27 Apr
2010

At this time of year, many avid gardeners head outside to start planting their gardens. It is possible to spend thousands of dollars on your outdoor space, but you can easily save cash if you:

1) Visit yard sales and plant sales. Yard sales are a great place to buy unusual containers and garden ornaments. Look beyond usual flower pots and look for more unusual containers that can hold your plants. Many churches and organizations also host plant sales at this time of year, where you can buy plants for a dollar or two.

2) Budget for your garden. Spending a few dollars here and there can really add up, so make sure you decide how much you can spend on your garden – and stick with the number. That way, you won’t have to run up your credit cards or use personal loans to get the garden you want.

3) Buy local. Local plants and seeds are usually far less expensive than exotic or heritage blooms. An added advantage: local plants are usually hardier and fare better in your yard, ensuring that you’ll have a beautiful garden and will need to replant and replace less.

4) Get freebies. Visit gardens and gardening events. In many cases, gardeners are willing to offer free cuttings to other avid gardeners. It’s a great way to get new plants into your garden for free. Be sure to thank generous gardeners who offer you plants.

5) Keep it simple. The more elaborate the garden, the higher the cost.

6) Do it yourself. Rather than paying someone else to grow plants from seed, consider growing seedlings yourself and planting them in your garden when they are ready. You can save a great deal of money this way.

27 Apr
2010

If you want to get that mortgage, unsecured loan, or personal loan, you can improve your chances by thinking like a lender and offering your lender exactly what is needed in a successful loan application. You can start by realizing that lenders want to accept loan applications. In fact, they have to in order to make a profit. Lenders make money by lending money and then having that money repaid with interest. The more loans a lender has being repaid, the more money the lender stands to make. More loans are good news to the lender. However, the lender also needs to avoid risky loans that don’t pay. That is money out of pocket for the lender.

If you want to succeed with that personal loan application, you need to think like a lender. The lender wants to offer you a loan, and you can increase your chances of success by making yourself the best credit risk possible. Before applying for a personal loan, read your credit report, pay down your consumer debts, and establish an emergency fund so that you never have to be late with a payment. Gather all the financial documents – including pay stubs and other financial information – to show your lender that you make a good credit risk. Ask for the smallest personal loan you need, since applying for a larger loan increases your debt load and increases the chances that you will be turned down for the loan.

26 Apr
2010

For many people, pets are a part of the family. However, pet costs (such as vet costs and food costs) can easily run into a thousand dollars or more per year. Here’s how to save on those costs.

1) Keep your pet healthy with a good lifestyle. Just like people, pets are susceptible to many diseases which are very preventable. Keeping your pet healthy with regular vet visits, a healthy diet, exercise, stress-reduction, and regular vaccinations can help prevent many diseases later in your pet’s life.

2) Get pet insurance. Pet insurance allows you to pay a nominal fee per month or year. In exchange, part of your vet visit costs and a large percentage of emergency visits are covered. It can be an affordable way to afford care.

3) Have an emergency fund. If you are a pet owner, you need an emergency fund to pay for those inevitable vet emergency visits. Without an emergency fund, you may have to take out a payday loan to take care of the vet bill.

4) Forget the elaborate designer accessories and toys. Designer accessories and toys can easily cost in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. They are also unnecessary – your pet cares about your affection, not about fashion labels. Most animals prefer natural or hand-made toys (such as sticks or wadded up paper), anyway.

5) Keep food costs down. Discuss affordable food options with your vet. Your vet will likely be able to recommend affordable food that offers the nutrition your pet needs. Once you know what brand to look for, look for sales or try to buy in bulk to save even more.

26 Apr
2010

Coin collecting is a great activity for kids. If you have children, you can get them started with a simple coin collection kit – readily available through many bookstores, children’s toy stores, and even some post office outlets. For children, coin collecting offers many benefits:

1) It teaches children to save. Coin collecting is essentially about saving coins, so it is a great precursor to the practice of saving cash. In a world where more and more people are heavily reliant on unsecured loans and personal loans, teaching your child to save paves their way to success.

2) It teaches children about money and allows them to learn to respect money. Coin collecting is about learning to respect money and currency. While children collect coins, they also generally learn math and learn about values and currency. This helps teach the basics of good money management skills that will be needed later in life.

3) It teaches children pride and accomplishment. Having a good collection is something your child can show off and be proud of.

4) It’s a great way to spend time together. Coin collecting is something you and your child can do together. You can browse coins in the coin jar for treasures or visit museums to learn about ancient or foreign coins.

5) It’s an education activity. While coin collecting, children often learn something of history when they collect coins from the past. Children who collect coins from other countries usually learn about geography and foreign cultures as well.

26 Apr
2010

If you need a personal loan, mortgage, or payday loan, you know you need to successfully complete the application process. The problem is that it can be nerve-wracking to approach a lender for money. Luckily, you can improve your chances for approval a number of ways:

1) Prepare well in advance. Order and read your credit report to see whether you qualify for prime rates or subprime loans. Knowing what you qualify for should change your plan of attack. If you have enough time, you can even repair your credit score to qualify for a better rate. Before approaching any lender, make sure that you pay down your unsecured loans as much as possible to boost your chances.

2) Research loans and lenders before you apply. A mortgage lender may require you to provide five years of income statements. Most lenders offering payday loans, however, have a simplified one-hour application that only requires some basic proof of employment. Obviously, lender requirements vary widely. Learn about the requirements for the loan you need and you will improve your chances of an acceptance.

3) Make it easy for a lender to say “yes.” Always fill out forms fully and honestly and provide all the supporting documentation your lender needs. Make your paperwork neat, clear, and legible. If you need to meet your lender in person, act and dress professionally. When you make the lender’s job easier, you improve your odds of an approval, too.

25 Apr
2010

Having fun costs money. Even a few nights out with friends for drinks can run you a huge tab. You don’t have to spend a fortune, however, to have fun. Here are some ways to spend time with friends without resorting to payday advances or cash loans to afford entertainment:

1) When dining out, head out to lunch or breakfast rather than dinner. Dinner is almost always more expensive, even when the menu at lunch is almost the same. Make a date for Saturday or Friday lunch rather than dinner and you’ll save cash.

2) Meet at each other’s houses. Rather than heading out, consider staying in. Warmer weather is a great excuse for a pool party or barbecue party.

3) Combine going out with a less expensive activity. A night out with dinner, drinks, and a movie can quickly add up, so look to combine paid activities with free ones. See a free outdoor screening of a movie, for example, and head out for drinks. Or, see a movie together and then head to one of your homes for appetizers.

4) Budget for entertainment and plan ahead. This will ensure that you don’t overspend on dinner and drinks, leaving you dependent on payday loans or signature loans to pay rent.

25 Apr
2010

In the late spring and summer, many people choose to move. Families are trying to move before the school season starts up again in the fall and many college students are moving away from campus now that most exams and courses are winding down. Moving can be a huge expense. Moving house can easily cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to well over $10 000 to move a family. Moving costs depend on how many things you have and how far you have to go. There are many ways to slash your moving expenses, however:

1) Weed out everything you don’t need. Most movers evaluate your moving costs based on weight. Therefore, taking old furniture that you plan to get rid of anyway might increase your costs significantly. You can slash moving expenses by getting rid of as much stuff as possible as you pack. Put your stuff aside for a yard sale or sell through online classified ads – all the money you make you can put towards movers.

2) Consider storage. If you are not moving permanently, consider putting your stuff in storage to do away with moving costs entirely. This is an especially good option for students who will return to the same spot for school in a few months.

3) Do not borrow to pay for your moving costs and new apartment costs unless you need to. Credit cards, payday loans, and other unsecured loans will only add to your total costs. Budget carefully, as you will likely have to pay a security deposit on your new home as well as moving costs.

4) Do it yourself. Renting your own truck and getting a few friends to help you move can save you thousands. Just make sure you adequately thank your friends with a nice dinner or a night on the town.

5) Save on packing materials. Look for inexpensive or free boxes at your grocery or beer stores. These stores sometimes give away boxes for free. Call around to find a business willing to give you boxes at no cost. Boxes alone can add up to hundreds of dollars if you have lots of stuff.

25 Apr
2010

Energy costs are burning up your cash. Heating, cooling, and powering your home can be costing you hundreds of dollars a month. In some cases, people need to rely on payday loans or cash loans just to pay their ballooning utility bills, especially as energy prices increase almost every year. Luckily, there are many things you can do to save cash on your energy costs:

1) Install energy-saving devices in your home. When you need new appliances, buy ones that use less power. Even when replacing your light bulbs, buy new green bulbs that use a fraction of the energy.

2) Watch out for vampire energy usage. Do you see that flashing LED screen on your microwave or clock radio? You’re paying for that, around the clock. Most appliances continue to leach a small amount of electricity when they are plugged in, even when not in use. Unplug everything unless you are using it or buy powerbars that let you flip appliances on and off as needed. This simple step can save you 10% on your energy bills each year.

3) Use less. In the summer, leave windows open in the evening to let in cool air rather than letting the fan run. On chilly evenings, put on a sweater rather than turning up the heat. Turn off the TV when no one is watching. It’s a simple way to slash your costs without sacrificing a thing.

24 Apr
2010

If you have a plan to boost your income or are ambitious to climb in your chosen career, you will likely want to improve your job skills in order to increase your value to employers and in order to qualify for the best possible jobs. Summer is in fact a great time to boost your job skills for a few reasons:

1) School summer sessions are in. Many local colleges and universities have summer courses available to the general public. These courses are usually much shorter than courses during the regular school year as well as less expensive. This is a great way to develop your skills without having to take out huge cash loans or student loans to do so.

2) Many students are looking for summer jobs. If you want to learn a second language for your job, it is quite easy to hire a student for a nominal fee to brush up your skills. Similarly, if you need a tutor to help you with computer skills or other skills, student tutors are affordable and plentiful in most college towns at this time of year.

3) It is professional conference season. Summer is when many professional associations have their annual conferences. For a small conference fee, you can attend several panel discussions and lectures in your chosen field and listen to the latest research. Conferences are also a wonderful place to network.

24 Apr
2010

Part of your long-term financial strategy should be to improve your income. If you are in debt, a bigger income can help you pay off those personal loans faster. In any event, more money in your pocket can mean more money to add to a buffer account or retirement savings plan. Everyone wants to earn what they deserve, but some people think that they need to make a career change to earn more money.

Changing careers can cost a great deal of money – you may need training and may need to start at the bottom with an entry-level position in your new career. Before you make a big switch for financial reasons, then, try to evaluate your current situation. What is the average income potential for someone in your position? You can use the Internet to determine this. Are you happy with your job and just thinking switching for money reasons? If so, consider ways to increase your income without giving up what you love.

Take a look around you. Who at your company is making more money and how attractive are these positions for you? Are there other people in your field who are making more money? Investigate how they have earned the wages they are earning and develop a plan for boosting your own earning power. If you do decide that a change is in order, consider carefully. Look for a job where you can use at least some of the skills you have now, so that you will not have to start from scratch. Make sure that you will love the position (as well as the money) before you make the leap.