Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
For Independent Minded People!
ISSN 2161-5543
In This Issue:
1. 10
Tips on how the average guy can beat inflation
2. Getting
a foreign drivers license
3. Is
the American Dream being destroyed?
4. Your
credit card bills – pay or not to pay?
It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." --Samuel Adams
I owe so much to the credit card companies that I can't even cover my minimum payments. My balance is about $30,000 and increasing all the time with interest, but I only make $28,000 a year. Do I have to declare bankruptcy or is there another way?
>It’s mid-2012, and the entire world is in so much debt that big
credit card companies couldn't care less about your little chunk. There are six
states where you can't do what I'm going to suggest (Arkansas, Arizona,
Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Washington) but since you don't live in one
of those, here's how you can free yourself from being a slave to the credit
card companies: Just. Don't. Pay. Credit card bills are the number one way
corporate America enslaves us, if we let them.
Just stop sending in ALL credit card payments - even the ones you think
you can pay. They will call you, so use your call display and don't
answer any number you don't recognize. They will write to you, so throw
the letters in the garbage. You'll get letters from lawyers threatening to sue
you, so throw those in the garbage, too.
The only time you need to worry is if you receive a court document,
(served by a process server) with a real case number you can verify, suing you
for monies owed. But guess what? If you have no money in your bank account to
pay, they'll know, and I can pretty much guarantee they're going to write off
your debt and you'll never get that summons. Find the statute of limitations
for credit card debt online for your state here.
In about the same amount of time a bankruptcy would have appeared on
your credit report, there will be no legal way for them to collect the debt and
the letters will stop. Your credit rating will be ruined, but seriously, unless
you're buying a house (and you won't be with your income), that means nothing. Most
credit cards have usurious rates, however, it was your choice to get into debt
and one should live up to their obligations whenever possible – then destroy
those cards!
Senior Citizen Discounts - If you are over 55, always ask at checkout
counters if they offer a senior citizen discount. These discounts are often
available, even if limited to one day of the week. It is embarrassing for
tellers to ask if you are over 55, and most don't even bother.
PM’s
Compendium of Useful Resources
You can declare war
on your debt, assert your financial independence -- and liberate yourself from
fiscal stress…
10 Tips on Surviving Inflation
Have you ever wished you could print your own money to settle a debt?
Snap your fingers, and have instant wealth appear at your feet? This is what
governments do. So when the Federal Reserve announces their latest economic
stimulus package, where do you think the money comes from in the long run?
Let me ask you the following: How much is the dollar worth today
compared with the year 2000? These are years in which inflation has been supposedly
crushed. What's your best guess?
The answer is 75 cents. Imagine that. For every four quarters you
owned, one was stolen in secret over the course of the last 12 years.
Inflation is a lot like the unwelcome houseguest: Once you invite it
into your home, you can't seem to get it to leave.
So what causes inflation? Though there are an incredible number of complicated smaller causes, the biggest cause is simple: the government decides to print more money. The actual material wealth in the economy isn’t changing. The government doesn’t make money; the government just prints money.
Inflation doesn't affect everything equally. Gas
prices can double while your home loses value. This is exactly what happened
during the financial
crisis of 2008. There was deflation in home prices,
which fell 31.8%. Meanwhile, inflation in oil
prices, which reached an all-time
high of $148 a barrel. Since oil prices drive gas prices, this made the cost of gas head for
$5 a gallon. Driving to work became even more expensive, and stressful, at a
time when many workers were worried about even keeping their job.
The Middle Class (or as I call them now, the Whittled Class) has
suffered most during this inflationary round as it always has.
10 Tips the ‘Little Guy’ Can Use to Beat Inflation
Consider landlording.
If you invest in real estate today and become a landlord, you’ll be happy to know that rents are subject to inflationary pressures as well. You have the capability to raise rates when the cost of living goes up everywhere.
If you invest in real estate today and become a landlord, you’ll be happy to know that rents are subject to inflationary pressures as well. You have the capability to raise rates when the cost of living goes up everywhere.
Own a Home(stead)-Cut Utility Bills
Now is the time to buy if you can afford it. Prices in nearly every area of the country
are among the lowest they’ve been in a generation. If you own a home, do everything you can to
reduce your monthly heating and electric bills (Going completely off-grid is
expensive for most folks) by changing filters, using CFL bulbs, insulating and
caulking, overhead fans, etc.
Build or preserve your earning
power.
If you are in a position to earn, the best way to battle pricing increases is to keep a job or some other income stream going. You then expect wages and earnings to go up along with everything else. Without earning power, you may want to consider other ways to protect yourself from inflation, such as amassing appreciating assets.
If you are in a position to earn, the best way to battle pricing increases is to keep a job or some other income stream going. You then expect wages and earnings to go up along with everything else. Without earning power, you may want to consider other ways to protect yourself from inflation, such as amassing appreciating assets.
Own your own business.
Once you’re a business owner you can always raise rates, fees, prices along with the costs of operating your business. This is yet another reason to escape corporate serfdom and why the Poor Man promotes having a sideline business (or two).
Once you’re a business owner you can always raise rates, fees, prices along with the costs of operating your business. This is yet another reason to escape corporate serfdom and why the Poor Man promotes having a sideline business (or two).
Own precious Metals
A silver dime today will purchase the equivalent of a loaf of
bread. It has always worked this
way. Squirrel away what you can.
Cut Spending and Debt
The worst mortgage ever devised for the average person was the
adjustable rate mortgage which was usually tied to some inflationary marker and
often buried folks into upside down mortgages.
Pretty much all debt is bad and it’s important to keep spending under
control. Those little lattes and fast
food meals can easily add up and destroy budgets.
Buy Used - Avoid Credit Cards
Abandon that ‘gotta have it now’ philosophy and either save up for
those bigger purchases or seek that item used. It's
harder to overspend when you carry cash. "You will spend less money when
you know that, when the money in your pocket's gone, you're done," says
Larry Winget, author of "The Idiot Factor: The 10 Ways We Sabotage Our
Life, Money, and Business."
Plenty of folks sell used items through Craigslist and other classified
sources. Recycle what you can, repair
and continue use of your goods.
Use Barter
You can barter items one-on-one, through organized barter groups or
even on Craigslist. Now, there’s even a
TV show called Barter Kings you can learn from.
Grow Your Own
A garden can save a lot of money and even if you live in an apartment,
there are ways to grow vegetables in terrace and patio pots. Many now eliminate lawns in favor of ‘edible
landscaping.’ If you own enough land
consider raising small livestock for food; many areas now allow chickens and
rabbits to be raised in urban areas.
Stocking up-Buying Co-operatives
If your situation allows it, stock up on basics and other goods
whenever there is a sale. Group buying:
such as in the instance of buying a whole butchered cow with neighbors and
like-minded friends can save big too.
Shop sales and use coupons.
Quick Supermarket
Tips: >Don’t buy bottled water;
city water is safe and cheaper.
>Don’t buy toiletries; use discount stores instead. >Don’t buy processed meals. >Grate your own vegetables and
cheese. >Skip precuts; learn to slice
your own meats. >Eat before you shop;
a full stomach discourages impulse buys.
>Always use a shopping list and coupons.
For millions of Americans, inflation and the economy has ravished
savings, forced people to delay retirement, bankrupted families, placed college
grads deeply into debt and more, creating a new underclass of Americans. It’s estimated we’ve lost 10% of our middle
class.
You are more important than cars,
clothing, jewelry or any other material possession. Don't define yourself by
your possessions. Dummy it down, and wise up!
Answers and solutions to virtually every element discussed above can be
found at our site and in our online newsletter at:
Get the 25 Ways to Save Money in 2012
Gatorade Powder Mix is 2.5x cheaper than
pre-mixed liquid sports drink (and it takes less storage space).
The Nanny State Updates…
How To
Use A Foreign Drivers License To Protect Your Privacy
It is especially hard to protect your privacy when you want to be able to drive a car. You have to sacrifice a lot of privacy to get one. There are ways to qualify for a foreign drivers license and legitimately use it to keep your information out of the local jurisdiction. Read more at: http://www.howtovanish.com/2011/05/foreign-drivers-license-protects-families/?awt_l=9mqfI&awt_m=KVWB2fqd6ixNxm
It is especially hard to protect your privacy when you want to be able to drive a car. You have to sacrifice a lot of privacy to get one. There are ways to qualify for a foreign drivers license and legitimately use it to keep your information out of the local jurisdiction. Read more at: http://www.howtovanish.com/2011/05/foreign-drivers-license-protects-families/?awt_l=9mqfI&awt_m=KVWB2fqd6ixNxm
Bouncing Checks - Be sure and check with your bank about over-draft protection for
bouncing checks. Bouncing a check happens to everyone- eventually, and it is
expensive. My bank gives it to you for free- but you have to ask for it.
The Parting Thought –
The American Dream is being systematically destroyed....
Without our penchant for apathy and fear, there can be no control.
As the economy has declined, the
number of Americans living month to month has soared. At this point, millions
upon millions of Americans are living without any financial cushion whatsoever.
If you can believe it, one recent survey found that 28
percent of all Americans do not have a single penny saved for emergencies.
Another survey found that 42
percent of all American workers are currently living paycheck to paycheck.
Thanks to horribly oppressive
regulations, red tape and taxes, it is incredibly difficult to run a successful
small business in America today. According to the
Christian Science Monitor, more than half of all small business owners in America cannot even
afford to put food on the table from their small business earnings....
A shocking figure
from the Wave survey relates to how well the business owners were able to meet
their basic needs through their business. An incredible 52% of American small
business owners can’t put food on the table through the earnings from their
business over the past twelve months.
Every totalitarian state worth its salt has its own goon squad. The
Nazi's had the "Brownshirts", the Soviets had the
"Militsiya" and the "Voluntary People's Brigade", the
Communist Chinese have the "Chengguan", etc. In America, however, all
tyrannical measures are given innocuous bureaucratic labels to mislead and
distract the masses. In this country, we have the Transportation Security Administration...
The disturbing use of armored vehicles (APC's or urban tanks) in open
training regiments on the streets of St. Louis by the U.S Army, despite the
fact that all of their exercises could have easily been accomplished on any
number of military bases across the country. The action is an obvious attempt
to condition the American populace to the sight of military units operating in
a policing capacity: Read more at:
“Until the next
revolution”, the Poor Man
The ‘System’ is Stacked Against US Workers
Our politicians have loaded the system with plenty of incentives NOT to
hire workers
Today, you aren't just competing for jobs with your neighbors. Your
competition also includes millions upon millions of hard working people on the
other side of the globe that will gladly work 12 hour shifts in nightmarish
conditions for a dollar an hour.
The United States has been losing millions of jobs to lower wage
countries, and the fierce competition for the jobs that remain is driving down
wages in this country.
Learn how to fight back and become more financially independent:
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1 comment:
Terrific ideas!
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