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The Frugal Life – Living Well With What You Have

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s *********************************** THE FRUGAL LIFE NEWS Published Weekly by Randal Watkins https://www.thefrugallife.com The Frugal Life February 25, 2003 ******************************************* The Frugal Life News is sent to subscribers only. Manage your subscription here: https://www.thefrugallife.com/subscrip.html Manage Sub Please note that with over 24,000 subscribers to this newsletter, we cannot reply to all emails. ****************** A NOTE FROM RANDAL Hi Everyone, Thanks for all your postings and answers to the questions. I noticed that you are not putting your email addresses in the posts anymore. Thanks for doing that, I know that will give us a central place to have our answers to refer back to when we need them. Having the forum sure has made it easier for me to put the newsletter together. Also, I am sure it is giving each of you faster replies on your answers. Thanks for your continued readership! Please pass The Frugal Life News on to your friends! It’s how we grow! Until next time, Randal ***************** FRUGAL FINANCES AUTO INSURANCE The easiest way to create additional money to help accelerate debt payoff is to examine each of your recurring required expenses and discover ways to reduce them. Saving $5 or $10 a month on just a few expenses adds up fast! Automobile insurance premiums are a good example of recurring required expenses that you can reduce with a little bit of effort and some shopping around. There’s nothing I hate more than reading insurance policies. The terminology and all those little codes are mind numbing and sleep inducing. No doubt by design. But, with a little patience, you can get a handle on this stuff and reduce your costs. There is an abundance of auto insurance information on the Web. An hour spent searching and using the free quote services will pay big dividends. In this article I’ll give you some pointers, but do invest some time finding extra money by reducing your Auto insurance premiums. The first thing I discovered is that there’s no such thing as “Auto” insurance! Surprised? What we call, “Auto Insurance” is really just several different types of insurance bundled together. This is the reason for the various codes and line item charges. Here’s the list: Bodily Injury Liability It pays the driver of the other car and its passengers in the event of an accident; it covers the passengers in your car as well. Property Damage Liability This coverage pays for the repair and replacement of the other guy’s property damaged in a car accident. Personal Injury Protection It pays for medical and funeral costs associated with an accident for you and your family — regardless of fault. Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists This coverage pays for medical and funeral costs for you and your family should someone without coverage hit you. Collision and Comprehensive Collision pays for the full cost of your repairs. Comprehensive covers you for vandalism, theft, and natural disasters. Extras Towing and Rental car coverage in case of a breakdown or accident leaves you without a car. Since there is a line item charge for each type of coverage, review with your agent: 1. Whether this coverage is mandatory or optional in your state. 2. Whether your coverage under another policy, like a Health Insurance policy, makes similar auto policy coverage redundant. 3. Whether you agree with the dollar amount of coverage. The higher this amount, the higher your premiums. 4. The complete list of discounts that you can take to reduce your premiums. This can include: Higher Deductibles, Safety Equipment, Anti-theft systems Driver Training, Purchasing for full year, Safe Driving, Good credit, Mature driver, Work at home, New driver, Car pooling, Combining home and auto policies under the same insurer, Long term customer, Type of car… And, of course, you can cut your premiums in half simply by living with 1 car. And remember, higher premiums mean more money for the insurance company, so, it’s up to you to be persistent in getting these discounts! Drive safe! ————- Payoff All of your Debts in 5-7 Years using the money you ALREADY make! Greg Moore is the author of the Debt Freedom Course, “DebtIntoWealth — Lessons from My Journey to Debt Freedom”. For your FREE Lesson 1 of this course, CLICK HERE: http://www.debtintowealth.com/frugal.html Debt Into Wealth ************************ FRUGAL HOME AIR FRESHENERS TEST TOXIC TO NERVOUS AND RESPIRATORY SYSTEMS Under controlled conditions, we had groups of laboratory mice breath the fumes released by several types of air fresheners. We found scientific data demonstrating irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and sinuses; difficulty breathing; asthmatic reactions, and changes in nervous system function(loss of balance, tremors, and convulsions). Several of the mice died as a result of breathing these chemicals. The data demonstrate that some air fresheners release toxic (poisonous) chemicals which can irritate the airway and cause serious malfunction of the nervous system. Source: Toxic effects of air freshener emissions. Rosalind Anderson Ph.D. and Julius Anderson M.D.-Ph.D. Archives of Environmental Health(1997) 52: 433-441. http://www.andersonlaboratories.com/ YOUR HOME DOESN’T HAVE TO STINK :-) We use an AromaBall with our favorite scents to make our home smell good. However, during the winter months, instead of favorite aromas, it’s better to choose something that will also kill germs and bacteria and viruses that seem to spread so easily in a closed-up house. Essential oils have become so popular because of the toxicity of the common chemical air freshners that cause cancer. If your store has current supplies of these, you’ll find this printed on them: „This product is banned in California because it causes cancer.‰ Break into the 21st century and begin using essential oils. They come from plants and if you get a 100% pure source of oil, you’ll be amazed at what they can do. Read more here: http://www.theherbsplace.com/essential.html More About Essential Oils If you want to replace your air freshners with a safe choice, here’s more information on kits to do that: http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialkits.html href=” http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialkits.html “> EO Kits GOT PETS? Visit Healthy Pet Corner for lots of information, products, and links for birds, cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, and reptiles. http://www.healthypetcorner.com All for Pets ****************** FRUGAL SIMPLICITY WAYS TO SAVE ON EATING OUT – by Dr. Charlotte Gorman* Because of the busy pace of life today and for other legitimate reasons, more and more Americans are eating out on a regular basis. If you are one of those, here are some tips that should help you save some important dollars. 1. Eat fewer meals out. You should be able to save a considerable amount of money on your food expenditures by eating most of your meals at home. 2. Take your lunch to work rather than eat lunch out. For example, a $7.00 lunch (which is very conservative) eaten out each workday costs approximately $152 a month, $1824 a year, and $18,240 in 10 years. A $10.00 lunch out (which might be closer to what the average working person spends) would amount to about $217 a month, $2,604 a year, and $26,040 in 10 years. Simple, yet nutritious, sack lunches which you prepare at home should cost you only a small fraction of these amounts. 3. When you are eating out and you are paying for your own meal, don’t order the most expensive item on the menu. Rather, order one of the less expensive items. 4. If you plan to eat out, consider lunch rather than dinner, since an identical dish can be several dollars less during lunchtime. In addition, some restaurants even add a salad, dip, or other item to lunch entrees at no extra cost; the added item would cost extra at dinnertime. 5. Avoid “high-class” restaurants where, it seems, you are expected to tip nearly every employee in the restaurant. This type of tipping could add a large amount to the overall cost of your meal. 6. Eat at places where you normally are not expected to tip or, if so, certainly not as large a percentage as at full-service restaurants. Some of these places might include steak houses and other similar establishments where you go through the “line” and place your order, picking up some of your food as you go through; traditional cafeterias; and fast food places.. (Some eating establishments even display signs: “No Tipping, Please.”) 7. Go to restaurants where you can order half-orders or individual items if you are a light eater. Otherwise, unless you ask that your leftovers be put in a doggie bag, you are wasting money. 8. Some restaurants have separate carry-out establishments attached to them or located next door. The identical restaurant foods are sold there but are available at cheaper prices. Getting the carry-outs will save you money. 9. Watch for opening specials offered by new restaurants and other types of food establishments and save on your costs of eating out. 10. Whenever possible, use coupons to help reduce your costs when eating out. 11. Take advantage of offers such as “buy one, get one free,” “two for one,” “all you can eat,” and “one-half price from four to six p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” and save a sizable amount on eating out. 12. Ask restaurants, fast food places, cafeterias, and carry-out places if discounts for senior citizens, students, and children are available. Discounts help reduce your costs. 13. When eating out, be aware of special deals for senior citizens offered by some food establishments, such as a free soft drink with the purchase of a sandwich. 14. If children are with you when you eat out, ask if a children’s menu is available. The prices are cheaper. 15. If you have sufficient food left on your plate, and if it seems appropriate to do so, ask the waiter or waitress to put it in a doggie bag for you. You are wasting your money if the leftovers are thrown away. Be sure to take it home immediately and put it in the refrigerator if it is a perishable food. 16. In general, when eating out, don’t offer to pay the checks of others at your table. Let each person pay his or her own bill in most instances. Paying others’ checks could put your food budget in serious trouble. Exceptions to this rule, of course, will arise occasionally. 17. If your eating companion insists on picking up your tab, then, by all means, let the person do so, but be prepared to reciprocate on a future occasion (if appropriate). 18. Just drink the water brought to your table in the restaurant or ask for a glass of water if water is not routinely brought, rather than order a soft beverage. A carbonated soft drink, a glass of iced tea, or a cup of coffee could easily cost over $1.00, maybe closer to $2.00, so save yourself this expense. 19. Limit the number of alcoholic beverages you have in a restaurant or eliminate them there entirely, since they can run your restaurant bill up quite a lot. Having your drinks at home will be less expensive. (Don’t drive if you have been drinking!) 20. Go to happy hours where free snacks are served. Buy one drink (alcoholic or nonalcoholic) and make your meal on snacks. It is almost unbelievable at the array of snacks some places offer. A meal for the price of one beverage would be a fairly inexpensive way of eating out. (Don’t drive if you have had alcoholic beverages!) 21. Attend open houses, grand openings, and other free activities where free refreshments are served, and save on your food expenditures. 22. Have your children take their lunches to school if this seems appropriate and is cheaper than eating in the school cafeteria or eating out. *Dr. Charlotte Gorman is an Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A & M University System. She is the author of The Frugal Mind, The Little Book of Living Frugal, and Speak for Yourself. MAKE YOUR OWN CLEANING, BATH, and BEAUTY PRODUCTS Here’s a kit with everything you will need to start making your own pampering and cleaning products for pennies with the easy-to-follow recipe guide. http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialstarter.html Make Your Own *************************** FRUGAL TIPS FROM OUR SUBSCRIBERS Wanted to share a preparation tip that I learned from a neighborhood kid on my street, who in turn had been advised by his family doctor. You know those packages of dry, inexpensive ramen noodles you can get at the store in the oriental foods section?  Well, they’re LOADED with fats from hydrogenated oils used for long shelf life. To greatly reduce the amount of fat, first you boil the noodles according to the directions.  The trick is at the same time you either boil ANOTHER pot of water on the stove or boil a cup or two in the microwave. When the noodles are cooked, you drain out the water that the noodles were cooked in (you can see the oily fat residue floating on the surface) and then you pour in the second pot of hot, clean water in place of the old.  Then, continue with adding the packet of powdered seasoning and voila! You have healthier noodles with the same taste, lower fat! Of course to make it even better, add thinly sliced carrots, string beans, sliced mushrooms, green onions, etc. A warm, inexpensive and stomach-filling dish on a cold winter’s day! Enjoy! Posted on the forum by monimoo — This site may be useful to those of you with kids. Exchange those outgrown clothes with new sizes amongst other families at no cost. I’m contemplating adding more categories, for men, women and teens.   The site is currently free, hopefully the banner advertising will cover the server costs. Don’t be afraid to drop me a line w/ suggestions! Rick   **************************** WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FORUM? Maybe you can help these folks out with a few suggestions? Or post some of your own questions. LOG-IN TO POST Here’s the link: https://www.thefrugallife.com/bulletinboard.html

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