The Frugal Life – The Frugal Life News – 03/10/06

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s******************** The Frugal Life News March 10, 2006 Edition https://www.thefrugallife.com The Frugal Life ******************** A Note From Randal ****************** Hello Everyone, Welcome new subscribers and thanks to all of you who have been sharing The Frugal Life News with others! I received mixed responses on the “Keep the Change” finance article I ran last month. They were as follows: 1. Your newsletter is fantastic! Keep it coming! Thanks so much for spreading your expertise (and others’!) around. I’ll forward as well. Regards, BM 2. Here is another one of those gimmicks the banks have dreamed up to take your money They will pay you 5% interest per year when inflation is running 22% so you only lose 17% Take the same change and buy stuff at yard sales for 25 cents. Sell it 5 days later at the flea market for $1 and you have made 300% in one week Or sell it for 50 cents and still Make 100% 3. Regarding Debit Cards in General: I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in that I think they are a really bad idea….it gives someone instant access to take money out of your account and that in and of itself makes me really nervous. At least with credit card purchases you don’t have to pay for what you dispute, with the debit card, the money is already gone from your account. I can see the point that it is better if you have problems controlling yourself on credit cards, but I have never had a good feeling about them from the beginning and won’t ever have one. RS Here is an informative link to the Clark Howard show where they discussed debit cards in general: http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/category/7/40/225/ Clark Howard Show All of this information we received helped me to realize why I don’t have a debit card now and never will. They do serve a great purpose if having a credit card is a temptation but there are some cautions so that is why we included the comments above. Thanks for your readership we hope you enjoy this issue. We appreciate you sharing this newsletter and the website with your family and friends. Frugally yours, Randal ************ Frugal Finances ************ Wind, Rain, Flood, Fire, FICO … Nightmares for Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors just keep on coming. It’s not enough to have your home and livelihood blown away, sunk, or charred to a cinder. If you owed money before these storms hit, and you’re not able to make your debt payments, no matter if your cars or homes are floating somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, your FICO (credit) score is the next casualty. At a time when most will need to borrow money to rebuild their lives, disaster-caused late payments and defaults will decimate their FICO score, resulting in higher financing costs or complete denial of credit. Wouldn’t you think someone would unplug the credit computers and THINK through the ramifications of disaster on its survivors? As Gail Hillebrand, senior attorney for Consumers Union, ‘We have automated ourselves away from common sense.’ Actually, someone did think to pull the plug. Consumer groups have asked the credit bureaus – Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax – to temporarily modify credit scoring for disaster survivors. Fair Issac, the company responsible for the FICO formula, supports this idea. Their response? Nyet! It would be too hard, or too confusing, or cost money… Debtor prison used to mean the place you were sent to if you couldn’t pay your debts. Nowadays they just imprison you electronically with a number. It’s becoming clearer every day. We’re on our own. And since we’re on our own, it’s much better not to owe anyone. 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 ************** No-Work Compost The laziest composting method of all requires nothing more than patience. If you are willing to wait a year for compost, just heap everything on the pile willy-nilly and allow nature to take its course. Eventually all the leaves, weeds, grass clippings and kitchen scraps will decay into a rich humus. The top layer will look unchanged, but burrow down several inches and you will find your treasure. This idea comes from The Frugal Gardener by Catriona Tudor Erler. ************** Frugal How-To ************** Make Your Own Facial Toner Use 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar and a few aspirins. The acids in the vinegar force your old skin cells to flake off, much like the store-bought “alpha hydroxy” products. A lot of acne products use salicylic acid, which is basically aspirin with a few small chemical differences. The aspirin won’t completely dissolve, but it doesn’t seem to matter. This works especially well for those big deep acne spots which older people often get. Make Your Own Home, Bath and Beauty Products Essential oil kits allow you to make your own safe non-chemical home and beauty products. Making your home less toxic for yourself, children and pets. http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialkits.html Make Your Own Home and Beauty Products ****************** Frugal Ebaying ****************** Misspelled Ebay Items There are hundreds of misspelled items listed on Ebay every day.   These items receive few bids as nobody can find them and usually go for a much lower price than their correctly spelled counterparts.     Check out http://www.goobay.co.uk/us Misspelled Ebay Items where you can search for misspelled items for free. It has a google & Wikipedia search too so it makes a good homepage! Contributed by GazT *********** Frugal Pets *********** Herbal Heartworm Program and Prevention Robin Sockness works with pet owners with an individualized program and has currently worked with over 700 dogs. Herbs are safer and less expensive so it’s a win-win situation for all. Prevention programs available. http://www.theherbsplace.com/heartworm.html Herbal Heartworm Program & Prevention Pet Information, Links and Natural Foods Healthy Pet Corner provides lots of information and links for dogs, cats, birds, horses, rabbits, and reptiles. http://www.healthypetcorner.com Healthy Pet Corner ************************* Frugal Tips From Our Subscribers ************************* When you buy new towels, add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the laundry to prevent the colors from fading. Too much dust on the silk flowers?  Spray lightly with white vinegar that’s been put in an empty spray bottle.  The dust is gone and they look brand new. Contributed by refuge821 ************** Frugal Learning ************** Singing Success At-Home Study Course 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! 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. Money-back Guarantee: **************************** 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 Finances Forum 1. Foreclosure on home Hi,   Has anyone ever had to deal with this ? do we need a lawyer or is there any way to stop this short of winning a lottery ? Any advice appreciated. Thanks. Pets Forum 1. My 11 yr old cat has been steadily using the house as her litter box.  I took her to the Vet. and he said that she is the alpha cat and it’s behavioral.  I have 2 other cats and have 3 litter boxes but she continues to use outside the box.  I started to isolate her in a bathroom with food, water, and clean box.  She uses the box and doesn’t mess anywhere in the bathroom.  But when I let her out after 4-5 days, she finds a spot to mess!  I won’t put her to sleep but she cannot continue to mess the house. I feel guilty for keeping her in the room alone. Any suggestions? Recipes Forum 1. When I was a child I helped my Grandmother make a special cookie during the holidays. I don’t know the spelling but she pronounced it cow-chin-chill. We made a chestnut filling and put it on dough cut in a circle and pressed the dough together with a fork. Then she deep fried it and after drizzled honey on top. If anyone knows of this cookie I would love to have that recipe.  Many thanks, Barbara Editor’s Note: This has been featured before but I have a special interest in cookies so I can understand Barbara’s need, please help her out if you can. ************************* Home Based Business Ideas ************************* Nature’s Sunshine Products – Herbs and Supplements Earn an income selling over 500 natural health products, beverages, essential oils, skin care systems, water filters, and more. Websites for $11.95/month. http://www.theherbsplace.com/busop.html Nature’s Sunshine Products 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 learn how to make bath salts, personalized perfumes, body spritzers and more using essential oils, while you make a nice income. http://www.theherbsplace.com/essentialspa.html Home Spa Party Flint River Ranch – Oven Baked Pet Foods Make additional income providing healthy pet foods and bones to friends, neighbors and family. Pets keep eating, so customers keep buying. If you love animals, this is a very rewarding home-based business. With only $100.00 volume a month you earn 19% on all sales. http://www.healthypetcorner.com/FRR/busop.html Flint River Ranch Life’s Abundance Foods and Supplements Formulated 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 $8.50/month. http://www.healthypetcorner.com/HPN/busopform.html Healthy Pet Net ***************************************************** If you enjoyed what you read today, please forward this newsletter to your friends! ************************************ Copyright, Legal Disclaimer and Reprint Information © 2006 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 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. Forwarding and Use of This Newsletter You may forward or use this copyrighted newsletter on a website if you include the following credit: Editor, Randal J. Watkins, of TheFrugalLife.com, provides this free newsletter to subscribers. The Frugal Life is sponsored by TheHerbsPlace.com which provides quality Nature’s Sunshine Products at wholesale prices. Visit now to shop or view the list of free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com The Herbs Place