The FREE Budget Stretcher Newsletter
June 25, 2007



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    The Budget Stretcher
    "Saving you money...One Dime at a Time!"
    Week Of: June 25, 2007
    AOL Users Please Visit Online

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    Free Ebook Download

    For the next few weeks I'm going to give away an ebook each
    week.  All you have to do is click on the below link and the
    download will start.  The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required
    to open the ebook and is on most computers.

    The Miracle of Vinegar

    Special $2 Ebook Offer
    97 Easy Money Savers
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    ***What's Inside***

    Free Ebook Download
    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 - Select Recipes
    Everyday Savings from http://www.thefrugalshopper.com

    Watch for next week's newsletter featuring:
    Credit scores made simple

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    Subscriber Tip

    I've been traveling a lot this year and because of the airport
    precautions, you cannot bring any bottled water or other drinks
    through security with you. I like to drink water when I travel
    but the airlines don't give me enough to kill the thirst. I
    carry an EMPTY bottle with me and then fill it with water from
    the drinking fountain when I get past security. That way I avoid
    having to pay $2 or more for a bottle of water inside the
    terminal! It may seem like a small amount, but it adds up.

    Joyce

    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


    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!

    First, if we have any internet gurus out there please contact
    me.  My homepage has completely disappeared from Google.  Just
    so the rest of you will know, this will have a major impact on
    my ability to maintain the Budget Stretcher website and this
    newsletter.

    A couple of years ago I saw a guy on tv that performed what he
    called "Street Magic". The guy's name is David Blaine. I must
    have looked pretty silly watching him with my mouth open in
    amazement. The guy is (how do the kids put it?) awesome!

    To make a long story short I got the chance to buy an ebook
    that explains over 100 of his tricks (including where he
    levitates 6" off the ground). I just couldn't pass it up.

    As I was reading some of the tricks I realized that you may be
    just as curious as I am about how he does what he does. So I
    decided to put a page together that explains what's in the ebook
    and make it available to you. (Sorry MAC users, this ebook is in
    .exe format and not compatible with your system).

    Whether or not you've ever seen David Blaine perform I think
    you will probably get a kick out of learning how these tricks
    are done. Just click on the below link to learn more:


    Speaking of ebooks, I received about a hundred responses to my
    question last week "Would you rather read ebooks on your
    computer or have them printed and sent to you?

    While there were several different responses the majority
    stated that they would much rather have ebooks than something
    that was mailed to them. Their reasoning was that they could
    receive ebooks immediately and print them at their leisure.

    I have a major project scheduled for this weekend. I have some
    water damage to my bathroom floor so I have to fix that and
    replace the tub and shower. Yeah, you're right, I'm too cheap to
    pay a pro to do it.

    I just happened to think that next week it will be 4 years that
    I've been putting out a weekly newsletter (It was monthly for 3
    1/2 years before that). That's over 200 issues and haven't
    missed a week yet!!!

    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:


    Have a great week,
    Grandpa Terry

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    Credit Card Information

    Class Action Lawsuits Filed Against Credit Card Companies
    By BSC Alliance.com

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    Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week

    I thought I would run an article by Gary Foreman of The Dollar
    Stretcher http://www.stretcher.com that I receive a few years
    ago.  It may make you think!

    Why I Can't Save
    The Dollar Stretcher
    by Gary Foreman
    gary@stretcher.com

    Each week we get emails and letters from readers. And we hear a
    lot of good reasons why people don't save money. Thought that
    this would be a good time to share the best ones with you.

    Don't want to lose all my friends at the collection agencies

    "I've had so many wonderful people call me from the different
    collection agencies. I'd hate to think that we'd never get to
    talk any more. They've really gotten to know me. Besides,
    they're always willing to put the calls on their phone bill!"
    Phyllis, Houston

    Avoiding nasty bank deposit lines

    "Nothing I hate more than those long bank lines to deposit my
    paycheck. It's so much simpler when I don't have anything to
    deposit. Not only am I avoiding the lines, I'm also saving gas
    and helping the environment." Rob, Los Angeles

    Bulky wallets & purses

    "Back when I had money my wallet was much too fat. Always made
    my clothes look bad. I like that smooth look. Bulges aren't in.
    Thin is in. It's much better now that my wallet is empty. Much
    thinner. Plus it's easier to find other stuff in there now,
    too!" Dewey, New York

    All those darn bank statements

    "Can you think of a worse way to spend your free time? Trying
    to get all those figures to add up gives me a big-time headache!
    I'd much rather watch Regis than try to figure out how much
    money I have." Julie, Seattle

    Thinking up new excuses for office collections

    "When someone asks me to give for a birthday, wedding or baby
    shower gift, it's easy to tell them that I don't have any money.
    If I did have money, I'd have to think up a new excuse each time
    and that would be a lot of trouble. This is much, much easier."
    Susie, Tucson

    Harder to negotiate a cash deal for a car

    "When the salesman asks how big a payment I can afford, that's
    an easy question to answer. He does all the hard figuring part.
    It's so much easier this way. I don't know what I'd do if I had
    to argue with him over what the car's worth. Probably quit
    buying new cars altogether!" Ted, Atlantic City

    Enjoys playing "Which Bill Do We Pay" game

    "I get a real feeling of power when I look at a stack of bills
    and decide which ones I'm going to pay. It's a rush! I'm the
    Man. Do they get their money now? Or do they just have to wait
    until I'm ready to pay them? Now that's real power!" Trevor,
    Detroit

    Dealing with panhandlers asking for money

    "I don't have a problem dealing with panhandlers. I just tell
    them that I don't have anything. If I actually had some money
    I'd need to decide whether to give them some. And that can be a
    really tough decision. Would they use it for food? Or just waste
    it? This is much easier. After all, I'm really just like them. I
    honestly don't have any money!" David, San Francisco

    Sleepless nights allows me to see some great infomercials

    "Back when I didn't have any bills I slept like a baby. And I
    had no idea what I was missing! At first I thought that all
    those bills keeping me awake was bad. Not so! They run some
    great infomercials at night. My favorites are for those ab
    machines. Really gets me psyched up to change my life!" Tina,
    Little Rock

    Credit card bills are my only interesting mail

    "Friends are so unpredictable. You can't count on them to write
    to you. But you can depend on the credit card companies. They
    write every month. You can count on it. If it weren't for them I
    don't think that I'd get anything but junk mail. Not only do
    they write me, but they also tell me about new things that I can
    get for my money. Isn't that what real friends are for?" Rita,
    Omaha

    OK, so you've probably guessed that these aren't real letters
    from readers. I admit it. They're made up. But I did it for a
    reason. What's keeping you from paying off your debts and
    spending less than you make? If you were to look at your reasons
    would they seem as silly as these?

    You're in the best position to control how you live your life.
    If some of your reasons are beginning to look like excuses it's
    time to make a change. So be brave and take a hard look at your
    reasons for not saving money.

    Gary Foreman is a former Certified Financial Planner who
    currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website

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    Site of the Week

    Cheap Cooking

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    Grandpa Terry's Email

    Good Morning, Terry (and Happy Father's Day!),

    I was excited to see my question in last week's newsletter and
    thought you might appreciate an update.

    I came up with a chores system that I like to call "The Just
    Like Dad Pay System". As the name implies, the children have to
    work for their money. Also as the name implies, my son pays
    ‘taxes' on his chores. (This actually occurred by accident. I
    was trying to decide what each chore should pay if I could only
    pay X amount of dollars per week for chores ­ remember I was on
    a budget. To make adding easier for my son, I rounded things up
    and as a result, I went over my allotment. I figured out how
    much ‘tax' this was and decided that this would be the amount of
    tax my son would pay each ‘pay check'. Interestingly enough, it
    happens to be around what he would pay if he was a single male
    working in the REAL world! My daughter gets a flat rate per
    chores as she's only five. When she's older, if the system is
    still in place, she'll pay taxes too). I will save all the taxes
    that my son pays and he will get a ‘tax return' at the end of
    the year. He has to save 10% of this money (again, bills), but
    the rest he can do as he wish. OH and that 10% he's saving
    through the year? He is allowed to withdraw up to half of it and
    use it to buy Christmas presents. His father and I have agreed
    to match him dollar for dollar up to $25. (All of this is
    subject to change, of course).

    Dad gets paid for a job. But when he gets his paycheck, he
    doesn't get to just ‘blow it'. He has bills he has to pay. My
    son's bill is 10% into his savings (AT least 10%, he can save
    more). I figure, this way he's not just getting his money and
    spending it without thought. It actually has to GO TOWARD
    something. (My son got a dose of reality with this when he saw
    me with my check book and noticed how much I paid for rent! LOL)

    Both of the children have a ‘time sheet' that lists the chores
    they can get paid for as well as how many times they can get
    paid for them (realistically, a piece of furniture can only be
    dusted so many times before you're wasting your time, you know?)
    They have to come to me to sign off on the chore (my daughter
    has stickers). Oh and in case you're wondering, as I mentioned
    last time I got in touch with you, one of my concerns was that
    maybe the children should do chores just because they were a
    part of the family unit. I think I've figured a way around this.
    There are chores that children must do simply because they have
    to get done ­ unloading the dishwasher, keeping their room tidy,
    picking up after themselves, feeding the cats, scooping litter
    boxes…etc.

    This past week was only a ‘partial paycheck'. They did not do
    all of the chores they could have done and as a result only got
    a fraction of what they could have gotten. (My son's cap is $10,
    he got $1.50. My daughter's cap is $5 and she got $1.26).

    It's too early to tell if this will work or not. But the kids
    do seem excited about the system. I've also talked to my son
    about setting a short term savings goal. He doesn't know what he
    wants yet…but when he figures it out, I told him I would help
    remind him, etc to save toward that as well.

    The system actually serves another purpose as well. It not only
    allows the children to earn money (and help me around the house
    in the process!), but there are so many facets to this ‘project'
    that I can teach consumer math, in real time, to my son. That is
    exciting for me.

    Thank you, as always, your wonderful newsletter,

    Iva

    PS ­ In response to your Poll, there are some things I expect
    to read on the computer: email, ebooks, and message boards. I
    prefer to read books in my hand, but to be honest, right now,
    it's less clutter just to read on the computer. I prefer eBooks
    on the computer.

    Blessings

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    Subscriber Tip

    I do not have a dishwasher and do daycare so I am always
    washing dishes. I run as little water in sink as possible and
    start with silverware. When rinsing I let in run in the dirty
    dish sink and never have any go down the drain. I use only a
    fraction (not even a 1/2 of sink) of the water most other people
    use. I think I do well for having 10 kids to wash for at least 2
    times a day.

    Terri

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    Subscriber Tip

    I got tired of buying dish washing soap all the time! It seemed
    to always be almost empty! We used it to hand wash dishes, and
    wash our hands. And my kids and husband were NOT frugal with it!
    Soooo, to save on liquid dish washing soap, I purchased a salad
    dressing bottle, you know the glass ones with the corked top
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    Lorraine

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    This Week's Article Links

    Just click the links to view the article

    Affordable legal help for bankruptcy
    By Brigitte Yuille " Bankrate.com

    33 Basic Smart Shopping Tips
    by Sandy Shields

    Home Equity Loans: The Three-Day Cancellation Rule
    Federal Trade Commission

    To read more articles visit:

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    Special Recipe

    Select Recipes from Not Just Beans (5 recipes included)

    This recipe compliments of The Best Cookbook Anywhere

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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.

    ~~To keep the corners of your windowsills free of dust and
    moisture, rub a white candle into each corner of the sill.

    ~~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.