Get Smarter with your Money

We’re all guilty of making bad financial decisions at some point in our lives. But it’s when lessons are never learned and mistakes keep happening that there is a real problem with bad financial choices.

By following some of these easy steps, you’ll be on the road to financial success in no time.

1. Don’t write checks, if there isn’t enough in your checking account to cover it. On Average, a bounced check fee will cost you over $50. So, if you’re already in a financial crunch, the chances are that paying won’t be pleasant.

2. As with the checks, don’t over extend your credit card’s line of credit. If you know that you are within $50 of your credit limit, don’t use it. Otherwise, you could end up paying at least a $30 over limit fee.

3. Don’t live by the motto “To have is to spend”. Avoid living from paycheck to paycheck and start saving a portion of your hard earned cash.

4. Finally, if you’ve tried and you just can’t get ahead, an online cash advance could help you get back on your feet. But borrow responsibly!

Now is the Time to Save Money for Emergencies

Sometimes it seems as if you’ll never get ahead in the money game. You know the feeling, when you finally get an extra $200 in the bank when you have a car accident with a $500 deductible to pay or maybe your car breaks down. Having emergency cash available during these types of events is very beneficial, but unfortunately is rarely the case. However, with enough determination a $500 cushion can be easily obtained by following these easy steps:

Save your change. Several readers tell of saving hundreds over the course of a year, even making a game of it with their children.

Use your tax refund. It’s tax refund time and the typical refund check is usually around $2,000.

Try a "buy nothing" month. Resist the temptation to eat out or have a shopping spree. Bring your lunch to work and avoid shopping for 30 days.

Source: msnmoney.com

How to Avoid Paying Too Much for Auto Repairs

We are all aware that car repairs are not cheap. In fact, automobile breakdowns are most often the cause for financial emergencies. Fortunately though, there are some ways you can avoid paying astronomical charges during your next trip to the mechanic.

1. Don’t Avoid Any Necessary Repairs When little problems become large, the costs go up… sometimes WAY up. For example, if you avoid the fact that your brakes are making noise, the chances of them grinding into your rotors and costing a lot more become higher.

Cost Comparison: New brake pads - $210, new brake pads with rotors – around $900.

2. Maintain Maintenance Requirements Auto manufacturers recommend service checkups at regular intervals, such as every 3,000, 15,000 and 30,000 miles. By following the schedule, you’ll know your car most likely won’t leave you hanging out in the cold. Owner’s manuals list maintenance schedules and schedules can be found online at the manufacturer’s website.

Cost Comparison: Follow maintenance schedule if your car is under warranty, or you may void the coverage.

3. Change Motor Oil Motor oil lubricates the engine and removes contaminants, such as small bits of metal that can cause big damage over time. Engines do bad things when they have low or no oil.
Change the oil yourself or have it changed at the mileage suggested in the car owner’s manual – usually 3,500 miles. Check the oil level every week by pulling out the dipstick, wiping it with a clean cloth, reinserting it and pulling it out again, and checking that the oil on it comes to the “full” line. If it doesn’t, add oil a little at a time, through the oil filler hole, not the dipstick hole.
Cost Comparison: New engine, $5,000; rebuilt engine, $2,500; oil change, $18; quart of oil, $1.25.

4. Never drive with temperature gauge on hot The temperature gauge indicates when the engine is running too hot. The problem may be a faulty thermostat, which regulates the flow of coolant into the engine, or lack of coolant. The result of driving with a gauge on “H” may be a fried engine.
Instead, when the gauge goes up, pull off the road as soon as possible and call for help. Never open the hood of a car if steam is flowing from beneath it, and never remove the radiator cap when the engine is hot, because hot steam and coolant could burn you.

Cost Comparison: Cost of a new engine, see above; thermostat, $10; gallon of coolant, $10.
Source: Vehix.com

Eating Healthy on a Budget

Just because you’re eating on a budget doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice getting your daily dose of fruits and vegetables. Just follow these easy steps for buying the freshest produce and keeping them fresh for a longer amount of time.
First of all, if you’re feeding a family (four and up), I recommend buying your produce from a wholesale club during the colder months. In summer, try growing a garden and get the whole family involved in the process. Or buy fruits and veggies from a farm stand, where items will likely be much cheaper.

One of the most productive ways to be sure that your produce gets eaten is to separate fruits out into small individual bowls or plastic bags. This is great to store everything and ensures easy access to fresh snacks. If you buy more fruits and vegetables than you can use, don’t let them spoil in the refrigerator: freeze them!

Three Easy Ways To Start Saving $100 A Week

Feeling like you’ll never get ahead with the finances? Believe it or not, there are some very easy ways to save an extra $100 a week. These tips won’t get the best of your budget and at the end of the week; you’ll be amazed at the amount of cash you’ve saved.

Stop eating out for lunch. This may seem tough to do if you like to eat with your co-workers on a regular basis, but this is one of the biggest money drainers of them all. If we figure that the average lunch costs $8 to $10, and then we multiply that by 5 working days, that’s $40 to $50 a week that you could be saving. Instead, start packing your lunch every day. With the $40 you would have spent on lunch, you can purchase enough groceries for a week’s worth of lunches and dinners. Why pay someone $10 to make you a sandwich when you can do it for $2 or less by yourself? You’ll also save on gasoline by not slogging through lunch hour traffic every day just to grab a bite to eat.

Get a Wholesale Club card. Buying in bulk can be a great way to save on things like paper towels, disposable diapers, and other short-term usage items. There is a membership fee of $25, but the savings you’ll see in just a few months time will more than pay for it.

Ask yourself if you need it or want it? Evaluate every purchase, items like beauty magazines, a new pair of shoes, a wrench set, or the latest cell phone might be things you want, but do you really need them? When you stop and think about this, you can save yourself on a lot of impulse buying.

4 Ways to Save when Buying your Next Car

Research
A little research can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. Read the latest issue of Consumer Reports magazine and see what they have to say about the car you’re interested in. You can find one of these in your local bookstore, library, or on the internet if you have a subscription. If you’ve got a friend in the business, try to get some unbiased information. Use the internet and check the pricing to make sure you don’t pay more than you should. Look for deals on sites like eBay and Auto Trader that have enormous quantities of cars available for sale around the country. You might have to drive a hundred miles, but it’s worth it when you find a great buy for several thousand under the bluebook value.

Haggle
If you’re only comfortable buying from a dealership, be prepared to do some haggling to get the price closer to where you want it. Dealerships typically mark their cars up between 15-25%, so bring some quotes from other dealerships and internet sites for extra haggling power. Always try to buy your car at the end of the month, as this is when dealerships might be desperate to sell off some inventory to increase commissions.

Get a Second Opinion
Before you sign on the dotted line, have a friend who has a good knowledge of cars help you check it over thoroughly for any problem areas. In addition, try to avoid dealership finance deals, as they can add thousands more to the final price of the vehicle. Check with your insurance agent to see how much your premiums will be based on the car you buy.

Go Green
Try buying a used hybrid. It’ll save you money at the gas pump and it’s good for the environment. If you live in a city or crowded suburb, you might consider an electric car for the commute back and forth to work. As long as you don’t live far from your job, they’re a great alternative from the gas-guzzlers you compete with on your way home.

Online Loans - The cure for holiday overindulgence

Overspending throughout the holiday season can leave many people with empty wallets and feeling that they’ll never get catch up on finances. This can lead to an overwhelming sense of stress and depression.

The rise of the online loan industry has given many consumers the ability to get the personal loans they need during a financial emergency, in a convenient and secure manner. Many people with less than perfect credit have benefited greatly from online lending. Online secure cash advances have allowed many customers the freedom to get the money they need without the hassle of credit checks or waiting in line.

Before making the decision to apply for an online loan, here are some things that you should look for in a lender:

1. You want to make sure that the website is an actual company and not just a marketer. Read the “about us” page for more information and see what the company says about themselves.

2. Make sure the company is legitimate. Look for a clearly posted phone number or additional contact information.

3. Give the company a call and see if the greeting you receive includes the company name.

4. Look for a business address that is clear posted on the website. Some companies do not have an actual physical address because they operate solely online. In this case refer to number three.

5. Look to see if the company has posted their business hours on the site.

6. When you go to fill out an application, make sure your personal information is being processed in a Secure Socket Layer. This encrypts the data that you give in your application so that no one else can see it. You’ll know if your date is safe if the http at the top of the page reads https. The s stands for secure.