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Got more time than money? Need to conserve your money more than your energy? Here's a way to make the most of your PRICE BOOK (see Gary's article in the 10/14/97 Dollar Stretcher) by taking major advantage of the weekly "loss leaders" supermarkets offer to attract you; prices so low, they know they may loose money. It's worth it to them to lure you into their aisles in hopes you'll spend some impulse money with them. But, you're going to fool them and not spend a cent extra. This strategy calls for an initial investment of time and effort, but after that, you can cruise on automatic, secure in the knowledge that you're getting the most possible for your money and what's more, have enough staples on hand to weather a real crisis. Here are the components of the plan:

1. INVENTORY your assets. This is the killer for most of us, (oh, all right... ALL of us) but it really *does* pay off. IN ECONOMIC EMERGENCIES, THIS STEP IS CRITICAL. If you keep your price book in a loose-leaf notebook, add sections there. Some people use two clipboards: one at the freezer, one in whatever serves as your pantry. List everything you have on hand: every can, package, box and item, making categories in whatever way makes sense to you. List the item, its size and the number on hand. Bribe yourself if necessary, but take this step if money is really tight or you *really* want to meet a financial goal.

2. Make a MEAL PLAN for one week, using what's on hand. Think in terms of economical, nutritious and filling meals built around cereals, casseroles, soups and stews. List at least the main dish for each meal, keeping all the food groups in mind.

If you need help: Look in the white pages for your local extension service, listed under your state university. (Meal planning and food conservation are specialties for them). Visit your local library. Do a Web search. Call the American Dietetic Association Consumer Nutrition Hotline at 1-800-366-1655 (M - F, 9 - 4 Central time) to question a registered dietitian.

3. Start a SHOPPING LIST, noting whatever ingredients you need to add to make complete meals. For, example, you have dried beans, some ground meat and spices. You could make a big pot of chili if you had some tomato sauce, so list that.

4. Study the WEEKLY GROCERY ADS carefully. First, look for items already on your shopping list. Note the item, size, price and store, Change your meal plans to accommodate sales. Be flexible. Try new-to-you brands and products, if the price is right. Your price book will tell you if the sale price is really a bargain. I track the best sale prices, the store and the date, noting the current best available deal in red. Then I understand the sale cycles for that product and know when to buy and when to wait. A "stockpile" allows this. Soon, you won't HAVE to buy at any price just because you've run out of an item.

Now, notice the loss leaders. These are usually the big print, front page offers and can be a buy opportunity, depending on your needs, preferences, storage space and budget.

PUT AS MUCH OF YOUR BUDGETED FOOD MONEY INTO LOSS LEADERS AS YOU CAN AFFORD, after you buy the essentials on your list. Needless to say, you only buy what you know you'll use or you've just created a new money sink instead of saving. This strategy allows you to stretch your budget the farthest AND to build up a stockpile of staples. A full pantry (even if your "pantry" is under the bed, in the garage or under the tablecloth covering an end table,) gives you some security; a base you can build on. The Dollar Stretcher offers lots of advice on storage- take advantage of it! Full cupboards help make you independent. If you work this system to the max, it's possible to go to a grocery store only when you CHOOSE to; saving money, time, effort and gas.

A tip: put a can opener in your car, along with a plastic fork and spoon. Then you can run in, buy one can of a loss leader you're not sure you'll like, open and taste. Stock up on the spot, if it suits you. You may spend a few extra pennies and a little time, but it can keep you from owning a case of something your family hates and return trips to the store to stock up after a home trial. This is especially important if you don't usually shop in this store and/or have traveled farther than usual to get there.

5. MAINTAIN! As you use an item, mark your inventory accordingly. It's a pain, but very helpful, especially in tough times, when it permits you to serve nutritious meals while hoarding your precious cash. It makes you focus on what you already have and use it to best advantage. It stops waste, prevents needless expenditures and trips because you don't KNOW what you have and stretches your money. It's also planet friendly.

Save your food plans. Recycle the meals into a new plan or just reuse them after you have a month's worth.

Study the ads every week and use them to make your shopping list. Note the best deals in your price book.

Keep investing as much of your budgeted food money into loss leaders as you can manage. As your stored reserves increase, your financial freedom increases, too. This is the aspect of this method that allows you to "coast". As more and more of your resources are plowed into inventory, you'll have more choices in life. You'll be getting the most for your money, too.

Though not about this plan, there are two books by Doris Janzen Longacre that will help adjust your attitudes, motivate you and give you specific information, advice, guidance and recipes: Living More With Less and More With Less Cookbook. You'll probably have to get them though interlibrary loan, because they disappear from library shelves. They both have much to say about living simply, saving money and making choices, with stories from people all of ages, living in many different circumstances. There are dozens of easy to adapt and adopt ideas to live in harmony with ourselves. our communities and our world.

Louise is a regular contributor to the Dollar Stretcher. If you have a question or comment please contact her at wulfx@ibm.net.

Once upon a time there were three frogs sitting on a log in the middle of a pond. One frog made a decision to jump off of the log into the pond. How many frogs were left on the log?

Answer: three. The frog had only "made a decision" to jump into the pond. He did not act on the decision.

Becoming organized is a lot like the story of the three frogs. We can decide to get organized quite often and yet never take action. This is especially true of paper clutter in the home. How many times have you said, "When I get some time I am going to organize my photographs (recipes, etc)"? This article will focus on conquering photograph and Recipe clutter in the home.

One of the most common complaints I hear is that people are frustrated with having too many photographs in too many different places. They tell me that once the film is developed, the prints are just left in the processing envelope and are put into a box or shoved into a drawer and quickly forgotten. The easiest way to manage this clutter problem is to take time to put all of your photographs into an acid-free archival binder - you don't want to skimp on this, but shop around, bargains can be found.

After a roll of film has been developed, I encourage my clients to immediately put them into albums and label the photographs with name, date, location, and any special details that are meaningful. I don't care how well you know the people in the photo, in a few years, you may not remember the details that make the picture special.

I recommend doing scrapbooks in small doses so it doesn't become overwhelming, but if you want to devote one day every few months or some other big block of time for scrapbooks, then at least label your photographs on the back with details when they are first processed and your memory is fresh.

My wife has a similar scrapbook system for her recipes. Her recipes used to be tucked away in drawers, stuck to the refrigerator, on the coffee table, etc. Now she uses 8 1/2 x 11 plastic sheets and puts recipes which she cuts out of newspapers and magazines into a binder. She also attaches recipe cards to larger sheets of paper for easy access. The plastic sheets keep the recipe clean and the binder lays flat (unlike most recipe books I've seen).

The binder is indexed according to type of food (main dishes, desserts, salads) and if my wife decides she doesn't like one of the recipes, she just replaces it quickly and easily. This is much cheaper than buying cookbooks (that you only use a few recipes out of anyway) and is a great place to store recipes you collect from the Dollar Stretcher! Get those recipes off the coffee table!

In fact, I got my wife started with this scrapbook by giving it to her as a gift. About two months before her birthday, I wrote a form letter to about 20 of her family and friends explaining that I was putting together a recipe scrapbook and would they please contribute 3-5 of their favorite recipes on recipe cards (included). I had them send them to my office so my wife wouldn't open them.

I received about 100 recipes and bought binders, plastic sheets, and rubber cement and put together an organized birthday scrapbook. She loves it! Some friends and family wrote personal messages with their recipes and that makes this one-of-a-kind recipe book all the more special. Total cost: about $45, but you can do it on a much smaller scale and choose lower quality paper if you like.

With the holiday season upon us, this may be a gift idea worth trying. It is organized, useful, and original. Convert someone else to becoming organized and conquering their recipe clutter! The adaptations of this gift are endless. Maybe you could combine photographs, pictures, and recipes...maybe you could do a recipe book highlighting holiday foods...maybe you could use this as a wedding gift...how about a "going off to college" gift...maybe...

Good luck!
Michael

Michael Allen is a part-time planning consultant and professional organizer in Denver, Colorado. He offers workshops and organization services to homes and businesses to help people get, and stay organized and maximize their personal satisfaction and professional productivity. For more information, contact him at michaelallen@juno.com.

Recycling clothes is a great way for frugal families to save money. Hand me downs, goodwill, consignment finds and garage sales make getting great clothes at a fraction of retail price easy. But what about those clothing items that seem to be permanently ruined or worn beyond repair. You can recycle them to. Here are a few ideas on how to do this.

1. Make a bed spread using old jeans. I recently made a bed spread for my daughter's first big girl bed. I am not much of a sewer but it was easy. Simply cut squares out of old worn out jeans that are no longer wearable. Sew the squares together in strips the width of the bed spread you desire. Then sew the strips together to the proper length. Sew this quilt top to an appropriate size old flannel sheet - right sides facing each other. Then turn it inside out. Secure the quilt top to the sheet further by tying pear cotton bows on every other square. This quilt is thin yet very heavy and warm. You can also make great potholders using old jeans and thick batting.

2. Dye stained clothes a darker color.

3. Jazz up plain and stained sweatshirts - great for babies and young children. To cover stains on sweatshirts or t-shirts or just to make a cheap boring bargain find more exciting, use ribbons, lace, pockets and appliques. Make your own appliques out of scrap material, cut material into simple shapes like flowers, hearts, trucks and geometric shapes. Then sew appliques onto shirt (folding edges under to prevent raveling) using a blanket stitch, covering any stains. You can also cover stains by creating a pocket and sewing it to shirt. Sew lace or buttons around a collar to jazz it up. Or just pull a piece of ribbon through the shirt and tie a bow, or two, or ten. These techniques have salvaged many .25 and .10 garage sale finds that would be perfect "if it weren't for that little stain".

4. Make mittens out of old sweatshirts. Create your own pattern to fit child's hand. A little sewing and some elastic and you have great, one of a kind mittens. Add buttons, patches or homemade appliques for decoration. For step by step instructions and patterns visit this web site: www.auntannie.com/mittens/mitten.html

5. Make throw pillows out of your young child's favorite outgrown shirts and/or baby clothes. Simply turn the garment inside out and sew up all openings, leaving a few inches which you will insert stuffing through. Next turn the garment right side out and stuff it. Then sew that opening shut.

6. Old sheets and table cloths can be used as organizers. Cut the fabric to the desired size and hem. Then sew on pockets to hold shoes, toys, stuffed animals, jewelry, whatever you want to organize. You can also make great drawstring bags for organizing toys and many other uses. Cut material to twice the desired width size and fold in half, inside out. Sew side and bottom together and turn right side out. Hem the top of bag about 5/8 inches leaving two openings to insert drawstring through. These are especially great for holding toddlers treasures such as blocks.

Julie is the owner of Smart People Publishing. Visit her web site at www.pacifier.com/~inudog/.

Dear Bob,
My Sable's heater core is plugged with gunk and not allowing coolant to flow through it to heat the interior. I good auto tech flushed it and got a little of the corrosion out, thus regaining a small amount of heat. But, a full on heater core replacement is very involved and even requires removal of the dash. We're looking at a $400 job! Do you know of any way, I mean ANY way, to ream out some more of the corrosion in the heater core without having to rip the loser Ford lemon apart?
signed,
a broken, frugal Ford owner
Steve,
Grants Pass, Or.

Steve,
The gunk you have in the heater core is probably from an overdose of stop leak. I may have written about this before, but if you cant stop the leak with at most two applications, then it's time to try something else.... as far as the removal of the gunk.... I wouldn't use too much more flush.... Try one more application... you might wind up damaging other components or seals in the system. And you are exactly correct with the amount of effort that is required to change heater cores, but this effort is not just limited to ford products.... almost all heater cores need to be removed in this fashion. One other thing that you might want to try, and I am not sure if this will solve the problem, it might even make things worse, but remove the heater hoses from the core. Then, at the core stubs, use compressed air to try and remove some of the debris. Too much pressure could cause the core to blow up. I make no guarantee that this will work or even not damage he system. If anyone else has any suggestions for this reader, I think he would appreciate it.

Good Luck!
Drive Safely!

Bob
The Auto Answer Guy?

Bob answers your auto questions. If you have a question for Bob just sent it to him at: AskBob@stretcher.com.

I am curious if anybody knows the difference (if there is one) between the cheap 5 gallon bucket of "WindFresh" laundry detergent you can buy at Sam's Club that does 200 loads, and a box of very expensive Tide (or any other name brand). I've used "WindFresh" (used to be called Family Tree) forever, its only about $9. But recently I've been wondering if perhaps the claims Tide makes regarding keeping clothes looking newer, fresher, etc are true?
THANKS!
--Tam

When I was single, I use to have a budget. I knew how much money I was getting every month, so doing a budget was no problem.

I am now a stay at home mom who tries to make a few dollars here and there by doing odd jobs. My husband works by contract so I never know from month to month, even from day to day, how much money he will make. Some months we could have over $4000.00 to work with or just $1200.00. My question is how do you budget your money, when you are not sure how much money you have to work with. Thanks.
--Carol

Would you have any advice on how to get satisfaction from an unscrupulous car repair shop? We took my car in and paid for a "super tune-up." While the car was there, the key stuck in the ignition. The shop said it was probably just time for it to go, and charged me $40 to repair the tumblers. When I got the car out of the shop, the horn, brights and turning signals didn't work. After arguing with them for a couple of weeks, I found they had closed for reorganization. I took the car to a more reputable shop, where they told me that none of the work I had paid for had been done (the belts weren't changed, the oil was the same, etc.). Their charge to bring it back to where it was prior to the first shop? Just over $400.00.
Do you know who I contact in the state of MD?
--June

editor's note: Let's not keep this to just Maryland. Whatever office works in one state should work in another.

We use the "Private Issue" card by Discover. You get 2% cash back after the first $5000. You work your way up to that rate incrementally. We put everything possible on it. Of course you pay it off every month. The bill is broken out by type of purchase i.e. auto, entertainment, groceries etc. so it helps categorize your expenses at a glance for your budget.
--Wes G.
Dallas, Texas

We have the "Giant Food Visa" card issued by Chevy Chase Bank. We found that it had the right combination of features for us. First, no annual fee. Second, all the normal advantages of a gold card (for the gold card version). Finally, we get "free groceries" in the amount of 3% of all Giant Food purchases and 1% of all other purchases. Every quarter we get mailed coupons that are essentially Giant gift certificates in the appropriate amount.

We calculated that $300 a month in groceries (most spent at Giant anyway) translates into $9/month, even if we didn't spend anything else. Sure we "have to" spend it on groceries, but we were going to do that anyway. It frees up other money to go straight into savings.

You should be able to pick up an application at any Giant Food store. If there isn't one in your area, the card won't be of much use to you anyway.
--sKw

editor's note: more suggestions on cash back credit cards at: http://www.stretcher.com/stories/971121c.htm.

Is the remaining balance that you owe on your minivan more than you could get for selling the vehicle? If so, get the thing paid off as soon as possible. See if paying off the monthly in 2 installments per month (that is 1/2 + 1/2) is possible - it could save you from some of the interest from that month.

If the car is worth enough to trade-in and not have you wallow in left-over debt, wait until the end of the new model year is over, many companies/dealers offer better financing incentives, some as low as 2.9, 3.9. Or - sell the thing and buy a cheaper, used vehicle.

As to the credit card debt - good luck.
--Rina B.

A few years ago we found out we were expecting another child. We had no insurance to pay for the birth, and finances were tight. One day I looked out the window at our two late model vehicles and something clicked.

We sold both vehicles in the paper. We sold them for more than we owed on each, making about three thousand on each. My husband bought an old small pickup for 1,300.00 and we bought a ten year old large station wagon for 2,300.00 (Room enough for kids, dogs and equipment). The stated price on both vehicles was about double what we actually paid. Don't be afraid to dicker.

Not only did we gain cash, we lost two car payments, saving over 550.00 a month. Because we own our cars outright, we don't have to carry comprehensive insurance. Savings of another 75.00-90.00 dollars a month. Also, we live in a state that bases its licensing fees on value. Instead of 280.00 a year per vehicle, we now pay around 60.00. MORE savings!

Sure, I pay a little more in gas. I actually haven't ever had anything go wrong with my wagon. They built 'em good back in the eighties. Soon we'll trade it in. On another old wagon, just a few years newer.

I feel great every time I get in my car. Its paid for! I feel smug everytime I drive by someone in their fancy new car. I can just see the dollars flowing away to payment, insurance, taxes.
--Hallie P

editor's note: had some great suggestions on this question. Many were too long to summarize here. You can find them at: http://www.stretcher.com/stories/971121d.htm. Thanks to everyone who shared their ideas!

I know of a good web site that will help determine which long- distance company is best for an individual's calling patterns...
www.teleworth.com
Once you input your calling pattern (it helps to have a recent phone bill handy), it gives a quote from the major long- distance companies, as well as some of the new, smaller ones. The analysis includes international and calling-card calls.
I've found this site to be very helpful.
--Sandy

Just wanted to let your subscribers know that there is a OAMC email list, for recipes and discussion of Once a Month Cooking. Send mail to Majordomo@ListService.net with the following command in the body of your email message:
subscribe oamc-digest
Or, for individual posts, subscribe oamc

--Paulette B.

Although this has not appealed to me in the past(I like more variety than this), when I read it this time, it gave me the idea to pare it down to once a month cooking about 5 or 6 meals. That way on those harried days when I am tempted to go out to eat, we will have something available.
--Sherri P

At one time I lived near a "clothing factory." I went to the and found that they sold huge bags of scrap cloth for $3.00. Also, leftover fabric and ridiculously low prices. I found I bought much too much and ended up giving it away, but I saved larger pieces and those that were my favorites.

This year I used some Christmas fabric to make bags with handles to "wrap" my grandchildren's gifts in. The bags were tailored to fit the size of the package I was wrapping. In my case racetrack boxes for six grandsons. Once the bag was made, I slipped the box inside and used crochet thread to loosely stitch the top together so it would be "wrapped." These bags can be hung on a hanger and then used to store the racetrack when not in use. I did the same thing for my granddaughters gifts only in sizes that fit their packages. You could do the same thing with any scraps you have around, then use curling ribbon which is very inexpensive just after Christmas for next year.

I love saving money and when you "look" around you "find" ways to save.
--Charlotte

Quick tip on liquid soap dispensers: attach a rubber band. You'll use about 1/2 as much soap, but it's plenty to suds up with.
--Jennifer

I am in the lending business and have found that there are quite a few people that end up in bankruptcy due to uninsured medical bills. When these people realize they can not pay them, the end up in bankruptcy. They often get advice from lawyers to charge off all possible bills because they can only file bankruptcy every seven years.
I would advise someone in this situation to look at their whole credit picture before charging off all debts. If you have good credit, and it is possible, charge off only the medical bills.

This does two things: From a lending standpoint, it is much easier to lend to someone who had a bankruptcy from something out of their control (medical problem) who is genuinely making an effort to pay all of their other bills. Also, many credit decisions these days are based on credit scoring. A bankruptcy does not hurt your score as much if there is other "good credit" reporting.

Also, I agree with avoiding the "quick fix" credit people. The only thing that can erase bad credit is time and positive information reported from lenders.
--BB

Something I found to free up a lot of space was to take all my blankets, comforters, quilts, sleeping bags, etc that I normally use when company comes and lay them flat between the mattress and box springs and leave them there until needed.
This freed up an entire closet for me!
--Pat M

I live in a college dormitory, and in our basement we have a recycling area with bins for plastics, cans and bottles, and papers. If you have anything similar in your dorm or even apartment building, keep an eye on it! I've lived in my building for less than a year and I've found stacks of free magazines and newspapers (especially if you have any neighbors studying Politics or Current Events), free cans and bottles waiting to be redeemed, free plastic bags to collect the unredeemed cans, and numerous cardboard boxes of all sizes (look after vacations or other periods when people will be moving). It's like Junior Dumpster Diving without having to dig through old pasta and used Kleenex.
--- Kite in Boston

(editor's note: awhile back we had a suggestion to wash wool in cold water. Ann wrote in saying it didn't work. This is in response to that letter.)

I did exactly the same thing to my jacket Ann. Now I am in a textile course, and have learned that when they say 'cold', they don't MEAN cold. Both rayon and wool will shrink almost as much when shocked by COLD (brrrrr!!) water. The phrase should be 'tepid'. The water should be neither warmish, or (brrrrr!!) cold. I don't have an exact temperature to give you. If it feels neither warm OR cold....it's about right. I went back and tried another wool jacket....worked fine.
-Deb

As we enter winter, some people might benefit from these 2 frugal hints I've used before to save money on electricity/butane.

When you use the oven, after you turn it off instead of shutting the door open it so the heat can dissipate into the house. WARNING: DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE SMALL CHILDREN!!

Also, after a bath, don't let the water out of the tub until it's cold. You can benefit from the heat escaping from the bath water & also the humidity.
--deb c.

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