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The Budget Stretcher
Week Of: July 3, 2006
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Grandpa Terry's Quips
Tip #17 - It's been said that you should put your credit card
in a block of ice to give you time to think about
a purchase so you can save money. How much would you
save if you put it in a fire instead?
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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 - Sheala's Ham and Noodles
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Subscriber Tip
Computer Tip
If you have a bunch of windows open and want to close
them all at once just press the key with the Microsoft
logo at the bottom of your keyboard and press M. This
minimizes all open windows instantly.
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
When our children were very young (and our budget very
limited) I regularly saved $100 a month using coupons,
or more! I was definitely known by friends and family
as a 'coupon queen,' and I was pretty proud of that
title. But over the years I've learned many additional
ways to save money on groceries without the use of coupons,
and now use them only as needed. I currently save about
$30-$50 a month using coupons and another $200-300
using other methods.
Save hundreds of dollars on your groceries each month, with
or without using coupons! Read more of Michelle's FREE
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Grandpa Terry's Update
Welcome to this week's issue of our newsletter. I
hope this finds everyone doing well.
Another light week without too much email.
I've decided to include as part of Grandpa Terry's Email
section of our newsletter a "Topic of Discussion".
As an example would a few weeks ago we had a
subscriber submit a tip on securing your purse while
at the supermarket. There were several responses to
this and this is the type of submissions that will
appear.
This week's Topic of Discussion is from a subscriber
looking for tips to help those that live alone.
Well, our June contest winner did not contact me
before the deadline so the drawing for this month
will be for $100 either in a Walmart Gift Card or
cash through PayPal. You have to read the newsletter
every week to find out if you are a winner.
Since most of the Subscriber Tips I received recently
will be listed in a different section of the newsletter
I'm going to list a couple of Computer Tips that I
use that may help some of you. Sorry, I'm not a computer
whiz so if you have a better tip let us know.
I have a new Budget Stretcher partner that I would like
to introduce. This time they are from the UK. Maxxsave.co.uk
is a very helpful web site and since I have so many
subscribers from the UK it was about time to have one
of my partners from the UK. Here is the link:
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.
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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Credit Card Information
Calculate how long it would take to pay off your credit
cards making only the minimum payment
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Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Good Money Advice
One thing I've noticed since I developed Budget
Stretcher is that most people actually know what
needs to be done to improve their financial
situation. Over half the email I receive asking
for help includes the solutions to their
problem right in the email.
Another example of this is to see what is said
on forums when discussing fixing a money problem.
Some of the people that are the deepest in debt
give the best advice to others.
So why don't they just take their own advice and
fix their problems? Because that's when it becomes
personal. That's also when they realize that it
is their lifestyle that will require changing.
Believe it or not, a shortage of money rarely
creates a money problem. You may not have the money
to live the lifestyle you would like, but, in most
cases, you have the money to live on and pay your
bills on time.
I think what most people are looking for when they
seek help is encouragement and possibly an easier
way to accomplish the task without disrupting the
lifestyle they are comfortable with.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with this but at
some point they must realize that things can't
stay the same. It may be hard, but changes will
need to be made if they are actually committed
to solving their money problem.
The main point to this tip is that knowing what
you need to do to fix your finances is a very
small part of actually getting it done. Almost
anyone can tell you how to do it.
The hard part can only be done by you.
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Site of the Week
Little Country Village
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Grandpa Terry's Email
Topic of Discussion
If you can help this subscriber please submit your ideas
to me for next week's newsletter.
Hi Terry, That was an interesting bit about the lady
shopping at Sam's Club.
I don't have a card there as I don't buy in large quantites.
I live alone. I do shop for paper products at Aldi.
Other things too. 4 rolls of white quilted Toilet paper,
2 ply for 89c.
There must be other loners out there Terry. Please offer
some tips for us.
Thanks, I enjoy your newsletter,
Noni in Illinois.
----------
Syl submitted a 4 ingredient recipe for Peanut Butter
Cookies. I've been making a similar recipe for years.
Just omit the vanilla - they still taste wonderful.
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Patty
----------
Grandpa Terry,
I just wanted to thank you for making some sense and kicking
my butt in gear. Because of you, my husband and I have a
budget that works and we're actually seeing our debt decrease.
It makes us feel good. So much stress has been lifted.
Thank you and God bless,
Kristin
My Response
Hi Kristin,
You are very welcome. But you and your husband must remember
who is actually doing this. I'm proud to be a small part of
this but I am much prouder (is that a word?) of you and your
husband for making it happen.
All the best,
Grandpa Terry
----------
This is regarding the tip about clipping your purse to the
shopping cart. This is a good hint, which I also do, but I
always keep my hand on or near the cart when I turn my back
as the cart itself can be taken. How many time have people
come close to you and not thinking grab the wrong cart? That
has happened to me a few times. Not often, but it does happen
and if anyone out there is following you and keeping an eye
on your actions, they could easily switch carts while your
back is turned and it could take awhile to find it. Thieves
know how to move fast and are sneaky! Just one more thought
on the subject.
Julie
----------
I find many things to be a very good deal at Sams but I also
lack the space to store the bulk amounts. My solution is to
share the cost of a membership with two other friends and
shop together. We buy one package of something and split it
three ways. Using this method we get the lower per unit
cost without having to store so much. Also, you do need to
know the prices. Some things are a great buy at Sams, other
things you can do better on at the regular grocery.
Colleen
----------
I think that the answer to the question on membership stores
is not a simple yes or no. I think it all depends. For years,
we patronized one of the membership warehouse stores. It was
a one and a half hour drive away, so we only went every three
months and loaded up while we were there. You really have to
know your prices to make one of these stores pay off. And you
have to be very aware of the spoilage factor. My family could
not go through twenty five pound bags of potatoes before they
spoiled, so we did not buy those. We found the meat to be a
pretty good deal, but we came home and divided it up into
packaging that was more suited to our size of family. We did
not go for the gallon sized mustard, but the five pound bags
of pasta were a good deal, and the spices were a very good
deal, if you could use them all before they lost flavor. We
often bought books and music there, and my husband found some
very nice work slacks for $15.
On the other hand, we found that it was an all day thing to
go to the warehouse store, stock up, come home, and find homes
for all of the food we had bought. And there was a lot of
waste involved. It took us five years to get through a mega
pack of hand soap that I bought! Eventually we stopped going
and we gave the membership up about five years ago. I do not
miss it. Getting the most from your food dollars requires a
variety of strategies, including coupons and refunds, cooking
from scratch, menu planning, loss leader sales, seasonal sales,
and a local food co-op. It works for us.
Ann
----------
If talking about warehouse clubs, there are only 3 of them,
according to Wikipedia, with the other two being Costco and BJ's.
For certain big-ticket items, one can save money, even if also paying
the membership fee. One time, when I went pricing computers for one of
my customers, the best deal that I could find (for specs that I
considered minimally tolerable) was at Sam's Club, and that was even
with the membership fee, and I've found that they're cheaper almost
all the time. I work on computers, including custom-building them, and
can easily build one and get much better value (better specs, quality,
AND price) compared to high-end name brand systems, but I can't beat
the stuff under about $1000, price-wise.
Apparently diapers and formula are other items that are cheaper at
Sam's Club; I was asked to get some for someone else, while I was in
the area, and was amazed to find that the diapers were about half the
price that they were available for elsewhere in the area, per diaper.
The best price was on a name-brand diaper that wasn't listed on the
web site.
Another advantage of buying in bulk, of course, is fewer visits to the
store, if you're the type (like me) to go shopping when you're out of
something or when the store is near (ditto; Sam's is a 45-minute
round-trip for me). A large package of toilet paper lasts me about a
year, at a very rough guess. The ones that I got last time were
individually-wrapped rolls, so I took them out of the package and
stacked them on the shelf up to the ceiling.
Those wanting to check the web site before making their first visit
should be aware that they have many items available only online, and
many items in the stores which are not listed online. They currently
allow people into the stores without checking for cards, so you can
look around first.
I went tire-hunting some years ago (I'd gotten tireD of messing with
cheapies that only lasted a year), and the best price on the tires
that I decided upon was at Sam's. I discovered that I could buy them
at the store, and it would take several days for the tires to get in,
or I could buy them online, and the store would get them the very next
day, which I found very puzzling.
Presumably, much of this applies to Costco and BJs also -- but not
computers; they apparently cost more at Costco, and BJ's apparently
doesn't carry them.
On another note, I've seen discussion about Walmart and Sam's Club
being worse overall for local economies than Costco.
Scott
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Subscriber Tip
Computer Tip
If the print on your monitor is either too large or
too small you can change it by using one of your
browser windows, click on "View" at the top, go down
to text size and select the size print you want.
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Subscriber Tip
Computer Tip
If you are typing a web address into your browser
and don't want to type everything here is a quick
way to complete the address if it is a .com. This
works on windows, but I'm not sure about the other
browsers.
Example
If you want to type my home page address, just type
homemoneyhelp in the address and press ctrl & enter.
This will complete the address for you.
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This Week's Article Links
Just click the links to view the articles
Save, budget to defeat payday loan cycle
The Debt Adviser by Steve Bucci • Bankrate.com
Debt Management Basics
By Bankrate
Setting Your Financial Priorities
By Terry Rigg
To read more articles visit:
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Special Recipe
Sheala's Ham and Noodles
8 oz. pkg. egg noodles, cooked
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb. ham
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Mix together in a casserole dish first three ingredients
and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until warmed. Top
with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes or until
cheese melts.
*1 package of any vegetable may be added.
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.
~~Shop with a calculator.
~~Check all product packages. Some may have special
offers printed on or attached to them.
~~Frequent stores that offer free product samples
and in-store coupons.
~~If you must shop with a credit card, use one that
offers rewards for your purchases.
~~Watch while your items are being scanned and check
your receipt before you leave the store.
~~To save time, compare prices online before shopping
brick and mortar stores.
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Contact Information:
Budget Stretcher
1203 Madison 228
Fredericktown, MO 63645
FAX: 573-783-5982
*************************************************
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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