The Simple $10 Debt Elimination Solution
by James H. Dimmitt
Ask a friend what resolutions they made for 2004 and your bound to hear them reply “Pay off my credit cards.” Ask them how they planned on reaching that goal and many of them will not have a clear cut answer.
The obvious first step to paying off credit card debt or paying down credit debt load is to cut back or eliminate the use of your credit cards. For some people this first step can often be the most difficult. If you’re used to spending freely with plastic and worrying about the consequences later, it’s difficult to break free from this “buy now, pay later” attitude.
To gain control of their careless credit card spending habits, some people cut up their credit cards therefore making it impossible to use them. Others lock up their credit cards or hide them in a safe place and vow to use them only in an emergency.
The second step to paying down credit debt is to pay more than the minimum balance due. Most credit card companies require a minimum monthly payment of 2.5% of the outstanding balance. For example, if you have an outstanding balance of $1100.00 on a credit card charging an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 18.9% your minimum monthly payment would be $27.50. It will take you 66 months or 5.5 years to pay off your balance of $1100.00 making the minimum payments. The credit card company will make $676.94 in interest from your use of their credit card.
Monthly payments are purposely kept low by the credit card companies so that they can earn as much as possible from the interest rate charged to you the consumer. Paying just the minimum payment will keep you tangled in credit’s web for years and years to come.
If you’ve been paying only the minimum due month after month, ask yourself this question, “Do I have an extra $10.00 I could apply to this month’s payment?” I’m sure that most of us could find some way to come up with an extra $10.00 for the month. Try cutting out a few cups of coffee or lunches at your nearby fast food outlets and in no time flat you’ll have saved up the extra money that you need.
Now, it’s time to unveil “The Simple $10.00 Debt Elimination Solution.” Take that extra $10.00 and add it to the minimum monthly payment above, therefore making a payment of $37.50. By adding just that $10.00 a month to your minimum payment, you’ll trim 23 months or nearly two years off of that credit debt! On top of that you’ll save $277.00 in interest alone! That’s money you can put toward savings or paying off other debts. Imagine how much you’d be able to save if you applied this same simple strategy to each of your other credit card debts!
Paying down credit debt doesn’t always mean having to make huge monthly payments or sacrifices. It just takes some basic planning and a simple effective strategy to make it work.
© 2004, www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com
Love Discrimination
by Daniel Baney
Why is it people, especially the media, thinks that looking for love on the internet is shameful? The discrimination is particularly evident if you are looking for a foreign bride. I met my wife, Eileen, who is Filipina, on the internet. The narrow-minded nay sayers like labeling this media as “mail order bride” They seem to believe these ladies are enslaved by Western men who are seeking a foreign wife. And if by chance a relationship of this sort does go sour, they use this as all-inclusive evidence that looking for love on the internet is morally wrong.
There are more success stories then failures. But news isn’t news unless it is negative or controversial. There are thousands of happy couples who found each other on the internet, but this 
Love Discrimination
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How To Fight Cultural Differences In Marriage And Stay Happy.
by Marina Smiley
When people plan to marry, they expect to find in their partner not only a lover but a friend also. A person with whom they can share their opinions, their emotions, thoughts and fears.
In marriage we are looking for a partner who will be able to understand our values, our likes and dislikes.
If a man and a woman are born and raised in the same country, most likely they are familiar with the same songs, movies, jokes, books and life in general. They basically have the same roots. In the case of a western man -foreign woman family everything is more complicated and requires much more patience and understanding from both spouses.
On one hand each of the partners has an opportunity to learn a great deal about the other’s country, cultu How To Fight Cultural Differences In Marriage And Stay Happy.
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DNA Testing - Are You Raising Someone Else's Child?
by Tom LeBaron
Paternity Testing – Are you raising someone else’s child?
Back in the 1700s, the best way to determine paternity was by a good hard look at the child, followed by a good hard look at the father. Enough coincidences and maybe a relationship could be proposed. A hundred years later, eye colour was discovered to be a paternity identifier. This theory has had its flaws exposed because of recent DNA advances. We now know that eye colour is determined by at least six alleles, or genetic markers. Paternity testing has become a lot easier and affordable over the past few years due to advances in DNA science. Although an estimated 200,000 DNA tests are conducted each year by states needing to sort child-support and welfare issues, few people are willing DNA Testing - Are You Raising Someone Else's Child?
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Watching Your Children’s Garden Grow
by Rondi Hillstrom Davis
Start some gardening traditions with your kids. Give them their own garden patch and a spot to dig. Children love getting their hands dirty and watching things grow.
Be sure to buy good quality, child sized gardening tools. Plastic toy versions just won’t hold up to the task. You will also need children’s gloves and a watering can.
Mark off the garden area and turn the soil. Kids can help break up any lumps with their hands. Work in some organic compost.
Choose seeds that will grow quickly. Small children get impatient if their plants take too long to sprout. Radishes, Snapdragons, Cosmos, and Sunflowers will all germinate quickly. Carrots and strawberries are also easy to grow-- and yummy to eat.
Large seeds like Watching Your Children’s Garden Grow
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