Wow, some great info here. I have just recently been seeing some stuff by Jean Chatzky. She is really dynamic and this is some great info. Don't worry about her stopping at the end of the first video just click (on the left not the right) on the next title and she will pick up where she left off. I loved watching these!!
http://coaches.aol.com/money/jean-chatzky/saving.html?defaultTab=1&defaultItem=1
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Carnival of Debt Management Posted...More
Hey! The latest Carnival of Debt Management has been posted and my article is featured! Cool!
http://www.financeispersonal.com/2007/04/carnival-of-debt-management-7.html
Also here is a site to check out if you are trying to earn a "little" extra cash. http://volition.com They have links for mystery shoppers, surveys, even how to start a FREE cafe press store. Definitely worth checking out.
Update: So far I have made a total of $1.50 for surveys. I have been sent only one since I signed up. I guess that is the downfall for these things. They just don't send many.
I was also offered a mystery shopping assignment for pizza BUT they would only cover $20 toward the cost of pizza and $1.00 for the tip. The twenty was fine but I wasn't cool with only giving a one dollar tip. So I passed. I did sign up with a new one though that does casinos. I hear the shops for casinos, hotels, etc are much better than the retail/restaurant types. We'll see!!
http://www.financeispersonal.com/2007/04/carnival-of-debt-management-7.html
Also here is a site to check out if you are trying to earn a "little" extra cash. http://volition.com They have links for mystery shoppers, surveys, even how to start a FREE cafe press store. Definitely worth checking out.
Update: So far I have made a total of $1.50 for surveys. I have been sent only one since I signed up. I guess that is the downfall for these things. They just don't send many.
I was also offered a mystery shopping assignment for pizza BUT they would only cover $20 toward the cost of pizza and $1.00 for the tip. The twenty was fine but I wasn't cool with only giving a one dollar tip. So I passed. I did sign up with a new one though that does casinos. I hear the shops for casinos, hotels, etc are much better than the retail/restaurant types. We'll see!!
Sunday, April 1, 2007
When You Don’t See Eye to Eye on Finances
The new relationship gurus all say the same thing: Discuss everything before you get into a serious relationship. While that sounds like a great piece of advice sometimes love gets in the way of reason. For many people love comes first and then money, or fights about money begin to spring up. Is it possible to live with someone who has a completely different take on finances? It can be if you follow a few ground rules.
Communication is key. If you are having money issues, don’t bring them up during a heated argument. Find a time when you are both calm and able to talk. For example don’t bring it up around friends or on a short car ride. As cheesy as it sounds, use “I” statements that tell how YOU feel about the matter. (As opposed to “You always overspend”) Allow your partner to share as well. By talking about things calmly you may come up with some solutions you hadn’t thought of previously.
Plan together. Does your mate know what you want to do with your money? Do you know what he wants to do with his? One discussion you could start out with is what your goals are in the near and distant future. (Of course, according to the experts, you should have already done this, but hey, priorities change) If your goals are not the same you should each choose the one that is most important to you, or the closest to being attainable, and help each other meet those goals.
Open a new account. If you already have a joint account, open two new accounts-one for you and your spouse individually. Or, if you are both keeping separate accounts then open one together to keep both parties responsible for the finances. Each month both of you should contribute to the joint account to pay bills. Any leftover money is yours to do with as you please.
When to cut loose. If your significant other is causing YOU to go into debt, it is time to let ‘em go. This could be from using your credit without your permission or from you always feeling the need to bail him out. I don’t know why but it seems like women have a bigger problem with that than men do. If you have tried talking and planning and setting up rules for new purchases, etc, but he or she continues to ignore it, you may need to consider moving on. This is especially true for women because we live longer than men do. We must be able to save for retirement or we will spend the rest of our lives working or trying to live off of the government. Which you could technically call living in poverty.
The number one cause of fights between couples is money. I am sure you have heard that before. However, I have found that communication and planning together truly can solve many problems before they start. Of course there are always those who are not willing to play nice. You have to be the judge. Is it worth your financial future to stay in that type of relationship? Probably not.
Communication is key. If you are having money issues, don’t bring them up during a heated argument. Find a time when you are both calm and able to talk. For example don’t bring it up around friends or on a short car ride. As cheesy as it sounds, use “I” statements that tell how YOU feel about the matter. (As opposed to “You always overspend”) Allow your partner to share as well. By talking about things calmly you may come up with some solutions you hadn’t thought of previously.
Plan together. Does your mate know what you want to do with your money? Do you know what he wants to do with his? One discussion you could start out with is what your goals are in the near and distant future. (Of course, according to the experts, you should have already done this, but hey, priorities change) If your goals are not the same you should each choose the one that is most important to you, or the closest to being attainable, and help each other meet those goals.
Open a new account. If you already have a joint account, open two new accounts-one for you and your spouse individually. Or, if you are both keeping separate accounts then open one together to keep both parties responsible for the finances. Each month both of you should contribute to the joint account to pay bills. Any leftover money is yours to do with as you please.
When to cut loose. If your significant other is causing YOU to go into debt, it is time to let ‘em go. This could be from using your credit without your permission or from you always feeling the need to bail him out. I don’t know why but it seems like women have a bigger problem with that than men do. If you have tried talking and planning and setting up rules for new purchases, etc, but he or she continues to ignore it, you may need to consider moving on. This is especially true for women because we live longer than men do. We must be able to save for retirement or we will spend the rest of our lives working or trying to live off of the government. Which you could technically call living in poverty.
The number one cause of fights between couples is money. I am sure you have heard that before. However, I have found that communication and planning together truly can solve many problems before they start. Of course there are always those who are not willing to play nice. You have to be the judge. Is it worth your financial future to stay in that type of relationship? Probably not.
Oh yeah- Check these out!!
I just got an envelope from Sprint with a pre-paid postage sticker and an offer to buy my old cell phone for $25. I don't know if this is available for all types of phones but I am sure you can research it and find out.
Also, HSBC is offering 6% interest on new money from now until the end of April. I WISH I hadn't depleted my savings because moving it there would have really paid off. Oh well, I started an account with 20 bucks and if my garage sale pays off that will go in also. After the end of April it goes to 5.05 I think.
Want 100 dollars for FREE? Go to Saveyourselfplan.com and register using code 701 after 12 monthly deposits of at least $50 TD Ameritrade will give you $100!!! cool!
Also, HSBC is offering 6% interest on new money from now until the end of April. I WISH I hadn't depleted my savings because moving it there would have really paid off. Oh well, I started an account with 20 bucks and if my garage sale pays off that will go in also. After the end of April it goes to 5.05 I think.
Want 100 dollars for FREE? Go to Saveyourselfplan.com and register using code 701 after 12 monthly deposits of at least $50 TD Ameritrade will give you $100!!! cool!
Supplementing Income
Let me start this post by saying I think my husband is crazy. When I told him about how I was not making enough money to cover the bills he said, well, you need to get a part-time job. So I ask, who will watch the kids.... well he will, so I say "YOU get a job". Lol, anyway, I am trying some things to supplement my income. I realized last night that I was looking at things the wrong way. Instead of trying to FIND a NEW job, I could just find some things that would add income to my current income. Since I am a teacher and summer is coming up I decided to sign on with two companies as a mystery shopper. There is already a prospect for checking out a pizza joint so hey... if nothing else I will get some FREE pizza. We also travel to Minneapolis a lot so next time I am there I could do some shops also. I also signed up with three online survey companies- Survey Savvy, NFO and Esearch. All three pay cash for surveys. I found them by reading this blog article:
http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/technobabble/2004/11/19/150-an-hour-from-paid-surveys-pt-ii-gnomies-speak-up/
Scroll down and you can read his updates. He actually IS making money. Not $150 an hour, but I am thinking I can use the small amounts of cash to slowly build up my emergency fund, etc. So let see I will count this for the month of March too. My steps toward paying off my debt for the month of March have been:
1. I am controlling my spending. No more eating out etc.
2. I called my phone and cell companies and turned up about $50 a month worth of savings.
3. I am having a garage sale.
4. Signed up for online surveys and mystery shopping.
5. I haven't had a weekday to do it yet, but I also plan to call and stop my deferred comp and college saving for the girls.... that almost makes me want to cry but it will be $150 to put toward debt.
For April exclusively-
1. I will change my W whatever to get more cash in my check. I am claiming 0 deductions right now.
2. I will keep you updated on the sale, and the other goals, surveys and mystery shops.
If you have any other ideas please feel free to post them here. I am sure others are looking for more ideas as well.
http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/technobabble/2004/11/19/150-an-hour-from-paid-surveys-pt-ii-gnomies-speak-up/
Scroll down and you can read his updates. He actually IS making money. Not $150 an hour, but I am thinking I can use the small amounts of cash to slowly build up my emergency fund, etc. So let see I will count this for the month of March too. My steps toward paying off my debt for the month of March have been:
1. I am controlling my spending. No more eating out etc.
2. I called my phone and cell companies and turned up about $50 a month worth of savings.
3. I am having a garage sale.
4. Signed up for online surveys and mystery shopping.
5. I haven't had a weekday to do it yet, but I also plan to call and stop my deferred comp and college saving for the girls.... that almost makes me want to cry but it will be $150 to put toward debt.
For April exclusively-
1. I will change my W whatever to get more cash in my check. I am claiming 0 deductions right now.
2. I will keep you updated on the sale, and the other goals, surveys and mystery shops.
If you have any other ideas please feel free to post them here. I am sure others are looking for more ideas as well.
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