MAKE A NOTE!! -- January 1st, 1999

CIRCULATION 1395

A Free Twice Monthly Newsletter with Useful Information on a Wide Variety of Topics

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In This Issue:

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RESOLUTIONS/GOALS

Well, it IS that time of the year. Instead of just "resolving" to do or not do something, which is just a goal, you should really sit down and form a plan of action (sorry, that's the military spouse in me peeking out :)). When you plan for a vacation, you don't just say, "I resolve to go to Hawaii this year." No, you sit down & work on budgeting issues, form a packing list, look at tour books, & talk to people in the know. Do the same thing with your resolutions. Instead of saying, I won't......(fill in the blank), plan on DOING something positive whenever you are tempted to do the thing you are avoiding. So if you are dieting, plan on taking a walk whenever you are tempted to indulge. If you tend to smoke on breaks at work, then skip the breaks. It also helps to pick out Bible verses or encouraging quotes to read OUTLOUD whenever you are tempted, believe me it really does help. So figure out ways, not to AVOID the negative behavior, but to REPLACE it with something positive. Take a close look at what you do, when you do it, where you do it, and how you do it and make a plan. POST IT...in a prominent place.

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DECLUTTERING (AND KONOS RESOURCE)

One of the best things you can do to start off the new year is declutter your home and your life. I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend Don Aslett's book, "Clutter's Last Stand" available in most libraries or at book stores. He really helps you look at things differently and realize that every item you have that you don't need or use is really just an item that requires maintenance in some way. Either you are dusting around it or it is taking up drawer space you could use for something else. This book will help you declutter your home, but don't forget about your life & schedule. A friend of mine, Lynn Hogan, did a wonderful article that goes along with this and the previous topic, in her KONOS Korner newsletter (to subscribe follow directions for subscribing to the Make a Note, but substitute "subscribe KONOS-korner" for the body of the message) recently. She talked about setting goals with your homeschooling and eliminating things that wouldn't help you towards those goals. I don't use KONOS curriculum, but I still get a lot of meat from her articles. Make up lists of things that you HAVE to do, things that don't HAVE to be done that you do, and look for things you can eliminate. Studies have been done that shows that kids (and probably adult) schedules are so full of planned activities that they don't really have time to play or relax anymore. POST IT...with the first note.

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GETTING RID OF TELEMARKETING CALLS

While we are on the subject of decluttering, here's a way to eliminate those annoying telemarketing calls and possibly make some money at the same time. Our local TV station WRAL's Consumer Reporter, Monica Laliberte, did a FANTASTIC story recently that would be of interest to anyone in the USA. To view the story in its entirety, go to http://www.wral-tv.com/features/5onyourside/1998/1118-telemarketing/ To summarize, once you have asked a telemarketer to put you on a "DO NOT CALL" list, then every time they call you they are supposed to have to pay a fine of $500/call! This is a federal law. Now the neat thing is that not only does this cut down on the calls, but you might even make some money WITHOUT going to court about it. Before I forget, this law does not apply to charities or poll-takers, although you could still ask to be put on a "Do Not Call" list. The story on the web site also has a lot of great links to help you avoid telemarketing, in particular you will want to click on the link for the Anti-Telemarketing Speech and Record Form. This woman has made over $7000, most of that without having to go to court. For those of you without web site access, here is the speech you give to telemarketers when they call...."The Telephone Consumer's Protection Act of 1991 requires all telemarketers to maintain a DO NOT CALL list. I am asking to be placed on this list. This now makes it a violation of federal law for your company to call me again for a period of 1 year. Any further calls provide cause of action for me to sue for no less than $500 per call. The Telephone Consumer's Protection Act of 1991 also entitles me to written notification that I am on your DO NOT CALL list as well as a copy of your DO NOT CALL policy. I am requesting both of those be sent to me. I also need your full name, which under the same Telephone Act you are required to provide, as well as the address and phone number of your company. Thank you for your cooperation." Then keep a record of the calls & if you get another one, just write to the company and often they will just pay you the $500/call in order not to have to go to court. POST IT...by your telephone, especially the one closest to the kitchen table and shower. :) By the way, I sent in my address to that Direct Marketing list to have my name removed from mailing lists & saw no difference in the amount of junk mail I received, but this lady said that she saw a significant decrease in her CALLS by following the above guidelines.

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OSTEOPOROSIS & CALCIUM

One thing that you might resolve to do this year is get more calcium, especially if you are a woman prone to osteoporosis. You fall into this group if you are fair skinned, small framed (when you put your thumb & middle finger together around your wrist there is space between your circle of fingers and your wrist), or have family members with it. I certainly fall into this category, but didn't really understand how things worked until a wonderful doctor explained it to me. You aren't drinking or eating calcium to build up your bones (once you are past a certain age), but you are doing it to keep the calcium IN your bones. Your body needs a certain amount of calcium each day to function, if you don't consume it, then your body will draw the calcium from your bones, which explains why the bones become less dense & develop problems. So it isn't like you can make up for not drinking enough milk at a later date (although they are trying to develop drugs to help you do that). Ideally you should get about 1500 mg of calcium a day. Each 8 oz cup of skim milk contains 300 mg, most yogurt cups about 200mg. Interestingly enough, the less fat milk has in it, the MORE calcium it contains, so skim has more than whole. I prefer my ice tea to milk, but try to just have a LARGE (2 1/2 C) glass in the morning and the same at night. Or I'll have a grilled cheese sandwich, cheese toast, or just plain cheese. The problem with calcium supplements is that they tend not to be as easily absorbed and constipate some people. This is worth it folks, I used to work in a nursing home, and believe me, it is not fun to suffer one broken bone after another. POST IT...on your fridge.

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DOG OWNER RESOURCES

Well, I warned you that now that we have a "new" puppy that I would be hitting these subjects more often. I just wanted to recommend a great book for those first time dog owners or those who have had one for a while. It is called "Dogs for Dummies", yep, one of those big, bright yellow, paperbacks. It is just as thorough as the other Dummies books. We had had a dog for 8 yrs and I still learned a lot. My favorite pet product catalog is the Jeffers company (1-800-Jeffers). They have the best prices around and WONDERFUL customer service. AND regarding the article in the last issue about the Diamond pet food, it is available in many foreign countries, for our more distant readers, although I don't know if the price will still be competitive. My cousin also recommended a dog food called Flint River Ranch http://www.flintriverranch.com that is only available by mail order that is highly recommended by many vets for all pets, but esp. allergic ones. While it is very expensive $45/40lbs, her adult lab actually only needs a little more than 1C/day to thrive, although the company does recommend feeding them a bit more, so not all dogs may be able to go on so little. But if they can get by on 1C then the price isn't bad. They will send you a free sample if you would like to check them out. POST IT...with your pet stuff. 

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TAXES

For those of you who enjoyed the Christmas check off list so much, here is your chance to do the same kind of pre-emptive strike on your taxes. Start now making a list of what you need to do your taxes and start collecting them. We gave up trying to do our own taxes a number of years ago, after we got tired of keeping up with the annual changes to the code. A friend of mine was a CPA and while she did prepare taxes, she highly recommended H & R Block. She said that SOMETIMES CPA's and/or individual tax preparers have not kept up with all the laws, but that Block (& probably the other big companies) require all of their staff to attend update sessions, and even more classes for supervisors. I personally found that the individual preparers in most cases charged more than the big tax preparing companies. The nice thing about the big companies too, is that if they do make a mistake (we have had them done by Block for 16 yrs & they have only made 2 mistakes) then they will pay any penalty and you only have to pay what you would have to begin with, no hassles about it at all. Most of it is all computerized now and if you make an appt, as opposed to just being a walk in, then you can be in and out in as little as 20 min with the completed forms. To me that is worth the preparation fee to have it done & not having it hanging over my head for months. I could probably learn how to change the oil in my car myself, but I would rather let someone else handle the mess. If you have a refund, then send it in right away, if you owe, then just don't mail it until the deadline. I have occasionally heard of someone losing money they could have saved on taxes at the big tax companies, BUT have heard many MORE stories about people getting even MORE back thanks to these big companies. And NEVER go for the electronic refund, it is just another fee; you waited a year, so why not wait another month or less for the refund. Also make your appt with the main office that is open year round, most of the experts will be there, and ask to make an appt with a supervisor to have the taxes done, then you won't hear, "I have to go check with my supervisor on this." If you do decide to go with a private preparer then be sure to ask what they do to keep up on the tax code. POST IT...on your calendar. The sooner you get in, the less crowded it will be and MAKE AN APPT, don't do walk-in.

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JOKE (from Reader's Digest)

"Our sophomore history teacher was lecturing us on the importance of homework. 'Just as you have the responsibility of doing your homework,' she said, 'adults have the responsibility of doing their taxes.' At that point, a student raised his hand & asked the teacher who did her taxes. Sheepishly, she replied, 'My husband.'" --contributed by Kristin Thomson

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QUOTE

"If you want to test your memory, try to remember what you were worrying about one year ago today."

 ---E. Joseph Cossman 

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FEEDBACK-FEEDBACK-FEEDBACK

~~ The Newbergers wrote to recommend putting stuffed animals into a pillow case before washing them in the washing machine.

~~ Along the same lines, Mrs. R. Cook wrote to say you can put plastic recorders from music classes in the dishwasher too to disinfect.

~~ Cori (no sister Cori, another Cori :)) wrote & said that their dogs have been on Diamond dog food for years and they love it & do great on it.

~~ Lois C. wrote to correct my grammar on "its" and "it's". My apologies. As I explained to Lois, sometimes I get in a big hurry with my typing and/or proof-reading and things do slip through. I appreciate the alert.

~~ Pam M. wrote & said she was trying the Candy Cane cheese spread for a gathering. How did they like it Pam? Did anyone else try any of the recipes?

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That's all for this issue. May 1999 be a year of growth and blessings for us all. Please feel free to forward to anyone you think would be interested.

Sharon ^i^

Editor, Make a Note

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