I ran across this article from a New York Post writer who tore up a credit card application, taped it back together, mailed it to American Express and GOT APPROVED. OMG! I am shocked and outraged. Yes, I do own a paper shredder. Trust, I put it to good use. The article convinces me that everyone should own and use a paper shredder. I write this blog because I believe in being financially fit. Sometimes it’s not just about cutting expenses. You have to go the extra mile to protect your finances/credit score. What’s the point of having money in the bank if you can’t protect it?
Do you use a paper shredder for financial documents? How do you protect your finances? What do you do with your credit card applications that come in the mail?
P.S. I posted this on Sunday night to carry us through Monday. I’m traveling all day Monday, so I posted a little early.
Thanks Elizabeth for the tip!
Food prices are skyrocketing everywhere. Nothing is left untouched. The Snickers bars in our work vending machine are now $1. They used to be $.50. As a community service, I want to know your favorite frugal recipes. My favorite is spaghetti because it lasts a long time and tastes even better the next day when the ingredients have settled. I have a new blog friend, The Frugal Cook, who offers advice on how to eat on the cheap. My paper offered up three affordable recipes in the Cook’s Corner column
Here is my spaghetti recipe:
1 medium onion 3 celery stalks 16 oz. tomato sauce 1 lb. ground round Accent Garlic salt 1-2 tablespoons sugar 1 medium green pepper2 garlic cloves6 oz. tomato paste8 or 16 oz. package of spaghettiLawry's seasoned saltCayenne pepper
Cook the spaghetti as shown on box. Dice and saute onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic cloves in skillet with olive or canola oil. Add ground and the seasonings to your taste and cook until the meat is done. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste(add two-and-a-half 6 oz.tomato paste cans of water) to skillet with meat andseasonings and simmer.Either mix all of the sauce with the spaghetti or put the sauce onindividual servings.
What's your favorite frugal recipe?
Sen. Barack Obama is asking his donors to help fund-raise to pay off at least $10 million in debts from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential quest. At the end of May, Clinton had about $22 million in debt. Out of the $22 million of debt, at least $10 million of that was from a personal loan to her campaign.
After posting about mileage expenses yesterday, readers Lou and Cool Chick brought up how the government rate for mileage has gone up by $.08. Taxpayers may use the optional standard rates to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. The rate will increase to 58.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1 through Dec. 31. Yippee. This government increase is better than the last government increase I covered.
Here’s the mileage info.
I always have work-related expenses. As a journalist, I drive around, chasing stories, burning gas and wearing and tearing my car. I have to pay for copies of public records requests. I pay for parking while I’m at stories. I use my cell phone to check in with editors. Now ask me am I diligent and file for reimbursements from the company? Not like I should. Meh! When your life gets so hectic, you tend to forget to sweat the small stuff, like that 15-mile drive you did for work. But, it all adds up. I noticed a big difference in my bank account when I’m filing my expenses weekly.
For all the mouthiness about gas prices and inflation, sometimes people-especially those of us who have reimbursable work expenses-need to do our financial part to stay afloat. It’s much better to be tedious with your records. Your bank account will thank you. I talked to a coworker who is a frugalist normally. The man brings his lunch to work everyday and he drinks the free coffee. But he admits he’s probably let about $2,000 worth of work expenses fritter through his fingers.
I’m writing this post because the end of the month is near, and I have to play catch up with my expenses. If I don’t file now, my company won’t accept the receipts/paperwork in July. FOCUS FRUGALISTA!
Do you have expenses for work? Do you submit for reimbursement in a timely fashion? How much have you subsidized your company by not filing for expenses?
Today, we have a guest blog from dontdatehimgirl.com creator Tasha Cunningham. Tasha launched the website that creates fear in mankind. Tasha offers up some cheap tips on how to catch your boo cheating. I read through them. I must say, she’s serious. I’m not sure if I would go to these extremes. I believe in women’s intuition. Sometimes, though, a girl needs proof.
Here are Tasha’s Tips:
1. Monitor his computer usage. You can do this by installing key logger software, which allows you to monitor every keystroke he makes on his computer including every e-mail he sends and receives, every instant message or text he gets and every website he’s visited. For less than $100, you can buy the popular WebWatcher software at www.WebWatcherNow.com or log on to www.ActualSpy.com and download their key logger software for free!
2. Monitor his cell phone. If he’s cheating, he’s probably using his cell phone to do it. If you get your hands on it, you can check out who owns numbers that you don’t recognize by doing a reverse phone look up. While there aren’t any companies that perform this service free, at a cost of $4.95-$14.95 per number that you look up, it’s still a cost-effective option. Try www.ReversePhoneDetective.com, which charges $14.95 to look up a number or AT&T’s www.AnyWho.com, which charges just $4.95 to look up a number and furnish you with information on who owns it.
3. Conduct your own surveillance. Doing it yourself saves you the cost of a private investigator. But before you do, invest just $10.85 and purchase a copy of The Private Investigator Handbook : The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Protect Yourself, Get Justice, or Get Even by Chuck Chambers, a 22-year vet of the P.I. business. You can also buy another great book called The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Private Investigating by Steve Kerry Brown for $12.89 on www.Amazon.com!
What do you think about Tasha’s tips? Are they a community service to women? Are they stalkerific? Do you have any frugal ways to find out if your spouse is cheating? Comment early and often!
The home of former Tennessee Titan Adam "Pacman" Jones is in foreclosure. Mr. "Make It Rain" bought the Franklin, Tenn. home in 2006 for $1.575 million. The estate has a main house that is close to 3,000 square feet and two guest homes that are each 1,200 square feet, according to the article. It’s scheduled to be sold on the court house steps on June 27.
I say all the exotic dancers who Pacman helped support through his single dollar bill charity should rally together and help him out. Pacman seems to have a string of horrible luck lately.
I hope he can find more affordable real estate in Dallas where he’s on the roster as a Cowboy.
Should someone send Pacman a link to this site? Do you blame his legal troubles for his inability to pay bills? What do you think about one of his old friends who was there the night of Pacman’s Las Vegas dust up possibly being murdered? Do you feel bad about his troubles?
After a dreary week, I am thrilled to post happy news. Real Simple magazine wrote a little tidbit about unclaimed cash. In the United States, there’s about $33 billion worth of unclaimed money in state treasuries. Find out if some of that lonely cash is yours. Check out unclaimed.org and find your state. Type in your name and see if you have an old check or a bank account balance that you had no idea about.
I know I have a lot of Canadian and British readers. If there are similar websites in your countries, please let me know and I’ll update the post.
After going to your state’s website, do you have any unclaimed property? If you do, what will you do with the loot?
I really want everyone to have a great weekend and thanks for all of your support this week.
**UPDATE** Canadians can click here for unclaimed property.
Thanks Cookie for the tip!
Middle-class Americans are dropping their $4 lattes and brewing coffee at home. I think it’s a step in the right direction. The New York Times does the math on the cost of buying something cheaper -a bottle of soda- every weekday for a year:
A $1.50 bottle of soda for each weekday of the year, for example, would add up to about $390. Now at $2 in some parts of the country, the habit comes with an annual price tag of $520. Over five years, that’s $2,600.
Yikes! It all adds up. I know that Starbucks has taken a financial hit in this economy. It plans to close stores this year. I doubt I notice, though. Is it just me or do you see that green logo on every corner? The company has beefed up its rewards program to try to keep its fans. Free Wi-Fi for its habitual users.
Do you have a daily vice? How much is it costing you a week? Do you drink coffee? Have you tried to quit the habit for health reasons or financial reasons?
Thanks Lou for the tip!
