Learn to Save Money, Make Extra Cash during Money Smart Week®

During Money Smart Week®, three events  at Oak Park Public Library will help you save money or make extra cash.

• Thursday, April 25: ‘Point, Click, and Earn: Moonlighting on the Internet’
Looking for ways to make some extra money? This presentation will help you get started and provide resources for further exploration at home. Rachel Singer Gordon, author of Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom’s Guide to Saving and Making Money Online, will share her strategies for harnessing the power of the Internet to generate income. Find legitimate ways to make side income online. Learn to use the Internet to locate work-at-home opportunities. Understand the best ways to avoid being taken in by scams. Join Rachel for ‘Point, Click, and Earn’ as part of Money Smart Week on Thursday, April 25, at 7 pm at Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street.

• Saturday, April 27: Craft Supply Swap
If you like to knit, scrapbook, sew, or pursue other crafts, you probably have plenty of leftovers materials. Come trade what you won't use for "new to you" materials. Bring craft supplies in good condition to Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street, on Saturday mornings, April 13 and 20, between 10 am and 12 pm. Receive a coupon to redeem at the Craft Supply Swap. Coupon holders get first pick at the Craft Supply Swap on Saturday, April 27, from 10 to 11 am at Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street. Everyone is welcome between 11 am and 12 pm. Seasonal indoor/outdoor decorations also accepted. Remaining materials from this Money Smart Week event will be donated to the Economy Shop. To help collect and sort donated items call 708-697-6915.

• Sunday, April 28: Spring Cleaning the Smart Way....Turn your Clutter into Cash!
Whether it's paper, clothing, furniture, decor, equipment, or even food, clutter makes its way into our life, but rarely seems to leave! Oak Park business owner Carolyn Miller will share tips and techniques for organizing every room of your house, along with practical advice on turning your clutter into cash through donations, consignment, auctions, and online reselling. This Money Smart Week event will be Sunday, April 28 at 2 pm at Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street.

Carolyn Miller, professional organizer and owner of Mind Over Matter Organizing, is a productivity specialist and educator. She works with a client base that is challenged by daily organization. Carolyn has assisted Office Max, A&E Hoarders, and other corporate and residential clients to improve both productivity and quality of life.

Resources available at Oak Park Public Library
Free resources to build financial literacy and become an informed consumer are available at Oak Park Public Library. With your Oak Park Public Library card, get free access to subscription-based online tools like Morningstar, Standard & Poor’s, and Value Line that provide stock and mutual fund information. Or access consumer information with online tools like Consumer Health Complete and Consumer Reports. Have your Oak Park Public Library card number and PIN ready and visit http://oppl.org/research/online-tools.

About Money Smart Week®
Money Smart Week® is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country including businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, not-for-profits, government agencies, and the media. These groups come together once a year to stress the importance of financial literacy, inform consumers about where they can get help, and provide free educational seminars and activities throughout the week. Programming is offered to all demographics and income levels and covers all facets of personal finance from establishing a budget to first time home buying to estate planning. The effort was created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002. Money Smart Week partners will be hosting their events April 20 - 27, 2013. Find more Money Smart Week events at http://www.moneysmartweek.org.