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6 Ways To Cut Pet Care Costs
As I write, a big, beautiful, brindled English bulldog is underfoot, sleeping soundly, as bulldogs do. I cannot claim ownership, but Newcastle ("Newkie" to his family) visits often. He's my granddog — and as precious as they come. So …Read more.
Fun (Cheap) Birthday Gift Ideas for Kids
Several months ago, I got a message from Elaine G., who recently had joined a moms group. With all of her newly minted friendships, she and her little one are getting invitations to lots of toddlers' birthday parties. Her dilemma took me back to …Read more.
What You Need To Know if Your Bank Fails
If it seems that more banks are closing this year than normal, you are absolutely right. Since January 2009, 106 banks and 19 credit unions have failed in the U.S. That's more than four times the number of closings in 2008. It's the most since the …Read more.
Make Your Own Sanitizing Wipes
Dear Mary: I would like to find a recipe to make hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Do you know of one? — Delores, e-mail
Dear Delores: I have been thinking about the same thing, now that we're learning that products like Purell are …Read more.
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Swap Books You Have for Those You WantDear Mary: I had the address of a Web site that allows you to list your books by ISBN and swap them with other members. My plan was to let my daughter enter all of our books into the system so she would have an allowance for her book purchases. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find that Web site again. Can you help? — Echo W., e-mail Dear Echo: The site you are looking for is PaperBackSwap.com. Your daughter can enjoy trading paperbacks, hardbacks, audio books and textbooks. The site is fantastic, with search features, reader reviews and ratings, similar to Amazon.com and www.bn.com. More than 4 million books are listed at PaperBackSwap.com. Membership to the site is "currently free for charter members," which leads me to believe the site will be instituting a membership fee in the near future. I would sign up quickly. Dear Mary: I started tracking my spending. I'm sure you will not be surprised, but I was spending way more than I realized. I have determined that I need to move out of my expensive apartment. What percentage of my income should I be spending on my rent or a mortgage? — Rebekah H., e-mail Dear Rebekah: Keeping track of where your money goes takes self-discipline. As you are learning, that's what brings us to financial maturity. The amount of income you should devote to housing depends on how much debt you are carrying, the size of your family and other factors. Generally speaking, housing (including insurance and taxes for a mortgage) should consume 28 to 32 percent of your gross income — less if you have a lot of debt, slightly more if you are otherwise debt-free. Dear Mary: I finally am living with cash. For years, I have worked to improve my poor money management skills with your suggestions. I reread "Debt-Proof Your Marriage," and I'm on the right path. The chapter "You Can Get Out of Debt, Yes You Can!" helped so much. Your Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan is showing me the way. It truly is working. I have more than $50,000 of debt, and it will take a few years to pay back, but I know I can do it. Thank you. I appreciate the lifeline. — Jill, e-mail Dear Jill: I am so happy to hear of your progress. It's one thing to know what to do but another to do it! You are proof that my debt-proof living method really works. The Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan recently was expanded as an online tool at our new Web site, http://www.DebtProofLiving.com, to include a management feature. You create your RDRP online using the RDRP calculator and manage it as part of your super-secure Debt-Proof Living membership. It is one of the best things about our new site! Do you have a question for Mary? E-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Can I Pay My Credit Card Bill With a Credit Card?" To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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