MONEY ADVICE

Well fear not, we at Club Husband are in the same boat and are here for you. We have searched high and low and even talked to a few people(strippers) and have come up with some money saving tips that might help you to put your mind at ease or at least figure out a way to get the new toys you want.

Every week we will have a few new tips for you to ponder. Let us know what you think and if the tips worked for you.

Today’s Money Matters Tip:

When purchasing a major item (such as a new RV or that brand new fishing boat you’ve had your eye on for so long), be sure to check for a few things on the contract.

2. Is there a pre-payment penalty if you pay the loan off early? Depending on the amount (usually a percentage) this can add up. Make sure you know this so that when you hit the lottery you’re not surprised by that “extra” amount. Also checking this will save the salesman an ass kicking.

3. What other fee’s are being added to the loan amount? Depending on the state that you live in there are usually a few fee’s put into the finance amount (doc stamps, ucc fee, processing fee, etc... Ask your sales person to explain them to you before you sign. After he explains, explain to him what he can do with those fees.

Other Great Tips

Shutting down your computer at night.

It will save you about $12.00 each month on your electric bill if you don't leave it running.

Not surfing porn all night will save you a fortune in hand lotion.

Raising your thermostat by only 2 degrees - say from 68 to 70, can cut about 10% off your monthly air conditioning bill.

Raising it by 10 degrees will save even more and might get your wife to go topless.

By adding just a little extra each month to your

credit card payments (say an extra $25.00) you will

pay off the debt twice as fast and save hundreds in interest.

You will also lessen the risk of your wife seeing the charges at "Bambi's House of Fun" Which might save thousands in lawyer fees.

July 23

Does the stock market live by the P.T. Barnum motto "there's a sucker born every minute"?  It would appear that it does as everyday people dump their stock as if they are on the Titanic.

 It is my non humble opinion that if you don't own stock in the companies that are in trouble don't sell. I would even go further and say buy, buy ,buy. It's a clearance sale right now, take advantage. If the stock you bought last year was at 50 it should be twice as good at 25. Although if you own Enron or Worldcom you might want to go ahead and line the bird cage.

 But all things considered the market looks as it did six months ago except there are a lot more deals out there. Do your research, trust your picks and hang on for the long term. The stock market is just a long crap game so roll the dice and enjoy the ride.

July 19

When will McDonalds come to their senses? The king of the 85 cent hamburger has seen their sales and profits decrease and they can't figure out why. In the not so distant past they did more sold more hamburgers than their biggest fourteen competitors combined. But lately they have conducted a revolving door management philosophy. It's not the managers you fools, it's the menu.

When you were the undisputed king of corporate profits you had a menu that was easy for your staff to produce therefore quick service times were the norm and not the exception it is today. Why does every customer who walks beneath the golden arches know the solution but your high paid executive staff can't figure it out? Quit cooking all that other crap and stick to burgers. One fish sandwich is ok. One chicken sandwich is plenty. I would say three sizes of drinks is enough. Do you really think I'm going to wait behind a family who is getting four barrel sized drinks when I can get a hamburger on every street in America?

Streamline the menu and speed service. Haven't you noticed you don't exactly have Emeril cooking for you? How many items do you think you can cram onto your menu before you overload the sixteen year old you have on the grill?

It's certainly none of my business what you do. Heaven knows I certainly don't go to your restaurants. I don't have ten minutes to waste in line waiting to get a sandwich that looks like it's been sat on. But if I were you I would pull out my past profit statements, find the high point and scale back the menu to what it was at that point. Or you could just keep replacing Presidents until you go the way of Kmart and the other past giants. It's your call.

JUNE 15

 The Dow Jones Thirty has dropped 8% since May 17 but there is good news. The good news I don't have to listen to the politicians beg for my support to put the Social Security Trust Fund into the hands of the Wall Street wolves.