God is so good!

Wow! It's just amazing what God can do. Well we called on the fridge ourselves to get it fixed on Saturday. No one would come out and look at it until today (Tuesday). We were talking to the realtor and she said call the home warranty people. We got a home warranty but didn't think it was covered because we are taking the fridge and washer with us.

Well guess what, it was covered and they paid for an emergency call on Sunday! It only cost us $55 to fix both the fridge and the washer. He didn't have the parts for the washer so he is coming back tomorrow but we won't have to pay another $55 deductible.

We went looking at 4 houses yesterday. We found one that looked like it might be perfect. 135K, a pool, 1/2 acre, 2200 sq. ft and out in the country but in a subdivision so no septic or well water. We went out to look at it and it had wallpaper from the 80's falling down and no trees but the layout was perfect for us. We then went into the basement and found some mold along the walls. Apparently there was a leak and they were going to fix it. We just didn't know what to do. We kept praying that God would give us a sign if we should buy it or not. We don't really want a pool and we didn't know if they cleaned up the mold if it would be good enough or if it would happen again. Well about 15 minutes after we left and we were debating about it the listing agent called and said they had accepted an offer already. That was our sign! Yeah!

On a side note, I found out today that our loan officer said we can get the loan in as little as 5 days so we have a few extra days to look for a house! Yeah!

Then I tried getting the 2 year old printer fixed. It was going to cost between $30-$100 plus parts and then I remembered we had bought an extended warranty on it. We couldn't find the receipt and warranty so I called Office Max and they said they would fix it anyway for us! I was so happy and then I found out we would have to send it in (at their cost) but it will be 2 weeks before they will send me a $300 gift card for the cost of the printer! We can't go two weeks without the printer for the business.

I thought "well we will just have to deal with it." Mike decided to look once more for the receipt and HE FOUND IT! Yeah! So I took it back to the store. They didn't have the same printer but they had one that was close for only $179!!! I was able to buy the new printer to use now, send the old one back and get a $300 gift card for it. Then I can go back to the store and they will refund the new printer off my credit card and put it on the gift card instead! Here we get a brand new printer and $100 refund!! I just can't believe it!

I think it's so wonderful that God fixed the printer and gave us an extra $100 on top of that!

We are going out to look at houses tomorrow morning again so keep your finger crossed.

Tawra

P.S. Check out the June 19 issue of Woman's Day. We are in there!

Really Bad Day, Really Good Day and Sold!

Yesterday was a really bad day.....

On Friday afternoon we smelled an electric burning smell in the kitchen but didn't see smoke or find anything wrong. None of the cords on the appliances were hot and everything seemed to still be working. Yesterday (Sat. morning) I woke up to water all over the kitchen floor and everything defrosted in my freezer. Then I realized that the fridge wasn't cooling. We had discovered the burning smell, something went out on our 3 year old fridge! (Of course please envision this in the middle of painting the living room.)

I got as much as I could save into the big freezer and started calling the realtor and then the home warranty people. They said we had no warranty on record! So I called the realtor again.

In the middle of this, all of the sudden my washer starts making this horrible squeaking noise, plus I was trying to do orders and then my printer started acting up! By this point I was starting to have major anxiety problems. With the kids all running around, 3 appliances down (remember the dryer broke a few days ago) and trying to paint I was getting overloaded.

On the next call to the realtor she tells me "now don't panic" (yeah right) "but I just got a call and you have a showing at noon. " I just knew that was going to happen. She said not to worry about it that she told them the fridge had died and were were painting so the house was a mess but they were really interested in our house and had sold theirs so they wanted to look at it.

I was starting to have a major meltdown. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me because 2 hours earlier I just told Mike how I hadn't felt that good in a while. I started a new supplement and I think it was kicking in and making me feel better. Well Mike gave me some herbal anxiety pills he used to use to help calm him down from his old job and would you believe I started choking on it! We (mom, Mike and I) just all burst out laughing! We could just see it, "Woman dies choking on anti-anxiety pills!"

So we got over that, mom hung the clothes on the line, Mike started calling the repair people and I was still trying to get orders done. Well, no one works on appliances on the weekends around here and guess what, it's a holiday on Monday so they don't do it then either.

We gave up on the fridge and painting and Mike took the kids and Mom and I got the house cleaned up to show. While we were doing that I realized I couldn't stop shaking. I finally figured out that I think I was having a reaction to some other new supplements that I started too. Thankfully we figured that out so I knew that I wasn't going crazy.

As we were cleaning the house it started to downpour. I mean a HUGE downpour....with my 2 loads of laundry on the line! I just couldn't believe it. We just had to leave the laundry. As a matter of fact it's still on the line because it was too wet to bring in and do anything with.

Mom and I got the house all cleaned up and we left to get a bite to eat while they were showing the house. We came back because they said they would only be about 10 minutes and they were still here so we sat in the car down the street and waited.....for an hour!

They finally left and mom and I went to go inside (i had to go to the restroom really bad) and we were locked out of the house! I had forgotten and Mike had the keys on my keychain which he used to take the kids. Fortunately the neighbors let me use their bathroom and then Mike came home.


Then yesterday was a really good day.....

The realtor called and said they were meeting at 3p.m. and going to make an offer. Mom and I finished painting the wall in the living room while Mike went to my brother's to borrow his tiny fridge so we could have some milk and eggs.

The wall turned out wonderful! It was worth the work! We waited around but I was in a huge amount of pain and was really sick from painting. I finally I got in the tub and then put on my pj's at 5:00. By this point I was so sick and tired I could hardly stand up. Well, at 5:15 the realtor called and said she had the offer and would be over.

We ate dinner which was take out that Mike went and picked up and I laid on the couch until she came around 6:45. We got David in bed and listened to the offer.

It was $1,000 below our asking price, $118,000 and we had to close on June 22. We were going to accept it but the only thing was they wanted us out on closing. That would mean we would have to be all packed up before the papers were signed on June 22. Usually we ask for 3 days after closing to get packed up because if something happens and it doesn't close all your stuff is in a moving van.

We spent an hour debating about what to do. That would mean that we have to find a house to buy in 10 days to close by June 22. So far we haven't even come close to finding anything we like for a new house. We just didn't know what to do. Do we sell it and be out from under this one even if we don't have a new house yet? That would mean a few weeks or months in a motel. (We couldn't stay with mom because her plumbing couldn't handle 5 more people.) Plus we run our business from home, where would we set that up at?

After an hour of going back and forth and me getting so sick from my adrenaline rushing that I felt I like was going to fall off the chair we decided to have faith and we signed it. We had been praying for a quick sale and God sold it in 11 days so we figured He must have something out there for us.

So.... our house is SOLD and we have 10 days to find a new one. Wow, this day was like a big roller coaster! I went to bed 3 hours ago and still can't sleep. Please pray that we can find a new house. I really don't want to be living in a motel with our stuff in storage but I don't want to panic and give in and just "make do" with another house like we did with this one.

It will be interesting to see what happens!

Tawra

E-book Sale

I forgot to mention it on the blog but we are having a huge e-book sale. Check it out here if you want our e-books at a great price! Over $130 value for only $35!

Check it out! Tawra

The wallpaper is going.

Well all the agents at the brokers open house on Tuesday said the wallpaper needed to go so today I'm painting, again! :-)

I must say it is frustrating painting for someone else but we want to sell the house for top dollar so 1-2 days worth of work and $20 in paint is worth it. I'm doing it now so that when it's in the 90's (next week. :-) I don't have to do it.

The kids are out of school now (please pray for me. LOL) and so far they have all been getting along great. BJ won a set of kites from a local math TV show and so they have been out playing with those. I have to say I was concerned. They have been bickering amongst themselves so much we are about to go crazy! So how do you handle bickering kids? I will take any advice I can get so I can make it through the summer! (Only 76 more days to go until school starts! :-)

Have a good weekened everyone! We are just staying home and not doing much.

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Frugal Weddings.

Here's our frugal wedding. Yes it was only $1500, that's not a typo. You can do one that's inexpensive but still nice. We had some comments from readers to share.
Tawra

Just wanted to say how nice it was to read about
your wedding experiences. I also had a 'frugal'
wedding and it helped that my Dad was not only
the Pastry Chef who made our cake, but is also
ordained and he officiated! My dress cost $30.00
for the material and a friend's Mother made it to
me.

With regards to the vocational school experience,
I had silk flower arrangements as well as our
invitations (laser cut with gold foil background)
made up before the end of the school year, so
they were all ready and waiting for our August
wedding at very little cost. My students also
made much of the food served (lasagna, meatballs,
etc.) and we just thawed, heated and served. We
also had fresh raspberries that my Matron, her
hubby & I had picked a couple of days before. We
had the whole shebang in the backyard of my
folk's Adult Christian Retreat(now gone).

Thanks for letting me remember! Take care, God
bless and keep on writing!!

Sharyn


From: Robin H.
I just wanted to comment on weddings. My husband
and I kept our wedding simple and spent more on
the reception as it meant a lot to our families.
I made my dress, beads and all, and my sister was
my maid of homor, and she made her gown using the
same pattern, different variation, but picked a
color that looked good for her (my suggestion). A
friend of my husband was the best man. We married
in a small chapel. Flowers were provided by a
relative who was a florist (I offered to pay, but
they wouldn't take it -- made it their gift), so
we kept that to a minimum to be considerate. My
future inlaws paid for the church and minister,
about $350, and we paid for the reception about
$2000. We let the restaurant coordinator and the
DJ do their jobs, and all had a great time. A
friend who did professional photos did the
pictures, and we also had the disposable cameras
at each table. It all went really well.

Nothing yet.

We had 7 agents come to the Brokers Open House yesterday. They all like the house and loved the yard but thought we should get rid of some of the wallpaper. We are going to do it next week. I don't really feel like it but it needs to be done.

My dryer is spitting out oil. Augh! I have been using it just because I don't feel up to walking up the stairs to hang them on the clothesline but now the clothesline will be getting some good use. We will same some additional money too.

Well, that's it for today. Only one day of school left so I better get some work done while I can! :-)
Tawra

Cheap Cards

I thought you might
like this tip...The borders that are used in the
classroom around the bulletin board make
inexpensive gift cards. Cut a piece using a
decorative scissor and fold in half where the
decoration begins. Write on the inside. I have
used the same package for years. If you buy the
little 2x2 cards in the store they retail for
75cents or more....this cost you less than 6 cents
per card....

~Cheryl

We are waiting.

Well, we had 4 showings this weekend. Two of them were unexpected and we drove up and there were people here. We waited at the neighbors for an hour! We thought for sure they would make an offer but so far we haven't had one. We are having a brokers open house today so maybe that will give some agents a heads up on our house and bring us some leads. It has been wonderful having a spotless clean house for a week. I am so glad we packed so much stuff up. There is no way I could have done it if we wouldn't have taken the time and packed up first.

We haven't found a house yet. We are wanting a 1/2 acre or more, 2000 sq. ft at least in a quite neighborhood for $130,000. In Wichita that's a tall order since we have 4 airplane plants, 2 airports, more trains than you can count and a city encircled by highways! There are pockets here and there, so you can't hear any of it, it's just waiting until a house comes on the market in that area.

We are just praying that this will go quickly and everything will fall into place, we can't move twice.

I have been still feeling pretty bad. We have been pretty sure for a few years that my hormones and thyroid are low but I can't get a doctor here to treat me because my test results are in the in low end of "normal". Well we were going to pay for me to go see a doctor in Texas in July. It's $2,000 but it would be worth it if he could get me straightened out. Well, while we were waiting at the neighbors the other night she told me about a doc here in town that will treat you. I called yesterday and it's only $1,000. Most of that is tests. (We don't have insurance) I was so happy! It's just amazing how God works! The only bad news is that I can't get in until July 31. That's ok, I was going to wait that long to go to Texas but I was just hoping I could get in sooner.

Well, I better get myself ready for the day and then start cleaning! I will post house pictures as soon as I can.

Tawra

Reader Needs Travel Advice

Can any of you who have travel experience help Kathy. Thanks! Tawra

Question: Tawra,
Hi there! Our family is adopting a special
needs 18 month old girl from Kazakhstan. Even
with some of the fees being reduced it is still
looking at costly us $30,000 and that's not
counting the surgery she will need when she gets
over here. Our insurance will pay 80% but that
20% can be a lot.

I need any suggestions for effective and inexpensive fund
raising as well as any advice on saving money on
traveling in a foreign country or any other advice
for saving money in an adoption. I told the kids
that we were going to have to start living
differently saving every dime we could. They
asked "How differently?" and I told that depends
on how differently God wants us to live! Thanks
for your website.

Blessings,
Kathy

First Aid Tip

The idea of keeping first aid supplies in kitchen is right on the money. aside from not keeping the supplies over a sink, not over a stove either. the heat can damage the ointments, and the bandaids could lose their stickiness. i love your hints. kate

Frugal tips.

An interesting list of frugal ideas.

Tawra

The OldschoolHouse is having a sale!

If you're a homeschooler check out this sale I found from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
Tawra

It's that time of year when we all reflect on what has worked
and what hasn't in our homeschooling efforts. Are you looking to
add something different to your homeschool mix or are you
needing to order the next level in what you're already using?
The Schoolhouse Store has just what you are looking for!

For a limited time only we are running our HUGE Back to
Homeschool Sale!

With any $50.00 purchase you get $42.00 in FREE items,
with any $75.00 purchase you get $60.00 in FREE items,
and with any $100.00 purchase you get $120.00 in FREE items!

But hurry as some items are while supplies last.
Check it out at www.TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com!

Graduation Party

For the readers question for a economical graduation party. When my 3 graduated we had a pot luck celebration. We furnished the hamburger patties and hot dogs and chips and punch. It turned out great. I made the graduation cake. To help with the cost of the hamburger meat I would pick up packages of hamburger meat several months in advance when on sell and made into patties before freezing.
Becky

Soap Slivers

Question: Just curious if you have any ideas what to do with
all the little slivers of soap that are too small
to use. There are 6 of us and we go through soap
pretty fast but I hate to throw all those slivers
away!! Any ideas? Thanks

I would make a bag out of a washrag and then put them in there. Sew it around the edges like a sandwich bag that has the fold over top. Then just put them in and wash. You could also cut a hole in the center of a large sponge and put them inside it.
Tawra


Visit us for money saving tips and free recipes!
www.LivingOnADime.com

Baked Cinnamon Tortillas

Thank you for the great ideas you put into the
Living On A Dime e-newsletter! I often print
out the recipes and tips to keep or to pass on
to friends.
In the May 10th edition, I noticed there was a
recipe for fried tortilla crisps with cinnamon
sugar. While my family and I LOVE these, we
usually make a slightly lower-fat (and a bit
less messy) version by baking them instead of
frying in oil. I thought other readers might be
interested in this version, too.

10 (8- or 10-inch) flour tortillas
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp cinnamon (or to taste)
vegetable oil in pump-spray bottle OR non-stick
spray (NOT the kind with flour in it)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 to 375 degrees F (use
the lower temp on dry days, higher temp on humid
days).

2. Mix cinnamon and sugar to taste in a small
bowl.

3. Spritz tortillas lightly on one side with
vegetable oil from a pump-spray bottle, or just
use purchased non-stick spray if you prefer
(butter-flavored is especially good).

4. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar onto the
tortillas. (If you like them especially sweet,
repeat steps 3 and 4 before continuing.)

5. Slice tortillas into quarters, or eighths if
using the larger, 10-inch tortillas.

6. Place triangles in a single layer on a
lightly-greased cookie sheet.

7. Bake for about 5-10 minutes, or until barely
golden along edges. Watch carefully, as they
tend to brown quickly (although we think they're
better slightly overbaked than underdone).

8. Remove from oven. If crisp enough as-is,
carefully remove them from the cookie sheet and
allow to cool on a plate or in a heat-safe
serving bowl. If they do not seem quite crisp
enough when you remove them from the oven, leave
them on the cookie sheet to cool. (If they
still are not crisp enough, you can put them
back in the oven for a couple more minutes.)

9. Serve and enjoy! These are especially good
with fruit salsa!

One note to add: I do NOT recommend
spraying/sugaring both sides of the tortillas,
as the sugar on the bottom will melt and tends
to stick to the cookie sheet--also making for a
more difficult clean-up.

Thanks again for the great newsletter!
--Amy H.

Poor Man's Chicken Fried Steak

Poor Man's Chicken Fried Steak

1 lb. hamburger (You can use pre-made patties.)
1/4 cup milk, place in shallow bowl
1/4 -1/2 cup flour, place on plate
1 egg, whipped with fork and place in shallow bowl
1/2 -3/4 of a tube of crackers, crushed, place on plate

Form hamburger into 5-6 patties. Dip each patty into milk, flour, egg and last of all crackers. Place in a hot frying pan with a little oil. Season with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. Turn down heat and fry on one side then flip to other side. Hamburger is done when the juices run clear.


The recipe that you listed on May 17th for "Poor
Man's Fried Steak" is the same recipe my German
mother uses to make German Scnitzel. Instead of
using hamburger meat, use lean porkchops or veal
and sprinkle a little salt and lemon-pepper on
the meat before dipping and you have genuine
German Scnitzel. Its a family favorite here.

Love your newsletter. Thanks. Kathy



Cottage Cheese Salad

2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup each of the following:
green pepper, chopped
onion, chopped
tomato, chopped
chives or parsley, optional
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients and chill.

More Water alternatives

Hi Tawra,
Love your site and the variety of tips. Especially
the eco-friendly tips. I read on your blog about
the mint-extract water and have another tip for
tasty water. I too, don't like drinking plain
water and the result is I don't drink enough and
wind up drinking soda or something else not good
for me.

For a cheap pick me up try putting a mint
leaf(easy herb to grow from seed), a chunk of
lemon or lime, or anything you like in while
making ice cubes. When frozen pop them out and put
them in a freezer bag. The flavored cubes can be
added to water, ice tea, and punches for parties.
My favorite is a mint leaf and a cherry in an icecube.
Carol from MA.

Water alternative

I'm sure some of your readers are like me and don't like to drink water....I was reading an amish book (Beverly Lewis) one day and it said they drank mint water...(something like that, anyway)...so I mixed 1/2 cup water, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar and a few drops of mint/pepermint extract, heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave, and add to a gal on water...chill...we love it.....much cheaper than soda, and even than kool-aid...(which I used to drink in the summer)....dd

Thanks for the tip! I might try that myself since I love mint!

BTW, We still have some more damaged Not Just Beans. If you would like one email me and let me know and I will send you an invoice. I will sell them for $6.50 including shipping. (sorry, shipping went up this week) All the pages are there, they are just scuffed.

Tawra
editor@livingonadime.com

Discounted Not Just Beans

We found some more damaged Not Just Beans. If you would like one email me and let me know and I will send you an invoice. I will sell them for $6.50 including shipping. (sorry, shipping went up this week) All the pages are there, they are just scuffed.

Tawra
editor@livingonadime.com

It's for sale!

The house is offically on the market! Yeah! We spent all morning cleaning and setting it up for the pictures. It looks great! Now if we can just keep it that way my job will be easy. :-)

The garage looks a bomb went off but we are going to work on it tomorrow while it's still cool out. It about killed us trying to get this far but it will be worth it if we can find a bigger house.

The hunt for a new house is on!

Tawra

The hard part is done.

We just got done moving all our stuff before we try to sell the house (no wonder I stay sick all the time! :-) Wow, that was a chore. We spent all weekend moving our bedroom that was in the family room to the real master bedroom and the office is now in the family room.

We ended up having to move almost the entire house because of rearranging funiture and trying to get stuff to fit in. Things you would have expcected came up like where do you store the base to a king size air bed? Well we took apart Elly bed and put it under her bed. Then the boxes of books that were holding up her bed went into the master bedroom to make a full size bed out of boxes of books and a full size air mattress. Mike is going to sleep on it and I'm going to sleep on the couch from now on.

Needless to say we are exshuasted but it looks great! The best part is we have most of the packing to move done already! Yeah! Now we just have to find a house, sell ours and move! :-)

The realtor is coming over tomorrow and we are going to get it put on the market.

We had several people ask where we are moving. We are staying right here in Wichita. We are just looking for a bigger house. Right now we live in 1600 sq. ft and we are looking for a 2000-25000 sq. ft. house for 130K.

Well, that's it for today. Just wanted to let you know how it was going!

Tawra

Discounted Not Just Beans

I have some Not Just Beans that were damaged in the mail. The entire book is there it just is scuffed or creased. I will sell them for $6 each including shipping if you let me know by tomorrow morning (5/12) that you want them. I will give them on a first come, first serve. I will send you an invoice as soon as you email and you can send it back tonight.

Once again, we don't want to move it! :-)

Tawra
editor@livingonadime.com

Fried, Sugar Tortilla Shells

We put this recipe in the newsletter yesterday and I thought I would share it and some reader comments.

Fried, Sugar Tortilla Shells
Flour tortilla shells
Cinnamon and sugar, (1 tsp. cinnamon to 1/2 cup sugar)
In a frying pan add about 1/2 inch of oil. When oil is hot, fry shells (I either cut or tear them in 1/2 or 1/4 ).

When golden brown, remove from pan and lay on paper towels. Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon mixture on both sides.

From: Kris
Just a note about your fried, sugared flour
tortilla shells...they are a mexican treat called
bunuellos (sp?) pronounced boon-whey-los. My
family loves this treat and my mom used to fry
them up for us afterschool. I grew up in TX!

From: Larry
I like to make a simple syrup.....add some water to the cin and sugar and heat in the microwave.....put a scoop of vanilla ice cream and pour the syrup on top.........also can sub flour tortillas for the corn....(I don't care for the corn)....dd

Tawra: First I didn't know the real name so that's great to know! Second, that sounds sort of like an easy version of fried ice cream! Thanks guys!

Dining On A Dime $17 plus free shipping!

We don't want to move it so we are putting the extra Dining On A Dime's on sale for today and tomorrow before the postage rates go up on Monday.

Get a good deal now! Tawra

eyeglass lens cleaner

Question: Do you have a recipe for plastic eyeglass lens
cleaner?


We use about 1 tsp. rubbing alcohol to 1/2 cup of water for our glasses. That's what the eye doctor said to use.
Tawra

Free Stuff

From: dianne

just to let you know, our apt. complex recycles,
usually as people are leaving.. anything that is
in good shape and useful, people will leave just
outside the huge trash container. I have found
things for my place, and I have left things.
I recently found lots of art supplies, brushes,
crayons,etc. Several itesm were still new!
someone left 3 pairs of mens roller blade
skates, and they were gone by the end of the day.
I've even used recycled wood for my garden patio.

I'm still alive.

Yesterday was a really rough day. You know it's bad when you are laying on the couch wondering how you will get up and your son says "Mom, are you going to die?". Talking makes me really sick and after spending all day talking to realtors after frantically cleaning that morning I was just dead.

Well, we talked to the realtor we choose and they said they wouldn't list the house until we took down the wallpaper or we should lower the price. I was so sick that there is just no way I can go ripping down wallpaper and painting right now so we went with the other realtor instead.

We really liked her. The only reason we didn't choose her was because the other guy said that he would guarantee that he would sell the new house for free if we didn't like it. We've had enough bad experiences with realtors saying things like"the airport isn't that bad" and then at 5:30 in the morning, every morning from April- Sept. it sounds like your house is being bombed by a crop duster, that we are paranoid about buying houses now. (that was our Idaho house)

Anyway, I really like the other lady and I think she will work out well. We are going to list the house on Monday and see if we can sell it with the wallpaper for 2-3 weeks first and then go from there.

Today I've just been taking it easy all day trying to recover. Tomorrow we are going have a lot of orders to pack and I'm going to try and get some more done on the house packing.

One tip. When you're sick and tired and need to do stuff like this, work for 10 minutes and then rest for 10 minutes. Even if you do that all day you will get a lot done!

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Tips from Dollar Stretcher

Here are a few tips from my friend Gary over at Dollar Stretcher!
Enjoy! Tawra

No More Sticking Noodles

I actually stole this tip from my husband, so I have to give him credit for it! Whenever my family enjoys a pasta dinner, I first spray both the colander and pasta utensil with Pam cooking spray. This makes clean-up a snap by keeping the noodles from sticking!
Sheri S.


Crazy Credit Card Practices

I recall a recent conversation with my credit card company, AARP Visa. I pay my balance in full every month (sometimes ahead of the due date) but noticed a $12 interest charge.

Me: I paid my balance in full, ahead of the due date, but I notice $12 in interest. How come?

AARP Visa: Interest is charged based on month-to-month average daily balance. It has nothing to do with the due date. Paying by the due date simply keeps you from paying late fees and other penalties. Paying in full by the due date has nothing to do with how interest is calculated. It's in the fine print.

Has the whole world gone crazy?
C. B.


Carrying Empties

I have a tip for air travelers. You aren't allowed to take liquids into the airport anymore, and you can only buy drinks once inside and through the security checkpoint. When I was traveling with my two young daughters, I didn't want to spend $2.50 a bottle for water to drink! So I figured out how to save a lot of money. I brought empty bottles to fill at the drinking fountain once we got through the security checkpoint.
Sue, in cold upstate NY


School Pix

My son was sure that the only photo that would be accepted in the Year Book would be a professionally taken black and white photo. I took out that little book that came with my digital camera and played with the black and white setting with great success. I called the school to find out what the dimensions needed to be for the proper photo size and face in the photo. They told me how big the nose could be in a photo of a certain size and how much clearance they needed above the head. A little bit of time and a few sheets of photo paper was all it took.

We did a second photo shoot for my son for the pictures to give to friends and family. We have photos that we love and not more than we need. With a little practice, you can do it too.
Karen


Credit Cards Overseas

My husband and I will be visiting a friend in England and discovered that many credit card companies will charge extra fees or surcharges every time you use it overseas. I called my companies and learned that my ATM/Visa card does not charge any fees, while the other Visa charges an 1% fee every time it's used for a transaction. This can really hit you if you aren't aware and you could end up running up major fees. The better bet, in my case, is to use the ATM/Visa card that doesn't charge fees to get cash out as soon as we land, and save the other that charges fees for emergencies only.

Also, be sure to let your credit card company know that you will be using the card outside the country. Otherwise, the card will very likely be rejected when you try to use it. This is for your own safety, but it could really hinder a trip!
Kellie S. in Birmingham, AL


Old Pantyhose

I use old panty hose legs to scrub delicate china. It gives enough abrasion to get the item clean without the added worry of ruining the piece.
Jill


Picture Perfect

It's hard to position a nail in exactly the right spot for hanging a picture. So here's a handy and easy tip. Stick some double-face tape on the head of a thumbtack and stick it directly under the picture's mounting bracket. Hold the picture right where you want it and push on the top of the picture frame to make your mark with the thumbtack. Now you have a little tiny mark to guide you for placing the nail in the right spot.
Linda from Georgia


Bath Mats

I hung a small towel rack on the wall of our bathroom, just above the heat vent and only about 18 inches off the floor for the bath mat to dry on. After showers, instead of hanging the mat over the shower curtain (which makes the shower curtain damp and never results in a dry mat), we just hang it on this low towel rack. This saves on laundering the mat and helps it (and the shower curtain) wear longer, too.
Karen


Remember to Be Grateful

The cure for wanting and spending? Gratitude. As I remember to be grateful for what I have, I find myself feeling appreciative in a manner that snowballs. It's as simple as saying, "I am grateful for (fill in the blank)." The more grateful I am, the more content I become. I turn away from the urge to spend on anything.

Some days, the itch to hand over money prompts the reminder to count my blessings once again. Try this reminder trick until it becomes instinctive. Place gatekeepers in your life to prompt you at key times. These could include a rubber band around your paper dollars or a sticker on your wallet. It should be something to encourage a pause for reflection. Like so many things in life, this is another one of those concepts that is as simple as it is powerfully transforming. I am grateful for my ability to say no and grateful for the respect I show to my finances in my life presently.
Traci T.

House selling and buying is very stressing.

Well, I thought I would give an update on us. Mom and I have been working our tails off the last week getting ready to show it to Realtors today. Today we worked so hard it wasn't even funny. I am so sore I can hardly move. I have been laying on the couch for the last 2 hours trying get some motivation to move, but the house looks good.

We interviewed two Realtors. They both were really good but one won out just by a slight margin. The only reason we chose him was because he has a guarantee that if you don't like working with him you can get out of the contract.

We are going to list the house for $119,000. This realtor wants us to get rid of the wallpaper in the living room, kitchen and hallway. We have some green flowered and other striped wallpaper that I just love. If you're a gardener you would love it but if not it might get on your nerves. Anyway, he thinks we should take it down and paint. I don't disagree with him but I'm not sure mom and I have the strength to do it. We are both so close to collapsing it's not even funny. I was so sick last night that I was up half the night!

We still have to move the office downstairs and the master bedrooms back upstairs, organize the garage and pack a lot more. I'm just not sure if I can make it through this! Man, I forgot how much I hate moving! The only good news is if we get 119K for the house we will be able to buy a house for 130K with the money we have saved and the money from the sale of this place. The bad news is our list of requirements for the new house is very high so it may take awhile to find one.

It's funny because we ran out of envelopes for the May Day sale and I was so stressed because we had orders to send and no way to send them. My main supplier here in town couldn't give me any so I had to go searching all over the Internet to find some. Then we ran out of Menus booklets. This sale was more popular than we had thought. Anyway, I'm glad we did run out in a way because there is no way we could have packed all those orders on top of this moving stuff. The envelopes will be here Thursday so that will give us a day to recover before packing up orders.

That's it for today. My blogging may be sporadic until we can get through this.

Tawra (who is going to be fixing cereal for supper. :-)

Kids birthday party.

From: Hope W.

Tawra, I read your article on cheap birthday
parties. Here's one we just had one for my 8 year
old - under $20 and WITH a full meal. It was an
ancient Greek olympics theme. (Okay, they are
homeschooled. Homeschooled kids like crazy
stuff). Grin!

Each year my boys get to invite one friend AND the
friend's family over for a birthday dinner and
games. So, this was for 10 people all together.

1) My boys made up "Olympic" games. Cost - zero.
2) Stuffed birds for prizes - $.50 each - cost- $3.00
3) Togas for guests - white sheets held together
by big broaches - cost zero.
4) Laurel wreaths for guests - made with fake ivy
- cost zero - I already had the fake ivy.
5) Homemade Greek meatballs - cost $4.00.
6) Falafels - (ground garbanzo beans with spices
and bread crumbs - fried in oil) - cost - under $1.
7) Pitas (to stuff meatballs and falafels into) -
cost $3.00

8) Homemade Greek salad - cost $1.00
9) Other assorted Greek side dishes - cost $3.00
10) Cake and icing - cost $1.00.

Total = $16.00 We ate the leftovers for the next
two days. Memories ... priceless!

Save $250!! Yeah!!

I am so excited! We just saved $250 doing 2 hours worth of work and spending $30! We are working on getting ready to put the house on the market and so we are getting everything all clean and fixed.

I rented a carpet cleaner to clean the kids bedrooms. They both have light beige (almost white) carpet and it was horrible! I figured we would just have to give the buyers a $500 credit for new carpet. The kids had smashed in blue playdough, spilled 4 different colors of glitter paint and who knows what else all over it! This was 3 years ago and I've tried everything to get it out. We finally had to get an area rug to put down in the boys room because I thought it was so gone we couldn't do anything with it.

Well, Mike used some stain remover and scraped off a bunch of the paint. Then he went over the boys carpet 3 times with the carpet cleaner. It looked MUCH better but we still couldn't get some of the red and blue stains out. Well, I got some bleach and a Q-tip and I put bleach on the spots! They came right out!! I am so excited I could just scream! The carpet looks brand new! Yeah!!!

Elly's looks much better too. It's still not real great but better than it was. We will probably still have to either get new carpet or give an allowance on it but at least we don't have to do the boys room now!!

Tawra

Not Just Beans Free Shipping!

After the recent Mother's Day Sale, several readers asked if we would run a firesale on Not Just Beans at the 1st of the month and if we would sell individual copies to make it easier on tight budgets. Just because you asked, we have decided to offer this one week May Day Sale through May 7!

Check it out here!

Tawra

More Moving.

Mom and I have been working all week getting packed up. We are so worn out it's not even funny! Between the extra orders from the sale and the moving, it's almost too much for my poor body!

We are excited to be getting all the books sold and out of the garage so we don't have to move them but I should have done my timing better! :-)

We are going to call real estate agents next week and go ahead and put the house on the market. We decided to do it right away. We are going to get a home warranty and if something breaks while it's on the market and we have the warranty I am pretty sure it will cover it. I'm not planning on that happening but it would be nice to have it just to be safe.

We got Elly's room all the packed and the boys room 1/2 done and we cleaned out the office closet to make it back into a bedroom again. We are going to finish decluttering tomorrow and start cleaning then on Friday.

The great thing is that it will be all packed when we find a house! Yeah!!

Well I better run. I'm trying to get the Best of Living On A Dime book typeset in the middle of all this too! LOL (no wonder I stay sick all the time!)

Tawra

Oops!

We were brushing David's (3) teeth and he said "ouch"! Mike took a look and he had busted his back molar. After he knew he wasn't going to get into trouble he told us he "bit the money and his tooth melted". Augh! Now we have to spend a couple of hundred bucks to fix a baby tooth! If it was a big tooth it wouldn't be so bad but it's just going to fall out in a year or two. I think he's learned his lesson about eating money, finally!

Oh well, he's worth it! :-)

Tawra