A NOTE FROM RANDAL

Hello Everyone!

Recently Donna and I attended an annual meeting for the Virginia Native Plant Society, the meeting was held near Yorktown, Virginia. It was so fascinating to learn of all the plant materials that grow natively and have such a varied use. It was the first conference I have been to that had all containers available for complete recycling and they were right out in the open and not buried some where you had to hike to.

Since going, I now find myself walking in our Virginia woods, and constantly looking down to make sure I am not missing one of our native plant species. We enjoyed our time there and we are glad to now have a resource to help encourage our native plant species and protect them from destruction as developers change the landscape forever. If you have this interest you may want to find out where the nearest Native Plant Society chapter is located to you.

If you want to see some pictures of the Yorktown, Virginia area, click here.

If you haven't stopped by the forum lately, then do so. There are numerous new posts and tips that may be just what you are looking for. Remember if you have a frugal question this is a great place to get an answer.

Thanks to our new readers and thank you to all who share this newsletter with others. Your help is invaluable to us.

Frugally yours,
Randal

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE FORUM

Add your advice for these questions at The Frugal Life Forum. Ask your own questions or leave your favorite frugal tips while you are there.

Cleaning Forum

1. Cleaning Lava Rock on House
I have searched the net every way I could think of and have found nothing. Does anyone know what to use to get hard water deposits off lava rock that is on the outside of my house?

Holidays and Special Days Forum

1. Gift Ideas Needed
I am looking for Christmas gift ideas for my father and step-mother. They are both extremely hard to buy for. Not at all frugal in nature. Any suggestions? Thanks! - Kathey

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FRUGAL FINANCES

"7 1/2 Years To Go Nowhere..."

"Playing with the stock market is like playing chicken with a freight train... no matter how many times you win, you only get to lose once." -- Mike Masters, profiled in "Stock Market Wizards: Interviews with America's Top Stock Traders"

If you've been on planet earth over the past month, you've noticed stock markets around the globe putting on their always untimely vanishing wealth act. The S&P 500 was actually BELOW its high set in January 2000. It's taken 7 1/2 years to go nowhere. Factor in inflation and S&P investors have lost 20 - 30% of their wealth.

It's never a good time to lose money, and losing it in the stock market is especially challenging.

Here's why...

Suppose you're fortunate enough to make a 20% gain one year, and suppose you're also unfortunate enough to get handed a 20% loss the next year. What's your average percent gain over these 2 years?

Well... (+20 plus -20 is 0) divided by 2 is 0%.

You have a 0% average return... but... did you lose money?

Yup. And it doesn't matter which order the gains or losses occurred.

For example, suppose you start with $1000. If it grows by 20%, you now have $1200. If $1200 now falls by 20%, you're left with $960.

Do this math the other way, with the loss occurring first, and you're left with this same $960.

Even though your returns averaged 0%, you lost money!

Stock market investing by it's very nature creates gains and losses. In order to make money, your gains must overcome Losses plus Taxes plus Fees plus Inflation. And if you also have debts, you have to overcome Interest Costs, too.

Unless you're very, very good... and lucky... you're losing money... "new market highs" notwithstanding.

Yes. I'm aware of historical averages. I'm also aware that it's mathematically impossible for the average investor to achieve them. Why? Because historical averages don't pay Taxes or Fees, aren't adjusted for Inflation, aren't carrying interest bearing debt, and aren't trapped by untimely vanishing wealth acts.

Rapid debt elimination is one wealth building strategy which never has an untimely vanishing wealth act. It creates tax-free wealth. There are no fees or commissions. Inflation is either a non-factor or works for you. And every dollar, peso, loonie, pound, kiwi, or euro used for debt elimination reduces interest cost.

Get Debt-Free ASAP. You'll have more wealth-building options than suffering on the stock market roller coaster.

Greg Moore is the Architect of the Debt Freedom System,
"DebtIntoWealth -- Lessons from My Journey to Debt Freedom."

Tips and Articles on Finances

FRUGAL COMMUNICATIONS

• 3.9 Cent Long Distance With No Access Numbers to Dial
• Save on Cellular Phone Plans
• Prepaid Phone Cards
• Internet Service

No hidden fees or charges at Blessed Hope Communications.

FRUGAL APPROACH TO WATER DRINKING

Bottled Water Budget

Bottled water is expensive. Take a moment to calculate the cost of a gallon. The cost of a countertop system even with annual replacement filters is so much less per gallon and you get to know that you truly have pure drinking and cooking water. About purity, when it comes to buying bottled water, you may be better off with your own tap water according to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

NRDC tested 1,000 bottled water samples from 103 brands, and found that one-third (1/3) contained contaminants that exceeded FDA- mandated levels. They found that one-forth (1/4) of bottled water is actually just tap water.

FDA rules allow bottlers to label their water "spring water" even though it may be treated with chemicals or mechanically pumped to the surface. There's no guarantee that the spring itself is a pure one. One brand of spring water traced to its source by the NRDC came from a spring that bubbled up into an industrial parking lot, adjacent to a hazardous waste site.

Besides the doubts on sources and contamination, it's a definite that bottled water has affected the environment. The production and transport of bottled water uses large amounts of fossil fuels. Fiji- brand water, for example, is transported to the US from Fiji, over 6,000 miles. The plastic water bottles that Americans alone use and toss in one year uses up more than 47 million gallons of oil, the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road and removing 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Sadly, 84% of these bottles are not even recycled. Pause and re-read those numbers for one year.

You can make a difference on oil prices when you make choices to use less plastic. Taking cloth bags when you shop makes a big difference even though it doesn't seem like it.

We have been purifying our own water since 1978. I'm not talking about a filter you put on the faucet that makes the water taste better but doesn't remove toxins. We wanted something that was going to take out the really bad stuff. We use a lot of water since it's our beverage of choice, so it's an important part of our health and family lifestyle to make sure we have pure water.

The best system you can get is reverse-osmosis (RO). You can search for information on optional methods and RO always comes up high.

More on the importance of drinking water.
http://www.theherbsplace.com/The_Importance_of_Water_sp_170.html

More about bottled water at the NRDC site.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/qbw.asp

Consider this 4-stage reverse-osmosis unit: Nature's Spring
http://www.theherbsplace.com/Nature_s_Spring_Reverse_Osmosis_p_560.html

FRUGAL HOW-TO

Free Directory Assistance

Yep! You don't have to pay to find out somebody's number. Just call 1-800-free-411. You have to listen to some advertisements but it's better than paying $2 each time you dial 411.

Tips and Articles on Do-It-Yourself

Make Your Own Cleaning, Health, Bath and Beauty Products

Essential oil kits allow you to make your own safe non-chemical home and beauty products. Replace the toxic cleaners and household products that can harm you, your children and pets with a Starter Kit. Instructions are in English and Spanish.

We make our own cleaning supplies from Sunshine Concentrate and essential oils. My wife has used this product since 1987 for laundry, soap pumps at the sink, in the shower, cleaning kitchen counters, soaking fruit and veggies to remove pesticides, doing dishes, and more. I use it for washing cars and gardening since it keeps soil wetter longer and holds the nutrients for the plants. Read more about Sunshine Concentrate.

Don't like to make your own cleaning supplies?

FRUGAL SHOPPING

The Cheapest Days to Buy Certain Items

Depending on what you're planning to buy, some days of the week may yield better bargains than others.

Smart Money talked to the experts and narrowed down the best days of the week to buy certain items, such as airline tickets, books, cars, clothing, department store items, dinner out, entertainment, gas, groceries and hotel rooms.

Get details at SmartMoney.com: www.smartmoney.com/dealoftheday/index.cfm?story=20070702

Get details at SmartMoney.com:
www.smartmoney.com/dealoftheday/index.cfm?story=20070702

FRUGAL TIPS

The Price of Over - Packing

Airlines now limit the amount of luggage and the weight. Packing wisely and leaving some space and weight for the return trip will save you bucks. You may think it's just a small fee, but when I was in line to return from Oklahoma last month, the woman in front of me had both of her bags over the weight limit and paid a $50 fee on each of them. You won't need that kitchen sink when you get there, and if you do, for $100 you could buy one.

Search The Frugal Life Forum for answers to your questions or to share tips with other frugal folks.

FRUGAL DECORATING

Bedroom Decorating Idea

I love to have things in my bedroom coordinate but it's really hard to do on such a tight budget. I bought curtains at an outlet store for 1.99 a panel. I actually accidentally bought too many panels not realizing that I would only need to hang two over my large bedroom window. When I hung 4 it was just too much. Rather than returning the extra panels I found that they are large enough to cut into pillow cases! I now have pillow cases (including one for my large body pillow) that match my curtains! I use 4 pillows on my bed and sheet sets only come with 2 pillow cases.......now I have enough to cover all my pillows! When I get tired of the set I have now I'll just buy some new curtains and do the same again! I hope you all enjoy this helpful tip....you can save a lot of money rather than buying shams to match your curtains!

From dreamweaver's post in our Decorating Forum

Tips and Articles on Decorating

We need more articles in this relatively new segment. Submit your article. We will tell you we received it and if it is used, we'll notify you and, of course, give you proper credit.

FRUGAL PETS

Healthy Pet Foods

Pet food ingredients can create a lot of health problems for our pets, and that can cost a lot of money with recurring health issues feeding that drain our budgets for the veterinarian. Be an informed pet owner when it comes to what's in pet foods. You already know that you feel better if you eat right. Help them to feel better too. View this video or site to be an informed pet owner.

Natural Remedies and Herbal Heartworm Programs

Yes, there are natural ways to deal with heartworms and there are herbal prevention programs also. Get more info on heartworms.

Pet Topics Information Site

Healthy Pet Corner provides informational links for dogs, cats, birds, horses, rabbits, and reptiles. Visit Healthy Pet Corner.

FRUGAL LEARNING

Singing Success At-Home Study Course

100% guaranteed. The Singing Success Vocal Training Program, by celebrity vocal coach Brett Manning, is the only vocal training program that guarantees a full octave increase in your vocal range. And you can do it at home. You'll learn to sing as easily as you speak, completely eliminating vocal strain, and you will learn to master the techniques of vocal style, including runs, licks and trills. Get a full refund if it doesn't do all it promises. Read more about the Singing Success Program.

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COPYRIGHT, LEGAL DISCLAIMER & REPRINT INFO
© 2003-2007 Randal J. Watkins

Information in The Frugal Life News (TFL) has been derived from sources believed accurate and reliable. In no event shall *The Frugal Life,* Randal Watkins, or the corporate sponsor, Sunshine Life Center, Inc. staff be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of information herein.

There is no remuneration for suggestions, tips, or ideas submitted by readers. All suggestions, tips, and ideas, submitted for publication in The Frugal Life, become the property of The Frugal Life, notwithstanding similar rights of the reader submitting such suggestions, tips, or ideas. TFL publishes readers' names with their suggestions, tips, and ideas unless a reader requests otherwise at the time of the submission.

Forwarding and Use of This Newsletter
You may forward this newsletter in its entirety and/or use this copyrighted newsletter on a website if you include the following credit with an active link:

Editor, Randal J. Watkins, of TheFrugalLife.com, provides this free newsletter to subscribers. Visit The Frugal Life website to subscribe or find frugal information to live well on what you already have.

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