European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 22, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Continued from Page 13 they have agreed to let the military debtor pay reduced instalments during the rest of his tour in Europe with the understanding that he will continue to do so on his return to the United  ii they Don t continue paying the Bank or company will Contact a collection Agency there to go alter them. Generally these debts involve cars furniture and expensive Tours. I had a couple come in Tho other Day who had bought a living room set that originally would have Cost a til lie Over $8.000. With the decline of the Dollar ii was rapidly approaching $9,000. The wife was an e4, the husband was a civilian working to a labor hire Job. There was no Way they were going to be Able to pay for the furniture yet they had in and had been making payments for five or six months. There was no Legal Way for them to get out of the  the solution by asking for and getting an Extension of her overseas tour we were Able to talk the company into reducing the monthly  when some people buy merchandise they Are signing contracts with stateside finance companies charging from 29 to 30 annual percentage rates. According to Shiles the company they Purchase from tells them they have to use the finance company named and no one else they Are Given facsimiles of military allotment terms of Lake to their finance offices. There the information is copied onto a regular All Olmen form and Send to the named finance company he said. Shiles noles that it May be Worth their while to Contact a Legal assistance office German courts have ruled tha such High interest rates Are usury. We May be Able to take some corrective  but people who have entered legitimate German contracts at reasonable annual interest rates for from six to eight Percy no also Are having problems. Several Bankers whom i have spoken to in the Kaiserslautern and Heidelberg Arena say they have thick Porto ios of defaults on automobile  unfortunately according to Shiles some of these people thought they could beat the rap by shipping the car stateside. That can Lead to real trouble. Under German Law it can be considered a criminal act an attempt to deprive the Bank or company of its Security. And they still will not escape the debt. The German companies will Lurn in Over to their american counterparts. And Shiles says it won t be easy to make a Deal with the company  Shiles says it s bitter to forfeit the $800 or so invested and pay the penalty charge usually around 15 percent. Super budgeting makes All the difference by Mary Neth consumer editor. Everyone talks about the Impact of the Dollar drop on i he military overseas but jus How bad is ii is it really impossible to make ends meet in Germany on sept. 16 the Dollar Slid 10 1.93 Marks its lowest rate in More than five years. Sirjo then it has continued to hover in that Range. For Many military couples it has mean hardship Means sticking close to Home and giving up those evenings out on the town in local restaurants some who plunged in Over their Heads when the Dollar waa three to one and above Are finding themselves in financial disaster e4 Danny Rake 21, and his wife Pam 23, of Mannheim Aren t of the latter group. The Young parents of a 16-month-old daughter budget with a vengeance. Pam says it was her Mother in Law who taught her How. Though they claim the devaluation has Hurt it really has not changed their lifestyle greatly. They have Cut out shopping for clothes and baby items in focal stores bul that was never too great an item on their budget. Torvold  says Pam they no longer change dollars into Marks at All. Despite the act that Danny has taken a second Job at the Burger King at Benjamin Franklin Village to pad out their income they say they Are doing better Here than at fort Leonard Wood in Rolla to. Their income was lower then and though they did t have the baby they had the same Bills As now us photo by Ken George 77 8 Rake family balances Trio Check Book. Danny s first Job with the military in Germany was As a truck Driver. Now he works at a fuel depot. Up until a few months ago Pam had had a clerical Job with the . Army. Then As result of the Gramm Rudman act her position was eliminated that they say was what really Hurt. Since then we Haven t been Able to save at All says Pam. The couple lives in a furnished immaculately Kepi German apartment not far from Benjamin Franklin though their housing allowance covers the Basic rent they believe they can save Money by moving into j american housing where they will be closer to american facilities. They won t have to worry Aboul heating and utilities. They la get Back their Deposit Money on the German apartment. J their name is on the waiting list Lor housing number 31. They Hope they won t have to Wall too Long. Though Danny does not want a military career in two want id return to their close family ties in Ohio " he says he has no  the army has been Good to a. I be teamed a lot the military take Home pay hardly puts the couple on easy Street but when added up it is about equal to the 1985 medium . Weekly income of $339 As published by the . Labor department. They also have the advantages of free medical service and teas expensive commissary groceries. His Basic take Home pay is Only $883 a month but ii is supplemented by separate rations a Cost Ohio Larj allowance a housing plus overseas living allowance. The Basic pay and housing allowance remain steady but the other supplements Are figured on the Dollar to Mark Exchange. The latest monthly paycheck added up like hrs $883 Basic pay. �267 of base housing $161 separate rations $41 Cost of living and $104 overseas housing a total at $1.453 or $17,436 year before taxes. As most Young couples however the rakes have Bills beyond their rent and groceries. This is where parti s super budgeting makes All the difference. Somehow she manages always to keep a $200 emergency fund on hand. From the monthly income the couple pays 850 Marks rent plus 65 Marks for utilities about �457,50$32 a month Tor life insurance two College Loans of 185 and is a car loan of $ 120, car insurance of $49,60, and a average Telephone Bill of about $30 to cat the folks Back Home. Thus a hefty $769 gone immediately. They also donate 10 percent of their yearly income to their Church. This does not leave much Lor groceries clothing diapers baby clothes emergencies like car repairs Al or entertainment. How do they manage Danny says he is kidded on the Job because he admits that he lets Pam handle the finances. Pam i can t Trust him when he has Money in his pocket spends  throughout Europe americans keep track of the Trie stars and stripes the  and Downs of the Dollar increasingly Are affecting the daily life of american military members throughout Europe. Everywhere keeping track of currency fluctuations has become routine Tor military families but amid a certain gloom in some areas there Are also Bright spots in England the Dollar has been stable in Turkey the Dollar is registering a 6-month High in relation to the lira. But in Italy Back in the summer of 1985 americans got More than 2,000 lire to the Dollar. Today a Dollar buys just about 1,370 fire. Most american military stationed in the Naples area Are feeling he Pinch. Petty officer 2 c Tom Williams has been stationed in Naples for 15 months. He moved into his apartment when the rate was 1,969 lire to a Dollar. Today his rent is is More per month. It hurts that i can l eat or shop on the Economy anymore. It must Hurt the italian Community As Well. If we Don t have the Money to spend they Aren t going to be Able to get our Money he said. It does t affect us very much because we live in government  said trixie Bennett wife of a Marine. But i feel sorry Lor the poor folks who came to Italy with dreams of living in a Beautiful Villa. They gel Here and that in t the Way ii is. Living on the Economy in t easy. Ii takes  in Spain sol. Charles Jones Coic at the Torrejon Public affairs office reports the drop in the Dollar he i hit americans across the Board it s not As Tough As in Germany it s still a Low Cost area but particularly in Madrid it is Bein Feril  you Are used to a certain lifestyle which includes going to clubs downtown or eating out two or three. Rorm Tel a week you feet the  x j Jones says that a restaurant that charges around $10 or a meal now can be considered  England . Shoppers have fared relatively wat the Exchange rate or the last year has stayed at about 81.44 to the Pound the situation has been even better in Turkey in fact Page 14 the stars and stripes