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The Budget Stretcher
Week Of: March 19, 2007
AOL Users Please Visit Online
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Grandpa Terry's Quips
Tip #14 - You can save about $250 a year by not buying your
coffee or soda at a convenience store every day. OK, you can
save $125 by not buying it every other day!
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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 - Beef Taco Bake
Watch for next week's newsletter featuring:
"Tactics Credit Card Companies Use to Get You to Pay More"
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Subscriber Tip
I am sure this tip has been used before but as a reminder save
your change...all of it. I have a full time job and a part time
job. My part time job is at the local pizza place as a waitress
so I may get more change than the average person. But I decided
last June to stop turning in my change or using it I had a goal
of $500 to use as earnest money on a house.9 months later I
walked in the bank with two ice cream buckets full of change.
Another tip is if you are going to do this keep a baggie for
each coin and when you have enough for a roll go ahead and do it
and make sure you put your name and address on the roll before
you put the coins in it. It will save you a lot of time later if
you do a little at a time as you go and NEVER put your account
number on the rolls. I have heard of banks asking people to do
that well what happens when stores come to get change for their
registers and there is your name, address and account number?
Well you don't want to take that chance of someone dishonest
getting this info. Hope this inspires somebody! If you start now
(I have started over)you'll have all your Christmas money.
Debbie
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
Visit Michelle's Discount Shopping Page:
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
Welcome to The Budget Stretcher! Things are about to get
interesting.
In the very near future Budget Stretcher will become a
Subscription Site. That won't mean much to you folks because
you will continue to receive the newsletter and other Subscriber
Benefits free as usual.
However, there will be 3 levels of membership, Free, Silver and
Gold. The Silver and Gold Memberships will be billed monthly
instead of annually and have different levels of benefits.
You will be able to test the Silver or Gold Memberships for a
month by paying the monthly fee, however, if you aren't satisfied
you will get your money back.
All Budget Stretcher Premium members will be automatically
subscribed to the Gold membership and not have their fees raised.
I will probably run a special before this happens giving you a
chance to lock in the lower annual fee.
I still have quite a bit of set up to do on this and it may take
some time. I will let you know when it's ready.
Last call to vote for the Budget Stretcher slogan. The poll ends
March 20th. Here's the link:
I hear from so many people stating that they would really like
to order my calculating forms and others but can't afford to
pay for the Excel program.
Here is a free download that will help with that problem. The
file is very large (93MB). Please visit the below link to check
it out and download your copy.
Open Office Suite
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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it. If you do need it, free is a much better price than most!
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Credit Card Information
Four Ways Not to Get Out of Credit Card Debt
By Credit Cards.com
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Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Let's Pay Down Our Debt
I have said several times that 2007 will be the year that we
really start paying down our debt. I'm going to use my Tip
section to give you ideas on how to get started:
This tip does not necessarily require any extra money.
If you have credit card debt and can't understand why the
balances aren't going down it's probably because you are
making one or both of the following mistakes:
You are trying to pay more than the minimum payment on more
than one credit card at a time, or
You are just paying the minimum payments on all of your credit
card debt.
Here's the solution:
Choose one credit card (I like using the one with the lowest
balance because it will be paid off quicker and keep you
motivated, even though it will cost you more in the long run).
If this month's payment is $50 continue to pay that even though
the minimum payment will go down. Pay just the minimum payments
on your other credit cards.
When that credit card is paid off select another one and add the
amount you were paying on the first one to the minimum payment
and so on.
In next week's newsletter Tip we will be covering:
"A few ways to get extra money to add to your debt elimination"
You can simplify paying off your debt by letting me do it for
you. Just click on the below link to your Subscriber Benefits
Page and select "Debt Elimination Summary" in the right column.
If you decide to order please make sure to follow the
instructions to set your Discount Code for 30% Off.
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Site of the Week
Rat Race Remedies
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Grandpa Terry's Email
Hi Grandpa Terry,
Thanks, I got the report ok. Now can you tell me how I can be
sure credit accounts are marked closed when they are paid off?
Thanks again, Joan
My Response:
Hi Joan,
If you wish to close your accounts that are paid off you will
need to contact the company and ask them to report that to the
credit bureau. However, for the sake of your credit score this
is not a good idea. A paid in full open account can raise your
credit score several points. This is particularly true on credit
card accounts.
I hope this helps,
Grandpa Terry
--------
You probably think I have something to say about everything,
but I do have a comment about the woman who is pouring bleach
down her drain. Chlorine bleach is the most toxic thing we have
in our homes. It is the number one killer of children in the
home, so it's nothing to mess around with. Even if you're just
pouring it down the drain, you're breathing the fumes. We all
know how it will eat a hole in your clothing, and it will eat
the skin off your hands...imagine what it does to your lungs.
A safer alternative might be to buy a mesh drain protector and
then empty it every day. It fits right over your drain and
catches things you don't want to go down the drain. I use one in
my kitchen sink over the disposal because my grandkids throw
their little forks and spoons in the sink and I don't realize it
until too late! You can buy these at Target or Wal-Mart. It's
just a little mesh cup that fits right over the opening of the
drain.
We have so many harmful things in our homes that are making us
sick, and if you can eliminate even one of them, like chlorine
bleach, it will help.
Joyce
--------
Dear Grandpa Terry,
A couple of weeks ago I had written you with a question about
coming up with a form letter for my daughter that she could send
to her creditors to work out payment with them, to get caught up
on her bills. Two more questions have come up in relation to her
situation; the first is, since she is not a professional debt
negotiator would you be of the opinion that writing to her
creditors could ultimately reflect negatively on her credit
report as it does when a professional debt negotiator contacts
them? If a professional debt negotiator is necessary would you
have any recommendations? There are so many bad ones out there
now, one does not know who to trust. I had even gone with a
friend to our local "non-profit" credit counselors and they did
not mention to them that the debt negotiation would reflect
negatively on the credit report. I was very unimpressed. Your
opinion is greatly valued and all your efforts are appreciated.
Best regards,
Christine H.
My Response:
Hi Christine,
The first thing that you must remember is that each company
that reports to credit bureaus is different. Some may report
debt negotiations to credit bureaus and some may not. I believe
that most would not report this just because of the contact
alone.
However, no matter whether it's your daughter or a professional
debt negotiator if an agreement is reached to pay any way other
than the terms of the contract it will reflect negatively.
Another way to look at this is that if your daughter can't meet
the terms of the agreement and is late on payments or pays less
than the minimum payment then this will also reflect negatively
and possibly more so.
Lowering your credit score is built in to debt negotiations. My
suggestion would be for your daughter to go ahead and write
those letters until she can get on her feet and then work on
building her credit rating.
All the best,
Grandpa Terry
--------
Hi Terry,
Yes, it's me again! LOL
I have a bit of experience with hospital bills and I think I
may be able to shed a bit of light on the subject. Just about 4
years ago my husband had major surgery(brain surgery to be exact
billed at $10, 000 just for the surgery) I was in contact with
the hospital billing dept for what the insurance would not pay.
They explained that I was expected to pay 10% of the entire
balance each month regardless of what I could afford. However,
they were kind enough to explain that if I did this for 3 months
then I could have the bill reassessed and the payment lowered.
If I set it up for the 10% and could not pay the full pmt, to
pay as much as I could and then still have it reassessed in 90
days. Their goal is to get the bill paid off in 10-12 months.
The trick is that you have to have each bill set separately for
10% each. I was dealing with a University Hospital though and
they were very helpful and patient. They were also recently in
the news because they are actually trying to lower healthcare
costs!
I have not had the same luck with a nearby local hospital. But
that is a whole 'nother story! They would send a 2nd notice
demanding immediate pmt the same day that they cut you a check
for overpayment!
I have also heard that if you are attempting to pay ANYTHING
toward the bill and they pursue legal action the judge will more
than likely throw it out of court.
I hope this helps!
Lisa NC
--------
Last year in April 2006, I received and offer from Chase Bank
offering 3.99% on balance transfers. I transferred an 8500
balance to Chase and my due date was always on the 29th of the
month which I paid on the 25th of the month by transferring
monies from my checking account (also a Chase account) to my
credit account by logging into my accounts on the internet. The
account is credited the next day if done on the internet. When I
tried to pay my monthly payment of 186.00 on February 25, 2007,
I found out that my due date had been changed from the 29th to
the 24th of the month. Because my bill was paid on the 25th, it
was one day late and my interest rate went up to 24.99% and my
payment went up to 389.00 per month. I went into the bank and
was told that my due date had been changed but I received no
notification of this. They claimed that a notice was send in
December 2006 which I never received.
Fortunately, I was able to transfer the balance to Citibank at
3.99% and hope that the same thing doesn't happen again.
Please let the readers know that these trick are being played
by the bank which can sink you into more debt than before.
Gladys
--------
Dear Grandpa Terry:
I just wanted to share my experience with a safety deposit box.
I was a secondary signee on my mother's safety deposit box. We
both shared the box. When she became severely ill, I got her
necessary papers out of the box, but left my own belongings in
the box. After she passed away, I had to pay an judge $100 to
get a document to allow me to get my own belongings out of her
"sealed box", even though my name was on the box all along. As a
result, I no longer have a safety deposit box, and purchased a
fireproof safe that is bolted to the wall in a closet in my own
home.
Rae
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Subscriber Tip
I use Mr Clean Magic Erasers for EVERYTHING! The best is the
easy way they remove the soap buildup on my shower doors and
keep my stove top shiny! I am allergic to perfumes so using them
really helps my allergies because there is NO smell or
chemicals.
Sue
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Subscriber Tip
It seems too easy to think that you will save money when
grocery shopping simply by writing a list. But that little task
can be such a budget-keeper. For one, you'll save money by
making one trip each week/bi-weekly just because of the savings
in your car gas tank. Then, if you stick to your list, you avoid
the impulse buying that happens when you run to the store
unprepared. Of course planning coupon savings as you read the
store ads while writing the list can multiply the savings to a
substantial amount. Don't go shopping hungry, and you will
notice the difference in smart shopping habits as you stroll
down the aisles and review your list and coupons. Take a water
bottle to further energize you and make your shopping experience
a pleasant one.
wordyblue
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This Week's Article Links
Just click the links to view the article
One in Four Credit Reports Contain Errors
By BSC Alliance
Saving Money On Insurance
by Chemain Evans
The Most Costly Expense of All
By Terry Rigg
To read more articles visit:
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Debt Consolidation can:
H - Help avoid filing bankruptcy
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L - Lower debt payments up to 50%
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Special Recipe
Beef Taco Bake
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can tomato soup
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup milk
8 corn tortillas or 6 flour,
cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
In a large skillet, brown beef on medium head until
thoroughly cooked. Drain off fat. Add soup, salsa,
milk, tortillas and half the cheese. Spoon into a
2-quart baking dish and cover. Bake at 400 degrees
for 30 minutes until hot. Sprinkle remaining cheese
on top. Serves 4.
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.
--If your polished furniture has small scratches:
Try rubbing them with a shelled walnut. You'll see the
scratches just disappear!
--Keeping silver jewelry in a zip lock or air tight
container will keep it from oxidizing.
--As soon as you notice a spot or stain on clothing,
stop what you are doing and take care of it. The sooner
you attend to it, the better the chance you can remove it.
--To clean glass containers - Use salt and lemon juice,
and if the glass is not too fragile, crushed ice. Swirl
these around until container is clean, then rinse with
warm water.
--What is the best tool for scrubbing a carpet spot?
Another small piece of carpeting.
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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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