Sneaky ways to make your paycheck go further

Is your paycheck getting you comfortably from month to month or is it hard to resist that cash loan, payday advance, or credit card at the end of each month? Even if your current paycheck isn’t huge, there are plenty of ways from Solidcashsolutions to make it go further:

1) Rethink your living arrangements. Your rent is likely the biggest expense you have. Consider renting to own or look for a smaller place or roommate. Paying less for rent is one of the easiest ways to create more wiggle room in your paycheck.

Sneaky ways to make your paycheck go further from Solidcashsolutions2) Reconsider your insurance. Pay less for auto insurance and check to make sure you’re not paying double for the same coverage. Make sure you’re covered but refuse to pay a penny more than you need to for premiums.

3) Look for cheaper alternatives. You can shop at consignment shops and avoid new clothes. You can dine out at smaller restaurants rather than larger, more expensive establishments. You can join a car share group rather than drive your own vehicle. There are plenty of ways to slash your living expenses. Just open your eyes up to all the options available.

4) See cash in your junk. Are you living with clutter? Get rid of some old DVDs, CDs, books, and gear you never use. Sell it off and put the proceeds into an emergency fund. You’ll live more comfortably and you’ll have money in an emergency.

Your grocery bill is likely a major expense on your budget, but there are plenty of ways to slash what you pay for your food. Here are the best tricks:

1) Don’t pay for convenience. Many of the things that increase your grocery bill are more expensive because they are more convenient. For example, if you are buying shredded cheese, you are paying several times more than you would to buy a block of cheese. Buy the block and grate it yourself. Baking potatoes already wrapped in foil are another major culprit. Buy simpler cuts of meat and cut them yourself and stay way from pre-packaged convenience foods and frozen dinners – it’s always cheaper to make your own.

2) Don’t pay for nice packaging. In any grocery aisle, look up and down. This is where the bulk-packaged items are. These are often priced even lower than brand-name “sale” items.

3) Buy in season or frozen. Seasonal produce is fresher, more nutritious, and cheaper. Anything that’s not out of season, look for it frozen or canned. You’ll save money and get the same nutritional kick. If you like meats, look for frozen meats, which are often cheaper than fresh.

4) Find alternatives to the grocery store. You can often save money by shopping at farmer’s markets, pick your own farms, and through farmer co-ops. You may enjoy better quality food, too. Plus, you’ll be supporting local farmers.

5) Don’t forget to check out our guide to slashing all your bills. Now that you’re saving a bundle on food, you’ll be eager to save even more on all your expenses.

Living above your means in Florida is a sure-fire way to run up credit card debt, get dependant on payday loans in FL, and generally ruin your credit rating with plenty of personal loans and debts. Living below your means allows you to set money aside and build your emergency fund – even live debt free – but many people associate living below their means with deprivation. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Many of the things you pay money for right now you would not miss if you replaced them with something else. For example, if you spend money on a magazine or newspaper subscription, you can save your money and still get your reading – just read the newspaper online or your magazines at the library. Or, share a subscription with a friend or neighbor.

Just about everything in your life has a thrifty solution. Make a list of everything you spend money on right now and find ways to cut your bills by at least 33%-50%. It’s easier than you think. Don’t just look for things to cut out of your life – you can enjoy the same things you enjoy right now, just for less. You can still go on vacation – just choose a less expensive place to go or swap houses instead of staying in a hotel. You can still watch lots of movies, but try to go on cheapie nights or rent from the library for free. You could save hundreds of dollars each month without giving up a thing.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

Your credit score is only three-digits, but it’s one of the most important numbers of your life. Your credit score is a grade for your credit. It’s a numerical value that helps creditors, lenders, and other businesses make decisions about you. High credit scores are better because they show that you have a history of handling your financial responsibilities. If you have bad credit, here are some things you can do to improve your credit score.

Dispute credit report errors. The information on your credit report directly influences your credit score. Any errors could hurt your credit score, especially negative ones like an inaccurately reported payment status. Order a copy of your credit report and review it to make sure everything in it is correct. If you find errors, dispute them.

Pay off past-due accounts. Accounts that are more than thirty days past due hurt your credit score the most. That’s because payment history makes up 35% of your credit score. If you have delinquencies, including charge-offs and collections, bringing them up to date will give your credit score a boost. Pay off the most recent delinquencies first because they have the biggest effect on your credit score.

Pay your bills on time. The longer you pay your bills on time, the more your credit score will improve. Be aware of your due dates and send your payments in enough time to reach your creditors. Setting up automatic payments will eliminate the need to remember your due dates and ensure your payments arrive on time.

Bring your balances below the credit limit. Your level of debt is another significant part of your credit score – 30% to be exact. The higher your credit card balances are relative to your credit limit, the lower your credit limit will be. Your credit utilization – balances divided by credit limit – should be lower than 30% for the best credit score. If you have high credit card balances, pay them down and keep them down.

Keep certain credit cards open. Many people close credit cards without knowing the effect it will have on their credit scores. The age of your credit history counts for 15% of your credit score. If you close an old credit card, your credit score could drop because your credit score looks shorter. Closing credit cards that still have balances increases your credit utilization and decreases your credit score. Before you close a credit card, be sure it’s not going to hurt your credit score.

Only open the accounts you need. Every time you make a new application for credit, your credit score takes a hit. These credit report inquiries account for 10% of your credit score. Though the inquiries remain on your credit report for two years, only those made within the past year affect your credit score.

Limiting your credit applications will help your credit score in terms of credit inquiries, but also with your level of debt. The more credit you have available, the more tempted you’ll be to use it. Remember, high balances hurt your credit score, so removing the temptation to charge more can keep your credit score in a good range.

Finding a company on the Internet in which to borrow money

best loan youspeakwelistenIt takes minutes, but finding the best one can take hours of your time. We decided to simplify the process by just showing you the factual information about ten best rated payday loan companies. We rated each company on a point system in which is discussed in detail below the cross reference chart.

Loan Review Process

All information that was collected about the top ten payday loan companies was obtained directly from the actual website’s themselves. This review was done from an objective standpoint of being a user, not an actual lender. We have taken what is considered to be the most important features of the loan process and listed them below. With that data we compiled the results needed to build a rating platform.

Basics Rules of Evaluation

1. No sites were contacted for answers not found on the site itself.
2. No intervention from the lenders were allowed in this review.
3. All reviews were conducted by a third party so no external influence was considered.

Foundation of Ranking System

Scoring on each category was based upon “0” being the lowest and “5” being the highest. This scale was built comparing the best site with the worst.

No loan site in this review had a perfect score as you can see from the results. The criteria for a perfect 5 star rating in all categories was designed to be almost impossible. Final representation was done with the use of stars, small scales, checks, comments, and a cross reference chart. Each site also had an individual page that displays the actual comments from the reviewer including information that could be pertinent to your decision process.

Categories Reviewed

1. Loan Cost (interest and fees)

This category came first in our review because this is the primary concern when borrowing money. If that cost could be determined easily on the website, we posted it. If not, we stated it by using “Var” or “varies” meaning that it fluctuates based upon each individual applicant or, “INA” meaning that the information is not available on the site.

Why not show the interest and fees?

Many payday loan sites have rates and fees that depend upon a few major factors that we have listed below. By first answering the questions on the application they can determine which lender available to them can offer you the best rates for the amount of money you need. Yes, many of these companies use multiple different lenders in which to obtain the best loan for you.

Some of the deciding factors for the rates and fees for your payday loan include:

– Your net pay (what you take home after taxes)
– How long have you been employed at the same job?
– What state do you live in? (fees are greatly influenced by this because of local laws)
– How old are you?
– Do you own a home?
– Are you retired or do you have some sort of pension income?
– How often are you paid?

2. How easy is the loan process?

We took a very serious look at how easy it was to actually apply for the loan. Cosmetics may not seem important, but color, presentation, layout design, and graphics play a large part of how easy it is to find information rapidly without to much chaos distracting you. The application form and how well it was documented including the help system also played a major roll in determining this score.

3. Customer Service

It was hard decision in which order these categories should have been placed. Customer service in many ways is more important to many of us than cost. Do you want a loan in which you can’t contact someone if you have questions? Of course not! Our requirements involved asking these questions.
a. Does the company have telephone support and is it toll free?
b. Do they have live chat? (this allows for immediate answers without using the phone)
c. Do they post openly their email address asking you to use it for assistance.
d. Do they have an online form available for questions prior to loan application completion.
e. Do they appear customer oriented or are they more focused on financial gain?
f. Was the FAQ’s developed from customers questions with real answers?

4.Privacy – Secure Internet Connection – Encryption – Safe Application

The first and foremost question was the connection used by your web browser on any page of the loan companies web site that asked for personal information. Some sites virtually had no protection for your personal and private financial data while others used full encrypted connections. Next was the process to obtain this information from you with the use of a form or email and how that was implemented. Last but not least! Did they pay a third party company to test their site on a regular basis to make sure that it was not currently being hacked, or could be broken into easily in the future? We hope that the information we complied during the review process will help you obtain the funds you are looking for more rapidly, and give you the background so that you can be a well informed “smart loan shopper”.

Thank You, All reviews were based on the status of the site at which time they were visited. Sites change and in the process they may not have been updated on our comparison chart, or the individual review page in which they are located. We are not responsible for the accuracy of this information. It has been provided as a reference for you and can not be used for anything other than that. Please make sure to read all contractual agreements prior to signing or agreeing to the terms before placing your loan with any company. Questions should be answered first for your own security prior to applying for your loan. We can’t guarantee that any of these companies will give you a loan and we are not responsible for your privacy.

Seeking a Debt Consolidation Loan?

Seeking a Debt Consolidation Loan?Would you like the convenience of making just one monthly payment for all of your credit card debt? Do you have a home which has appreciated greatly over the past few years? Are high interest rates and late fees bogging you down? Does it seem like each paycheck is eaten up by payments on revolving debt? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, you may be a candidate for a debt consolidation loan.

Debt consolidation loans are not one size fits all. They are tailored to the needs of the individual situation and answer specific needs. People with excellent credit seek debt consolidation loans and people with sub par credit also apply for them. People who have expensive homes with equity that can be tapped ask for debt consolidation loans as do people who rent their homes. The key to looking for a loan to consolidate debt is assessing your own peculiar circumstance and trying to find the debt consolidation loan that is suitable for your situation.

First, what is the state of your credit?

Even if you are not considering applying for some sort of debt consolidation, it is always good to know how your credit is faring. The law requires that each person should be allowed one free credit report each year. Always avail yourself of this freebie. Contact each of the three credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax). While you’re at it, purchase your credit score (FICO) for a small nominal fee. Check your report and report any errors to all three agencies. If your FICO is 720 or above you have excellent credit, below 600 and you have fair or, by some standards, even poor credit.

Second, why do you want a debt consolidation loan?

Consumers who are just tired of a stack of bills to be paid every month but otherwise have no credit problems should be able to consolidate their debts quickly and easily. A call to the bank with which they do business should suffice. They should just be sure that the loan is for an amount equal to or less than their current bills and that there are no penalties for paying off any of the bills they plan to roll into the loan.

Home owners with equity built up in their homes who have any sort of credit should be able to use some of the equity from their houses to pay off their high interest debt and roll the balance into their mortgages. There may even be cash left after the new mortgage is financed. However, these people should take care that not to make a habit of using their home’s accrued value in this way. Numerous debt consolidation loans based on a homeowner’s equity will eventually sap the value of the home and possibly even put the home itself in jeopardy.

People with fair or poor credit may have a more difficult time obtaining a debt consolidation loan. They may have to resort to using a sub par debt consolidation service. The interest rates and fees charged by these institutions will undoubtedly be higher than those charged to others with better credit. Still, even a slightly above standard interest debt consolidation loan may relieve some of the person’s debt burden if the term of the loan is longer than the terms of the current indebtedness.

No matter what your credit or the reason you apply for a debt consolidation loan it is important to control your spending once you bills have been consolidated. Consider cutting up all but one of your credit cards. Even the one credit card remaining should be put away in a secure place and used only in case of an emergency or such true financial bind. An important part of debt consolidation is not to put yourself in the same place a second time.

Hello, I need to know

if anyone has any information/experience with crystal run health care? I have been offered a wah pt position (to supplement my ft day job) with them. The interviewer (online interview) said that they require a software purchase (that is supposed to be reimbursed at a later date) in order to provide me with a preloaded laptop with the required accounting software necessary for the job requirements. The software is all legitimate, but I am still wary. I am highly hesitant to pay a company. Any advice is sincerely appreciated.

I have had several “let’s be real” conversations

about how much debt we’re going to try to pay back this year, how much production we’re realistically able to pull off, and how much we have detested the slow-but-steady increase in the pace of things around here every year. Our 2012 was beyond ridiculously busy. “All work and no play makes Kathryn go non-linear.” We had to dial back our plans and expectations, or at least work smarter rather than harder. So this weekend we started to recrunch numbers to see what we could do with a more sane pace of production. We also decided to do a few things really well, rather than branch out into new areas of production and maybe waste a lot of time, money and effort in those learning curves. While our total earnings will be less over 2013, I think we have a much better chance now of arriving at our next New Year’s with some shreds of sanity still intact.
Interestingly, we’re still discussing whether to get the combine so that we can start raising/harvesting our own feeds, and we’re now talking again about doing some tree harvesting even with the development moratorium I talked about last week. The numbers for the combine are just TOO good – we’d spend around $3000 getting that monster home, and we could plant and harvest our first grain crops this year. Given that we currently spend $300/week on grains for feed, we’d have a rapid ROI. So we might go forward with that. The jury is still out on how best to tap the income potential of the trees, but that’s one of today’s projects.
So, to all you Type A folks out there, yes we can push too hard to pay off debt, particularly when we a) get angry about how much we owe and b) can adjust our hours worked up/down according to our own goals. The migraine on Wednesday was proof positive that I was pushing those goals too hard. The Millie moment was that DH and I actually decided not only how much we want to earn this year, and how fast to pay off debt, but also what kind of quality of life we wanted in the mix. It’s one thing to scrimp and save but it’s another to try to push so hard that we make ourselves sick. No point in that at all. So we’re marching a little more slowly and carefully into 2013 this week, looking for ways to work smart, rather than hard.

Last week was ….. interesting.

Being the first full week of January, post holiday, it was time to really dive back into the planning and spreadsheets and calculations to figure out what we had on the immediate horizon for farm production (ie, income production) for 2013. While I had already been working on that stuff prior to last week, I was far enough along with my numbers to start figuring out how much of this and how much of that would earn what amount of gross and net income. On top of that I had just filled out the Debt Snowball spreadsheet with the rest of our debts, now that we know our tax bill and now that we’ve paid off a few of the smaller bills during our first full year after DR. You know how the years are measured in either BC or AD? Now I have an alternate meaning for those terms: “Before Cash” and “After Dave”. So now that we’re starting 2AD, I wanted to start the year with a bang. Get that snowball calculated, get this year’s income calculated, and then get busy raising food for the county, and food for the gazelles.
Unfortunately, being the driven Type A that I am, I pushed too hard in all my planning categories, figuring “well, sure I can do the work of three people! Why not? That’s what caffiene is for!” (oh, the mind games we play with ourselves when we see something we really want). By about Wednesday morning I had worked myself into such a tizzy over the debt snowball and 2013 earnings, that I had our little farm producing enough food to feed 1/3 the continental USA, and I’d be working 23.932 of every 24 hours to grow it. And it still wasn’t enough to get that snowball where I wanted it. Also on Wednesday, because the Universe has impeccable timing, we found out that my DH is probably going back on OT for at least some of the time during 2013. That revelation came about 30 minutes after I realized I’d need a lot more of his help to raise all that food to generate all that income. Suffice to say yours truly hit the proverbial brick wall at about 50mph on Wednesday afternoon, and sprouted one heckuva migraine. Wednesday night was not a good one.

I just have a cell phone and no internet.

Cable is a touchy subject. We did just switch from Time Warner at $80 a month to Dish that is $40. Dh is all on board yet, so I can only cut certain places out. If we can’t go out then we have to have something is his reasoning.
We could cut groceries more – like I said we rarely spend more than $70 – $75 a week. But as above – more severing is difficult. At least at $100 budgeted groceries, we have some “blow” left.
Gas is a place I worry about also. With my business, I’ll be driving a ton more than I used to. Aldi’s is only a couple miles down the road and other than that, dh drives to and from work and I drive to preschool to work to preschool to home. And that’s it. But like I said, it’s going to go up. I can deduct my miles for business, but that doesn’t help me now.
I think bottom line is we need more money coming in. I’ve pushed dh as far as he’s willing to go at this point in cutting costs. Once I get some $$ coming in things will be easier.
I don’t mean to shoot down everything.

When my daughter was younger she loved to give people a dozen roses

Aah before your mouth drops, she really enjoyed making her bouquets out of Hershey’s kisses, pink saran wrap and pipe cleaners. She would put two kisses flat end to flat end and then wrap the two in the plastic wrap.That would make the flower. Then affix a pipe cleaner to an end, if you have some green tissue paper make a leaf and there were a dozen roses to give to that special someone.

We took a cash

funded trip to Denver Thursday-Sunday for business. I ended up spending the whole time in bed sick with the crud. I am still sick and the first available appt. is tomorrow at about 4:00 PM. Now dh is sick. Dh took me to a walk in clinic, but they did nothing to really help. Plus they could not figure out how to confirm insurance coverage so they will bill us …. even though I had a current insurance card from Blue Cross of Louisiana and a valid ID. Don’t get me started on walk in clinics, complete with fake doctors and all. Argh! I am toughing it out to see my real doctor tomorrow.