During The Pandemic Month to Month Budgets Will Help

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It is difficult for most people to make a budget that is consistent from month to month with such uncertainty during the pandemic. I would suggest that you start a monthly budget that includes the income or savings you are using to pay the monthly bills.

A guide to setting up the monthly budget is much like an annual budget. You begin by determining what the income for the month will be or if you have no income how much you are using from other sources such as savings or a loan? You might call that Revenue From All Sources. If the source is from multiple sources list those sources and the dollar amount you are using from each source.

Begin by listing the fixed expenses or those expenses that are fairly constant from month to month. Fixed expenses might be house payment , rent, car payment , credit card payments, utilities (electric, gas utility, water, trash) insurance , etc. Deduct the total of these expenses from the estimated amount of Revenue or Funds you are budgeting for the month. The total available after deducting those expenses will determine how much is available for the variable expenses. If these expenses exceed the amount of funds available. See if there are any fixed expenses that the lender or utility are allowing you to defer or make smaller payments. If you are allowed to adjust the credit card payments down , you may want to only pay the minimum for a couple of months. Some credit card companies are not charging interest for a few months until the pandemic is under control and people are back to work. Some rental property owners are either deferring the rent for a few months or in some cases not charging rent for a couple of months. It is illegal to evict a tenant from public housing during the pandemic, they have not said whether any of that rent will be forgiven after the pandemic is over.

The variable expenses might be gasoline , groceries, pet care, child care, entertainment, etc. Shop around for gasoline, I know here there are a few stations that have gasoline for as much as forty cents less than most of the other stations. There are long lines to the low priced stations but the savings is worth it. Also the town where the gas is sold has an influence on the price. For example the towns of Phoenix,Mesa , and Apache Junction, all have stations that sell gas much higher than driving thirty five miles south to Casa Grande where the price is approximated forty cents cheaper per gallon.

When purchasing groceries watch for sales and days when grocery chains give big discounts. Every Wednesday is seniors day at Koger stores and they take ten per cent off the total bill that day. Meat is so expensive that selective buying is a necessity. Pet groomers vary greatly in what they charge for a grooming. The groomer we are currently using only charges us $30 and she is very good. Some places charge close to $50 or more, Petsmart is an example of a high priced groomer.

Entertainment since people are staying home might be restricted to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Comparing satellite TV stations such as Direct and Dish which charge $80 up a month plus the cost of premium movie stations and or sports packages. It is possible in many areas to purchase a good outdoor antenna and get all the local network stations and up to about forty other channels at no cost per month. There is a free movie channel, western tv channel, and channel of old tv programs that you will get for free. If you purchase a Roku for $50 at Walmart and attach it to your TV, or purchase a TV with Roku built in, you have the option of getting other TV services such as Sling. Sling costs $40 a month and we get ESPN, ESPN2, Fox News Network, CNN, MSNBC, and over fifty channels many of which have movies available.

Good Luck in making your financial planning work for you and your family during these difficult times.

Family Budget With No Income As Result of The Pandemic

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There are many families that are business owners and employees that are asking the question, “What are we supposed to do when we have no income and the stimulus money and income guarantees, and or unemployment have run out? It is truly disheartening that most people want to work and to be self sufficient and may not be permitted to do so. Their guaranteed income or unemployment will soon run out and then what do they do?

I live in Arizona and it is just barely opening up little by little. Most fast food restaurants are still drive through only even though they could allow people to go inside if they wanted to. The fact that the restaurants that are open are drive through has increased the demand for delivery services like Postmate. There are numerous ads for various city and town locations for Postmates. The Postmate employee uses their own vehicle and is a private contractor , their only requirements are that the employee have a dependable vehicle and a smart phone and be honest. There are ads for Postmates on the internet where anyone can apply. Postmates will tell you if they are interested in hiring you or not? If they say you fit their requirements they send a kit out right away Fed Ex which includes a debit card. There are also several You Tube presentations from actual sales people that tell you what they did to be successful. From looking at those presentations, it is fairly obvious delivering for Post Mates is not for everyone and it is more supplemental income than a dependable full income source. The employee will see a map on their phone with the restaurants marked the a notation as to whether they have any orders to be delivered. If the order is open to be delivered the salesperson accepts the order on their on the Postmates ap on their smart phone The map shows the restaurant locations and if they have an order. If the person is near that location, they would accept on their phone and head towards the restaurant for the pick up. Postmates gives the employees a debit card in the event they have to pay for some orders and get reimbursed. Most of the time the person ordering gives the place a credit card number and pays in advance. Postmates employees are allowed to receive tips. Postmates employees also do grocery shopping for people. In that case they need to pay for the order with the debit card and collect from the person. From the testimonials on You Tube it sounds like the average income was about $15 an hour. With tips some days, some said they made as much as $25 an hour and periodically got a real big tip. One fellow said he got a $75 tip one day. Most of the deliveries are in the afternoon , evening , and some late at night.

Safeway in our area is always hiring stockers, checkers, and courtesy employees. Amazon is hiring people with good driving records and a CDL to drive their Prime delivery trucks. There are several courier services for many types of businesses that are looking for delivery people.

There are also jobs for a security persons , cleaning persons for an auto dealership, customer service person(work from home), train as a truck driver, insurance sales person, etc.

Some of the Customer Service positions are either for reservations for hotels, or to help people navigate websites for various businesses.

I mention these jobs because a lot of people have no idea when their work situation is going to stabilize. When a person gets a dependable good paying job, the above jobs will probably be a thing of the past for that person.

Good luck our sincere prayers that you might be blessed while we are getting through this difficult time in our lives.

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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. For access to the store CLICK HERE

It is great to have this quality metal clock that attaches to your bikes handlebars so you can easily see the time as you ride with just a glance. Free shipping and on sale, CLICK HERE

It is truly surprising the difference it makes when you put an odometer on your bicycle. It mentally causes a person to extend their rides to get more distance. I rode my bike in Arizona over 1,000 miles in a five month period. Now, a couple of years ago after I got an odometer and since that time I have ridden hundreds of miles in Arizona and Colorado. If you would like an inexpensive odometer look at popsbicycles CLICK HERE

Saving Repair Expenses For Your Family Budget

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Probably not a day goes by that there is not something that needs fixed in your home or on one of your vehicles. Repair expenses can destroy a budget. For example an appliance repair person may charge $50 to $75 just to come to your home for the service call. They tell you we will apply the service charge to the total cost of the repair if additional service is needed. The family knows there is something wrong, so when the person finds the problem, they tell you the cost will be , for example $300 for a washing machine pump. If you look on line that pump can be purchased wholesale for about $85. A way to get around the repair person from inflating the cost of parts is to order them yourself and just pay the repair person for the time they spend installing it. It is easy to see what they are doing they give you credit on the $300 for the service call, say $60, that leaves $240 , and the part probably costs them less than the $85 you could get the part for, so they are getting $155 or more for their labor cost performing the service.

An example on car repairs. We have a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe with a 3.5 engine. Yesterday when I parked the car in our driveway I noticed the brake lights stayed on and I could not get them to turn off. I went to YouTube and put in “Brake lights on 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe will not go off.” I saw several YouTube presentations on what was wrong , they all said it is an easy fix and showed you how to fix it. It said the brake light switch has gone out and needs to be replaced. It showed where it was and how to remove it and replace it. It explained how that switch also prevented the cruise control and shifting mechanism will also be affected and not work properly. I had noticed I could not set the cruise control yesterday when I was driving to my place in the country. Then I noticed there had been a recall on that model and year of Hyundai. I got the recall number and called a dealer. When I gave them the information they said my car had already been taken in to get the switch replaced in 2013 in Ohio. The dealer said we will do a diagnostic on your car for $149.95 and find out what the problem is. I told the serviceman I know what the problem is , all I want is a brake light switch replaced. The serviceman said , “Oh you do not want to play by the rules, I will have them install the switch, but if that does not fix the problem , we will charge you whatever it takes to find and fix the problem, it will cost you more.” I ask the serviceman if they could do the work today? He said it will will be a week or so before we can do the work. I thanked him and told him I would find someone else to do the job. I have a mechanic in Mesa, Arizona I have used that worked for Honda for many years in Ohio that is very good that I will have install the brake light switch. I called and left a message for the mechanic but decided to try pumping the brakes and letting the peddle pop out. After a few times I got the brake lights to turn off, I drove the car and tried the cruise control and it was working , and it was shifting normal. Hopefully the problem with the switch does not reoccur. At any rate YouTube is a great source for information when you have auto problems. There are also mechanics that have ads when you do a problem search for a particular car model. The mechanics advertise and show their feedback and ask if you would like them to diagnose the problem, they show the amount they want to charge you for their advice. Then you decide if you want to use their services or not.

Appliances such as washers and dryers also have many YouTube videos on how to fix a particular problem. There are lots of videos on how to repair many different brands of bicycles on YouTube. There are videos on TV problems and the possible problems and repair on YouTube. There are many videos with music that can be listened to and some can be downloaded free of charge on YouTube. YouTube has their own television lineup with a large number of available channels and programming for about $50 a month.

Getting familiar with YouTube can save your family a lot of money over time rather than always going to a dealer or calling a repair person.

If you need help preparing for an interview I would invite you to visit this site to get an interview guide 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. For access to the store CLICK HERE

It is great to have this quality metal clock that attaches to your bikes handlebars so you can easily see the time as you ride with just a glance. Free shipping and on sale, CLICK HERE

It is truly surprising the difference it makes when you put an odometer on your bicycle. It mentally causes a person to extend their rides to get more distance. I rode my bike in Arizona over 1,000 miles in a five month period. Now, a couple of years ago after I got an odometer and since that time I have ridden hundreds of miles in Arizona and Colorado. If you would like an inexpensive odometer look at popsbicycles CLICK HERE

Family Budgets For 2020 Need To Be Revised Or Completely Replaced

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We are all experiencing a major change in lifestyle and personal financial transformation. The extent of the current epidemic is nothing that anyone could have been prepared for. If you prepared a budget for 2020, take a look at it and see if you can adjust it over the next few months for whatever financial events the current circumstances necessitate. If your budget is beyond repair, start formulating monthly budgets until your life normalizes over the next few months.

None of us know for sure if we will get help in our businesses or a personal stimulus check since none have gone out so far. If your income is below the limits in the bill set for your 2018 or 2019 check, individuals should get $1200 for each of the husband and wife and $500 for each dependent child. If you are disabled or retired and not required to file an individual income tax return and did not file in either 2018 or 2019, there is an online form that you can use to apply for a stimulus check. That check may take several weeks to be sent. If the person or couple filed electronically and used a bank account to receive a refund or pay taxes due , the stimulus money should go directly to your bank account sometime after the 13th of April.

If you have a small business and have employees, or if you and your family members are employed in the business, you can go to a local bank, preferably a smaller bank, and fill out the forms to get a forgivable loan. As the legislation presently stands , each time there would be a payroll in the future for those employees for two months , the owner can return to the bank and be reimbursed as long as the employees are still on the payroll. If any of the small business has employees that applied for unemployment and are not presently on the payroll as being retained, the owner will not be eligible to collect funds for those people since they are no longer employees.

I am sure the priorities as far as grocery items has changed for virtually every family. Generally more food is needed now that people are supposed to stay home. Grocery store shelves are bare when it comes to toilet paper, cleaning supplies, sugar , flour, eggs , and some other items. Stores are limiting the number of each item individuals can buy. If you purchase items on line , toilet paper is not available on Amazon or Ebay. Much of the toilet paper comes from Korea, China, and other places and takes over a month to receive. The prices for items like toilet paper and disinfectants have been raised to unreasonable limits. Also there are many scam artists on both Amazon and eBay selling items that are in short supply. One example I have is I ordered six rolls of Northern Toilet paper on eBay. The seller was only charging a $1 on this add and $0.92 shipping and said he was cleaning out his supply room that is why it was so cheap. That seller also had another similar ad selling the six rolls for $10 plus $3 shipping. About ten days later I got a regular letter envelope with a plastic sandwich back in it with one sheet of toilet paper. I wondered if someone was playing a joke on me , then I read the feedback on eBay for the guy selling the six rolls of TP for $1.00. He had sent one sheet of TP to a lot of buyers and they were filing cases with eBay. I then knew that the envelope was from this scam seller. I filed a case with eBay. The seller told eBay his ad was not clear that he was only going to send one sheet rather than six rolls , eBay did nothing to the guy. The guy offered to refund $1 if I would send the sandwich bag and one sheet of TP back to him. I requested his ad be removed and charges be filed against him because he had sold over 1,000 , some for $1 and some for $10 , so this scam was a felony using the mails to defraud the public. Ebay did remove the ad, I hope they do more in this case? Another scam is advertising on Amazon and eBay that the products are coming from California here in the United States , then about three weeks later, you start getting emails from China that your order has reached the U.S. and should be there in a week or so. These products seldom look like the photos shown on the ad. For instance one ad shows 24 rolls of toilet paper that looks like Northern but it is Korean TP and is a tight roll with no hole in the center and is five ply which is not good for plumbing systems.

They have special shopping times for seniors here in Arizona at Safeway and Walmart. Only seniors are allowed in between the hours of 6 A.M. and 9 A.M. We went to shop at 6 A.M. there was a line a block long just to get in the store. Over 75% of the people living in this area are over 65 years of age. If you go shopping later in the day many shelves are bare.

We all need to pray a lot that this pandemic will soon be over and we can slowly adjust back to a more pleasant life. I have all the sympathy in the world for President Trump and all the leaders and professionals that are trying to get a handle on the pandemic.

The Family Budget And Grocery Shopping Savings Tips

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With the virus isolation and economic shutdown there is a strong recommendation that a person have a budget in place and a plan for the economic stimulus money they will be receiving. Their recommendation is that consideration be given to the fact that the shutdown will last several months. Your family may need the money to supplement your current expenses if the shutdown continues for an extended time. At any rate it is a good time to prepare a family budget based on what you currently have. Virtually all families have had their financial situation altered with the shutdown. That means you need to prepare a new budget based on what you know at the present time.

The header photo was taken at Eloy, Arizona at the Arizona Sky Diving Facility. The military uses the facility on occasion to train paratroopers. The day I took the header photo three planeloads of soldiers were taken up and dropped. They came down rather close together in a circle and all landed at almost the same time. Individual sky divers come down from all directions and land on a grassy field that looks like a football field. People come from all over the world to skydive at Eloy, Arizona. They have large number of planes available and have skydiving from early morning to dusk and also some night sky diving activities. The cost to skydive tandem is $199, or if you are an experienced skydiver and have your own equipment, it is only $25 for the plane to take you to 13,000 feet for the dive. Beginning sky divers jump from 5,000 feet several times before being taken to 13,000 feet. Tandem drops have the inexperienced skydiver attached to the the experienced skydiver and uses a much larger shute. The passenger usually lands on their butt and slide along the ground. The experienced divers come down and touch the ground running in a standing position for a few steps before the shute collapses.

THE COST OF SERVICE
On the local TV station in the Phoenix area it did a study of the cost of service for various grocery chains. Safeway, Frys( A Kroger store), Basha’s, and Walmart. If a person enters their grocery order on line for pick up at the designated area for that store , in most cases the prices on many items are listed higher on line than they are in the store. For example several items at Safeway had been marked up as much as $1 more than the in store prices. The survey selected the same items for each store Basha’s was $92, Safeway was $82, Frys was $74, and Walmart did not mark their prices up for pickup orders, it was $65. That is a high price to pay so you can conveniently drive in the parking lot and pick up your groceries.

It will be interesting to see what Amazon’s new “GO” stores charge in relation to the grocery stores. As I understand it, the customer goes into the store and selects the items they want from shelves that only have one item for each grocery item that can be scanned on your phone. Based on the items the customer scans that will be the order sent to the designated address. If you look at grocery item prices on the Amazon Website , the vendors they have do charge more than most items cost at other grocery stores.

It is handy to shop for fruit and vegetable items in grocery stores but some items may have highly inflated prices, particularly if they are out of season. In Apache Junction, Arizona there is a produce store that has produce that may be ripe or over ripe in some cases but the price for most items is very cheap. We have purchased a large number of items , like peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, pineapples, abacatos, onions, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits, and found that for less than $20 we were able to get a collection of items that would have cost twice that at a super market. There may be fruit stands or produce markets in your area that offer a better alternative than the super market? Sprout’s has beautiful produce but the prices are probably higher than the super markets. The customer is paying for a higher grade of produce than a super market.

From late December to the end of March , the price of oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are very reasonable in Arizona. We go to B & B Oranges in Mesa , Arizona, a big box of orange seconds is only $17. We have an electric juicer and juice them up for orange juice, it is truly great. If you get the #1 oranges , the price is $24 a box. The seconds may be a little smaller and some may be a little marred on the outside but they are just as good. The grapefruits are also cheaper than in the super market.

We live in a mountain area of Colorado in the summer where milk costs about $3.50 a gallon and bread costs $3 a loaf. Compare that to Arizona where you can purchase milk regularly for $2.00 a gallon, bread for $1 a loaf. On Wednesday is senior day at one of the chains and they offer 10% off for all items to seniors. The stores uses the low priced milk and bread to get the customer in the store. Also gasoline prices vary widely city to city. In Apache Junction and Mesa, Arizona, regular unleaded gasoline is currently $3.07 a gallon , in Casa Grande Arizona the price for the same gasoline is $2.43 a gallon, and in northern Colorado gasoline can be found at $1.99 a gallon. It pays to shop around to look for better gasoline prices. Also the cents off per gallon offered based on purchases from Kroger stores and Safeway can reduce the cost per gallon. Costco offers a lower per gallon cost on mid-grade and high grade gasoline but does not offer the lower grade gasoline in some areas.

When you attend sporting events , eat at home or in the motel or hotel before you get to the ballpark. The cost of food at ballparks and theaters is out of this world. It can cost as much a a $100 a person for the ticket and the food purchased at the major league baseball game.

GOOD LUCK FINDING THE BEST COMBINATION OF STORES AND STATIONS IN YOUR AREA TO SAVE YOU MONEY HELP YOU WITH YOUR FAMILY BUDGET

If you need help preparing for an interview I would invite you to visit this site to get an interview guide 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. For access to the store CLICK HERE

The current special is a high quality bicycle cover to PROTECT YOUR BIKE FROM RAIN , SNOW, DUST, AND SUN at a special price of only $21.95plus you get a free rearview mirror, see by going to CLICK HERE

It is great to have this quality metal clock that attaches to your bikes handlebars so you can easily see the time as you ride with just a glance. Free shipping and on sale, CLICK HERE

It is truly surprising the difference it makes when you put an odometer on your bicycle. It mentally causes a person to extend their rides to get more distance. I rode my bike in Arizona over 1,000 miles in a five month period. Now, a couple of years ago after I got an odometer and since that time I have ridden hundreds of miles in Arizona and Colorado. If you would like an inexpensive odometer look at popsbicycles CLICK HERE

Some Retirement Family Budget Living Options To Think About

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My wife and I lived in a town of about 100,000 people when I decided to retire for the second time. I retired at age 65 and then went back to work at age 68 and worked another five years. The job I had for the last five years was stressful but at the same time rewarding. I was a Certified Public Accountant for many years during my main working years. When I returned to the workforce I accepted a job auditing real estate appraisals and real estate broker price opinions. We would work up to 60 hours a week depending on the volume submitted to the company I worked for. I was there during the good years in the real estate markets and also when the market turned and real estate values plummeted in Arizona, Nevada, and large sections of the country. I was paid an hourly rate that was not the greatest but my boss was good to me and the employees. I started with the company when there was only ten employees and the workforce grew to over fifty employees in the five years I worked for them. At the annual company Christmas Party held at an upscale restaurant and night club, my boss passed out cards and envelopes with an annual bonus. My bonuses ranged from $500 the first year I worked for them to $4,500 the last year I worked for them. When I retired after the fifth year my wife and I used my Christmas bonus to take a trip to New York City. Neither of us had been to New York City and I had sciatic nerve problems and was being treated by a physical therapist to regain my ability to walk. I bought a cane with a chair on it before going to New York City. We stayed near Times Square so I would not have to walk too far to enjoy that area. We visited Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza taking the NBC tour, went on the harbor boat trip, went to the Statue of Liberty and Immigration Island, went to two Broadway shows, and had a really memorable time.

We had a comfortable home in the town where we lived and maintained two booths at an indoor flea market open Thursday thru Sunday. We sold essential oils, lotion bars, clocks, electronic cigarettes, scarfs in one booth, and the other booth was a holiday Christmas booth. After three years we decided to close this business because it was not profitable. My wife was ask to take one of the people we worked with at the flea market to Campground of the Rockies south of Fairplay Colorado to familiarize her mother with doTerra Essential oils. My wife had no idea that her mother lived at 10,000 feet elevation near the continental divide. When they got to her mothers trailer located in the high pines south of Fairplay Colorado. It was an impressive place with great views of 14,000 ft peaks , and 500 properties at the level they lived on. They took my wife on a tour of the properties and showed her several that were for sale, at about $20,000 a lot plus the cost of what was on the lot. My wife was impressed with one property that had two lots and three trailers on it for $48,000. The cost of living on a quarter acre lot with a trailer on it and sheds was less than $1,000 a year($500 for CORA Dues, $300 for insurance, and $200 for property taxes. There were three service centers located evenly across the 500 properties that contained six men’s and six women’s bathrooms, vanities, and showers. There was also a fresh drinking water source and a dump for trailer waste and blueboys.

The week following my wife’s return from CORA, she convinced me to go look at the properties. We had 1983 Volkswagon Vanagon that we took to CORA. After looking at the properties we went home and discussed our options and decided to return to CORA the next weekend. The second weekend we decided to make an offer an a property that had two sheds, two refrigerators, golf cart, and a large deck surrounding a 1985 Montana Trailer. A man lived in trailer by himself, he and his wife decided they got along better if they spent three months apart each year , so he went to CORA and she stayed in Arizona. The man was difficult to deal with, I made an offer of $40,000 and he wanted $50,000, I increased my offer to $46,500 and he raised his price to $55,000. I told him I could tell he was not interested in selling at the present time. The 2004 Everest 5th Wheel next located next to his property had been for sale for about a year started at $78,000 and had been steadily decreasing in asking price to the point it was $48,000 when we looked at it. The trailer had been purchased new for $66,000 in 2005 and the people had only lived in the trailer less than six months time in the five years they had it , so it was just like new. When I called the owner and ask if the price was $48,000 he said oh that is too much , how about $40,000? I ask if we could meet him the following Sunday at the property and if it was everything he said it was , I would pay him $38,500 for the 5th Wheel and the lot. I ask him if I was in the ballpark? He said yes you are in the ballpark. We met the owner and bought the property the following weekend. We love it up there. After we got the property , we put a redwood deck around the the 39 foot Everest 5th wheel at a cost of $7,500, we bought two large sheds for $2,800 a piece, and did a few other improvements. I bought a water trailer since we have to get our water from the service center and dump our blue boy. In summary for about $55,000 we have our summer home with annual expenses of less than $1,000 for dues, insurance, taxes, and electricity. It gets to 40 below zero at CORA in January and February,it is only a place to live for about four months of the year.

We decided to sell our home and went on a long trip to south Texas. We were looking for a place to live for the other nine months of the year. We visited South Padre Island and Mission Texas. I was not impressed. We stayed at an RV park for a few days in Mission and the people were wonderful. The heavy rains, Spring Break for college students, and high humidity were negative realities. People said you need to leave here during the month of March when the college students come for Spring Break it is terrible. After leaving south Texas in our VW Vanagon we headed across Texas at 65 miles an hour, which blew my wife’s patience since the speed limit was 80 mph. Our destination was Florence, Arizona. I had seen ads for the RV parks there where a person could own the lot and a trailer for less than $35,000. Some of the trailers were relatively new. When we arrived at Florence and looked at the RV Parks, we were not impressed, the trailers were too close together and Florence is the main State Prison town for Arizona. There are several prisons located in Florence and not many businesses. The people travel 35 miles to Mesa Arizona to shop. Next we went to Apache Junction and Mesa Arizona. The RV parks in Mesa had high lot rent and would not sell the lots. The RV Parks in Apache Junction would not sell the lots either but the lot rent was more reasonable. We ended up making an offer on a trailer on a rented lot. We were able to get the old trailer for $4,500 and lot rent of $325 a month. It was January and we would get possession on May 15th. When we returned on May 15th it was 108 degrees and the gentleman that sold the property had passed away unexpectedly two weeks before we came so the RV Park handled the transaction. We stayed a week and returned to our mountain property at CORA. When we returned to Apache Junction in September we decided to completely remodel the trailer. I hired a contractor and we put $12,000 into new plumbing, cupboards, appliances, a big shed, bathroom and steps. The lot rent increased every year we lived in Apache Junction to the point that it was $540 a year in 2018.

Our neighbors at CORA came to see us in Arizona and said they had done a study of real estate prices in Arizona and determined that Casa Grande , Arizona had the lowest real estate prices of any city in Arizona per sq ft. They invited us to go with them to look houses in Casa Grande. They are fairly wealthy people and were looking for places in the $350,000 to $450,000 price range. I called a real estate agent and she took the four of us to look at a number of properties. My wife told the agent our lot rent keeps increasing so much I think we should maybe consider buying a house and put that money into house payments. The agent said she would look for homes in the $100,000 to $150,000 range. I began looking on line for properties in our price range in Casa Grande. I found a modular home listed that was located eight miles east of Casa Grande in a subdivision called Sunscape for $90,000, the photos looked great and there was a big American flag in front. The agent got access for us and showed us the house, it was located on a 1/4 acre fenced lot located on the edge of the desert in a 55 and over home subdivision with an HOA. The dues were $50 a month for the swimming pool, hot tub, and clubhouse. The house has 1,700 sq ft , a three car garage, large carport, and patio. There are fifty nine homes in the subdivision and it is located a half mile from a large 55 and over RV park which has 550 lots individually owned in a coop. We purchased the property after looking at a number of properties. I go to a lot of events at the RV Park and attend church at the RV Park. In summary, we paid 20% down , and financed the rest resulting in house payments of $525 a month which includes property taxes and insurance. Our friends had a new home built in Casa Grande for $320,000.

I explain this scenario because there seems to be a lot of people that do not have much money for their retirement and need to find an economical way to live. We always thought we would retire and live in Grand Junction, Colorado for the rest of our lives. That was not the case we decided to explore what other avenues for retirement are available and found a new life. I go to Spring Training baseball games in Mesa, Arizona every March and there is lots to do in the surrounding area. Last week I went to see the sky divers at Eloy, Arizona ten miles from our house. People come from all over the world to skydive at the facility in Eloy, and the military trains paratroopers there. Maybe you can find a new plan for your retirement life. Even if you are younger and it will be a while before you can retire , you might investigate what options are available for retirement.

If you need help preparing for an interview I would invite you to visit this site to get an interview guide 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. For access to the store CLICK HERE

The current special is a high quality bicycle cover to PROTECT YOUR BIKE FROM RAIN , SNOW, DUST, AND SUN at a special price of only $21.95plus you get a free rearview mirror, see by going to CLICK HERE

It is great to have this quality metal clock that attaches to your bikes handlebars so you can easily see the time as you ride with just a glance. Free shipping and on sale, CLICK HERE

It is truly surprising the difference it makes when you put an odometer on your bicycle. It mentally causes a person to extend their rides to get more distance. I rode my bike in Arizona over 1,000 miles in a five month period. Now, a couple of years ago after I got an odometer and since that time I have ridden hundreds of miles in Arizona and Colorado. If you would like an inexpensive odometer look at popsbicycles CLICK HERE

Time to begin using your 2020 Family Monthly Budget

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I TOOK THE HEADER PHOTO OF CRATER LAKE IN OREGON

January 2020 is the best time to begin your budget and than faithfully keep it up each month as you go through the year. Have a plan on how you are going to control your spending. It could be using one particular credit card only for groceries and gasoline which are necessities and another credit card for the other bills incurred. Then analyse the monthly statements from each of the cards and post the charges to the appropriate columns in your monthly budget. It is a good idea to ask your credit card company to email or text you each time there is a charge to your credit cards. I had to have my main credit card replaced twice in 2019 when someone else charged amounts on my card, two were in a foreign country.

Also start getting your backup ready for your 2019 tax return. I know it may be the end of January before you receive all of your W-2 forms and 1099 forms, but it is not to early to estimate what your income was from each source for 2019. I go the first thing in January and purchase the version of Turbotax that I need for that year and install it on my computer. Then I enter the estimated amounts from each of my income sources and get an idea of what my taxes are going to be. If you have used Turbotax the previous year you can elect to have all of the information from the previous year’s return transferred to the current year return for comparative purposes. That way your names, tax id information, previous years income sources along with the addresses of the employer, are visible and you do not need to enter them.

There are at least four or five different versions of Turbotax. If you just have W-2 and 1099 income , you will only need the Turbotax Deluxe version. If you have a business or even a home business, stock transactions, or interest income, you would need Turbotax Home and Business. I checked the internet for prices, Intuit(The parent company of Turbotax) is high if you were to order it on line and you would need to order the State Income tax version separately. If you go to Officemax or Office Depot, they are offering $10 off on Turbotax Deluxe and it costs $50 plus tax and that includes Turbotax for one State. Turbotax Home and Business, Turbotax Partnership, and Turbotax Corporate, each have higher prices. Officemax this week had lower prices than Walmart or Costco for some of the Turbotax products.

If you find that you will be getting a refund , it is good to file early. As the tax season progresses, the refunds usually get slower. Do not pay a tax preparation firm for a loan to get your money faster. If you figure the interest rate they are charging for basicly loaning you the money and then collecting it when the refund comes, it can be more than a 100% annualized interest rate. Usually you will receive your refund within three weeks if you file in February and March. If you file in April it will probably take longer.

If you are getting a large refund and find that you are short of money every month, maybe you need to check with your Human Resources Department and get a form to adjust the withholding so you can have more take home pay and a smaller refund for the tax year.

If you find that you have to pay taxes , then most people wait until near April 15th to pay their taxes unless you are incurring a penalty and interest for underpayment of income taxes. If you are subject to a penalty and interest for underpayment, then it is a good idea to pay your taxes as soon as possible and determine if for the year 2020 you need to pay tax estimates each quarter as the income is earned to avoid the penalty and interest on next years return.

January is a busy month for the family budget and winding up the previous year , “Get her done.” and you will not have to worry long term how to pay your bills and taxes.

If you need help preparing for an interview I would invite you to visit this site to get an interview guide 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. For access to the store CLICK HERE

The current special is a high quality bicycle cover to PROTECT YOUR BIKE FROM RAIN , SNOW, DUST, AND SUN at a special price of only $21.95plus you get a free rearview mirror, see by going to CLICK HERE

It is great to have this quality metal clock that attaches to your bikes handlebars so you can easily see the time as you ride with just a glance. Free shipping and on sale, CLICK HERE

It is truly surprising the difference it makes when you put an odometer on your bicycle. It mentally causes a person to extend their rides to get more distance. I rode my bike in Arizona over 1,000 miles in a five month period. Now, a couple of years ago after I got an odometer and since that time I have ridden hundreds of miles in Arizona and Colorado. If you would like an inexpensive odometer look at popsbicycles CLICK HERE

Get Ready in December For a Monthly Family Budget for January 2020

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Many families do not follow through on an annual budget, they start for a month or two and gradually let their budget slide or drop it like a hot potato. I would like to suggest you and your family try a single monthly budget for January and in late January prepare a single monthly budget for February.

We will call this the envelope method, which is very simple method. First you need to determine your monthly income , put your pay stubs and advices involving income in a regular mailing envelope and summarize on the front the total expected income. You could print on your computer a small sheet that has boxes to put the individual amount and total your income and staple or tape it to the front of the envelope.

Then as an example for the expenses. Use the regular mailing envelope for each expense item and write the name of the expense on the front and assign each envelope a number. would suggest printing a small sheet to staple or tape to the front of the envelope with lines and boxes (Use Excel to produce the sheet, it has little boxes at the top of the screen that can be selected). Each time you spend money on an item select the envelope for that expense, put the receipt or a written description of each expenditure in the envelope and write the date and charge on the front of the envelope on the little form. For example groceries, bring the receipt home , write the total on the front of the envelope and put the receipt in the envelope. Use a running total on the items in the envelope so you can see how much you have spend month to date. Write at the bottom of the small form the total you are budgeting for groceries. Then compare the total to date to the total on the envelope to see how you are dong month to date. House payments envelope may only have one item , in that case, just write the total budgeted at the bottom of the envelope and the total paid for the month above it, no form would be needed for expense items that only have one or two entries.

In essence you are preparing mini budgets for your expense items. Look at the expense items individually at the end of the month and see what items you need to adjust for a February budget using the same procedure to keep track of how much has been spent.

Get a small box at the dollar store or Walmart to put the envelopes in for the current month. At the end of the month put all of the envelopes for each income and expense item and of course an envelope for savings or contingencies for the money you did not spend, in a 10″ X 14″ brown envelope and put January 2019 Budget on the front.

THE ENVELOPE BUDGET METHOD PROVIDES A SIMPLE AND FLEXIBLE BUDGET METHOD AND IS NOT AS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN AS AN ANNUAL BUDGET. THE BEST PART IS THAT IS A MORE FLEXIBLE SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS YOU TO ADJUST THE BUDGET WHEN A FAMILY SEES THE CURRENT MONTH HAS SOME PROBLEMS. GOOD LUCK AND GIVE IT A TRY. HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020.

Tax Rate Information for 2019 for Your Family Budget

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It is time to start thinking about your tax filing information for 2019 as the year 2019 nears it’s end. I would suggest using Turbotax if you feel comfortable doing your own tax return. You can purchase Turbotax at Walmart or Costco ranging from $40 to $70 depending on the version you select. Turbotax will guide the person through the complete tax process and will check your return for errors and how likely you are to be audited based on the information you have provided. The software to file one state return is included in the price Turbotax , you get to select the State. Then Turbotax guides you through the electronic filing process for both the Federal and State return you have selected. It is well worth the money. There are several different versions depending on the types of income and deductions a person has. So read on the box what is covered. For example if you have business income than you will need the version that allows for Schedule C Income. If you have a partnership then you would need that version and there is a corporate version.

You can get Turbotax in December at Walmart or Costco or the on line versions are also available. I like to put the estimated amounts of my income and deductions for the current year in that years Turbotax right after I get it. That way I have some idea of what my tax status will be and begin to look for items that might provide a better filing result. Then when the W-2’s and 1099 forms come in January I go back and enter actual amounts and prepare to file my tax return.

What are the 2019 income tax brackets?
2019 Tax Rate Individual Married, Filing Jointly Head of Household
10% 0 to $9700 0 to $19400 0 to $13850
12% $9701 to $39475 $19401 to $78950 $13851 to $84200
22% $39476 to $84200 $78951 to $168400 $52851 to $84200
24% $84201 to $160725 $168401 to $321450 $84201 to $160700
32% $160726 to $204100 $321451 to $408200 $160701 to $204100
35% $204101 to $510300 $408201 to $612350 $204101 to $510300
37% $510301 and up $612351 and up $510301 and up

What will the standard deduction be in 2019
The standard deduction sees some slight increases:

Filing Status Standard Deduction Amount
Single $12200
Married, Filing Jointly $24400
Married, Filing Separately $12200
Head of Household $18350

Earned Income Tax Credit
The maximum Earned Income Tax Credit in 2019 for single and joint filers is $529, if the filer has no children (Table 5). The maximum credit is $3,526 for one child, $5,828 for two children, and $6,557 for three or more children. All these are relatively small increases from 2018.

If you need help preparing for an interview I would invite you to visit this site to get an interview guide 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. For access to the store CLICK HERE

The current special is a high quality bicycle cover to PROTECT YOUR BIKE FROM RAIN , SNOW, DUST, AND SUN at a special price of only $21.95plus you get a free rearview mirror, Free Shipping LOTS OF OTHER BIKE PRODUCTS see by CLICKING HERE

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