The Shopping Nazi

In this past week, I have seen the price of gas go up a good 15 cents per gallon. For many of us that are struggling in the Great Recession, this makes another obstacle we have to climb over to get out of the hole.

This week, I have found three more obstacles. Each of the three hidden charges were in my monthly bills. Things that I did not realize that I was being charged, then the money coming out of my pocket. When I questioned the charges, I was told it was written in to my agreement or terms of service.

Phone Bill – $15.61 in Other Charges, What is Other Charges? When asked for specifics I go the answer, “These include non-communications related charges such as Premium Handset Protection and communication-related charges, such as certain fees”. Read the rest of this entry »

Setting priorities and watching where our money goes can be a very painful thing. Especially when it gets close to pay day and there is not money to buy lunch a McDonald’s.

Some time back, I was watching a group of people leaving working from a local business that employed a 1,000+ men and women. Over 90% of them make the same hourly wage. However, you would not think that by the way each one dress and the car they were driving. Read the rest of this entry »

We all trade up or trade down. We trade down to save money, then trade up on the things we want.

A cigarette smoker will trade down on clothes and food, just to buy a $5 for a pack of cigarettes.

A jock will trade down on apartment to trade up for the right gym membership and meal supplements.

A husband and wife will trade down on clothes and time to trade up on a private school for their children.

I have done, this very same thing myself, and I have seen others well meaning people, when it comes to trading down make the same mistakes that I have done. What is that mistake?

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When I was growing up my dad would cash his pay check, bring it home and put divide it up by putting it in envelopes. Each envelope was to represent a bill that needed to be paid. This was one generation from putting money in a set of jars, with each jar committed to a bill.

On the other extreme I have talked to some people of the younger generations who keep a rough running total in their head. For some reason the vast majority of these people are overdrawn on their checking, for reasons they cannot understand.

In my junior and senior year of high school we had a special class on budgeting. It included a handwritten a ledger. We had to keep a running total of outgoing and incoming money. Today, I use a little easier method of tracking our family finances; it is called Quicken.

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There is much talk about credit reports and the FICO scores that go with it.  The Internet offers many FREE credit reports.  Believe me, they are NOT free.  What they are trying to do is have you sign up for a monthly service or a large fee if you don’t “officially” cancel their service.   These companies  exist to make money, not to actually help you out.

Establish an honest relationship with a LOCAL Boise Idaho home loan consultant who has their local reputation on the line and your best interests in mind.   Then go to the next step and request a free credit report and the valuable advice that goes with it.   Your local Boise loan consultant has to earn your business and provide professional service.  That is what a relationship is all about.   On line companies could care less about how you “feel” or if you are “happy” or not.  A local Boise Idaho loan consultant must please you and their local real estate community.  If they don’t, they might as well go work for some online institution.

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We are  just one week away from the biggest shopping day of the year. Well, that is what all the marketing people tell us. Crowds storm shopping malls all across the United States for that great deal. or that must have Christmas present.

The day after Thanksgiving when all the retail stores say that they have their biggest savings deals for the Christmas season. Crowds of people line up outside malls all across the United States and Canada to rush in for those big savings, when the doors open.

The truth be known, those same deals, if not better deals can be found at different times through out the years. Then there is purchase Christmas gifts online can also save you a few dollars more.

This is where a recon can save you hundreds of dollar. All it takes is a few simple steps.

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How many times have Moms (and Dads) heard this from their children–day after day?  Mom, what are you making for us?   Parents everywhere work hard to provide their families with three hot squares every day.

When you have small children, they have no idea the effort and planning that goes into each meal, not only daily, but weekly and monthly!  They are too young to appreciate just how hard Mom really works to master this task.

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Over the years, I have always liked to sit back and watch people. It did not matter if it was a the mall, fair, or in the local grocery store. When I take time to observe people I learn quite a lot, especially in the local grocery store.

I observe individuals shopping for one or two items. I observe couples buying for their weekly groceries. I observe families as they stock up on food and other household items.

What I rarely see is anyone with a detailed grocery list. I have only seen one or two people who are like me that takes a clipboard with them as they shop. Then there are only a few who have any kind of grocery list.

I do see some who have a little 3 by 5 inch of scratch paper with their grocery list on it. Then there others who are wondering around in a daze picking items off the  shelf and putting them in their shopping cart.

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Out from the ashes of the Great Recession rises a new group of super heroes. Each fighting the threat of looming foreclosures and ramped unemployment with the tools of the 21st century. Each one of these super heroes  providing real life every answers to men, women and children that are suffering under the oppression of false dreams and living above ones means.

In speeds exceeding 186,000 miles per second, knowledge and wisdom is served to those who request it. The path of their speed rescue is through the World Wide Web. Each one from their respective layier speeds to home computers, and laptops.

The knowledge is not in just ways of saving money, but wisdom on improving health, lifestyle, and relationships. They are known as Mr Breakfast, Saving Dinner, Clark Howard, and The Shopping Nazi are just a few of several many others that have yet to be revealed.

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Knowledge is power. Knowing how to use that power requires wisdom.

If you have not notice, we live in a time where knowledge advances at such a fast  rate that by the time a book is printed, much of that book is out dated. Training in the latest technology can be outdated can quickly become out dated.

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