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The Budget Stretcher
"Saving you money...One Dime at a Time!"
Week Of: February 25, 2008
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earn some extra money or maybe even a new career? Try Budget
Stretcher Premium Free for 7 days.
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Grandpa Terry's Tip
The Most Costly Expense of All
Your house payment, car payment and grocery bill can cost you a
bundle each month.
Those bills aren't even your most costly expense.
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***What's Inside***
Grandpa Terry's Tip
Subscriber's Tip of the Week 1
Coupon Savings
Grandpa Terry's Update
Credit Card Information
Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Site of the Week
Grandpa Terry's Email
Subscriber's Tip of the Week 2
Subscriber's Tip of the Week 3
This Week's Articles
Special Recipe -
Watch for next week's newsletter featuring:
Which type of loan suits you best?
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Subscriber Tip #1
I do all of my errands when I get off of work and work them in
a big circle to save as much gas as possible. Also, I only buy
gasoline on Tuesdays at Costco gas station, I save .10-.20 a
gallon for going to Costco and the prices are the lowest they
are all week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hope this helps someone.
Amanda/022508
Subscriber Tip Of The Week
Vote For Amanda's Tip and Get A Free Gift!
Use the form at the link below to vote for this tip:
All you have to do is submit a "Subscriber Tip" and if it
appears in The Budget Stretcher you will get your choice of
either The Complete Budget and Bill Organizer Download, 10 of
my Budget and Credit Card Calculating Forms or my Bill Pay
Management System to keep track of your bills and checking
account.
Please use the form available at to submit your tips:
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Coupon Savings
by Michelle Jones
Last week we talked about not wasting time getting upset
over missing the lowest price on grocery items (or for
that matter, missing the lowest price on anything), but
I'd also like to mention that it's just about always okay
to go back to the store and return or exchange the item
for the lower price if you feel it's necessary. And
trust me, I do this often! This would also be a great
time to use a forgotten coupon making the lowest price
even lower! :o)
If you would like to learn how to save more money with coupons,
including how to use them WISELY, how NOT to use them, and how
to FINALLY get them organized so you CAN use them, order your
copy today!
032006
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Grandpa Terry's Update
Welcome to The Budget Stretcher!
You may want to bookmart my home page below. I've just added
The Dollar Stretcher's Tip feed. I talked to Gary Foreman last
week and he allowed me to list his tips on my home page and he
will be automatically updating them on Thursday each week.
There are some really neat tips. You can see them at:
I've added a couple of new features to Budget Stretcher Premium.
First, I have put together a special page giving over 1500
different ideas for starting a small business from your home.
I also have a YouTube feed that gives money saving videos. It
just keeps building and building. You should check it out free
for 7 days:
Speaking of starting a home business. It's not really as hard
as you think. I would recommend it for anyone. Just decide
what you like to do over and over again and try to turn that
into cash. In most cases there are not too many restrictions
on starting a small business and the odds are you won't even
need a license. It's worth considering.
We had another round of ice last week. Not quite as much but
it was still a hassle. Southeast Missouri usually don't get
this much winter weather. But, spring is on it's way...
I know that many of you pay a good price for your anti-virus
protection. I have a free download for one of the top anti-virus
programs available. Here is the link:
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5.516
That's all for now. Remember, I really enjoy hearing from you
folks. If you have any comments, complaints, suggestions or just
want to say Hi, please send me an email to
If you know someone that may be interested in subscribing to our
newsletter have them visit:
Have a great week,
Grandpa Terry
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Support Our Sponsor
Aisle-By-Aisle Grocery List Software
Makes Shopping More Fun!
The idea that there is actually software that can help me and
my family with our weekly shopping expeditions. A program like
this would make our shopping experiences much quicker and easier
too.
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Credit Card Information
Question: If you want to dispute a charge on your credit card,
should you telephone the card issuer or write?
Answer: Always put your dispute in writing. It's the only way
to protect your rights under the federal Fair Credit Billing
Act. Do so promptly, and I recommend you send the letter
certified mail, return receipt requested.
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Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Your Bills and Receipts
We all have been saving our copies of bills that we have paid
for quite a while now. I imagine some of your files are getting
pretty thick.
The new year is the best time to get those files in order. It
is always best to keep your files for a year in your main
folders starting in January and running through December.
At the end of the year, you can purge those files and start new
ones. Here are a few tips that may make this a little easier:
Note: This is only for your monthly bills and does not include
things like contracts, wills, deeds, tax files, etc. These
should be kept separate from your regular files.
1. Go through your files and throw away any unnecessary paper
work. Keep only the bill that shows that it was paid. It's best
if you can do this before you file the bill.
2. If you have a lot of files, you may want to simply take the
old folders out and make new folders for next year's files. Put
these in a storage bin or large folder and label it with the
year that they cover.
3. If you don't have too many files you may want to take these
out of their folder and combine them into a larger folder. This
way you can use the same folders for next year's files.
An organized filing system is essential. You never know when
one of your bills will be questioned. If you have your filing
system set up properly, you should be able to lay your hands on
any paid bill within a few seconds.
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Site of the Week
The Dollar Stretcher
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Grandpa Terry's Email
Can anyone help Nancy in NC? If so contact here directly at
sall514@bellsouth.net
Dear Terry,
I'm hoping you or other readers can give me some direction. My
daughter and her family are in major medical debt...over $300,
000 after insurance pays. Please excuse me if I ramble.
My daughter has multiple herniated discs with ongoing
treatments and a failed back surgery. My sweet granddaughter is
10 years old, has Autism and had surgery for severe scoliosis
that was crushing her lung. The pre-surgical MRI for my
granddaughter also discovered several growths in her abdomen.
She was referred to an oncologist and fortunately, there are not
cancerous, but need continued observation and may need surgery
if they get larger.
I just got off the phone with my daughter who was in tears with
all the medical problems with her family and what they face in
the future. Every doctor's visit and testing is $50.00 after the
$500 deductible. They are to the point that they can't even
scrape up co-pays anymore when they need them. Both my daughter
and granddaughter, unfortunately, need visits frequently. This
week they are picking up a back brace for my granddaughter from
the orthopedic surgeon and need to have $700.00 in hand (this is
their balance after insurance pays). I'm afraid my son-in-law is
going to have a breakdown with all of this stress. He's such a
good man, husband and father.
The extended family has helped with the bills from time to
time, but even we can't handle the expense.
They rent an apartment and own their cars outright. They live
in NJ. My daughter has been waiting to get Social Security
Disability for almost 2 years and is working with a lawyer. She
tried to get SSI for my granddaughter but they've been told they
make "too much money". They make $45, 000 a year. They are so
frugal.
Like many people, they are the working poor, middle class. Can
anyone lend some advice? If so, please contact me directly at
sall514@bellsouth.net.
Terry, I've included my email address so I may get some
feedback sooner than another week from now. I hope it's ok.
Thank you so much for this forum.
Linda in NC
My Response:
Hi Linda,
I've spent about the last hour searching the web to find a
solution that would help your daughter and her family. With the
recurring nature of their medical problems even bankruptcy
wouldn't help because the bills would still pile up on the other
side.
There is one thing I could recommend. A few years ago my
daughter spent 12 days in intensive care in a St Louis hospital.
The bill came to $43,000 and her husband had no insurance where
he worked. When she checked out of the hospital I told the
billing department that there was no way they would be able to
pay the bill.
I was given a form for them to fill out and attach several
documents including their last two years tax returns. A few
weeks later she received a letter stating that the entire bill
had been paid by a charitable organization.
I'm not sure that this would fit your daughter's family
situation but it may help.
I will put your email in next week's newsletter including your
email address and a note from me encouraging the subscribers to
contact you if they have any information that may help.
I wish I could help more,
Terry
----------
Another subscriber could use your help. For this one reply to
me at tre2000@midwest.net
Any suggestion on where to find poor credit loans I need about
15k 5 of which will pay off back county taxes to stop
foreclosure and the rest to pay off credit cards so I can get my
credit back in shape. Have tried all the big guys and have
gotten nowhere. Is there any suggestions you have?
Sue
--------
Hi Grandpa Terry!
I have a question that has been bugging me for a while. I would
like very much to put all my regular bills on automatic payment
with my credit union, as I have done with a couple of them. My
mortgage is auto-paid in two payments, half coming out of each
paycheck. I schedule the rest as they come in, to be paid the
day after the next payday. The problem is that I am paid every
two weeks, so my paycheck doesn't always direct-deposit into my
account on the same date, and I'm afraid some of the bills will
auto-debit before the money is there to pay them. The bills also
recur on different dates, allowing for weekends and holidays.
They won't bounce since I am covered with overdraft protection
up to $1000, but that protection costs me 15%, which would be
applied until the next payday when the cash is there to cover
the bills. Obviously I don't keep a lot of extra money in my
checking, because there isn't any. What would you suggest I do?
Thanks for the newsletter and I have learned a lot from you!
Jessie in SD
My Response:
Hi Jessie,
In your case I wouldn't recommend setting up automatic
withdrawals. Save the web pages for your bills that need to be
paid in a favorites folder. When you are sure the money is there
for a particular bill just go to their site and pay it online
out of your checking account. If your bank has free bill pay it
may be easier to set them up and pay through your bank's web
site.
I hope this helps,
Grandpa Terry
----------
Hi there. Can you pass along my thanks to cooking by numbers?
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing it with us. I am in the
process of decluttering my pantry and using up some of the food
I have squirreled away in my freezer. It’s nice to have some
ideas for using them up in a creative way. Thanks again, I am
really enjoying the budget stretcher.
xxxx granny
----------
WOW,
We must not be all that far apart. We got hit with the same
storm and it has been a VERY Interesting week. I lost power
Monday night and finally got it back to my house Thursday. The
farm house where my MIL lives is still without power and my
husband and his friend are in the process of moving our deep
freezer out of the barn to a new location with power. I did
learn one good thing about this. I CAN live without some of the
conveniences we have come to rely on. I enjoyed being at home in
the evenings with my candles, I could still have hot food with
my gas stove and a little heat from the oven.
I'm glad you didn't have to get out in the mess either.
Tammy
Independent SR Consultant
BeautiControl Spa Company
----------
I love the cleaning "erasers", they are great and very handy. I
have a child and 2 inside dogs and I find a new use for them
every day! But the latest is the greatest. (I always cut them in
half before I use them, and they are reusable.) I found out they
are GREAT for cleaning leather/fake leather! I had a pair of
tennis shoes I thought were doomed to be "dingy" forever, but
they look almost as good as new! The stitching is still "brown",
but the leather is as white as can be!! Just wet and rub! Now I
don't have an excuse to not play tennis!
----------
Hi, Grandpa Terry,
A suggestion to the lady in North Dakota who has the biting
cat.
Fill a very clean spray bottle with water and add a several
drops of hot sauce (such as Tabasco). She should taste it to see
how spicy hot it is. If it bothers her, it will bother the cat.
Every time the cat bites, grab kitty by the scruff of the neck,
loudly yell NO, and give him a spray in or on the mouth or on
the nose. (Be extremely careful not to spray kitty in the eyes.)
This has to be done immediately after he bites so he gets the
message. Can also give him a spray whenever he looks like he's
getting ready to bite to help deter him. Hopefully, kitty will
be a fast learner so that every time he sees the spray bottle,
he'll stop in his tracks! Don't use this for anything else, or
the kitty will get confused
----------
Terry -
In reading your subscriber's tip about venting her dryer into
her house, I'd like to respond with the following excerpt taken
Have a great day!
Kathy
----------
For all of you that have been through the Microsoft VISTA
experience...or are considering it...
Suzy
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Subscriber Tip #2
Here's an easy tip for saving some cash. After I put the kids
to bed, I turn down the thermostat a good 10 degrees. My husband
and I normally cover up when we're watching TV at night so we
barely notice the change. In the morning, a person always feels
cold when they get out of their warm bed, regardless if the
thermostat was turned down or not. What a great feeling to crank
up the heat and enjoy the full force of your furnace as it warms
up the house. I live in Wisconsin and we've had an extremely
cold winter here. With this method, our bills have been the
same, if not sometimes below what we were paying previously.
Last winter was much warmer than this one and fuel costs were
lower! Back then, we kept the thermostat at 66 degrees day in,
day out. Now, we put it down to 60 at night and get to have it
at 69-70 degrees while we're awake and enjoying it. Heat is
good!
Kristin/022508
Subscriber Tip Of The Week
Vote For Kristin's Tip and Get A Free Gift!
Brand New: Use the form at the link below to vote for this tip:
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Support Our Sponsors
Are You Looking for a Down to Earth Fun Business?
This company embraces our unique personalities, interests and
goals by offering a home business for everyone! You choose how
you want to build your business. You can capture an exciting
income through a variety of Retailing options, a dynamic
Fundraising program, and/or Building a Team of others.
The Choice is Yours!
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Budget Stretcher Partners
Thrifty Fun
Smart Money Tips
TheFrugalShopper.com
Debt Smart
Free Credit Card Reviews
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Subscriber Tip #3
Recently I purchased multiple pairs of youth mittens and hats
on clearance from Target. I am saving them for next fall when
local charities request hats/gloves for kids. Looking for
clearance items like this saves you money when donating items
but also allows you to purchase more for what one item would
cost in season.
Bridget/022508
Subscriber Tip Of The Week
Vote For Bridget's Tip and Get A Free Gift!
Brand New: Use the form at the link below to vote for this tip:
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Support Our Sponsors
Free Coupons, rebates and freebies
Coupons, rebates, free things
Rebates, coupons and free items
Freebies, Coupons and Rebates and Refunds
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This Week's Article Links
Just click the links to view the article
Refi: Weighing fees and rates
By Bankrate
Teaching Kids To Earn Their Own Money
By Kris Freeberg
Knee Deep in Debt
Federal Trade Commission
To read more articles visit:
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Take Advantage of your Budget Stretcher Subscriber
Benefits Visit:
Visit Our Forum
Budget Stretcher Subscriber Benefits Page
Join This Groups
A_Simple_Life
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Support Our Sponsors
Online Shopping Secret
There's a secret to Discount Shopping Online that EVERY Online
Retailer knows that YOU DON'T, and it's COSTING YOU MONEY! Now,
this secret is revealed! Learn how-to get MASSIVE discounts on
EVERYTHING you buy, and MAKE EVEN MORE MONEY to boot! You Must
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Special Recipe
Cheesy Rice and Tomatoes
1 cup rice or 3 cups leftover cooked rice
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green pepper
3 cups cooked tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
2 cups cheese, shredded
1 tsp. salt
dash pepper
Cook rice if uncooked. Sauté in a pan with oil, onion, celery,
and green pepper. Add tomatoes, rice, cheese, salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer until cheese is melted.
This recipe compliments of Living On A Dime. Get more of the
recipes you can actually use:
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Everyday Savings
These Tips provided by The Frugal Shopper
Please show your appreciation for these great tips by visiting
this site.
~~Buy and use in season veggies and fruit.
~~Always check the expiration date on dairy products.
~~Avoid anything disposable.
~~Convenience foods are more expensive, you are trading money
for time. Slice, season, mix, and cook it yourself.
~~Always check the day old bread basket, and the reduced
merchandise cart.
~~Always ask for a rain check if an advertised special is out
of stock. While you are waiting for the product to come back in,
look for more coupons for that product.
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Contact Information:
Budget Stretcher
1203 Madison 228
Fredericktown, MO 63645
FAX: 573-783-5982
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Disclaimer: This newsletter is only intended to provide
information on proper money management. Budget Stretcher or
Terry Rigg can not accept responsibility for any injury or
damage that may be caused to yourself, others, or property when
following any advice given.
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