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The Budget Stretcher
Week Of: November 6, 2006
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Grandpa Terry's Quips
Tip #35 - The best way to screw up a credit card company's
accounting is to pay your bill on time.
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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 - Pumpkin Pie
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Subscriber Tip
Terry,
I have told you more than once over the last year how much you
have helped me. Let me say it again, Thank You. My tip comes
from having 3 grandkids. I prefer them to use paper towels when
they wash their hands or when eating. We'll buy SCOTT which is
not the cheapest brand , but it is sturdy. I always buy in bulk
on sale with coupons. Which ends up costing LESS than the cheap
brands. Kids have little hands so a full towel is really a
waste. I now lay the roll on a cutting board and cut it in half.
If I myself need more then I can roll off 2 , but usually one
half sheet is plenty to do the job. I know there are the
select-a-size towels available , but for me they cost way to
much. Thanks again
JAN in NC
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 you purchase a product that has a coupon attached on the
package and you are unable to use it on that particular shopping
trip, don't toss the coupon! These manufacturer coupons can be
used on a future purchase, just be sure to check the expiration
date. When you return to the store the packages with the coupons
are likely to be all gone (they go fast) but you can still
purchase another item and use the coupon you found on your
previous trip!
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
(Quote - "Do It Now Before Your Future Becomes Your Past")
I want to personally welcome you to this week's newsletter. If
you are a new subscriber all you have to do is just sit back,
read and enjoy.
Brand New - Free 7 Day Trial For Budget Stretcher Premium
You can now get a full week to check out Budget Stretcher
Premium at no cost to you. All you have to do is click on the
below link and sign up. You will get full access to see if BSP
is right for you plus 1 ads free newsletter during the trial
period.
I have just added dozens of links to access thousands of web
sites and articles on just about any topic you can think of.
This alone is worth checking it out.
I thought you may want to see the new format for the Premium
newsletter. It's simple but I believe well organized. (Note:
Where you see YMLP your newsletter will have your personal
subscriber information each week.)
Why not take the next step to help you meet your financial
goals and at least check out the Premium side of Budget
Stretcher:
I've been a member of Ezine Finder for a while but just got
around to submitting all of the information about our
newsletter. I would like to ask you to click on the below link
and vote for this newsletter. That will increase our ranking and
make finding and subscribing to The Budget Stretcher Newsletter
easier for visitors to Ezine Finder. Here is the link:
Don't forget to look for other newsletters that may interest
you while you are there.
I may be running another special on my ebook "Living Within Your
Means - The Easy Way" within the next week or so. Right now it
is selling for $12.97 but for subscribers only I'm going to cut
the price to just $5 for about a week. Watch for a special
offer.
Leo Quinn, a good internet friend of mine, asked his subscribers
to help a lady that lost her job and is pregnant with twin
girls. This lady is looking for a legitimate business to help
her with Christmas shopping money. I thought it may help some
of you to read the responses. Here is the link to his web page:
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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Credit Card Information
Credit reports and scores: Introduction
By Bankrate.com
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Grandpa Terry's Tip of the Week
This tip is taken from my free email course "Beginner's
Guide To Budgeting".
Yes, You Can Budget!
There are several factors that contribute to budgets failing.
The most common is that people just don't want to change the way
they live and how they handle their money.
We get comfortable with the way we live and making a major
lifestyle change is something that scares most of us. But, my
friend, this is probably what it will take to get your finances
in order and keep them that way.
I can almost guess what you are thinking, "It's time to start
deleting these courses. This clown is trying to make me change
everything and I don't want to". Am I right?
This change doesn't have to be devastating. When you change the
way you think about your finances this change will be welcome.
That's what I'm here to accomplish.
It may be a little easier to understand what I'm referring to
by ordering my ebook "Living Within Your Means - The Easy Way".
Here's that link again:
The first and most important thing you have to do is to decide
what it is you want to do with your money. I'm talking about
setting your goals. When you have a goal that is really
important to you it is easier to do what's necessary to reach
that goal.
That goal stuff is all fine and good but what if I can't even
pay my bills now? What good is a goal to me? If you don't have a
goal there is little motivation to solve the problem. Remember,
we are taking this step by step.
We are working backwards here. You set your goal first (the
solution) and then work on how to get there (the problem).
Let me give you an example. You have a goal to be debt free in
the next 5 years. The problem is that you don't have enough
money now to pay your bills and put food on the table. This
seems like an impossible mission. If being debt free is really
important to you then you will find a way to make it happen.
Recently I received an email from a lady that wanted
information about what she could do to keep here bill collectors
from contacting her work and discussing her finances with her
friends and family. I won't go into details here but you can
read the case study by visiting:
This lady and her husband had car loans totaling over $1300 per
month. They voluntarily had these vehicles repossessed. This
action will have a devastating effect on their credit report,
however, I don't believe it will be quite as bad as having to
file bankruptcy.
This couple made a hard choice in order to reach their goals.
While you may not have to have anything repossessed, you are
still going to have to make hard choices. My point is that you
can do it if you try. This is just one example of how you can
budget even if you are behind on your bills.
There are many other things you can do if you are behind. One
of the best ways to get started is to contact your bill
collectors and see what arrangements can be made. You may be
surprised to find that these people are willing to work with you
to solve the problem.
I'll get into more ways to solve your immediate money problems
later in the course but I wanted to touch on this to let you
know all is not lost if you are late on a few bills.
How many times have you considered a purchase just to ask
yourself "Can I Afford This?". When you have a budget in place
this is a question that you won't need to ask. You will have the
numbers in front of you. If the payment is too much to fit in
your budget then the answer is No.
The time to start a budget is now. It doesn't matter whether
you are 18 or 65. Once you set up your budget and have it in
place for a couple of months you will start to realize that it
isn't difficult.
As with anything else there are basic guidelines that are
universally accepted. These vary somewhat depending on who you
talk to but the below percentages will get you close to what is
accepted.
What I am talking about is the percentage of your income (take
home pay) that you should allot for each category of your
budget. At Budget Stretcher I have broken this down to just 4
categories to make your budget experience as simple as possible.
Here are the percentages:
Housing - 30% of your take home pay. Housing costs cover your
rent or mortgage payment, taxes, etc.
Other Bills - 30% of your take home pay. This is the catch all
category that includes your regular bills excluding housing.
Your credit cards, utilities, loan payments, car payments,
insurance, etc. are all covered in this category.
Household Expenses - 30% of your take home pay. This is what it
takes to run your household. This includes groceries, car gas
and all the other stuff you have to pay for between paydays.
Savings - 10% of your take home pay. This is possibly the most
important of all of the categories. If you don't have a long
term and short term savings program it is going to be difficult
to solve any money problems you may have.
At least %5 of your take home pay should be used for short term
savings. This is very important because it is what is going to
cover any unexpected expenses that may pop up. This will prevent
the use of credit cards to cover these expenses.
Your short term savings should be kept in a savings account or
other savings program that will allow you to lay your hands on
it quickly. This isn't to say that you should use this when
money runs short at the end of the month.
Your should also put aside at least 5% of your take home pay
for your long term savings. One day you will want to buy a house
or send the kids to college and this is the pot of money that is
going to accomplish that.
Even if you have a 401k or other retirement plan it is still a
good idea to put this money away. This money needs to be in an
account that will pay you the most interest without a lot of
risk. Since I'm not an investment expert I won't even begin to
make a recommendation on where to invest this money. You will
need to consult a competent investment broker for this advice.
As you can see by the percentages above your budget is actually
as simple as 2+2. If your bills and expenses doesn't fit into
the recommended percentages then you need to work on it until it
does.
If you are like I was you can probably come up with a thousand
reasons why you can't budget your money. Either you have too
many bills, your are too far behind on those bills or you just
don't want to make the perceived sacrifices necessary to live on
a budget.
I'm not going to try to fool you into believing that there
won't be sacrifices. I am going to tell you that what ever
sacrifices you have to make will be well worth the effort.
If you would like to take my ecourse "Beginner's Guide To
Budgeting" please visit your Subscriber Benefits page and use
the form in the left column at the below link:
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Site of the Week
Budget Stretcher Cash Back Rewards
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Grandpa Terry's Email
Hi Uncle Terry
My suggestion would be to buy them the annual stamp albums.
They will not only learn to appreciate what goes into making
stamps, but they will learn all about the reasons that the
stamps were produced eg. special people, charities, etc.
The stamps also appreciate in value over the years. I've been
buying my grandson one every year for Christmas. I also buy him
another Christmas gift because I am holding onto them until he's
21.
He will appreciate all the special occasions & events that
occurred over the years.
Wendy from Oz.
-------
Grandpa Terry,
I am sure you aware of the many fake or misleading e-mails we
get almost on a daily basis. I have become so skittish regarding
site regarding your question, you can submit the questioned
e-mail and they will research it for you and let you know the
truth. I am responding to;
Just a health note- I saw in the newsletter that a woman
re-used a plastic bottle for her olive oil. For health
reasons-any bottle with a triangle on it with a number lower
that a "5"should NOT be refilled and reused. It is meant to be
used once. Over time it can emit harmful levels of chemicals
from the plastic into whatever you have in there.
This is false according to snopes. Read about it here.
Truth or Fiction the report has to do with reheating in plastic,
but it is also false. You can read about it here;
I would hate to see someone not use an economical resource due
to the wrong reasons.
Thanks,
Janet
-------
To the one that needs gift ideas for nieces and nephews who
seem ungrateful:
I had this same problem. We don't usually spend Christmas with
family since they are so far away. One year we were finally able
to spend it with my husband's youngest brothers' family. They
have 3 girls. I was amazed at the stuff they had. There was no
room for everything. It looked like their house had exploded! I
had cute bracelets personalized for each girl. But they had so
many presents, they were just ripping the paper, peeking inside
and throwing the presents aside to go to the next one. I began
sending them craft projects to keep them busy. I don't buy the
expensive "all in one" craft projects in a box. I buy the
discontinued, clearance, yard sale and/or thrift store items.
Find a craft from an online site and put boxes or baskets
together with the items and how to make them. Sometimes I send
them a note to take the items to a children's home or nursing
home. I think when they see reality they understand life a
little better. Hope this helps some.
-------
Hi Grandpa Terry!
I'm one of the readers who bought the Simple Budget Planner and
this is probably the best software of this kind that I've seen,
and I have bought several over the years. It's very quick and
easy to set up and start recording data, any day of the month.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Jessie Sioux Falls, SD
-------
Grandpa Terry,
Just wished to email you and let you know that I love receiving
your newsletter. I am writing in reference to the lady who didn’t
know what to give to her nieces & nephews for Christmas.
Christmas if for giving, sharing, caring. May I suggest that she
make a donation to a non-profit organization in their name, they
will receive a receipt for their gift, and it will show them the
REAL joy of giving, sharing & caring at this most joyous time of
the year, our Lord & Savior's birth.
Our church is a "host site" for Angle Food Ministries, you can
purchase a unit of food for only $25 dollars, it is a great
ministry. They have "host sites" in 30 states now, if there is
not a "host site" in your area then please look in to starting
one, please check it out and pass on to your readers -
angelfoodministries.com Thanks, have a great day.
Susie
-------
I really enjoy the Budget Stretcher.
Thanks for all you are doing for all of us!
Keep up the good work, & GOD will bless you & all that you do
for others.
Sincerely,
Georgia
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Subscriber Tip
Hi, Grandpa Terry.
I just wanted to tell you I really like the new format. The
"About" page is great, too. In the 10 months I've been a
subscriber, you have helped me tremendously. I paid off our
credit card debt a few months ago! And a tip about that: I was
discouraged about that debt until one day I pulled our
statements for the previous six months. My husband and I were
surprised and thrilled to see that I had actually made a lot of
progress. So it helps to sometimes look at your progress (or
even lack of it) over several months. Gives you a bird's-eye
view, so to speak.
So thank you for all your help and keep up the good work!
Kyria
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Subscriber Tip
I've tried it ALL! The very best way to get rid of those
yellow or black stains in your toilet is to use a pumice stone.
The rough cut type are nicely large and can be bought at any
hardware store for under $2 -- they could last several years. I
put on rubber gloves and scrape off the stains like you would
use an eraser. Previously I swore by using muriatic acid (again
at hardware stores) but it's such a project to get the fan
going so you don't overdose on its toxic fumes. Bleach?
forget it. This is so easy and after using the same gloves doing
all my toilets within 30 minutes, I just toss the gloves and
store the pumice stone back in its box.
Val
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This Week's Article Links
Just click the links to view the articles
Easy Ways to Manage Your Seasonal Shopping
by W. Lomano
7 steps to stop an overspending spouse
The Debt Adviser by Steve Bucci • Bankrate.com
Saving Money: How to Find Your Starting Point
Darlene Arechederra
To read more articles visit:
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Debt Consolidation can:
H - Help avoid filing bankruptcy
E - Eliminate creditor harassment
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Special Recipe
Holiday Cooking
Pumpkin Pie
1 pie crust
2 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
Bake pie crust at 350 degrees for 1-2 minutes until crust
starts to puff with small bubbles. Watch carefully. Blend all
ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into pie crust and bake at
425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350
degrees for 45 minutes. When a knife is inserted into the center
of the pie and comes out clean it is done. Makes one 10-inch
pie.
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.
~~To save on electric and water only run your dishwasher when
full. When adding dishes take a handful of baking soda and
sprinkle the dishes and bottom of dishwasher to absorb odors.
When you run the dishwasher there is no need to add detergent to
the first cycle receptacle only to the 2nd one that stays shut
until the second cycle starts. The baking soda will take the
place of the detergent in the first cycle.
~~When you have a spill in your oven, sprinkle some salt on it
right away. Then when the oven cools wipe it off.
~~Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before
pouring in tomato-based sauces--no more stains.
~~Transfer your jelly to a small plastic squeeze bottle--no
more messy, sticky jars or knives. This also works well for
homemade salad dressing.
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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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