Five Good Reasons to Dip Into Your Emergency Fund

 Hopefully you have a fund containing enough to cover your regular living expenses for at least three months. Such emergency funds have never been more important than now. If you haven’t yet been forced to dip into that account, you’re probably one of those contemplating it after a layoff or as the bills get harder to pay every month. At what point is your situation an emergency? When should you throw in the towel and accept that you need to use some of that emergency money you have been stashing away?

Good Reasons to Use the Emergency Fund

Unemployment funds will either run out or become inadequate for your needs. Sometimes you cannot get the budget to stretch far enough no matter how much you cut expenses. When

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Jan 21, 2012 No Comments by Alice Galvin
Tags: Emergency Fund Fund

Holiday Credit Card Spending 2011

The final numbers and statistics for holiday credit card spending in 2011 aren’t in yet but retailers tracking purchases claim it was a stronger showing than last year and online spending fueled the numbers favorably. Many consumers waited until as close to Christmas as possible, intending to cash in on the lowered pricing by retailers attempting to grab the largest share of spending by luring those last minute shoppers.With Cyber Monday becoming Cyber Week, consumers took advantage of special discounts and offers made available by purchasing online and by using mobile devices to “cash in” on some of the specials and shop smarter this year.

An American Express study released 11/7/2011 showed consumers were intending to increase spending 17% as compared to last year. T

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Jan 15, 2012 No Comments by Alice Galvin
Tags: 2011 Card Spending Credit Card Credit Card Spending

Lowering Your Home Heating Expenses

Reduce Your Home Heating Bill

For those of us that live in cooler climates here are a few ideas that might help you save on your monthly heating bill. You can shave quite a bit off of money off of your bill by doing a few or even all of these relatively easy to implement ideas.

  • Lower the thermostat setting

If you currently run your thermostat at 72 degrees try lowering it to 69 degrees. Wear a sweater or an additional layer of clothing for extra comfort while you adapt to the cooler setting. By just making a slight change in the setting you can save several dollars per month on your bill.

  • Lower the thermostat at night or when you are away

A common misconception about home heating is that it costs more to heat up a home to its regular temperature therefore it is important to keep the home at a regular base heating level rather than turn down the thermostat while away.

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Jan 01, 2012 No Comments by Alice Galvin
Tags: Heating Home Heating

Is This How Bad Student Loan Debt Is?

That’s what entrepreneur Noel Biderman told The Huffington Post to justify his websites EstablishedMen.com and ArrangementSeekers.com, part of the growing number of “arrangement-seeking” websites that sky-rocketed in membership during the recession. The Post’s expose reveals a shocking trend: Arrangement-seeking sites, online dating sites that pair up rich older men and younger women, are an increasingly popular way for college women to pay off their student loan debt.

How it works

Get ready for a lot of euphemisms.

These arrangement-seeking websites say they facilitate “mutually beneficial relationships” between “sugar babies” and “sugar daddies.”

Prospective sugar babies and daddies sign up for the website, set up a dating profile and start searching and sparking relationships. As the Huffington P

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Dec 17, 2011 No Comments by Alice Galvin

Getting Out of Debt

There are many methods by which Americans attempt to get out of debt each year. Debt is an overwhelming epidemicin fact, the average American has more than 5 credit cards with balances of $100+. Add in mortgages, car loans, and other expenses, and its easy to see how someone could slip into debt.

When it comes to paying the debt, however, there is debate on which method is best. Some people choose to pay off their lowest balance first, and disregard interest rates as a factor. Some people choose to pay double their minimums across the board. The important thing is that you truly put a dent in your debt and dont slip back into piling interest.

If you cant manage a payment plan on your own, contact the Florida debt consolidation firm NWCDR for expert help on your finances.

Dec 10, 2011 No Comments by Alice Galvin
Tags: Debt

The Do’s and Dont’s of Personal Finance

When you think about your personal finances, you have to think about what works best for you. The same thing that works well for one person may not yield the same results for the next person.

However, there are do’s and don’ts that all individuals should pay attention to regarding their finances. Here’s a list of things that you should implement into your personal finance strategies, and some things you should avoid at all possible costs.

Create a Budget – This is the first thing you want to do regarding your personal finances. A budget will give you a clear view of how much money you are earning and where you are spending it. A budget also allows you to see which unnecessary items you can eliminate. For exa

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Nov 27, 2011 No Comments by Alice Galvin
Tags: Finance Personal Finance

Tougher Laws Have Improved The Debt Settlement Industry Overall

Consumer indebtedness reached a peak in 2008 and has been slowly declining ever since. At over $2 trillion, it is still hefty and poses a significant problem for the millions of consumers carrying an average of $15,000 in credit card debt. In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enacted new rules for debt collectors and debt relief companies active in the debt settlement industry. Over the past year those rules have changed the debt collection and settlement industries for the better. Designed to protect consumers from predatory debt settlement companies and debt collection agencies, the regulations have helped to distinguish beneficial companies from malevolent groups.

Debt settlement grew out of the explosion in consumer debt over the past three decades.

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Nov 27, 2011 No Comments by Alice Galvin
Tags: Debt Debt Settlement

Holiday Spending Tips 2011

It seems to me that each year Black Friday sneaks up sooner than the previous year. You would think that I’d be prepared, after all I’ve written on the subject a few times before. Looking at the calendar this morning it dawned on me, I’d better start my holiday spending plan right away.

Black Friday can present some excellent savings opportunities if you are able to save enough money to make your holiday shopping a ‘cash only’ experience. Otherwise if you rely on credit cards to make your purchases things can add up quickly and when the last purchase is made you could be facing months of payments to get caught back up.

Here is a reminder of a few tips we feel will help you budget a “cash only” Holiday season:

  • Begin saving now for Christmas shopping and Holiday activities. Starting in J

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Nov 19, 2011 No Comments by Alice Galvin
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