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In this issue:

Introduction

Make Money With Your Credit Card!
by Wendy Lomano

Overcoming Information Overload
by Bob Osgoodby

Scrooge's Christmas List
by Gary Foreman

Crazy Things Fashion Magazines Say
by Paula Begoun

Tips, Quips, Quotes & Questions

On The Dollar Stretcher website

Introduction
by Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com

Hello to all my Frugal Friends! The leftover turkey is gone in our house and it's time to heading into the holidays! If you're looking for ways to put more meaning into your holidays check out "Holiday Memories" at www.stretcher.com/stories/00/001204g.cfm

And please don't forget to send your ideas for saving on holiday gifts, decorations, travel and cooking. Send them by email to terry@stretcher.com with "Holidays" as the subject. We'll include the best ideas all the way through the end of the year.

All the Best! Gary

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Make Money With Your Credit Card!
by Wendy Lomano

Financial planners and consultants may tell you it is best to cut up all but one of your credit cards, and to hide that one card somewhere fairly inaccessible and use it only for emergencies.

This approach may be the only option for those who can't discipline themselves enough to be financially responsible. But for those who have a great amount of will power, credit cards can earn money for them!

Sure, there are those "cash back" cards, offering you a percentage of pennies for what you charge on your card, such as the Discover Card program. There are also cards that give you "free" gasoline, groceries, frequent flier miles or "points" toward a new vehicle when you use the credit card... But that's not what I mean when I say a credit card helps to earn the holder money.

Here's the secret to responsible credit card use: Use it as a charge card, not as a credit card.. What does that mean, exactly?

If you're buying on "credit" it means you are using money you really do not have -- someone else's money; like a loan -- and if you don't pay it all back ASAP, you begin to accumulate interest owed, which costs you more money.

A good example of buying on "credit" (not credit cards, mind you), is a home loan. A $100,000 loan (30-years, 8-percent interest) will actually cost the borrower about $262,000 by the time they pay off the mortgage because of all the interest. The interest is the cost the borrower incurs for the use of the mortgage company's money.

Credit cards work the same way. If you buy "on credit", and then you don't pay off the balance in total, you lose money. Lots of it. You must pay the credit card company for the use of their money, and they charge you a lot in interest, late fees and annual fees.

Responsible credit card use means using your one card as a charge card. How does that work?

Let us say the credit card period starts on the first of the month. So the first of the month, I buy $100 worth of groceries and pay using my Visa. So... that $100 is paid to the grocery store by Visa... and my $100 sits in my credit union account ... earning me interest.

My money sits in my account until I get the Visa bill about a month later. At that time, I write one check to pay the entire balance on my one credit card. My money sits in my account for up to 45 more days because I used my credit card instead of my cash. Using a credit card as a charge card means you do not spend money you do not already have. Logic should tell you if you don't have the money to buy something, you shouldn't be buying it!

It's really quite simple. Here's what you do:

1. Have one credit card. One that gives you "points" toward something or "free" gasoline or groceries is a good idea. And fight them about an annual fee -- if you threaten not to use their card, they'll usually waive it for you.

2. Use your credit card for nearly everything, instead of writing checks, instead of using cash. And above all, instead of using your ATM/debit card.

3. Keep your money in an account that earns you interest. A credit union account is best because most do not charge the multiple fees regular banks slap on to accounts.

4. When you get your credit card bill, pay it in full and on time. The idea is to never pay any interest or late fee!

This approach, while difficult for some to master because of advertising pressure, will not only keep those who use it out of debt, but it will earn money as well!

Wendy Lomano is the web editor of The Stay-At-Home Parents Page www.asacomp.com/~lomano/index2.html

Overcoming Information Overload
by Bob Osgoodby

We receive so much information on the Internet, especially via email, that many times we have difficulty separating the good "stuff" from the junk. Most of us put unsolicited email (spam) in the junk category. By the time we weed through all that "stuff" however, we are approaching information overload, and may give "short shrift" to the really good information we receive.

One way to overcome this very real problem, is to create email filters for things you may wish to read at a future time. For example, create a generic filter for the ezines or newsletters you subscribe to, or one for each. This will then automatically separate this good "stuff" from the junk. You can then keep your "inbox" clean, and read the information at your leisure when you are less harried. One for family and friends is also a good idea.

Use your email filters to weed out the junk. It only takes a moment or so to create a filter, and this will keep all the repeat spam out of your inbox. The best way to filer spam, is not to filter on the senders email address. Most of these are forged anyway, and are different every time. Pick out some "key words" contained in the body of the message. "Stop Snoring, Own an offshore retirement fund, $16,000+ with ONE $20 gift" just to name a few. Filter out those emails that match your key words.

Some of the spam is one time only and you don't need to be concerned with that. Why not create a folder titled "Spam". Every day, instead of simply deleting them, transfer them to this folder. If you see a pattern developing, you can easily pick out the worst offenders, and create a filter for them.

When you subscribe to an ezine or newsletter, don't make a summary judgement that you don't want it. Most publishers try to provide a "variety" of items, and it may take several issues before you both click. Like a baseball player, don't expect a "homerun" every time at bat. Give it a half-dozen or so issues before making up your mind. You may simply get an issue that doesn't appeal to you, but the next might be a winner.

Some people go so far as to set up a separate email account just for their personal use, and another for their ezines, which is not a bad idea. But, if you do this, for goodness sake remember which one you used. Most publishers use list servers for their mailings. You can't unsubscribe from a publication except from the address that they have on file. To prevent the "cranksters" from running amok, they require you to be signed on the address they have on file in order to be removed.

If you decide you don't want a particular publication any longer, try to unsubscribe, and if you get a message that you are not on the list, it does little good to rant and rave. If you're not there, you're not there - period. While most publishers don't want people on their list who don't wish to receive it, they have no idea what email address you used when subscribing.

Most publishers will make an honest effort to remove you from their list, and threats to report them for spamming, will not help them to remove you. The majority of the time the people who complain are using a free email account, and are automatically forwarding the mail to their main address. To compound matters, they forgot they are doing this, and get aggravated when they can't unsubscribe under their main email address.

If you are receiving a publication and cannot unsubscribe, filter their publication automatically into your trash basket. This will save you and the publisher a lot of aggravation.

There is a great deal of good information on the Internet. If you approach it wisely, you will benefit. If you don't, you may also suffer from "Information Overload" and be deleting some really good information.

Bob publishes the free weekly "Your Business" Newsletter Visit his Web Site at http://adv-marketing.com/business to subscribe. As a bonus, get over 40,000 Free eBooks & Web Books when you visit: www.ldpublishing.com

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Scrooge's Christmas List
by Gary Foreman