Quote Originally Posted by Bootsie

Any other ideas??? What do you sugges the American people do other than wake up and see what is coming??
DON'T SPEND, SAVE!!

SNAP AND SLAM!!

It's already starting to work. Retailers are nervous for Christmas. Some companies that were so arrogant last year as to ban the Salvation Army like Target and Federated Department Stores which owns Macy's, etc. banned Christmas references last year. They just announced today that they are reversing that and are actually going to promote Christmas. The toy companies are showing slow sales. Toll Brothers a major housing corporation has revised their sales reports and they are down attributing it to increasing interest rates. Ford has announced last week that it is going to produce Hybrid cars that operate on ethanol. Oil prices are falling like mercury on ice. Credit card companies are revising some of their credit criteria.

For example, I paid off my credit cards. It was hard but I got it done. On one I had a $6500 limit. I didn't use it at all for 3 months. Then I had some travel and used it for that and then paid it off the next month. I found out they raised the limit to $8500. I found out this week they raised it to $9,500. They also reduced the interest rate from almost 23% to 14.99% and offerred a special interest rate for 10 months until next August of 6.9% for "cash". I didn't ask for any of it. I just didn't use their card for about 3 months after I paid it off the first time. Then paid it off immediately the second time.

Your political power is in your wallet and in your transactions. No matter how small it is. These "goons" are "transaction" oriented.

1. Pay down or off the credit cards as fast as you possibly can. Make that your focus. These companies are banks, most of them part of the Federal Reserve. They watch everything, know everything, even before we do because they have access to so much information. Do everything possible to pay payments on time and avoid all those late fees and over payment fees. Even if it's just $50 over your minimum payment, it starts their "spiral" downward.

2. Do not use an ATM/Debit card. I know it's convenient, but these same banks make fees each and every time you use these cards from the merchants. They also have a trick such that if you are over your balance, they will process the payment and charge you a big fee of $39 or so even if the purchase was $5 for some sodas and a bag of chips. They will do this each and every time you use the card if you are under balance. Without realizing it they gave you a credit line on the card but it will break you in fees on your bank statement. You need to go to your bank and tell them to remove the credit line if you don't want this happening. You will have to argue with them to remove it, but do it. It is cheaper to use your credit card at this point. What you want is when your account is out of money, the store rejects the card. Then use your credit card because the interest on small purchases like this is cheaper than the fees on the debit card if you are under balance. Best Rule: Take the time to go to the bank and get cash for the week. Pay with cash every time you possibly can. The "convenience" of using these cards for small every day purchases is not worth the fees you pay OR the fees your merchants pay. Remember, any fee the merchant pays, YOU ARE PAYING through the cost of the goods.

3. Stop Eating Out for Convenience. Fast food restaurants are part of the illegal and excessive legal immigration problem. Instead of burgers and fries and apple pies or tacos or any other number of establishments, just make yourself go to the store, buy some bread, buy some lunch meat, soup, crackers, fruit....and serve this to your yourself and your kids. Winter is coming, make pots of soup and chili and beans and corn bread. Buy oatmeal instead of cereals. Oatmeal is one of the healthiest foods we can eat. Try to buy the regular, not instant, but instant oatmeal is better than cereals. Hot oatmeal with a little millk, a little butter or margarine, some honey or brown sugar....mmmm good. It is healthier and so much cheaper than the cereals. Cream of Wheat is another good one.

4. Try to wean from the bottled water if possible. Unless your tap water has an odor or discoloration, your tap water is healthy. Use a Brita filter or install one at your sink. There are many options. Bottled water is the biggest waste. Bottled Water requires a lot of chemicals to make the bottles, alot of energy to transport, creates alot of landfill waste and is expensive. And you gain very little if anything from a health standpoint. For taste, the Brita works extremely well.

5. Try a new approach to food. I just learned today that "inflation" rates do not include most food purchases. I was wondering why the government inflation reports were not showing the actual rise in the cost of living. Aha!! They aren't counting FOOD costs. These people are disgusting sewer rats. Just like the labor department that isn't counting ALL THE UNEMPLOYED. So, get out the cook book, establish some staple meals, and start cooking. I mean really cooking. From scratch to the extent possible. Try "depression" foods like mac and cheese, mac and tomatoes (delicious), ham and beans, vegetable stew, cornbread, spanish rice, pasta and butter, pasta and sauce, meat loafs, baked ham, pot roast, etc. Focus on items you buy in bulk like beans, pasta, rice..add some goodies, sauteed veggies, some seasonings, and suddenly you have a magnificent healthy nutritional meal with some left overs and the cost? Much less than purchasing the packaged food, frozen foods, etc. Every meal of this type that you serve, saves money, saves trees, saves chemicals, saves energy, AND gets their attention. Make it a Game--like a Chess Game Against the Globalists. Food is being monopolized. Kraft is the largest food company in the US. Try to avoid their products to get their attention. Kelloggs is a Globalist. Try to avoid their products especially the cereals. Remember too that this doesn't have to last forever unless you want it to. It's our way of boycotting those responsible for our condition in the US.

6. Choose different oil companies--First Choice TO BUY--CITGO. This is the Venezuelan Oil Company. Chavez is fighting the FTAA. Support their oil company and boycott ours until they get their act on the American side of this line in the sand. Second Choice TO BUY--BP, British Petroleum. I'm sure they are Globalists, but they don't control the White House like ExxonMobile. Third Choice TO BUY--Kangaroo and other Independents. Buy anywhere BUT AVOID ExxonMobile, SUNOCO, (underwrites that lying Pew Center faking the numbers on illegal immigration), UNOCAL (the reason we're in Afghanistan and now owned by Exxon) SHELL (the reason they are giving Chavez a hard time), Chevron/Texas, and Conoco/Phillips even if you have to go down the street, go to the next light and turn around, even if you have to get on the other side of the freeway. It won't be this way forever unless you want it to. This is a Game Against the Globalists. Prices are falling like mercury now that their gouging game is over, but winter is coming on and they are already "hyping" high heating oil costs so their next move is to artificially spike home heating costs. Lets Cut Them Off At the Pass!

7. Half Tank/Next Day - Only fill your tank half full and try and wait when you need gas until the next morning. Don't run out, but try to make the purchase the next day instead of that evening on your way home from work, wait and get it the next morning on your way in to work. They adjust prices at night. Our goal is to get prices down to below $1.80 by December. We can do it by spreading the purchases from the big boys to the smaller companies, to foreign companies, and reducing the amount of time you carry the product in your tank versus their tank.

8. Heat--Drop the thermostat with winter coming. When you leave the house, drop it to below 60--like 58. Put a note on the door so you don't forget. Make it automatic, like locking your door. Do not leave the house with the thermostat set to keep you warm when you aren't in the house. If just takes a few minutes to warm it back up when you come back. Now this may be hard to get used to but you need to adjust. When you are in the house, try not to set the thermostat above 70. Try 68 or 69. Buy some sweatshirts, wear a T-shirt under it, and learn to keep warm with clothing instead of expensive energy costs. Sleep in socks. A simple pair or two of sleeping socks..buy them big and stretch them and you will hardly know you have them on....an extra blanket...and you can drop the thermostat to 60 or 65 at night and you'll sleep cozy and comfy for a fraction of the cost of running the whole house at 70 for all those hours. A bit before you go to bed, drink a small amount of something hot. Hot chocolate, hot tea, hot coffee. Also, if you get a chill, don't go to the thermostat...go to the sink and run your hands under some warm water, put on a sweater, or a sweat shirt. I like the ones with the zippers in the front and the hood. Then you can put it on and take it off as your body warms and cools. Get weatherstripping and caulk if you have some gaps around windows or doors.

9. Don't Make Any Major Unnecessary Purchases--Until we get this problem resolved with our corporations and government. New homes, Remodelling, Home Additions, New appliances, Cars, Furniture, Electronics, etc. need to be postponed. Try to avoid everything major until this problem is resolved. Obviously if the refrigerator blows, you have to have one. But don't buy one until you absolutely must have it.

10. Stop Fluff Spending--Books, Magazines, CDs, Videos, Toys, Gifts, Games, Subscriptions, Lottery Tickets, Etc.--Do without. Just don't buy anything that is not an essential.

11. Save Something Every Day--even one decision to save instead of spend will make a difference.

12. Think of a New Don't Spend Idea Every Week--see what ideas you can come up with to cut spending and share with the group.

13. Tell Your Kids What You're Doing and Why. Americans spend so much on their children on things they really don't need and that does little to help them. Try to cut back on these purchases. Send the children outside to play. Get them away from the computers and TV. Dig out the cards and games you have in the closet. Set up a table. Keep it set up so they can be directed to play and occupy themselves with things you already have stored in the garage or in the basement or in the closet. Pull out the books and tell them to READ, READ, READ. My sister has a book of World Map and History Book which is too big for the book case so she has it on the coffee table. My 9 year old nephew plays with that book almost every day. He knows towns in Russia I've never even heard of and I ask him how did you know that? And he said, it's in the world map book. I said, what book? And he takes me to the coffee table, turns to Russia (and this is a huge book) and shows me all the towns in Russia. He can even spell them. Who knew a book storage problem would turn into an educational tool?

We're in Deep Twit and we have to change the way WE operate as Americans. These are just a few ideas of how WE can do that.

The goal is to get out of debt and increase savings so WE have the money and THEY don't.

It won't take long to teach these Globalists that this WILL NOT FLY HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, not now, not tomorrow, not ever again.

These companies are actually very fragile. They changed their long-term approach to business to short-term views and earnings plans a few years back. This works to our advantage, because they have almost no savings either. They can not sustain but a few months with reduced earnings. Heads will roll, boards will begin to question "strategies", shareholders will be demanding "where is my money", and as they stutter and stammer and try to explain Globalism....we'll be laughing and shouting Hoorah!!