CHECK THE FOOD EXPIRATION DATE
AT YOUR SUPERMARKET
Groceries Rotate Their Stock
Frugal Living Tips
-- SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com Archive --
June 7, 2002 Issue

SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com

Published 1st & 3rd Friday Of Each Month
Vol. 8, June 7, 2002

Hi,
Here is the latest issue. Enjoy!
Editor, Rick Doble

1. Father's Day:
   e-mail a free e-card
   *MEMBERS ONLY* Section
2. CHEAP TRICKS:
   Get fresher food at every trip
   to the supermarket
3. JUST FOR FUN:
   Float your troubles away
4. IN DEPTH:
   Credit Card Hell
   What to look for
   How to stay out of trouble
5. RICK'S NOTES:
   A real world example of
   late payment charges
6. JOKE:
   What some doctor's say about
   new prescriptions
7. In the next newsletter
8. About our advertisers
   We looked for good values from reputable merchants. Read our pledge to our readers if you encounter a problem.
9. About SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com

#1. SEND A COLORFUL AND
EXCITING E-CARD:
IT'S FREE

Sunday June 16, 2002 is Father's Day. If your father, grandfather, godfather or favorite uncle is on the Internet, you can send an e-card for free. If they have never gotten an e-card before, it can be quite exciting. You might want to send one in addition to a paper card just for the fun of it.

Choose from thousands of free e-cards at our *MEMBERS ONLY* area which also includes sites for jokes, quotations, and song lyrics. You can use these words in most cards as part or all of your message. Sending an e-card will also save you money, use less paper and even allow you to send at the last minute.

E-cards are at the *MEMBERS ONLY* section:
http://www.SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com/members FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD TO THE *MEMBERS ONLY* AREA?
Click here to send an e-mail.
You will get an instant e-mail reply
with your password.
mailto:members@sendfree.com

Hale Groves - Premium Indian River Citrus Since 1947

Click to get a free lifetime
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#2. CHEAP TRICKS:
Check the Expiration Date

Supermarkets rotate their stock. This means that most have a policy in which the oldest items are put first and the newest ones put toward the back of a shelf. So if you are buying milk, the freshest is often well behind the one up front.

While stores need to get rid of their older items that are not out of date, you may find yourself buying a container of yogurt that is only good for a few more days.

Always check the date when you buy food that can spoil. If the date is less that a week away, reach toward the back for ones with longer expiration dates.

For example, I recently bought a carton of orange juice. The one at the front was due to expire in just a few days. The cartons at the back were good for another ten days.

NOTE: You may be able to get products that are close to their expiration date at a deep discount. Read our article at the SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com site:
Buy milk, bread, fruit, cereal and meat at your local supermarket for 50% off.
http://www.SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com/r_expire.htm

Discount Hotel Reservations
Check out the specials!
Such as:
New York from $69
Chicago from $68
San Francisco from $79
Washington DC from $69

#3. JUST FOR FUN:
Float your trouble away
Why not an inflatable boat?

"...there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932)

Boats can be very expensive and require a lot of space and maintenance. However, small inflatables are cheap, light, easy to store and you don't need a trailer. They start at about $20 and come in a variety of sizes. I have found that you need at least one size bigger than the boat specifies. For example, a "three man" boat is just barely big enough for two people. Larger boats can even accommodate motors. They will last about three years.

You can find these boats at sporting goods stores and large department stores such as Wal-Mart. Modern inflatables have two chambers for safety. If you get a puncture in one, the other will still keep you afloat. However, you should also carry life jackets. If you like to row, you might want to buy a better set of oars than the ones that come with the craft.

You can inflate these boats quickly with a foot pump or an electric blower that attaches to your car battery or plugs into the car's cigarette lighter. I prefer the blower because I like to get on the water as fast as possible; either way it takes at most five minutes to inflate.

When the boat comes out of the water, simply rinse it down, towel it off and then deflate by opening all the valves. I leave the boat on the cars hood for a few minutes while the air goes out of it, then roll it up and store it.

My wife and I have a "three man" boat which is perfect for a couple of hours of rowing and swimming. It costs us about $25 a year.

We pay about $8 a month for all long distance
including out-of-state, in-state,
local long distance, during the day
and on the road.

#4. IN DEPTH:
Credit Card Hell

In the summer many of us take time off. This means you can easily overlook a credit card payment deadline. It also means that many of us use our cards to pay for vacation expenses.

A recent report on CBS Evening News (5/9/02) pointed out that credit card companies want to keep you in debt. The report stated "card companies target people with modest incomes, and inundate them with offers of easy credit, knowing they're the most likely to pay late." The Wall Street Journal (5/21/02) reported that almost 60% of card carrying consumers had to pay a late fee in the last year.

Once late payment charges are levied, higher interest rates can also kick in. For example, you could find yourself paying a $1,500 balance over 30 years, at a 29.9% interest rate with a total of $6,000 in interest costs.

HOW TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE:
Mail your payment well before the due date. Many recommend mailing a full week beforehand. That week should include five business days (Monday-Friday). If there is a holiday during that week add a day or two. There are also ways to pay in a shorter period of time. Most credit cards have an online payment system which is generally free and many offer a pay-by-phone system which may cost you a small fee.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU DO GET CHARGED:
Fortunately there is something you can do and it generally works. However, it will be up to you to keep an eagle eye on your credit card statement and to act promptly if needed.

The good news is that many credit card companies will refund a late fee if a payment is postmarked before the due date. However, you must call immediately when you notice a late charge on your statement. If the company agrees to refund the charge, write down on your statement: 1) the name of the person you talked to, 2) the location of the office where they are located, 3) the agreement you made, 4) the time and date of the call. When you get your next statement, check that the charges were refunded as promised.

This usually works the first time you are charged for a late payment and maybe even the second, but after that many companies will refuse to forgive the fee.

Get Calphalon pans, grills, ice cream makers
and all kinds of cook ware.
Read descriptions at our site:
www.SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com/cooking

#5. RICK'S NOTES:
An Example Of Late Payment Charges

Recently, I made a payment to a credit card company that was well in advance. However, they credited it to the wrong account so that the proper account did not get paid. The consequences were astonishing to say the least.

My interest rate went from 10.15% to 19.9%, I was charged with a $29 late fee and my available credit was reduced to the amount I owed on the card. Surprisingly my minimum payment changed very little!

In the next issue of this newsletter, I will discuss how I got the company to find the error and refund these fees. Many of the resulting charges were hidden (like interest on the late fee that should not have occurred) and would never have been refunded if I had not made the company aware of them.

DEBT INTO WEALTH
A comprehensive, sensible plan
to get you out of debt quickly.
Read a description on our site.

#6. A JOKE THAT DOCTORS TELL

With many people being sold the latest prescription drugs as beneficial, you might want to hear what doctors have to say. Physicians know that the side effects of many drugs are not known until they have been used for a number of years in a large population. So they tell the following joke:

"Wait a year before prescribing a new drug to your patients; wait five years before prescribing the same drug to anyone in your family."

IDT Long Distance is the best
regular long distance carrier

#7. WHAT'S NEXT?

Look for an in-depth examination of how unnecessary and expensive new prescriptions are being marketed. We'll show you how to save a bundle. Plus we'll have a savings calendar for deals in July, one of the best months to take advantage of sales. And we'll tell you about our incredibly simple way to check if your car is running right (or a car you might want to buy). You don't need tools or even have to open the hood!

#8. PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS.

Your purchases help support this free newsletter and web site. We have carefully selected these merchants for value and reliability.

OUR PLEDGE TO YOU:
In the event of any problem with a merchant that we list, we will try to help resolve your dispute. Your purchase must have been processed though a link on our newsletter or web site.
As a consumer publication for 8 years, we at SAVVY-DISCOUNTS.com have considerable experience in consumer and complaint matters. Further if we experience a large number of complaints from any merchant, we will no longer list that merchant with our newsletter.
If you have a problem, please e-mail us at this special e-mail address:
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and different calling plans.

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Read these popular articles at our site:

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We helped ABC-TV's TheView research these tips

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Are you being manipulated into buying more than you need or can pay for?

How to save up to 70% on prescriptions
14 tips reviewed by a licensed pharmacist plus many more tips.

Buy milk, bread, fruit, cereal and meat at your local supermarket for 50% off.

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