Mend And Make Do – Money Saving is Much More Than Buy One Get One Free

So like a very large proportion of the population, times for you are probably now harder. The days when you could comfortably afford to eat out and buy whatever you fancied are drifting away – in a river of ‘not quite enough cash’. So what do you do? How should we best approach this uncomfortable dilemma? Inherent in our upbringing is a belief that we should now become ‘frugal’ and ‘careful’ and mimic our wartime past of ‘mend and make do’. But is it really a good idea to take up the frugal b...

Surviving Christmas Financially!

Christmas is the time of year to have fun while enjoying the holiday with family and friends. However, the magic can also be extinguished by the mad rush of stressful shopping, vacation planning, and other logistics. It’s no wonder that the holiday season is actually one of the most stressful times, especially from a financial perspective. The commercial aspect of the holiday encourages spending. Smart spending and creating a Christmas budget, can reduce the financial burden and alleviate some ...

What The Singing Free Credit Report TV Commercials Don’t Tell You

The other night while watching TV with my daughter she started to sing along with the FreeCreditReport.com song. Pretty catchy, I thought. Smart marketing, too. Unlike many ads which are creative but leave you with no way to remember which company or product they are promoting (just watch TV for 30 minutes and count how many ads actually connect directly with the product), this one uses the name right in the song. So you'll always remember the website while you are singing. Kind of like the Afla...

When Should You Buy Life Insurance?

Life insurance is designed to protect your loved ones from an economical loss resulting from the unexpected death of an earning member. In other words, if you have loved ones or are likely to have loved ones who are financially dependent on you, life insurance is not something you should put aside. Life insurance is one of the most practical ways of saying how much you love and care for your family and they’re likely to remember you long after you’re gone. Take for instance the story of Mary ...

Life in the Baby Lane: The Real Cost of Raising a Family

Forbidden, discouraged or dismissed by proud parents-to-be, the financial burden of having a child has always been an afterthought, replaced or dismissed by exciting thoughts of cute onesies or that first proud “mama” moment. But as many parents have found out the hard way, children get expensive when those onesies later become a tween’s “has to have” wardrobe, or those first words lead to a pricey college English degree. According to the recent United Sates Department of Agriculture report, ...

Holiday Offer: $150 Cashback Bonus

I know a lot of us are going to be spending a lot of money holiday shopping over the next two months, so here's a great way to get $150 back. You just need to spend $1,000 in the first 90 days using the Discover® More® Card (I know a lot of you would do that even if it wasn't the holidays). With a great bonus like this, the 5% cashback in rotating categories, and the extended warranties that buying with a credit card provides, I feel like you're missing out if you don't tak...

Occupy the Past: How Past Financial Uprisings have Effected the US

The Occupy Wall Street phenomenon has proven that large scale demonstrations in the United States are not simply a thing of the past. For mainly a younger segment of the population the movement has given hope that the people can incite change in the way the system works. And for many of the young protesters this concept seems like a novel and new approach to changing the financial situation of the country. But what can the movement learn form the past? How has previous financial turmoil re...

Rewards Checking Accounts Are Far Better Than CDs

Many people are starting to abandon CDs and take interest in rewards checking accounts. This is because a reward checking accounts can offer a great deal of benefits that you wont find with CDs, making them a better investment option. High yield checking accounts can be used at any time without any harsh penalties, people are rewarded for normal activity, and their owners can enjoy the added flexibility. The fact that people can access their funds at any given time without harsh penalties mak...

The Impact of Debit Card Fees on Consumers

As the majority of consumers have already heard, a significant amount of banks in the United States have decided to add a fee when a consumer purchases a product or service using a debit card. Other than an increase in consumer outrage, few have taken the time to analyze the repercussions of such a fee on debit card use. This article will examine what the effects on consumers will be and what their options are moving forward to avoid debit card fees all together. The fees are a result of the ...

Do’s and Don’ts of Closing a Credit Card Account

Closing a credit card account can be a little daunting, especially if you've never done it before. There's actually quite a lot that goes into closing an account , and missing a step can be costly! Before you close that credit card account, read through this do's and don'ts list so you know just what you should and shouldn't do. Do: Figure out how it will affect your credit score first Sometimes closing a credit card account will have a positive effect on your credit score, but this isn't...