From the ArcaMax Publishing, Everyday Cheapskate Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/everydaycheapskate/s-640294-482327
Dear Mary: I had the address of a Web site that allows you to list
your books by ISBN and swap them with other members. My plan was to
let my daughter enter all of our books into the system so she would
have an allowance for her book purchases. Unfortunately, I have been
unable to find that Web site again. Can you help? -- Echo W., e-mail
Dear Echo: The site you are looking for is PaperBackSwap.com. Your
daughter can enjoy trading paperbacks, hardbacks, audio books and
textbooks. The site is fantastic, with search features, reader reviews
and ratings, similar to Amazon.com and www.bn.com. More than 4 million
books are listed at PaperBackSwap.com. Membership to the site is
"currently free for charter members," which leads me to believe the
site will be instituting a membership fee in the near future. I would
sign up quickly.
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Dear Mary: I started tracking my spending. I'm sure you will not be
surprised, but I was spending way more than I realized. I have
determined that I need to move out of my expensive apartment. What
percentage of my income should I be spending on my rent or a mortgage?
-- Rebekah H., e-mail
Dear Rebekah: Keeping track of where your money goes takes
self-discipline. As you are learning, that's what brings us to
financial maturity. The amount of income you should devote to housing
depends on how much debt you are carrying, the size of your family and
other factors. Generally speaking, housing (including insurance and
taxes for a mortgage) should consume 28 to 32 percent of your gross
income -- less if you have a lot of debt, slightly more if you are
otherwise debt-free.
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Dear Mary: I finally am living with cash. The envelope system works so
well that I actually have cash left over at the end of every month. I
am retired and want to travel. In the past, I used credit. Now I save
for my traveling.
For years, I have worked to improve my poor money management skills
with your suggestions. I reread "Debt-Proof Your Marriage," and I'm on
the right path. The chapter "You Can Get Out of Debt, Yes You Can!"
helped so much. Your Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan is showing me the way.
It truly is working. I have more than $50,000 of debt, and it will
take a few years to pay back, but I know I can do it. Thank you. I
appreciate the lifeline. -- Jill, e-mail
Dear Jill: I am so happy to hear of your progress. It's one thing to
know what to do but another to do it! You are proof that my debt-proof
living method really works.
The Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan recently was expanded as an online tool
at our new Web site, http://www.DebtProofLiving.com, to include a
management feature. You create your RDRP online using the RDRP
calculator and manage it as part of your super-secure Debt-Proof
Living membership. It is one of the best things about our new site!
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Do you have a question for Mary? E-mail her at
mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box
2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of
www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Can I Pay
My Credit Card Bill With a Credit Card?" To find out more about Mary
and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web
page at www.creators.com.