I am running into repeated problems with readers outside my area confusing a LOCAL public service announcement for something that’s relevant / of interest to a broader audience.

And I’m getting a little annoyed about this.

I am listed, or have been linked to, on a lot of national sites as a personal finance and frugal living blogger, which means I have readers checking in from all over the place. This situation is definitely fun to watch, and I enjoy networking with the personal finance community. But, Monroe on a Budget was launched as, and continues to be, a local blog for the Monroe, Mich., area.

So here is heads up to you national readers: when I post in italics on the start of the post “This notice is for my readers in xxx,” the information is not intended for a broader audience. It’s intended for my LOCAL readers who are in the community or region specified!

Many of the public service announcements I post are for very specific geographic areas. This includes scholarships for students at Monroe High School and the community education classes at Monroe County Community College. Even the Michigan Bridge Card posts are only for those who live in Michigan rather than my Ohio readers who live just 15 miles away.

But there were people (one from New Zealand!) tweeting my post yesterday about a tax service discount in Lambertville, Mich. Why would anyone be interested in that post unless you live in Lambertville, Temperance or Toledo? I’ve got lots of tax tips in my archives that are far more appropriate for a wider audience. Link to those, if you want!

And in December, a national financial site that was repeatedly linking to my posts regardless of the topic linked to a Santa Claus letter program that was available to children who live in the two zip codes for the city of Monroe, Mich. Ridiculous! I went to that blog and called him out on his comment board for that silliness. He stopped linking to me. Good. If that site host can’t tell the difference between an article for my local readers and one that is more of general interest, I don’t want his links.

Here is the problem: readers who don’t live in southeast Michigan have been known to post a comment or email me in attempts to follow up on articles about assistance programs, discounts and services. One woman told me “That phone number doesn’t work.” It turns out that she lived in another state. Of course, the phone wouldn’t work for her. She wasn’t eligible for that program anyway.

That’s why I started putting full addresses and complete phone numbers on my public service announcements. I learned that didn’t take care of all the questions.

So a few months ago, I started the tagging policy where if a post is intended for a local audience, I say “This post is for my readers in …”

My blog content is broadcast to the Monroe, Mich., audience as much as possible through RSS feeds on multiple local web sites (the newest: Saving Sense coupon site). My own newspaper’s web site provides most of the link referrals, because a button to this blog is on the rotation for links we post there.

Monroe on a Budget is also read by other bloggers and news media in the Monroe, Toledo and Detroit areas. They often pick up on information that’s useful to their audience – in fact, the regional journalists and bloggers have been known to email tips and leads to each other as appropriate.

But in order for that Internet magic to happen, this is an open site. I don’t require people to subscribe to read the posts. Compare it to a local newspaper site: The Monroe Evening News has had a web site since 1996 that anyone can read from anywhere on the web – but my co-workers and I know that a good percentage of that content has limited interest to anyone outside our community.

Bottom line: I’m not changing my local spin. That is the core personality of Monroe on a Budget.

Therefore, those of you who are my national readers need to use some common sense when following up on or linking to my posts. There are plenty of tips and information here that you will find relevant and interesting; but you need to leave the local public service announcements for my local readers.

Jeff Schnepper at MSN Money is listing 10 tax goofs you don’t want to make.

If you went treasure-hunting in your pantry or freezer, what goodies would you find that have been almost forgotten?

I had some walnuts and cranberries that were left over from the holiday recipes. They’re in the bread machine right now, making cranberry walnut bread. The bread recipe also gives me an excuse to use up two eggs, since my husband and I normally don’t get through an entire dozen eggs before they are um, “dead.”

My Super Bowl Sunday food contributions were Angel Food Ministries holiday sausage and cheese logs, along with crackers I got on sale during the holiday season. This was originally part of our Christmas food stash, but we had only opened up some of the sausage and cheese. My parents, grandpa and other relatives happily ate up those meat and cheese logs while waiting for the chicken wings and make-your-own pizza course to begin.

I also took over to the family gathering on Sunday a chocolate chip cake. I used a cake mix that would expire next month if we didn’t use it before then, and added half a bag of chocolate chips left over from another recipe.

My husband has been munching tonight on chocolate chip cookies that were from a cookie mix pouch. The daughter had the pouch in her college food stash, but she realized the mix would expire before she’d get to it and told us to eat them up.

Tonight’s dinner was cheese and onion bread that I baked this weekend, finishing off a partial bag of shredded cheese that was in the freezer. This bread was served with a can of chicken rice soup I got on sale a few weeks ago.

As it turns out, I needed a quick and simple dinner tonight because I wasn’t certain what time my husband would get home from after-work errands. A soup and bread menu was perfect.

Don’t let food go bad in your pantry or freezer because you were saving it for a special occasion. Treasures in your kitchen are worthy of everyday occasions too.

Hi-Lite Supermarket and Danny’s Fine Foods in Monroe, Mich., schedule their grocery ads for Mondays.

• Hi-Lite has Spartan 5-pound bag of flour for 99 cents, limit two with additional $10 purchase. Spartan chicken noodle or tomato soup 39 cents a can. Spartan cereal four for $5. Milk is $2.19 a gallon.
• Danny’s has boneless pork sirloins for $1.99 a pound. Frozen yellow lake perch $8.99 a pound. Milk is $2.49 a gallon. Boneless beef briskets $3.99 a pound.

Click back a few posts to see the other grocery sales of the week.

I’ve pointed out from time to time that participation in one assistance program often helps you find assistance in another household budget category.

Many of the non-profit, charity and government programs use the same income guidelines when determining who is eligible. Even for privately funded programs, the correlation is often made if you made the review for this or that service, it’s pretty clear what your income level is.

The Michigan Bridge Card, which is the food stamp program in Michigan, is a very common example of one assistance program having big ripple effects.

Michigan Gas Utilities, which is the natural gas company for my home, sent a flier with its bills today called “Yes, there is help for your energy bills.”

And here are the details:

You qualify for the (Winter Protection Plan) plan if you meet one of the following requirements:

• Are age 65 or older.
• Receive Department of Human Services cash assistance.
• Receive Food Stamps.
• Receive Medicaid.
• Have a household income at or below 150% of poverty level.

If you want to contact MGU about your payment options, call 24 hours a day at (800) 401-6402. Lots of info is also on the utility’s web site.

The Practical Money Skills newsletter has this article today: Don’t count on an inheritance.

Earlier this decade, headlines blared that trillions of dollars soon would begin changing hands in the largest wealth transfer in history, as depression-era parents began passing along their nest eggs to Baby Boomer offspring. Fast forward a few years and all bets are off.

If you are among those expecting to build your retirement security on the foundation of a robust inheritance, you may want to rethink that strategy. Here are a few reasons why many seniors are revising their estate distribution plans: …

The National Weather Service in Detroit has issued a winter storm watch for Monroe County, Mich., with snow expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.

That means today is a good time to look through the Frugal winter preparations post I did a few weeks ago.

I bumped up a grocery shopping errand to today that otherwise would have waited a day or two; and my husband is prepared for the possibility he’ll have to reschedule an out-of-town appointment he had Tuesday afternoon.

I’m also going to refill the bucket I have on our front porch for rock salt (the main supply is kept in the garage).

This post is for my readers in and near Monroe, Mich.

The Monroe Thrift Shop, 119 S. Monroe St., Monroe, Mich., announces its sales for February will feature women’s blazers, suits and jackets. There will also be a buy one, get one free offer on women’s slacks and long-sleeved blouses.

The shop hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, except for Tuesdays when the shop closes at 1 p.m. The Monroe Thrift Shop Association is a volunteer group. All proceeds from the shop go back to the community through charitable donations.

Yes, I make such a post every year. But it is very appropriate to my local readers in southeast Michigan and I find new ideas every year …

It is a long-standing custom in the Roman Catholic church, and in several other Christian denominations, to eat meatless meals on Ash Wednesday and on the Fridays during Lent, which is a season of prayer and penitence just before Easter.

The fasting rules during Lent used to be very strict, which is where we find the origins of popular food customs in southeast Michigan such as muskrat dinners, paczki day and Easter food blessings. The fasting rules aren’t as strict now, but are still widely observed in southeast Michigan. (Go to AmericanCatholic.org to find the modern-day Catholic food rules for Lent.)

So let’s talk about how to do Lent food on a budget. Ash Wednesday is Feb. 17 this year. Those who follow the Lenten food observance will want to plan their menu options before they go grocery shopping during the next two weeks.

Now, as a Catholic who follows this custom, I know darn well that it gets tiresome to eat fish at every designated meatless meal.

Besides, a lot of local families are on a tight budgets and fish really is not any cheaper than many meat selections. Go ahead and serve fish from time to time during the season if that’s your preference. If you’d like to eat out, the church and civic club fish fries in the Monroe, Mich., area typically post discounted prices for senior citizens or kids.

But you want to give some serious consideration to the meatless alternatives for as many meals as possible. What are some family-friendly, frugal, non-fish entrée options that you can serve at home?

• Eggs and their many variations (fried, scrambled, egg salad, veggie omelet, egg casserole).
• Pancakes or waffles with a side of fruit.
• Macaroni and cheese.
• Bean burritos.
• Cheese quesadillas or enchiladas.
• Tomato soup.
• Vegetable soup.
• Split pea soup.
• Potato soup.
• Cheese pizza or veggie-lovers pizza.
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
• Stir-fry veggies over rice.
• Garden salad topped with almonds or walnuts.
• Meatless spaghetti served with cheesy bread.
• Grilled cheese sandwich.
• Tuna salad sandwich.
• Egg salad sandwich.
• Red beans and rice with corn bread.
• Cheesy rice casserole.
• Potato bar (leave the bacon bits off the menu).
• Fondue bar.
• Cheesy bread with marinara sauce.
• Frozen meat substitute or vegetarian items such as black bean burgers (just keep in mind these items can be pricey.)

Now if you want to get really creative with your Lenten meals, go check out the international recipes at Operation Rice Bowl.

Madonna University in Livonia has launched a web site that is intended for job-seekers in southeast Michigan, whether or not they are students at Madonna.

It’s at www.JobCHEER.org.