Fwd: Simple Times - 03/20/08 - Simple steps to frugal living; Easter for hubby

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Simple Times

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Vol. 10, No. 6 -- March 20th, 2008

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

debi

Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough

ISSN: 1527-1269

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Celebrating 10+ years of saving your time, money and sanity!

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IN THIS ISSUE:

-- " Dear Readers "

-- Simple Living Quote

-- Simple Steps to Living Frugally

-- Does the Easter Bunny Show Your Hubby the Love?

-- Letters to the Editor / Reader Tips

-- Assorted Information (archives, etc.)

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< < < O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > >

 

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Dear Readers,

 

When it rains, it pours right? Too bad it usually isn't raining and

pouring

good things when people talk about that. For example, I've found that

all my appliances seem to die at about the same time. Not just one at

a time with enough space between the breakdowns to be able to save a

little money for the next breakdown ... but nope, it all has to happen at

once. Murphy's Law, etc., etc.

 

Can you guess that I've been having one of " those " weeks with my

financial things? The car broke down. I made a really stupid error

with my bank account. The carpets in my van had a toxic spill on

them (don't ask) and needed to be ripped out completely. Not to

mention the dishwasher and garbage disposal that are still not in

working order.

 

I'm becoming a firm believer in appliance gremlins. ;-)

 

Simply Yours,

 

Debi

(Deborah Taylor-Hough)

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

--Author of the popular 'Frozen Assets' series; 'A Simple Choice: A

practical guide for saving your time, money & sanity'; and 'Frugal

Living for Dummies®

--Editor, Simple Times, Solo Parents, and Bright-Kids email newsletters

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Visit my new site!

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

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SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE

 

" The way to wealth depends on just two words, industry

and frugality. "

 

--Benjamin Franklin

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SIMPLE STEPS TO LIVING FRUGALLY

Copyright Martin Lukac

Used with permission from EzineArticles.com.

All rights reserved.

 

 

Living frugally isn't difficult, you simply have to take a few steps.

They aren't large steps, in fact, they are baby steps. The difficult

part is staying on the path.

 

 

Step One: Know your destination.

 

You can't stay on the path towards your goals if you don't even

know what your goals are. Have you ever gone into a grocery store

without a list? You wander up and down the aisles, not really knowing

if you are getting what you need. This is a lot like your frugal living.

You have to know where you are going and what you need in order

to follow the correct path.

 

 

Step Two: Don't take every path.

 

You will quickly find that if you follow every single frugal path that you

encounter, you will go crazy! It just isn't possible. Not everything works

for every person. For example, the busy mom with five small children is

not going to have time to make homemade bread and everyone's clothes.

She might simply focus on shopping wisely and reducing the utility bills.

The retired homemaker may have time in which to make her own laundry

soap and plant a garden. It simply depends on where you are at in your

life -- and how much you want to take on. There are some things that

are just worth it.

 

 

Step Three: Keep searching for new paths.

 

You know your destination, but you don't always know how to get there.

Frugal living is an ongoing challenge. There is no end to it. You keep

learning and you keep pushing yourself to save a little bit more.

 

 

Step Four: Budgeting is your gasoline.

 

You have to know where you are spending your money in order to spend

less. It often helps to track every penny that you spend. Right down to

the penny. Don't cheat. Those small expenditures can really add up. Your

budget will keep you working towards your goal and spending less each

month. This is where you can really sit down and see what is necessary

and what isn't. When everything is on paper, it is easy to see the changes

that could be made.

 

 

Step Five: Save your savings.

 

If you save money on groceries, what happens to it? Do you spend it

somewhere else? You should save your savings. Immediately write out

a check to your savings account for the money you have saved. This

ensures that the sacrifices you made in cutting back really pay off. If

you don't save it, it really isn't saved money.

 

 

One of the best ways to keep on the path to your goals is to constantly

strive to be frugal. Read everything you can get your hands on. Look at

your world a bit differently. Can you cut money by changing something

in your household? For example, would a new dryer to replace your old

one save you money on energy efficiency? Should you consider having

more insulation added to your attic? Would hanging blankets over your

windows in the winter cut your heating costs? Look for all the

possibilities and you will find that the path

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

--Martin Lukac represents http://www.RateEmpire.com , an Internet

consumer banking marketplace. RateEmpire.com is a destination site

of personal finance, investing, taxes and mortgage rates. RateEmpire.com

provides mortgage guides and financial rates and information.

RateEmpire.com also operates a financial portal #1 American Financial,

found at http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Lukac

 

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O.U.R. S.P.O.N.S.O.R.

 

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DOES THE EASTER BUNNY SHOW YOUR HUBBY THE LOVE?

Copyright Nicole Dean

Used with permission from EzineArticles.com.

All rights reserved.

 

 

I was talking with some girlfriends and the topic of Easter came

up. I asked, " What do you put in your Husband's Easter Basket? "

The response I got was surprising to me. It's funny how our own

traditions make us assume others are like we are. It seemed I

was in the minority when it came to Easter baskets for the adults.

 

Now, obviously there is no right or wrong in Easter Bunny Land,

however, I will share with you some ideas in case you'd like to

surprise your Husband this year with a basket of treats.

 

Here are some of the Easter Bunny's favorite things to treat

husbands with:

 

1) Football or baseball cards. This is one of my Husband's interests,

but mostly because he likes to share them with our son. However, I

think he enjoys it just as much as our son does. He enjoys getting

any kinds of sports trading cards and files them away to look at later.

He hopes to pass them down to our son when he gets a family of his

own.

 

2) A gift certificate to his favorite restaurant (not your favorite

restaurant). If he loves going to the noisy, greasy place with the

football games on TV, then get him a date to go there. That's a better

choice than the sushi place that that he can’t stand.

 

3) It's the season for baseball! Get him some tickets to see a

professional

game, or season tickets to college baseball games. Just think of his

favorite team, and go from there.

 

4) Summer fun ideas. Are his rollerblades beat up? Has his basketball

seen better days? Does he need a new running pack to keep his keys

and wallet in? The Easter Bunny could get him a gift certificate to his

favorite sports store.

 

5) Time to break out the grill. If your husband loves to grill as much

as mine does, then the Easter Bunny could bring him grill tools, meat

seasonings, a new basket or even a cool manly apron.

 

On Easter morning, after the kids have found their baskets (the Easter

Bunny hides ours, does he hide yours?), look at Hubby and say " You

didn't look for yours yet. " Watch the kids' excitement as they run around

with your Husband to find his goodies. And watch the surprise on his

face when he sees what you've done for him. He'll love you for it.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

--Nicole Dean is a writer for http://www.RomanceYourHusband.com --

a website dedicated to helping married couples stay friends and to help

them remember why they married each other in the first place. Our

motto is: " If he's sweet, rub his feet. "

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicole_Dean

 

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Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPS

We'd love to hear YOUR tips and ideas for simplifying daily life.

Send your simple living comments/tips to: DSimple

 

 

= Long Hair Tip =

My six-year-old daughter has dreamed about having long hair

since she was two and had almost none! Now it’s down to the

middle of her back. After frantic, painful de-tangling every morning,

I was ready to insist that she get it cut. Then I remembered my

German great-grandmother, who kept hers in two tidy braids pinned

to the top of her head. Every night before bed, she combed it out,

then re-braided it. We tried it, and it works like a charm. No more

detangler bottles and no more tears. We just comb and braid it (one

or two braids) every night, and it unbraids tangle-free in the morning.

It saves time, money, and our sanity!

--Julia J, Greenville SC

 

 

Do you have a tip or idea for simplifying daily life or simple

and fun things to do with friends or family? Send your ideas

to Debi at: DSimple

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SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Book list for frugality and simple living

Go to: http://snurl.com/simplebooks

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Laura at marketing Subject line: simple-times

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SIMPLE TIMES ARCHIVES

 

Two years' worth of back issues are available by clicking the

" Read Messages " button at: http://snurl.com/st_archives

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As always, a special " Thank you! " goes out to Gary Foreman

and the friendly folks at the Dollar Stretcher for making this

mailing list possible!

 

== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==

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Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)

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EDITOR'S BOOKS AND AUDIO RESOURCES:

Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-Hough

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

http://snurl.com/debisbooks

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DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:

Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/

Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

Cooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/

Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.com

Tupperware®: http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware

Kids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids

Gluten-Free Zone: http://astore.amazon.com/glutenfreezone-20

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