In the age of the internet many of us have friends in different states or even countries, some of whom we know fairly well.  Have you ever thought about trading houses with them?  It’s not really a novel  idea and there are companies that will match you up with someone who wants to trade houses in your area.  It works somewhat like an online dating service.  If you saw the movie, “The Holiday” you have a pretty good idea of how it works.

One of the sites, Home Exchange (the one used in the movie) has a membership fee of $9.95 per month that is billed annually.  They also have a 3 month membership for $15.95 per month.    It’s not a bad buy if you decide that you are seriously considering a trade.   Home Exchange also has some great advice on how to be successful at trading houses.   They also publish many of their success stories and I enjoyed reading a few of them.  They really make it seem possible and FUN!

If you aren’t sure that you are ready to spend money on this endeavor, another website Home Exchange Vacation has a free membership option.  Just like Match.com, you can list your house for free and search for others but you can’t contact anyone without purchasing a full membership.   Their full membership is under $30 for a 3 month membership.

Tips for making a Successful Trade

1. Make sure that you are comfortable with the other person.  Talk in email and on the phone before you commit to a trade.  If  you aren’t comfortable with anything, pass on it.
2. Decide in advance how you are going to handle utility bills, cars, pets, etc.
3. Whether you go through a service or not, have a written contract that specifies responsibilities of each party and liabilities.
4. Check with your insurance company especially if you are trading cars to make sure that your insurance covers invited guests and permitted drivers.
5. Make lists of emergency contacts, repair people and local attractions for your guests.
6. Just for the fun of it, leave flowers and a chilled bottle of wine.
7. Have a neighbor or friend check in with your guests the day after their arrival to make sure they are comfortable and don’t have any questions.  It also puts a friendly face with the names on your list.

I think it could be a great way to see the country if not the world.  Home Exchange also mentions that long weekends are their fastest growing segment so you don’t have to go around the world or even for a month.  You can exchange houses with someone right down the road and just get away for a few days.

Have you tried exchanging homes?  How did it work for you?  I’d love to hear some of  your personal experiences.

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Now to be fair, I knew I was going to have to have bifocals which would bump the price up to $99 for two pairs.   I have also had progressive or no line lens in the past and would prefer them to the lined bifocals.  They do not list the cost for progressive lens on the website so I figured I would ask when I got there.   And this would be where the problem started.

America’s Best was very clean and neat.  It is laid out very well and the people were very friendly.  I had made an appointment online early that morning and was a little dismayed that they had no record of my appointment when I got there.  I filled out the forms and was asked to wait.  It seems that the doctors were both out to lunch because they didn’t have any appointments scheduled.  It wasn’t a long wait and they took me back for the pre-exam.

Once the pre exam was over, I waited about 5 minutes to be seen by the doctor.  He was thorough and pleasant.  So far, so good.  After the eye exam, I was told to go out and shop for glasses.

Being on a pretty tight budget, while glasses are a necessity, they also take a pretty hefty bite out of the monthly budget.   I picked out a couple of their least expensive frames and took them to the counter.  On the counter was a placemat that explained their pricing packages or so I thought.

It was pretty simple.  I was looking at their basic package for multi focal lenses which according to the place mat included the bi focal lenses, a one year warranty, a sun or vanity tint and UV protection.  The price for two pairs of lined bi focals was listed as $99.  The price for unlined (progressive) lens was $138.  Ok, so I can live with that price.  It was $39 higher than the lined bi-focals but worth it.

The girl took the measurements and my preferences for tinting one pair as sun glasses.  She put it all in the computer and …. the grand total was $249.    So I said, wait a second, what happened to the $138???  Oh, that price is just for the lens, you still have to buy the frames.  Ummmm, that’s not what you advertised.   So I told her to go ahead and take off the progressive lens.  The total came down to $209.

Ok, so now I am getting a little angry.  I pointed out that their website advertised two pair of multi focal glasses for $99.  The girl told me that they didn’t.  She ended up calling the manager over who told me that it was because she had included the warranty and the tinting.  I pointed to the place mat with the prices and which clearly listed the warranty, and the tinting for $99 or $138.

The manager actually snatched it out of my hands and put it behind her back.  She told me that that  a package price and was just for the lenses and did not include the frames.  By now, I am more than a little angry and I specifically asked her what exactly did the advertised Two Pair for $99 include?  Was it the frames with no lenses or the lenses with no frame? She told me that I could get the tinting for $15.  So if I do the math according to what she was telling me, the frames were $49.95 each and the tinting was $15 for each pair.  The price advertised for the “package” was $99 for the lined bifocal lenses plus the 49.95 for each  for the frames would bring the total package price for the two pair of glasses to $198.90.  Without the package price, the cost would be $99 plus the $15 for the tinting for a total of $114.  This means that you are paying $84.90 for a year’s warranty.

Oh no, I could get the Two Pair for $99 without the warranty and the tint.  With Progressive lenses it would have been $199.  Well, FINALLY!!  I paid for my glasses which will be in about 7 days from now.  I must admit that I am still not sure that I didn’t get railroaded out of the progressive lenses but I did finally get the lined bifocals for the advertised price.

My problems with this are many.  Anyone who just went in for the advertised two pair would have probably gotten pressured into paying over twice as much.  I have nothing against upselling but start at the advertised price and up sell me.  Don’t try to tell me that it wasn’t what they were advertising or just upsell me without even mentioning the lower option.  The girl who waited on me didn’t even know there WAS a lower option.

I left and I am still not sure that I was charged the right price.  It’s a shame because other than the price difficulties it was a pleasant experience.  Have you tried America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses?   How was your experience?

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The ancient Babylonians are thought to be the first to make New Years Resolutions.  They made them to find favor with the gods and breaking them was supposed to bring bad luck.  Many of us continue to make New Years Resolutions every year and most of us fail to keep them.  The Babylonians were careful to pick resolutions that they could keep through the year and we should be just as careful.

Every year I make the same New Year’s Resolutions and every year I fail to keep them.  I might make some effort to keep them for a week or two but then other things become more important.  I have really spent some time this year determining what I want to accomplish in the next year.

The Most Common Mistake

Most of us make a very common mistake when we are making our resolution.  We make a resolution to do something to improve ourselves such as losing weight, quitting smoking, saving money, etc but we never really make a plan on how to do it.  We think about it for a week or so but then just flounder because the reason we haven’t done it in the past is because we really don’t know how to go about it.

Making a plan to support our resolutions

One of my New Years resolutions is to put and keep money in my emergency fund.  Well, that’s a pretty good resolution but it is non specific.  I have to ask myself how much money should I have?  How long should it stay there?  Or even more important why haven’t I been able to keep money in the fund in the past?   The easy answer is that I keep having emergencies but if I look closer, I really haven’t had but one emergency this year and that was when my father got sick in April.  I have taken money out of the fund for groceries, to pay bills, and to do car repairs.  All of these things should have been covered in my regular budget but our income for the month did not support the budget.

So if I make the resolution to keep money in my emergency fund, I am already setting myself up to fail if I don’t make some adjustments to my budget.  This year, instead of putting all my savings into my emergency fund, I am going to start a second account to use as an operating account.  Because our income varies drastically from month to month, I am going to start putting money aside specifically to be used to cover those months where our income is low.  In the past, we have just tightened our belts and done without and then dipped into the emergency fund to cover the essentials.

My plan this year is simple, specific and measurable.   I cannot take money out of our regular income for our emergency fund.  We just don’t have enough income to support it unless the economy does a drastic turnaround.   I do have irregular income that comes from my blog, some ebay and craigslist sales.  This income is going to go into my emergency fund.  Any boon in our regular income will go into a separate account to be used in the lean months.

Another Common Mistake

Another mistake I make every year is not looking at what didn’t work over the last year.  The answer this year is easy, I didn’t work.  I have made very few posts over the last 12 months.  My focus has been on other things and I have made less than a decent effort to write or promote my websites or internet business.  This is going to change this year and I am making a committment to write daily on this blog and several others that I maintain.  I am going to set aside time each day to accomplish this.

My Plan

Increase my internet income to $100 per month for the first quarter.

For the second quarter, I would like to double that to $200 per month.

For the third and fourth quarter, I would like to be making $500 per month.

My How

eBay -  I am going to start selling on eBay again.  I pick up knick knacks and collectibles at thrift stores and yard sales and resell them on eBay.  Historically, I have done pretty well at this, usually doubling my investment.

Blogs -  I need to double my traffic on all of my blogs.  It has dropped off simply because I have not been writing and I have lost quite a few of my readers.  I have also not been promoting them.  I will be writing at least three articles per week on each blog and promoting each article.  I actually enjoy this because so much of blog promotion is just getting out and visiting other blogs.  I learn quite a bit and make some great friends this way.

Guest Posts -  I am going to be accepting guest posts on all my blogs on a weekly basis.  I am also going to try to write some guest posts for other sites.

Results

My resolutions this year and goals are rather ambitious.  It will take time and hard work to accomplish them but it is a labor of love and I will enjoy both the process and the results.  I will keep you updated on how my financial goal is going over the months.

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Used Books

I read a lot.  Most of my family reads as well so books are always a good choice for gift ideas.  I purchase most of my books from Amazon.  I buy the majority of them in good as new used condition from private sellers at a drastically reduced price.

Free Shipping

I get free two day shipping on quite a few items by signing up for Amazon Prime .  You can sign up for a free month trial now and get all of your holiday shipping free.  I find this to be an excellent way to shop for my friends and family who don’t live close by.

Online Auctions

For those unique or hard to find gifts, you can often find them on ebay.  I buy jeans for my son in law who wears a 40 inch inseam and they are almost impossible to find in stores.  I have always been able to find them on ebay for a greatly reduced price.  Other gifts I have found are new cowboy boots, some collector items for my mom, some gorgeous handmade wreaths for my daughter and of course, ebay is another outlet for books.  I have purchased all of my laptops on eBay and always been happy with them.  Be sure to check on the shipping price before you bid or buy on ebay as some shippers charge an exorbitant rate.

Comparison Shopping Sites

There are several websites that allow you to comparison shop by price.

Nextag
Shopzilla
Price Grabber

Smart Money rated  different comparison shopping sites and Price Grabber came up on the top of the heap.  You can see the whole list of comparison sites in their article.
Shop Locally

Ok, so what is shop local doing in an online shopping article?  Some stores like Walmart and Sears offer the ability to purchase off of their website and have it delivered to the local store.  This saves shipping on most items and you can stop off to pick them up when you are going by anyway.

Check for Coupon Codes

There are many online sites for coupon and discount codes for online shopping.  Many of these codes are for major retailers such as Home Depot, Kohls, ToysRUs, etc.  Here are just a few:

Coupon Cabin

Retail Me Not

Current Codes

You can find more by googling coupon codes.  Some sites have printable coupons that can be used at local retailers.

Holiday Sales

Just like brick and mortar stores, most online stores have holiday sales as well.  Amazon is offering special Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals.  You can also check to see if your favorite stores such as Walmart, Home Depot, or Target have a website and check it out for online sales.   Many of the major retailers are offering free shipping.

Safety

Be sure to make sure that whatever site you order from has a secure order form.  This means that your credit card information is encrypted in the same manner that banks use to send information.  Do not send your credit card information through email.  The safest way to shop online is to use prepaid credit cards as these are limited.  In this way, you are not giving someone a link to your bank account or credit card.

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I really like prepaid debit cards, because they’re “prepaid.” What that means is that you can auto-load your card each month with a set amount, and then you have to stick to that amount. There’s no cheating, because unlike a bank’s debit card, you can’t spend more than you actually have. The other benefit is you avoid ridiculous overdraft fees and you know exactly what your monthly fees will be.

Tips for Using A Prepaid Debit Card for Budgeting

In my budget I have categories and money for some categories has traditionally been put into my savings account.  The problem is that this money often gets used for other things or it isn’t quickly available when I need it.   This means that when the time comes to use the money for purchases in that category, it isn’t there and I end up blowing my budget.

With Christmas coming up, I am always looking for ways to stay in budget and a prepaid credit card that I could not only shop online with but also take with me so that when I see that perfect gift, I would have the means to purchase it.

Another budget category that I might use a prepaid card for is clothing purchases.  I am definitely not a ‘clothes horse’ so my clothing purchases tend to be sporadic.  If I put my clothing budget into my savings account, I either use it for something else or don’t have the funds immediately available when I see something that I really like.

Because we travel in our business, it is often inconvenient to use cash.  I often have to make reservations at a hotel and without some kind of credit/debit card, it is almost impossible.  I can put our budgeted amount onto our debit card and then make reservations with confidence.  It’s also a true pain in the rear to have to prepay for gas.  I have to estimate what it is going to cost to fill the tank, stand in line to pay the deposit and then stand in line again when I am done filling the tank.  The prepaid card will make trips much easier.

You can also extend this to your family. For example, a prepaid debit card is perfect for a college student. Instead of giving them a credit card or cash for the entire semester, consider giving them a prepaid debit card that gets auto-loaded each month. That will force them to stay within their budget, and will also keep them from blowing through their money before the semester is over.

In short, prepaid cards are a tool that can be used to enhance your budget while forcing you to stay in a budget.  You need to shop wisely for your card and be aware of any hidden charges and fees.  As I have said before, I will never own another credit card so a prepaid card is very attractive to me.

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My Dream Card

I have made up the following wish list for my dream card.  I don’t expect to get it free but I would like it to be reasonable:

• Reasonable activation fee of under $20
• No dormancy fees
• Pay some kind of interest on my money
• No fees for purchases
• Reasonable fees for atm withdrawals ($1 or less)
• Free Online Balance Check
• No monthly fees

Is this asking too much?  There are a few cards that come close but none meet all of my requirements so I have been making comparisons.  They are very confusing and the card that might be the best for my spending habits (occasional transactions) might not be best for everyone.  If you plan on using the card several times per month, you might be better off choosing one that has a small monthly fee and free transactions.

Because Walmart has put their money card on sale I thought I would use it as an example. I honestly was somewhat skeptical about the monthly fees but after much research I have found that they are probably the best value.  All transactions are free except atm transactions.  The only way that I have found to get around atm transaction fees is to use your bank card at your own bank and that is not always free.

This is what is posted on Walmart’s cardholder agreement:

In contrast, here are some of the fees from another highly advertised prepaid credit card:
This is the NetSpend Prepaid Card as shown on another website:

Altogether though these fees may be considerably less than you are spending on your current credit card every month.   These fees are subject to change so if you are considering a prepaid credit card make sure that you read the small print and search for the best deal.

If you have any better deals on prepaid cards, I’d love to hear from you.  I am specifically searching for one that pays interest on the available balance.

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Credit card debt is unfortunately a way of life for the average American family. We’re enticed daily with the backwards motto to “buy today, pay eventually”. Many struggle to simply make the minimum monthly payment. For the many moms who are the family bill-payers, here’s some effective and easy ways you can eliminate credit card debt.

First and foremost, pay for your purchases in cash. You can prepare for this in advance, once you are determined to eliminate your debt, by setting aside at least $20 a week or more if possible, to start a petty cash fund. Commit to using your credit cards only in an emergency or a situation that requires a credit card, such as renting a car.

Review charges you consistently make on a monthly basis. These charges may include membership fees, subscriptions, automatic bill payments, gas for your car, prescriptions, sports equipment and uniforms, school tuition or orthodontist appointments. After listing them, determine how much money is to be allocated monthly for each payment. You may need to cancel the non-essentials. You can exercise at home for free; and if you don’t read half of the magazines you’re subscribed to then cancel them. Eliminating gym fees and subscriptions alone could save you hundreds of dollars per month.

One common sense method for moms to eliminate credit card debt is known as the Debt Reduction Pyramid. Basically, it’s a process of determining all debts owed starting with your smallest debt, and then pay off each one fully, working your way down to the largest debt. Predetermine to pay above the minimum payment for credit card debts. Once some of the smaller debts are paid, begin to pay full monthly payments. Continue this process until you successfully pay off all your debts in full.

Moms, a budget may sound too simple and over-rated but it can be the single most important tool for eliminating credit card debt. By creating a personalized budget and strictly adhering to it on a daily basis, you will reap the benefits and see your debt dwindle before your eyes. Remember to place your non-essential expenses at the bottom of the budget’s priority list.

Just by following these simple steps, you are well on your way to eliminating credit card debt. Reconsider those club memberships and pointless magazine subscriptions in order to organize expenses in priority-categories. With a debt as small as $10,000, if you’re only able to make minimum monthly payments it will take you 40 years to pay off that debt.

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According to an article in USA, Today,

Citigroup, meanwhile, has started charging annual fees to card holders who don’t put more than a specific amount on their cards, typically $2,400 a year. Other banks are charging inactivity fees if customers don’t use their credit cards during a specific period of time. You heard that right: You could be spanked for staying out of debt.

These fees are the credit card industry’s response to credit card legislation that will, among other things, restrict credit card issuers’ ability to raise interest rates on existing balances. Credit card issuers are looking for ways to raise income before the new rules take effect in February. During the first quarter, 27% of credit card offers included annual fees, up from 18% a year earlier, according to Synovate Mail Monitor, a credit card direct-mail tracking service.

Other companies are just increasing or adding an annual fee for all credit cards.  USA Today, suggests that you make a decision on whether to keep your card or not by deciding how much you are going to use it and whether you can find a better deal elsewhere.  They suggest finding a credit union as they generally have lower rates and charges for their members.

Has your interest rate or annual fee changed on your credit cards in anticipation of the new legislation?

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Benefits of Wood Furnace

1. Free Heat – We cut downed trees up to use for firewood during the winter.  It doesn’t cost us anything but time and work.  Generally it takes us a day to get a truckload of wood and that includes splitting and stacking.
2. Free Hot Water – Our wood furnace uses hot water to heat the house.  The hot water goes through a coil and heats the air in the house.  We also use the furnace to heat our hot water during the winter.
3. Moist Heat -  Rather than having gas or electric burner heating the air in the house, it is heated by hot water.  It does not dry out the air and cause sinus and dry skin.
4. Burns Efficiently – The wood furnace has a draft fan on it that cuts on when the water temperature drops.  This blows air over the wood and the fire heats up.  When the water temperature  reaches 200 degrees, the draft fan cuts off.  At most during the coldest weather, we have to fill the furnace twice a day.
5. Lower Electric Bills – Because we use the wood furnace for both heat and hot water, our electric bill drops significantly during the winter.  I don’t believe we had one that was over $50 last winter.  This saves us hundreds of dollars over the year.
6. Renewable Resource – Unlike oil, coal, gas, etc. wood is a renewable source of fuel.  We can plant more trees while we cannot manufacture more oil, coal, or gas.

Drawbacks of Wood Furnace

1. Cost of Wood -  The wood furnace suits us very well because we have an almost unlimited supply of wood but if you had to purchase wood you would have to weigh the cost of wood against the cost of oil, gas or electricity.
2. Air Pollutant - While the newer wood furnaces burn efficiently and cause less pollution, they do cause some.
3. Load Outside -  Someone has to load the furnace twice a day.   This means going out and putting wood into it even when it’s 10 degrees outside and snowing.
4. Time, time, time – We do not buy wood but we do spend a few weeks a year cutting, splitting and stacking it.  We don’t do it all at the same time but this week we have gotten a load every day and it has taken most of the day to do it.  If you plan on cutting your own, you need to plan on spending several days per month getting wood.

Overall I love the wood furnace.  I love the heat, the really hot water and I REALLY love our electric bill during the winter.  I really don’t mind running out in the morning and loading the wood furnace.  And loading and stacking wood is great exercise for arms and shoulders.

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He wrote a letter to the court the week after surgery and asked that the date be continued as the clinic appointments are booked several months in advance.  The clerk of the court was not helpful to say the least and the best we could get was that she would show it to the judge.  This means that instead of rescheduling it in advance, they wait until the morning of court and R’s ex has to show up so they can set another date.

The last time they had to reschedule a date, we had an attorney.  The attorney made arrangements with the clerk to reschedule it and told R not to go to court.   The judge issued a warrant for his arrest for not showing up in court.  The sherrif’s department notified him and he turned himself in the next day.  This required us to bond him out.

We went to the clinic with no idea of whether there would be another warrant issued for his arrest when we returned home.  We came home and waited for the police to show up and haul him off.  We looked over our shoulder and waited on pins and needles for two days.  Finally the sheriff delivered a show cause summons for October 27th.   Whew.

While there is no possible way that we could pay her the $50,000 or the $1300 per month that the courts have awarded her, R is trying to pay her something every month.  It’s worse than a credit card debt as the amount due just keeps growing and growing and there is no way we can even begin to whittle it down.

He will go to court on the 27th with really no hope that anything will change.  The court will probably order him to pay another $5000 and give him 3 months to do it.  There is no hope at all that we could pay that much.  When the judge ordered it last time they put him in jail for 4 months or until the $5000 was paid.  A very, very good friend loaned us the money to get him out but we certainly cannot afford to borrow any more and cannot in good conscience accept it when we can’t pay it back.

I am still wondering why the courts awarded this much in spousal support when he was out of work on disability when they were first separated.  In Virginia, spousal support is not supposed to be punative.  It is not meant to be a punishment, it is meant to allow the spouse to continue to live in the same basic lifestyle that they were living.  How can this amount of spousal support be anything but punative when there is no hope of paying it?  How many other men or women are in the same situation?

Even if R could go back to work, the economy is so bad that it would be difficult to find a job.  This area is extremely depressed.  Factories that have been in business for decades are closing their doors.  I know of 3 major area employers who have either closed or layed of a large percentage of their employees in the last month.  This is a rural area and there are very few employers here anyway.

So R’s ex has won the right to be labeled my biggest aching debt.   There is no way to pay it off or even keep up with the monthly payments.  It is one of the few debts that can put you in jail for not paying.  It cannot be discharged by bankruptcy so it is hopeless.

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