Sticking to a budget is an
important life lesson that we all need to learn in order to be
successful and fruitful – however, it’s also one of the hardest
things to implement and stick to within our daily lives. We want to
show you how easy it really can be to work with a budget, but also
how to get yourself out of debt and start saving for the future.
Saving money is one way to
stay within your budget. Clipping coupons can save you money on
items you already buy. However, if the coupon is for something you
don’t use, it is not always a savings. Coupon.com is a great
resource for getting the coupons you want on the items you use. Go
to www.coupon.com for printable coupons.
Money
Could You Have Missing Money
Just Waiting For You?
Did you remember to collect
that security deposit from the last apartment you lived in? What
about your final paycheck from the summer job back in 1998? Ever
wonder if you could have unclaimed money just sitting around waiting
for you?
Now there is an easy way to
find out! A free website has been set up by the
National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA).
Go to www.unclaimed.org
and search by your state. If you have lived in many states and want
to search all of them at once, there is also a site that allows you
to do that -
www.missingmoney.com
Balancing your checkbook
Do you know how to balance your checkbook? Even if you use online
banking or your debit card, you should know how to balance your
account. Doing this at the same time of the month each month, will
help you know your true available funds AND keep you aware of any
potential in appropriate withdrawls. Below are two sources for
learning this process.
Using a Rollover
Strategy to Attack High Interest Debt
A
rollover strategy prioritizes your debts based on your annual
percentage rate (APR), with the
highest rate being the one you should pay most aggressively. Once
the highest APR credit card/loan is paid
off, the money you have been paying on it is then applied to the
second highest APR card/loan, and so on and so forth until all of
your debts are paid off. This method saves you both time and money,
by allowing you to pay less interest and taking less time to pay off
all debts.
Below are links that provide calculators on all aspects of managing
your money.
http://www.Moneymanagement.org – great calculators and resources on all aspects of money management http://www.Mint.com – Budgeting,
goals, reminders – Full and comprehensive way to manage your entire
assets/debt/income portfolio
https://www.vacu.org/Education_Resources/Calculators.aspx -
Has some of the best, most user friendly calculators on the web
http://www.Freecreditreport.com
– updated credit scores, text/email alerts of changes, resources for
reporting errors, suggestions for improving credit scores – cost
$12.95/mo
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
Stays on Your Record for 7 Years! Learn about other options first!
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is a
reorganization plan of an individual’s funds, approved by the US
Court system. This is not to be confused with Chapter 7 Bankruptcy,
which is a full liquidation and immediate erasure of debts.
A
rollover strategy prioritizes your debts based on your annual
percentage rate (APR), with the
highest rate being the one you should pay most aggressively. Once
the highest APR credit card/loan is paid
off, the money you have been paying on it is then applied to the
second highest APR card/loan, and so on and so forth until all of
your debts are paid off. This method saves you both time and money,
by allowing you to pay less interest and taking less time to pay off
all debts.