Money. Purpose. Joy.

Insurance won't win any excitement prizes, but it's a topic that a lot of us need to know more about. In a recent national survey from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the average respondent correctly answered just four of ten questions. Most people did not know that auto insurance does not automatically cover a rental car, and 40 percent said they had no idea how much life insurance is appropriate for their family.

Matt's View

Two good sources of insurance information are the NAIC's Insure U and Life Happens , a site put together by the non-profit Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education. The Life Happens site contains a helpful life insurance needs calculator .

If you ever rent vehicles, check the terms of the insurance policy on the vehicle you own and also the terms of your credit cards. In my family's case, our agent told me that the same coverage that applies to the vehicle we own applies to a vehicle we rent. I then checked with our two credit card companies. Both offer free "secondary" insurance, assuming you use their card to pay for the rental. That means they cover anything not covered by the insurance policy on the vehicle we own, such as the deductible. Neither credit card company covers pick-up trucks, full-sized SUVs, or full-sized vans. One company provides coverage for up to 15 days; the other covers rentals lasting up to 30 days.

College isn't getting any less expensive, which is why the hunt for scholarship dollars is so important. FiLife recently highlighted their five favorite places to go scholarship shopping: CollegeBoard , FastWeb , Peterson's , Scholarships.com , and the Department of Education .

Matt's View

One other source of scholarship money to consider is Christian Community Credit Union, a sponsor of this eNewsletter. They are offering $40,000 of scholarship money. To learn more and to apply, go here .

It's spring-cleaning time, and with television stations switching to digital signals many people are getting rid of old analog TV sets. However, a Chicago Tribune article noted that it's not so easy. Many thrift stores are no longer accepting analog sets or other older electronics, so there's concern that a lot of electronic gear will end up in landfills, creating "electronics graveyards." With earth day coming up, a better alternative is to look for a nearby recycling event that'll take your old electronics. You may be able to find an event at Earth911.com , the Earth Day Network (click on "EDN Programs & Events"), or check the web site of your town or county.

Matt's View

The Environmental Protection Agency also has a comprehensive list of web sites with information about recycling electronics. If your TV set is still in working order, you might also consider keeping it and getting a digital signal converter box . Or give it to someone else via Freecycle or craigslist .

In the last issue of this eNewsletter, I summarized a story highlighting several new words and phrases that have come into popular use during the recession. I then asked you to submit your favorite recession-related words that have a positive connotation. Among the suggestions:

Pam wrote in with recessionables, which pertains to clothing found on shopping trips to the attic and also to toys that are put back to use after a temporary time out in storage. "When we put toys away in the attic for a month or two and then rotate them it's like new toys all over again. This works better on little kids but my older ones still get excited when we get a toy out of the attic that they haven't seen in a while."

Denise described frugal moments: "Everytime I am tempted to reach for my purse to go buy something that is not in the budget, I reach out to a person by sending a note, card, or email to one of the many hurting people on one of the three church prayer lists I receive each week. By replacing my need to go buy something with the need of someone else to hear a comforting or loving message, I spend time rather than money and allow myself to be a window to God for others."

Lynne wrote in with re-purpose, which is about learning to use things in different ways. This applies to time ("Learn something new by reading, go through your closets for saleable or charitable items, or work on home projects that save energy or increase value of your home."), your yard ("Plant some vegetables in with your flowers. You don't need a 'real' garden to grow some of your own food."), decorating ("Move things around in your house and use items differently for a fresh look rather than buying new."), and even yourself ("Maybe it's the time to do what God has put into your heart to do and really get after it. Life is short and we need to have purpose, maybe a RE-PURPOSE!").

Matt's View

Thanks to all who wrote. The judges are still tallying the votes, but one lucky winner will receive a copy of "Money, Purpose, Joy."