Tired of all the credit card fees? Swamped in debt from your plastic habit? Maybe you can’t even qualify for a credit card. More and more folks are turning to alternatives. Here are some options.

1) Credit union credit cards

Two Harvard doctoral students found that credit cards from credit unions were less likely to charge fees and penalties that big banks do. And when fees are involved, those fees are less. To join a credit union, you typically need to be a member of some kind of organization. Ask your employer or your college alumni organization if there's a credit union you can sign up with. To find a credit union near you, go to creditunion.coop or call (800) 358-5710.

2) Prepaid credit cards

If you’re having trouble qualifying for a credit card, you may consider opting for a prepaid credit card. Basically you deposit money onto this card and use it until the money runs out. There are no bills and no interest charges. But there are some things you should be aware of.

First, there are a lot of fees associated with prepaid cards including activation fees, transaction fees and fees when you put money on your card. In addition, these prepaid cards aren’t covered by the federal statutes that protect credit-card holders from fraud or limit their losses when cards are lost or stolen, says Curtis Arnold of Cardratings.com.

But some companies will offer some fraud protection. These cards may be a good option for younger people who are just getting introduced to the world of revolving credit since it’s a safer option than a secured card.

3) Secured credit cards

Secured credit cards operate just like regular credit cards except they are secured by a deposit held by the issuing bank. In general you have to have $500 to $1000 to get one of these secured cards. And your credit limit generally depends on the amount of your deposit. You will have to make interest payments if you don't pay in full. But if you want to improve your credit, using a secured credit card wisely can help you do that.

Watch Gerri's Top Tips weekdays at 11:20 am Eastern Time.

Like fireworks, grilling seems to be synonomous with the fourth of July. But you need to plan ahead in order to make your sizzling event a success. Georgia State University nutritionist Chris Rosenbloom shares these tips to keep your celebration tasty AND healthy.

1) Soak it in. Marinating meat not only adds flavor, it offers a layer of protection from chemicals found in smoke. These chemicals contain cancer-causing compounds. According to the American Dietetic Association, "heterocyclic amines are a group of compounds formed when building blocks of proteins and creatine found in meat are subjected to high heat. " Marinate the meat in the refrigerator to avoid bacteria growth.

2) Avoid cross-contamination. Once your brush has touched raw meat, do not dip it back into a bottle of barbecue sauce or use it again on cooked meat. Just one dip of a brush tainted with raw meat can contaminate an entire bottle or transfer bacteria to the already-cooked goods. Rosenbloom suggests putting a small amount of sauce in a side dish and only using that while you grill. Also, be sure to use separate plates for raw and cooked meat when heading to the grill and back.

3) Numbers don't lie. Color and taste are not indicators of doneness; rather, temperature is. One in four hamburgers appears brown before it’s done, so use a meat thermometer to be assured that you are cooking to the proper temperature – that way, you won’t undercook or overcook.

For more information on using food thermometers, visit the Food Safety Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

4) Pack it up. The two-hour rule applies, but if the weather is warmer than 90º F, it turns into the one-hour rule, whether food is cooked or uncooked. Get it in the fridge or in an ice-packed cooler within one to two hours.

5) Celebrate the season. The American Dietetic Association recommends grilled fruits and veggies to round out a meal. Try garden-fresh offerings like summer squash, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, pineapple and peaches. Or stack cubes of steak and vegetables on a skewer, kebob-style.

Finally, Rosenbloom stresses that grilled vegetables don't pose a health threat, because it is the protein and fat in the meat that combine with the smoke to create the cancer-causing compounds. Vegetables don't do that.

For more on outdoor dining, check out these tips offered by the American Dietetic Association.

Health Minute airs daily on HLN from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET weekdays

While the cost of accessing the internet keeps rising, stick it to the man, log on to these Web sites and save yourself some of your hard-earned cash. The following, while certainly not the definitive list of money-saving Web sites, are some of the sites I start at before I go shopping.

BillShrink.com
Sure, those puppies on your credit card are cute, but are they maximizing your reward potential? Are you getting the most texting for your buck from your cell phone plan? Finally, a Web site that clears up these questions and finds the best credit card that fits your lifestyle, cell phone plan that matches your texting habit or the cheapest gas prices in your area. Simply, insert your information to the provided questions and the site gives you your best option. Sorry puppies, but times are tight.

Chegg.com
My friends complain about the rising costs of college books and that we should all re-evaluate our majors and publish textbooks when we are older, but this Web site could be an end to that dream. Chegg lets you ‘rent’ your book, and in return, saves you bundles of money. Select how long your school term is and the site adjusts how much it charges you. The books are sent out in a box, so returns are easy. Aside from giving you more green in your wallet, the company is also on the green bandwagon and plants a tree for every book you rent.

FatWallet.com
There is one thing that we can all agree on that should be fat – your wallet; and that’s what this Web site hopes to achieve. It has an easy coupon search that is essential before you hit your favorite stores and the friendly forum members will help you find the best deals. My favorite part is the Cash Back Shopping section, which shares the site's commission with its users.

RetailMeNot.com
No doubt, searching in the deepest, darkest crevasses of the internet gets tiring, especially if it’s for a measly $1 off coupon. This site does the heavy lifting for you. Enter the Web site you are shopping, then coupon codes will pop out that other people are using. Next to the coupon code is a “success” meter that lets you know if it’s working for other shoppers and if it’s worth trying. It is hit or miss sometimes, but a worthy first stop in your shopping expedition.

Woot.com
That is what you’ll be saying when you log on to this site that sells a deeply discounted product once a day. Launched in 2004, the Dallas-based Web site releases a product — which can vary from Roombas to tennis rackets — every morning at 1 a.m. EDT for 24 hours, or until whenever it sells out. Unfortunately, customer service is not a priority here and its deal-with-it attitude might scare some, but don’t let that get to you if it is selling something you want.

Bernard Madoff is getting sentenced today for running a massive scheme and swindling investors out of more than $50 billion. Prevent your money from being "Madoff’ed." Here's how:

1) Do your homework

Look at their records by going to Finra.org. That Web site is managed by the Financial Industry Regulation Agency. The Brokercheck function on this site will give you the qualifications, including licenses, registrations and exams the broker has passed. You’ll also get the brokers employment history for the last 10 years. Look for the disclosure section that will list any trouble your broker was in. And make sure you get references from past and current clients.

2) Beware red flags

Watch out if your planner guarantees big returns on investments. Investing is always risky. And results should never be guaranteed. When purchasing investments, make sure you are writing checks to a third-party custodian, like T. Rowe Price or Fidelity Investments. Don’t write checks to your financial adviser directly, says Doug Flynn of Flynn Zito Capital Management.

And finally, you should never feel pressured to buy a specific product. Be wary of any adviser who dodges your questions or tries to put a positive spin on everything. Make sure they are a fiduciary - this is an ethical standard. A fiduciary is legally bound to watch out for your best interest. If someone does not have this designation, they are not required to put your best interests first, says Wayne Cooper of Wealth Management Exchange.

3) Know the potential conflicts of interest

Find out how your financial adviser gets paid. Some charge by the hour or a flat rate. Others earn money through commissions on products they sell. It’s not unusual for planners to have working relationships with companies that sell insurance policies or mutual funds. Make sure get a written description of any conflicts of interest.

If you’re in the market for financial planner, it's worth your while to check out fee-only advisers so you don't have to worry about anyone selling you a product for their personal gain.

Watch Gerri's Top Tips daily at 11:20 am Eastern Time on CNN.

Summer is finally here! Longer days and school vacation mean sports camps, beach trips, baseball games, swimming lessons and all the other outdoor stuff we wait for all year. While it’s a great time for families to be outside together and soak up some sunshine (don't forget sunscreen!), sports-related injuries are a threat. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that every year, over 3.5 million kids under 15 suffer some type of sports-related injury. Adults are at risk, too.

So here are some tips to keep you and your family safe this summer:

Everyone is different: Children and teenagers do not all develop at the same pace, which explains why the other 12-year-olds at your son's lacrosse camp might look older than he does. That might sound obvious but it is important to remember. Why? Because one child's bones and ligaments may be stronger than another child's of the same age because of differing rates of development. So it’s important to know your own child's strengths and limits to prevent any pulled or strained muscles. If possible, try to pick a summer team or activity where everyone has the same skill level.

Keep it fun: Playing sports and being outside are meant to be fun but when children are pushed beyond their limit, injuries can happen. Competition can be a good thing but no one wants to run around when it hurts to. Parents, you can help your children succeed on and off the playing field by focusing on their development, not on how many games are being won or lost. Encourage your child to take breaks when needed.

Rest and stretch: Everyone can benefit from resting overworked muscles and stretching before and after a rigorous workout. The more tired your body, the more likely you are to get hurt. Doctors call it an "overuse injury" and it is one of the most common sports-related injuries out there. Make sure you give your body a break every few days. If you are going to work out or play sports, be sure to warm up your muscles so they’re not as rigid and prone to injury.

Bottom line: Listen to your body to stay healthy and make the most of your summer!

Be sure to tune in to Dr. Sanjay Gupta every weekend on HOUSE CALL. You'll find the answers to your medical questions Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on CNN.

If you're having trouble making your credit card payments, you may find help in the most unlikely place–your credit card issuer. As more Americans fall behind on their bills, credit card companies are having to write off this debt. To cut their losses, issuers now appear to be more open to settling or negotiating a payment plan for your credit card debt according to Lowcards.com. Here's your best strategy for cutting a deal.

1) Get in touch with your lender

If you've lost a job or your monthly payments are just unmanageable, call your credit card company before you miss the first payment. Your lender may be more willing to work with you. Ask to have your interest rate lowered or try to negotiate a payment schedule. Banks are generally more willing to change the terms of your contract than to forgive your balance.

2) Getting your debt settled

Credit card companies don't have hard and fast rules about who qualifies for debt settlement. In general however, if you're 90 days or more delinquent on your credit card bill and there's no hope of paying off your card, your lender may offer to settle, or forgive a portion of that debt. Make sure you call your lender and ask about this option. But keep your expectations in check. It's unlikely that all–or most– of your credit card debt will be wiped away. And beware that if you do settle some of your debt, it may be reported to the credit bureaus as a settlement. And that could hurt your credit score for years to come. On the other hand, if the settlement is reported as "paid in full" on your report, it may not have a negative impact on your score. Make sure you ask exactly how it will be reported to the credit bureaus. In addition, if the portion of the forgiven debt is over $600, you will have to pay income taxes on that amount.

3) Forget third-party debt settlement companies

Don't buy into ads from companies that promise to cut your debt in half. They usually charge high fees for services you can perform yourself for free. If you aren't able to negotiate at all with your credit card company, seek help from a non-profit accredited credit counseling agency like the National Foundation for Credit Counselors. Counselors can negotiate with credit card companies on your behalf and you may be put on a debt management plan to help you pay down your debt.

Drowning in student loan debt? Starting July 1, there will be a new student loan program designed to help struggling grads make their payments.

1) Get the details

Starting next Wednesday, some college grads will be getting lower loan payments thanks to the government’s new Income Based Repayment Plan. This program calculates your monthly payments based on your income and your family size. So who qualifies? If you're a graduate with a Stafford, Graduate PLUS loan, or you have a consolidation loan made under either the Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan programs Direct Loans or a Federal Family Education Loan programs, you may qualify. But as a general rule of thumb, your debt must be 1.5 times more than your gross income. To calculate your eligibility, go to Finaid.org.
The Parent PLUS loan does not qualify for this program. The eligible loans can be new ones just entering repayment or loans that have been in repayment for years.

2) How it works

If you qualify for the Income Based Repayment program, your monthly payments will be pegged to how much you can afford each month. Typically your loan payments will be less than 10 percent of your monthly gross income. If you make 150 percent or less of the federal poverty line (which is about $16,245 for a single person) you’ll pay nothing until your salary increases.

So, the people who will really benefit from this program are grads saddled with student loan debt who can’t find jobs; grads that have a lot of debt compared to income; and people who are going into public service. That’s because if you’re in this plan, you’re eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program that wipes out your debt if you’ve worked full time in the public sector for 10 years. And Income Based Repayment also will forgive student-loan debt that remains after 25 years of making payments.

BUT...there are downsides to this program. You pay more in interest over the life of your loan. A reduced payment in Income Based Repayment usually extends how long you have to pay your loan back.

3) Contact your lender

Talk to your lender if you think you’re a candidate. The lender may ask for a copy of last year's tax return. More likely they will have you complete IRS Form 4506-T to have the IRS send them a tax transcript of your federal income tax return as filed with the IRS, according to Mark Kantrowitz of Finaid.org. Your lender will look at the taxes you filed last year. So, if you’ve lost a job since then or endured some other financial hardship, make sure you let your lender know.

Catch Gerri's Top Tips daily on CNN at 11:20 am Eastern Time

I woke up the other night with a burning pain in my hip. I didn't think too much about it but when the pain continued to wake me up each night for a week, I decided it was time to see my doctor. One of the things she wanted to check out was bursitis, an inflammation of the bursa. A bursa is a little fluid-filled sac around pressure points (like joints) that secrete a lubricant so that joints move properly. In other words, because of the bursa we get less friction or rubbing between a bone and other moving body parts such as muscles, tendons and even skin. We have about 160 throughout our body. When we overdo it with exercise or accidentally bang an elbow or knee we can develop bursitis. The Mayo Clinic offers some tips to help you deal with this condition should it ever happen to you.

1) Everything in moderation. Whether playing a sport or on the job, if you overuse a joint through repetitive movements you can develop bursitis. Doctors often see patients who have played too much tennis or pitched too many innings of baseball. But workers often complain of pain as well. People who lay carpet all day or kneel for long periods of time in the garden can cause trauma to the joints and end up with bursitis. What can you do? If excessive exercise is the culprit, stop the type of workout that causes you discomfort or try a different sport. If you have to continue your work activity such as kneeling to install carpet or tile, then modify your task by using knee pads or a cushion.

2) What does the doctor say? Your physician or health care provider may recommend basic home remedies as the first line of defense against bursitis. This involves icing the area at least twice a day, elevating the joint if possible and taking anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce the swelling. If you are still in pain after a week or two, it may be time for additional treatment such as a steroid injection.

3) Don't be a weakling. Your doctor may also recommend stretching and strengthening exercises to keep your bursitis from recurring. Strong muscles help protect your joints, but wait until your bursitis pain has subsided before getting started.

Health Minute airs daily on HLN from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET weekdays

This story has caught a lot of people's attention: the Food and Drug Administration wants people to stop using three different Zicam products. They are Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size. The reason is that these over-the-counter homeopathic remedies might come with a pretty significant side effect called anosmia, or the loss of smell, and in some cases, the loss of taste, for long periods of time, sometimes even permanently. The products are all intra-nasal, meaning they are put directly in to a person's nose. Lots of people swear by them but when you are dealing with cold or allergy smptoms, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Here are some tips:

Power of Zinc? Zinc is a popular homeopathic medicine and it is one of the chief components of Zicam. But how it actually affects the common cold is up for debate. While many people believe it weakens the severity of symptoms, solid data does not support that claim. If you are someone who believes zinc helps you deal with having a cold, consider eating a diet rich in foods including oysters, beans, nuts, poultry, crab and lobster, all of which are packed with zinc. If you want to take supplements, stick to proper doses of oral or lozenge forms. Be sure to tell your doctor about all the supplements you are taking in case they interfere with other medications. And if you experience any pain or loss of function, stop immediately.

Prevention is key Prevention is the first step to good health. Since a cold cannot be cured, the best way to manage its symptoms is to avoid having a cold in the first place. Regular sleep, exercise, and a healthy diet will keep your immune system strong. Aim for eating several different-colored foods to make sure your plate is full of a variety of nutrients. Make sure you wash your hands frequently, before you eat and after you leave a public area like a mall or a gym. And finally, quit smoking. Doctors say it all the time because it's true: Quitting smoking really is the best way to improve your health!

Be sure to tune in to Dr. Sanjay Gupta every weekend on HOUSE CALL. You'll find the answers to your medical questions Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on CNN.

So I have to admit that after being with someone for more than three years (or three minutes!) it's hard for most women not to think: "Is he THE ONE?" Even the most sensible, cynical lady dreams of finding forever love. And I have a sneaking suspicion some men just might think the same way.

How do you know if your significant other is right for you? Google search "Is he the one" and you'll come up with more quizzes than the latest edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. A quick survey around my fellow associate producers - four males and one female - provided some interesting insights. One said "she has the right combination of features," which to me sounded more like he was looking for the right smartphone instead of the right mate.

Another male asked, "Well, how do you know if she's number two?" A third said, "I don't know... I've had several 'the ones.'"  The last male in our group, the only one still in a serious relationship, said jokingly, "Your chakras align." Asked to clarify, he admitted that he just knew in his gut with his wife. The lone female spoke up for gooey feelings everywhere: "His hand has to feel right in your hand."

Experts say you should ask yourself a couple of very important questions to determine the answer. Author Susan Swimmer, author of "Is He the One? 101 Questions That Will Lead You To The Truth, Whatever It Is," writes this:

Can you name the parts of you that he finds most beautiful?
If you know right now, without asking, that he loves the small of your back, or the way your belly sort of bulges when you lie on your side, or that your cheeks are the softest part of your face, then he must have told you more than once. And that's a beautiful thing.

She also suggests asking yourself "Do I know how much money he has?" and "Does he wear a seatbelt?" The first one's easy to figure out - you have to have open, honest communication about money in any relationship. But I was confused about the second. Here's what she writes:

Wearing a seatbelt is a tiny gesture that says he cares about himself and his well-being. Like eating vegetables. Or wearing sunscreen. Takes a minute, lasts a lifetime.

Susan Piver, author of "The Hard Questions," asks this in an article on MSN: When you argue, do you worry that things will end? She says that all couple fight, but that only the really tight twosomes duke it out without holding back.

"A lot of duos don't bring up important subjects because they fear it'll damage the relationship. Deep down, they don't trust that their union could withstand real conflict, but testing this assumption is the only way to see what the relationship is really made of."

Another question several experts ask is: Can you reveal your secrets without fear of being judged? "Divulging your most intimate info demonstrates that you can show your true self, and you know it won't affect his attraction to you," explains M. Joann Wright, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Hofstra University in the same MSN article.