Queercents

Have you ever gotten those mailings that have two tickets in them for you to come to a hotel and sit through a seminar on how to make money, reduce your debt, buy real estate or the like? It appears one person had a question about them.

Q: I’m wondering what you think about those debt reduction courses that are offered through seminars or online, and claim that you can be debt free in under 7 years, including your mortgage?

A: I would say that you can find the same information through books in the library and searching online for things that you need answers to.

It may be appealing to plunk down some money and think you are getting all the answers in one shot, but I think you will find that searching online, not only saves you money that can go toward your debt, but you will also learn at a pace that allows everything to sink in.

I think you will find that most “gurus” end up advocating the following steps in varying order: Read the rest of this entry »

I think I watch this Frontline series online about once a year, it is that good. Whether you think credit card debt is ok or not, or if you have 8 thousand dollars or zero dollars in credit card debt; this is a good series to watch no matter what.

The series originally aired on the Frontline tv series right around Thanksgiving of 2004. It seems like it has been a lot longer than that, but I think that is only because this series has a lot of impact.

I was recently going over the site again and thought I would highlight their eight things a credit card user should know:

1= Even if you make your credit card payments on time, the credit card bank can raise your interest rate automatically if you’re late on payments elsewhere — such as on another credit card or on a phone, car, or house payment — or simply because the bank feels you have taken on too much debt. Read the rest of this entry »

Since there are times in our lives that bring about added expenses and stress, such as a loss of job, medical surgery, loss of a family member or a major relocation, we need to have a plan in our head for the ‘what if’ scenario. For example, let’s look at a job loss:

1. Figure out where you stand. Calculate what is coming in for money and what will be going out for monthly expense. Find out if you have enough money put away for the expenses.

2. File unemployment. Some states require you file as soon as you can. If you are unsure if you will need it or not, file anyway, that way you have it as a back up plan

3. Find your money. If you have money from a 401k, pension, stocks or severance, find out how much you will get (after taxes) and when you will get it so you can budget for your expenses. Having this information on hand will also help when you fill out unemployment. Read the rest of this entry »

While I went through bankruptcy, I forced myself to understand what impact the credit score and report had on my life. I have never regretting understanding how those reports and scores impact other areas of our life. The one site that I found that was of the most use was Creditinfo Center. Their forums have a wealth of information to search through. When I first found them I spent a good day on the computer taking it all in and ended up with a headache (this was a good headache), but it was all for a good purpose, to enlighten myself and lighten the burden that my own ignorance has placed on my shoulders.

I thought I would post some of the resources that I have found useful from this site (plus it helps me clean out my mail folders).

Below are some of the letters can be used (as reference) for contacting debt collectors and original collectors.

• Credit Reporting agency Dispute letter (though you can use the form on their sites, sometimes this is easier as you have documentation of your own) Read the rest of this entry »

When I first started to get myself into a more frugal attitude, I immediately picked up on the benefits of getting free items; from samples to subscriptions to t-shirts. It was the idea that I could get something for free by filling out a form or survey and save my money for something else more important.

However, I have found that I am up to my eyeballs in subscriptions, samples and coupons I don’t really use. I sign up for things that sound good at the time, but when I get them I have no interest.

This requires an additional bit of time to decide who the item should go to so it doesn’t go to waste from my greediness.

For magazine subscriptions, I have cancelled the ones that I don’t read at all and can’t pass on to anyone else that I know of - I just call the phone number on the inside of the magazine content area, and if they don’t have my name on file they usually have an alternative number for me to call. For those magazines I do flip through and can pass on, I will make sure I have a stack that I take to work every week so other can enjoy or take home with them. Eventually the free subscription will run out and I will cancel the renewal. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my pet peeves while shopping is to see the packaging get smaller or more air put into the bag or the item in a box will be smaller when the box itself stays the same size. Of course the prices don’t get smaller, they either stay the same or go up in price. Downsizing the item, but not downsizing the price isn’t anything new and it seems to be a popular trend with the weight of Americans going up and up.

That is why it is so very important to take a look at the price per unit and compare them when you are grocery shopping for the best deal, especially now that food costs have gone up over the last year. When I do my large shopping trips I can get out of the store for about 175.00 with enough food for the next 6-8 weeks. This last shopping trip, I got everything I needed and the price was just about 225.00.

If you are unfamiliar with checking price per unit, it would be on the shelf sticker with the full price of the item. If the information isn’t handy like that, then having a calculator (cellphone calculator works) handy when you shop is a good way to determine the unit price. Just divide the price of the item by the ounces, lbs, servings, etc. and you would get the unit price.

The importance of unit pricing is handy when you see some new packaging on an item that you buy regularly. For instance: Read the rest of this entry »

Just because you aren’t late on payments doesn’t mean you have things under control, this sense of security can break apart like thin ice before you realize where you are. I want to have you stop and take a moment to think about your finances and where you are standing now.

Warning (slippery slope ahead):
1. You don’t have any savings.
2. You make minimum payments on your credit cards.
3. You use credit cards for things you used to buy with cash, such as groceries.
4. You use increasing amounts of your total income to pay off debts.
5. You have more than two or three major credit cards.
6. After you pay your credit card bill, you increase your balance
7. You’re at or near your credit limit on your credit cards.

End of the Road (turn back now):
1. You count on the float in order to pay your bills, writing a check hoping that you’ll be able to cover it by the time it clears your bank.
2. You’re unsure of the total amount you owe on all your debts.
3. You take out cash advances on your credit card to pay other bills. Read the rest of this entry »

When you are crunched for money birthdays and holidays are high stresses because you want to give the best or give them what they want because you love them, but you just can’t. Going into credit card debt for gifts is not the way to go, there are alternatives.

1. Baby Showers – Buying baby clothes at the yard sale or getting stuff from freecycle or craigslist are ideal. Make sure you inspect them well for stains, rips and snaps that work. Mother’s just want their babies clothed, no one notices the brand name over the squeezable goodness of a baby anyway.

2. Anniversaries – If you are close enough to relatives and friends, offer to baby-sit their kids/pets for a night to get them out of the house and have a date. You give the ultimate gift – time together.

3. Large Families – My father’s side of the family is large and they would draw names for adults and some older kids for Xmas. That keeps the amount of gifts down a bit and no one is forgotten. Another alternative is a ‘white elephant’ gift – you wrap a used item or joke gift for everyone. Read the rest of this entry »

When I wrote 7 Secrets To Staying Slim, That Save You Money I really came to understand how one’s physical health has a parallel existence to being fiscally healthy.

Lose the Excess Weight - Just like excess weight puts an added burden on your joints and heart, so too does the excess stuff in the house; to keep it up in usable condition, to find a place to store it, to dust it, to forget you even have it. Eventually that adds a burden to your budget and to your psyche. Declutter and get some money in the process.

Gain Muscle - Through the process of gaining muscle you are losing weight and firming up your existing muscles that will help you later in life. The same is true in the financial gym, when you gain a savings, you also realize that getting rid of your debt will help you save even more. This savings bulk up will also help you later in life or through an emergency. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s list all of your joys of frugal living.I’ll dive in first and post (un-numbered) my joys about frugal living as it is good to be reminded why we do this, why we love it and why it brings us joy:

• Going to work knowing that I have paid less than $20 total for everything I am wearing
• Bring my lunch and enjoying the company of those around me or catching up on quiet time alone.
• Wearing pajamas’ around the house when I know I have no where to go for the day
• Not using the car on my days off and saving gas and the environment
• Eating in so often that when I do eat out, it is a luxury I truly enjoy and don’t take for granted
• Having money to sock away for the fun stuff I like to do, when I want to do it
• Going for walks and knowing that I am losing weight without spending money
• Using my imagination to re-use/re-cycle items
• Finding cool, and sometimes expensive, clothes at the thrift store Read the rest of this entry »