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@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." 2000. 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 105,000 readers every week.

MONTHLY PRINTED NEWSLETTER
If you'd like a sample of the monthly print version of The Dollar Stretcher, send $2 US along with your name and address to: The Dollar Stretcher, Dept OL, PO Box 23785, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33307-3785.

"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

An Insider's Look
Credit Card Transfers
by Elizabeth Bogue

Feast on These Thanksgiving Savings
by Nancy Twigg

Holiday Leftover Ideas
by Rachel Paxton

Mortgage Prepayments When You Expect to Sell
by Gary Foreman

Tips, Quips, Quotes & Questions

On the Dollar Stretcher Website This Week

Introduction
by Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com

Hello to all my Frugal Friends!

Wanted to spend a quick moment to remind you that the Cash Back Club is a great way to do your Christmas shopping online. Many online retailers are offering to pay a bounty to websites that bring them traffic. CashBackClub.com shares that with you. Many of you have already tried their service and told us how much you liked it. It's really very simple. Just visit CashBackClub before you log on to your favorite merchant. You'll need to become a member, but that's free. In fact, we have worked out a very special arrangement where each new member signed up through Stretcher.com gets $10 free in their account. It doesn't cost you a dime, and when you go to shop through CashBackClub.com, you will get Cash Back from nearly 350 name brand merchants - even on sale and clearance items!

If you're going to be buying from these stores anyway, it's silly not to get a discount. You'll find them at www.CashBackClub.com/affiliate/1508

All the Best!
Gary

Our Sponsor

Take $150 off of your utility bills!

Sign up for a RISK-FREE 30-day trial of Shopper's Discount and you can get $150 in Utility Cash Back Certificates! Get the lowest prices--GUARANTEED--on Sony PlayStation, Nikon cameras, and more, and get $150 in FREE utilities.

An Insider's Look
Credit Card Transfers
by Elizabeth Bogue

Since I work with Customer Service in the credit card industry, here are a few things to ask about if or when you want to do balance transfers from one card to another:

1) Will you charge me a processing fee or transfer fee to do this transfer? (be sure that the fees don't eat up the rate advantage!)

2) Will doing a balance transfer require me to close the transferred account?(some credit cards require you to do this, others do not) Will the card that I'm transferring know that this is a balance transfer or treat it just as a payment?

3) Will my interest rate go up if I'm even a day late with a payment? (after all, even the post office can cause you to be late)

4) When the Balance Transfer Rate expires will the balance become part of my purchases or my cash advances? What is that interest rate?

5) I don't think that the time given for the Balance Transfer is long enough, is there any other time limit offered?

6) I don't think that the rate is what I want right now, when will my next Balance Transfer offer be available? (the Credit Card industry makes these offers often to entice customers to switch credit cards, so the offer can change from one month or quarter to the next)

7) Can I use my balance transfer offer for anything else besides paying my Credit Cards? (how about doctor bills, dentist bills, small loans, etc when you would have considered using the cash advance feature of your card)

Be smart not just Dollar-saving customers. The Credit Card industry appreciates an educated customer and doesn't mind answering these questions. If you have a Service representative or Balance Transfer representative who isn't willing to take the time to answer these then maybe you're switching the wrong card.

Insider's Look is a regular feature of The Dollar Stretcher. If you have a story to share please send it to gary@stretcher.com with "Insider's Look" as the subject. You don't need to be a writer. Just someone who's learned about saving money and is willing to share the information with others.

Feast on These Thanksgiving Savings
by Nancy Twigg

If you've ever planned a Thanksgiving feast, you know that the cost of everything can add up faster than you can say, "Gobble, gobble." Here are some practical ideas for saving money on your holiday celebration.

• Ham or turkey, not both. Choose one meat or main dish and plan the rest of your meal around it. This not only saves the cost of the additional meat, but also the cost of special side dishes that go with it. The cost of electricity for cooking both meats is eliminated, too.
• Balance "expensive" and "cheap" dishes. Mashed potatoes are less expensive to make than a creamy vegetable casserole; a pumpkin pie is generally cheaper to make than a cheesecake. Limit the number of dishes requiring expensive ingredients. Choose your family's favorites and serve inexpensive dishes to complement them.
• Trim down extras. Do you really need 4 different vegetables and 3 different desserts? Who will miss that extra vegetable or choice of bread? Try to cut out at least one extra that no one will miss from each food category.
• Serve inexpensive beverages. Alcohol, sodas, fruit juices can be expensive add-ons to your Thanksgiving shopping list. Next to water, coffee (.03¢ per 8oz serving), tea (.04¢ per serving) and Kool-Aid (.05¢ per serving) are about the least expensive beverages available.
• Decorate naturally. Use natural decorations such as dried autumn leaves and pine cones. Fall fruits and vegetables, acorns, and tiny pumpkins also add a festive look. Look in magazines for ideas; then adapt those decorating ideas using things you already have on hand.
• Watch those "giveaways". Grocery stores often run promotions in which they give away turkeys with the purchase of other items such as hams. Don't let the idea of getting something free entice you to buy extras you wouldn't normally purchase.
• Take advantage of loss leaders. In the weeks before Thanksgiving, grocery stores run fantastic specials on traditional holiday foods. They hope that while you're visiting their stores to get the specials, you'll also buy lots of other things. Be a savvy shopper. Take advantage of each store's specials without falling into the extra spending trap.
• Look for substitutions. Many holiday recipes call for ingredients you don' t normally keep on hand. Before you buy special ingredients you'll only use for one recipe, check the substitution guides in your cookbooks to see if there's anything you can substitute.
• Forget fresh vs. frozen. Experts say there is no real difference in taste between a fresh and frozen turkey. It's all a matter of preference and convenience. Therefore, watch for sales and go with whatever is cheapest.
• Choose the right size bird. The turkey experts at Honeysuckle White recommend an 8-12lb turkey for 2-4 people; a 12-16lb turkey for 5-7 people; a 16-20lb turkey for 8-10 people; and a 20-24lb turkey for 11-13 guests. These estimates allow for some leftovers. If your family doesn't like leftovers, nip the leftover problem in the bud by choosing a turkey on the low end of the suggested weight range.

Nancy Twigg is the editor of Counting the Cost, a twice-a-month e-zine dedicated to everyday abundant living at its best. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to: countingthecost-subscribe@topica.com or visit Nancy online at www.countingthecost.com and subscribe there.

Hotwire offers fares on the best airlines at up to 40% off. For planning last minute trips or your next vacation, try Hotwire. There's no bidding, no guesswork, and never any surcharges. And no credit card is needed to view the lowest fares. For great deals on your next vacation, visit Hotwire today!

Holiday Leftover Ideas
by Rachel Paxton
rachel@creativehomemaking.com

The holidays are a time for friends and family and good old-fashioned home cooking. Who can resist the tempting smells coming from the kitchen at this most favorite time of year? Holiday dinners were among my favorite, most memorable meals as a child. Our family shared our holiday meals with different relatives each year, but wherever we were and whoever we were with, we always knew to expect good food and enjoyable family gatherings that we would remember for months to come.

When I was a child, it was always a tradition in our family to have turkey for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas. We would also always enjoy mounds of creamy mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams with lots of butter, brown sugar, and melted marshmallows, and I could always count on sampling my dad's famous fruit salad. He would meticulously cut each fruit into bite-size pieces (apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, and raisins), and mix it all together with a generous portion of homemade whipped cream. Homemade cranberry sauce was also always a special holiday treat.

Now that I'm married we have even more family to share our holiday meals with. With so much family, though, we rarely get to host dinner at our house. It's always nice to go to someone else's house to eat, but then we don't get any of the leftovers! We usually end up taking advantage of the holiday sales at the supermarket though, and then we can have our own little feast. I've had a lot of fun over the years devising ways to use up the leftovers from our own holiday meals--and I'd like to share some of my favorite recipes with you.

• 2 1/2 cups turkey, cooked and diced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 6-ounce box long-grained rice
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, grated

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients with 6 cups of water. Simmer, covered, until rice is cooked, approximately 30 minutes. Great with fresh bread.

• 8 oz. spaghetti or other pasta
• 1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4 c. grated mild cheddar cheese
• 2 c. leftover cooked, diced turkey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional - diced celery and/or diced onion to your taste

Prepare soup as directed. Prepare spaghetti as directed then drain. Combine spaghetti, soup and remaining ingredients. Stir until cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!

• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2 cups ham, cubed
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, mix mashed potatoes and mustard. Spread potato mixture in the bottom of a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Arrange ham on top of potatoes. In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese and cheddar cheese. Spread over ham. Bake until mixture is heated through, about 30 minutes.

• 2 lb. leftover ham, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 c. ketchup
• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1 c. water
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Fry ham in a skillet and sprinkle flour over it. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour and serve on toast or hamburger buns. Makes 15 to 20 sandwiches.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who publishes the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club, a weekly newsletter that contains quick, easy dinner ideas and money-saving household hints. To subscribe send a blank e-mail message to FreeRecipes-subscribe@egroups.com. Visit Creative Homemaking at www.creativehomemaking.com and Suite 101 - www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/creative_homemaking

Mortgage Prepayments When You Expect to Sell
by Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com

Hi Gary,