exQUIZZme !

1. Pay off high-cost debt. The best investment most borrowers can make is to pay off consumer debt with double-digit interest rates. For example, if you have a $3,000 credit card balance at 19.8%, and you pay the required minimum balance of 2% of the balance or $15, whichever is greater, it will take 39 years to pay off the loan. And you will pay more than $10,000 in interest charges.

2. Buy a home and pay off the mortgage before you retire. The largest asset of most middle-income families is their home equity. Once these families have made their last mortgage payment, they have far lower housing expenses. They also have an asset that can be borrowed on in emergencies or converted into cash through sale of the home.

3. Participate in a work-related retirement program. Many employees turn down free money from their employer by not signing up for a work-related retirement program such as a 401(k) plan. If they did participate, with a dollar-for-dollar match they would likely receive an annual yield of greater than 100% on their investment.

4. Outside of work, save monthly through an automatic transfer from checking to savings. These savings will provide funds for emergencies, home purchase, school tuition, or even retirement. Almost all banking institutions will, on request, automatically transfer funds monthly from your checking account to a savings account, U.S. Savings Bond, or stock mutual fund. What you don’t see, you will probably not miss.

5. Calculate your risk and return. If you earn 4% interest, your money will double in less than 15 years; at 7% it will double in about 10 years and at 10% it will double in 7%. Use Asset Allocation to reduce your overall risk.

There are multitudes of ways to purchase used clothing for your baby. In this article I will cover only the online options available in the hopes that it will help you to maximize your spending money with the least amount of hassle, stress or risk. I hope to cover some of the key issues of buying used clothes online such as private sales versus online stores, the use of PayPal and other forms of payment, purchasing through ebay and non ebay auctions or non-auctions alike, online classifieds and more all in the hopes that you will benefit from some of the things I’ve learned and avoid the mistakes that I as well as others have made.

First of all let’s talk a bit about where to find used baby clothes online from private sellers. There are some areas on the web which allow you to post used clothing ads such as ebay and classified sites. Some classified or “for sale” sites are even specialized in either family or baby related items. Ebay, for those of us who are familiar but not necessarily all knowing about it, is a giant online auction with items being posted constantly in all possible fields and topics. Those selling can choose to list their items in an auction format in which the sky’s the limit.

Bids can start as low as one penny or they can choose to invite people to purchase the items out right by using a buy now feature in which they set a price for their items. As a general rule the buyer pays all shipping costs on top of the selling price and most payments are made through PayPal, which I will cover later.

Baby clothing on ebay tends to be mostly new with or without tags attached and is either sold in batches of items known as “lots” (grouped by gender and size) or individually as outfits. Since I am focusing on used baby items let’s discuss those. Batches of baby clothing on ebay tend to get bid very high as there is a seemingly large number of people wanting to buy in this way and very few meeting the demand. I have found that items and batches of clothing of any note on ebay tend to sky rocket in price above what is reasonable for used clothing, particularly if they toss in a few name brands such as Gap, Osh Kosh, Gymboree etc… and more often than not a bidding war ensues and you are inevitably outbid or worse you get caught up and spend more than you’d originally expected for items you haven’t even seen and have no quality guarantee!

Auction and classified or selling sites other than ebay can be very chancy, since ebay is established it has the ability to set down rules which keep most dishonest people out while the smaller sights haven’t the same pull with those posting. Quite often these sites (this doesn’t really apply to local purchasing) are riddled with people who are no longer allowed to post on ebay for one reason or another. I have had experiences myself in which items promised ended up being fewer than what I’d paid for and set a price based entirely on quantity! I can’t tell you how upset that made me, and what was worse. I was informed that three of the items had small stains when in truth about 50 fell into the stained category. So what had originally been a good deal turned out to be very disappointing!

There are of course no guarantees with a private seller, no return policy or customer service after the sale is closed and once the sale is complete you must find a new seller down the road when you need clothing again and you run the risks of stumbling across a swindle or a sour deal every time.

One rule to follow in all private sales is to use a traceable method of payment like PayPal. PayPal is a third party which will ensure payment and receipt of product from both parties. Do not use Western Union in any online transactions, or any other non traceable forms of payment! There is no guarantee you’ll ever get the items you paid for when you use this method as it is meant to be untraceable!

So now let’s discuss the second option of buying used baby clothes online, the non private sellers or online used baby clothing stores. There are over 50 stores currently running online who specialize in selling used baby clothing. As with all things online there are stores which are shabbily run due to poor web design skills and such to no fault on the part of the store, they just don’t have the skills to make the process simple and enjoyable for you. They have great items and competitive prices and if you don’t mind a little extra effort when placing an order they do have more security than the average private seller, especially since you know where they are going to be when you need them. There are a handful of sites which are a little better for service, for example you do not need to email them detailed descriptions of the items you’d like, mail them a money order or some such and then wait for them to receive it before they even send you the items these sites often have PayPal as an option and some even have shopping carts if a little confusing to use. There are an even smaller number of high service sights who offer credit card payment options, low shipping costs and things similar to those offered by online stores in general. Quite a few of all three levels of sites have quality guarantees for a week or so after you’ve received your order. One even offers a full year quality guarantee! This ensures that the items you buy from them have been inspected thoroughly by people who have a more universal understanding of the words “in great condition” and it is in their best interest to satisfy as they ideally would like you to come back and tell others! Shopping with these stores can be fun and you can save tons while getting the quality you are looking for!

Should you choose the more dangerous route of shopping through private sellers with ebay and non ebay sites please take care and remember to never use a non traceable form of payment, don’t be afraid to ask numerous questions, if something seems off in their responses trust your gut, there will always be another seller. Should you choose to explore the option of purchasing through an online used baby clothing store I wish you all the fun of shopping for baby clothes at bargain prices (doesn’t that mean you can buy even more?!) with none of the hassle or risks associated with private sellers and the added benfit of quality guarantees! Happy Shopping! I will cover more on this issue in later posts.

In this post I will talk about furniture care. Protect your investment, from time to time you will need to wax your furniture. This should be done using a soft cloth and bees wax. You should then allow some time before buffing off using a new soft cloth. Always buff in the direction of the grain.

Any food or drink spills should be wiped off immediately with a dry cloth. If afterwards the wood is marked, gently rub down with extra fine wire wool in the direction of the grain. Once the marking is cleared you will need to wax over.

Hot or cold dishes should not be placed directly on to the surface.

It happens at all hours of the day and night, people are there, and then suddenly gone. Some leave behind evidence of what happened, but most do not. Take the case of Jerry Strege for example. Jerry’s father couldn’t figure out why his son wasn’t answering the phone, so he went to his apartment. When his father arrived, the door was unlocked, the lights and the TV were on and Jerry’s belongings, wallet, keys and cell phone were still there. Even both cars were still in the garage. What his father didn’t find were any signs of foul play – no blood, no evidence of a struggle and nothing missing. That was in October of 2002 and no one has seen or heard from Jerry since. But did Jerry simply walk away from his life and start fresh somewhere else? Not likely, according to his friends. He was looking forward to an amateur golf tournament the next weekend.

In 2001, 840,279 adults and children were reported missing and entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. Nearly a million people lost in the United States in one year? Where are these people and why aren’t we hearing more about this very serious problem?

Perhaps the answer lies in the overwhelming statistics … there are so many, we’ve stopped actually hearing the missing people reports. We care, but what can we do? Unless it’s someone in our area, we can’t volunteer to search, there’s no point in putting more pressure on police and in a few days the press will drop the case and let us go back to our peaceful lives anyway. But wait, there is something we can do.

The Internet has a network of sites that help the families of missing people. Usually, these sites include posters that are easy to print out and all they ask of us, is to put those posters where people will see them. It’s a small price to pay. After all, the statistics show this could happen to us too.

Having a pre-approved mortgage will give you the confidence of knowing exactly what you can spend on a home before you start looking. You will also be protected against interest rate increases while you look for your new home.

Your Mortgage Specialist will answer your questions and help you determine which financing terms and options are right for you. Your Mortgage Specialist and Real Estate Professional work as a team to help you find the right home and select the best financing.

Finalizing Your Mortgage

Once you’ve found the home you want to purchase, there are some documents you’ll probably be asked for in order to finalize your financing. They will include:

1. A copy of the real estate listing of the property. If the home is still to be built, the mortgage lender will need to see the architect’s or builder’s plans and details on lot size and location.

2. A copy of the offer to purchase or the building contract, if this document has been prepared.

3. Documents to confirm employment, income and source of pre-approval.

If you have a pre-approved mortgage, it’s a simple matter of finalizing a few details which your Mortgage Specialist will explain to you.

Not too long ago my teenage daughter approached me with a very special request… one that not every father gets from his loving daughter. I was sitting in front of the TV after a hard day at work and while I was fidgeting with the defective cable company-provided remote (the one the kids only know how to operate) trying to find a movie I hadn’t yet seen ten times already on cable, she blurts out, “Dad, can I have a breast reduction?”

Now, if you’re a parent then you know there exists a certain ‘conditioning’ that occurs over the years when responding to questions from our children, especially if your attentions are focused elsewhere at the moment. They all have this tendency to ask questions at the most inappropriate times. For example, one time I was wrestling with a stubborn pipe while fixing a leak under the kitchen sink. To begin with, I was in a seemingly impossible body contortion trying to manipulate a wrench in a confined space so my frustration level was accelerating. At that moment a passing kid asked, “Dad, can I have ddgrfguff?”. I didn’t hear the last part of the question but I was safe in responding back, “Yeah, sure.” You see, it was a ‘can I have’ question which was usually food-related as opposed to ‘can I go’ which requires some passing thought to respond (later I caught holy-heck from my wife for letting my son eat something too close to dinner, but that’s a whole other story). But as the kids got older the ‘can I have’ questions became less about food and more about a request for money… lots of money. (more…)

As somone who has lived in both places, I can tell you that country living certainly beats the hustle and bustle of city life! Living in a rural area has advantages that simply can’t be bought at any price.

In the city I was bombarded with the sounds of horns blowing and sirens blaring. In the country I’m soothed by a chorus of whippoorwills, bullfrogs and crickets, along with the pleasant sound of a cool breeze flowing through the trees.

On congested city streets I had to deal with frustrated drivers and careless pedestrians. On winding country roads I have to try my best to ignore the postcard-like beauty of the farmland and forests so I can keep my eyes on the road.

Yes, country living is the lifestyle that I, like most people who have had the opportunity to experience it, prefer. Instead of pushy salespeople knocking on my door hoping to leave with some of my money, I have warm, friendly neighbors dropping by with baskets of fresh vegetables from their gardens. Not to sell of course - they simply enjoy sharing the rewards of their country lifestyles with others.

Living in the country means that I can get up at 8:00 in the morning and enjoy a leisurely jog down a deserted lane or simply sit on a riverbank under a huge shade tree with a fishing pole in my hand.

City folks have the convenience of a store on every corner. I get to enjoy the tranquility and peace of mind that results from watching colorful birds flitter around my lawn or deer grazing in my neighbor’s pasture field.

Yes, I do enjoy my country lifestyle very much! Having spent much of my life living in various cities around the world, I can now enjoy the peace and tranquility of my country home. For me, a country lifestyle makes it easy to look forward to the next day!

The fact is that most people continue to work for a living, because they don’t have the means to live without that income. Do not get me wrong. You may enjoy doing what you do. If you do not have to worry about making a living out of this, could you do better, on your own terms?

Perhaps work fewer hours and spend more time with your family? Perhaps choose to take a few days to travel, without worrying about needing to ask for permission. Maybe spend a little time helping out your favorite charity?

There are a great many people who would not go to work, if they did not have to earn a living. Total Financial Freedom is about having that choice. If you quit your job, the organization will not shut down. They will find a replacement to do your job. They will continue their business. However, if you quit working for yourself, nobody will replace you. You owe it to yourself and the ones near and dear to you. When you have the choice, you may still continue to work. The big difference is in knowing that you have a choice. (more…)