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Show B2 __The Salt LakeTribune TIME, MONEY & COMPUTERSMonday, June 12, 1995 SAVINGS GAME ryfor the music clubs, They make enough moneyfrom the members wholet unwanted “featureselections” be shipped to them, auto- matically. While welistened to some of the CDs, Georgina gave mea haircut; she does that every two or three months in between myvisits to the barber. Together we have spent only $38 on haircuts this HUMBERTO CRUZ roast chicken fast-food chain where you can get a family meal (two whole chickens, three enourmous side dishes, eight muffins) for less than $20, Enoughforus to eat one lunch, and save the rest for two or three more meals Next camethe movies, the early matinee of course, with all seats $3, compared to $6.50 for the evening show. We really liked ‘While You Were Sleeping”; enjoyed it even more because wedidn’t have to wait in line to getin, or sit behindanytall people. Back homewegot a packagein the mail, six compact disesI'd gotten for free (well, actually $12.72 shipping and handling) for joining the BMG MusicService club. I know whatyou'regoingto say: Nowthey've got him. Butno,all I have to do is buy one more CD at $14.98, and I can get two morefor free, and then cancel the membership. Yes, cancel. Which is something Georgina and I have done a numberof times, from a number of clubs, onlyto be solicited again with an even better offer to rejoin (like nine morefree CDs, not even shipping and handling, and all we haveto dois buy just one). End result: Our compact disc collection now standsat 104, with the CDscosting us an average of $4.17 apiece (postage included). And that’s music we love, and play often. Besides, don't feel sor- rebate on the things I buy to re- deem for free Shell gasoline. Since I got the card a year and a half ago, I have gotten $129 worth ofof free gas. (For information on the card, call 1-800-933-8111), Thething is, I would buyShell gasoline anyway, what with the convenience of a Shell station in the same shopping center as the supermarket, and anotherin the office complex where I work. (And,of course, I only use the nofee, 25-day grace period Chemical Bankcardfor the things I would buy anyway). After doing the groceries, we stopped at the postoffice, which was on our way home. Georgina, a free-lance writer, needed stamps for her business. Our detour was less than four blocks, but now that she had bought the stamps, the eight miles to and from the post office, at 30 cents a mile, became a $2.40 business expense for Georgina, and a tax break. Unpacking the groceries made us hungry, but neither of us felt like cooking or preparing anything. Off we wentto Cluckers, a year; we go to the samehaircutting center which, naturally, is in the same shopping center as the supermarket, which cuts down on trips and car expenses. The next day, Sunday, we went to the beach, a 20-minute drive. Georgina packed picnicof sandwiches, fruit and lemonade. So our only expense wasthe gas for the trip, and a coupleof quarters to feed the parking meters. Wedidn’t get aroundto reading the Sunday paperuntil late afternoon. And what findit was. First we clipped more than $8 worth of grocery coupons, oneof our biggest hauls in a single day. (Imagine, you would have to invest $8,254 at 7 percent to make $8 a week, after taxes, if you arein the 28 percent tax bracket.) And then the nicest surprise. Georgina found the paper had used a story she had written on a trip we took to Atlanta a year ago . a story she figured they wouldn’t use by now ... and a sto- ry for which she will be paid more than everything wespentover the entire weekend. Yes, altogether, a marvelous two days. Humberto Cruz, a savings strategist, is executive editor of Exito!, a bilingual publication. He lives in Coral Springs, Fla. Write to him in care of Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Leaving Children in Hot Car Can Be Deadly Dear Ann:I'd like to tell your readers about something that happenedto mein the summerof 1977. This letter could make a big difference in somebody'slife. I was working at the family business. It was midafternoon, and the temperature was over 100 degrees. A man drove up and ran out of his car, screamingfor help. I went to his car and found his little girl unconsciousin the back seat. I felt for a pulse, pulled her out of the car and did CPR. Ann, thatlittle girl died in my arms. She couldn’t have been more than 2 years old. An ambulance arrived within minutes, but it was too late Thechild died because her father had left her asleep in the backseat ofhis carin the 100-plus heat while he went shopping. When hereturned, it took him several minutes before he realized that something was wrong with her. She had literally baked ANN =e PERS inside a motor vehicle is much higher and cankill a child. Please, Ann, tell parents everywherethat if they love their children, they will take them inside the stores, evenif it is just for a minute, and not leave them in the heat. It’s been 18 years, and I still have nightmares about that beautiful little girl. — Fresno, Calif. Dear Fresno: Thank you for a letter that is sure to makea difference. You may have saved some younglives today. o to death With summer coming, parents need to realize that whenit is 90 degrees outside, the temperature HAVE FUN WORKING IM OFF TO THE TWOWEEK MANAGEMENT RETREAT IN THE MOUNTAINS, Dear Ann: Mynameis Robert I am 13 years old. I have been reading your columnsince I was 7" FREE VINDSHIELD! 11. I have learned a lot from you. NowI have a problem. Tonight at the dinnertable, my mom broke down and cried. My dad asked her what she was crying about. She said, ‘‘Today is my birthday, and you didn’t remember.” She then said she wasn’t expecting any big present or anything like that but just a card or even a telephone call during his lunch hour would have made her very happy. My dadsaid he had a lot on his mind. Theonly other time I saw Mom cry was when weburied ourdog, Tillie. That was two years ago. Is there any way I can help my dad patch this up? I will not sign my last name because my mother would kill me. Just call me — Robert Who Lives by a Lake Dear Robert: I’mafraid the damage is done, but you might suggest to your dad thathego extra heavy on the weddinganniversary. And please, as soon as the 1996 calendars come out, mark off your mom's birthday. Women Network on Superhighway @ Continued from B-1 ship. ‘WhenI first signed up, I wasafraid the women might talk about hair and boys. ... Instead, this has been like the only women’s magazineI bother reading,” a subscriber wrote. The networkalso offers online question-and-answer sessions with the likes of California Sen. Barbara Boxer and social commentator Letitia Baldridge Women’s groups can use the network to link with their own members. Women’s Leadership Connection counts 2,500 membersso far. The service is available only on the Prodigy computer network. That will change within months, DeFife promised. The women’s forum is to open on the worldwide Internet network, so computerus- ers can reach it via other U.S. commercial networks. DeFife is working on corporate sponsorsto help payfor the Internet site. “Companies are really recognizing that reaching the women’s market is more than throwingadsat them — it’s building a relationship, a loyalty,” she said. “We could see a real explosion in growth in the next year. IT'S SO SAD YOU CAN'T COME. T GUESS THERE ISN'T ROOM AT THE FOUR-STAR HOTEL Glia © 1995 United Feature Syndicate, Inc. (NYC) What a marvelous weekend Georgina andI just had. Went out to eat, to the movies, the beach. Even bought some stuff And when the weekend ended, we had more money than whenit began. Call it a two-day savings spree. Westarted on Saturday morning with our weekly trip to the grocery store, $7.35 worth of coupons securely paper-clipped to our shoppinglist. After dropping off Georgina at the entrance to the supermarket, and before rejoining her, I drove less than a hundred yards to gas up the car. There we saved moneyagain: I use a credit card from Chemical Bank that gives me a 2 percent DILBERT ‘S Adams E-mail; SCOTTADAMS@AOL.COM Who Says Savers Don’t Have Any Fun? NOW I KNOW WHY IT'S CALLED A RETREAT Don’t Ignore the Fine Print When You Buy New Software USA TODAY Buy a newpiece of software. Take it out of the box. Tear open the bag and, if you’re like most people, ignore the fine print on the wrapper. You know, the stuff about grant of license, restrictions, implied threat, blah, blah, blah. “It's like going skiing and reading the back of the lift ticket,” says Tess Taylor, 29, of Toluca Lake, Calif. “I find that blatantly unfair. It bothers me where you're entering an agreementbyvirtue of buying something. I don’t think it stops anybody.” A business owner who intendsto distribute the software to his employees could be making a big mistake by ignoring that wrapper. Fines for copyright violations are calculated on the suggestedretail price of the software; settlements range from hundreds to hundreds of thousandsofdollars. Individuals, too, are obligated to abide by manufacturers’ rules whenthey open software. The agreementis enforceable, though rarely enforced against home users. Sandra Sellers, director of litigation for the Software Publishers Association in Washington, D.C., says the organization took action against ‘about 1,000 companies” in the past year, but no individuals. “It's not economically feasible or good PRto go afterindividuals in their homes,” Sellers says. Nevertheless, in the interest of keeping you from running afoul of the law, let’s look at some typical (though not uniyersal) fine print, and translate it into English: @ What it says. “The software is owned by PC Manufacturer or its suppliers and is protected by U.S. copyright laws and international treaty provisions. You must treat the software like any other copyrighted material.” @ Whatit means. Don’t give copies as birthday gifts to Uncle Bill and Cousin Judy. You didn’t buy the software, just the right to use it. Most computerlicenses let you make one copy for backup purposes. & Whatit says. “This software can be loaded onto the hard drives of multiple com- puters, so longasit is not being used or accessed by more than one personat a time.” a back whatfe 1 fo S sucks oul. Find your own road. Your dad may have a lot on his mind next year, too. 51,495. @®@ +75 MHzInte! Pentium processor + 8 MB RAM + 530) MUHard Dove + 14” Super VGA Display + PCI local bus architechture + DOS + Windows * Mouse = ea Laueadllald eeoy Couronne 1 falloerher. at's neht...for a limited iq time GLASS ACTwill pat VVVVYVVVYYVYVYVY Complete 75 MHz Pentium PC: EEK RAR a AQUARIUMS We're the Experts WORLDS OF PETS 675 E. 2100 South 467-6478 Ken Garff Saab 543 So. State @ 521-6111 'q your ean deductible K> ue to $100. Approvedby lq Insurance companies. [§ Fast, Free mobile service ig from Ogden to Provo. Glass 3-8844 >Ke A Division of the A-1 Quality Glass Group. 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