Show ' 1 Section Makeup mysteries and other dilemmas By Kelly Davli I consider myself somewhat of a “giriy girl” but I have to admit that I am sometimes confused by makeup It is not that I am a makeup novice trust me I grew up with a mother who taught me at a young age to pay attention to makeup and specifically to watch for the “prizes” If Clin- ique or Estde Lauder was having some kind of “gift with purchase” or “prize” as my mother called it we were all over it Going shopping with my mother and finding a “prize” was something akin to religion even before I was old enough to wear makeup (No Dad that is not where if all went wrong!) V Theprobv lem with the C “prizes” is that they often ' contained one : : V V APphoto useful tiling Shauntei Pullen swings her son Jerimiah outside Tomorrow's Leaders preschool where she works in Nashville Tenn last week Pullen 28 who can't afford daycare and six or seven things that normal ' American parents who want child care but can’t pay the bid two of her children is among thousands of for Due would use to never years people ' of collecting “prizes” my mother and I both have several bathroom drawers full of oddities Most of V these items are the “hideous orange ' lipstick we made too much of and the only people who bought it were r: either 12 or 72” by Ginique or “we v don’t know what this cream is good for either you figure it out” by Budget-crunche- d Estde Lauder V low-incom- e A friend of mine recently suggestchild-car- e ed that I do a “makeup purge” throw ' it all out and start over She offered to give me a makeover using a makeASHVILLE Tenn (AP) only one in seven children eligible up line for which she is a distributor V — As she works each for child cart assistance under feder-a- l I like her makeup line (let’s just call rules actually receives it it Pink) I attended a long demonstraweekday at a cheerful Nashville preschool “Many states have long waiting tion of most of the items and at the families seeking lists of Shauntei Pullen knows end I woundup with the “starter subsidies are well all and where children her too own which contains cutting back on yet enough pack plus” assistance because of budget probare — staying home with relatives items to survive a nuclear holocaust lems and watching too much TV She and emerge from the shelter looking “There are so many competing can’t afford child care for them “fabulous” heeds vying for the same dollars’7 “They’re just sitting around pickMy friend painstakingly packed ' said Gina Lodge Tennessee’s ing up a lot of things they don’t my new bazillion pink items into five misshuman services “But Pullen said need” containers “They’te “darling" plastic zipped child care is so important — it’s ing the benefit of child care — organized by “time of day” Here is between just being babythe problem I can no longer remem-learning things that equip them betsat and getting educational develop-- : ter for life later on” ber what half of the stuff is for what Pullen a ment” the five times of day are and where AP photo single mothWith most states in deep financial er is one of hundreds of thousands on my personage I am supposed to American parents trouble federal funding — about of Anne Adkisson stands with her use some of it This is causing me daughter Angelia and son Zachary 9 at their home in Knoxville Tenn last week Adkisson a single mother recently who want child care for their chil$48 billion per year— is crucial to anxiety and “makeup guilt ” Is there lost the child care subsidies she had been receiving for 18 months as she moved dren but can’t foot the bill Like a support group for Clueless Partakmajor child-car- e programs Democmoderate center some make rats are the and to Pullen ers of Republicans off welfare and took a job at an assisted-livin- g trying many Makeup? switch from welfare to work and say in Congress say a multibillion dollar Here are some of the mysteries: k the lack of affordable quality child ing annually over the next five programs funding increase is needed while the through i Eye mask: I have no idea what to the Some child care advocates say endorsed One Bush contends is the that administration by headache care proposal when does years a this Just do with they biggest person Senate Finance Committee would most states could meet child care face mask her eyes? Perhaps before bed? add $200 million in child care fund- See CHILDREN on C2 needs with money they have saved But that conflicts with the “night- Advocacy groups estimate that believe time eye crime” And me I have tried using the eye mask in the day it made my mascara run Someone in a staff meeting thought I was crying Come to think of it this could be good for days when you want people to be really nice to you By Mary Hunt your balance and pay only the minimum Emollient: OK the “emollient” Don’t be Cute to be for use on a saddle It is It’s time to get the truth out in the open: Credit Always use fhe preprinted envelope provided in Vaseline on steroids I put it on make card companies are in business to a profit your statement and do not add staples paper clips or cute sticky notes That will put your payment my face and three large pimples And it appears they’re doing a bang-u- p job of it into a special pile to be processed manually and promptly appeared The stuff is Credit card companies are expected to earn profits Crisco I tell you I put it on my feet of over $27 billion in 2003 according to recent you do not want that If you have a message to and slipped on my hardwood floors information from the RAM Research Group convey call customer service or mail it in a sepaWas the emollient actually made for rate envelope If you own a credit card you have chosen to the Elephants in the Serengeti (double ouch! !) grace period (you lose if it you Consider Capital One for example The participate in a kind of competition That’s OK methods Desert? advances a cash ia-based credit card issuer sorts and processes balance) billing carry also know the rules the It of game provided you arid so on You can read them on the back of your Triple Action Eye Crime: Again couldn’t hurt to study your competitor's strategy up to 600000 customer payments each day That with the eyes I have day eye crime monthly statement (look for small print in pale either requires 300 employees and lots of machines It's and night eye crime in my five packink) Do something you may have never done not someone with a letter opener Any number of Your opponent’s goal in this game is to develop before: Read it ages When am I supposed to use the — into a one for “revolver” things can happen to delay your check arriving in industry lingo you If you don’t fully understand or if you think a triple action thing? What three time and being processed in a timely manner who carries a balance from month to month actions does it want to do? Can it Remeinber you are depending on something topic is not covered on the statement call cusCredit card companies reluctantly tolerate those make lunch? tomer service Don’t be embarrassed to ask simcalled the mail to get it there so allow for of us they call “deadbeats” — cardholders who Buffing Crime: I no longer inevitable delays ple questions and don’t hang up until you are always pay their balances in full and do not pay remember if this is supposed to be satisfied Read your statement very carefully interest and fees They hope that if we keep playFay Early for anything other than floors or tarIf you carry a balance making your monthly every month because the law allows your oppoing the game eventually we’ll trip up and turn nished silverware nent to change the rules Scrutinize every square into revolvers payment early in the billing cycle (even before the Those are just a few of the dilemmillimeter and question anything you do not stated due date on the billing statement) will save If your win-lorecord in the credit card game mas I hope to solve If not I’m understand is embarrassingly pathetic it might be because — you money Why? Because most credit card sneaking these things into my mothStop Fantasizing issuers use the average daily balance method to and forgive me for saying this — you are ignoer’s “prize” drawer next time I go to Your credit card company doesn’t care about rant I want to help you to learn how to play the figure monthly interest or finance charges If you her house make your monthly payment early you reduce the you They want to win the game When they game and get into shape so you can even the increase your credit limit it's not because you score daily balance for more days in that cycle Kelly DuBois Davis is a technical have achieved something noteworthy They Know the Rules writer living in Smithfield She can be believe you respond well to flattery and they Mary Hunt la the creator of The Cheapskate Every credit card account has a specific set of reached by at it on They want you to build how know to newsletter Monthly about pour rules fees late fees (ouch!) utahdaisy20030yahoocom y : I'-- r low-inco- : " states are cutting their subsidies leaving ‘ ? families to rely on friends and neighbors r : low-inco- ! of low-inco- ' ce welfare-to-wor- Learn how to play the credit game Virgin- ss over-the-li- tv - i |