Subscription Information: "The Dollar Stretcher" is a free weekly newsletter.

To subscribe send e-mail to: subscribe@stretcher.com. If you'd like the newsletter sent as a .txt file attachment to an e-mail send email to: subscribe-dollar-stretcher-attach@xc.org.

To unsubscribe send e-mail to unsubscribe-dollar-stretcher@ds.xc.org or unsubscribe-dollar-stretcher-attach. If you have a problem subscribing or unsubscribing send an e-mail to LWilson@xc.org and a real live human being will try to solve the problem.
Thanks!

Publication Information: Copyright "The Dollar Stretcher, Inc." 2002. ISSN 1527-2974
All Rights reserved. Copies may be distributed without alteration electronically free of charge. This newsletter may be reproduced, without alteration, for non-commercial purposes without prior permission.
"The Dollar Stretcher" is distributed via e-mail each week between Monday 1 A.M. and Tuesday 8 P.M. United States Eastern Standard Time. The newsletter runs approximately 36k in length. All articles are printed with authors' prior consents. It is assumed that any questions, tips or replies to questions may be reprinted.
The name and e-mail address of the sender will not be used unless specifically requested or approved. All letters become the property of "The Dollar Stretcher, Inc".

Sponsorship Information is available by . The Dollar Stretcher reaches more than 135,000 readers every week.

"The Dollar Stretcher" and Dollar Stretcher, Inc. does not assume responsibility for advice given. All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if advice is safe and suitable for their own situation.

In this issue:

Introduction

Insuring Your Possessions
by Gary Foreman
Have the right coverage and proper documentation

Too Much to Repair My Car?
by Austin Davis
Four steps to making a better decision

The Truth about Weight Loss and Fad Diets
by Dr. Robert Osgoodby
Consistency is the key

The Natural Handyman: Vanity Replacement
Leave pipes in place

Tips, Quips, Quotes & Questions

On www.Stretcher.com This Week

Hello to all my Frugal Friends!

Wow! Here we are with the last issue of 2002. Hope that the year has been a good for you. Based on our email, for many readers it has been a challenging year. Fortunately, a lot of them find solutions that are bigger than their challenges.

Here's to a wonderful New Year!

All the Best!
Gary

LB doesn't say whether she's purchased or renting her new apartment. If she owns the apartment, a standard policy will cover possessions up to 50 percent of the value of the structure. So if you've insured your home for $100,000, you won't collect more than $50,000 for your possessions.

Is 50 percent enough? Or should LB spend the extra $2.63 per month for additional coverage? The first thing to remember is that you buy insurance to cover losses that you can't afford yourself. So you don't want to be underinsured.

Chances are there's a lot of stuff in your home. Furniture, everything hanging on your walls, stuck in your closets and cabinets are all considered household possessions. And, don't forget appliances, clothing and toys, too.

The only way to know whether LB can justify the additional coverage is to take an inventory and put a value on her stuff. The list should include prices paid and when the item was purchased. Model numbers should be noted. Pictures or videotapes of the items are also helpful. Don't make it overly complicated and give up on the process. Any information is better than no information. Guess where necessary.

Once LB has totaled the value of her possessions, she can talk with the agent about how much coverage she needs. Ask about more than just the total covered. Some categories aren't covered adequately by standard homeowners' policies. Many of us have jewelry or some type of collection. Even though you might not spend that much on any one item, it's possible that the entire collection has a significant value.

LB should also ask about exclusions. Are there specific things that your policy won't pay on? Antiques are commonly excluded. So anything over 25 years old would be a problem for LB. It also could exclude any keepsake items. Grandma might not have been wealthy. But some of her things could have appreciated significantly since they were purchased many years ago.

Most policies will not pay more than $2,500 for any individual item. Thresholds vary with insurers so ask your agent.

Back to the inventory for a moment. It makes it easier to collect on your policy if you suffer a loss. Sit back and try to think of all of the contents of your bedroom. Difficult? Now imagine doing that for every room of the house after a fire or burglary. That's what you'll need to do after a loss.

Remember to store your list somewhere outside your home. Keep it at your place of work, safe deposit box or with a friend or relative. If you must keep it in your home, buy a fireproof box or store it in your freezer.

Talk to your agent about how much you'd be paid if a loss occurs. Most policies cover your possessions for 'actual cash value'. For instance, your clothing would be valued as 'used' clothing. Never mind that you'd be hard pressed to replace all of your clothing at thrift store prices. Realistically, you'd have to buy some items at full retail. LB might want to consider getting 'replacement cost' coverage. That would pay her enough to buy a new replacement for lost items.

But even that doesn't eliminate every problem. Replacement cost doesn't apply to some categories like antiques and collectibles. For antiques, LB will probably need to either be able to demonstrate the value through comparisons to other similar items, or, better still, have an appraisal done.

If she has items that are valuable, LB might need to get 'agreed value' coverage for them. That's when the company and LB agree on the value of an item now. If it's lost later, that's how much she'll receive for it.

Obviously, we hope that LB never needs to collect on her policy. But if the worst happens, we hope that she has the right coverage and the proper documentation to assist in starting over.

Gary Foreman is a former financial planner who currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website www.stretcher.com

Dear Concerned Car Owner,
I get asked this question quite often, but in some cases not often enough. Seems some people have a "problem" with a $300 a month new car payment, but they are perfectly comfortable paying the same if not more on monthly repair bills and accept the inconveniences that come with them. I don't know what "drives" people to a high mileage goal? I hear customers comment "This car has to go another 20,000 miles" or brag about how many miles they are determined to put on their vehicles. "I am going to drive this vehicle 180,000 miles whether it likes it or not". Now if this is a challenge for you, go ahead and take it, but I can think of many other challenges less costly. Granted, some cars will last a long time and do so with relatively low maintenance cost, but this is not the norm.

How does one know when to throw in the shop rag and get a new car? Well, I don't have a crystal ball bearing, but I can provide some helpful guidelines to assist you in your evaluation process.

First: Perform an evaluation of your vehicle yourself using our used car check out list from our Website. The check out is self explaining and easy to use. If you have a concern or a potential problem you might uncover with an item on the list, have your mechanic inspect it during the next step.

Second: Determine what future maintenance cost will or could be. I have assembled a helpful maintenance schedule to help you forecast costly maintenance items. Print out the maintenance schedules that are closest to your current mileage and the next higher mileage schedule. Take your car to the mechanic (hopefully the mechanic that you regularly visit and have a good relationship with) and pay them to inspect all the items on the two schedules. The cost of these inspections should be fairly inexpensive, and the information they will provide will be more than worth the expense. Add up all recommended repair costs plus all previous repairs during the year. Divide this number by 12 to determine your average repair cost for the given year. This number will not however include any breakdown or unexpected repairs.

Third: How much is your car worth? Trading in your vehicle for a new car is the easiest but will not bring in the most money for you. The new car dealer will pay you a wholesale price for your car, and in doing this you are leaving money on the table. Selling your vehicle to an individual at a retail price will require a little more work on the part of the seller, but there can be greater financial gain in doing so. www.Autotrader.com can provide you with similar "comparable" vehicles like yours, so you can get a feel for the market in your area. I recommend going to see and test drive your competition before you set a price on your car. Take along the used car checklist and evaluate the competition just as you did your car. How does your car compare? Could you place a higher price on your car after your evaluation, or is your competition in better shape? Another helpful site is www.KellyBlueBook.com where you can obtain loan, trade in, and retail values for comparable vehicles. This book is commonly used as the standard in vehicle base values, but you can always add or subtract from that number things like overall appearance, well kept maintenance records, upgrades (stereo equipment, tires and wheels, bug shields...etc) and customer added items.

Fourth: How much will your next car cost, and how will you pay for it? Now that you have determined your yearly repair costs, the value of your current vehicle, and a possible sales price you must calculate the monthly payment of the new car. Paying a larger down payment on the new car will lower the monthly payment. How much of the sale of your current car can you use as a down payment on the new car? When buying the new car be sure to take advantage of rebate incentives and low or zero interest on certain models the factory is trying to move out. Keep in mind you are replacing a vehicle that you know will be incurring future repair costs, so don't take on more money debt than you can handle. Hopefully you have a month or two before these expected repair bills will be required, so you will have some time to price shop the new car, and have time to sell your current vehicle.

Some things to consider: In my opinion, I would replace your current vehicle if your average yearly repair bills are more than ten percent of the price of the new car you would like. These four steps are just a guide to help you remove the emotion tied to selling your current car and buying the new one. After doing these steps, you might find that you are not in the "money pit" and the maintenance schedules and check list gave you an easy way to forecast and plan for up coming repair expenses. The schedules and checklists are free for you to view and print out from our Website TrustMyMechanic.com

For over 63 years Austin Davis' family has built a reputation in the auto repair business for being honest, dependable, and for serving customers at a fair price. To help those who can't visit his garage he's authored "What Your Mechanic Doesn't Want You to Know". You'll find it at http//hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?mechanictr/mechanic

If you stick to just about any weight loss diet, you will lose weight. The lack of knowledge on how to correctly lose weight and burn fat is one of the main reasons most people are not successful in keeping the weight off long-term, and also why people spend billions of dollars a year on useless weight loss products and programs.

Most people start a diet because they are upset with their physical appearance and the way they feel. Fad diets are extremely popular because you can lose weight in a short period of time. The problem with most fad diets is the vast majority of pounds you shed are lean body mass (muscles and internal organs) and water weight. Plus, most people only stick with a fad diet for a short period of time and quickly fall back to their old bad habits.

If you want to decrease your body fat percentage and keep the excess weight off for good, you don't need a fad diet, you need a lifestyle change. Consistently eating a healthy diet combined with regular strength training and cardiovascular exercise allows you to burn excess body fat while retaining your lean body tissue and maintain your goal weight.

Over the years, I have heard every excuse imaginable why someone can't eat healthy or exercise regularly. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a good excuse why you can not improve your health, appearance, and quality of life. Believe it or not, it's easier than you think.

You can get rapid results with only having to dedicate 3 hours a week to exercise. You can easily add three extra hours to your week by getting up 30 minutes earlier, or staying up 30 minutes later. You don't need to buy an expensive health club membership or invest thousands of dollars in exercise equipment. All you need is a television, VCR and a body shaping videotape. There are literally hundreds to choose from ranging from beginners to advanced fitness levels.

Pre-prepare healthy meals by cooking in bulk and refrigerating your meals. Make a large salad. Broil a few packages of chicken breasts. Buy enough fruit for the entire week. (3 servings per day) This is perfect for people who are on the run and constantly eating fast food for convenience. It's quick, easy and takes very little preparation time. Throw your food for the day in a bag and you're off! You may need to invest in some Tupperware.

In conclusion, fad diets are not the answer for losing weight and keeping it off. Most of the pounds you drop are from water loss and losing lean body mass - not burning fat. If you want to decrease your body fat percentage, lose weight and keep it off, you have to change your lifestyle, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the "EAS Body for Life" Contest. Stop by his web page at bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

Share your thoughts about this article with the editor: Click Here

WDY,
There are two standard faucet hole spacings, 4" and 8" (center to center). 4" is the typical spacing for a bathroom faucet and 8" for a kitchen faucet. Both types usually require a center hole, too. I would suggest selecting the faucet you want and then use that measurement.

As far as moving pipes is concerned, it is unnecessary in most installations. The faucet supply tubes from the shutoff to the faucet are flexible, regardless of the type you choose to install, so no moving of pipes will be necessary. Similarly the drain-trap setup of a modern home is adjustable within limits. If the existing pipes don't reach, there are generic drain parts available that will solve most any connection problem. Just bring what you have (between the wall and the old faucet drain) to the hardware store, describe how it is deficient and they should be able to supply you with the proper parts.

About the only time I have had problems with existing plumbing is when the new vanity has drawers or interior dividers that hit the drain or shutoffs. So you should also make note of the location of these fixtures when deciding on the type of vanity. Cabinets are usually often easier to modify than plumbing connections, especially the drain location!

About 8 years ago, my wife fell in love with a two-drawer vanity for our smallish master bathroom. Rather than disappoint her, I was able to disassemble the problem drawer, cut it down to a smaller size and reassemble it. Since many vanities now come "broken down", this might be a simple matter if the problem arises for you. Losing a few inches of drawer space was hardly noticeable.
NH

Have a small home repair question for THE NATURAL HANDYMAN? Just click here www.naturalhandyman.com/aitikia
For more home repair information, visit NH's growing list of original home repair articles and quality links www.naturalhandyman.com
Get a monthly home repair wake-up call with the free Natural Handyman Newsletter! Tips, hints, links, and surprises, delivered right to your Emailbox. To subscribe today, click on the following url, or cut-and-paste it into your browser www.naturalhandyman.com/newsletter
If this information has been valuable to you, please consider making a small donation to support NH's free service to the home repair community! For more information, please visit our "Friends" page www.naturalhandyman.com/friends
The Natural Handyman Site Directory

Win unique home repair gifts and prizes at www.naturalhandyman.com/contest
Please read the important copyright and disclaimer information is located at www.naturalhandyman.com/copyright

Tips, Quips, Quotes and Questions

Making a Cozy Closet

We did this for our kids as they got older. We took the doors off the bedroom closet and hung up "hippie" beads (you can get them in stores like Bed Bath & Beyond or Spencers) as a privacy curtain. Then, we painted the inside of the closet whatever colors they chose and added some painted designs with glow in the dark paint. We put in a black light and a regular light (small lamp with a 40-watt bulb). We didn't have electricity in the closets either but ran a cord along the wall and floor trim and tacked it down good. As long as your lights are of a low wattage, you should be fine. We put in a blow up chair or one of those fabric covered foam seats you can get in any discount department store. For one child we actually used several hippie bead curtains and made the opening to the closet even larger (a few feet out from the original opening) and added several blow up chairs for her and her friends. Eventually we bought her an inexpensive hippie looking telephone at Radio Shack and ran the phone line into the closet. She really appreciated the privacy. There's a lot you can do with an empty closet for a pre-teen. Just use your imagination.
Joan

editor's note: more suggestions on creating a special private place for your kids

Great Lo-Cal Snacks

I make "Skinny Shakes". There is a basic recipe and many variations. The basic recipe is in approximation. Dump this all in your blender:
* About 1/2 cup of skim or 2% milk
* 1 banana, broken into pieces
* a packet or two of Sugar Substitute
Then whiz until smooth and start dropping ice cubes into the mixture, one or two at a time. Keep adding the ice cubes until your shake is as thick as desired.
Delicious! For a variation, add fresh or frozen strawberries, chocolate syrup to taste, crushed pineapple, or a fresh peach. The possibilities are endless. But always include the banana. It makes the shake smooth and creamy.
GH

editor's note: more great Lo-Cal Snacks

Dimmer Doubts

We thought we were saving money using dimmer switches. My husband recently took a class on electricity for the homeowner at our local community college. He learned that dimmers do not save money, and that if you do not turn them off all the way to the click, they continue to use as much electricity as if they were on all the way. We just received our first full month's electricity bill since we started to turn our dimmer switches off all the way. We used almost 4 kilowatts less per day. It is not a lot of money, but it adds up over a year.
Jane B.

Warmer Hands

Now that I am older (74), the circulation in my body isn't what it used to be. I wear socks on my feet 24/7. When the temperature here in Texas goes below 70 degrees, my hands also get cold.
I found that I can get one size fits all washable gloves at Wal-Mart for less than $2. I cut the tips of the fingers off. By doing that, I can wear the gloves on my hands during my waking hours while doing housework, etc. (all except washing dishes). I even wear these gloves to the grocery store. I'm extremely glad that I figured out a way to keep my hands warm without having to turn up the heat.
Susie Q.

No More Fabric Softener Needed

I am chemically sensitive and cannot tolerate fabric softener scents (liquid or sheet). A neat tip to prevent static build- up on your clothes in the dryer is to use 3 or 4 aluminum foil balls (approximately 2 or more inches wide) with every load you dry. You can reuse them over and over. It really works!
Julie L.

Please send your tips to Tips@stretcher.com If we use your tip or reply to 'Can You Help' in any of our publications, we'll send you the next three issues of our print newsletter as a 'thank you'.

On Stretcher.com This Week