Articles of interest

10 Ways You're Getting Ripped Off

8 Phony 'Bargains' and Better Alternatives

Excellent Series of Articles

Step One Towards Getting Out of Debt

But before you begin, give yourself a break. No matter what your current financial situation is, it can be improved. While you can (and should) learn from the past, beating yourself up over mistakes you may have made in it won’t get you anywhere. Once you’re ready to begin getting out of debt, start by finding out where you are. (You can’t get to where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re starting from.)

Step Two Towards Getting Out of Debt

Start by recording every single thing you buy, no matter how small. (Even a 1 cent gumball counts.) This may seem extreme, but chances are you’ll be surprised at how much of your money is spent on the little things — and the only way to find out for sure is to track every single expense.

Step Three Towards Getting Out of Debt

After completing steps one and two toward getting out of debt, the third step is to set up a spending & savings plan. Since you should already know your current income and expenditures, this step involves listing them out in an orderly manner.

Step Four Towards Getting Out of Debt

Step four toward getting out of debt involves looking for ways to reduce spending (so that you can pay down debt with the savings). If you have completed steps one, two, and three, you’ll have an accurate picture of what you’ve really been spending your money on and will know what your fixed expenses are.

Step Five Towards Getting Out of Debt

Step five toward getting out of debt addresses ways to use ‘found’ money to pay down debt. If you have completed steps one, two, three, and four, you’ll have an accurate picture of what you’ve really been spending your money on, will know what your fixed expenses are, and will have found ways to reduce your spending.

Memories of the Past

Ah!! The memories Growing my own food in 4 days. Many moons ago I preferred a vegetarian diet, I wasn't quite vegan but almost; why I drifted away from it I do not know. It may be that my partner is a meat and potatoes girl but I think it's more that there are no local sources for the food items I prefer.

I have noticed that my food choices in the last few months has been leaning more towards what I ate in the past. My new favorite ingredient, LENTILS; very easy and cheap.

Anywhoo, sprouting beans may be something to get back into doing.

This is a direct link to an article mentioned in the above blog Adventures in (Mung) Bean Sprouting.

Articles Of Interest--5

• Can You Make Money From Jim Cramer's Picks?
• Coupon Myths Debunked
• Eat Down!
• Excel Can Help You Calculate
• Back to the Basics: Staying out of ChexSystems
• Create A Budget That’s Easy To Keep
• Cutting Grocery Costs (without clipping coupons)
• Debt & the Grand Canyon
• How to Negotiate Debt Obligations with Creditors
• What can creditors do and not do?
• Dilemma in Debt Reduction
• Faux Febreeze
• Eliminating Debt: List All of Your Debts
• Excel DebtTracker Spreadsheet
• Feed Your Family for Under $10 a Day

Articles Of Interest--4

• No Credit Needed Debt Repayment Method
• Free Online Courses and Education
• 101 Ways to Put $101 in Your Pocket This Month
• 30 Free eBooks To Learn Everything You Wnat to Know About Personal Finance
• 30+ Ways to Recession-Proof Your Family Food Budget
• 50 Frugal Things You Aren’t Doing
• Michael Bluejay's list of Socially-Responsible Stocks
• Back To Basics: 79+ Brilliant Budgeting Resources You’ll Love--My Personal Excel Budget Spreadsheet
• Being organised
• Benefits And Drawbacks Of Spending Cash
• Books For Every Level of Financial Acumen
• Breadsticks
• MEAT BUYING TIPS

Hopefully no repeated articles. Enjoy!!

Y'all need to read this!!

Frugal Dad has really written a thought provoking post. Got me thinking about my current situation--my mom's recent hospitalization and recovery, my possible bankruptcy and all that goes with trying to become financially responsible; life in general.

Weeds to Eat?

Originally mentioned in Articles of Interest--3 Hate Weeds? Don't Kill Them, Eat Them!

Thought this article was interesting and something I'd be willing to try. I do know that I have two possibly three edible plants growing in my yard (not including dandelions). I'm all for free food so next spring I'm going to do a bit of experimenting.

Originally the idea for eating "wild" edible plants piqued my interest in early July when I came across the following blog posts from Stop the Ride. These are but a few of STR's post dealing with wild foods:

• Wild Mushrooms
• New and yummy wild foods
• Our new "white meat"
• A Sunday Drive and a New Foraging Find

You can also check out--WILD FOOD! LEARN ABOUT EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL WILD PLANTS AND MUSHROOMS, NATURE, AND ECOLOGY With America's Best-Known Forager "Wildman" Steve Brill.

Going to set a goal of researching this subject a bit more to prepare for the coming spring months. Will post what I find.

Doing the Wash

Frugal Laundry / Clothing Care. Previously mentioned in "Articles of Interest--3"

• ...washing things to frequently--In my opinion yes. My dilemma, my partner is neurotic (a legitimate OCD issue) about cleanliness, personal and clothing. Altho I will admit she has adjusted where her jeans and sweatshirts are concerned. It's a small "victory" but one I will gladly take. She really is trying and has accepted some of the frugal ideas I have been trying, and I love her for that .
• ...keep hangers on the knobs of our high dresser and anything that is going to be used again for another day I hang up overnight to 'air out'--this is something to adopt, our clothes usually end up in a heap as kitty beds; really furry kitty beds!!
• ...taking prompt care of the clothes that you have--I'm a bit wishy-washy on this point. I would say that 50% of the time I am good about treating stains; I'm not always aware of the need to pre-treat.
• ...keeping a small sewing kit on top of my fridge. It is a kids zippered pencil case I picked up for pennies at the thrift store. Inside are 3 spools of thread (white, black and white button thread) a seam ripper, a small pair of scissors, a few safety pins, a thimble and a piece of cardboard with three threaded needles pushed through it--Interesting idea one I might add to my repertoire.
• ...Do you use a clothes line?--Uhm nope!! May be a lame excuse but I don't have time. I also do laundry at 100 AM, a bit difficult to hang clothes at that hour. I don't foresee any changes in this area unless I utilize an indoor line system.
• ...you don't have to buy dryer sheets. I bought a huge bottle of the cheapest fabric softener I could find about 2 years ago (less than $2 for the bottle) I bought some sponges from the dollar store (4 per pkg) and cut two of them up into 8 pieces each. I soak the pieces of sponge in a mixture of about 1 part softener to 8 parts water--Think I may try this one as I do use dryer sheets. Money wise tho I do not find dyer sheets to be expensive so I'm not sure if the savings would be worth it. Anyone know the price breakdown of this method compared to dyer sheets? Might be something to research!!

Articles Of Interest--3

Haven't had much time to self lately. Between running back home to visit folks while mom is in hospital (hope she be home in a week or two); trying to catch up on my reading; and attempting to not spend money stupidly, I've seem to run out of hours in a day.

Only good thing is--I'm laid of from my primary job till the end of the year except for 2 weeks. I make more money being laid off than working so I'd be stupid not to take lay-off. I'm hoping to use the time off to write some posts, update my budget, etc.. So far I'm not being successful, altho I have been working more hours at my second job so that is cutting into my play time.

Below are some articles I found of interest from various blogs. I haven't thoroughly read all of them so I'm using this post as a storage bin of sorts :)) Enjoy!!

• Tightwad Tuesday: Homemade Cleaning Products--this article originally mentioned 8/14/08 in my post "Frugal Cleaning Challenge"
• Frugal Laundry / Clothing Care--see this blog post for more.
• When Frugality Isn’t Enough--This article really hit home. My situation isn't quite as dire or frustrating but I can relate to the feeling of "...sometimes, it just isn’t enough..." Highly recommend y'all read this.
• Half of Us Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck--Points to ponder from this article...Start Saving, Something...Even $20 a month adds up over time...You don’t have to be saving half of your income for your savings plan to be worthwhile...
• Play Hardball with Debt Collector: Sometimes, you have to get tough with a harassing collector--Dear Debt Adviser, I have a credit card company wanting to take me to court for a debt that is not mine. I have disputed these charges for almost two years now...It sounds as though these guys are just ignoring your requests and merrily doing what they want. Well, it's time to end the merriment. Here are four metaphorical 2-by-4s for you to swing...This article geared toward those dealing with fraudulent accounts/identity theft.
• Rice Tales--Sounds yummy, going to try this recipe soon
• 5 Frugal Foodie Tips--... I’ve finally learned how to cook quickly and simply from day to day. To do so, I have five shortcuts that might make a true foodie cringe--Minced Garlic/Bottled Lemon and Lime Juice/Chicken Bouillon Cubes/Canned Beans/Fresh Herbs...My personal five--Dehydrated Onions/Apple Cider Vinegar/Canned Tomatoes and Tomato Paste/Adobo Seasoning/Worcestershire Sauce
• Rite Aid FAQ--I found this info whilst surfing. We have a RA in our town but I do not shop there very much. I am still determining whether the SCR program would be worthwhile for us, as I am attempting to figure out how it works. Thought I'd pass this link along to others that may find it helpful
• Three Easy Steps to Frugal Home Canning--a good beginning reference to keep on hand for those thinking learning how to can
• Eating Greens to Save Greens by Steven Burns--But I don't have a green thumb!! The past two years have been attempting to grow some produce without much luck. I did manage to grow some weeds this year (see article link below--lol). Anywhoooo, I do have good luck with herbs, so will continue with them; lettuce seems to grow well also. Am thinking maybe try and grow these indoors. What I wish for is tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, I have no luck with these and I don't think they can be grow indoors during the winter. Will have to try again next planting season.
• Hate Weeds? Don't Kill Them, Eat Them!--see this blog post
• The Fools Help Me Get Out of Debt--a review of sorts regarding Motley Fool’s Get Out of Debt seminar
• Suze Orman's 12 Steps From Debt--You must face the enemy: Tell others about your debt--If you're in "over your head" with credit-card debt, cut up your cards now--Call your one remaining credit card company and ask them to lower your limit to a level that's adequate for emergencies--Pay as much as you can each month and always pay more than the minimum--Pay off the card with the highest interest rate first, and the rest in descending order--Always manage your cards to provide the lowest interest rates, switching cards every six months if necessary--Make a point to understand all the inner workings of your card(s)--Honor all debts equally whether you owe the money to Mastercard or a family member--Once you pay off one card, you must apply that card's payment toward your next highest-rate card--If you really cannot accomplish this yourself, enlist the aid of outside agencies--Make sure to never let this happen again--Once all debts are paid off, apply the payment money toward your future
• The New Age of Frugality--"Americans' charge-it culture is getting an overdue reality check. But will the new discipline stick?"
• Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps: Make minimum payments on all your bills. Squeeze your budget until you've accumulated $1,000 cash--Pay off your debts in order of smallest balance to largest--Create a full-fledged Emergency Fund containing 3 to 6 months' worth of expenses--Direct 15% of your annual pre-tax income into your retirement plans--Take care of college funding. Fully fund Educational Savings Accounts and/or utilize 529 plans--Become financially "ultrafit" and 100% debt-free: Pay off your home early--Get to the point where your money works harder than you do
• 3 Easy Steps Financial Plan in Excel--a nice, simple starting point
• Can You Get Rich With These 7 Stock Market Oddball Indicators?--This article is a bit on the quirky side but a good read. I do plan on exploring it further with a future post as I do invest on a small scale. As an amateur with what I consider unusual methods for choosing my stock this article fits me well
• Money-making idea: Journaling while you’re learning a new skill--I really like this idea. Something to consider especially with the current economic situation

Hopefully I haven't repeated any articles, if I have I apologize!!

Check out Punny Money--Great Site

Punny Money is a site you must see!! The blog posts are well written with a huge amount of humor thrown in as well. Following are some articles I found that may be helpful. Very well written series. interesting perspective:

• Why Net Worth is a Poor Measure of Wealth
• Net Worth is NOT Wealth: How to Determine Your Total Measure of Wealth
• Your Total Measure of Wealth: Age and Net Worth
• Your Total Measure of Wealth: Income, Personal Savings Rate, and Rate of Return
• Your Total Measure of Wealth: Job Status

Finally someone else who has a similar experience with coupons. Was beginning to feel as if I was clueless:

• Punny Money’s Grand Coupon Experiment, Part 1
• Punny Money’s Grand Coupon Experiment, Part 2
• Punny Money’s Grand Coupon Experiment, Part 3
• Punny Money’s Grand Coupon Experiment, Part 4
• The Science (Fiction) of Coupons

Articles Of Interest--2

Articles I found of interest to share whilst I'm home visiting mom in ICU:

• From Pennies One Million Dollars Grow

As we learn in grade school science, everything on this Earth is composed of many smaller things, which in turn are composed of even smaller things, etc., etc., etc. The same principle applies to finance and fortune.

• How you can start building alternative income streams 40+ Alternative Income Ideas and Resources
• Super Sensational Savings with Salt - Part 1 by Rachel Keller. Going to have to try this one--Mix half a cup of salt and baking soda to a gallon of water to wash away stains and odors inside your refrigerator.
• Super Sensational Savings with Salt - Part 2 by Rachel Keller. More to try-->Set the color in new towels by adding a cup of salt to your wash water the first couple times you wash them-->Protect colors of new clothes from bleeding by washing them in a cold wash with 1/4 cup salt-->Soak colored cottons overnight in salt water to reduce fading of the colors.
• Super Sensational Savings with Salt - Part 3 by Rachel Keller