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Friday, July 17, 2009

Keep SPENDING to aviod going Bankrupt??

Does anyone else here in FrugalLand agree that in order to avoid Bankruptcy that one should keep spending? I always thought that if you if couldn't afford something then you shouldn't buy it. And if you had a ca$h flow problem then that meant that you had to STOP spending, not spend some more!

Well, evidently our illustrious Vice President seems to disagree. He and other members of the Obama Administration seem to believe that in order to keep from going Bankrupt that we "the people" need to SPEND MORE money to avoid Bankruptcy.

I'd certainly like to know exactly what Mr. Biden, Mr. Obama and other illustrious members of this current Administration and Congress were doing while they were in those expensive schools, I'd like to know what they were doing other than obviously just taking up space.

Here is what Mr. Biden, Vice President of the United States of America, the man directly under Barack Obama had to say to members of AARP.

“And folks look, AARP knows and the people with me here today know, the president knows, and I know, that the status quo is simply not acceptable. It’s totally unacceptable. And it’s completely unsustainable. Even if we wanted to keep it the way we have it now. It can’t do it financially.“We’re going to go bankrupt as a nation. Now, people when I say that look at me and say, ‘What are you talking about, Joe? You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?’“The answer is yes, that's what I’m telling you.”

Mr. Biden, as well as other notable politicians in the new Administration have obviously been in government way too long. He and his Administration colleges are obviously out of touch. Our country is heading to double the national debt under the recklessness of Obama, Biden, and the rest of the new administration, and this is the best argument that Biden has for nationalized healthcare, a program that is going to cost Americans an additional $1.5 trillion?

And here's another one of Biden's pearls of wisdom: “To those who say that our economic decisions ‘have not produced jobs, have not produced prosperity, and simply have not worked’ I say, take a look around,” Biden will say, according to prepared remarks obtained by The Washington Post.“‘Come see what I see everywhere I go: workers rehired, factories reopened, cops on the street, teachers in the classroom, progress toward getting our economy back on the move.’"

Workers rehired? WHERE?? The Unemployment rate is getting worse, not better.
Factories reopened? WHERE?? Cops on the street??
I loved this one - Teachers in the classroom??? They are now working DURING THE SUMMER? Really?

WOW! I'd like some of whatever Biden, Obama and the Rest of Team Obama are smokin'...

"Animals In Distress" Radiothon




The Newstalk 790 WAEB Animals in Distress Radiothon is happening July 13th-19th! We again need your help raising funds for the animals residing at the Animals in Distress shelter! Monday-Friday Pledge Phone Number: 610-841-4999(M-F phone number is open 5:30am - 12midnight)Weekend Pledge Phone Number: 610-967-4417(Make your pledge while Gunther broadcasts live over the weekend!) From July 13-17th... Listen to Gunther in the morning from 5:30am-10am to meet some of the Animals in Distress pets and listen for special matching hours where your dollars can be doubled! Click here to see the great prizes you could win for pledging donations!


WEEKEND RADIOTHON EVENTSFriday, July 17th- Join Gunther broadcasting live at Valvoline (7110 Hamilton Blvd. Trexlertown) from 11am-2pm. Meet some of the AID pets your dollars will be helping! Free pizza! And WAEB listeners will receive *1/2 price oil changes from Valvoline while we are there! (*See store for details!)


Saturday, July 18th- Join Gunther Broadcasting Live from 8am-4pm at the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer's Market, located at 17th & Chew Street in Allentown! Look for Gunther broadcasting from the middle of the Farmer's Market by Dan's BBQ. Everyone who pledges $20 or more... will receive 1 free bottle of the ResQ product of your choice, while supplies last!



Sunday, July 19th- Join Gunther Broadcasting Live from 8am-6pm at the Animals in Distress Shelter in Coopersburg. Click here for Shelter Directions!Enjoy a free hot breakfast compliments of the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer's Market, a free continental breakfast courtesy of Egypt Star Bakery and a free lunch of burgers, hot dogs and more again compliments of the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer's Market. From 1pm-3pm meet Dr. Jack Manzella and the folks from ResQ with more free ResQ products with donations. Great Entertainment at the Shelter Sunday, including: Davey J (Elvis Impersonator), a DJ all day and see the Unique Grandmaster Organ (one of a kind) playing great music! Also enjoy a basket raffle, Chinese auction, check out the unique gift shop and view the shelter, meet the pets and see where your donation dollars are going!


Special Thank You To: Ironton Telephone, The Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer's Market, Dan & Lori from Southern Delights, Mr. Bill's, Bergholds, Team Capital Bank, Bixler's Jewelers, Hager Furniture, Espa, Adamo Limousine & Joe Mascari's Carpets and Rugs. And many more thank you's to come!




http://www.waeb.com/pages/guntherspage.html

Thursday, July 16, 2009

FREE Rachel Ray Nutrish Premium Dog Food Sample

And according to the website "All my proceeds benefit animals in need", so you get a FREE sample AND help the little critters too!


http://www.rachaelray.com/pets/switch.php

Walgreen DEALS!

Log onto Walgreens for valuable coupons on items such as Green Works, Bayer Asprin, Keebler, Wellesse, Nature Valley, Kleenex, General Mills Cereals, Chex, Aleve, Huggies Little Swimmers, Huggies Overnight, Pond's Wet Clensin Towelettes, One A Day, Betty Crocker Fruit Roll Ups, Listerine for Kids

PLUS a $5 Coupon on Purchases of $25 or more!! (2 days ONLY 7/16/09 & 7/17/09)


http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/instorespecials/default.jsp?ec=hn1060s_getcoupon

FREE samples and coupons!

Sign up FREE to get FREE samples and/or coupons like Head & Shoulders, Aussie products, Iams cat food, Prilosec, Metamucil, Tide.


PGbrandSAMPLER.com

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

How to make a Yo Yo Quilt





I absolutey LOVE Yo Yo Quilts, but they can be EXPENSIVE! I saw a small doiley one today in a shop but they wanted $30 for it. So, I decided to see if I could find out how to make my own.
I came across this very easy tutorial courtesy of About.com. Looks like I have a new project to work on.





First decide how large you want your yo yos to be and make a circular template twice that size plus about 1/2". A plastic or cardboard template works just fine--or use a round jar lid if you can find one close to the right size.


1. Place the circle template on the right side of your fabric and trace around it lightly with a pencil or chalk marker. Leave about 1/2" between circles.


2. Cut out circles about 1/4" past the line.


3. Thread a hand sewing needle with quilting thread. If you use regular thread, sew with two strands.


4. Knot the end of the thread and bring it up from the reverse side while folding under the circle on the line. The needle and thread should pass through both layers to create a seam allowance.


5. Continue sewing around the circle, folding under the seam allowance as you go.


6. When you reach the starting point, tug on the thread to gather the circle into a rosette. Leave a hole in the middle of the yo yo.


7. Distribute the gathers and secure the thread with a few backstitches, then make a knot for extra security.


8. Trim excess thread, re-knot and make another yo yo.


You might find that you don't need the marked line to turn the circles under for sewing. If you can do it without--great, it will save time. And if you don't need the lines, try rotary cutting the circles--but be sure to use a special rotary template to help keep your fingers away from the blade.


Joining the yo yos.



1. Arrange the yo yos into rows and experiment with the layout until you find one you like.


2. Align two yo yos, gathered sides together. Take several whipstitches along one side, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam to help secure it. Make a knot if you'd like.


3. Repeat, adding more yo yos to finish the row. Attach rows together in the same way.


Yo yos can be sewn to a large piece of fabric, then sandwiched with batting and bound around the edges. Either quilt or tie the piece. You can also use the yo yos for dimensional applique. Apply yo yos to fabric with a blind stitch

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Let's All Do This...

A friend just sent this to me in an email. After reading it I thought the author did indeed have a very good point.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Let's All Do This


In our current economicsituation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else andperhaps even their job.So, after reading this email, I think thislady is on the right track. Let's get behind her!!My grandson likes Hershey's candy. It is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.


This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 6 light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs andcompared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - theUSA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio . So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.


So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets....yep,you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!


So my challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from China ...........(We should have awakened a decade ago......)Let's get with the program.... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A. !!!


Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

CardJacked!

Well, it certainly is a new era when it comes to Credit Cards.


My Capitalone card that I've had for 12 years now, I owe $0 to, and whom I'm a "Steller" customer with, a customer I might add who happens to have one of the lowest Interest Rates with them because of my "sterling record" with them, just got slapped with a $29 Annual Fee! HUH?! I've Never Ever paid an Annual Fee for any credit card I've ever had.



Well, of course I got on the horn and went through the loop of customer service agents only to be told over and over again that due to the bad economy that they had no choice but to do this to their best customers. My response to that was "well, I'm going to have to think long and hard if I want to continue doing my business with you then. I'll have to get back to you before this payment is due".



In past times one could fight these types of fees, but it certainly looks like those days are over for at least the next couple of years.



As was mentioned in the below article the excellent customers, who are irronically called "Deadbeats" are now paying for the true Deadbeats, you know, all those people who obtained credit and credit cards and couldn't afford to pay them to begin with. There is nothing more that irks me than having to pay or subsidize those Financially Irresponsible Individuals.




If all this that has been going on lately with the economy, be it credit cards, or mortgages etc etc teaches us anything, it's that the majority of Americans are going to have to become more Financially Responsible. Basically if you can't afford to buy and pay the cash for it, then DON'T buy it. Save your money till the day comes that you can plunk down Ca$h on the barrel or in the case of a Mortgage at least 20%. There is a reason why for decades the ol' standard was a 30 year fixed mortgage with at least 20% down, and the reason for that was BECAUSE IT WORKED! We've never before under the old standards seen the skyrocketing rates of Forclosures before as we are now seeing. Now even those of us who are and always have been finanically prudent are being penilized for this whole mess be it from fees being slapped on us or higher taxes!



But the banks (and some of the politicians, since in my opinion they were the precise ones who pushed for the laxing of lending laws to begn with) need to learn that you DON'T give money to people who can't afford it to begin with no matter who threatens to sue you on behalf of their constituants! Common Sense must still come into play here. You Don't lend money to people who can't pay you back!


Now the only problem I have is do I want to risk my excellent credit score tanking by canceling this card? Remember length of history and a little thing known as utilization come into play here. Since the key to a strong credit score is to build up a nice, long history of good credit and lenders love a consumer with a lenthy proven track record of payin down debt in a timely manner. And since length of credit history accounts for 15% of your credit score, that first card you opened way back in 1990 soemthing just can’t compare with anything else.

Then there's that little thing known as "Utilization" (a/k/a your debt-to-credit ratio). Basically, the idea is that it's better to have more credit available to you than less. Credit bureaus tend to drop your credit score if you're using too much of your available credit. For instance say I have three credit cards with different credit limits of $8,000, $10,000, and $15,000. I never use the first two, but routinely have a balance of around $7,000 on the third (not that I do this but you know what I'm talking about). This means I'm utilizing 21% of my total credit ($7,000 divided by my total credit limit of $33,000). Now if I were to cancel the two cards I don't use, then my utilization rate jumps to 47%, which in turn lowers my credit score. (credit bureaus look at both total utilization rate as well as the utilization rate of each card. While credit bureaus aren't outright with their precise scoring formulas, it is a known fact that lower utilization rates will significantly boost your score.


OK, I'm off my rant now, but I'm sure that most people can agree with my aggitation on this matter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/business/19credit.html

Friday, July 10, 2009

Enduring Unemployment in a tough economy



UNEMPLOYMENT.

We hear about it everyday lately and nobody is immune from a sudden job loss these days. We've gotten to the point that we personally know someone who has been recently laid off from their job or is facing a lay off in the very near future.
Times are tough, jobs are scarce and we all need to tighten our belts during these trying times. But exactly how does one go about doing so? It's important to know how to be prepared for the possibility of loosing one's job. Below are some tips for those facing unemployment and those who are currently experiencing it.

1. Getting your finances in order. This will help you avoid going into unmanageable debt and you won't have to settle for the first job that comes along just to get by. Make a list of your current assets and debts and determine what your average monthly expenses are. By evaluating and understanding your current, personal balance sheet it will enable you to prepare for a possible loss of income. It may be helpful to create a budget as well.

2. Know your job severance policy and other benefits. Make sure you acquaint yourself with your employer's severance policy now. By knowing how much you can expect if you're laid off it will help you calculate how much you need to save or set aside in an emergency expense fund.

3. You should also determine whether you'll be allowed to continue your health insurance benefits if you lose your job, and recently Congress enacted to the COBRA policy, in certain cases, that the employee only needs to pay 35% of the COBRA premium for a period of 9 months. It is IMPORTANT to take this COBRA plan because it's when you don't have medical insurance that disaster usually strikes - Also known as the "Murphy's Law".


4. Immediately create an Emergency Fund. Saving some of your money separate from regular savings or checking accounts can help you cover any unforeseen costs that may arise due to the loss of your job. An emergency fund should be equal to six to eight months of basic living expenses. Although in these tough times I would personally recommend at least 12 months of living expenses.


If you do lose your job and find yourself unemployed, here are additional tips for getting through a period of job loss:


1. I can not say this strongly enough. APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS IMMEDIATELY! Waiting may reduce your benefits.

2. Prioritize!! Pay the most important things first: mortgage/rent, car payment, car insurance, electricity & gas, water, groceries, etc. Personally, I'd pay my mortgage/rent anyday over paying off a credit card. Remember: The mortgage company/Landlord CAN and WILL evict you from your home for non-payment. The Credit Card company can not do that. Pay them the bare minimum!


3. ONLY use credit cards for critically important expenses. A new dress, shoes or purse is NOT a critically important expense. The engine in your car going, since you may need this to look for a new job and then to be able to get to your new job, or a broken down boiler in your home during the winter months IS a critically important expense.


4. Contact your creditors and inform them you've lost your job but are actively seeking employment. Discuss options for token or reduced payments for a limited time.

5. Be proactive with your job search. There are a number of career centers and online search tools to help you start a new chapter in your life. Additionally, networking with friends, relatives, and family has potential to lead to your next position.

6. Stay positive and stay BUSY -

Volunteer. This is your opportunity to give to those less fortunate or help children help themselves. Pick a cause you're interested in and volunteer some time. It's also great for networking and you just might fin a new job! Be careful if you're receiving unemployment and volunteering. Some states considers this "work" and may disqualify you in some cases.


Become autodidactic (self-taught). Teach yourself a new computer program, how to draw, play the guitar, arrange flowers or make jewelry. Learn how to cook Indian food or another cuisine. What about photography? Write a business plan, research a new product. Now's the time to learn and you just might discover a new career.


Get all those chores that needed to be done around the house finished. Start a garden to help offset your food budget. Now is the time to do all those things you said you'd do one day if you ever had the time. Guess what? You now have the time.


7. Stay in touch with your positive-minded former co-workers. Accept invitations from friends and family members to go out. Invite your friends over to watch movies or to exercise together. The key is staying in circulation and staying positive through interaction with people.


8. Try to Focus on Today. Here is a very simple trick that has saved my sanity and given me the ability to go on, regardless of my fears. It works like this . Ask yourself:

Do I have a roof over my head today?
Do I have food in the cupboard today?
Is my electricity still on today?
Is my car still parked in the drive?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, take a deep breath. Relax. Today you are okay. You can't worry about what will happen tomorrow. You could win the lottery or you could be hit by a bus. It's an unknown and outside of your control at this moment. It's in the future and you'll deal with that when it occurs. But today, you are okay. Chances are tomorrow you will be okay. If you are worried about what might happen in two weeks or two months, you're wasting valuable energy on supposition.

Every time you begin to future trip, start asking yourself 'Today' questions. Entrepreneurs do this a lot. At times, when you don't know where the money is going to come from, today questions will help you appreciate what you have, calm you and prevent you from freaking out about things that in most cases, will never happen. And if they do, you'll survive.

The best thing to do to fight against depression and a feeling of helplessness during this time of unemployment is to keep your thoughts positive. Engage your mind in activity. Use this time to grow and learn. And don't give up on yourself and certainly don't let your fears rule your future.


Good luck to everyone during these trying times! And remember We Will Survive!