Downers Grove, IL|News|
5 Ways to Start Saving Money in the New Year
If your New Year’s resolution is to get your finances in order, these guidelines will help you get started.

Amanda came to Patch in June 2010 after graduating from Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She launched Lemont Patch in 2010, and covered the community for two years before moving to Downers Grove in August 2012.
Prior to Patch, Amanda wrote for her college newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, covering city council and education. In 2009, Amanda spent three months interning at the Orange County Register in California. Despite the large market, it was here that she learned the ins and outs of community reporting. After returning to Illinois in June 2009, Amanda immediately started working as an editorial intern in the DuPage County office of the Daily Herald. During her senior year at Northwestern, she spent six months investigating a possible wrongful conviction case with the Medill Innocence Project.
If your New Year’s resolution is to get your finances in order, these guidelines will help you get started.

Downers Grove police reports, Dec. 12-14.
The school district is currently working with an architect to research and design a possible addition to the space-challenged elementary school.
A neighbor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ recently donated an entire nativity scene to the church after five figures were stolen from the previous set.
Police and District 99 officials notified parents Tuesday of rumored incident related to the Dec. 21 doomsday theories.
Community events, parks, highly-educated residents and a bustling downtown landed Downers Grove among the 15 friendliest places to live, according to Forbes.
Downers Grove police reports, Dec. 8-13.
A winter storm warning is in effect for DuPage County from 3 p.m. Thursday to 3 a.m. Friday. Wind gusts up to 60 mph are expected, along with 2 to 6 inches of snow.
Grayson Hodgkiss, 16, will compete next year in the Miss Teen USA pageant after winning the state title Dec. 2 in Chicago.
High winds and snow will develop late Thursday afternoon and carry into the evening hours, according to the National Weather Service.
The U.S. Senate voted Monday to approve the nomination of former federal prosecutor Thomas M. Durkin to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois.
What's the latest you can send a package this year to ensure pre-Christmas delivery? We run down the options around Downers Grove.
A Glen Ellyn reader contacts Congressman Peter Roskam's office to inquire about his stance on gun rights after the Newtown shooting and the future of NRA campaign donations and receives an inadequate response.
Provisions of an Illinois law expands on parents' responsibilities to prevent underage drinking on their property.
Grade School District 58 implemented extra security measures Monday following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.
Downers Grove Patch welcomes letters to the editor. Letters may be submitted to Local Editor Amanda Luevano at amanda@patch.com.
A storm system could dump 6 to 12 inches of snow on the Midwest this Thursday.
District 99 incumbents Deb Boyle and Bill White filed paperwork Monday morning, as did District 58 incumbents John B. Cooper Jr., Sallie Ann Lupescu and Roberta Diehl.
More than five years in the making, Tollway's $3.4 billion project can now begin.
Downers Grove police reports, Dec. 7-10.