Well, for the record, I like this movie. It’s one of those — like the American President or Serendipity — I  watch every time it’s on TV. But the embarrassment factor?  I don’t think so.

And neither does the randomly-selected, not scientifically-valid, sample of folks I’ve been asking a similar question: Would you rather have your debit card turned down at checkout for insufficient funds or fork over $35 to $39 in overdraft fees?  “Are you kidding?” is the typical response.  “Let them deny the card.”

Starting July 1, 2010 they’re going to have to.  At least unless you let them off the hook. The Federal Reserve has ruled that banks will no longer be allowed to automatically enroll their customers in overdraft protection programs for ATM and most debit card transactions. This means, unless you’ve got the money in your account, your debit transaction will be denied and you’ll have to come up with some other form of payment.  That’s great news, particularly for anyone who’s been subjected to the multiple fees overdrawing your account and then debiting freely can layer on in a single day.  It can, literally, cost hundreds.

The question is — what do you do now, until the new rule takes effect?  Well, you can hope Congress takes action.  That might put a lid on fees creeping higher, though it wouldn’t likely speed up the clock.  The more effective strategy: Tell your current bank you want to opt out NOW.  It may work.

Bank of America began allowing consumers to opt out of overdraft in mid-October and won’t charge overdraft fees if you’re less than $10 overdrawn.  Starting next June, it will also start to limit the number of overdraft fees a single account can incur in a year.

Chase will also allow opting out as well as cutting the number of overdrafts charges per day you can rack up (if you don’t opt out) to three from six.

And Wells Fargo (and Wachovia) will also let you opt out as well as eliminating fees on over drafts of $5 or less and capping fees at four per day.

If you’re assessed a fee, call and complain immediately.  The more business you do with the bank, the more likely you are to see it reversed.

Finally, how about banking online — if you’re not already — so that you can keep better tabs on the money flowing into and out of your account.  A few keystrokes and you be able to avoid the problem entirely.  No matter when your bank decides to join the parade.

The day is all about embracing, planning for and diving into reinvention, whether that means launching your second career, retiring or moving to a new city.  So it’s fitting that Mika Brzezinski, of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, is in the role of emcee.  During breakfast, she told our crowd of women of her own reinvention after she was let go from CBS several years ago.   In the time that followed, she went on interview after interview.  She worked the phones, knocked on doors, and begged – her words, not mine – for a new position.  Finally, she was a signature away from taking a job in public relations when she realized that she wasn’t being true to herself.  So what did Mika do?  She got back on the phone, went back to knocking on doors, and landed a freelance gig for MSNBC, reading 30-second news updates between the network’s shows.  It didn’t pay well, it wasn’t her dream job, but it was on track to get her where she wanted to go.

Barbara Corcoran, who lead one of the first sessions of the day, has a similar story.  After selling her real estate company the Corcoran Group for $70 million in 2001, she sank into what can only be described as a depression.  Sure, she had lots of money.  But she’d lost the sense of community that went with going to work each day, she missed her daily calls from the media looking for quotes, she hated not having an answer when people reliably asked, “What are you doing now?”   Bottom line – she was rich, but she’d lost her sense of self.

One day she decided to make a list.  She wrote down every single thing that she liked about being president of the Corcoran Group.  She repeated the process for the twenty-something other jobs she’s held, everything from hot dog vendor to waitress.  And she found that the one thing they had in common, the one thing she loved about them all, was the grand-standing, the attention.  And so she, too, considered a career in public relations, but ultimately decided that she was more suited to TV.

And so – like Mika – she worked the phones.  She knocked on doors.  And she finally landed a job as a political consultant on Fox News.  It wasn’t in her line of expertise – in fact, she says prior to it, she’d only read the New York Times when she was quoted in it – but it was on track to get her where she wanted to go.

Are you – like me – sensing a pattern here? Both of these inspiring women took their reinventions in stages.  They took time to figure out how, exactly, they wanted to reinvent themselves, and once they’d zeroed in on that end goal, they didn’t waver.  Sure, they accepted positions that weren’t ideal – you have to start somewhere – but they did it not because they were settling, but because they had faith that those jobs would get them where they wanted to be.

I don’t need to tell you how Mika and Barbara’s stories turned out, but I will.  Mika is co-host of not only Morning Joe, but also The Joe Scarborough Show on ABC Radio.  Barbara is the real estate contributor on the Today show, as well as the only woman on Shark Tank, a reality show on ABC that lets entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to her and four other possible investors.

-Janet, New York

Coupons, it seems, are everywhere these days. One look at today’s New York Times piece about the “Clip and Save Renaissance,” and you’ll see that in the past year using coupons has become, dare I say it, the cool thing to do.

According to the Promotions Marketing Association, consumers are saving $3 billion per year by using coupons. But how can you get your slice of the pie? You’re on the right track clipping the coupons you find in your Sunday paper (that’s where 90% of coupons are found, according to the PMA). But, according to Charlie Brown, co-chair of the PMA Coupon Council, there are lots of other places you could be looking. “One of the largest sources of coupons is in the store itself. About 5% of coupons are distributed there. Some stores have them where they’ll print it with the deli meat or cheese. You’ll see them on the package themselves,” says Brown. Surprisingly, Brown says that only 30% of these in-store coupons are ever cashed in.

Scouring the web for coupons can also net you some great deals. “The Internet is a huge growing source. There are very legitimate sites that are set up only for distribution of coupons,” says Brown. Sites such as RedPlum.com, Coupons.com, and CouponShack.com all offer coupons on everything from groceries to apparel. One of my favorite tricks to get discounts or coupons when shopping online is Googling the item I want to purchase along with the words “promotion code,” or “discount.” If you don’t have a specific product in mind and are just looking for the discounts in general, PromotionCode.org is a great place to start.

If you want to get the most out of coupons you’re going to have to put in a little bit of legwork. “Our studies show that if you spend less than 10 minutes a week, you can save about 7% on your grocery bill. Those that invest 20 minutes a week can save up to 20%,” says Brown. Say you spend about $80 a week in groceries. By spending twenty minutes a week couponing you could save $16 a week. That’s $64 a month. Even better, it’s $768 a year.

Once you’ve got the coupons, don’t forget to implement a little bit of strategy. “I recommend organizing your coupons according to the way that you shop the store. Within that segment put the ones that expire first at the beginning of the group,” suggests Brown.

Lastly, coupon stacking is also a great tactic. When you stack your coupons, you’re using more than one coupon on an item to multiply your savings. The rules on this will vary by store, but I’ve found that most retailers will allow you to do so

What did GM roll out? A 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, which gives new customers the opportunity to trade in the vehicle they purchased if they’re not satisfied. As long as the vehicle has less than 4,000 miles on it, customers can return it between 31 and 60 days after purchase for a full refund-including tax.

If you’re interested in trying out a new GM vehicle, risk free, act quick-the offer ends on November 30th. Still not crazy about spending a bundle on a new car? The real deal might be found in the barely-used vehicles returned to the lot after the November 30th cutoff date.

And note: The deal doesn’t apply to Saab, Saturn, Hummer or Pontiac models.

But what does a pirate festival have to do with money? Well, in a word, lots. For my town, this festival is a major economic driver of an economy that relies, for the most part, on income generated during the summer months. While people from all over attend Bill Johnston’s Pirate Days, this year, many people from not-so-far-away see the festival as the perfect opportunity for entertainment while on a “staycation.”

“Staycation”, seems to be the buzzword of the summer. A staycation is defined (yes, I said defined…staycations have become so popular, that they now have their own dictionary entry) as a vacation where one takes time off at or close to home. According to a recent poll by Harris Interactive, almost 60% of Americans say they are looking for ways to find less-expensive activities to fill up their summer days. Nearly 50% of survey participants said they’d take vacations closer to home.

In an economic climate where everyone’s trying to save a little more, staycations are a chance to take a break from the everyday, without spending a bundle of money. If you’ve yet to take a staycation this summer, there’s still time. Here are some tips for finding cheap fun that’s close to home:

Find a Festival: Visit Festivals.com, where you can search for festivals in your area by city or state, many of which are low-cost or even free.

Fun at the Fair: There are very few places where you can eat a deep fried Oreo, take in a concert by a big-name entertainer and marvel at a sculpture made of butter all in one day. Tickets to your state fair will cost around $10, and discounts are available for kids, seniors, etc. Be sure to check out your state fair’s website too for special deals available on certain days of the fair.

Research, Research, Research: Visit your local chamber of commerce either in-person or via the web to research attractions you might not know about in your area. It’s also a good idea to check out your state’s tourism website. For example, through Connecticut’s “staycation” program, residents are offered exclusive discounts to restaurants and attractions statewide.

Make a night of it: If a day trip isn’t enough, consider spending a night away from home. Many hotels are offering staycation packages that give you more bang for your buck. For example, with Ohio’s popular Cedar Point amusement park’s “staycation special” you can save over 40% on overnight accommodations and park admission. For $299.99, you’ll get accommodations for four, four one day admission tickets to the theme park, four tickets to visit the park the night before, and 4 buffet dinner tickets.

Right on Target: In an effort to help families get more enjoyment out of their summer staycations, Target is offering hundreds of free or low-cost activities across the country. For example, on the first Sunday of each month, Target offers kids 15 and under free admission to exhibits and workshops at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Or if you’re in the Boston area, every Thursday night at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Target offers free admission to museum-goers. Click here for a full listing of free or reduced price offerings.

I started fishing around and found some deals that weren’t on his original list.  If you are one of those people who have already stocked the emergency cushion, maxxed out the 401(k), gotten the health and life insurance you need, feel your job is secure AND you STILL have money to spare, look no further:

* Wines over $25.  According to James Laube of The Wine Spectator who blogs about wine deals, wines under $25 are still selling really well overall.  Above that price, however, people are pulling back in their spending.  That means you have wines that have been stockpiled and may not be selling.  If the people that have those wines need to raise cash (winemakers to pay for more barrels and grapes, wine merchants to pay for next year’s inventory, wine collectors to pay the mortgage) they will sell at a discount.   A couple of things to note: Deals tend to be regional.  A wine that is very popular in California may not be moving – and therefore may be on sale – in New York.  And these deals will not last forever, Laube points out.  The 2008 California vintage was pretty poor, so the fact that less of it was produced will help dry up some of the supply.

Specific Deals From The Last Month:
Mondavi Cabernet Sarvignon Reserve 1999.  Priced regularly at $125 bottle, now $69.95
Chardonnay Carneros 2007  regularly $19.99 a bottle, now $13.00 (for a half case)
Mixed Case Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 12 bottles, regular price $600 (case) now $300

* Furniture Deals exist, according to Ray Allegreza, editor of Furniture Today, because as the economy slowed “to a crawl” many suppliers either found themselves sitting on excess inventory or went out of business.  Retailers who were well-heeled and had good credit were able to make opportunistic buys and pass the savings onto the consumer.  Prices will go up after the recession ends.

Specific Examples:
JC Penney is having 30% to 60% off on furniture.  Recliners that were $799 to $999 are now $449 to $549.
Furnitureland South in Jamestown NC is an outlet store larger than most freestanding furniture stores.  Serta and Spring Air Mattress and Box Spring Sets had been priced from $999 to $1599 are now $649 to $999
And a bedroom suite from Royal Patina (now out of business) sold nationally for $7999.  Now at Furnitureland South for $2999.

* Travel. There are some really good cruise deals.   The cruise lines like to sail full – they have to sail anyway – because once they get people onboard they’re likely to spend more money on alcohol, excursions, spa and salon services, etc.

Specific Examples according to World Travel Holdings and Cruises Only :
Disney Cruises are down 30%
Royal Caribbean prices are down 20%

Should you try to haggle on all of the above?  There seems to be a bit of haggle backlash happening (sales associates not willing to deal and getting annoyed in some cases.)  But according to America’s Research Group, 72.2 percent of the consumers it surveyed said they recently haggled for lower prices, and of that group, 80 percent reported being successful. Two years ago, 61 percent said they tried to negotiate, and only 50 percent of them succeeded.