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The Budget Stretcher
"Saving you money...One Dime at a Time!"
Week Of: April 21, 2008
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Grandpa Terry's Free Ebook
Profitable Crafts Volumes 1 through 4
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"Will Your Kids Have Money Problems When They Grow Up?"
In 60 seconds I can forecast if your kids will be financially
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yes/no questions.
Interestingly, the likelihood that your kids will be
financially capable has nothing to do with your current income
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It costs nothing (except 60 seconds) to take the Kids Financial
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***What's Inside***
Grandpa Terry's Free Ebook
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 - Cherry Delight
Watch for next week's newsletter featuring:
Homes still too high for 'average' family
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Subscriber Tip #1
The great thing about being environmentally minded is that it
is frequently the same thing as being economically minded.
* Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher's drying
cycle.
* Turn off computer and monitor when they are not in use for
extended periods of time.
* Plug home electronics into power strips and turn power strips
off when not in use.
* Lower thermostat on hot water heater to 120 F.
* Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
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 the below link to submit your
tips:
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Coupon Savings
by Michelle Jones
Let's show Michelle that we appreciate all of those Coupon Tips
she supplied us with for over two years. Check out her new
ebook and you will want to order a copy for yourself.
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Grandpa Terry's Update
Welcome to The Budget Stretcher!
I just put together a special free 5 Part Ecourse on "How To
Become An Ebay Powerseller". This is an excellent course that
covers the following topics:
1. Part 1 - Writing descriptions that sell the item.
2. Part 2 - Including photos in your listings.
3. Part 3 - Ebay storefronts
4. Part 4 - What sells and what doesn't sell.
5. Part 5 - Building a powerseller reputation.
Like I said, it's free. To order the ecourse just visit the
below link and enter your first name and email address. You
will receive one part per day for the next 5 days:
http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/EBAY/ebaycourse.html
I have used all of the Subscriber Tips that I selected for
publication and will be using some Dollar Stretcher Tips. Please
submit your tips at the below page:
What's the least you ever paid for gas?
We are all breaking our own records on the most we've ever paid
for gas in recent months with the prices steadily going up. I
thought it may be interesting to find out what the least you've
ever paid (that will show your age very quickly)!
In 1968, I had just been discharged from the Navy on my first
enlistment and was driving to Missouri from California. I went
through a little town in Kansas that was having a gas war.
The normal price for regular (we had lead in it then) was about
25 cents a gallon. At this station I was able to fill up my
1953 Chevy for only 17.9 cents a gallon.
Those were the days... We all should have been rich. However,
my first job when I got home only paid $1.75 an hour.
Today, I'm paying $3.35 a gallon or 18.7 times more than what I
paid in that little town in Kansas. If wages had kept up I
should be making $32.72 an hour doing that same job today. I
really doubt if that job is paying more than $9 or $10 an hour.
When the price increases this fast on anything we have to have
it hurts the pocket book. It doesn't matter whether it's gas,
food, utilities or anything else. The best thing we can do is
just cut back as much as we possibly can.
Please send me an email telling me the least you ever paid for
gas. I would like to know when it was and where. You can just
send it to tre2000@midwest.net
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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Credit Card Information
Balance transfer checks
by Scott Bilker
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Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Turn Your $1200 Rebate Into $4779
In a couple of weeks the IRS is going to start sending out
rebates to millions of American Taxpayers. These rebates will
range from $0 up to $? depending on your 2007 tax return.
It appears that many will get a rebate of about $1200. I know
that some already have this spent just like the regular annual
refund. But, how would you like to earn almost $3600 on that
money?
Now, watch these figures carefully because you won't believe
what I'm about to show you.
First, the average credit card debt is about $8000 with an
interest rate of 14% and a current minimum payment of $200.
Based on that, here is what your rebate could mean to you:
#1 - You decide to use the rebate for something other than your
$8000 debt and make minimum payments:
You will pay $6692 in interest and it will take you 20 years
and 8 months to pay it off.
#2 - You decide to apply your $1200 rebate to your credit card
and make minimum payments:
You will pay $4270 in interest and it will take you 15 years
and 9 months to pay it off.
(That $1200 has already turned into $2422. $6692-$4270=$2422)
#3 - You decide to apply your $1200 rebate to your credit card
and continue making payments of $200 instead of the declining
minimum payment:
You will pay $1913 in interest and it will take you 3 years and
8 months to pay it off.
(That $1200 is now worth $4779 to you. $6692-$1913=$4779)
Even if you don't get a $1200 rebate I guarantee applying
whatever you get to your credit card debt will save you big
bucks.
Now, as for making minimum payments, it's a very costly move.
Usually, the minimum payment for any given month is only a
couple of dollars less than it was last month. Using the figures
above for the current month the minimum payment would be $200.
Next, month it would be $197. Why not just add the $3 and keep
at it. Very seldom will that make or break us.
You only have a couple of weeks before that extra money
magically appears in your bank account. Now is the time to
decide.
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Site of the Week
Important Information That Can Save You Money (On Gas)
Federal Trade Commission
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Grandpa Terry's Email
Hi from North Dakota~
I think it's finally going to start warming up around here.
Spring has been slow in coming. At least we have not had the bad
weather they are getting in so many parts of the country---yet!!
Just a comment on the credit card article. I thought it gave a
great explanation of the pitfalls of being in credit card debt.
It would be great to just pay it all off, but unfortunately for
a lot of us, that's going to take time and we're stuck with the
credit card companies and all their tricks.
I am a great believer in switching my accounts around to get a
zero interest rate. Even if it's for six months, if there is no
balance transfer fee you are going to save some money. I notice
those offers are scarcer, but I just got one from AARP and think
I am going to see how much I can transfer. (If I have to get
old, I might as well take advantage of any benefits I can
find!).
I don't have many problems with my credit card companies. I pay
online and I pay on time. I print a copy of my payment info and
staple it to the statement. I also check every charge on my
statements. If I see one cent on there that I didn't authorize,
I call and get the charge taken off. I don't accept any trial
offers where I would have to call in thirty days to cancel—I'm
too forgetful for that! The only company that was horrible was
RBS, and I would advise everyone to never apply for that card.
They don't even make the effort to be devious about how they
operate!
After Memorial Day I will be on "summer hours" at work. It will
be nice to work less in the summertime, but not good for my
paycheck, as I will lose at least four hours a week. I happened
across something that might make me a few bucks and wondered if
you would like to check it out. It's a website where writers can
submit their articles and rate what others have written. I
haven't been on there long enough to get paid, so I don't know
if it will be worth the effort. They suggest you write one
article a day and what you earn depends on how high your
articles are rated. So far it's been a fun thing for me. There
are other ways to make money on there, like contests, and a list
of publishers that are looking for articles on specific titles.
Have a great week.
Brenda
-------
Terry -
will give you three free credit reports per year. I know some
people stagger their request so they can look at the first
credit report, then 3-4 months later look at the next one and
then 3-4 months later look at the third one. I believe the other
website charges you if you want your FICO score.
Kathy
-------
Hey Terry,
I usually don't originate email due to a hectic schedule, but
you sounded a little down about getting only 250 responses on
your subscriber tips. I've given a couple of them, but time
pressures keep me from going "whole hog". I think a lot of
people are in that boat. Remember, congressthieves (er,
congresspersons) consider each email or letter worth about two
hundred constituents. Using that figuring, there are about 5000
people reading but not responding. That's quite a few.
What I'm saying, is, "You are doing great! Keep doing it!"
Thanks for all the ideas. I can usually pick up at least two
ideas from every newsletter.
John
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Dollar Stretcher Tip #2
Reduce the Cost of Medications
I recently found a great way to bring in some unexpected money.
I have filled three prescriptions for family members in the last
few months. All of them had rebates available online. I just
"googled" the medicine name and the word "rebate." I should be
getting back $65 soon!
Wendy H.
Visit Dollar Stretcher at:
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Dollar Stretcher Tip #3
Fighting Higher Gas Prices
Each time I fill my gas tank, I challenge myself to get better
mileage than the time before. I drive a 1994 Acura Integra with
a manual transmission and still get about 35 mpg in my old car
with 210, 000 miles. Most of my driving is city, not highway.
Here are my tips:
- Of course, I keep my oil changed and tires at the proper air
pressure.
- I drive my manual transmission in the highest gear possible.
Most of the time, I drive in fifth gear, which my car allows
even at about 30-35 mph.
- I use my cruise control as often as possible.
- I avoid rapid starts at stoplights and accelerate slowly and
steadily, not gunning the motor.
- I try to time my driving so that I can flow with the
stoplights in order to avoid a lot of stop-and-go driving.
- All unnecessary items that add weight are removed from my
trunk.
- I use my air conditioning and heating as little as possible.
- And, here's my most recent discovery. I step on the clutch
and coast whenever I'm going downhill.
Karen B. in White Bear Lake, MN
Visit Dollar Stretcher at:
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This Week's Article Links
Just click the links to view the article
Foreclosure crisis hits rental housing
By Marcie Geffner • Bankrate.com
Cutting Food Costs: Saving Time vs. Money
by Rachel Paxton
5 Steps for Clutter Control
By O Quinn
To read more articles visit:
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Free Coupons, rebates and freebies
Coupons, rebates, free things
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Freebies, Coupons and Rebates and Refunds
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Special Recipe
Cherry Delight
1 can dark sweet pitted cherries
1 can (about 16 oz.) crushed pineapple
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. marshmallows
1 small container of whipped topping
Chopped pecans (optional)
Drain cherry and pineapple juices into a medium sauce pan.
Dissolve cream cheese in juices over low heat. Add marshmallows
and dissolve. Cool completely and fold in cherries, pineapple
and whipped topping. Pour into serving dish or bowl and chill
for a few hours to set.
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.
The Frugal Shopper has a great selection of free printables for
just about everything. Here's the link:
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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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