Do Not Discard. 15 Household Products You Can Use on Your Yard

Spring is cleaning time, and you may be ready to throw away products you haven’t used for years. 

Many of these products are good for your yard -- you may remember if you watched Jerry Baker on PBS or if you’ve read his books. He advocates the use of tonics and solutions to make flowers, shrubs and grass come alive. 

De-bug, Loosen Soil and Fertilize with Household Products

Watching too much Jerry Baker is why I buy beer for flowers, but many of the products he advocates are ones I used to pitch out in spring cleaning. If you’re inclined to use environmentally-safe products and go green, you may want to keep these items for your flowers, shrubs, trees or lawn.

Here are a few products you can use on your plants or yard:

Beer or cola drinks Flowers don’t care if there’s no fizz or if they’re years old. Beer encourages organic activity and cola is a sugar. Diet colas don't have the sugar content plants love, but will provide liquid and some acid for roses and azaleas.

Baby shampoo and dishwashing liquid Lemon scented products helps keep bugs away, but others loosen soil, coat leaves and deter animals.

Ammonia (provides nitrogen)

Molasses, clear corn syrup, or sugar (feed good bacteria)

Epsom salts (magnesium)

Apple juice (sugar)

Murphy’s Oil Soap (works on slugs and bugs as well as rabbits)

Antiseptic mouthwash (destroys harmful bacteria)

Hydrogen peroxide (mild bleach)

Baking Soda (ph balancer)

Vinegar and rubbing alcohol (keep away leafhoppers, mealy bugs, whiteflies)

Coffee grounds and instant tea (nicotine and tannic acid)

Vegetable oil (coats leaves for protection)

Critters don’t like lemon-scented products, mothballs, cayenne pepper, garlic or tobacco. Mosquitos are repelled by the lemon scent, and dogs and cats will not enter areas sprinkled with cayenne pepper.

Jerry Baker has a website and a blog where you can learn more about using household products and edibles for your yard. 

We have no affiliation with Jerry Baker, but we read his books and use his advice in our flower beds and lawn. We encourage green living and safe products for the yard, and have lots of critters and birds who seem to like our natural products. 

The cardinal is a regal bird, even in an old tree

See you next time. We hope to have our spring cleaning done as well as income taxes before we meet again.

Linda

cajunC

 

Your Medical Provider May Not Give You Credit for Overpayment

Card Trick Quilt Pattern Represents How Insurance and Medical Providers Work Together

Health insurance and medical providers work together, with most providers filing claims with your health insurer for you. You still need to check to be certain you get the benefits you pay for.

Recently, Hubby had a visit to the doctor, and since we have a high deductible, he was required to pay $140 for the office visit at a large Central Texas hospital. He had blood tests, and didn’t pay that charge in advance. We received a bill at the end of the month from the hospital for about $180, so I went online to check with our insurer. I was surprised to find that the charge for the office visit was limited to $102, so we had $38 credit on the advance payment that didn’t show on the billing. 

I called the hospital billing department and was told that, because of the way the computer program works, a credit never shows. You owe the total amount you paid in advance unless you call and request a credit. 

The lesson learned here is to compare the insurance payments and maximum allowable insurance charges with the charges from the hospital. The medical provider estimates the amount you owe for an office visit -- and you may owe less. You may find they don’t show a credit balance, and you lose any overpayment you make.

We saved $38 by comparing the charges with the insurance payments, using the insurance website. That may not seem like much, but if every patient is overcharged and the hospital or doctor’s office wipes the slate clean so billing begins at $0, that is a lot of money for the American consumer to lose. Don’t let it happen to you.

See you next year!

Linda

cajunC

Cajun Collection

Fraud, Scams, Deceptive Practices You Can Fix Yourself Free or Inexpensively

Don't Let the Bad Guys Ruin Your Work

If a company or contractor has scammed you and you don’t want to pay an attorney, there are alternatives. Solutions exist that don’t require hiring an attorney. 

If a contractor has ripped you off and particularly if several people are affected, the attorney general’s office for your state accepts complaints in the consumer protection division. You complete the complaint form and the consumer protection office contacts the company or person for a response. You get a reply from the AG’s office if the contractor or individual responds. If the consumer protection division receives several complaints, it may file suit, but usually the claims are settled.

Here are some instances when the consumer protection division of the attorney general’s office for the state has been helpful:

An item purchased from Arizona didn’t arrive within 30 days. Filing a claim with the consumer protection division of the Arizona attorney general’s office got the item and an apology.

A promise of a $50 bonus for financing a computer never arrived, and the financing company didn’t meet expectations. A complaint to the AG’s office in Texas brought a response and a credit.

A news report a few weeks ago showed a family with a roofing job that wasn’t completed. The couple said they couldn’t afford an attorney and thought that a news report would shed light on the issue and maybe get the roof completed. This couple could have filed a complaint with the consumer protection division of the AG’s office to get a response from the roofing company.

Sometimes the Better Business Bureau can be helpful as well. 

Also, if you’ve been defrauded on the Internet, file a complaint with http://www.ic3.gov, the Internet Crime Complaint Center. You can read more information about the ICCC here: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime/reporting.html

 

Your local Small Claims Court also accepts claims without an attorney, although there is usually a filing fee. Your County Attorney or Sheriff’s Department may also help you with ideas or information to get action or your money refunded.

Send all correspondence by mail and keep a copy for your records. 

If the activity takes place through the U.S. mail, you may file with the postal service for mail fraud. Here’s some information about filing with the USPS if you’ve been scammed or received deceptive information through the mail: https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactus/filecomplaint.aspx

 

Don’t let the cost of an attorney or lack of knowledge make you a victim. Act immediately in writing and pursue all free or inexpensive avenues to get action. You can do this!

See you again soon,

Linda

http://www.cajunc.com

Texas Property Taxes are High ... and Due Soon

Yellow Crowned Night Heron at the Park in Temple, Texas

Texas Property Taxes are Assessed in October

You may think of Halloween in October, but in Texas, we know that’s property tax notice month. Texas homeowners get a notice in the mail to pay property taxes by October 31 to avoid penalties -- or get a discount, however you read the notice. 

You already know that everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes property taxes. According to Tax-rates.org, the median property tax in Texas is $2,275 on the home value of $125,800. You’d think with all that farmland, Texas could make enough revenue taxing ranches and leave the homeowners with a postage-stamp square of land a little money to live on. It’s not to be, and property taxes, even with a homeowner’s exemption, will probably cost you $200 a month in Texas.

You may pay your Texas property taxes with your house payment each month as part of the escrow, or you may pay the taxes separately once a year, directly to the Tax Appraisal District for your county. 

If you’re paying with your house payment, you may not be getting all the exemptions available to you. There are a few exemptions allowed under Texas property laws.

Check your tax notice to see the appraised value of your house. If you don’t believe your house will sell for the amount of the appraisal, contact the local tax appraiser and ask questions. Compare the value of your home with similar homes in the neighborhood. The appraisal information is available online at official websites in Texas, but estimated values are also available through websites like Trulia and Homesnap. If your local appraiser doesn’t value your home based on similar homes in the neighborhood, complete the forms and request a hearing. You can contest the value. Here’s how it works. http://www.window.state.tx.us/propertytax/local-protest/remedies/96-295.pdf

 

See if you have a homestead exemption. If you live in the home and meet the qualifications, you can claim a homestead exemption and reduce some of your taxes. If your tax notice doesn’t show a homestead exemption, call the Tax Appraisal District and ask. Complete the homestead exemption forms and save a copy for yourself before you send them to the tax office. You are entitled to $3,000 in exemption from county property taxes and $15,000 in exemption for school district taxes.

Look for disabled or age 65 exemption, if you can qualify. This gives you an additional $10,000 exemption of the appraised value of the homestead, and maybe some other exemptions -- depending on whether the additional exemptions are adopted by the governing body of the taxing unit or a majority vote of the qualified voters of the taxing unit.

Texas also has a tax ceiling for senior citizens. Ask about freezing your taxes the year you are 65. It applies as of January 1 of that year, and will keep your taxes from increasing each year unless you make significant improvements. The freeze or ceiling applies to a surviving spouse living in the home if the spouse is 55 or disabled at the time of the spouse’s demise.

There is a disabled veteran exemption in Texas that also applies to the surviving spouse. If you or your spouse is a disabled veteran, be sure to check to see if you are getting the exemption. You are not eligible if you are remarried, and you can’t receive both the disabled veteran or surviving spouse exemption combined with the over 65 exemption.

Request the forms and send them to the appropriate office, along with any requested documents (probably a copy of your driver’s license and utility bill). Beware that there are people out there who want to do this for you FOR A FEE. They check to see who hasn’t claimed all available exemptions and offer to complete the form for you. You can do this on your own, and if you have any difficulty, the Appraisal District will assist you. You don’t need to pay for free services.

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/basics/96-1425.pdf

Pay your taxes in full by the end of October and get a 3 percent discount. End of November payments are reduced by 2 percent and end of December payments save one percent. Take advantage of all of the breaks, exemptions and reductions you can get to save a little money on your property taxes in Texas. Remember that you don't pay an income tax and enjoy your little piece of Texas.

Linda

Cajun Collection

Cooking Cool in the Summer Heat -- Pasta Salad and Fruit Salad Recipes

 

The Killdeer Keeps Cool in the Texas Heat by Standing in Water

Texas summer is upon us and we attempt to keep the electricity costs down by using recipes that don’t require the oven. We also like cold salads and have a couple of recipes we’ve developed over the years that are economical and easy. When cooking, we often read a recipe and remove the foods we don’t like or don’t have on hand. Then we substitute foods we like that sound like they would go with the recipe. Here are a couple of recipes we've created that you can modify to suit your family’s likes and dislikes.

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Boxed Mac and Cheese Dinner

Cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, carrots and other vegetables you like, chopped in bite-size pieces.

Boil some salted water on the top of the stove and add about half a cup of macaroni. Cook until tender. Pour off most of the water (leave a few tablespoons of water to wet the dry cheese) and add the cheddar cheese mix to the macaroni. (We don’t use butter or milk like the Mac and Cheese recipe calls for.) Allow to cool. Add chopped vegetables and mix so the cheese coats the vegetables. Season with black pepper and Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until serving. If we have ham available, we chop it into the salad and serve as a main dish.

Fruit Salad

1 Can of pineapple chunks

1 Cup of mini marshmallows

1/2 cup of coconut

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 apple, chopped fine

Can of mandarin oranges, drained or fresh oranges in broken sections

Strawberries or other berries, fresh or frozen

Other fruit in season that you like

Mix all ingredients and cover. Refrigerate until cold.

Adapt these recipes to suit your family, and enjoy the fruits and vegetables while they’re in season and affordable. As a smart consumer, you can find ways to beat the heat and the utility bills while eating well. We have other tips and practical cooking recipes in an ebook we wrote a couple of years ago. You can find it here in Tips and Recipes for Easy Cooking.

Enjoy your summer. Eat economically and keep cool.

Linda

cajunC

http://www.cajunc.com