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Scams Can Destroy Part or All Of Your Personal Budget Assets

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In the news virtually every day , we hear or read about someone that lost their life savings to a scam The number of scam techniques keeps changing as technology changes.

It is hard to believe that someone just walking by a person can extract their credit card number from their purse or billfold and use it to make purchases, but they can. Scammers attach a small device to Cash Machines that extracts and stores the person’s personal number and credit card number. Police tell us to closely inspect any cash machine to make sure nothing has been attached to front of the machine that might be a scamming device. If we see a suspicious device report it to the owner of the business or manager and don’t use that machine.

We hear of elderly women primarily that get phone calls from a person that is purportedly their grandson or granddaughter saying they are stranded or in jail and need money right away. They ask the woman to wire the money to them and give them a Western Union location where they can receive it. Usually the request is for several thousand dollars. In the news stories many people have fallen for this scam and send the money. When they contact their grandson or granddaughter they find that they did not make that request and the person that got the money is no where to be found.

With the turbulent weather in many parts of the county, such as hail storms with baseball size hail, the number of scam contractors appear. A smooth sales person comes to the door and tells the property owners they will give them a big discount on the work. They also tell them it is standard procedure to get at least half the cost up front so that can purchase the supplies and the balance will be due when the project is complete. The contractor shows them a form and asks them to sign it and give them half of the contract cost and they will get right on it. Many cases have been reported where the supposed roofing contractor was never seen again after they received half the estimated cost. Ask the contractor if they are bonded? Ask the contractor for the names of other people in your area that have used their services. Do not sign anything until you have checked out the contractor and are certain that he is bonded and has done good work in your area. Out of town contractors many times are the scammers.

I was in the business of selling Schwinn, Specialized, and Diamondback, used bicycles to people in age 55 and over RV parks in Arizona for a few years. The first year I was in business I get a text message from a lady that said, “My husband loves Schwinn Midtown bicycles he will want to buy it, call or text him at this number and I am sure he will buy it.” I texted the number she gave me, supposedly her husband texted back, I am a very busy man traveling all the time and am in Chicago moving to Hawaii, I want your bicycle and I want it shipped to Hawaii, but never fear my agent will pick up the bicycle and ship it. I will send you $200 extra for the shipping and you keep $50 for tip for your trouble in holding it until my agent gets there. The text ask what is your mailing address? I was suspicious of this arrangement but new at the game of selling bicycles, so I fell for it. The person texted me numerous times over a three day period asking if I received the Cashiers Check yet? After the third day I did receive a priority mail envelope with a check for $2,500. The asking price for the bike was $175 and he told me to keep $50 as a tip. I texted the person and ask what is the $2,275 for? He responded it was for the shipping money and for some other bills that his agent was going to pay for. He said,just cash the check and give the $2,275 to my agent when he comes to pick up the bike. I told him I was not a bank and I suspected the check was not a cashiers check even though it said Cashiers Check , the address at the top was from a CPA firm. He kept insisting I take it to the bank and said they will take it. The truth of the matter is that a bank will take a check like that but if the check bounces a few days later the person cashing the check is liable and their bank account will be charged. The person might also be charged with trying to deposit a fraudulent check. Since there was no return address on the envelope or check I ask where do I send the check to return it because I am not interested in doing business with you. The person got testy and said, “Take the check to bank and cash the Damn check! The person would not give me a return address so I texted that I was submitting the check and text messages to the FBI. I never heard from him again. There is a FBI form any US Citizen can complete that is used to report fraud to the FBI. I completed the form on line. Two days later I had a person in Florida that wanted to purchase that same bicycle and have their agent pick up the bike and ship it. I told them I did not accept out of town purchasers that did not come and get the bike personally. They had ask for my address at the beginning of the text messages which I gave to them. Two days later I get a priority mail envelope with a check for $1,500 for the $175 bicycle. When I texted the person and ask where to send the check back because I did not do business that way , they refused to give me an address and insisted that I deposit the check and give their agent $1,200 when he comes to pick up the bank. I texted back that the check and text message scripts had been referred to the FBI. Now Craigslist has a caution warning to not accept any deals like these two because it is a national crime ring using this technique throughout the country.

Friends of one our our close personal friends in New Brunswick in Canada had their furniture for sale. A couple came and said they wanted the furniture. They ask if the people would accept a personal cashiers check? The sellers agreed to accept a cashiers check. The purchasers explained that they had the cashier’s check for $250 more than the amount and ask if the people would give them the $250 to pay for the truck rental so they could pick up the truck to move the furniture. The sellers agreed and gave them $250 in cash and accepted the cashiers check for $5,250. The sellers took the check to the bank and deposited it to their account. A week later the bank charged their account for $5,250. The people did not have a bank account and the cashier’s check was fraudulent. The people lost their furniture and $250. IF the seller had not given the bank the $5,250 they could be charged with fraud for depositing a fraudulent check. Even then the bank referred the case to their attorney to determine if the account holder should be charged with depositing a fake cashier’s check.

Another bike scam used recently in Phoenix was a couple that came to a garage sale which had two bikes for sale. They ask if they could ride them a few blocks and see how they performed. The garage sale people did not see a car , they ask for some security. The man looker said here is my billfold and it has my driver’s license in it , is that enough security. The garage sale people took the billfold and laid it on a table. The guy and his companion rode off on the bikes never to be seen again. The garage sale people looked in the billfold after they decided the people had been gone too long. All there was a torn up pieces of paper nothing else in the billfold.

Beware of financial people that want to roll over your annuity or retirement account money , there have been cases where the owner of the annuity or retirement account have agreed to a rollover and ended up with all of their money being transferred to an account that they cannot identify. If the sales person promises earnings much higher than the average investment rates for your type of retirement account, there is a good change the risk you would take by transferring is not worth it.

Maybe you need a house sitter or a pet sitter while you are away. Click on the link below to see how you can obtain a directory of house sitters and or pet sitters and ads requesting house sitters and pet sitters. It can be a real benefit to both parties. Housecarers and Pet Sitters click here

I recently opened an online store marketing bicycle accessories such as baskets, mirrors, lights, helmets, odometers, and more. The name of my online store is Popsbicycles. You can access the store by CLICK HERE

The current special is a basket with a see through cell phone compartment that sets in front of the center on the bar. at a sale price of $7.49 including shipping. CLICK HERE

Most Neglected Item That Should Be In The Family Budget?

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What do you think more families leave out of their family budget that costs very little, in comparison to other items in the budget, and can salvage their future?

I am sure you might have guessed, it is “Life Insurance”. If term life insurance is obtained at a young age, you can have over a million dollars of life insurance for a monthly payment of less than $100. Even if you are in your 40’s you can still get a good rate that provides a decent coverage on your life so your family will not be financially strained if something should happen to you unexpectedly. Even if you are in your 50’s, term life insurance will not bankrupt you and will provide some comfort for your wife or husband and family.

Cash Value Whole Life Insurance is not a great investment. The premiums are too high when compared with the cost of term insurance over a twenty year period of time. It is better to buy a term policy and invest the money that you would have spent on annuities or whole life policies in mutual funds.

I would recommend that you buy your life insurance from companies that have a high rating and have been around for many years. There are some life insurance companies that have gone bankrupt and had to either sell their policies to another company or not pay the policy holder. I know that life insurance agents have a reputation of being pushy, so tell them what type of policy you want and the approximate amount you want to be insured for and see what the rate is? Many people have said we do not need life insurance and I hate meeting with insurance agents. If you do not like what the agent is telling you or do not trust them call another one, there are a large number of companies and agents available.

There are places on line if you search for life insurance rates that will show you a comparison of rates after you fill in your age/ Some of them will not give you a rate unless you give them your email or phone number. Then they email you the rate or call you with the rate.

When determining the amount of life insurance you would like to have, consider your age and your financial obligations. A million dollars sounds like a lot of insurance but if your spouse had to pay off your home , cars, credit cards, and other obligations, how much would be left and how long would it last if your spouse did not work? Keep in mind that life insurance proceeds are not taxed. Life insurance proceeds can be invested and make some additional money. The earnings on the insurance proceeds may be taxable depending on what the investment type.

When selecting a mutual fund for the money you are not spending on whole life , it will depend on ;our age when you begin making deposits to the mutual fund. After the fund group is selected a determination of how to distribute the money within the funds available needs to be made. Index Funds that track the stock market have offered the most gain over a period of 5 to 10 years, but if you need the money short term, then index funds are not the way to go. There are balanced funds that contain high quality stocks and high quality corporate bonds, they do not offer a real high yield but the yield is much better than bank CD’s and government securities. keep in mind as your age and or needs change so might your fund distribution. Nost fund groups allow you to move the money between different funds within their fund group several times a year. Also I would suggest that you distribute the money to at least two or three different funds within the fund group you have selected in case one does not perform as well as you had hoped.

Investing strategies for retirement would present different goals and different funds within the fund group. Depending on your age and if you are investing through a 401-k or 403-B, usually the timeframe would 10 years or more. In that case you would want to have an index fund with a good 5 or 10 year yield record as one of your choices.

TAKE THE BIG STEP AND GET LIFE INSURANCE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY. REASSESS YOUR LIFE INSURANCE NEEDS AT LEAST EVERY THREE YEARS TO SEE IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH INSURANCE OR IF INVESTMENT CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE.

Is Your Family Food Budget Over The Top? Is Your Cable or Satellite TV Too Expensive?

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FAMILY FOOD COSTS
Take a few minutes and enter on a spreadsheet or write down an estimated total monthly expenses for these items, house payment, loans, auto expenses, medical expenses , pet expenses, entertainment, cable TV, personal items, insurance expenses, etc. Then estimate your total food expense for a month including the cost of eating out. Determine what percentage your food cost is of the total income you receive.

If you are like most families “Food” might be the single highest item in your monthly budget? My wife and I prepare an annual budget and a monthly budget. Some months we do great in keeping within the budget but other months, when company comes to visit for week, or we have a party, the food budget explodes. Usually the cost for our groceries is about 20% of our income. We are retired and there is just the two of us except when the kids and grandkids come visiting.

When we know company is coming for a few days or a week. We stock up on things we think they will like not necessarily what we would normally buy. It is not uncommon for that visit to the grocery store to be about $250. We have a couple of celebrations and parties at our place in the high mountains of Colorado. One is the 4th of July when four of my children and their families come to stay with us for a few days to celebrate my birthday which is the 4th of July. That grocery bill can be as much as $400 or more for a single week. Each year before we leave the Rocky Mountains we have an Octoberfest party at our place and usually have 30 or 40 people attend. The cost of that celebration is usually about $400. So, it is obvious that food is a big item in our family. Costco has some real good deals but the temptation to buy other items we would not normally buy erases the price advantage of the necessity items that are reasonably priced.

What do you do to avoid these upswings in food costs? One way is to make a list and assign items to family members coming to visit to cut the food cost. Also do the same thing with parties get several families to participate in providing the food and have it a semi potluck type celebration.

When people work in the city or an area where there are restaurants, many people eat out at least a few meals a week. Some people do take a sack lunch each day but when the gang at work is going out to eat the sack lunch is forgotten. Families like to go out to eat periodically. Fast food restaurants can actually cost more than a family style restaurant that has a daily special. Be selective in where you take the family to eat and set limits each person can order.

CABLE OR SATELLITE TV COSTS ARE BUDGET BREAKERS

I just cancelled Dish Satellite TV after 8 1/2 years this week. We use Roku’s that operate off the internet and have a wide selection of programming at a very small cost. The only costs we have are Netflix, Amazon Prime, MLB Network, and Sling TV, the total of which is less than $70 a month. We were paying $160 a month for satellite TV and equipment rental. Figure eight years at almost $2000 a year for TV that is $16,000. Dish representatives tried desperately to get us to keep Dish. We are not under contract with them. If you are under a contract to get out of the contract can cost as much as $400 in the early months and goes down monthly.

The reason we can use Roku is we have Viacom Satellite Internet that has unlimited usage for $150 a month. When we had Hughes they limited usage to $50 GB and that cost $160 a month. Roku would have used 50 gb in less than a week. We had to pay $400 to get out of the Hughes two year internet contract but it was worth it to have unlimited internet and Hughes is a company in total disarray.

When we return to Arizona in September for the winter, we have unlimited internet usage with Airbeam for $79.95 and the Roku works great there. The end result is that we are saving $90 a month over what we were having to pay with Dish Satellite TV by using Roku.

Another interesting thing is that we have a new TV in the bedroom and it has HDMI hookup for Roku. Our Everest 5th Wheel has the TV that came in it in 2004 it has the three cables red, yellow, and while for hookup. I looked on the internet and when Roku first started marketing their product they had a Roku “1” which works with the three cables. I found a Roku “1” refurbished on eBay for $32, including shipping, Now we do not have to buy a new TV for the 5th Wheel living area. They do actually have Roku TV’s now with the Roku built in for about $200 for a 40 inch.

The ebook “Starting From Zero” is a great lesson in how the retail economy works today compared with the recent past. It tells you how to start a home business with a very small investment and succeed in the current economic environment. They will offer you other options and enhancements if you order the book, but just getting the book would be beneficial to most families.
To get your copy of the book “Starting From Zero” CLICK HERE

I recently opened an online store marketing bicycle accessories such as baskets, mirrors, lights, helmets, odometers, and more. The name of my online store is Popsbicycles. You can visit my website by going to https://www.popsbicycles.com

The current special is a basket for small items that fits on the front handlebars and fits between the brake and gear cables. It is an attractive waterproof basket with a side pouch for a phone at a sale price of $6.50 including shipping.

Keeping Your Home And Autos In Good Repair Enhances the Family Budget

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If a person waits until the tires are bald on their auto and does not have regular oil changes and auto checkups , they usually end up with a much larger bill then it would have been to have a planned auto maintenance plan. One important thing that auto owners need to do is find a mechanic that is honest and specializes in their car model. Cars are so complicated that mechanics must continually train to be able to understand all of the electronic aspects of the cars they specialize in. They cannot train on all cars because there are so many brand names and models that it would be an impossibility.

I have a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. About four years ago I found a mechanic listed on a website in Mesa Arizona named Mike that specialized in Honda and Hyundai and Mercedes Benz. He was a factory trained Honda Mechanic for quite a few years and decided to open his own garage about 12 years ago. The comments on his website are glowing and with good reason. I had him replace the ball joints on a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. Mike was about 20% cheaper than the dealer quoted me and he did a great job keeping the appointment I had made. He started on the job right when I arrived and finished in less than three hours. About three months ago I took my wife and her friend Be to see Mike and have him replace the timing belt on her 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe. He was $200 cheaper than the dealer quoted. We left the car for a week because Be was going on a trip to Costa Rica and would be gone during that time. The day we returned we went to pick up the car. I called and he had it ready. When we arrived he stopped and explained what he found out about her car, it was making a clicking sound when it started up, he recorded the sound on his phone and played it for Be , my wife , and I. He said I thought you might be having some valve problems but I have this Engine Cleaner that does wonders so I put some in the car , the next morning I started it up and no clicking sound. He told her even though she only drove the car from October to April in Arizona and then left the car while she went to Alaska for the summer , you still need to change the oil at least every 90 days and definitely when you return from Alaska. She was not doing that. He explained about oil changes and said do no go to the places that say they will do an oil change for less than $20 , many of them use recycled oil and cheap oil filters that decompose into the engine. He charges $40 for an oil , filter, and full service check. He showed us the filters he recommends that cost more but do not decompose.

A week after we went to Mikes to get her car, I decided to make an appointment to get the oil changed in my car. When I arrived at 10 A.M. , Mike stopped what he was doing and did my oil change it took 30 minutes. Mike called me in and said your front brakes are like new, but your back brakes will need to be replaced within 5,000 miles. I took the car in again and waited for Mike do a rear brake job for $200 which was less than I was quoted at Brake Masters. Mike showed me there was a small oil leak in the engine area but it was not dripping onto the floor so he said just watch it you may never have to do anything with it.

Can you see the wisdom in getting a mechanic that knows and cares about your particular auto and charges less than a dealer would charge?

Our homes need repairs all the time it seems. The roof is a very important part of the home and needs to be maintained. If the life of the roof is near it’s end , don’t wait until the shingles blow off or start leaking before replacing the roof. Roof leaks can do thousands of dollars of damage to the interior of a home. Sometimes a roof can be patched and sealed but many times it is only a temporary fix. When getting a roofing contractor ask your neighbors about who has done a good job at a reasonable price for people in your neighborhood. Sometimes there are individual bonded roofers that work for a big company but do roofs as a part time business that are much more reasonable than a big contractor. Our recent roof replacement quotes on a 1,700 sq ft house and 600 sq ft garage ranged from $6,500 to $18,000. The big roofing companies charge more and offer all kinds of modifications to your roof that probably would qualify it to last forever to hear them talk.

Exterior and interior painting of a home is very important to help it keep it’s value. Painting contractors are not cheap and come in all different packages. Many people paint their home themselves both inside and out and do a good job of it. A good brand of paint is expensive. Do not put cheap paint on a house , the labor to paint it is intensive, you do not want to be painting every five years or less. I have been told depending on where you live that exterior paint jobs should last 8 to 10 years. The interior painting depends on the whims of those that live there.

Landscaping is a very import aspect of a home. A neatly kept well landscaped home is much more valuable than one with little or no landscaping. If you do not know how to landscape, search on the internet there are lots of sites that have landscaping plans and suggestions. Nurseries vary greatly in the price for landscaping items. Sometimes , Walmart, Home Depot, and big box stores have better prices if you can find what you want.

MAINTENANCE IS THE WORD AND YOU WILL SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN. GOOD LUCK IN DEVELOPING A GOOD MAINTENANCE PLAN FOR YOUR AUTOS AND HOME.

The ebook “Starting From Zero” is a great lesson in how the retail economy works today compared with the recent past. It tells you how to start a home business with a very small investment and succeed in the current economic environment. They will offer you other options and enhancements if you order the book, but just getting the book would be beneficial to most families.
To get your copy of the book “Starting From Zero” CLICK HERE

Fast Food And The Family Budget

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I don’t know if you have noticed but you can spend as much or more at McDonalds, Burger King, Arby’s , Jack In The Box, Sonic, Culvers, Chick Filet, you name it fast food, as you might spend at a family restaurant.

If you live near a major league ball team, Taco Bell and Jack In The Box have specials based on the ball games the day after the criteria is met. For example it the Arizona Diamondbacks score five runs or more , Taco Bell offers from 4 P.M. to 6 P.M. the next day a special called the “Diamondback Special”, three free tacos with the purchase of a large drink for $1.89. Jack In The Box offers all day the following day a free hamburger with the purchase of a large drink for $1.89, if anyone on the Diamondbacks hits a home run or in baseball slang, “A Jack”.

Taco Bells around the Denver area offer three free tacos with the purchase of a large drink for $1.89, the day after the Rockies score seven runs or more.

I am sure there are many more fast food specials across the country based on the performance of the major league baseball team in that area. When we lived in Apache Junction, Arizona the last five years , on the days there were specials with free tacos, the drive up window was backed up for a block, there were no available seats inside and there were long lines at the cashiers. Retirees were taking advantage of the cheap dinner from 4 to 6 the day after the team scored the specified number of runs.

Arbys puts an ad supplement in many papers with specials for the month. One of the specials is three Arby’s beef sandwiches for $8.00 which is about a $4 savings. McDonalds has a $1 hamburger , it is very thin and not the quality of the Jack In The Box burger. McDonalds offers two hot apple pies for $1, they are a favorite of my wife and our friends that visit us.

Burger King has big sales on chicken nuggets with a large quantity for a small price.

Look at the other end of fast food spectrum. My wife had her upper teach extracted and needed to have a malt to drink afterwards. We went to the drive up window at Culvers and ordered two Chocolate Malts, the total was $13.50, if she still had her uppers my wife would have dropped them right then and there, lol.

Just about all of the fast food restaurants use the drinks as a high profit item to them. Some places the drinks are $3.50 for a self served fountain drink. Pies in Village Inn are $4.75 a slice and higher for some pies. Beer is also used as a high profit item with many restaurants that have a beer and wine license. Sonic has half price shakes and sundaes after 8 P.M. but if you go before the prices are relatively high.

If you like family restaurants that are not chain restaurants some of them have a special for the day that is a well balanced meal for lunch or dinner , or a great breakfast menu , all with prices that are probably equal to or less than the fast food restaurants.

Springtime is here and summer time is fast approaching , maybe you need a house sitter or a pet sitter while you are away. Click on the link below to see how you can obtain a directory of house sitters and or pet sitters and ads requesting house sitters and pet sitters. It can be a real benefit to both parties.
Housecarers and Pet Sitters click here

WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR BOWLING SCORES? Get the Ultimate Bowling Guide click here

Hidden Interest Can Destroy The Family Budget

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First case, my wife recently had to have major dental work done resulting in her upper teeth being extracted and a denture made. The cost was nearly $4,000. The finance person in the dental clinic office said “Not to worry, we have an interest free financing plan as long as you pay the bill within eighteen months. Two weeks later we received a monthly bill for $123.00 and a schedule showing how the bill would be paid off in three years paying $123.00. The bill did not mention that after eighteen months if the bill was not paid in its entirety 29% interest is charged from the initial date of the debt. My wife and I put a pen to the situation and determined that after the three payments for $123.00 we had made that we needed to be making payments of $280 a month to avoid having to pay 29% on the original $4,000 debt. So, we had to enter $280 for dental care into our budget rather than $123 for dental care. When they explain is is an interest free financing plan that is totally inaccurate. Right on the statement you receive, it says no interest is charged if you pay this bill in its entirety. Why would a person be paying over time if they had the money to pay the bill in the first place? Synchrony is the primary financing company that many doctors use to get their money right away, The patient had better beware!

Second case, we purchased a used bed and mattress for our guest room, we did not know that the slats fell through if you were not careful getting on the bed. We had friends that were coming to stay with us while their new home was being constructed, we needed a decent bed for them right away. We decided to put our queen size bed, that was comfortable, in the guest room and to look for a new bed and mattress for our bedroom. We went to a major mattress company here in Casa Grande, Arizona and tried about every mattress they had. They had a $3,800 mattress and bed with a lift system on sale for $2,000 since they were closing out that model. It is a great mattress. My wife likes making the foot and head of the bed bow up at an angle while she reads. We purchased a few other items from the mattress company. The woman salesperson said we offer no interest financing for up to three years. It took a very long time while she entered all of the information into their system. They were to deliver the mattress in two days which was the day our friends were coming. They did deliver the mattress at the scheduled time and we were good for our guests. We moved our bed and the night stands into the guest room. A month later the bill comes from Synchrony Bank for $84.00. It also says no interest if paid in full. We thought we had thirty six months to pay for the bed. After discovering the problem with the medical financing with Synchrony Bank , we decided to check on the financing for the bed. It too was for eighteen months when we checked the information on the billing statement. After eighteen months they charge 29% interest on the full amount of the debt. So, my wife and I computed what has to be paid after we had paid six payments to get this debt paid within the eighteen month time limit. Now our budget has $180 a month instead of $84 for the mattress.

Third caseOur only car was a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe, it had 161,000 miles on it. We had recently had to spend $700 for a new starter replacement and towing. I was looking for another used Hyundai Santa Fe with lower mileage at a reasonable price. I looked on Carguros every day for Santa Fe’s 2008 to 2015. Several of the ones listed looked like good deals but they sold before I had a chance to look at them. About three months ago I saw a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.3 engine, one owner, no accidents, sun roof, new tires, like new condition with 64,000 miles on it listed at Dale Earnhardt Toyota in Mesa, Arizona. I called and inquired about the car , they had just received it when the couple purchased a new Toyota. We made an appointment and went this huge Toyota dealership. They had a four level parking garage just for the cars not on the lot. The salesman said they sell over one hundred cars a week. When we got there the salesman had brought the car to the staging area outside the showroom. The salesman accompanied us for the test ride. My wife did the driving. She took it on the 202 freeway and around the business area near the dealership. Our 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe had a 2.7 V-6 engine, this car had a 3.3 V-6 engine, the additional power was very noticeable. She loved the car. We went through the traditional negotiation phase and traded our car and $1,000 cash and financed the balance. The going interest rate on a used car, we were told, was 7 3/4% and we would need to be approved by the finance manager. The finance manager ran a credit report and said, “Ok, now since this is a used car and the 100,000 guarantee by Hyundai is not transferable, you need this repair contract and before you say ‘No’ , I will reduce your interest rate to 5 3/4 % so the interest difference will pay for the repair contract. That way the repair contract has cost you nothing. We agreed to that , but I could see that the interest reduction did not completely pay for the repair contract but I thought it was a good idea to have the repair contract. When the financing was complete with Chase Bank, we had payments of $287 a month for three years at 5 3/4 %. I had made three payments and got a call from the Financing Manager at Earnhardt, he disclosed that Toyota would not allow him to sell a repair contract on that car since the car is a 2009 and this is 2019. He said Toyota said the car is ten years old and not eligible. The result was that Earnhardt refunded $1750 to me by crediting the loan account. Certainly if I had known that the repair contract cost $1750 I would not have agreed to it. Any way we are happy campers, we will have the car paid off ten months earlier.


Read the fine print, mathematically compute how much it takes to pay off a time purchase, and compare to what the doctor or salesperson tells you. Synchrony Bank has hundreds of businesses that do financing for and virtually all of financing is for eighteen months , but the bills the person receives will not pay the debt off and they will end up paying 29% on the initial balance if they do not accelerate the payments.

Springtime is here and summer time is fast approaching , maybe you need a house sitter or a pet sitter while you are away. Click on the link below to see how you can obtain a directory of house sitters and or pet sitters and ads requesting house sitters and pet sitters. It can be a real benefit to both parties.
Housecarers and Pet Sitters click here

WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR BOWLING SCORES? Get the Ultimate Bowling Guide click here

Ways To Budget And Save On Your Family Vacation This Year

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Well in advance of the time you plan to take the family vacation , a plan should be developed to estimate the cost. There are many different kinds of vacations.

(1) People that are financially able may pay a travel agent to plan their vacation. The common trips when using a travel agent are cruises, trips to specific locations like New York City, or like a resort facility, or planned guided vacation trips. Sometimes it may cost more for the trip than if you planned it yourself. Costco has a travel division that offers great prices on many flight and hotel packages. My wife and I got a great package deal from Costco for the room and flight from Phoenix , Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, round trip, staying at the Venetian on the “Strip” for three nights and four days for $783. The room was a luxurious suite with a great view and included breakfasts from the menu. We had a great time and were very pleased with the room which would normally cost over $250 a night which was included in the package at a greatly reduced price.

2) People that know where they want to vacation but want help in planning the travel routes and accommodations. They might ask AAA for a travel plan or use one of the travel companies , like Expedia , to show them the choices on line. Expedia and Orbitz show hotel rates from the highest to the lowest and reservations can be made on their website for air transportation, hotel, and car rental. There are sometimes specials on car rentals shown on the travel services. After you see the choices in airline fares, hotel rates , and car rental plans, start a spreadsheet on your computer showing what you think would be the best plan for your family. Check to make sure that the air fare and or the amount paid in advance for the hotel reservation are refundable in the event for some reason your vacation plans change. Many times hotels will only take your reservation and do not require payment up front, but they get your credit card number in the event you do not cancel the reservation by the time they specify they will charge a fee against your credit card.

3) A third example is people that make reservations at a specific location for most of their vacation time such as a lodge , or hotel near Disneyland, or hotel near where ball parks , or special sight seeing locations. They may travel a day or multiple days to get to the venue. In that event they need to pre-plan their stops along the way and get reservations for lodging at those stops. Particularly in the summer months many hotels fill up by night time or are fully booked for many nights. Check and see which hotels are pet friendly if you have a dog or cat you are bringing on the family vacation.

4) A fourth example is the family that wants to go to a cabin in the mountains or a beach house on the ocean shoreline and stay there for the duration of their vacation. In those cases most people take their own food. There are usually refrigerators and microwave ovens in most of the rooms. Some of these facilities have grills for cooking outside the cabin or lodging. KOA Kampgrounds have common cooking areas for the rented cabins which have have counters and propane grills for their renters.

5) A fifth example is the family that has a travel trailer, fifth wheel, camper , or motor home , that wants to park it in an RV Park or campground facility and continue to live out of their unit while on vacation. There are many different price ranges for parking RV’s or motor homes, so go on the internet and shop the available places for your unit. Make a reservation in advance because in the summer many places are already full for the year. As an example , Moab Utah has two large campgrounds near the downtown area. I stayed there in October one year and ask if I could get a reservation for May the following year. The owner said we are completely booked up from April until October.

6) A sixth example is the family that wants to rough it. They bring their tents and sleeping bags, their cooking utensils, food, wood, charcoal, water, and a multitude of things on the trip. They can probably put their tent up for free in some areas where camping is allowed. Many people go to U.S. Forest Service campgrounds, State Parks, or KOA Kampgrounds and pay the fee to camp at those locations. The Forest Service campgrounds usually charge about $17 a night for a camping space. KOA Kampgrounds may charge as much was $35 for a tent site in their facility.

As you can see there are many different choices of ways to plan for a summer vacation depending on your preferences. Remember to plan early , make reservations, check the refund policy, check for pet friendly facilities, shop for the best deals before you hit the road.

Have a super family vacation this year.

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Ways To Make Money Part Time or Full Time To Supplement the Family Budget

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The header photo on this post was taken at Crater Lake Oregon. I took it on a trip last year.

Most families have a need for more money than is available in their family budget. They have to do without things that might even be considered a necessity. More and more with the internet
there are opportunities to make money from home if we are willing to learn new techniques within the rapidly changing media environment.

For example Clickbank has thousands of listings for products that offer affiliate income if a person sells their product. People are learning how to list those products on Bing, Google, Facebook, You Tube , and other sites that allow ads. There are fees for putting ads on other media which are usually based on the clicks to your campaign which are registered when someone looks at the website you have listed on that campaign. The trick to making money is learning which items to promote and the key words that will attract lookers that will click on the site, look at it , and buy the product. When a person buys a product offered on your website, Clickbank credits the person for the affiliate commission for that product. Clickbank will either send a check or credit the bank account of the person for the sales. There is a two week delay. Charge backs are also allowed meaning that if someone decides within a short period of time they do not want the product , they can request a refund from Clickbank. The delay in paying people is to cover charge backs. The commission rates are quite high in many cases. Since many of the products on Clickbank are electronically transmitted to the buyer, he seller has very little expense and can afford to pay the commission. The weight loss programs have a large repeating business that can afford to pay a large commission up front and smaller commissions for repeat business.

Clickbank has a training program called Clickbank University 2.0 which coaches people to sell Clickbank products on different platforms. The course teaches you how to find products that are selling. It also shows the person the various places to place your ads and how to write the ads using words that get traffic. There is a monthly fee for using Clickbank University 2.0. The training is by video and Q & A sessions on line. It is a well organized training. The hope is that the person will learn enough, be dedicated enough, and be successful enough to pay for the course fairly easily. The trainers are trying to teach the students to make an ascending income fairly fast.

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The Family Budget And Income Tax Time

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CPA’s are warning taxpayers to check the amount of withholding their employer is taking and project it out for the year. With the new withholding tables employers are withholding less because of the Standard Deduction increases under the new law, but at the end of the year in many cases it is doubtful the taxpayer will get a refund for overpaying their taxes. The reason is the withholding tables allow the taxpayer to keep more of their paycheck now but in reality the taxpayer is getting their refund as they go throughout the year.

With the government shutdown, refunds are at a standstill. Also the new tax laws for individuals result in significant changes. There are no exemptions any more for individuals in the family, the new law increased the amount of the “Standard Deduction”. Beware the increase in the standard deduction is not enough in some cases to cover the loss of the exemption deductions. In my case I am paying significantly higher taxes for 2018 than I did in 2017.

There are several versions of Turbo Tax available. I get Turbo Tax Home and Business because it includes the forms for investment buys and sells and Schedule C for a business. If your family only has W-2’s you can get Turbo Tax Deluxe which is less expensive. If you have never used Turbo Tax before , it is good to guide the taxpayer through the preparation process and do a good check on your return to make sure there is only a small chance you will be audited. Turbo Tax also offers audit assistance for a fee if you want to have a professional represent you in the event of an audit.

If you find that you will be owing additional taxes in addition to what you have already paid for 2018. Determine if you have paid in 90% of the total Federal Income Tax due so you will not incur a penalty and interest. If you have not paid in 90% within the prescribed time periods for 2018 , then it would be best for you to complete and file your return as soon as possible to avoid any further interest. If you have paid in 90% or more of the Federal Income Tax due and owe additional taxes , I would wait until April 1st to pay them. Most people would rather have their money available until near the tax deadline if they owe taxes. Of course if you have a refund coming for your family then file as soon as you receive W-2, 1099 Forms, and any other necessary documents have been received to complete the 2018 Federal Tax return.

Most State Income Tax returns are based on the Federal Tax Return Adjusted Gross Income. If a family owes Federal Income tax in addition to that deducted from pay or paid by making tax estimates, it is likely they will need to look at the State Income tax return to see if they owe additional taxes there. The process on Turbo Tax takes the person through the return line by line. After everything is entered it checks the return to see if it looks reasonable. It tells the taxpayer the potential audit risk.

At that point the taxpayer can begin the State Tax return. The information the person entered in the personal information will be used to begin the State Return and the necessary Federal Adjusted Gross Income is carried over to the State Return. At that point some State Returns adjust the Federal Adjusted Gross Income for differences in the tax law for that particular state.

When both the Federal and the State tax returns are completed , the taxpayer has the option of filing electronically on line. The process is explained and actually performed using Turbo Tax for both the Federal and State Return. After both the Federal and State Tax Return are checked for errors and thought to be ok for submission, the filing process is explained.

If the taxpayer files electronically, they will get an email usually within 72 hours saying the IRS has accepted your return for processing. It usually takes about five days for most States to send an email saying they have accepted the taxpayer’s return for filing.

The IRS actually has tracking on the status of your return after it is filed. Go to the IRS website and it will tell you how to track your return.

How is your monthly budget going for January. If you did not set up a monthly budget for January, now is the time to begin preparing a monthly budget for February. A family budget will keep you on your toes and make you feel better about your financial status.

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Bicycles Can Really Help Your Family Budget

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I have been riding a bicycle since I was 9 years old. I had a Denver Post paper route at age 9 and rode a mile and a half to pick up the papers and two miles on my paper route every morning beginning at 5 A.M. A year and a half later I took another paper route with the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. It was a challenging route with dirt roads and lots of loose barking dogs. I carried a bag of rocks in my paper bags to throw at the dogs to keep them away. Fortunately after a year I got the route where I lived, I rode a mile to get the papers and a mile back and then did my three mile paper route for three years. After that I got a job in the mail room of the Daily Sentinel where I worked until I graduated from high school. The routes were educational, profitable, and provided great exercise keeping me in good physical condition.

Since those early days of riding bicycles, I have always had a bicycle to ride for recreation. Since I retired five years ago, I started a small business called “Popscycles” which entailed purchasing good low priced Schwinn, Diamondback, or Specialized bicycles in good condition on Craigslist and re-selling them for a slightly higher price to retirees in RV and retirement parks. I did not get rich off of the bikes but I met a lot of nice people that purchased bikes from me.

If you are going to a mailbox a block down the street , why not ride your bike instead of driving? If you are going to a nearby convenience store, why not ride your bike? IF you are going to a nearby church why not ride bikes as a family?

I started a bike riding group at Ironwood RV Park called “The Wild Javelina’s” we had as many 18 people , men and women riding about three miles with us every morning. We all had a great time and were conditioned so we could ride to Walmart, the grocery store, the hardware store, the post office, and to many other locations nearby. It saved us gas money and aided our physical conditioning. I moved from the park to a home fifty miles from Ironwood this Spring. Now I ride with two men from the Age 55 and over housing community over to an age 55 and over R.V. park called Sunscape. The terrain here is virtually level. I do not even have to shift gears on my morning trips. I ride from four to seven miles daily. I have three bicycles, two Schwinn’s, and a Kent. One Schwinn bike is 21 speed , and the other Schwinn is a 7 speed. In this area seven speeds is fine. I live at 10,000 feet on the continental divide in Colorado in the summer. I have a NEXT mountain bike seven speed and a seven speed Kent bike there. The grades are as much as 7%, consequently I only ride one or two miles at a time , but I may go two or three times during the day.

Just last month when I was in Falcon, Colorado at my son’s house , I looked in Craigslist and saw a like new Diamondback Hybrid 21 speed advertised for $95 , delivered. The address where the bike was located was 40 miles from where I was, it was in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I called and spoke to a guy and ask if he could deliver it to Falcon? He said he would have the bike there within two hours. I told him I would pay him $100 since the distance was so far. In two hours here he came with the bicycle and had one other bike on the rack on the back of an older car. He said he buys and sells bikes and offers to deliver each bike. He indicated that he had been selling bikes for many years and the fact that he delivered set him apart from other sellers making it easier to sell bikes. The Diamondback bike was a model that originally sold for $383 two years ago, it had a few rust marks on the handle bars but otherwise looked new. It had deluxe 21 speed shifters and is probably my best bike at the present. I road the bike several miles each day for the fifteen days I was there. My son agreed to store my Diamondback bike by hanging it in his three car garage until I visit them at Christmas time and next Spring.

If you do not have a bike , look on Craigslist and purchase a bike that is in excellent or like new condition that is reasonably priced. Usually for $100 to $150 you can find a good bike that is in excellent to new condition. Specialized bikes usually sell for more than Schwinn’s, and Diamondback bikes are usually priced higher than Schwinn’s but are excellent bikes. I would estimate you could get a good Schwinn for $100, Diamondback for $150, or Specialized for $125.

When I showed bikes to retirees in the RV Parks, the older men would almost always say, ” I never paid a $100 for bike in my life, I just want a good bike for $30 , or an old one for $10 I can fix up.” What is wrong with that philosophy? If you have ever gone to a bike shop, repairs and fixing up bikes is very expensive, the mechanic usually gets about $45 a hour labor plus parts. The parts are super expensive. If you look at the bikes they sell in the shop, they are usually a brand you would not be familiar with and they range in price from $300 to several thousand dollars. A minor tune-up is $38 and a deluxe tune up is $60 at the bike shop I go to.

If you search on U-Tube for “how to” items involving bicycles, it will show you how to repair about any aspect of a bike. It shows how to change the front tire, and how to change the back tire and how to remove the chain from the derailer and what gear the bike should be in to do that. If the chain is too loose it shows you how to adjust the chain. If the bike is not shifting right, it shows you adjusting screws and how to adjust them. If you have a little mechanical aptitude , U-Tube can assist you in getting the job done.

If you do not have a bike , consider getting one. Good luck in your search.

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