Debt Mutiny!

“Creditors have better memories than debtors; and are a superstitious sect,
great observers of set days and times.”
- Benjamin Franklin

When a debt becomes 180 days delinquent, most creditors will write it off and turn it over to a collection agency. At this point, you no longer owe the original creditor, you now owe the collection agency. It is ALWAYS best to work with your original creditor before your account gets sent to a collection agency. Even if you pay off the debt, it will be on your credit report as a paid collection, which is a NO BETTER than an unpaid collection.

Collection agencies are governed by laws that prohibit certain abusive practices.
They are not allowed to:
* Call your office;
* Call your home before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.;
* Address you in an abusive manner;
* Call family or friends in an attempt to collect your debt;
* Harass you;
* Make false or misleading statements; or
* Add unauthorized charges.

Collection agencies collect debts for a fee or percentage of the total amount owed. Some agencies also purchase debts from creditors for a fraction of the value of the debt and pursue the debtor for the full balance. They can make a profit if they can get debtors to repay even a fraction of the debt. Collection agencies sometimes resort to unfair and abusive measures to collect debts.

Common Debt Collector Tactics:
* Misrepresenting the character, amount or legal status of a debt;
* Demanding more than was owed;
* Insisting the consumer owes a debt that he or she does not;
* Claiming a debt was legally enforceable when the statute of limitations had long since expired;
* Attempting to collect on a debt that’s already been paid.

It is in your best interests to read the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. These laws exist to protect debtors from unfair collection practices. Clear violations of debt collection laws are reportable to the FTC, and debtors can sue the offenders in small claims court.

Know your rights. There are limits on how far a debt collector can go. Even if you have owe a debt, you are entitled to fair and respectful treatment.

Here are some simple, yet inexpensive ideas for having fun as a family:

1. Visit the playground.
2. Go on a bike ride.
3. Go roller-skating or roller-blading.
4. Play catch or Frisbee.
5. Play Tag, Simon Says, Red Light-Green Light, Duck-Duck Goose, or Hide & Seek.
6. Jump rope or play Leap Frog.
7. Play hopscotch.
8. Fly a kite.
9. Have a scavenger hunt.
10. Go for a hike.
11. Go fishing.
12. Feed the geese or ducks.
13. Take the dog for a long walk.
14. Wash the car together.
15. Draw pictures on the sidewalk with colored chalk.
16. Go for an after-dinner walk around the neighborhood.
17. Camp out in the backyard.
18. Have a bonfire and roast hot dogs or marshmallows.
19. Watch the sunrise or sunset together.
20. Brush up on constellations and go for a stargazing walk.
21. Catch fireflies.
22. String popcorn and place on a tree for the birds.
23. Plant a tree or some flowers.
24. Have a picnic.
25. Go to the library.
26. Make an erupting volcano together.
27. Have Family Game Night with board or card games.
28. Play charades.
29. Do a jigsaw puzzle together.
30. Read a book together as a family.
31. Work on a crossword puzzle.
32. Make a family tree.
33. Go through old family albums.
34. Archive your unfiled photographs.
35. Make scrapbook binders out of keepsakes.
36. Bake cookies.
37. Make homemade pizza.
38. Create your own banana splits.
39. Make an indoor tents with blankets draped over tables and chairs.
40. Clear out the furniture, get in your pajamas, pile up all the pillows and blankets into the middle of the floor in the living room and watch a family movie together.

“Ever consider what pets must think of us?
We come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -
chicken, pork, half a cow.
They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth!”
Anne Tyler

Meal planning can help you keep food expenses down and save money on gas by making fewer trips to the grocery store.

Cook and eat entirely from your stocked pantry; on busy days plan to prepare a slow cooker meal. When you have some extra time, cook large amounts to freeze or use later in the week. Purposefully plan to use leftovers in second meals.

Eat smaller portions of meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, and build the main part of your meal around vegetables, salads, rice, noodles and grains. Always supplement meals with breadsticks, biscuits, rolls or corn bread. Frozen prepared dough is a less expensive alternative to ready made varieties.

Typically, red meat is the most expensive part of anyone’s weekly grocery budget. If you cut down on how often you serve it and you’ll see an immediate reduction in your food bill.

Buy only what’s on sale each week, then stock up and freeze to use later. Meat will generally keep well in the freezer for 6 months or more. Be sure to keep track and rotate your inventory for optimal freshness.

Whole chickens are a good buy, as well as whole turkeys around the holidays. When you have leftover chicken, pull it off the bone and freeze it. Cut beef strips or tips out of steaks that are on sale for stir fry or stew. Buy quarter, half or whole pork loins when they go on sale. Cut 2/3 of the loin into chops and save the other 1/3 for a roast.

Stock up on fruits and vegetables in season, when they are least expensive, and freeze or can the excess. When buying produce by the pound, make sure it is dry. If it has recently been sprayed with water it will weigh (and cost) more. Prepackaged produce is not always equal in weight, check the scales for the biggest packages. Check large bags of produce carefully to make sure they aren’t bruised or spoiled.

Keep an inventory of what you have on hand and make sure nothing spoils. Store fruits and vegetables separately to slow down the ripening process. If fresh fruit is too expensive, buy frozen or canned fruit packed in water.

Store brands have nearly the same ingredients and are much less expensive than their name-brand counterparts. Use nonfat dry milk for drinking, cooking and baking. Use regular or quick-cooking oats rather than instant oats. Buy 2-liter sodas instead of cans. Even better - eliminate soda altogether!

“I went back to work because someone had to pay for the groceries.”
Bette Davis

In this turbulent economy, it is becoming increasingly important to find ways to save money on food.

According to a new poll conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, women who use coupons and store-loyalty cards save over 10% a year on groceries. It requires an investment of time and discipline to clip and organize coupons each week, but the savings can be dramatic.

Coupons work best when they’re combined with in-store sales, then doubled. Keep in mind that many stores will only double coupons up to $1.00.

The best source for coupons is in the Sunday newspapers. Consider purchasing an extra Sunday newspaper to get a duplicate set of coupons. Check sites such as SmartSource.com, Coupons.com and CoolSavings.com, and manufacturer Web sites for printable coupons and free samples.

Clip every coupon available and keep them organized. Pay careful attention to the small print and expiration dates. Watch for rebate items, and use coupons on them too. Be sure to send them in on time.

Make a list to organize your thoughts and help you stay focused. Compare your coupons against current sales flyers for stores in the local area. Identify which items are the BEST DEALS for that week. When you find a deal, buy as many as you have coupons for and find a place to store the stockpiled items.

REMEMBER - couponing only saves money if you use them on products you would normally buy. Learn to recognize when coupons are a good deal and when they’re not. Don’t buy something just because you have a coupon for it.

Find out if your store will price match their competitor’s sale prices, and use store-loyalty cards with coupons to save even more.

Shop without the kids, and eat before you go. Try to combine grocery shopping with other errands to save gas. Take along a calculator to keep a running tab of your purchases or keep a running total on the back of your list.

Round up to the nearest dollar. Compare unit price, the cost per ounce, which is usually listed in small print on the shelf price tag. This gives an accurate comparison of what you are actually spending.

Keep an eye on the scanner. Grocery stores are notorious for incorrectly ringing up sale items. Ask for a raincheck if the store doesn’t have a sale item that you need.

If you don’t spend your whole grocery budget for the week put the surplus into a savings account.

“Unless information is organized, processed, and available
in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit”
William Pollard

To have an office that is conducive to productivity, it’s important to create a workspace that is welcoming and orderly.

Organize your desktop.

Keep desktop as clear as possible, so you can have a nice simple workspace. Have one inbox and make sure ALL papers go into this tray. Be sure to have a trash can, recycling bin, shredder, filing cabinet, tickler file, calender, pens, stapler and paper clips easily within reach.  Make sure there is plenty of lighting.

Don’t leave papers scattered all over your desk, unless you’re actually working on them at this moment. Keep a “working on” binder for projects in process.

Organize your computer.

Clear your computer desktop. Reserve your desktop for the files you access every day. Create folders that work for you and keep your desktop clutter-free.

Make sure you back everything up! Have a system to protect yourself in case of theft or hardware failure.

Label and contain all your cords and wires.

Organize your system.

Clear out your inbox each day. Have a place for everything.Put everything back where it belongs as soon as you are done with it every time.

Organize your files.

Make it easy to store, track and retrieve all your information. Set up a clearly labeled and easily accessible file system to control the desire to dump papers on your desk. Know which financial records to keep (and how long to keep them). Purge your archives.

Thanks to Tammy’s Recipes for this one:

Every time True Lemon gets a request for free samples of True Lemon, True Lime or True Orange from a new customer, they will donate 10 packets of True Lemon to Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization providing care packages to U.S. Troops in the deserts and mountains of Iraq and Afghanistan to help make the water more flavorful. Each packet has:

* 100% all-natural ingredients
* 0 calories, 0g carbs
* 0g sugars, no artificial or natural sweeteners
* No preservatives or sodium

Plus, anyone who blogs about True Lemon free samples and links to their free sample page can get 15 free packets of True Lemon/Lime/Orange for doing so.

E-mail them at customercareATtruelemonDOTcom with the link to your post and your name and address.

“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then is not an act but a habit.”
-Aristotle
Email is not a storage bin but an in-basket, similar to an answering machine. A trusted system for processing and organizing email is much more efficient than opening, reviewing, and closing the same messages over and over.

According to David Allen, the guru of GTD, people leave emails in their in-basket for the same reason they pile things on their desk. They think, If it’s in front of me, I won’t lose or forget it. This approach is undermined by the volume and ambiguity of what’s in the piles. Visual cues only work when they are unique. Once we’ve seen them a few times, visual cues become “invisible” and don’t grab our attention anymore.

Set Up a Trusted E-mail System
Incoming information needs to be processed and emptied regularly by deleting it, acting on it, or filing it in a folder other than your inbox. Handle each e-mail message ONCE by immediately deciding what action to take with every message then remove it from the Inbox. Process the first message in your Inbox and move on to the second one ONLY after you’ve handled the first.

Reference Information
An e-mail reference system is a simply a series of folders to store information that is not required to complete an action that you want to archive or keep as support information. Use as few filing places as possible to make the process as simple and efficient as possible. One simple alphabetical list is easiest to work with and maintain.

Action Information
Action folders should be separate from your reference folders and should sit at the top of your folder list. Any emails containing information you must have to complete an action will be organized here. Name them with all caps and use a punctuation symbol (for example @) symbol.

Four Choices
When processing emails containing action information you have four choices:
Delete it
Does the message relate to something you’re currently working on? If not, you can probably delete it.
Does the message contain information you can find elsewhere? If so, delete it.

Do it
Ask yourself, “What specific action do I need to take?” and “Can I DO IT in less than two minutes?” There is no point in filing an e-mail or closing an e-mail if you can complete it in less than 2 minutes. Anything you can deal with in less than two minutes should be done the first time you see it.

Delegate it
If you can delegate it, do so right away. Once you delegate the action, delete the original message or move it into your reference files.

Defer it
If the action required is something that only you can accomplish and will take more than two minutes, turn it into a task or appointment. Name the task to clearly state any actions required. Once you have recorded it into your calender or to-do list, delete the original message or move it into your reference files.

“My idea of superwoman is someone who scrubs her own floors.”
Bette Midler

You can clean almost anything with these three simple, environmentally friendly, inexpensive ingredients:
Dawn, White Vinegar, and Baking Soda.

Non-Abrasive Cleaner/Deodorizer - Dissolve 4 tablespoons baking soda with 1 tablespoon Dawn in 1 quart warm water to clean and deodorize surfaces.

Glass Cleaner - Mix together 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of white vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon Dawn in a spray bottle. Spray on mirrors and windows. Wipe with a clean cloth or newspaper for a streak-free finish.

Floor Cleaner - Mix 1 to 2 cups white vinegar to 1 cup hot water in bucket. Apply with a mop to any type of floor, including hardwood. No need to rinse.

Carpet Deodorizer - Sprinkle carpet liberally with baking soda. Allow to sit overnight. Vacuum thoroughly in the morning.

Tub/Tile Cleaner - Fill a spray bottle 1/4 full with Dawn and add white vinegar to fill. Shake bottle to mix. Spray. Allow to sit up to one hour if necessary. Scrub and rinse well.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner - Mix 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup Dawn, and 1/4 cup water. Let sit on the toilet bowl for up to 2 hours if necessary. Clean with a toilet brush, and flush.

Drain Cleaner - Once a week, pour 1/4 cup baking soda, then 1/2 cup white vinegar. Wait 20 minutes; then pour 1 gallon boiling water. *Do not use this method if you have used a commercial drain opener and it may still be present in the drain.*

“If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.”
Benjamin Franklin

CVS has high prices compared to other discount stores. They do, however, have a very lucrative rebate and loyalty program. CVS’s ExtraCare Program gives you ExtraCare Bucks (ECB’s), which are store credits for purchasing an advertised rebate item. ECB’s print out at the bottom of your receipt, and are available right away. They can be used to buy almost anything in the store (excluding prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco, lottery, stamps, gift cards, and money orders).

Almost every week, there are one or two items which are advertised as completely free after ECBs. This means is that you will pay for the item out of pocket and receive an ECB at the bottom of your receipt in the amount of the item purchased. Once you have paid for the item and earned an ECB, you can then use it to pay for the next transaction. Ideally, you should use the ECBs you earned from your last transaction to buy something in the next transaction which will earn you the same amount (or more) of ECBs than you spent.

The goals are:

*to spend as little out of pocket money as possible,

*to buy items offering ECBs in the same amount (or more) as the ECBs spent,

*and to combine manufacturer’s coupons with ECB’s.

By taking advantage of the rebates, coupons, and promotions, you can consistently buy merchandise whose retail value greatly exceeds your out of pocket costs. You will need to spend some initial money to get started. However, you can easily build up a large supply of heavily discounted soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, toothpastes, razors, toilet paper, tampons, over-the-counter medicines, detergents, cleaners, and batteries. Be sure to stockpile only items that your family uses or needs. You are no longer saving money if you buy products that you won’t use.

The first thing you need to do is sign up for an ExtraCare card. You can do this either in-store or online. Next, go through the CVS flyers. There are weekly deals, which are advertised in the weekly fliers, and monthly deals, which are advertised in the monthly ECB booklet. You can find them in the Sunday newspaper or on the CVS website.

Look for items that you NEED, WANT or WILL USE that are generating ECBs this week. Make a detailed shopping list, including exact item description and size. Make sure you have a manufacturer’s coupon for every item on your list. You are allowed to use one ECB and one manufacturer coupon per item. Be careful to read the small print on the coupons for specific conditions regarding brands, sizes, and dates.

When checking out, give the cashier your ExtraCare card before they start ringing up your transaction. After the items are scanned, give the cashier your coupons then your ECB’s. Your new ECBs will print out on the bottom of your receipt. Extra Care Bucks expiration dates are usually indicated on your receipt. Be sure to sign up for the email list, to receive XXdollars off/XXpurchase coupons that you can print out and use in their stores.CVS also offers you 2% back in the form of Extra Care Bucks for all of your purchases (with the same product exclusions). The 2% Extra Bucks rewards are added to your account quarterly.