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Posts Tagged ‘Phone Book’

I need $2,500.00 to get myself out of trouble. Anyway to do it?

February 9th, 2013 4 comments

I am beyond in debt my credit score is 441 I do not want to use one of those check cashing places. is there any company out there that would give me a loan? The credit cards I have now, I pay on time but I think the damage is done.

With a credit score of 441, NO ONE is going to loan you any money (save a loan shark)

but not to worry it just means that you have to either earn more or spend less…..

If you cannot get another job or have a garage sale or sell things on ebay
you can cut your expenses…..get rid of cable or at least all of the pay channels

turn down the water heater settings
wear more clothing to bed so that you can have the house cooler in the winter
make a list for the grocery store and buy food for the week
take your lunch to work
on the weekends, entertain at your house
rent movies from the library
read the paper and find a few free or cost things to entertain you on the weekends

Give blood (plasma) by finding the donation place in your phone book….most of the winos and school kids go there so plan the hour accordingly…. if you go once per week you can make $150 a month and you can use that entire amount to pay down your debt….

Decline ALL wedding invitations unless it is immediate family
for birthdays, give the gift of your time (spend the day with the person, make dinner, run errands etc)
Dont be embarrassed to tell your loved ones what is going on so that they can help. Most have been there (with a tight budget) and will help you stay on track by finding lower cost alternatives for fun…
But most importantly, figure out how you got into this mess….
did you spend money that you did not have thinking you would pay it back later, did you try to impress a girl, do you impluse shop? until you figure out honestly how you got there, you will repeat this situation again
also
YOU MUST STOP using the cards TODAY

I would like to learn to quilt. Can anyone recommend books for a true beginner?

November 24th, 2012 6 comments

I am very interested in learning to quilt (by hand or machine). I purchased a book on ebay about hand quilting and it was not made for a true beginner. I didn’t understand half of what they were talking about. Can anyone help?

Hi! 🙂 My favorite, inexpensive, and very easy to find book that helped me learn the basics of quilting is called "The Complete Guide to Needlework" put out by Readers Digest. I think there is a new version, and I’m sure it’s fantastic – but if you’re a yard sale typa gal like I am, or even like to stop at used book stores or thrift shops, this book is a pretty inexpensive and easy find. I haven’t tried, but maybe even Amazon.com is a thought. I picked up mine at a sale for $1 and I still refer to it every now and then. The instructions are very basic, and perfect for someone who hasn’t a clue where to begin (like I was!). Among other popular needlecrafts, it gives you the basic run down on hand and machine quilting. If you find you love to quilt and really want to keep at it, you’ll find tons of newer books out there that give great shortcuts and techniques to cut down the time it takes to make your quilt.

Another of my favorite books, is the "Quilters Complete Guide" put out by Fons and Porter. It also has basic instructions for hand and maching quilting…plus hand quilting patterns, and some popular quilting designs that range from very basic to more advanced…it even covers different applique techniques (which you’ll discover to some is an art of it’s own!).

There are also many internet resources like www.quilterscache.com, that give basic quilting instructions and also offer TONS of free patterns and block instructions. Just look up quilting on Yahoo!.

To make a long answer even longer – you could always look in your phone book or online for a local quilt shop…most small shops (and even places like Jo-Anns Plus) will offer classes on rotary cutting, hand quilting, applique, and basic quilting just to name a few.

I’ve one suggestion to you as you are learning – when it comes to quilting, there are few hard and fast rules…a lot of what others will teach you will most likely be personal preference…things like whether to use expensive fabric or inexpensive, to use cotton batting or polyester, what brands of threads and needles…quilters’ can be quite oppionionated, and many have no quams voicing them! But as you test different techniques and products, you might find that you’re a gadget collector and just have to have anything and everything having to do with quilting…or you might find that some fabric, scissors, thread, batting and needles are all you need to make an amazing quilt!

Oh – one last thing…when you begin to quilt, a pattern that’s really easy and beginner friendly is called "Yellow Brick Road"…you can find it at your local quilt shop or Jo-Ann’s…it’s about $7 depending on your area…and it’s made with all fat quarters! It’s really cute, easy, and fun!

I hope this helps and good luck! 🙂

Anyone know have any good ideas for silent auction donations for a fundraising event?

September 18th, 2012 5 comments

I am a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and we are having a silent auction and live auction to raise money to start our next house. We are getting the usual donations – gift certificates for restaurants, hair styling salons, etc., but would really like to have something different and exciting. Any ideas?
Another note – our guidelines say that we have to stay within our county when soliciting donations so as not to encroach on other affiliates. Some of your ideas were really good, but they involve contacting groups outside of our area.

Hey there!

I’ve been heavily involved with nonprofit fund raising for years….so here are some ideas I have that could be relatively low in cost for your cause…

1) As far as items go in your area, here are my thoughts:

-try to think of items that your attendants will already WANT before they set foot in your event, instead of items that they could talk themselves into once they get there…bids will definitely be higher for these items
-anything that your group can make is always unique…think pottery, quilts, pillows, painting a martini set, etc…
-head to local businesses that are NOT chains…they’ll be easier to negotiate with and will have less red tape to get through…plus they’ll want the free advertising for being a donor in your auction
-see if a local liquor store will donate a "Beer a Month", grocery stores can donate "3 Months of Groceries", gas stations can give a certain amt of gas, coffee shops can donate coffee items and cups of coffee, local florists can do "Flower of the Month", etc….
-literally comb through your phone book and think of packages that they can give and then propose that, rather than just saying "Could you donate something?" If they can’t donate your proposed package, they’ll suggest a gift certificate.

2) In addition to your silent/live auction, consider running an online auction – this is an AWESOME way to get to the people whose mailing addresses you don’t have (ie you’ve got their EMAILS)…your email base can feel like they’re using their expendable income on great stuff AND its going to their community at the same time!
I’ve included a link of one of the online auction companies that I’ve worked with…cMarket. They also have another website, BiddingforGood.com, that opens your auction up to all their members so that people who you don’t even know can donate to your cause and bid on your items!

5) One last tid bit – consider selling sponsorships for your event…this can help off set some of your cost INCREDIBLY. You’d be surprised how many local businesses want to be a part of your cause-minded event! You can ask for anywhere around $500 per sponsor, and if you put your auction online, you can ask for even more than that because they’ll be getting just that much more exposure through your website and event emails!

Best of luck with all of this! 🙂