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Swap Books You Have for Those You Want
Dear Mary: I had the address of a Web site that allows you to list your books by ISBN and swap them with other members. My plan was to let my daughter enter all of our books into the system so she would have an allowance for her book purchases. …Read more.
Post Office Clerk Demonstrates New Flat Rate
Today's first great reader tip, from Shirley in Indiana, brings new meaning to the term "flat rate" and also earns Shirley a one-year membership to Debt-Proof Living Online (at http://www.DebtProofLiving.com). You are going to love this:
…Read more.
How To Jump Into the Coupon Game
A recent column about couponing produced a lot of mail. I recommended The Coupon Clippers as a way to choose the grocery coupons that you want and need, instead of taking a chance that you'll find them in the Sunday paper or elsewhere. I learned …Read more.
5 Lessons I Wish I'd Learned Sooner
While I refuse to live with regret, I must admit there are a few things I wish I'd learned sooner. Because I don't want you to make the same mistakes, I'm going to give you my top five so you don't have to learn the hard way.
1. The lottery is a …Read more.
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A Surefire Way To Slow the Flow of WaterFor years, I've been encouraging readers to send in their best timesaving and money-saving tips, and we've pored over mountains of reader-submitted tips. It's not easy for readers to come up with ideas that my staff at DPL Central and I have not heard before. Now and then, however, it happens. This past month, we received so many great new tips that it was downright difficult to settle on a winner! Read on to see whether you don't agree. TIP OF THE MONTH. My kids always were running the water at full blast while doing dishes, brushing their teeth and doing other chores at the sink. It was difficult to get them to remember to turn off the faucet when they didn't need it, so I slowed the flow by turning down the shut-off valves under each sink. I found that you can adjust for more or less flow by turning on the water all the way at the sink and then slowly turning the shut-off valve toward the off position until you get the desired flow. If the shut-off valve for the shower is accessible, you can slow down that flow the same way. My water bill has decreased significantly since I slowed the flow. — David R., Massachusetts KITCHEN BROKER. A friend of mine recently remodeled his kitchen. Ripping out his existing kitchen was going to cost him approximately $600. Instead, he placed an ad in the local newspaper offering his entire kitchen for sale. He described what was included (cabinets, countertops, appliances, sink and faucet), and he specified that the buyer would need to remove these items from the kitchen. MATCHING QUEEN. I have an easy tip for matching linens. When I take sheets out of the laundry, I fold them and stuff all the pieces of each set into one of its pillowcases. Then, when I make the bed, all I have to do is pull a pillowcase out of the cabinet, and everything is there, already matched up! — Lauretta B., e-mail NEGOTIATING GURU. Recently I had two emergency room visits and two surgeries in three months. Even with health insurance, my portion of the bill came to more than $3,000. I had the money in savings to pay the bills in full, but I wanted the providers to cut me a break. It is expensive for offices to rebill patients month after month, so I called the hospital first. They reduced my bill by 22 percent, provided I paid it immediately. By the time I was done speaking to all the providers, I had negotiated $710 in discounts, averaging more than 17 percent off my bills. You have to pay immediately for negotiation to work, but if you have a contingency fund, you should be in good shape. — Lesa, Washington Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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