The Frugal Life News – 01/10/05

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s******************** The Frugal Life News January 10, 2005 Edition https://www.thefrugallife.com ***************** A Note From Randal ****************** Hello Everyone, We recently communicated with another frugal site that I wanted to let you know about. It has some great stuff and this is the time of year to think of saving and learning more about managing the money you have. Here’s their information: Saving Advice.com We are a down to earth personal saving and money management site with exclusive articles, tips, quizzes, discussion boards and much more. We teach you how to save! We recently were contacted by the Henry Street organization in New York City. This organization is involved in several worthwhile projects. In one of their projects, they need batting, stuffing or contributions for a pillow project they have started for orphans effected by the Tsunami disasters. They are a non-profit organization and any help you can give them is greatly appreciated. Their number is 212-766-9200. They plan to include all donors and friends in printed materials, annual reports, website links and videos of the project. Their website is located here: As always, we are very grateful to you for telling your friends and family members about our websites and ezines. Until next time, Randal ************ Frugal Finances ************ Travel Stretches Your Mind! Elizabeth and I just returned from vacation in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. Chapala is a little town on the banks of Lake Chapala, the largest freshwater lake in Mexico just south of Guadalajara. Chapala is not a Cancun or Alcapulco style tourist resort. It’s interior Mexico, inhabited by locals and many North Americans looking for a nice place to retire. While riding the local bus through neighborhoods we noticed many occupied Mexican homes with — what appeared to be — abandoned construction projects. Rebar and plumbing jutting from cement foundations poured months if not years ago. Brick walls that only go half-way up. It’s as though they ran out of money in mid project. Au contraire. According to a local real estate agent: They didn’t run out of money, they simply built what they could with the money they had. Later, when they have more money, they will complete more of their home. Interesting! A homeowner builds essential rooms and facilities first, using cash, moves in, and builds more of their home when they have more cash. Mortgages are the exception! In 2000, of 22.6 million Mexican households, 17.6 million (77%) were homeowners. Of these, 14.7 million (83%) had no mortgage. In the U.S. in 2003, home ownership reached its highest rate ever at 68.3%. Of these, only 35% had no mortgage. Mortgages allow U.S. homes to be completed today and owned later. Cash, and durable construction material, allows Mexico homes to be owned today and completed later. What a concept! ———————- Pay off all of your debt in 5-7 years using the money you already make. Find out why financial guru and best-selling author, Suze Orman, is advising her millions of followers to “Pay Everything Off as Fast As Possible!” ***************************************** Frugal Gardening ************** January Gardening Tips Save some of the branches from your Christmas tree. If you get a couple of warm days and some of your bulbs get fooled into thinking that Spring has arrived earlier than expected, they will come in quite handy. If this happens, add a bit of compost and a thick layer of the Christmas tree branches to protect the new growth. If you build a few cozy fires this season, don’t toss the ashes into the trash. Save the ashes to use as fertilizer for your Iris and other alkaline soil plants. These tips are from SavingAdvice.com. For more tips and articles on saving money, visit their site ********************** Frugal How-To Swap Gift Cards ********************** Swap Your Gift Cards Chances are you will have some gift cards that you’re not interested in from the annual holiday gift exchange most people do. Maybe you’re a vegan and somebody gave you a $50 gift card for steaks? Instead of it being worthless, you have choices! Log on to SwapAGift.com, a trading post for gift cards. Make an even exchange with another card holder or off-load the card for 70 cents on the dollar. You can even buy credit — say $20 for a $25 gift card. The site allows you to register and browse for free, but you’ll have to pay $4 to post a listing. This prevents the site from being a money-making deal for folks who would misuse it. Now when you open a gift card from a place you would never shop at, you can say, “WOW! I know just where I’ll spend this money!” Make Your Own Home And Beauty Products Bath, Beauty, Perfumes, Cleaning and Air Freshner/Deodorizer Essential oil kits allow you to make your own safe non-chemical home and beauty products. You’ll save a lot and feel better about making your home less toxic for yourself, children and pets. The Starter Pack has a Recipe Guide with tons of ideas. http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialkits.html Make Your Own Home and Beauty Products ****************** Frugal Decorating ****************** Decorative Pine Cones Deodorize Naturally With Essential Oils It’s fun to collect pine cones from the ground in the chill of winter and they create a warm feeling arranged in a basket. Now they can deodorize your home naturally by adding essential oils to the fun. Here’s the recipe: Cinnamon and Citrus Pinecones 4 drops Cinnamon 2 drops Clove Bud 6 drops Red Mandarin 9 drops Lemon Clean pinecones Combine essential oils in a 5 ml glass bottle. Use 1–3 drops of the blend per pinecone depending on its size. Place pinecones together in a basket or place them throughout the home. Find quality essential oils and aromatherapy supplies from Nature’s Sunshine here: http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialsingles.asp Essential Oils Deodorize While You Kill Bacteria and Viruses Essential oils will make your home smell wonderful without the dangerous air freshner chemicals that have been in the news. The big bonus is that you also get the anti-microbial properties of essential plant oils so you can kill germs throughout your home without bleach and toxic cleaning products. The AromaBall is a handy plug-in appliance with a ceramic plate that holds a small pad on which you add essential oils. Easy-to-use as a night light. Get more info and/or purchase here: http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialaroma.html AromaBall for Deodorizer and Anti-Microbial Home Defense *********** Frugal Pets *********** Herbal Heartworm Program and Prevention Robin Sockness works with pet owners with an individualized program and has currently worked with over 300 dogs. Herbs are safer and less expensive so it’s a win-win situation for all. Prevention programs are available also. Read more about it here: http://www.theherbsplace.com/heartworm.html Herbal Heartworm Program & Prevention Free Information, Free Ecards, and Pet Foods Too! Healthy Pet Corner provides lots of information and links for birds, cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, and reptiles. http://www.healthypetcorner.com Healthy Pet Corner – Your Pet Portal ************************* Frugal Tips From Our Subscribers ************************* Making Pillows From Placemats We wanted pillows but only found place mats that matched our bedroom perfectly. But if you take a pair of place mats and some stuffing, you can make your own great pillows for much cheaper than buying premade ones. **************************** 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 Forum Questions Needing Answers At The Forum Gardening Forum 1. Hi everyone! I’m in the U.K. and we enjoy frugal living on this side of the Atlantic too!  I have a very small backyard, and I would like to produce some of my own vegetables and herbs. Has anyone had any success with container gardening?  What are the best items to start with?  Any advice would be appreciated! – Thanks Do-It-Yourself Forum 1. I have a dryer that is leaving a light brown mark on the white clothes that are placed in the dryer. I have looked in the drum to find the problem area and even taken a wet cloth and rubbed in various places, all to no avail. This is the only reason we will have to get rid of this dryer if we can’t find the problem. Does anyone have any ideas? ************************* Home Based Business Ideas ************************* Home Spa Party Plan – Make Bath and Body Products Have you noticed how popular bath and pampering products have become? The HomeSpa Party Plan taps into that craze. Guests at HomeSpa parties will learn how to make bath salts, personalized perfumes, body spritzers and more using essential oils, while you make a nice income from Nature’s Sunshine. http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialspa.html Home Spa Party Flint River Ranch – Oven Baked Pet Foods If you have pets, they’ll love Flint River and you can make an income providing good pet foods and other pet products to friends, neighbors and your family. Pets keep eating, so customers keep buying. If you love animals, this is a very rewarding home-based business. With only 100 volume a month you can earn 19% on all sales. Websites are not yet available. http://www.healthypetcorner.com/FRR/busop.html Flint River Ranch Nature’s Sunshine Products – Herbs and Supplements If you’ve been a natural health nut, you have a lot of information to share. Earn an income selling over 500 natural health products, beverages, essential oils, skin care systems, water filters, and more. Websites are also available for $15.95/month (plus an initial $19.95 set-up fee). http://www.theherbsplace.com/busop.html Nature’s Sunshine Products Life’s Abundance Foods and Supplements Life’s Abundance products by Dr. Jane Bicks and Dr. Barry Sears who developed the Zone Diet for Overweight Dogs. Besides dog, cat and horse products, they have a non-toxic line of cleaning products – safe for pets and children. Websites available for $10.95/month (plus an initial $20 set-up fee). http://www.healthypetcorner.com/HPN/busopform.html Healthy Pet Net ZoneNet Health Products ZoneNet products are produced by the same company that produces Healthy Pet Net. ZoneNet products are backed by the research and wisdom of Dr. Barry Sears one of America’s most trusted health and wellness experts. Their mission is to to develop superior functional food products that help people achieve long-term wellness. Check out his unique products at http://www.zonenetonline.com/home.asp?realname=10037649 ZoneNet Health Products *************** Legal Disclaimer *************** 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 TFL staff be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of information herein. TFL does not knowingly accept ads from advertisers deemed detrimental to TFL’s readers, however, publication of an ad in TFL does not constitute an endorsement for such product or service. 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. ____________________ The Frugal Life News _____________________