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April 2011

Yakezie Blog Swap #4 – Homeless

04.30.2011

Last Friday, I participated in Yakezie Blog Swap #4. The topic was – What would you do if you’re homeless and poor? This is a difficult subject to write about because none of the bloggers have ever been homeless. My favorite post is from Andi Modern Tightwad – A Homeless Plan to Guard Against Hopelessness. Andi was in a bad financial situation a while back and actually think through the scenario in detail. The rest of the Homeless posts show a diverse point of view Debt Eye posted at Retire by 40 with What if You’re Homeless? and mentioned how any [...]

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What if you’re homeless?

04.29.2011

Today we are participating in a blog swap chain letter organized through the Yakezie network. There are 4 stops. Check out my post “What would I do if I were homeless?” at the Single Saver!“ It’s All up to You I couldn’t imagine being homeless and poor. I’m thankful that I never had to live my life on the streets. Being homeless never occurred to me, however, I always did wonder what I would do in this rare event. The first step I would do is evaluate the exact reason for my downfall. Was it a bad financial choice? A [...]

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Appealing Property Tax Paid Off

04.25.2011

Over the last three years we have seen our property tax bill increase while the value of our home declined. This is quite common in the US as I understand. In this post, I will talk about how our property tax is calculated and what we did about it. In Oregon, we see two numbers in our property tax bill. The RMV (Real Market Value) is the estimated value of our home on the previous Jan 1st. The AV (Assessed Value) is the attempt to cap the increase of property tax to 3% each year. Measure 50 was passed in [...]

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South Pacific Tropical Island Paradise on the Cheap – Rarotonga

04.22.2011

What do you picture when you hear the phrase South Pacific Island? I imagine white sandy beaches with the surf rolling in AND a huge bill after the vacation. I think of all the famous tropical island destinations like Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Fiji. I just checked Expedia and a weeklong vacation with flight+hotel in Bora Bora starts at $2,700. How about the Cook Islands instead? It’s a bit off the beaten path for the US tourists, but it has great beaches, a beautiful blue lagoon (that surrounds Rarotonga), and mountain hiking trails. So is it possible to have a [...]

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March 2011 Credit Card Bill

04.19.2011

Wow, we have been doing great with our credit card bill over these last few months. March was also a low credit card usage month. We haven’t had any financial emergencies and things were pretty stable. I know next month we’ll see a much higher bill though because I need to get a replacement dishwasher machine for the rental home. Credit Card Spending Target – $94. A baby swing for the little guy. This is one of our unexpected baby expenses. Amazon – $25. Diapers H&R Block online tax software – $26. I found a 30% off internet coupon since [...]

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