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The Budget Stretcher
Week Of: February 26, 2007
AOL Users Please Visit Online
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Grandpa Terry's Quips
Tip #2 - Don't keep your bill collectors guessing. It will
hurt you a lot more than it will them.
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Support Our Sponsor
Mvelopes Personal Free Online Budgeting
Mvelopes Personal is an online budgeting system that makes it
easy to create an effective personal budget and track every
aspect of your spending as it happens. It will help you to
always know exactly how much you have left to spend, instantly
know the impact of every spending decision, effectively manage
credit card spending, and quickly create an easy to use
household budgeting plan.
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***What's Inside***
Money Saving Tip
Subscriber's Tip of the Week
Coupon Savings
Grandpa Terry's Update
Credit Card Information
Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Site of the Week
Grandpa Terry's Email
This Week's Articles
Special Recipe - Easy Chicken Pot Pie
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Subscriber Tip
Grandpa Terry,
There is a lot of interest in working at home, or having your
own home business. The internet offers unlimited possibilities,
but I thought I'd offer your readers some suggestions for
finding the right business.
1. Be sure the company has been in business for awhile. Not
just a year or two. If you're going to invest your time and
efforts (and money) into building it, you want to make sure
they're around for you. Go to www.bbb.com and check out their standing with the Better Business Bureau.
2. Beware of MLMs. You usually have to get in on the ground
floor to make money. Many of those who came in early are making
money not on the product, but on the tools they sell to help you
be successful (books, tapes, etc.). Go to www.mlm.com and look up your company.
3. What does this company sell? Are their products consumable
items that you use in your home everyday, or is their product or
service specialized. People don't need new pots and pans or home
decorations every month.
4. If your goal is to be at home with your kids, don't get into
a business that requires you to go out and promote your product
or service at night. There are plenty of businesses that you can
work online.
5. Beware of promises to get rich quick. It's not going to
happen. Anything worth having is worth working for.
I've been working at home for the past 5 years and love the
freedom it allows. It takes some effort and commitment on your
part, but at least you aren't accountable to anyone but
yourself!
Joyce Pierce
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 or 10 of
my Budget and Credit Card Calculating Forms.
Please use the form available at:
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Coupon Savings
by Michelle Jones
While Michelle is busy taking care of her Mom, please check out
her other web site and get some great help with your budget:
Save hundreds of dollars on your groceries each month, with or
without using coupons! Read more of Michelle's FREE grocery
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Grandpa Terry's Update
(Quote - "Do It Now Before Your Future Becomes Your Past")
I want to personally welcome you to this week's newsletter. If
you are a new subscriber all you have to do is just sit back,
read and enjoy.
I now have a respectable 100 entries to provide a Slogan for the
Budget Stretcher website and newsletter. There is still time to
get your entry in and possibly win $50. The deadline for your
entries is 2/28/07. Please use the form at the below web page
to submit your entry:
Something disturbing happened to my daughter last week that I
thought I should pass on to you.
In her busy schedule she forgot to make her house payment and
was a few days late. She received a call from a man stating
that they needed the payment right away and that she could send
the payment Western Union. That's exactly what she did.
After the payment was sent she called her mortgage company and
told them that it was on it's way. The lady at the mortgage
company told her that she was the only one handling her account
and that she had not called her or authorized anyone else to
make a call. Luckily, she was able to contact Western Union and
stop the payment.
I asked her if the man that called had given her the account
number or any other information about her account but she
couldn't remember.
Yes, she should have questioned the man and made sure that it
was her mortgage company but when you are in a hurry it's easy
to just take things for granted. Obviously the man that called
knew that millions of people are behind on their payments and
is taking advantage of this.
If you receive a call like this please make sure that they are
who they say they are.
Here is a link to an excellent article about improving your
credit score:
10 tips for improving your credit standing
By Andrea Coombes, MarketWatch
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 just have them visit:
All the best,
Grandpa Terry
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Support Our Sponsor
My Budget Planner
Are you frustrated trying to get by on the money you
make?
Would you like to get a good view to where all your
money is going?
Would you like to start saving your money, or save
even more?
Looking for something easier then software like Quicken
or Money?
Would you like to teach your children about finance?
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Credit Card Information
Credit Cards - Can You Do Without Them?
By Terry Rigg
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Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Money Worries?
If you are worrying about your money problems it's time to STOP
IT NOW! Easier said than done, huh.
In my 25 to 30 years working with personal money management
problems I have never seen worry help solve the problem. In fact
it has just the opposite effect.
Worry clouds your judgment. You have certain actions that you
need to take to get your problems solved and you will need a
clear head to make the necessary decisions.
In some cases the worry leads to desperation and is used as an
excuse not to face the problem.
Let me say this in explicit terms "No one dies of starvation or
goes to jail because they can't pay their bills in this
country". I understand that there have been people starve to
death in the US but that was more than likely an extreme
situation. Also, if there is anyone that goes to jail because of
their debts you can bet there was fraud involved.
Even if you don't have any income at all there are places to
turn. Worrying is not going to make things happen.
The best thing you can do to get started solving your money
problems, after you stop worrying about it, is to access your
situation. You have to look at it as if you are an outsider
looking in.
Find out exactly what the problem is. This is easier than you
think. Here are a few of the most common problems that are
causing your worries:
Credit Card Debt
Medical Bills
Impulse Spending
Mortgage Payment or Rent too high
Absence of a Budget
Unorganized Bills and Files
Late Payments & Fees
Overdraft Fees
Not Prioritizing Spending
If you have your spending set up by category it won't take long
to see where the problem is. Here is an example:
Recommended Percentage of your take-home pay for Housing, Other
Bills and Household Expenses should be around 30% each with the
remaining 10% going toward your long and short term savings. To
find out more about these percentages and how to setup an easy
to use budget visit:
If one category exceeds the 30% by very much that is part of
the problem. This is the area where you need to concentrate your
efforts.
You can approach this in two different ways. The first method
is to cut your spending in the category that you have determined
to be the problem. The second is to cut spending or expenses in
other categories to make up the difference.
I recommend that you be careful about cutting your Household
Expenses too much. While you can cut your grocery bill and some
other areas, you will need a certain amount of money to run your
household.
No matter what your current money situation you can find help
on the internet free. Be careful not to fall into the many scams
that are currently all over the web.
As with any other type of problem you are not going to solve
your money problems by worrying about them. It takes action. The
sooner you get started the better.
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Site of the Week
Frugal Village
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Grandpa Terry's Email
I have a question about the "Support Our Sponsor" ads.
I read these in several newsletters. (Including "The Computer
Lady") and there have been a couple that I have been intrigued
by. I click on the ads and read the website which have the same
long and drawn out format where I scroll all the way down
through the raves and reviews of the product to the bottom to
find the price of what they are offering.
I realize that you all offer these ads to help support your
newsletters. I love the newsletters! :o) My question is how
legit are these products. (and I don't mean that in a sarcastic
way) Do the writers of the newsletters try out these products? I
mean, I would love to be able to save even more money on my
groceries and find my way out of debt much faster than what we
are doing. My skepticism is in the way that one person created
the product and now they want to share with the world…for a
nominal fee.
I wondered if there was a way to test the products in exchange
for reviews. I see the reviews in these ads but what about
reviews from the skeptical. Trusted consumers and people truly
using the products and sharing their opinions on how well the
products work.
I look forward to hearing what you think.
Have a blessed day!
~TerriLynn
My Response:
Hi TerriLynn,
An excellent question and one I would really like to include in
next week's newsletter.
I personally check out each sponsor to my newsletter and web
site but I can only do this to a certain degree. Some of the
offers are for things that I would have to get very involved in
or really have no need for. When I can download a product I do
and if it passes the test I will list the ad.
To be quite frank, hype works. All of the successful internet
marketers use hype to advertise and make millions of dollars in
the process. I know it gets old when you have everybody saying
that they are the best on the planet at whatever it is that they
are promoting.
Yes, I've tried this approach at selling my products but it
always comes out sounding phony. So, when you see an ad from me
that is hyped, it's because I've used it, like it a lot, and
haven't see a better program anywhere.
In the 8 years I've been on the internet I've probably been
ripped off more than most. Now I can read between the lines and
understand that the hype is just a selling tool.
One other factor that makes products good or bad is the
customer's perception. I've advertised programs that are
excellent for one person and totally useless for another.
My recommendation would be to read all you can about a program
and if you like it and it's something you need buy it. You also
need to find out if they offer a money back guarantee. If there
is too much hype then it probably isn't a program that you
should spend your money on.
I hope this helps,
Terry
--------
Dear Terry,
2 comments: Whenever my mom tried to ask my dad about this sort
of thing, he was offended, and suggested she didn't trust him,
or was trying to get rid of him, or something along that line.
He ended up being diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma, and died in
13 weeks. During that time, he underwent treatment and hoped to
recover, but didn't. Fortunately, about a week or so before he
died, he was well and lucid enough to tell my brother where some
of the financial info was stored in his computer, but it took my
brother MONTHS of work to gather and organize everything. PLEASE
do all you can to encourage husbands, dads, brothers, etc., to
share the info with someone while they can!!!
#2--You might consider keeping the info (or a copy of it)
somewhere other than a safe deposit box, because they are often
SEALED upon the owner's death, which means no one can get in
until probate issues are resolved. This may be different in
different states, and I don't know if 2 spouses are listed as
owners, and 1 dies, if the other still has access, but it would
be good to find out ahead of time! Probably worth the expense of
a fireproof box stored in home of trusted son, daughter, friend,
pastor, etc., in addition to safe deposit box, or at least
checking into the regulations!!
Just a couple of thoughts...
Pat. in Dayton, OH
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Subscriber Tip
Save your computer ! Keep it cleaner. Take an unused dryer
sheet and a wee piece of tape. Apply to air vent in front of
computer to catch dust and pet hair, etc. Change approx. every
two-three mos. according to your home's needs. You can also
do the same for the rear or sides of the case to prevent all
those pesky things from dragging your computer's
performance down. Do NOT tape completely - it only needs an inch
to hold it in place OVER the holes.....they still need airflow !
Nanci
***********************************************************
Support Our Sponsor
Mvelopes Personal Free Online Budgeting
Mvelopes Personal is an online budgeting system that makes it
easy to create an effective personal budget and track every
aspect of your spending as it happens. It will help you to
always know exactly how much you have left to spend, instantly
know the impact of every spending decision, effectively manage
credit card spending, and quickly create an easy to use
household budgeting plan.
***********************************************************
Budget Stretcher Partners
SavingAdvice.com
Thrifty Fun
Smart Money Tips
TheFrugalShopper.com
4 Moms at Home.com
Debt Smart
Maxxsave.co.uk
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Subscriber Tip
This is a free service that will greatly reduce the amount of
junk mail you receive in your snail mail mailbox, This will
save you time, aggravation and garbage or paper recycle room.
No Name Given
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Support Our Sponsors
Samples for free - over 1500 to choose from
Free 1500 samples
Samples of candy, food and other items
Free candy samples, pet samples, + others
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This Week's Article Links
Just click the links to view the article
Top Internet scams to watch for in 2007
By Leslie McFadden • Bankrate.com
10 Tightwad Tips For Painting a Room
By Tawra Kellam
Create your own Anti-Emergency Fund™
by Cindy S. Morus
To read more articles visit:
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Join These Groups
A_Simple_Life
Frugal-Folks
FrugalMomsNews
FunOnABudget
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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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Special Recipe
Easy Chicken Pot Pie
2 c. cooked chicken soup
1 bag frozen mixed veggies, drained and thawed
1 jar cream-of-chicken soup
1 can water
1 box Stove Top stuffing
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix chicken, veggies, and
cream-of-chicken soup together; put in casserole dish. Make
stuffing using boiling water (you don't have to cook it on the
stove). Spread over the chicken mixture and bake for about 45
minutes or until how and bubbly. You can use 2 boxes of stuffing
putting one box on the bottom.
This recipe compliments of The Best Cookbook Anywhere Not Just
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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.
The Frugal Shopper has a long list of Coupons and Rebate forms.
You can find them at:
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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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