calculators ask for much of the same financial information — such as family income and assets — as the government’s Federal Student Aid program seeks on its Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

It uses that to determine how much each student will be expected to pay. (In college speak, that’s the “Family Contribution.”)

The calculator then shows how much it costs to go there and the financial aid package the school might propose to make up the difference between the family’s out-of-pocket contribution and the total bill.

In an example we ran using Amherst College’s calculator (see above), the school proposes a generous scholarship and modest campus job.

The Massachusetts school was one of the first colleges to stop requiring student loans as part of its financial aid packages. That’s why “Student Loan” shows up as “0″ on the calculator’s final form.

But for most colleges and universities, student loans are a big part of financial aid packages.

A survey by Hewitt Associates shows employers are planning to boost base salaries by less than 3% this year, the lowest average increase since the consulting firm began tracking the data in 1976.

The rapidly deteriorating economy forced half of the 640 major employers surveyed to reduce the raises they’d expected to give since Hewitt’s previous poll in July 2008. Another quarter of employers were considering whether to do so.

For companies scaling back:

• Salaried, exempt employees will receive an average salary increase of 2.5% in 2009, down from an expected 3.8% in July.
• Executive employees will receive 2.2%, down from a projected 3.8% in July.
• Salaried, nonexempt pay will receive 2.6%, down from an expected 3.7% in July.

The companies in Hewitt’s survey also trimmed the amount they plan to spend on what’s called variable pay — bonuses, profit-sharing, leisure trips and other performance-based rewards that are used to recognize their most productive workers.

But the reductions were relatively small, and Hewitt concluded that “companies remain focused on attracting and retaining key employees by reserving a significant portion of their compensation budgets for variable-pay bonuses, or performance-based rewards that must be re-earned each year.”