Recent comments

  • 5 Reasons Not to Apply for a Loan Modification in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    We entered into a trial modifcation with Saxon Mortgage on July 2009. We have made all the payments on time and returned all documents on time. In october 2009 we called them at the end of the three months. They told us they were extending it by two months beucase of the backlog. This week on the same day we wired them the January 2010 trail payment. We get soem letter that says their prelim review says out trial mofication may not pan out. However at the request of the US treasurey our loan has been placed into a review status again until Jan 31 2010.

    When we went into this program were were 132 days late.

    According to documents releaased by the goverment this is what it says about major lemnders and their stats.

    Servicer
    ParticipationDate
    Estimated Eligible 60+ DayDelinquency1
    Trial Plan Offers Extended
    All HAMP Trials
    Started
    ActiveTrial Modifications 2
    Permanent Modifications2
    Active Trials + Permanents as Share of Eligible 60+ Day Delinquencies
    American Home Mortgage Servicing Inc
    7/22/09
    120,787
    12,621
    7,642
    7,430
    201
    6%
    Aurora Loan Services, LLC3
    5/1/09
    75,829
    38,110
    32,794
    21,717
    3,622
    33%
    Bank of America, NA4
    4/17/09
    1,018,192
    244,139
    158,462
    156,864
    98
    15%
    Bank United
    10/23/09
    5,102
    672
    0
    0
    0
    0%
    BayviewLoan Servicing, LLC
    7/1/09
    9,908
    3,638
    2,995
    2,884
    50
    30%
    Carrington Mortgage Services LLC
    4/27/09
    18,413
    2,298
    1,491
    1,198
    293
    8%
    CCO Mortgage
    6/17/09
    5,173
    1,353
    789
    789
    0
    15%
    CitiMortgage, Inc.5
    4/13/09
    233,924
    127,594
    103,478
    100,126
    271
    43%
    Franklin CreditManagement Corporation
    9/11/09
    9,612
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0%
    GMAC Mortgage, Inc.
    4/13/09
    67,539
    39,657
    28,275
    19,559
    7,111
    39%
    Green Tree Servicing LLC
    4/24/09
    4,072
    1,154
    754
    692
    2
    17%
    HomEqServicing
    8/5/09
    40,969
    1,987
    657
    657
    0
    2%
    J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, NA6
    4/13/09
    448,815
    199,033
    143,027
    136,686
    4,302
    31%
    Litton Loan Servicing LP
    8/12/09
    109,614
    22,702
    16,909
    16,870
    39
    15%
    MorEquity, Inc.
    7/17/09
    2,283
    392
    49
    49
    0
    2%
    NationstarMortgage LLC
    5/28/09
    47,566
    22,251
    11,717
    11,286
    358
    24%
    OcwenFinancial Corporation, Inc.
    4/16/09
    66,351
    15,961
    9,783
    5,515
    4,252
    15%
    OneWestBank
    8/28/09
    111,674
    35,313
    19,623
    19,623
    0
    18%
    PNC Mortgage7
    6/26/09
    45,240
    17,526
    10,591
    9,902
    18
    22%
    ResidentialCredit Solutions
    6/12/09
    2,189
    399
    368
    270
    98
    17%
    RG Mortgage Corporation
    6/17/09
    3,223
    348
    90
    67
    23
    3%
    Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc.
    4/13/09
    80,309
    39,145
    35,608
    35,565
    42
    44%
    Select Portfolio Servicing
    4/13/09
    61,615
    42,244
    26,806
    19,552
    218
    32%
    US Bank NA
    9/9/09
    26,354
    9,084
    6,518
    6,480
    38
    25%
    Wachovia Mortgage, FSB8
    7/1/09
    82,457
    6,542
    2,371
    1,980
    351
    3%
    Wells Fargo Bank, NA
    4/13/09
    334,949
    148,240
    104,808
    96,137
    3,537
    30%
    Other SPA servicers9
    --
    4,779
    434
    432
    251
    167
    8%
    Other GSE Servicers10
    --
    262,842
    NA
    33,021
    24,877
    6,291
    NA
    Total
    3,299,780
    1,032,837
    759,058
    697,026
    31,382
    24%
    HAMP Modification Activity by Servicer
    1 Estimated eligible 60+ day delinquent mortgages as reported by servicers

  • TiVo for the Web: Content Without the Ads   16 years 16 weeks ago

    i didnt know about this. its is quite the nifty little tool but the thing is that ads dont seem to really disturb me all that much. call it ad blindness if you will

  • Buying (and Trading) on Etsy   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I've been selling on Etsy for only a few months but since then I've had several sales and the other artists are very nice and helpful. Its also very creative and inspiring to me and I too enjoy the fact that items I'm purchasing is going directly to the artist. I sell a little bit of everything from polymer clay items, baby blankets, decorations, hand painted items.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I just follow a recipe for stroganoff and use ground beef. Shhh, don't tell my kids but sometimes I even substitute blended tofu for the sour cream. They gobble it up!

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    We make a Garden Garbage meal---meaning I fry up the hamburger, toss in finely shopped vegetables we have ready in the garden or sitting in the fridge and toss in some cooked macaroni. Then I put in on plates and sprinkle with cheese, which I brown under the broiler. You would be amazed what vegetables taste great in this---the fine chopping is what does it, I think. Cabbage, marinated artichoke hearts, greens, tomatoes...the only thing I don't add is very starchy vegetables such as potatoes or root vegetables.

  • Is hunting/fishing a good way to feed your family?   16 years 16 weeks ago

    Hunting and fishing can be an economical way to feed your family, but just how economical depends on where you live, how much skill you have, and what equipment you need. In a large city, fishing is a better option than hunting, as it can be practiced during your free time, requires less skill and is overall more poductive. I would begin by focusing on smaller more prevelant fresh water species, such as sunfish or bull heads. These can be caught with just a handline hook, small weight and a worm (about 5 dollars in intital investment), and have the added benefit of having less toxins due to diet and size. You would then need a liscence (about 20 dollars for a year), and the patience to clean many small fish to get a meal. Larger fish species in both fresh and salt water tend to require more time and skill, are more contaminated (this depends on the body of water in which they live), but if you know how to catch them are less work to clean and on a good day offer more meat. Hunting is more comlicated. Differnt game species require differnt equipment to be succesful, and differnt areas to hunt them. Small game mammals such as squirrel and rabbit are often more plentiful on public land than game birds and big game, and squirrels in particular are easy quarry for a beggener. Game birds are more diffcult to hunt, and hence ought to be opportunistic kills for someone out trying to hunt for food. A used .22 or single shot 12 gauge shotgun can be had for under a hundred dollars, and are both effective for this type of hunting. Apart from the guns, and bullets (.22 bullets are much cheaper but require more accuracy than shotgun slugs, think 2.50 for 50 .22 bullets, and 8 dollars for 25 shotgun shells), there is little equipment needed for small game hunting, and liscences for this kind of hunting are generally in the 20 dollar area in most states. If you live in the city gas is a major expense when hunting. How far you go generally determines how cost effective your hunting will be. If you have to drive 2 hours to shoot 5 squirrels, you may not be saving much money. However if you shoot twenty on the same trip, then you may be getting squirrel as cheap as 1.00 a pound after total expenses. Big game is harder. It requires more skill and is harder on public land. Having said that it can be a cost effective way for a city dweller to get meat, provided they have access to good hunting land where the quarry is plentiful, and every attempt is made to keep costs down. For example, in Minnesota white tail deer are plentiful, but there are a lot of hunters, so having access to private land significantly ups a begginers chances of shootng a deer. Lets say you get permission to hunt deer on 40 acres of land where deer are plentiful and nobody is hunting. Here we will assume you have a gun, butchering knifes, blaze orange clothes etc. So you don't have the initial equiptment investment. This land is 2 hours away, so you will use a full tank of gas getting there and back, thats 40 dollars spent to start. Then you will spnd 12 dollars on cartridges (bullets). You have to buy a licsence, which for a either sex whitetail deer tag in Minnesota is 28 dollars, so there is that expense. Apart from food, random gas station purchases etc, you are minimum spending 70 dollars on the hunt (if go with friends hunting is easier and gas is cheaper). Your first day you shoot an average sized doe, bring it back to the city and butcher it in your garage. You end up with 65 pounds of edible meat (including bone). That would be just over $1.00 a pound, and would take two days of your time in both hunting and butchering. In this scenario, you have saved quite a bit of money hunting. But what if you have to spend 3 weekends to shoot a deer, then the cost is closer to at least 3 dollars a pound, and the venison is not really cheaper than ground beef. Also, the intial cost of clothing, guns, knives etc.it bare minimum 400 dollars, provided you have no friends to borrow things from and nothing to start with, making your first few deer seasons at least as expensive as buying beef in the grocery store. So basically if you live in a large city ringed by suburbs, you can fish and hunt to help offset the cost of feeding your family, but you need to have a lot of knowledge and be realisitc about the cost benefit realtionship between how you hunt and fish and how much meat you get.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I eat mostly vegetarian but when the 'rents come to visit, I have to cook meat dishes. We much prefer ground pork. But once during college I accidentally bought ground beef. Ended up mixing with bread crumbs, chopped onions, celery, carrots, even leftover rice. That's my version of meatballs...guess not suited to everyone =)

  • Social Media and Identity Theft in 2010   16 years 16 weeks ago

    these damned hackers!! can't they use their intelligence to make money honestly like the rest of us. i hope the precautions i have taken are enough

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    A comment above has a recipe for "Shepherd's Pie". If that dish is made with ground beef, it's called "Cottage Pie". If it's made with ground lamb, it is called "Shepherd's Pie".

  • 5 Reasons Not to Apply for a Loan Modification in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I modified 6 mos ago and now I owe a LOT more and am in a CONSTANT battle with my lender over the "computer" system trying to foreclose on my house every month. Im stuck in a loop of fees, payments that are DOUBLE what I was originally paying and a telephone tree to India.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I substitute hamburger for the called-for meat:for example steak=firmly packed patties in an oval shape; BBQ boneless pork=medium meatballs; chicken tenders=finger sized patties coated with seasoned flour. The trick is to use the called for seasonings, adjust the cooking time, be sure you have good side dishes and don't be apologetic for what you are serving (no explanations are needed), and be aware of the presentation of the dish.

  • 5 Quick Remote Control Hacks to Save You Time and Money   16 years 16 weeks ago

    awesome quick tips...

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    Around Christmas I made Italian Wedding Soup. Start with chicken and cook it as for broth with some celery, carrots and onions. I like using four legs, some stripped of skin and some not, in about two quarts of water. Simmer about an hour. Run broth through a cheescloth. Pick meat off the bones, chop up and add to broth. Make savory little meat balls and bake them at 350 for 20 minutes. (Mix a 1/2 to 3/4 lb. meat, egg, bread crumbs, basil, garlic powder, a little oreagno, salt, and roll them into large marble-sized balls.) Add cooked meat balls to broth, bring pot to simmer, add two packages chopped frozen spinach or chopped fresh if you have it. Simmer till done. Adjust seasonings, add water if it looks too thick. In a small bowl whisk together an egg and a good handful of grated parmesan, swirl it through the simmering soup and it's ready to serve.

    I'll add my vote to the picadillo and mousakka suggestions, both are better the second day (if they last that long). Empanadas sound like they'd be fun to try.

    Ground beef curry is easy and cheap. Cook the meat, drain fat, add water, chopped celery, sliced carrot, diced potatoes, chopped onions, etc. season with curry powder and salt, cook until veggies are done, thicken a bit with flour, serve over rice. Especially fun with sweet sides like finely chopped apple, raisons, coconut, chutney or diced peaches. If it's too spicy for you, top with yoghurt.

    Pizza meat loaf. Roll a pound of ground beef into a rectangle, on a large piece of aluminum foil. Top with mozzerella and pepperoni. Slather with some pizza sauce (about half a small can), add whatever you like, chopped onion, green pepper, mushrooms. Using the aluminum foil, roll up jelly roll fashion, lay in a breadpan, top with more sauce and bake. The meat tends to break apart the more you stuff it with. Layering in a bread pan also works.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    Mom often made "Hamburger Pie". I've changed the recipe up a bit.

    1 can crescent rolls
    1 lb hamburger browned with onion and garlic
    1 medium jar salsa
    3-4 green peppers - cut into bite size pieces (or 1 1lb bag of frozen broccoli - defrosted)
    1 teaspoon white pepper
    2 cups cheddar cheese - shredded

    Grease 9 inch deep dish pie plate (or 9 inch square pan or something that's roughly that size)
    Unroll crescent rolls and put into pan to form crust, piecing dough together as needed.
    Combine browned hamburger, salsa, vegetables and white pepper.
    Spoon into crust.
    Top with cheese.

    Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is all melty and bubbly.
    Enjoy

    Makes about 4-6 servings depending on how hungry everyone is.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    You can also sub grape jelly for the cranberry sauce.

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I'm with the commenter who said don't eat it, but if that's not an option, how about meatballs? However, throw some uncooked rice in your mixture and boil/steam them rather than baking.

    Makes for a more filling dish and the taste is right up there too.

  • Quickly Remove Scratches From CDs and DVDs   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I read through the suggestions and didn't have any Brasso but I did have Bon Ami which is calcium carbonate and feldspar. It's used to clean things like Corning cookware and smooth-top stoves. Since toothpaste also contains calcium carbonate I thought it might be worth a try.

    I shook a little powder out and added enough water to make a paste. I wet a Kleenex, dabbed it in the paste, then gently pulled it from the inside to the outside of the scratches (vertically from the middle, not circular). I made about three swipes, then rinsed and dried the CD and it worked perfectly.

    You just want to push gently to buff out the top of the scratch. It's hard to tell how deep these were, but my player couldn't read it at all before...just got stuck and stayed there.

    Jan

  • How to Deal With Collection Agencies   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I am very confused recently about my credit. A few years back i had major issues and i could not make payments on my car and on my credit cards and i ended-up having an accident on a car that was about to get repo. I have been looking up my credit because i was in another car accident not at fault and i am going to be settling for pain and suffering and have an attorney. I was considering filling bankruptcy to get rid off all off that but i saw that most of my credit cards are not showing up anymore most of the things happen end off 2006 and saw that my cars lender citi sold it to collection agency ..portfolio recovery associates that are in another state, i currently still don't have a job i have been denied jobs due to my bad credit i am a college student surviving only out of my financial aid, i have nothing they can possibly come after only the pain and suffering what ever remains after the attorney gets his share and the medical bills get paid off that are around 6k at the moment but my health insurance have been paying the 80/20 so far... any advice on how should i proceed...

  • No Signal? 6 Ways to Boost Your Cell Phone Reception   16 years 16 weeks ago

    Thank's for sharing! I'm slightly confused on what you mean by twisting nylon string around the copper wire though. I will try what i think you mean. Picture would be nice though Quality Digi cams are pretty cheap now adeays anyway thank you Ryan Farish Check the music out Deo Favente Kol Tuv Everlasting!

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    I had a great appetizer at Thanksgiving: meatballs in a sauce of half cranberry sauce and half enchilada sauce. Perfect sweet/spicy combo!

  • The 2010 Gift Wrapping Challenge   16 years 16 weeks ago

    We used reusable shopping bags as gift bags for Christmas. Old Navy, for example, had some nice ones in Christmas colors with holiday phrases on them for $1 apiece. They're no more expensive than buying a paper gift bag at the dollar store, and the recipients can use them for their shopping throughout the year. Two birds with one stone: avoids spending money on paper that may be trashed, and provides for the recipient to avoid bringing home wasted paper shopping bags in the coming year!

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    Johnny Marzetti. A "cafeteria food" favorite of mine that's super easy to make at home. :-)

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    Campfire Stew
    Browned hamburger
    Veggie Soup with Alphabet Noodles (I use beef & veggie broth)
    Homemade Dumplings(1 beaten egg, 1 cup flour, and milk to make a dough to shape into bite-sized pieces)

    Mix together. You can scale it to the amount you need and how chunky you like your stew. Just boil until the dumplings are moist throughout. I sometimes make this from scratch, boiling fresh veggies in broth. This is also great in a dutch oven over a campfire.

    Meatballs & Rice
    2 lbs burger
    1 c Onion
    1 t Morton Meat Magic
    Pepper to taste
    Mix together and shape into meatballs. Brown the meatballs in the broiler or a skillet until done. Use the drippings & beef broth to make gravy. I make a bunch & freeze them for future meals, this is a quick & easy meal.

    For the rice, sautee some onions in butter, then cook your desired amount of rice with the onions in chicken broth instead of water until done. Serve the meatballs & gravy over the rice.

    Meatloaf- lots of different recipes

    Cowboy Supper
    Browned burger, onions, and a can of pork 'n beans

    Nachos

    Chili

    Cheesy Burger - Mix browned burger with shredded cheese, let melt.

    Enjoy!

  • Ask the Readers: Hamburger, What to Do With It? (A Chance to win $20!)   16 years 16 weeks ago

    perfect for party/BBQ/games

    ground beef
    skinless chicken fillets/strips
    nacho cheese
    chips

    fully cook ground beef and chop up chicken fillets and fully cook chicken. stir meat in to a pot of heated nacho cheese. You can either use a cock-pot or a regular deep dish pan. =) serve warm with chips.

    *works great with little smokies sausages too.

  • Our high, high standard of living   16 years 16 weeks ago

    People don't want to hear it but it's the feds who are responsible for most of our troubles.