Monday, March 31, 2008

Ebaying in effort to get Debt Free


In my efforts to get debt free, I am again taking some items to Ebay.


Take a look, and maybe bid (buy) an item or two from my collection.







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Friday, March 28, 2008

Review: How To Get Out Of Debt


Being in debt to a tune of around $12,000 (currently) with an annual earnings of about $19,500 (2007), I was excited when a promoter contacted me and asked me to review, "How to Get Out of Debt," by Harrine Freeman.

Reading her book, her story sounded a lot like my own, and for good reason. Freeman herself was once $19,000 in debt while earning $21,000 a year. However, she learned how to climb out of debt without filing for bankruptcy and shares her personal story and strategies that she's used for thousands of clients in her book, How to Get Out of Debt; Get an A Credit Rating for Free.

There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 million Americans who are in debt and receive bad credit ratings every year, according to the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). They have no idea how to get out of debt, and more than 1 million of these debt-ridden men and women file for bankruptcy each year. Now with this book, you can learn how to clean up your FICO score for free, without using one of those rip off "credit repair" places.

As a personal finance blogger, I have read a lot of books on this subject. Harrine Freeman recommends a method very similar to Dave Ramsey, in which one uses small and attainable goals. Pick the smallest debt you have, let's say it is $100, and pay it! That debt is gone, and you can move to next. Simply put you can 'Nickel and dime' your way out of debt.

It is a good concept, one that I myself am already using to get out of debt. The author recommends this method from her own personal experience. Much the same as personal finance guru Ramsey does. Freeman's debt, was from misuse of credit cards, used for fun rather then necessities. Which also means that this wasn't student loan or medical debt that plaques so many Americans. There are differences, however, between Ramsey and Freeman. For one, she seems to worship at the altar of the FICO score. Much of her book talks about rebuilding your credit. I do applaud her as she recommends staying away from the so called credit repair places. All they will do is take your money and give you empty promises.

She explained paying the minimum payment on the credit card means that you are going to pay for that item three times. In other words, that $5 coke and sandwich that you charge at lunch, will cost you $15. Is that scary or what? I know, some of you have thought I was crazy when, I have said the same thing previously in this blog. Perhaps, you should read this book and see what she has to say, for yourself. I really enjoyed it, and it really is a well written book without all those mind numbing calculations that so many finance books throw at you.

The book hit the shelves in November 2006, so you shouldn't have to much trouble finding it. You can easily find it by visiting Amazon.com.



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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Free McDonald's? Really?










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Video Promotes Stealing

I just found a video on Facebook, entitled "How to get a free meal at McDonald's." To put it simply. The answer is called stealing. Here see what I mean.



Do people really think they can get away with that.


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Was Jimmy Carter Right on Economics?

In the past 2-years I have read much about American consumption. The dreadful decline in our savings savings as we spend more then we earn. With each year, it seems to get worse. Is it any wonder, that our economy is beginning to collapse? You can support the economy for only so long, before over spending will fall in top of you. Look at from a personal angle. If you earn $30,000/year but spend $35,000/year, how long do you think you can do that, before you fall financially. Eventually, you either have to cut spending or file bankruptcy (and cut spending). Back in 1979, Jimmy Carter tried to warn us.



In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.
- Jimmy Carter, 7/15/1979


Carter's speech, which you can read in it's entirety online, as well as his pessimistic attitude was so unpopular (his popularity was only 25%) that he was defeated in a landslid by Ronald Reagan, in 1980. Since then, no President of either party has dared talk about our over consumption. Instead, they have tried to pump it up.

In the same speech, Carter said,

The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us. For the first time in the history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next 5 years will be worse than the past 5 years. Two-thirds of our people do not even vote. The productivity of American workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen below that of all other people in the Western world.

As you know, there is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions. This is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning.

These changes did not happen overnight. They've come upon us gradually over the last generation, years that were filled with shocks and tragedy.

We were sure that ours was a nation of the ballot, not the bullet, until the murders of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. We were taught that our armies were always invincible and our causes were always just, only to suffer the agony of Vietnam. We respected the Presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Water gate.

We remember when the phrase "sound as a dollar" was an expression of absolute dependability, until 10 years of inflation began to shrink our dollar and our savings. We believed that our Nation's resources were limitless until 1973, when we had to face a growing dependence on foreign oil.


Over the years, I criticized the Carter administration. It was however, Reagan, who got me interested in politics. Even though I loved how Carter has helped the poor through habitat for humanity, since leaving office. However, as watched the documentary "Affluenza," and now locating Carter's speech, I have even more respect for at certain aspects of his administration. We are beginning to see more then ever the very things Carter was trying to warn us about 29-years ago.

The answer to correct it, is simple. All though, it is an unpopular idea. Cut spending. Live on less then you make and put the remaining into savings.



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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Linkage Updates

I created a link page today. Every single site i was linked to yesterday, I am stilled linked to, but I now have a link page. The handful of sites that actually link back to me on their front page, are now the only Personal-finance sites that I link to on my front page. Just because a site was moved to my new link page, doesn't mean they don't link to me. Some of them link to me, but not on their front page. To get to the link page, a link at the bottom of the Personal-finance blogs links, guides readers to the rest of the links. In doing this, it should make my front page open easier and faster.



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AmeriFirst Annoys Me

I am fighting with Amerifirst again this month. They had me on lower payments, through the month of February. Now I am back to regular payments. Payments are due on the 10th of each month. I have been sending them $20 a week ($80/month), but thy claim they have only received $60/month. What they are doing is, as I learned as I talked with the supervisor, is not counting the payment on Feb 22 or 29th as payment for the 3/10 due date. Instead they are applying it to the past month and charging me a $10 late charge, because they only received $60 by the 21st (keep in mind the due date is the 10th). So they expect me to send them $80 by 4/10, but the payment they received on 3/25 doesn't count. Seems they want it both ways, so that they can charge me that late fee. Once again, after I complained they have agreed to waive the late fee, but I MUST get them an additional $80 (as I mentioned) by the April due date. I am getting tired of this rip off company. I really want to get the cash and pay them off like I planned.

On top of that, before I was given the supervisor, the person spent 10 minutes explaining how he made a mistake in calling me a lady, even after I pointed out what my name was. Further, explaining that he made a mistake by not scrolling the screen and seeing the other payments that I had been claiming to have made. As I said, I will be glad when I can get rid of this company that rips you off and is so freaking rude.








Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$10.00Success2/5/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$30.00Success2/12/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$20.00Success2/19/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$20.00Success2/26/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$20.00Success3/4/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$20.00Success3/11/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$20.00Success3/18/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$20.00Success3/25/2008



Amerifirst Home Improvement Fina$20.00Success4/1/2008


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My Free TV is Ending

Back in 1996, I found a great satellite service. The service offered nothing but Christian programing back then. Since then they have offered some family friendly TV stations as well. Such stations as the Hallmark channel, the Hallmark Movie Channel and Fox News have joined the line up along with such stations as Cornerstone TV (from PA), the Liberty Channel (as in Liberty University in VA) and many other Christian TV stations from around the country not to mention all the Christian radio stations. Well because I was an early subscriber, I had the opportunity to be a lifetime subscriber. Something that has paid for itself many times over.

Now, I have learned that come March 31, 2008, they will be ending their satellite service and be moving towards a new technology that will provide television through my high speed Internet service. The service called Sky Angel IPTV will be able to offer additional programing over the current (and soon to be disbanded). Some of the new channels include FOX Business (something I certainly want), the weather channel, discovery channel and the Sportsman Channel, to name just a few. Of course they are expanding their Christian TV programing as well, but as you can see the family channels really is being increased. The problem is that, I will no longer be a lifetime subscriber once they end the satellite service.

Their prices are as follows:

Faith Package $14.99 a month, Family Package $19.99 a month, and both packages $24.99. They are offering a free box if you make an 18 month commitment to the service.

While, I would love to make the switch and continue with this great service, I just don't know how I am going to work it into my budget. Perhaps, it is another area of consumerism that I must learn to do without.
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Two Fantastic Years

On this day 2-years ago, I set down for the first time to write about personal finances. The idea was simple enough, John Cummuta's CD's suggested signing up for affiliate programs and create a website to place those links. However, in order to make affiliate programs work, I had to create a reason for people to actually visit and then return to the page. My idea, was that I would be the first to write about personal finance. Well guess what, I wasn't the first. However, I quickly joined a rank of 800+ other personal finance blogs, and to my surprise I quickly joined the top 100. A position I still hold, although my rank has slipped as the number of personal finance bloggers swelled to over 1000.

So how will I spend this mile mark? To start, I am attending a weekly community meeting, in which I am going to take the above pictured cake as a treat. I will then go to the store to pick up the turkey breast they were sold out of the other day. Then come home, to prepare a special, and budget busting dinner, of Turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn and cranberry sauce.

To end the day, I will attend the annual meeting of one of my credit unions, in which I will whole heartedly cast my vote for a great group of volunteer board of directors. In addition, through out the day, I hope to finish the Harrine Freeman book, "How to get out of debt." Once I finish that book, I can get my 2 reviews written and uploaded to their respective blogs.
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FICO Still Rising

I checked out the website of my former credit card company. What do you know? I was still able to log in and as of March 1st, when they last checked my credit report, my FICO went up to 688, from the previous month when the FICO was 669. If this keeps up, it will be above 700 once again, by the end of the year. Of course, that is only the TransUnion records.

Plus, WAMU may not let me gain access after this month, nor check my report again either.

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Monday, March 24, 2008

Spring Time

With spring here, it is once again time to give myself a haircut. You may remember, that last year, I bought my own hair clippers. Since then, I have been cutting my own hair, however, I let it grow over the winter, it was just to cold (in my opinion) to have a crew cut. Now that warmer weather has returned, so has the days of shaving my head.

However, cutting my own hair is just the beginning of the week. This is the week I took my first (of 3) weeks of vacation. A week that I plan to super clean my home and storage shed. Celebrate my 2nd blog-aversary (tomorrow), get my taxes done and end the week by attending the stockholders meeting for the LLC that I own a few shares in. It has been several years since I have returned home to attend the meeting of this small rural telephone company and I am actually looking forward to making the trip this year.






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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Erroneous Info Removed From Experian

You may remember, a while back, I mentioned some erroneous information that was on my Experian credit report.

Well this morning, I heard back from Experian. They have deleted the two pieces of erroneous information. No longer is the Florida address on my Experian report. Which is good, since I have never lived anywhere in Florida and have never visited the city that was listed. In addition, they deleted a company that was reporting negative information, erroneously to my credit report.

Now, it is time to turn my focus to look at the next Credit Report.

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Just Being Nosy




I was feeling a little nosey,

so I thought I would look in on you and see

if you are sitting at your computer and if you are ok

Yup, there you are! You look great!

Have a nice day !!!!


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Monday, March 17, 2008

Is There a Credit Crisis?

Turn on the morning news programs and there are suggestions that a new great depression may be looming around the corner. The fear is a direct result of the events over at Bear Stearns this weekend.

The world financial markets was working in overdrive through the weekend, till the amazing $2 a share deal of Bear Sterns from JP Morgan. You have many factors and loses are play here. First, is the 14,000 employees of Bear Sterns. I know first hand that many of the employees are beyond fearful. Bear Stearns is (WAS) a culture of very cocky and brash individuals. After losing their big stick swagger, looks like the job boards will be flooded with candidates.
- Hate.info



I have been saying for nearly two years, that this is the first time that we have had a negative savings rate since the great depression, but are we in a credit crisis?

Alan Greenspan (former chairman of the US Federal Reserve) wrote recently,

The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the second world war. It will end eventually when home prices stabilise and with them the value of equity in homes supporting troubled mortgage securities.

Home price stabilisation will restore much-needed clarity to the marketplace because losses will be realised rather than prospective. The major source of contagion will be removed. Financial institutions will then recapitalise or go out of business. Trust in the solvency of remaining counterparties will be gradually restored and issuance of loans and securities will slowly return to normal. Although inventories of vacant single-family homes – those belonging to builders and investors – have recently peaked, until liquidation of these inventories proceeds in earnest, the level at which home prices will stabilise remains problematic.

The American housing bubble peaked in early 2006, followed by an abrupt and rapid retreat over the past two years. Since summer 2006, hundreds of thousands of homeowners, many forced by foreclosure, have moved out of single-family homes into rental housing, creating an excess of approximately 600,000 vacant, largely investor-owned single-family units for sale. Homebuilders caught by the market’s rapid contraction have involuntarily added an additional 200,000 newly built homes to the “empty-house-for-sale” market.


OK, so what do we need to do. Simply put, we need to change our ways. As I have said on this blog the last 2-years and Dave Ramsey has said for much longer, save and live off the saved cash.

But Kevin, if we do that the economy would get even worse.


Yes, that is true. However, once people started living on cash and not credit the economy would get stronger.

The problem is that not only are the citizens living on credit, so are our governments. As a result our economy is falsely lifted by spending of money that we don't have. So, yes, the economy will fall, but can rise to new heights once we, as I have said already, are spending money that is already in the bank.

In Greenspan's article, he wrote:

In the current crisis, as in past crises, we can learn much, and policy in the future will be informed by these lessons. But we cannot hope to anticipate the specifics of future crises with any degree of confidence. Thus it is important, indeed crucial, that any reforms in, and adjustments to, the structure of markets and regulation not inhibit our most reliable and effective safeguards against cumulative economic failure: market flexibility and open competition.


The following cartoon from the Washington Post, helps explain the crisis.


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Friday, March 14, 2008

Goo Gone

Another homemade cleaning recipe that I have found is for Goo Gone. To make it, you need gasoline and natural citrus oil.

Take a small (pint size is good) jar with you when you the next time you pump gas. Put a bit of gas into that jar.

Now you need to turn your attention to the citrus oil. Put the rinds of three large oranges into a closed gallon of water (i.e., a gallon milk jug full of water) for ten (10) days. After which time, you need to strain out the rinds. The water left will be nice and oily, full of citrus oil.

To get the homemade Goo Gone mix one part gasoline to four parts of the citrus oil / water mixture. Put it in a spray bottle. That's it, homemade Goo Gone.


Thanks Trent

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Awaiting the final tax documents and link love

It's that time of the year again. Tax season. I am always anxious this week. I am suppose to get my K-1 by March 15, by law. This year that falls on a Saturday. Once I get my K-1 I can finally do my taxes.

As someone, who always liked getting my taxes done and finished as soon as I could in January or early February, it drives me nuts, having to now wait until after march 15th.

I was kind of excited though last night, I arrived home to see a packet from the LLC, I own stock in. But that excitement turned to disappointment, when I opened it and it was the information for the annual meeting and proxy statement. I doubt I will make it back down home for the meeting, so that means I should send back the proxy statement appointing someone to vote my shares. But enough about that, what I really need is to get that dang K-1 so I get my taxes done. I already have an appointment set up (for Monday 3/17/08) to get the taxes done with a new guy. Last few years I have had my taxes done by a friend, but she has closed her office and moved it into her home. So, I went to the Dave Ramsey website and found an "endorsed local provider," in my area to do my taxes. With someone, who has studied the same materials as i have and is himself on baby step 2, doing my taxes, I will be able to receive encouragement and advice as Dave Ramsey recommend.

Link Love


The Simple Dollar had an interesting article this week in which he discussed chipping away at the paycheck to paycheck routine. The article is geared to those with "good income," more then low wage or low middle class income levels, but still a very interesting article on budgeting.

Free Money Finance discussed in an article titled, How to Be Wealthy While Young.

The authour, which is a guest post, says,

These are the easiest ways to become a multimillionaire! There is power when money makes money! Compounding is earning interest on the principal and the accumulating interest.


OK, there has been more interesting articles, but those are the ones that really caught my attention. In addition, a friend of mine that worked with in Chicago, during my stint as a missionary, wrote me about a program she is going through at her church in Cincinnati, look for a post, in the near future about that interesting program.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Another interview

I had another job interview today. I had submitted the resume for this job, via monster about a month ago. So, I was looking forward to this interview.

The interview was set to be at 11 am. As is my habit, I arrived 10 minutes early. Problem, the manager had left for lunch, so I hung around in my car, going back inside at 11:05 and finally 11:30.

The manager and I chatted for a few minutes about the job and then she said that she would be interviewing a number of people and then call everybody back for second interviews. Unlike my interview last week, my stomach was in knots as I drove out to this meeting. Perhaps, it was knowing this job would involve working with one thing (intentionally being coy) that I don't like. I was certain, that fact might ruin the job chance, but when she asked me the question, she admitted she didn't like those things either. So, who knows we will see. The job is hourly, although I would be second in charge. The only salaried position is the stores general manager. So, it appears that I certainly wouldn't be getting more then 40 hours. Which is good for my time, but how will that affect my wages?


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Monday, March 10, 2008

Life and site updates

I talked to the new store manager this weekend and I let him know that I had gone to an interview the other day. Of course, he said he would hate to lose me, but he understood, especially when I told him that the starting salary was an additional $5,000-$10,000 per year. Of course, I would still have to pass the extensive background (criminal and credit) check. Not to mention, be the one that they choose out of all those that they interview.

I also found a forgotten facebook account. It was a customer, and fellow Christ follower, that reminded me in the store the other night. So I updated that this weekend, and within 48 hours, I have gone from 10 friends to 27. I have several visitors from Facebook, and I know by looking at the times the latest visit today from that site came in and the time the friend confirmation came in my email box, that one visitor was Dave Ramsey (probably his staff). So if you haven't already, you can add me to both your Myspace and Facebook friends. Both of which are linked in my right hand sidebar.

In addition, I updated my net worth chart as well my DebtFree progress in the right sidebar. However, when I updated my chart at No Credit Needed, the chart vanished. I was looking at it, then updated it, and poof it was gone. That is the 2nd month in a row that happened. Last month, John emailed me and had me create a new profile, not sure what is going to happen this month, since I am waiting to hear from him still.

Well that's about it, I guess it is time to get back to reading "How to get out of debt."


***Update - my NCN chart is fixed. ****



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Saturday, March 8, 2008

Wizard of ID

Thought you all make like a good laugh. Hope you enjoy this cartoon from 2004.



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Friday, March 7, 2008

Going to do some reading this afternoon

I am sitting down this afternoon, to take sometime to read a book that I received last week. The book, by Harrine Freeman is "How to get out of Debt. The book claims to be able to help you to get an "A" credit rating for FREE. While it sounds like worshiping at the altar of the FICO score, it sounds like it is going to be an interesting read.

This morning, had an interview with an potential employer thanks to CareerBuilder.com, then I stopped by work, to help the new manager get the schedule done. Then back home, to eat a baked potato with sauerkraut and frankfurters (hot dogs). I also posted a new thank you on the thank you blog, because of the package I received yesterday.



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Thank You Becky R

Yesterday, I made my weekly trek to the post office box and found keys in my box. My post office, places keys in your PO box when you have mail or a package to big to fit inside the actual post office box. I took the keys to the box indicated and found inside a box from Becky R.

In side the box I found
  • 3 pkgs of pasta sides
  • 3 tubes of tooth paste
    - 2 Colgate and 1 Aim
  • 1 speed stick
  • Joshua Harris' book "I kissed dating goodbye"
  • 1 pencil
  • 1 pen
  • 1 bar of Dial soap
  • 1 Burt's Bees Wax lip balm
    - and -
  • 1 New Testament MP3 Audio CD

    Thank you so very much Becky for the package and card. I really appreciate them.
  • Wednesday, March 5, 2008

    Cleaning supplies on the cheap

    Yesterday, Kate, posted a comment on one of my posts, in which she asked if my budget included
    cleaners and personal care items?


    To answer simply, no, because I make many of my own cleaning supplies. The personal care items, like cologne and such, since I don't use them much, I have enough to last me for at least 3-years. Meaning, I really only need to purchase bath soap and shampoo.

    Now, I said that I make my own cleaning supplies. Take a look at some of my recipes.

    Drain Cleaner


    1/2 cup baking soda
    1/2 cup white vinegar
    Boiling water



    Pour baking soda down the drain. Add white vinegar and cover the drain, if possible. Let set for 5 minutes. Then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain. (The vinegar and baking soda break down fatty acids into soap and glycerin, allowing the clog to wash down the drain.) Do not use this method if you have used a commercial drain opener and it may still be present in the drain.


    or how about my favorite laundry soap recipe?

    Your Own Laundry Detergent


    * 1 bar of soap (whatever kind you like.)
    * 1 cup of washing soda (look for it in the laundry detergent aisle at your local department store - it comes in an Arm & Hammer box and will contain enough for six batches of this stuff)
    * 1/2 cup of borax (this is not necessary, but I’ve found it really kicks the cleaning up a notch - one box of borax will contain more than enough for tons of batches of this homemade detergent - if you decide to use this, be careful)
    * A five gallon bucket with a lid (or a bucket that will hold more than 15 liters - ask around - these aren’t too tough to acquire)
    * Three gallons of tap water
    * A big spoon to stir the mixture with
    * A measuring cup
    * A knife



    1. Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it’s almost boiling. While you’re waiting, whip out a knife and start shaving strips off of the bar of soap into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Eventually, you’ll shave up the whole bar, then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water.
    2. Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into the five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs worth of it. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add a cup of the washing soda. Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax if you are using borax. Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool. And you’re done. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that’s a paler shade of the soap that you used (in our case, it’s a very pale greenish blue). One measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry - and the ingredients are basically the same as laundry detergent. Thus, out of three gallons, you’ll get about 48 loads of laundry.


    One thing I found works well and makes the process easier is to use soap scraps. On top of that, I put 2 cups of in the pan and the other 2 cups in a blender with the soap scraps. After letting the soap sit in the blender overnight, I then liquefy this in the blender before pouring it into the pan with the other 2 cups. I then follow the directions as above.

    My homemade Cleaning recipes

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    Huckabee Withdraws, McCain Looks Forward

    Even though McCain has locked the nomination to be the GOP candidate. He still faces two challengers, who haven't received more then 10% of the vote any any of the states to date. Why Ron Paul and Alan Keyes don't drop out of the race is a mystery to me. At least Huckabee had a slim chance, until last night to clinch the nomination away from McCain. However, the media darling was able to win every state last night, securing his nomination.

    Huckabee ,true to his word, then withdrew from the race, as he said he would do once someone had the nomination.


    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee abandoned his U.S. presidential bid on Tuesday after voting in four more state contests made it clear his rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain, would be the Republican candidate in the November election.
    - Reuters


    Huckabee said that he would work to help McCain get elected in November. Political annalists on FOX, expected that Huckabee would be sent to states where the former Governor had done well, to rally the conservative voters behind the McCain.

    I for one do not want to see a liberal elected President. So I will in all likelihood be casting my vote for McCain, although I think he is weak on the economy. Hopefully, he will choose a VP that is strong on the economy and also the social issues that are important to me.


    Speaking to supporters in Dallas, Texas, he said the most important part of the campaign now lay ahead, in which he must "make a respectful, determined and convincing case to the American people" to pick him over the Democratic candidate in November.

    Mr McCain went on to outline the challenges facing the nation, including the war in Iraq and the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taleban.

    He also pledged a campaign that avoided "false promises", and appealed for voters to "stand up and fight for America, for her strength, her ideals and her future".
    - BBC





    ---
    And that's my view, what's yours?

    Monday, March 3, 2008

    From My Inbox - Debt Secrets


    I received an email today, one that turned out to be another Spam message. However, this one intrigued me. It was advertising Matthew Lesko. You know the guy who wears the crazy jackets with question marks all over it, advertising his books of how to get free money from the government. This time, his email was promoting getting out of credit card debt.


    Does your credit card debt haunt you at night? Matthew Lesko has spent 25 years helping people like you get FREE MONEY from the government, and now he can help people like you REDUCE OR ELIMINATE YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT.

    Fill out the form to receive a free eBook containing information from Matthew
    on reducing or eliminating credit card debt, as well as getting help, or even money from the GOVERNMENT for FREE.

    Other sites my say they are, or they represent Matthew Lesko, but none can provide the answers that only the REAL Matthew Lesko can provide!

    Get Free Info From Mr. Answers himself!
    - Lesko Debt Secrets


    So I thought, I would check into it and see what this so called FREE information is. We shall see. Knowing Lesko, I wonder what kind of sell job he will pull on the debt ridden people, that he is now apparently marketing to.

    ---
    go ahead share your thoughts with me now.






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    Sunday, March 2, 2008

    March 2008 Budget

    It's a few days late, but here is a look at my March 2008 budget plan. I am still hopeful of getting my another debt knocked out this month, but as I write my plan and figure in the setbacks (that I failed to plan for), it doesn't look realistic.

    I really need to start budgeting for the insurance, taxes and clothing that I know I will have to incur at some point every year. But the budget as it is currently planned is already $88 over budget. Perhaps I will squeak out a little overtime to make up the difference, between my take home pay and my expenses.

    It is really beginning to look like a wise idea to get a $15,000 Prosper.com loan, to pay these debts off. My payments would be less then the current $400 car loan. However, I could still pay $400/month on it and not have to pay out the other $90 in debt payments, that I am currently paying. Thus improving my financial situation immensely. What do you all think?



    ItemBudgetedActualOwed
    GIVING

    Tithe/Charity$??
    $???
    subtotal
    $??

    HOUSING


    Mortgage$80
    $891.88
    Insurance
    $0

    Maintenance$0

    Taxes
    $0





    subtotal
    $80

    $891.88
    UTILITIES

    Electric
    $80

    Gas
    $80

    Water
    $30

    Internet
    $35
    Phone
    $0

    Cell phone
    $50

    Trash
    $15.50




    subtotal
    $290.50

    FOOD

    Grocery$50




    subtotal
    $50

    Transportation


    Auto Gas$70

    Insurance
    $0
    Maintenance
    $0
    Tags & Taxes
    $0

    Car Payment
    $400

    $9,861.05
    subtotal$470

    $9,861.05
    CLOTHING

    Sunday Best
    $0
    Work
    $0
    Everyday
    $0
    subtotal
    $0

    MEDICAL/HEALTH


    Prescriptions
    $0
    Deductibles
    $0
    Eye Doctor
    $0
    Insurance
    $0
    subtotal
    $0

    RECREATION/Memberships

    Entertainment
    $0
    Dating
    $0
    Optimist Membership$40

    Farm Bureau Membership
    $0

    Subtotal$40

    DEBTS


    Providian Credit Card
    $0

    $0
    Fingerhut
    $10

    $1,000
    Black Gold Insulation
    $0

    $0
    IRS
    $0

    $3,795.52
    Subtotal$10

    $4,795.52
    TOTAL$940

    $15,548.45



    ---
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