Free Arcade games on Xbox 360

If your a gamer and you love free games then you're in luck if you game on the Xbox 360 (which you should). In addition to the plethora of free themes and gamer pictures available there are also free games within the xbox live arcade market. There are currently 4 games that are available free of charge for gold members. The games are as follows: Aegis Wing, Doritos Crash Course, Harms Way, Yaris. All the games are full games with unlock-able achievements up to 200 points. Both crash course and harms way were made by doritos. In the past dorito's made the game Dash of Destruction available for free download on the xbox 360 but since has been delisted so make sure you download these before they are gone. I have really enjoyed every game put out by doritos, especially crash course which is sort of like the TV show wipe out for your xbox 360 avatar. Both games have solo, local, and online multiplayer modes. Aegis Wing is a side-view scrolling shooter, where the player controls a small ship pitted against countless foes. This game also has local and online multiplayer. Lastly, yaris is a racing/shooter game created by Toyota where you must race and survive on 8 different tracks shooting things from flying ipod monsters to toasters. To download the games go to the xbox live arcade marketplace and search for the titles using there alphabet search. It should be noted that if you only have the xbox 360 memory card or a 4gb console these games may take up precious space, but I would say to at least try them out and it you do not enjoy them you can delete them in memory management later.

Gameplay of each game:

A Case Against Rapid Refunds

RALs, are often referred to as “rapid refunds,” and are short-term loans backed by an expected federal income tax refund. These RALs are essentially fast cash personal loans with extremely high interest rates. Instead of waiting a few weeks for one’s tax return to be processed, many use these loans and are charged interest rates that can range from 50 to 500 percent. In the majority of cases, one would be better to wait a few weeks to get their tax return.

According to Francine L. Huff of www.rebuild.org, “Many tax filers should instead consider using free tax preparation services in their local community. Most free services will electronically file tax returns, resulting in taxpayers receiving their refunds faster than if they mailed their returns. The refund can be direct deposited in a bank account in eight to 10 days, whereas receiving a check may add another week. Filing electronically can also increase the accuracy of a return”.

It should also be noted that using rapid refund tax filing services can also open taxpayers up to scams. For example, New York’s Department of Consumer Affairs investigated hundreds of tax preparation services and issued over 1,200 violations at the beginning of the 2009 tax-filing season. Many of the violations were for deceptive advertising for rapid refund services.

While I do not recommend Rapid Refunds, there are circumstances where you need cash and you need it fast. If you are at risk of not feeding your kids then obviously you need that money now, regardless of the expense. It should be noted however, that just because you are in that circumstance once does not mean you must stay there. You should examine what got you into that bad of a situation to begin with so you can plan better going forward and not get into the same situation again. Typically, it is a lack of tax planning, budgeting, financial management, emergency reserves, or a combination of these.

For more on rapid refunds see this Forbes article.

For more financial advice and budgeting tools visit Mint.com

What about you? What are your experiences with these types of services? I'd love some feedback on the subject.

$20 Amazon Gift card for $10 on Living Social

Click here for the deal

LivingSocial- similar to groupon - has a deal on a $20 Amazon gift card for only $10.

Here's how to get this deal:

1. Click here for the deal

2. Enter your email address and click "Send me Free Daily Deals"

3. Click "Sign Up" in upper right corner of page and create an account

4. Now click on “More Deals” on the left hand side and find any city (as this is a nationwide deal)

5. Click on “Buy Now” on the Amazon gift card deal and complete your order

Fine print: Limit 1 per person, no gifting allowed • Amazon.com Gift Card does not expire • Voucher purchase is valid for US-based customers only • LivingSocial Terms and Conditions apply •

Thanks to Gimmie Freebies for the heads up!