Preparing for your credit card statement.

A recent study by Visa found that one in five of us plan to fund this Christmas on credit cards, meaning many will be expecting the bill to drop of their door step any day now.

If you are one of those people, then we are urging you not to panic and follow these simples steps to make sure it doesnt get the better of you.

Jan 07, 2012 No Comments by Erin Donnithorne

How Busy are Americans?

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Adults are no strangers to feeling like life has them burning the candles at both ends.  This seems to be especially true as the demands of a serious career and family begin to pull you in increasingly opposite directions.  It makes one more empathetic to the last dregs of peanut butter you are attempting to spread over two sandwiches.

As you flop down at the end of a day?s work, head reeling, feet aching, looking around at how much there is left to be done, you realize you have it all to do again once the alarm sounds tomorrow. H

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Jan 07, 2012 No Comments by Jamie Zeal

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

CBO’s Estimate of the Cost of the TARP: $34 Billion

Today CBO released the latest in a series of statutory reports on transactions undertaken as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)—the program established in October 2008, during the financial crisis, to enable the Department of the Treasury to promote stability in financial markets through the purchase and guarantee of “troubled assets.”

To further our effort to demystify certain aspects of the federal budget, CBO also prepared an infographic on the TARP. Its aim is to summarize the most pertinent details about the TARP since its inception: the types of assistance, cash disbursements, and net budgetary costs or gains.

What is CBO’s current estimate?

CBO estimates that the net cost to the federal government of the TARP’s transactions, including the cost of grants for mortgage programs that have not been made yet, will amount to $34 billion. CBO’s ana

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Jan 01, 2012 No Comments by Jamie Zeal

Squeeze on incomes ‘making some chase more money’

People who are struggling with financial constraints such as credit card debt could ease the pressure by seeking to supplement their income.

According to research commissioned by the Bank of England (BoE), many of those who are suffering from an “income squeeze” at the moment are looking to boost their financial position by getting a new job.

The study, which was undertaken by NMG Consulting, also showed that some are choosing to put in more hours at their current place of employment.

“Most households have experienced an income squeeze over the past year,” the BoE commented.

“And around half [have] been affected by – and had responded to – the fiscal consolidation.”

However, the BoE noted that its policy of keeping interest rates at a record low of 0.5 per cent has helped to mitigate the spread of the problem.

This comes after the Office for National Statistics revealed that total pay including bonuses rose by two per cent in the three months to October, compared with 2.3 per cent in the three months to September.

 

Dec 30, 2011 No Comments by Erin Donnithorne

Top 3 Tips for Frugal Online Shopping

Online shopping allows consumers a lot more flexibility and is often a cheaper alternative to shopping in retail stores. Not all online stores are created equal, however,  and it is important for frugal shoppers to do some research before pressing the buy button on an online shopping cart. There are many different methods available to online consumers who are looking to save money, such as the prevalence of online coupon codes. Read on for the top three tips to ensure that you save money and get the best possible price on your next online purchase.

1) Free Shipping – One of the major complaints from consumers is having the often exorbitant cost of shipping added to the discounted online price of an item, which ultimately makes the item cost just as much, if not even more, than it would in a traditional retail store. Full article…

Dec 29, 2011 No Comments by Admin

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

Gerald Celente About Losing His Life-Savings Because of Jon Corzine

Gerald Celente was interviewed by the Mike Broomhead show regarding the latest case of Jon Corzine and the bankruptcy of MF Global. Celente is one of the many investors whose life-savings were recently wiped out. I knew what to expect before the show began. And that is all it was: it was a show, says Celente when asked about his reaction towards the news of MF Global filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Listen to the whole interview below:

Dec 15, 2011 No Comments by Erin Donnithorne