September 15, 2000

Welcome to 0nly4Homebuyers Issue 24
Please visit our sponsor, Creative Mortgage Company
http://www.creativemortgageco.com/
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REDUCING YOUR BUDGET A LITTLE AT A TIME

Budgeting is the art of managing the money you have. Whether you have
extra money each month or are living from paycheck to paycheck, it's a
good idea to set some goals for the money leaving your house.

If you already have a budget but are looking for ways to reduce it, the
best way to start is by looking at the variable expenses in your
budget. Anything that isn't fixed and can fluctuate from month to
month is an opportunity.

Start by making a list of all your expenses that fluctuate each month.
Rank them from highest to lowest. What is your highest monthly-unfixed
bill? Is it your food bill, utilities or gasoline expenses? Mine is
probably my grocery bill so let's discuss that one.

Go back one year and calculate what you have spent on food each month
(include eating out). Average the costs out to what you spend each
month and each week. Now how much do you want to save a month in the
food budget category? Divide that by 4 and try saving that much each
week. What does that leave you each month and week to spend on food?

After you have a goal set, you will want to spend a few minutes
strategizing for ways to reduce that bill by 10-25%. Saving just $25 a
week is $100 a month.

I just did this exercise myself and discovered I spend an average of
$245 a month on food for my family of four. I think that is pretty
good but I know I can do better. With some menu planning around weekly
specials and eliminating some of those last minute purchases, I could
probably save $10 a week and put that extra $40 a month into my
vacation fund. There's nothing I love more than a good vacation in a
tropical place. So with a few cuts in just one area of my budget, I've
got an extra $480 for vacation in 12 months. See how simple it is. If
you make a game of it and have goals, it can be fun and it can be done.

Here are some questions to help you with your plan:

* How much of your costs are from eating dinner out?
* How many lunches do you eat out during the week?
* Can you pack a lunch just 3 days a week and save the extra money?
* Can you begin creating weekly menus based on store sales to reduce
costs?

Need a few tips on eating for less?

1. Eliminate convenience foods (make your own as much as possible).
2. Have a soup and sandwich night once a week.
3. Make a weekly menu based on the sales for the week.
4. Buy things in bulk once a month when on sale.
5. Reduce your consumption of meat.
6. Freeze extra meals for another week. i.e. make a big batch of
soup and use half for a meal this week and the other half next week.
7. Buy what you can eat or freeze. Don't waste food. Every dollar
in food that you waste costs about $1.25 to replace.
8. Cook from scrap as much as possible. It is usually cheaper than
buying processed foods and it is much healthier too. Look for some
older cookbooks whose recipes are made up of unprocessed foods to
save even more.

Until you get used to these changes, you may want to take that monthly
amount out of your bank account each week and put it in an envelope.
When you go to the grocery store, that's all you can spend. I
guarantee you'll be more careful about what you buy if you know you'll
be paying cash from the envelope when you get to the register.

In Summary:
Why do you want to save money? Why do you want to reduce your expenses?
What are your financial goals? The answers to these questions need to
be clear in your mind so you can stick with your goals. Look at these
methods as a way to reach your financial goals whatever they may be.
They are a means to an end, instead of something you are forced to do.

If you are a visual person, you might want to put the savings into an
envelope each week. You'll immediately see the results of your efforts
and it'll keep you motivated. Then, save the money for something
special - whatever fits in with your goals!!!

Happy Budgeting!!!

~~~ ** ~~~ ** ~~~ **

Doris S. Dobkins, is a money saving expert and the author of
the book "Financial Freedom from A-Z". She is also the publisher
of a weekly online ezine $mart Money New$ full of financial
strategies and money saving tips. To subscribe, send an email to:
news@... or visit her web site today at:
http://www.creativefinances.com

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You Can Replace an Electrical Outlet
by Bethanny Davis

I recently had a problem with one of the electrical outlets in
my home. When I tried to plug in or unplug something, or even
just wiggled the cord, the entire circuit would short out,
leaving me with no lights in three rooms, no electrical outlets
in two rooms and *gasp* NO COMPUTER!

Well, obviously this was a terrible problem. I mean, how can a
writer live without her computer? I had to do something, and
fast!

Unfortunately, as a single mother, calling an electrician was
just not in the budget. I'd have to figure out how to fix it
myself. I did it, for $11.11, and if you follow my
instructions, you can do it too!

WHAT YOU NEED

*A multimeter - This is a tester used to check to see if there
is electrical current running through the wires. I got mine at
Kmart for $9.99 plus tax. This was the most expensive part of
the repair for me. If you already have one, it won't cost much
at all. *A new outlet - Sells for $0.49 plus tax at Kmart.
*Screwdrivers

TURN THE POWER OFF

The first step is the most important: TURN THE POWER OFF!
Electricity is not something to play around with. Be very
careful. Before starting any electrical project, always turn
the power off. Go to the fuse box and find the circuit you will be
working on. Remove the fuse or switch the circuit breaker off.

TEST YOUR TESTER

Now you need to make sure your multimeter is working properly.
Make sure there is a battery in the multimeter. Now, find a
battery that you can use to test your tester. Set the unit to
the appropriate battery size, and touch the negative probe to
the negative end of your battery and the positive probe to the
positive end of the battery. The needle on the multimeter
should move. Now that you know it works, change the setting on the
multimeter to AC current, or DC if you are in a country that
uses DC.

TEST THE OUTLET

Before starting the repair, you need to test the outlet to make
sure the power is off. To do this, check to make sure your
multimeter is on and set to the correct voltage. Insert the
tester's probes into the outlet. The needle should not move. If
the needle moves, you probably did not turn off the correct
circuit. Go back to the circuit box and try another breaker.

WARNING: Do NOT continue with this repair if you are unsure
whether there is power going into the outlet. When in doubt,
call an electrician.

REMOVE THE OLD OUTLET

To remove the old outlet, use a screwdriver to remove the screw
in the middle of the outlet plate, then remove the plate. Now
unscrew the two screws holding the outlet and pull the old
outlet away from the wall.

CHANGE THE WIRES

Look at the back of the outlet. There are either three or five
wires. One wire (the ground) wraps around a screw. The other
wires stick straight into holes on the back of the outlet.
These wires can be disconnected by inserting a screwdriver into the
slot next to each wire, then pulling the wire out.

Disconnect one wire at a time from the old outlet, then plug it
into the same location on the new outlet. This will keep you
from getting the wires mixed up.

REPLACE THE OUTLET

Push the outlet back into the hole in the wall and replace the
two screws that hold it in place. Then screw the cover plate
back in place.

TURN THE POWER ON

Flip the circuit breaker back to the on position or replace the
fuse, then check your work. Plug something into your new outlet
and turn it on. It should work now. Congratulations!

WARNINGS

ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS. IT CAN SERIOUSLY INJURE OR KILL YOU.
ALWAYS BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING WITH ELECRICITY. IF YOU
HAVE ANY DOUBTS WHATSOEVER ABOUT YOUR ABILITY TO SAFELY
PERFORM THIS OR ANY OTHER ELECRICAL REPAIR, DON'T DO IT!
CALL AN ELECTRICIAN.

About the author

Bethanny Davis lives in Michigan with her two children. She
writes articles about money, parenting and relationships. She
also enjoys writing short stories and poetry. More of her work
can be found at http://writergirl.stormloader.com/.
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