Subscribe to RSSArchive for the ‘Deals’ Category:
Making Homes Affordable - First Hand Experience Part IV
After many phone calls and emails I was finally able to knock some heads and get some straight answers about how Wells Fargo is allowed to report our mortgage status to the credit bureaus. The bottom line is that they CAN report to the credit agency’s that our mortgage is being modified which will impact our credit rating by a few points. They CAN NOT report our mortgage as delinquent as long as we are current on our payments and adhere to the terms of the trial period.
What did I have to do to make sure Wells Fargo was abiding by the rules setup by the government?
I called my US Congressman Walt Minnick (ID) 208-888-3188 and talked with his representative Beverly Bean. I explained our situation and faxed the documentation provided by Wells Fargo to her so that she could do some leg work for us. In addition to calling Wells Fargo she also contacted the US Department of the Treasury, Malloy Evans 202-422-8135. Turns out that Wells Fargo was NOT abiding by the rules set forth by the government and now my US Congressman and the Department of the Treasury are making sure they are in fact playing by the rules.
I received assurances by my Congressman and the Dept of Treasury that my mortgage Would NOT be reported as delinquent as long as I made our payments in full and on time. In addition, I received a phone call and apology from Wells Fargo/Freddie Mac indicating their Making Homes Affordable documentation will be updated appropriately.
Again, I think to myself (and to all of you) that this process is made too complicated and overwhelming so that people won’t be able to take advantage of something that is bought and paid for with tax dollars. However, we are going forward and taking that next step into the Making Homes Affordable Program.
What is next on the list?
- Make our first trial period payment.
- Trial period documentation signed and sent in.
- Hardship Affidavit *This is similar to previous hardship letter sent in to Wells Fargo/Freddie Mac.
- Signed and dated copy of IRS Form 4506-T
- Copy of all income statements (pay stub, social security, disability, pension, public assistance, unemployment, alimony/child support, etc)
- Counseling session with HUD-approved housing counseling agency *This is FREE
- www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/fc/
- HOPE Hotline 1-888-995-HOPE
- I chose this option because I could just call and it only took 45 minutes. They gave me some good information and I thought it would be beneficial to share with you.
FREE Help with Medical Expenses
1-573-996-3333 *I don’t know the details of this service but its worth checking out if you have medical expenses you can’t afford.
Angel Food Ministries 1-877-366-3646 www.angelfoodministries.com
They sell food at discounted prices.
This is going to hurt me, more than its going to hurt you. Making Homes Affordable Program Part III
Making Homes Affordable Program: First Hand Experience
How To Get 2% Interest Rate on 30 Year Mortgage
http://www.financialstability.gov/
FREE Olay Anti-Aging Eye Roller
Some days I definitely feel older than I deserve. This is mainly due to the fact that my children are sucking the life out of me. I say that in most loving way possible. They are killing me softly. I can’t prevent them from doing their worst but I can try every lotion, potion and creme to help me stay close to my fictional age of 28. You can imagine how happy I was to find out a great deal on an anti-aging product. Here’s hoping it works! 
Here is a deal I just can’t resist. Shopko has OLAY Regenerist products for $17.99 each. I have a rebate form for $20 with the purchase of a Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller and Pantene shampoo or conditioner. This makes your complete purchase FREE!
http://www.olay.com/Club_Olay/sep2009/images/Regenerist_Pantene_Rebate_Form.pdf
Here is another Olay rebate form for a FREE Olay Anti-Aging Eye Roller when you buy 2 Olay Regenerist products. Click here: http://www.olay.com/Club_Olay/sept2009/images/Regenerist_Rebate_Form.pdf
Special thanks to Margie for sharing this rebate offer!
Great Deal on Carpet Cleaning
With Lyric crawling now and Noah still putting things he shouldn’t in his mouth I decided it was time to get my carpets cleaned. We have lived in the house for three years and I’m embarrassed to say this is the first time I was having the carpets professionally cleaned. I didn’t think they were that bad and I was reluctant to pay an arm and a leg to get the job done.
After getting several bids I chose Harman Family Carpet Cleaning. They are a small family run business and locally owned so I felt like I was doing my part to stimulate our local economy. Plus, they gave me the best deal!
Scott, the owner, made an appointment to fit my schedule, he was on time and the carpets look awesome. It took about an hour to clean the whole house and about an hour later the carpets were dry. The best part of the experience was that I only paid $100 for my entire house (6 rooms, hall and stairs).
If you are needing your carpets cleaned but have been putting it off because of cost you should consider Harman Family Carpet Cleaning.
Harman Family Carpet Cleaning
Scott’s cell 989-7460
Business 319-0494
harmancarpets@netzero.net
www.harmanfamilycarpetcleaning.com
How To Grow Your Small Business in this Economy? AND, Get a Great Deal.
All businesses are created equal when it comes to the state of our current economy. Both big corporations and mom and pop shops have taken a hit financially and are trying to weather the storm of this economic crisis. While large corporations rely on their size and of course government loans to help keep them afloat, smaller business are biting the proverbial dust. This is unfortunate because small businesses are actually better situated to not only thrive in this type of economy but also GROW.
Then why are all of these small business going out of business? The reason is, is that small business owners are not using there competitive advantage over their big business counterparts.
One advantages of the small business owner has is the ability to change their business model at a moments notice or on a per client basis. Realizing that go can’t continue using the same business model just because that is the way you have always done it is key to small business success.
Example: Instead of telling a potential client what you do, ASK what they are looking for. Customize your product/services according to what the market wants. Finding out is as easy as just asking.
Another example of a small business competitive advantage is the ability to negotiate. The art of negotiation is lost in large companies however as a small business owner if you are willing to negotiate price, product, service, or trade you will find a niche market that will be loyal and best of all, will refer friends and family.
Example: Big Ramp Marketing, LLC has been working with a local river rafting company (North Star River Expeditions, Inc. www.northstar-rafting.com ) for several years now. North Star prides themselves on being a first class rafting company and markets to clientele that is looking for that first class experience. Unfortunately , even those that can afford first class these days are opting for coach. However, because North Star is a small company willing to negotiate their services we were able to book a river trip at a discount because we had a very large group.
I was so impressed with North Star’s willingness to negotiate their price and be flexible with their business model that I got permission to pass on a great deal to you too. Anyone that mentions this article or Big Ramp Marketing will get to use our discount: 3 day all-inclusive Hells Canyon white water raft trip for $750 per person and the 5th person FREE. **More Information at the end of the article.
More millionaires were made during the great depression and I believe we will see some similar results with this current economic situation. My question to you is, what are you doing to thrive in the current economy?
–
Jacob & Tricia Warren, Owners
North Star River Expeditions, Inc.
PO Box 906
McCall, ID 83638
208-634-2296
877-610-3200
Movie Night in Meridians Setters Park
Grab your family, friends, and neighbors this summer and join Meridian Parks and Recreation for CableONE Movie Night in Meridian! Every Friday in June, July, and August (some exceptions) we’ll set up our huge inflatable movie screen in Meridian Settlers Park (Meridian Rd. & Ustick) and take in a family-friendly movie. Here’s the best part - IT’S FREE! So bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and movie pals and enjoy a summer of fun with Meridian Parks and Recreation! All movies start at dusk. http://www.meridiancity.org/parks_rec.aspx?id=222
CableONE Movie Night in Meridian 2009 Schedule
July 3rd
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
July 10th
Hotel for Dogs
July 17th
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
**Free 3D glasses for the first 2,000 people**
July 24th
The Princess Bride
July 31st
Kung Fu Panda
August 7th
Madagascar:
Escape 2 Africa
August 14th
Horton Hears a Who
August 21st
The Sound of Music
August 28th
The Tale of Despereaux
Great Deal On Stay-cation 5th Person FREE $750 ALL-INCLUSIVE
I love the great outdoors and with our budget even tighter this year we will be taking advantage of local staycations. Not only are staycations convenient but they can be very economical.
| “A staycation (or stay-cation, or stacation) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high.” |
I contacted a highly recommended white water river outfitter and negotiated a great price for a group (12-19) of us to experience an all-inclusive 3 day white water experience. I was so impressed with our trip and the great deal we got I couldn’t keep this to myself. For MomsFirstStop.com readers, this summer ONLY, I negotiated a sweet staycation:
–
Jacob & Tricia Warren, Owners
North Star River Expeditions, Inc.
PO Box 906
McCall, ID 83638
208-634-2296
877-610-3200
Take Your Kids to the Movies For FREE
REG’s Free Family Film Festival is Now Showing!
When school’s out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!
Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.
Tickets for our 2009 Free Family Film Festival are exclusively available at select theatres’ box office on the day of the show.
You can also select a state from the link below to find participating theatres in your area along with what films are playing each week!
http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx?state=ID
| Boise Downtown Stadium 9 760 Broad Street Boise ,ID 83702 208-338-7465 |
|
| 06/23/2009-06/24/2009 | Space Chimps (G) |
| Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa (PG) | |
| 06/30/2009-07/01/2009 | Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G) |
| Evan Almighty (PG) | |
| 07/07/2009-07/08/2009 | Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G) |
| Nim’s Island (PG) | |
| 07/14/2009-07/15/2009 | Horton Hears A Who (G) |
| Inkheart (PG) | |
| 07/21/2009-07/22/2009 | The Tale Of Despereaux (G) |
| Kung Fu Panda (PG) | |
| 07/28/2009-07/29/2009 | Everyone’s Hero (G) |
| Surf’s Up (PG) | |
| 08/04/2009-08/05/2009 | All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 (G) |
| Journey To The Center Of The Earth (PG) | |
| 08/11/2009-08/12/2009 | Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G) |
| Bee Movie (PG) | |
| Check for regular Movies and Showtimes | |
| Boise Stadium 22 & IMAX 7701 W Overland Road Boise ,ID 83709-1628 208-377-9603 |
|
| 06/23/2009-06/25/2009 | Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G) |
| Evan Almighty (PG) | |
| 06/30/2009-07/02/2009 | Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G) |
| Nim’s Island (PG) | |
| 07/07/2009-07/09/2009 | Horton Hears A Who (G) |
| Inkheart (PG) | |
| 07/14/2009-07/16/2009 | The Tale Of Despereaux (G) |
| Kung Fu Panda (PG) | |
| 07/21/2009-07/23/2009 | Everyone’s Hero (G) |
| Surf’s Up (PG) | |
| 07/28/2009-07/30/2009 | All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 (G) |
| Journey To The Center Of The Earth (PG) | |
| 08/04/2009-08/06/2009 | Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G) |
| Bee Movie (PG) | |
| 08/11/2009-08/13/2009 | Mr. Bean’s Holiday (G) |
| Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG) | |
| Check for regular Movies and Showtimes | |
Father’s Day Freebies & Fun
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to show the dad in your life how much you love and appreciate them. Take the time this Sunday and treat the dad in your life to something special. Here are just a few ideas that won’t hurt your wallet BUT will share some love.
Free Cone at TCBY
At certain http://www.tcby.com/ (say it with us…only some locations…) Dads are entitled to a free cone or cup full of tasty frozen yogurt! Call ahead to be sure that your location is participating, then head on over on June 21!
Free Entrée at T.G.I. Friday’s
Through June 22 you can take Dad out for lunch or dinner and get his meal free. Friday’s has a http://www.tgifridays.com/ entrée coupon that will entitle you to a free entrée.
Free $10 Gift Card
For Father’s Day you can take Pop to Outback and choose from a special new menu of 15 meals under $15. What’s even better is that at the end of the meal Dad will walk away with a free $10 gift card to use on his next trip. http://www.outback.com/foodandmenus/fathersday2009.aspx
Carinos Italian http://www.playpick2.com/ Win free food instantly.
Wendy’s Father’s Day Frosty Weekendhttp://www.wendys.com/
| Saturday, June 20 – Sunday, June 21, 2009 |
| Fifty cents from every Frosty sold will be donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Patrons have the option of purchasing a Frosty pin up for $1 or creating a Father’s Day eCard at FrostyCard.com and 50¢ of each design will benefit the DTFA. |
Father’s Day Ride & BBQ
| ww.highdeserthd.com |
|
Live Music, BBQ, Free Bike Wash & a Father’s Day Ride! |
| Saturday, June 20, 2009, 9am – 6pm |
| High Desert Harley-Davidson 2310 E. Cinema Dr. Meridian, ID 83642 |
Woodriver Cellars Father’s Day BBQ www.woodrivercellars.com
|
Bring dad out to Woodriver Cellars on Sunday, June 21st for a low key BBQ and fun activities, including Bocce Ball, fishing at our pond, and live music performed by The B3 Side. No admission charge, so bring the whole family! |
CVS.com coupon: Free 8×10″ print CVS Photo Center offers an http://www.cvsphoto.com/home.aspx for free via coupon code “FREE8X10″. That’s the best such offer we’ve seen from CVS. Shipping adds 99 cents or opt for free in-store pickup. Coupon ends June 21.
Visit Milan For $10
A week ago I treated myself to a wonderful facial. It was a little piece of heaven to be in a quiet room being pampered and to make the experience even better I got a great deal. I paid $10 for an hour long facial which included a very nice neck and arm massage. This was exactly what I needed to relax, rejuvenate and my skin looks vibrant. No kidding, I was carded at the grocery store and the twenty something clerk said “you look MUCH younger than you are”. I almost cried, that was the best compliment I have had in a while.
I want this experience for you too so I called Milan Institute http://milaninstitute.edu/and convinced them to give MomsFirstStop.com readers a great deal on several of their services.
$8.99 Basic Pedicure *print coupon
$10 Basic Facial
$18 Swedish Massage
25% off all Peels
**For the Boise area call 321-2870 or for all other locations please see the links below. These deals are for a limited time only so take advantage of them while you can. Please make sure you mention MomsFirstStop.com to get your discount.**
Milan Student Salon/Spa Locations:
Amarillo MIC | Go to our Amarillo Student Salon/Spa page 2400 E. 27th | Amarillo, Texas | 79103
Bakersfield MI | Go to our Bakersfield Student Salon/Spa page 2822 F Street | Bakersfield, California | 93301
Boise MI | Go to our Boise Student Salon/Spa page 8590 W Fairview Ave | Boise, Idaho | 83704
Clovis MI | Go to our Clovis Student Salon/Spa page 731 W Shaw Ave | Clovis, California | 93612
Fairfield MIC | Go to our Fairfield Student Salon/Spa page 934 Missouri Street | Fairfield, California | 94533
Indio MI | Go to our Indio Student Salon/Spa page 45-691 Monroe Street, Ste 2 | Indio, California | 92201
San Antonio-Ingram Park MI | Go to our San Antonio-Ingram Park Student Salon/Spa page Ingram Park - 6151 NW Loop 410, Ste 201 | San Antonio-Ingram Park, Texas | 78238
San Antonio-Windcrest MIC | Go to our San Antonio-Windcrest Student Salon/Spa page Windcrest - 5403 Walzem Road | San Antonio-Windcrest, Texas | 78218
San Antonio-South MIC | Go to our San Antonio-South Student Salon/Spa page South San Antonio - 605 SW Military Drive | San Antonio-South, Texas | 78221
Reno-Sparks MI | Go to our Reno-Sparks Student Salon/Spa page 950 Industrial Way | Reno-Sparks, Nevada | 89431
Visalia MI | Go to our Visalia Student Salon/Spa page 3356 S Fairway | Visalia, California | 93277
Visalia MIC | Go to our Visalia Student Salon/Spa page 3238 S Fairway | Visalia, California | 93277
Reno MIC | Go to our Reno Student Salon/Spa page 1050 Matley Lane | Reno, Nevada | 89502
Concord MIC | Go to our Concord Student Salon/Spa page2150 John Glenn Drive | Concord, California | 94520
Please note Indio, California MIC Student Salon/Spa will be opening soon!
Coupons For Dummies
This may come as a surprise to some of you but I just recently started using coupons. I always liked the idea of coupons but they also seemed a little too complex and quite frankly a pain to deal with. Given the times I decided to give it a try and see if they are worth all the hassle.
My first baby step into using coupons was to subscribe to a friends website http://stretchingyourdollarsnewsletter.com/. Its geared for Southern Idaho but it still made the whole process easier. She goes through the local stores sales, all coupons available and tells you what you should buy, where and how much you’ll pay. She spends hours doing this so you don’t have too. There are several sites like this but I use this one.
Here are a few tips for those of you that are wanting to join the couponing adventure:
1. Collect your coupons in a small organizer so you can carry it with you and you know what you have.
2. The Sunday paper is a great place to see all the local stores sales and get coupons. You can also print them online:
www.smartsource.com
www.coupon.com
www.couponbug.com
www.redplum.com
3. Some stores will double the value of your coupon. - Albertson’s has “doubler” coupons in their ad (you can pick them up at the front of the store). Use the doubler coupon to double the value of your manufacturer coupon up to $1. You can get a lot of items free this way.
4. Some stores will honor other stores sales ads. - Rite-aid will match competitors prices if you bring the ad. Walmart will also match prices. *This is nice because you don’t have to drive all over town for sale items.
5. Don’t be suckered into buying something just because you have a coupon. - The only time I buy something not on my list is if the items is really cheap or its free.
6. Sign up for the stores rewards card. Fred Meyers, Albertsons, ect. - You get extra saving and coupons. *Since I buy lots of diapers, wipes, baby food and formula I will get special coupons for those type of items. Last week I got a $10 off coupon for formula!
7. If you are making a trip to a store for just a few items make a trip out of it. - About once a week I meet my sister for coffee at Fred Meyer. We do this because they have “Freddies Play Land” which is FREE childcare for 1 hour. We drop off the kids, get a coffee and pick up the items that are on sale. We save money and its fun for moms and kids!
8. Don’t be afraid to ask. - If the store is out of a sale item don’t be afraid to ask if they will give you a rain check. Ask if they will take competitors coupons or price match.
9. Shop during off hours. - If you have a lot of coupons or if you may need help it’s better to shop when the store isn’t busy. The store staff will be a lot more accommodating and you won’t hold up the lines when checking out.
Yes, couponing can be a hassle but bottom line is that if you do a little home work before you go to the store including getting your coupons organized you can save a lot of money. I save about 30% per grocery trip just by doing this.
I’m still learning about coupons and saving money at the grocery store so if you have advice for a novice please email angela@momsfirststop.com or post to the group. Helping others save money is a great way to share the love!
Another Great Read: