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Newsletter to Your Friends (Use this link only if you receive this newsletter by email) Week of March 15, 2010This is an OPT-IN list ONLY! If you feel that you have received this message in error, please follow the directions at the bottom of this email to unsubscribe. Thank you.Click Here to view this newsletter online. Navigate This ColumnGrandpa Terry's Update Welcome to The Budget Stretcher! Gary Foreman, a friend of mine, has been providing sound financial advice on the internet since 1996. On his web site you will find 1000s of money saving tips and articles on just about any topic you are interested in. You may want to bookmark the below site for future reference: The Dollar Stretcher I received an email from my daughter the other day with real notes written from parents in a Mississippi School District. (Spellings have been left intact.) (I couldn't verify that these are authentic.) My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him. Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot. Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33 Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days.Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side. Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault. I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I don't know what size she wear. Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday. Maryann was absent December 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night. 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 tre2000@midwest.net If you know someone that may be interested in subscribing to our newsletter just copy and paste the below link into an email to them and have them subscribe: http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/confirmsubs.html Have a great week, Grandpa Terry Sponsor AdvertisementAre 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? Click Here to check out My Budget Planner Today Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Weekfrom Budget Stretcher 1. Sort your cash for your household expenses to ensure all of these expenses are covered each payday. 2. Prepare in the event you lose your job or have your income reduced. 3. Reduce the amount of income tax that is being withheld from your paycheck. 4. Teach your kids the importance of properly managing their money. 5. Review your mortgage, utility bills, phone bills, satellite, internet connection, etc. to reduce them where you can. 6. Make sure you know your Consumer Rights to avoid problems with debt collectors. 7. Avoid payday or car title loans at all costs. 8. Put as much money in your 401k or other retirement account as possible. 9. Learn how to use Garage Sales and Thrift stores to make your money stretch a little further. 10. Start a Christmas Club account to avoid the need to use credit cards. Sponsor AdvertisementPaying highest-interest debt first is the SLOWEST way out ... You can laugh at money worries - if you follow our simple plan. Discover savvy consumer money secrets your friends don't know and banks won't tell you. Limited time only. ACT NOW: ///////////////////////////////////////// Grandpa Terry's EmailHello there Terry,The spring thaw is here....the past two days it has been over the 50degree mark with one or two more days to come !! :) I hope you are doing well & may I say once again....thanks for all you do.....I just LOVE getting your newsletter in my inbox & I look forward to it with anticipation !! Here are some things we've been doing to help with the budget & stretching those dollars - hope it helps fill your files - as we try more things- I'll try to remember to pass them along to you- this way- if you have them.....toss them- but if not then you'll have another to add to your keeper pile. We mix & use powdered milk for cooking purposes. For example- we keep a glass jar with about a quart at a time mixed & when recipes call for milk we use that instead of the regular milk. Another milk stretcher is that we buy 2% milk & I cut it with powdered milk. I use a 60/40 ratio- sometimes I can get away with 50/50 but then the kids start to taste it & sometimes snub it. A way I stretch the meals is that I buy frozen vegetable in the bulk bags & when making casserole type dinners I add more vegetables and less meat than the recipe calls for- this also adds in the nutritional department. When I see meat or poultry on sale I buy it up, butcher it up myself, repackage & freeze. But I package it in double portions- this way I am only cooking one time. We can either eat it 2 days in a row or I can freeze it & it becomes a "quick- healthy- frozen dinner" that I can pull out & reheat quickly when needed. I also have taken higher quality shampoo's, hand soaps and I have learned how much I can take out to water it down while still maintaining the quality of the product. Also reuse those pump bottles- but if using the uncut product- put a rubber band around the pumper part- this makes the pump action a bit smaller & so you save money here also. Not to name drop - but when using Tide powder- I have learned how much I decrease the recommended amount so that my clothes come out quite clean but I am not using as much. Take the time to experiment with this- it can really add up in the savings department. Cost saver- paper napkins vs. cloth napkins. I use both ! Holiday company = cloth napkins, regular non holiday company- full paper napkins. Us for everyday- NON messy meals- cloth napkins & if possible- use for all meals that day. The napkin stays at the person's spot at the table. Messy meals we use paper napkins.....but we use the split napkin (split napkins are cut in half) if we need the 2nd half we use it but if not....we've saved some trees & some coins !! Money saving cleaning tips- showers- take a squeegee & do your walls right after you get out- this saves the walls & you can clean them less often. Also a spray bottle filled with 60/40 vinegar & water helps keep things shiny, and germ free. The smell goes away quickly- so no worries. And the cost for the gallon size white vinegar is quite economical. You can also do a search on vinegar uses.....MANY other cleaning uses....and so very cheap !! toilet- again with the white vinegar....but add a dash of baking soda....also very cheap....let it sit a few minutes while it bubbles away....swoosh around & you have a clean sweet smelling potty. floors- take a dollar store spray bottle, fill with your watered down mix of favorite cleaner & you can spray your floors and use old washcloths on those swiffer style mops & WOW the money you save !!!! Hope some of these were helpful Terry. Have a good week !! Warm- happy spring wishes !! Crystal Hi Terry, When I received my statement from Sears Master Card there was a charge of $2.00 for nothing. My payment was on time. When I called to find out why I was charged $2.00 for nothing the lady I talked to said -------that's the way it is now. I used my Discover card for something important. I'll not use Sears Master any more. Has anyone else been charged for this?? Spring will be here soon. Keep Looking Up! Love, Juanita from Homewood, Il. My Response: Hi Juanita, It's good to hear from you. I'm looking forward to spring myself. No, I haven't heard about these type of fees. I would recommend that you call Sears Mastercard back and inform them that they either identify the $2 charge or remove it. There is absolutely nothing in the new law that allows credit card companies to charge phantom fees. $2 isn't that much but they may make it a monthly charge. If they refuse to remove the fee I would complain to the Federal Trade Commission. I'll put this in the newsletter to see if any of the other subscribers have run into this. Have a great week, Terry There are a series of videos on youtube.com called Clara's Kitchen. She is a 94 year old that lived through the depression. She shows you how to cook very cheaply, including free ingredients. I really apprecieated the video on Dandelion salad. I knew that could be made,but was pleased to learn to soak the greens 5 times before using. Hope this helps someone. -- Char Featured ArticleThe Dollar Stretcher Blog by Gary Foreman
A record 2.8 million U.S. properties began the foreclosure process in 2009 (according to ForeclosurePulse.com). It appears that there's no end in sight. And, while the focus has been on families losing their residence, there's a subplot that's gone largely unnoticed. Innocent renters are often hurt when banks foreclose on their landlords.
Nationwide it's estimated that about one third of properties that are being foreclosed are not owner occupied. And, while some of those are second homes, many are rentals. It's probably pretty safe to say that at between 25 and 30% of foreclosures are occupied by a renter. So about 750,000 renters were in foreclosed units last year. What does foreclosure mean to the renter? If the bank forecloses on your landlord they take over the property. Their goal is to protect their financial interest. Sometimes that hurts the renter. Historically, banks wanted the owner to vacate a foreclosed property. That meant the renter, too. So even renters who had leases were suddenly being thrown into the street. Without any legal recourse. In May, 2009 the "Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act" became law. The main part of the law guaranteed that tennants could stay until their lease was up. Those on a month-to-month get 90 days. Today, in part because of the law and in part because it's bad business to chase away paying renters, banks are allowing more tenants to stay in foreclosed properties. Often they'll use a management company. Some managers are more responsive to renter needs than others. So what can a renter for protection? Unfortunately, even with the new law, their options are fairly limited. It's hard for a renter to determine if his current or potential landlord is in financial trouble. There is one website that can check an address for you. It's not 100% certain. They only report what their records show. But, you'll want to avoid any properties on their list. In some counties, court records are available online. Checking your county's website can be a real eye-opener. You can check your landlord by name (or by company name). Look for any pattern that shows financial problems. Make sure you look for liens and mortgages against the property you rent. If the bank does notify you that your landlord is being foreclosed, contact the local housing agency. They'll be in the best position to tell you which local, state and federal laws apply to your situation. Among other things you'll need to know who should get your rent checks and who to call for a leaky faucet. As a tenant you can sue the former landlord for lost deposits and rent. But the small claims process can take months. Plus you're trying to get money from someone in foreclosure. The odds of getting your money back are pretty long. The trickiest time for a renter is when the landlord expects to be foreclosed. Some will collect rent and make no effort to make their mortgage payment. They'll also avoid doing any maintainence. This can go on for months. That's why it's a bad idea to prepay your rent in this economy. If you have next month's rent available, better to put it into an insured savings account until the rent is due. If you're looking for a rental, beware of landlords who seem overly anxious to get you into their unit. Some are attempting to use renters' first/last/deposit to keep themselves afloat financially. Reputable landlords will check your credit and references. Failure to do so could be a sign that they're just after your deposit. Time to run! Bottom line? It's important for a renter to check out the landlord. The tools aren't particularly good, but they can help you avoid some obvious problems. And, if you do find that your landlord is in foreclosure contact the bank and housing agencies to see what steps you need to take to protect yourself. Keep on Stretching those Dollars! Gary Gary Foreman is the editor of The Dollar Stretcher.com website and various enewsletters including Financial Independence. Financial Independence is designed to walk step-by-step with you as you take control of your finances and achieve financial freedom! For more info on rentals and foreclosures. |
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