Happy New Year!

Well, get ready…2010 is going to be incredible!

We’re looking forward to having you on a really great ride with us!

Yours to your best year yet,

Tips to Be Debt Free, Part 2

This post is a continuation from the one that began yesterday.

2) Make a very detailed budget for all your monthly expenses. Be sure to have enough so you are able to make at least the minimum payments on all of your debt.

3) From the lists above pick the smallest debt as your target. Pay as much towards this debt as you can without cutting payments on your other debts.

Once you manage to pay off this debt completely, take that money and apply it to the next smallest debt. Keep doing this again and again until your debt is all paid off. Doing this will allow you to pay off all your debt, even if you can’t get extra money coming in.

This method works, it just takes discipline. You’ll have to make sacrifices if you want to be debt free. That means making a reasonable budget and sticking to it.

But if you stay disciplined, and keep at it, you will eventually find yourself out of debt, which will bring you peace of mind and will make all the sacrifices seem worthwhile.

Yours in working to keep debt free,

P.S. You can read more tips on debt consolidation and keeping debt free here

Tips to Be Debt Free, Part 1

It seems like Debt is something many of us, including those all around the world, struggle with.

As a result, we often want to know how to be debt free.

Nowadays, you can’t afford to just buy things will nilly, and sometimes you may have to use a credit card or get a loan. But if the unexpected happens and you’re not able to pay back those debts, you can find yourself in an out of control, downward spiral.

Many’s the time you might find yourself in more debt than you can handle because of an unexpected illness, or time away from work or even an unexpected household repair or a water heater than just expired two seconds before you were to take your shower.

Such calamities might require you to use your credit card and as a result put you in a position with more debt than you can reasonably handle.

There are many options available to you such as debt counseling services, debt consolidation and even bankruptcy. But before you do anything that drastic, take some time to try to fix your debt situation on your own.

It is possible, even without adding income, to pay off your debt.

It will take time, though, and it will take discipline but if you are committed to living a life without any debt you can do it.

Now, and tomorrow, I’ll discuss some tips to help you become debt free.

Here are a few tips to help you get rid of

1) Make yourself a detailed list of all your debt. Add everything; even the smallest of debts should be added to this list. Your list should include your monthly household bills (such as house payments, insurance, utility bills, etc etc etc) in one column and your debt in another column.

Come back tomorrow to pick up the remaining two tips. In the meantime, you can start making your list now, as mentioned above.

Yours in working to keep debt free,

P.S. You can read more tips on debt consolidation and keeping debt free here

Closing Your Credit Accounts

Some days when the credit card bills come in fast and heavy, it might seem like the best thing to do would be to close those accounts. Or to maybe consolidate the cards.

Before you get to either of those points, consider these tips:

Don’t make the mistake of closing lots of credit accounts just to improve your score.

This seems like a contradiction, but it really is not. Many people think that to improve their credit score, they just have to pay off some debts and close their accounts. This is not exactly accurate. There are several reasons to think carefully before closing your accounts.

First, if you close an account you need (for example, if you close all your credit card accounts) then you will have to reapply for credit, and all those inquiries from lenders will cause your credit score to actually drop.

Secondly, most credit bureaus give high favorable points to those who have a good long-term credit history.

That means that closing the credit card account you have had since college may actually hurt you in the long run. If you have credit accounts that you don’t use or if you have too many credit lines, then by all means pay off some and close them. Doing so may help your credit score – but only if you don’t close long-term accounts you need. In general, close the most recent accounts first and only when you are sure you will not need that credit in the near future.

Closing your accounts is a bad idea if:

1) You will be applying for a loan soon. The closing of your accounts will make your credit score drop in the short term and will not allow you to qualify for good loan rates.

2) Closing your accounts will make your overall debt balance too high. If you owe $10, 000 now and closing some accounts would leave you with only $1,000 of possible credit, you are close to maxing out your credit–which gives you a bad credit rating.

In the short term, closing accounts will lower your credit score, but in the long run it can be beneficial.

Yours in deciding what to do with credit cards,

Guest Blogging

I’m thrilled to let you know I’ll be a guest blogger on Steve Thomas’s blog, Life Change For You.

Steve was a guest at my blog, Kreative Ramblings, yesterday, October 22, and so I traded a post with him that will be published at his blog tomorrow.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes tomorrow to stop over to see what else Steve has. There’s great video there, too.

Yours in learning through guest blogging,

Sudden Debt…Now What?

Unfortunately, sudden debt can crash unexpectedly into the lives of almost any of us at any time. We can be going along through life quite happily and then bang! Without warning we find ourselves in debt and it’s well… so sudden! Debt is also something that many of us have heard often since childhood is a bad thing. And so that just adds to our woes.

Here you are, unexpectedly in a traumatic situation and you get hit by the double whammy of sudden debt and guilt!

If you think it will never happen to you don’t be too sure.

Think of something as simple as an accident; it doesn’t even have to be your fault, and you get hospitalized for a couple of months. Do you think while you’re laid up there in your hospital bed it’s just possible that making the payment for your credit card bill might get forgotten?

And what happens when you forget your monthly credit payments? Those nice friendly guys at the loan company who wanted to increase your credit card limit only last month now turn into Don Corleone and the boys from Mob! They start to slap on late charges, and the exorbitant interest now starts to attract interest on itself and, and… Well you get the picture.

So what do you do when you find yourself facing sudden debt?

The first thing is..Don’t panic! I know that’s easy enough to say but it really isn’t going to help. Just stop and think of a plan of action.

Before you do anything else, contact the companies you owe the money to. Explain the situation you’ve found yourself in and ask what they can do to help. They may be willing to freeze the interest, especially if you’ve always had a triple A credit rating in the past.

Now, lets take a worst case scenario here and just assume your creditors aren’t helpful. If you find this is the case, then start to look at some of the options.

*Do you have a family member that can lend you the cash to pay off what you owe?
*If not, what about your bank?
*Ask them for a loan that you can repay over a period of time you feel comfortable with.
*That way you begin to take control over the situation and you will soon begin to whittle away at that sudden debt.

Yours in dealing with debt,

P.S. Take a few minutes to stop by Konceptuality to sign up for our ezine, On the Bright Side. You’ll also find a few more tips and tricks and helpful articles on managing your debt here

Beat the Credit Card Blues: 5 Super Strategies For Breaking Dangerous Spending Habits

Since we’re coming into the last quarter of the year and Christmas buying is just around the corner, it may be time to review our credit standing. Particularly, since we know that many of us consumers continue to struggle to get out from under our credit debt.

In fact, the average American is carrying almost $2,500 in credit debt each month. These financial consequences can be critical, and long lasting.

But think about this for a minute. For a consumer paying only the minimum payment of $50 a month on a $2,500 credit card bill, (at the average 16-percent interest,) they are paying off a mere $10 of principal. There’s another $40 being added on in interest EVERY MONTH. So in only one year of paying minimums, they still owe $2,380. Now imagine if the credit bill is $15,000 or more…the word dangerous is certainly appropriate.

Want to do things differently?

Want to put your debt on a diet? Try these five super strategies and break your dangerous spending habits today:

1. Step away from the counter. Give yourself a time-out when you feel the temptation to make a purchase. For an item over $100, put it on hold, and leave the store. Let the idea sit for 24 hours, and then ask yourself whether you really need the item: the answer is likely “no.” For clothing and other purchases, put the item on the 10-minute hold rack. Walk away, get a drink or a snack and decide if you really need it or just impulsively like it.

2. Set goals. Decide how quickly you want to reduce your debt, and how much you can afford to pay down each month–but don’t stop there. Set financial goals that involve “positive” incentives, too, such as savings and vacations.

3. Start canceling cards. How many credit cards do you really need?
Most people need at least one to handle payments that can’t be made easily any other way–and you may need two, depending on where you usually shop or travel and which card is accepted.

4. Lower your limits. Save yourself the grief of overspending and not being able to afford it. Most people don’t know that you don’t have to accept the maximum credit limit that your issuer is willing to provide. Choose the limit that you’re comfortable with, and tell your credit card issuer – in writing – that you don’t want any automatic increases. That way you stay within your budget.

5. Consolidate. If you’re dealing with several cards with debt, look for a financial institution and apply for a consolidation loan. A loan such as this, at a competitive lower rate, will allow you to make one convenient monthly payment that is far lower than your various cards and will give you a fresh start.

While the inclination might be to cancel all of your credit cards once and for all, the credit card, managed sensibly, is a opportunity to show establish good credit.

And when in good hands, they aren’t all bad!

Yours in consolidating,”

Tips To Help Reduce Your Debt

Reducing your debt probably isn’t your most favorite thought, but with the times as they are now, it’s important that you pay closer attention to where your money goes.

So, I’ve located a series of tips for reducing debt that might be of interest…and I’m adding them here. Tomorrow, I’ll post a few more.

As debt continues to increase in many households across America, more families each year are finding themselves looking for ways to reduce their overall household debt.

For some, this may be easier said than done. Debt reduction requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Especially when you are used to spending money left and right.

Those that are serious and committed to reducing their debt will eventually reap the rewards of being debt free. Reading the following simple tips (today and tomorrow) will give you many ideas on how you can reduce your debt.

Cut back
When you start to cut back on spending, you will find corners that you can cut throughout the month to help you pay off your debts. Simple things, such as:

a) Being aware of all of the electricity you use, and
b) Turning off lights that are not needed as you leave a room

will help reduce your light bill. Therefore, you save a little more money to reduce your debt with. Once you become aware of your spending habits, and start cutting back, you will start to notice more ways to cut back each month.

Budget
Budget your income. List all of your monthly bills and their due dates.

Apply them to your budget, as well as other household needs, for example, groceries, gas etc.

Allow yourself only so much money per month to spend on extras. Sticking to your budget will show self-control, and determination for reducing your debt.

Limit the use of your Credit cards
If you cannot pay cash for it, then do not buy it. If you have to charge something, make sure you can pay the balance in full when your next credit card bill comes in.

Never charge on your credit card to only pay the minimum monthly amount.

You will never get that maxed out credit card paid off that way. The importance of paying your credit card balance in full, cannot be stressed enough.

Stop back tomorrow; I’ll have a few more tips to help you reduce your debt.

Yours in figuring it all out,

P.S. In the meantime, you might want to swing over to my blog, As Long As You’re Here to read tips about Internet Marketing. Or perhaps a brief swing to Lynn Terry’s “Self-Starters Weekly Tips” membership site will interest you.

Little Known Tips To Buying Fitness Equipment

Did you know that buying fitness equipment for your home isn’t really that difficult?

It’s true that the world of fitness equipment can seem like a maze at times and that there are literally hundreds of different types of fitness equipment pieces that might work well for your home arrangement.

However, with a little guidance, the process really isn’t that hard and you will be amazed at the bargains you can find if you just dig a little deeper than the average consumer is usually prepared to.

Let’s look at some tips to help you in your quest for new fitness equipment.

1. Look at used equipment.
This is where some good deals can be found. Fitness equipment can obtain a weird status in a person’s home. They might have been really excited to buy it initially and dreams of a fit body and monthly gym savings might have filled their head.

However, after 3 months, the equipment often sits vacant in that person’s home. Used equipment can be a really good deal due to the fact that it’s often times almost as good as new but now it’s for sale. To you. For cheap. Check out newspapers, Ebay, and other places; compare prices and get a deal.

2. Consider commercial fitness equipment.
Often times, you can buy the same equipment that your local gym has.

Imagine, you can have that same (gasp!) Stairmaster that has dogged you for years at the local Ballys, right in your basement. This might be appealing to some who have the capital to invest in a large piece of equipment. If you no longer have to pay a $50 monthly fee to go to a gym each month, this might be a really smart investment.

So look into commercial equipment, you might be pleasantly surprised.

3. The first two points are almost worthless…
without considering the financing of your new fitness equipment.

When considering financing your new set of fitness equipment there are tons of important factors to keep in mind. You really don’t want to be paying too much for equipment that might be found at a cheaper price (after everything is considered) elsewhere.

Yours in purchasing exercise equipment,

3 More Healthy Eating Weight Loss Tips

Were you here yesterday?

If you were, you’ve already read our 2 tips for healthy eating connecting your weight loss. If you missed them, I’ll wait until you get caught up.

Here are the three tips that accompany the two from yesterday:

Tip # 3 ~ Walk or take the stairs instead of an elevator. This is a terrific weight loss exercise you don’t even notice the extra effort. Something as simple as a few extra steps every day can go a long way where weight loss is concerned.

Such as, the next time you go to the store, park in the middle of the parking lot and walk to the store. Avoid parking in the closest spot to the door, which is tempting, but opt to walk instead.

Tip # 4 ~ You don’t necessarily have to cut out all of your favorite foods, but you should eat them in moderation. There is no single food that will completely hinder your weight loss attempt but, if consumed excessively, it may.

For instance, simply limit your intake to one candy bar or, if you are being really careful, a miniature candy. There is no reason to cut out your favorite food when a conservative amount of the things you love can still have a place in your life, including during the times that you are focusing on weight loss.

Tip # 5 ~ Whatever your exercise routine, set aside a certain time each day to do it. Individuals who set a routine are much more likely to stay with it and find success than those who simply exercise whenever they have time.

The goal to successful weight loss is to make time.

Or, you may simply go online here —->>>> to pick from one of the many FITNESS selections to help speed along your healthy eating weight loss.

Yours in fitness,

Note: These tips are intended to be used for informational purposes only. They are not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or a doctor’s recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.