Make and save money in 35 minutes or less!

Interested in saving money but don’t have much time to spare? “Money” magazine, in honor of its 25^th anniversary, shares 47 easy and clever things you can do right now that will result in significant savings for you and your family. Here are 15 tips to get you on track to a rich life:

Raise your credit score
Time it takes: 8 minutes
It takes time to recover from major credit lapses, but you can do two things fast that will improve your credit score. Both will lower the size of your outstanding debt as a percentage of your total borrowing power: 1. Pay down a balance. 2. Call your issuer and ask for a higher credit limit. And don't spend it.

Write bounce-proof checks
Time it takes: 9 minutes The median fee for bouncing a check recently hit $27.50, according to Bankrate.com. Call your bank or visit its Web site to sign up for overdraft protection. With that service, the bank will cover your check with money from a linked savings account. It may cost you $10, but that's less than half the charge for insufficient funds — not to mention what the payee demands.

Haggle down your credit rate
Time it takes: 8 minutes
Dial your issuer and ask for a lower rate. If your credit score tops 720, do not be satisfied until your rate is less than 10%, says Curtis Arnold of CardRatings.com. Your biggest weapon: Make it clear that you'll stop using the card if the issuer refuses. Our reporter, helped by the fact that she's been a good customer for seven years, got the rate on her Discover card cut by four percentage points.

Upgrade to a better card
Time it takes: 30 minutes
Rewards, rates and fees change often. So search CardTrak.com to make sure you have the best deal. Among the lowest-rate cards on the site recently: Simmons First National Bank in Arkansas (800-636-5151) offers a fixed rate as low as 7.25% with no annual fee to consumers who have excellent credit.

Pay less in auto insurance
Time it takes: 7 minutes
Simply raising your deductible can save you up to 30%. With an old car, drop your collision and comprehensive coverage when the car is worth less than 10 times what you pay for the insurance. Or shop for a lower premium at insweb.com, an easy-to-navigate comparison site. You'll be guided through five screens of information such as driving history, car make and model. A few minutes later the site will give you the lowest quote from its database (which doesn't include all the biggest insurers). Agents will also e-mail or call you with quotes from other insurers.

Escape late fees
Time it takes: 6 minutes
Why mess with checks and trips to the post office? Why risk a late payment when, according to Consumer Action, 85% of credit-card issuers impose penalty rates that average 24.5% if you're late on one or two bills? Pay bills online at your bank. First register at the site. Then gather your bills. Many bank sites have a pull-down menu of merchants; select yours and enter your account number. Or plug in the name, address and account number manually.

Get bank alerts
Time it takes: 4 minutes
Avoid bounced checks and spot ID theft early by having your bank notify you when your balance falls below a certain level or when there's unusual activity in your account. Citibank, for example, offers alerts via e-mail or text message. To activate them, log into your online account and select Account Info and then E-mail and Wireless Alerts. You can add up to two e-mail addresses and a mobile-phone number for alerts. Use the menu of options to designate what updates you want.

Get a tax break for day care
Time it takes: 35 minutes
Make this the fall that you finally sign up for a flexible spending account for healthcare and dependent-care expenses. Your boss takes pretax dollars from your paycheck; you tap the account for contact lenses, day care and the like.

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