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The Budget Stretcher
"Saving you money...One Dime at a Time!"
Week Of: October 29, 2007
AOL Users Please Visit Online
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Grandpa Terry's Quips
Tip #27 - If you play the lottery for 4000 or 5000 years you only
have to buy 1 ticket a week to be sure of winning.
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Support Our Sponsor
Bill Gates is the richest American
According to Forbes Magazine, but did you know that the heirs to
the Wal-Mart fortune are worth even more than Bill? Instead of
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your pocket. Request more information here:
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***What's Inside***
Grandpa Terry's Quips
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 - Salsa #1
Watch for next week's newsletter featuring:
Home Equity Loans: The Three-Day Cancellation Rule
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Subscriber Tip
I am brand spanking new to your newsletter, but my household
has already gotten pretty good at being very budget wise. When I
stopped being a chef/restaurant manager and my husband got off
the road as a truck driver, we had to figure out-overnight_ how
to live on about 40-50, 000.00 dollars a year less.
We first filed the chapter 13, reorganization bankruptcy, which
gave us the chance to save our home. We are in the last year of
paying it off. I shop for clothes almost strictly at thrift
stores, yard sales. Household items as well. Or, I purchase only
off of the really marked down racks. We do not do malls. Period.
Haven't been in one in about 5 years.
Groceries are bought at no more than $2.00 a pound for meats.
Other items only when on sale, or in season, then I freeze, dry,
whatever. I buy whole boneless pork loins at $1.98 per pound,
then cut them into roast, chops, stir fry myself and freeze
them. Chicken Breasts at $1.00 a pound and buy a number of them
for down the road. I try to grow some of our own tomatoes, taste
better anyway. Melons as well. I am looking forward to what I
can learn from ya'll now.
Thanks
Alise
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
If you've ever taken your children to the popular pizza/game center, Chuck
E. Cheese's, you've probably also noticed the helpful coupons that can be
found throughout the year in the Sunday paper inserts. Well, did you know
that you can use more than one coupon per visit? This could double your
savings, especially if you have a large family or group and need to order
more than one pizza. While most restaurants are very strict about coupon
use and only allow one per visit, apparently this does not apply to all
restaurants. If the coupon doesn't clearly state that they only accept one
per visit (and most do), it never hurts to ask. And, you could double your
savings! :o)
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!
Do you like shopping at Wal-Mart online but cringe when you see
the shipping charges? Well, they have something new so you can
order what you want and not pay all of those charges.
It's called "Site To Store". You simply order what you want and
have it shipped to your local Wal-Mart store to be picked up at
your convenience. You can learn more at the below link:
Sometimes it hard to determine whether a second income is
really worth the effort. Bankrate.com has a calculator that will
help you determine just how much that second income is bringing
in. Click the below link to check it out:
In Grandpa Terry's Email below you will find a link to an article
that explains, in detail, how to go about correcting errors on
your credit report. I strongly urge you to read the article and
even bookmark it for future use. Here is the link:
Speaking of credit reports, now would be a good time to request
your free credit reports if you haven't done so in the last year.
All you have to do is visit the below web site and enter the info
required. Some of this info is sensitive but it is submitted on
a secure server so it's perfectly safe.
When you receive your credit reports check them over very
carefully and make sure all of the entries are correct. Here is
that 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 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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Support Our Sponsor
Fusion Cash is looking for home based data entry personnel to
fill out free offer forms of various products and services
online. Please note that most of these offers are free and will
not cost you anything! Fusion Cash data entry personnel receive
a $5.00 sign up bonus right away for joining the company.
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Credit Card Information
Is wife liable for credit card debt?
By Justin Harelik • Bankrate.com
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Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
Quick Money Tips #2 from Budget Stretcher
This is the 2nd in a series of articles that provide helpful
money tips that you can use to stretch your budget.
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.
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Site of the Week
4 Moms at Home.com
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Grandpa Terry's Email
Can you help these subscribers? If so email me at
tre2000@midwest.net and I will pass it along:
I wonder if anyone can help me. I've searched the web and
nothing is really valid there.
I'm a hair dresser and sometimes get hair dye on my clothes.
I'm so busy that I don't realize it until I get home. My shirts
end up washed and dried leaving a stain.
Does anyone know how to get these stains off after the clothes
have been through the dryer?
Thank you,
Cheryl
----------
Question #1
Amid all the product claims of being the best...do our readers
know the BEST way to get cigarette and pet odors out of the home?
Question #2
Somebody I know just spent over a $100 on a tube of Stri-Vectin,
that claims to get rid of wrinkles. ( I could fill up my gas tank
twice with that...!) Since ALL of these wrinkle reducing products
say they are the best...do our readers know if any of them truly
are? Or is there a tried and true old-timey remedy?
Thanks, Suzy
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Opportunity
I have prayed a long time and I know God has answered my
prayers about a home based business. The opportunity and
compensation with this company blows my mind. I'm so excited,
I've been doing this three weeks and I'm getting ready to get a
big pay raise. The friend that showed me this opportunity has
been in this type of business for 16 years and is at the top.
She was so impressed with this company and its compensation plan
that she immediately joined this company and is already a
regional manager after only four weeks.
The man that owns the company had done this kind of business
for a number of years and was the highest paid representative in
network marketing ever. After retiring for 5 years he decided to
start his on company. It has been in business for almost 6 years
now, and has been and still is completely debt free.
owner and later had the opportunity to meet him in person, it
was easy to see that he is a man of integrity. When you hear him
speak and experience his passion you know that his words are not
just hype. You know that because of his success he truly wants
to see people in his company successful too. What this company
offers besides just a way to make money, is hope -- hope to see
dreams come true, hope for a brighter future.
I've always wanted to have a job that I could help other people
achieve there goals as well as achieving mine. I love the
saying, "Help people become successful and you will be
successful yourself". I honestly believe anyone who will take
some time looking at the above web site will be impressed with
this company, its owner and its vision.
I would love to hear the dreams your readers have, and show
them a way to make there dreams a reality. (Rep. ID# 6294577) My
phone number is 864-261-7751, and my email is
cherylsnelgrove@yahoo.com.
----------
I have a 12 year old daughter. We are trying to teach her about
money now, not when she is out on her own with real life. We had
her read Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens. Do you have any other
reading suggestions? Also, we would be willing to give her a
small amount of seed money to let her invest so she can learn
now. Are you aware of any reputable places where kids can do
some investing ( more for learning at a small level than for
getting rich!) ?
Thanks. As always we enjoy and appreciate your efforts.
Lisa
My Response:
Hi Lisa,
This is my pet project, teaching kids personal finance at an
early age.
I would start you daughter with a learning site that is set up
to teach her all about managing money in terms she can
understand. It's sponsored by ING Direct. Here is the link:
Here are some other links you may find helpful:
I hope this helps,
Grandpa Terry
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Hello! Love your newsletter - I look for it every Sunday! I
have a quick question about a collection item on my credit
report. Several years ago, I was a single mom of 2 working a
full time job for $9.50/hr. After daycare, rent, necessities I
didn't have any money left and got behind on my phone bill. It
was eventually turned off and reported to the credit bureaus.
I have since graduated from college and have a much higher
paying job (twice what I was making back then!). Last fall, my
husband and I bought our first house. In the process, we had to
pay off all collections on our credit reports. The old phone
bill was one of the items we had to pay. After comparing all 3
credit reports, I noticed that the phone bill had been reported
by 2 different collection companies-both showing the same
balance (to the penny!) and the same account number.
I called one of the collection agencies and was told that they
bought the debt from Alliance One (the other company that
reported the debt). So I paid them with a check by phone and
they emailed me a paid in full letter. Taken care of right?
Wrong! After giving my paid letters to our mortgage company, our
loan officer told me I had to get the item reported by Alliance
One taken care of; they would need to supply me with a letter
that said they sold the account. They refused. I faxed to them
the letter of payment from the other collection agency and they
still refused to remove it.
They told me I needed to contact the phone company and the
phone company would call them to let them know it had been paid.
The phone company no longer showed any record of this debt (it
had been just over 5years), so they could not help me. When I
called Alliance One back to tell them this, they still refused
to remove the item. Luckily, our mortgage lender noticed the
similarity of the reports and noted our file so it didn't hold
up our mortgage.
Here is my question: Is it legal for Alliance One to continue
to report this as unpaid when I have provided proof of payment
in full? It is still (as of today) being reported as unpaid,
which of course is damaging to my credit score. Only someone
completely obtuse could not tell that this is the same account
as reported by the other company. HELP!! I need to get this
taken care of...I managed to "reset" the clock so to speak when
I was repaying everything, so I'm assuming my 7 years restarted
with them reporting it as unpaid again last fall. What do I do?
Would it benefit me to report them to the FTC?
I appreciate any advice you can offer!
Thank you!
~Christine
My Response:
Hi Christine,
Doesn't that make you mad!! I had a similar experience where
the company reported a negative entry on my report for my son (a
junior).
I have just the information you need and I urge you to follow
it to the letter. Here is an article that gives detailed step by
step instructions on what to do in your case:
You can expect not only the credit bureau but also the company
to fight you but you need to stick to it.
Let me know how this turns out,
Grandpa Terry
----------
Hi- I can understand Tammy's dismay with having her debit card
used fraudulently. Last year it happened to me twice in separate
instances. The bank was great. The first time I had used my card
at a gas station. It turned out to be someone at the company
that did the processing for that station.
The second time who knows. I have learned several things that
might help and are easy. The easiest is use it as "credit" as
much as possible-apparently that makes it harder for thieves
since they can't match a password and some other things. The
other biggie-when you get an email telling you that you need to
"click here" to correct and bring you Paypal or other type of
account up to date-DO NOT DO THAT! Instead copy down that link
and report it to the place where you have that account by
putting their correct info into the address bar so you do not
get a fake website.
The website that is very helpful is
Apparently thieves can put tiny cameras at ATM's to take a
picture of your card and record the pin you put in, then make up
a card and be using it within minutes BUT without the pin they
are unable to withdraw money from your account. This is how the
fraud unit noticed things the second time-they were out west
trying to withdraw money and also in Romania or Bulgaria at the
same time being denied. When they (at the bank) received the
report of this they checked and saw that I did not have that
kind of activity on my account. I knew that several weeks later
we would be traveling to the mid-west for my son's graduation
from grad school so told them to be aware that we would be
driving there and using the card so they didn't shut it down
again for unusual activity thinking that it was a continuing
problem just with the new number.
Hope this helps
Lynda
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Subscriber Tip
Reference my quick tips from last week: 4. Use your checking
account only to pay bills. Use cash for everything else.
To save even more... pay as many bills as possible on-line.
Utility, mortgage and credit card bills, for example. We've also
added insurance and investment accounts to the list we pay
on-line-- all through our credit union. I still have most of the
checks I bought three years ago, and a book of stamps lasts 3 or
4 months (except at Christmas...).
Another nice thing about on-line payments-- you get a receipt
right away, so you KNOW they got your payment on-time (and, at
least with my credit union, you can choose which day to transfer
funds, so you can process the bills when you get them, but keep
your money in your account until the bills are due).
Kaytee
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or Money?
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Subscriber Tip
Vick's Vapor rub on bottom of feet, stops cough . . . . . .
To stop a nighttime coughing in a child (or adult), put Vick's
Vapor Rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime, then
cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will
stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of
relief.
Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than
even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition, it
is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep
soundly. I heard the head of Canada Research Council describe
these findings on the part of their scientists when medicines in
children as compared to alternative therapies like acupressure.
Just happened to tune in A. M. Radio and picked up this fellow
talking about why cough medicines in children often do more harm
than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs so, I
listened.
It was surprising finding and found to be more effective than
prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, and in addition,
to have a soothing and calm effect on sick children who then
went on to sleep soundly.
My wife tried this on herself when she had a very deep,
constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked
100%!! She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped
her, coughing stopped in a few minutes and believe me, this was
a deep, (incredibly annoying!) every few seconds uncontrolled
cough, and she slept cough free for hours every night that she
used it.
So, if you have children, or grandchildren, pass it on. If you
should end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely
amazed by the effect
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This Week's Article Links
Just click the links to view the article
Court order required to garnish wages
By Steve Bucci " Bankrate.com
Shop Online Safely
By David Delisle
Repaying Charged-Off Debts
By Gary Foreman
To read more articles visit:
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Take Advantage of your Budget Stretcher Subscriber
Benefits Visit:
Visit Our Forum
Join This Groups
A_Simple_Life
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Free Coupons, rebates and freebies
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Special Recipe
Salsa #1
4 cups canned tomatoes with juice
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small, fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
2 to 3 Tbsp. lime juice (to taste)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper
Cook all the ingredients in a large saucepan on medium heat for
20 minutes. Pour into hot, sterile quart jars and seal. Process
in a pressure canner for 25 minutes. We use salsa frequently
enough that we don't have to can it. Store it in the
refrigerator.
Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until the
potatoes are tender. Uncover; sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.
Yield: 6 servings
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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.
~~Cleaning behind your refrigerator will keep it running longer
and more efficiently. Another fridge cleaning tip: Make sure the
unit is level. An unleveled refrigerator works harder than it
needs to and wastes energy.
~~Store plastic wrap in refrigerator - it will prevent it from
sticking.
~~A good trick when you go away on vacation is to place a
baggie with a few ice cubes in the freezer. If a power failure
occurs while you are gone and the food thaws and then refreezes
you will know about it when you get home.
~~Use a powder puff to dust flour on rolling pins, pastry
boards and cookie sheets. Store puff in a margarine tub with a
small amount of flour for quick dusting jobs.
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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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