If you have kids or are expecting more children on the way then shop carefully for their clothes. You do not have to get specialized clothes for your little girl or boy. Buy gender neutral clothes so that the baby on the way can wear the same clothes as the current child once that child out grows them. Also buy their clothes from a thrift shop. Kids that young are not going to care what they look like and you should not have to worry about it either. You can even buy their toys from there as well. Any toy is going to seem new to a baby regardless if it is or not.
September 30, 2009
Paying for a Name
You should not hesitate to shop for yourself at the thrift store. Take advantage of garage sales as much as possible. Just because something is used it does not mean it is bad quality. And do not be too concerned with what is trendy. Most of the “trendy” clothing are of the same quality as cheaper clothes. All you are doing is paying for a name.
Be Aware of Sneaky Overdraft Policies
According to research performed by USA Today eight of the nation’s largest banks (Citigroup, Bank of America, Chase, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, HSBC, U.S. Bank and SunTrust) typically pay checks that arrive on the same day from the largest to smallest dollar amount.Which means if you have $50 in your account and write three checks for $15, $20, and $45 respectively the bank will clear the check for $45 first, that way they can charge you a fee, of up to $35, for each of the two bounced checks. If they cleared the smaller checks first they would have only been able to charge one bounced check fee. . Overdraft fees make up 90% of service charges on deposit accounts and banks have been increasingly relying on fees in the last few years.
Tips to Avoid Overdrafts:
• Balance your checkbook.
• Ask your bank about it’s order of check, debit processing.
• Know that deposits may take longer to clear than checks.
• If you’re charged fees ask the bank to waive them.
• Red your bank’s deposit agreement.
• Sign up for the low-cost transfer from savings for overdrafts.
From http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2006-11-19-bank-usat_x.htm
Things You May Not Know
If you feel like you are in over your head with debt and have no way out, there are things you can do. You can go find an expert and try to get your debt settled. If you don’t trust the ones out there, you can go to your lender instead. You may see them as the enemy, but you both are after the same thing. You want to be able to pay off your debt and your lenders want your payments. Bankruptcy won’t help either one of you. Talk to them and try to negotiate a lesser payment or even lower the debt you owe. Also, If you are really in financial trouble, you can declare financial hardship and your payments can be deferred.
Difference Between Secured and Unsecured Debt
For most of us, debt is debt. We don’t know, or even care, whether a debt is secured or unsecured, but when getting help with getting out of debt, it is best to be informed. An unsecured debt is any loan or debt that has no physical property attached; such as credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, etc. Secured debt are others such as car and mortgage payments, and home equity loans.