Archived Message of “The Frugal Life
News”
Published by The Frugal Life.com
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Life’s Abundance – Foods and Supplements
For Dogs, Cats and Horses by Dr. Jane Bicks
Nutritional Food is the Basis of Health
What’s in Your Pet’s Food? Learn More!
https://www.lifesabundance.com/Pets/LifesAbundance/DogFoodCompare.aspx?realname=10037649
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THE FRUGAL LIFE NEWS
Published Weekly by Randal Watkins
https://www.thefrugallife.com
January 11, 2003
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The Frugal Life News is sent to subscribers only. **********************************************
REFER US TO A FRIEND – If you enjoy what you read today, please forward this to your friends and suggest they subscribe! It’s how we grow! To subscribe to The Frugal Life News, Click Here
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PLEASE NOTE: Due to the large volume of email we receive from The Frugal Life site and responses from the more than 23,000 subscribers, we cannot reply to your questions and suggestions, but we will try to post all of them as time and space permits within the context of this newsletter. This is a
caring and sharing newsletter, so feel free to participate.
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CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE:
A NOTE FROM RANDAL
New Site
New Bulletin Board
Need Your Input
FINANCES
Fine Tune Your 2002 Spending And Boost Your 2003 Debt Payoff!
FOCUS ON HOME & GARDENING
Guide To Selecting Houseplants
FOCUS ON SIMPLICITY
Using Simple Remedies for Sick Children (or Adults)
FRUGAL TIPS
SHARING WHAT YOU KNOW
ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS QUESTIONS
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
SUBSCRIPTION INFO
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A NOTE FROM RANDAL
Hello Everyone,
January is a time for new things. We’ve been busy with a lot of new goals
for 2003. Please share the excitement with us!
#1 – There’s a NEW LOOK at THE FRUGAL LIFE site! New design and a bulletin
board forum so you can share information with each other 24/7 instead of
through the ezine. No more waiting a week for answers. Take a look and give
us your comments: https://www.thefrugallife.com The New Frugal Life Community
#2 – We’ve acquired a whole NEW LINE OF PET & SAFE CLEANING PRODUCTS. Foods,
treats, supplements and some safe pet and child-friendly cleaning supplies.
Dr. Jane Bicks has formulated the supplement line. Nutritional food is the
basis of health. Do you know what’s in your pet food? Take a look at the
products now available:
Due to the holidays and some unforseen time consumers we didn’t publish The
Frugal Life News after the 16th issue.
I have posted some questions on our new bulletin board already and I would
appreciate your visiting the bulletin board to post your questions and
replies. Go to https://www.thefrugallife.com/bulletinboard.html for
directions.
Bulletin Board
Please pass The Frugal Life News on to your friends it’s how we grow!
Until next time,
Randal
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FOCUS ON FINANCES
FINE TUNE YOUR 2002 SPENDING AND BOOST YOUR 2003 DEBT PAYOFF!
Now that 2002 is in the books it’s a great time to reflect on your 2002
spending. Hindsight is a great way to find extra money to help you pay off
your debts. Here are some key expense items to review:
1. Your Paycheck Determine how much was withheld from your last 2002
paycheck for 2002. Then go to:
http://www.quicken.com/taxes/taxslashing/estimator/ Click Here
and take 10 minutes to estimate your 2002 tax bill.
If you’ve lent the government too much money in 2002 (i.e., you’re expecting
a big refund), use this W-4 Assistant tool at:
http://www.paycheckcity.com/W4/w4instruction.asp Click Here
to decrease your withholding for 2003.
Check your retirement plan contributions — 401K, 403B, SEP. If you have
exceeded the amount that your company matches, adjust your contributions
such that next year you can use this excess money to help you pay off debts.
2. Schedule Auto, Homeowners, and Life Insurance Checkups You have one
simple question for your agent:
“What are all of the ways to reduce my premiums?”
Here are 9 ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance Costs:
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/cars/autoinsu/autoinsu.htm Click
Here
And here are 12 ways to Save Money on Homeowners Insurance:
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/12ways/12ways.txt Click
Here
Spend a few moments here:
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/acli/index.htm Click Here
to learn about (or refresh your understanding of) Life Insurance and how to
keep your costs low.
3. Mortgage Escrow Statements should arrive soon. Are you still paying
Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)? Here’s how to get rid of it:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/pmialrt.htm Click
Here
4. Your Checking Account Banks have been hurting in 2002. If you’re paying
monthly fees, it’s time to find a new bank.
5. Subscriptions, Periodicals, Memberships, Dues Cancel your newspaper
subscription for January and see if you can get along “Ok.” Your local
newspaper is probably available free on the web.
If you survive January, try February, and so on. If you don’t survive, add
back partial service for whatever you need. Try this for magazine
subscriptions as well.
Cancel your “Book of the Month Club” membership and get a library card.
Are you a Dues paying member of an organization but can’t remember your
organization’s mission? Use these dues to help pay off your debts.
6. Phone Service How did we ever manage our lives before $30/month cell
phones? Well, somehow, we did, and I’ll bet we can do it again. Consider
switching to an emergency cell phone:
http://www.emergencycellphones.com/ Click Here
It gets you out of a jam and increases your available monthly cash by $30.
Besides, yakking while driving is getting lots of negative press these days.
Call Waiting? Call Forwarding? Caller ID? Call Return? Voicemail? How much
closer to debt freedom would canceling 12 months of these services get you?
And don’t forget the hidden charges. Not only do you pay the cost of these
services, but you also pay taxes on the costs of these services.
Take another look at your long distance charges. Redirect a few cents a
minute each month to your debt payoff strategy simply by switching to a
lower rate:
http://www.debtintowealth.com/payless.html Click Here
7. Cable TV I just received a notice from my Cable TV provider. Surprise!
Costs are going up (again) 5% on Jan. 1. Can you go 6 months with just Basic
cable?
Do you see the pattern? Even if your change only sticks for a few months,
you will get a significant boost towards Debt Freedom in 2003!
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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
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FOCUS ON HOME / GARDENING
GUIDE TO SELECTING HOUSEPLANTS
This NebGuide provides a list of houseplants to help you choose the ones
best suited to your home. – by Anne M. Streich
Success in growing flowering or foliage houseplants largely depends on your
skill, knowledge of the plant material and the time you want to invest in
it. In addition, site selection and cultural practices are also very
important. Some houseplants are relatively easy to grow and are easily
adaptable, like the cast iron plant. Other plants, like nerve plant, are
difficult to grow because of their high moisture and humidity requirements.
The following list will help you select an appropriate houseplant for your
home. First you must determine where you want to place the plant in your
home and then note the environmental conditions (available light, humidity
and temperature) of that location. These are general requirements and may
need to be adjusted depending on the type of soil and pot that you use. As
light intensity is reduced during the winter months, a decrease in
temperature and moisture is also desirable for plant health. In addition,
some plants require cooler temperatures during the winter to initiate flower
buds.
Water: M – keep uniformly moist, growing media kept moist to touch but
not saturated with water I – intermediate, after watering allow soil to feel
dry to touch before rewatering D – dry out between waterings, periods of
soaking between which the soil should be completely dry
Humidity: L – low 25 – 30% (average home) M – medium 30 – 50% H – high,
above 50%
Light: H – high; place near sunlit window or an area that has strong
reflected/indirect light; indirect exposure to a west window, long hours of
good light from a south window M – medium; place in well lit area out of
direct sun or in an area with a sheer curtain between the plant and
sunlight, north facing window seal or 4 to 8 feet away from window; indirect
or filtered sunlight; a close, direct exposure to a north or east window;
two to fours hours of sun a day L – low; place more than 8 feet away from
window; filtered light from a small window across the room; light from a
shaded window; filtered light to a north window; light reflected around a
wall, indirect yet strong enough to cast a shadow
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/horticulture/g837.htm Click Here
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FOCUS ON SIMPLICITY
USING SIMPLE REMEDIES FOR SICK CHILDREN (OR ADULTS) by Donna L. Watkins
1) Insist on lots of rest. Help your child feel as comfortable as possible,
but in a resting position. Don’t allow books, games, or TV that will
stimulate the body which produces stress on the immune system.
2) Simplify and lighten the diet. Lack of appetite is natural and remember
that it takes the same energy to digest a meal as it takes to ride a bike 5
miles, so don’t feed unless hungry and then only small portions of food
without much fat or protein.
3) Give plenty of water, especially if there is fever. A child with a fever
must be pushed to drink at least a small amount of water or herbal tea (1/4
to 1 cup) each hour or two. Water is needed for the body to ‘flush out’ the
dead bad guys.
4) Address any infection that might be present with the appropriate
treatment. Treatment will be quickest and easiest if you begin at the first
signs of illness, but you can begin using the herbs at any time during the
course of illness.
We’ve used herbs for our family. We have personally followed the above
guidelines. We would give only water, watered down non-citrus juices, and
herbal teas to drink and withdraw food for 24 hours. We would set the timer
hourly, through the night if necessary, to feed the soldiers of the immune
system.. They are fighting a war with the virus or bacteria present that is
causing the illness, so they need to be given ammunition on a regular basis
or they will lose the war.
Often people lose the battle when using herbs and nutritional remedies
because they administer them just a few times during the day, while trying
to maintain the normal schedule without enough rest, and eating foods that
weaken the immune system even further.
It takes a common sense approach to make herbs work and also common sense to
know when to go beyond using herbs. Information and statements regarding
dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease.
Get more information on using herbs for children
http://www.theherbsplace.com/children.html Click Here
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FRUGAL TIPS – From Our Subscribers
The woman who needed cloth diapers, can you give her my email addy? I have
some large size cloth diapers w velcro straps. They are very nice, Canadian
made. A neighbor gave them to me, she is more than welcome to have them.
Also, I have the instructions for washing, etc. They are to be washed in
vinegar or mild soap.I have the instructions for washing, etc. They are to
be washed in vinegar or mild soap.
la******@ya***.com
Thanks.
On starting a compost pile – RE: compost heaps Just a general reminder to
all composters: Mice are a fact of life with compost heaps. We have seen
them in the city and in the country. While they may not be coming to the
heap for the wrong reasons – they are coming for the right reasons – and
that reason is – WARMTH. So let your cats prowl and/or leave “tin cats”
around if you don’t want them to overrun your neighborhoods. Don’t put out
poison as your cat or dog will eat the mice and well…you know the story –
better safe than sorry!
Sorry, I am a little late in catching up with my reading of my newsletters. in reguards to this question:
Q. Does anyone know how to store large quantities of night crawlers taken
off pavement after a heavy rain? I would like to know what to put them in,
feed them, etc. to keep them alive and maybe reproduce.
Years ago when my late husband was living he loved to fish. He raised his
own night crawlers in a bin he made under his rabbit cage. It was the width
and length of his cage about 4″ deep. He filled the bin with cow manure and
left it open and the rabbit droppings went into the manure bin. They
reproduced and he had all the the worms he needed. – Ida L
I’m not sure how to respond to questions in the e-zine, but I wanted to
comment about the person looking for the Curity cloth diapers. I wish her
luck, I too had difficulty finding them after Gerber bought out Curity. I
would like to add the suggestion of using diaper clips (available from a
diaper service for very low cost) instead of pins. They hold the diaper
snugly and you don’t have to worry about sticking a squirming baby with a
pin.
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**IS YOUR PET EATING DEAD FOOD?**
You really need to know! Choosing a healthy
pet food avoids many vet bills and heartache.
100% GUARANTEED or YOUR MONEY BACK!
http://www.theherbsplace.com/frr.html
Click Here
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SHARING WHAT YOU KNOW
All questions and responses are now posted on our new bulletin board. Go to
https://www.thefrugallife.com/bulletinboard.html for more details.
Please visit the bulletin board and provide your wonderful insights just as
you have in the email form we have been using. This will enable me to
continue doing The Frugal Life News if we use the bulletin board for all the
questions.
Note: It is better to register and always log in for each post so you won’t
have to give your name or email address for everyone to see.
I have included the links below for your convenience.
Questions being considered in the bulletin board are:
1. How Can I Teach My Children To Be Generous?
2. I Need Some Low Cost Wedding Gift Ideas.
3.Please tell me some low cost things that can be done to encourage others
through the year.
4. I Need recipe for home made fire place logs.
Please post your questions or answers in the new bulletin board. Just go to
Click Here
Together we can find the answers!
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ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS QUESTIONS
Q. Does anyone know how to take the cheap cat litter and turn it into the
clumping kind????
A. re: kitty litter Check at Farm Supply Stores for kitty litter. We
discovered a much larger bag there than what the grocery store would dream
of carrying, and it was self clumping stuff (about $8 /cdn for 40 lbs on
average) (instead of $5 for Johnny Cat, etc.). Sorry can’t help you make
regular gravel into absorbent wonder material! RS
************** Advertisement from Randal ***************
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Buy at Member Prices: 35-40% OFF!!
Nature’s Sunshine allows Members to order direct from their warehouse at
35-40% OFF retail. There is NO SIGN-UP FEE if you place a $40 or more order
(at Member pricing) at the time you sign up. No monthly minimums to purchase
– you never need to order again. You can sign up on the telephone if you
have a credit card.
Read more: http://www.theherbsplace.com/whsl.html Member Pricing
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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.
To subscribe to The Frugal Life News, go to https://www.thefrugallife.com/subscrip.html
Click Here