Category: ‘finances’

It’s either Credit Card Consolidation or joining Credit Shoppers Anonymous!

October 6, 2009 Posted by admin

Sometimes I get really pissed off at myself, because I keep doing the same mistakes over and over again. But then again, sometimes I find comfort in thinking that it’s actually a common thing for Americans to do, especially if we’re talking about credit card consolidation. Truth of the matter is that we all tend to see credit money as free money, but that’s really not the case, is it? Not only does credit have to get paid eventually, but the longer you take to pay it, the higher fees will be associated to your account. In other words, paying stuff with credit is a really bad idea because most of the times you’re trying to pay with money you don’t really have; and eventually you’ll have to pay more money than you spent in the first place.

Even though I’m well aware of this issue, I seem to keep stumbling over the same problem over and over again: expired credit and accumulated debts. So this time, I decided I’ll try somewhat of a new approach to reduce credit card debt; I’m going out and get myself some appropriate credit card counseling and try to come up with a good action plan. Heck, if that’s what it takes I’ll even join a group of credit shopers anonymous, if such thing even exists. But I’m going to do something about this problem and sort it out once and for all. And if you’re facing similar problems, I advise you to stand up for yourself and mend your bad credit issues!

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The day when my savings account finally paid off!

August 24, 2009 Posted by admin

Good news, everyone!

My investments are turning out quite healthy, mostly because I was mindful in looking for the best bank CD Rates a few years back. This is actually a great timing, since I’m about to whip clean most of my savings in order to execute my crazy plan of love-kidnapping my girlfriend and taking her along in a little European escapade. I’m really proud of myself, here! I think this is the first time I succeed in doing anything worthwhile from my savings account. This is how I feel; today Europe, and tomorrow…

$$$PLA$$$$H!!!!

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Intercontinental debt consolidation: FYI, that wold be an IVA.

August 21, 2009 Posted by admin

You live and learn, my friend – and that’s probably one of the best things about living, you always get to keep learning while you’re at it. At least as far as I’m concerned. Well, I’ve been making further research about debt settlements and credit consolidation (mostly because I’m a research junkie, but also because I like to keep informed about all kinds of technicalities that might someday be useful), and I came across a little picturesque tidbit of information: do you know how people refer to the very modern-age process of debt settlement over in good old Europe? FYI, that would be an IVA.

So, if case you’re curious about this kind of thing, I’ll sketch a quick rundown: IVA, also known as Individual Voluntary Arrangement, is an agreement between creditors and debtors. This kind of settlement is (obviously) of legal binding, and it’s used when people have no other way of paying off their debts. In other words, it’s the European term for Debt Settlement, and I’m wondering just how similar the processes are. So, maybe one of you international readers would care to shed some light on this issue? I mean, the way things are going these days, you never know when you’ll be forced to flee to Europe, and it’s always nice to have some kind of a backup plan. Right? ;)

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Categories: comedy, finances

If only we would learn to say “no” to credit…

August 17, 2009 Posted by admin

Every so often I cannot help but to think “How did we get into this awful mess?”. I mean, us the American people, and specifically I’m talking about our financial distresses – both as a nation and as individuals: most people I know have accumulated over the years quite a substantial credit card debt. Many such people have already running behind on their credit card payments, and a few of them are genuinely stuck in credit card hell. So I cannot help but to think… how did we ever let this happen?  I’d have thought we’d all know better, but the facts state otherwise.

Truth be told, I must admit I’m no better, since I owe more money to the bank that I’ll probably be able to repay in the next couple of years. Regardless, I’m quite grateful I was wise enough not to bury myself in debt, like some people I know. I still have valid credit (which I really don’t plan to use, unless I’m faced with some irrevocable life-or-death emergency), and I’m holding steady to my tech assistance day job… which is grossly underpaid and unnerving, but all the while provides me with the vital cash flow that makes me through the monthly bills. Granted, I currently don’t have much money to spend on frivolities… but that’s mostly because I’m still paying off my past indulgences. All the while I’m still better off than most of my close friends, so I’d like to make it clear I’m really not complaining, here.

If you can relate with these kind of troubles (I guess nowadays about 90% of Americans certainly can), here’s my word of advice: do whatever it takes to get into a comfortable zone. Even if you have to give up on your pleasures and vices and live a frivolous life for a year or two… just make sure you keep your debts from piling up. And when you succeed doing so, know it’s only half the battle: then you’ll have to figure out a way to actually clear your debts (a good Debt Consolidation program might help). Just don’t stand there waiting for better days, and above all, don’t keep spending money you don’t have: say no to credit!

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Traveler’s advice: always buy prepaid phone cards!

July 24, 2009 Posted by admin

Ah… with full-on summer time hitting hard, this is definitely my favorite time of the year! With the warm breeze rolling in, I always feel like going around and traveling around states, sometimes even countries. Well, fortunately though I’m no kind of outcast, so calling home and getting word to the loved ones is always a priority. The problem is that sometimes going a long way from home means getting trapped in high-cost phone rates; well, this is why I’ve learned to take advantage of phone cards to get the most talk for the least cash.

Before I got used to purchasing Calling Cards, I used to spend loads of money on cell phone charges – in fact I used to pay several times more cash than it would be called for. Now, the good thing about getting a Prepaid Phone Card is that, besides making it easier to keep track of the money you’re spending, most call rates are generally drastically lower. If you don’t suppose it really makes a difference, just give it a try next time you’re out of town… I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

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Inexpensive Eyeglasses and the value of a good advice!

July 7, 2009 Posted by admin

Old timers frequently dispense good advice, which young people often dismiss as irrelevant – until they grow older and learn on their own. Of course, usually by then it’s too late to actually use those advices. Case in point: when I was younger my granma always told me “boy, you’re always standing so close to the TV, you’ll need eyeglasses when you grow older”. Of course I didn’t listen; same as I ignored my mother as a teenager when she kept warning me “son, you really should keep from playing videogames for so many hours on a row, that will ruin your eyes”. Well, now I’m older and my vision isn’t what it used to be, but at least I’ve learned the value of following sound advices.

So when my aunt told me the other day she’d heard about this company selling eyeglasses online for as low as $15… well, let’s just say I can really use some of those right now, so I went ahead to try it out. And I must say, I’m very much impressed with their website! Not only do they sell a huge variety of prescription eyeglasses (pretty much everything you can find in a traditional optometrist, only at a fraction of the price), but they offer free worldwide shipping in orders of more than 1 pair, and delivery speed seems quite fast from what I’ve read (people seem to get their eyeglasses in a week). It’s just like that… I may have ruined my eyesight from ignoring good advice when I was younger, but at least now I can appreciate the value of a good advice!

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People who want to see SEO Results: Raise your hand!

July 1, 2009 Posted by admin

Well, to be honest I’m of mixed feelings on this matter. On one hand I think that yes, Google PageRank is still probably the quintessential-est of the cornerstones in the Google’s method to catalog and prioritize websites across the Internet, and distribute them across Google SERPS (search engine results pages). On the OTHER hand, I cannot help but feeling, based on my readings as well as my own observations – that Google’s algorithm must have grown exquisitely sophisticated over the years, meaning that it’s now harder than ever to come up with simple formulas that allow to effectively promote a website while aiming specific keywords. Whereas no more than one decade ago, things were as straightforward as better pagerank = better placement, the recent developments in the mother of search engines have fashioned the process of search engine optimization into a complex and multi-layered science. That just goes to say… nowadays if you want better SEO Results, it’s really best to rely on someone who does that for a living. Because they’ll probably make a much better job at it than you would, and they’ll pretty much pay for their own work, from the increased business you’ll likely get from increased exposure.

Catch my drift? Sometimes growing up in business is as simple as learning how to improve and expand upon one’s labor network and social sphere of influence. The new media present us with a golden opportunity to pursue such exploits, and even though the Internet gold rush is (fortunately) done and over with, there’s still an immense potential for online entreprenmeurs and online businesses in general to grow. Think about it, and if you’d like to see hard data, just check these graphics I retrieved from the link up there:

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A good way to save some bucks in health care!

April 18, 2009 Posted by admin

Surely, online pharmaceutics have an ill reputation (no pun intended); regardless I like to think that nothing is inherently good or bad… that’s actually just a matter of how it’s used. And in my opinion, buying medicine from the Internet is not necessarily a terrible idea – just as long as you know what you’re doing. First things first, you should always consult with your doctor, and make sure he’s prescribing a generic medicine, rather than a brand label – that will ensure you save quite a bit of money in health expenses. Now, if you want to save further cash, it’s as simple as looking up your medicine in your favorite search engine.

I think you’ll be surprised with the variety of medications which can be purchased nowadays from the Internet… and moreover you’ll be quite happy to realize that most online vendors offer discounts for repeated orders. So whether you want to Buy Propecia, maybe some Cheap Clomid, or something as plain as Accutane Online… just make a little research and you’ll get to save a few bucks! Just remember not to toy with your health: always talk with your doctor first to learn which is the drug he recommends, and make sure to follow his instructions to the minute. Otherwise, the actual place from where you purchase your medications isn’t likely to make much difference, right? Except possibly for your wallet, that is!

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Lacking room? Maybe you should think about folding!

April 18, 2009 Posted by admin

I wish I lived in a bigger house. I really hate spending much time in cramped spaces, and right now this place is getting a little crowded with all the machines and furniture and assorted paraphernalia. There’s really not much I can do right now, to the effect of getting a bigger space, but today a thought occurred to me that might just be the next best thing: folding furniture! Sure, I can’t expand the available space, but I CAN do something to make sure the available space is well employed – and right now I can’t think of a better way of doing so than buying some folding chairs and folding tables! It may not sound like such a brilliant idea, but when you got almost no space to move around (yeah this is really small apartment), a little extra room can make a world of difference.

The great thing about this kind of furniture is that it’s usually not much expensive; on the other hand it tends to be somewhat brittle, or at least that’s what I used to think. I found this online vendor with a really diverse catalog, and I was quite happy to realize that some of those models look really sturdy! It was no trouble at all finding a good set of table + folding chairs for a reasonable price, and that will hopefully do the trick, concerning my lack of room. Still, I was thinking that an ingenious designer could really come up with an amazing set of folding furniture, that could be arranged in different combinations – as to balance the amount of free space with the amount of working space. Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it? If someone finds something like that in their own cyberspace excursions, I’ll very much appreciate if you let me know about it, via comments!

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Fun with numbers, my fond Bingo memories!

February 12, 2009 Posted by admin

I’ve never been much of a fan, when it comes to games of chance. I’m not really that much into waging my hard earned cash, to be honest. However, for every rule there’s an exception… and in my case that would be the game of Bingo! When I was quite young, I got a board game of Bingo for Christmas. I remember I was deeply fascinated with that game, and for a while I was always trying to get new people to play with me. Well, needless to say – by that time I had no idea that grown-ups actually play Bingo for cash, not until one of my crazy uncles decided to take me on a Bingo night when I was approaching my teens. That was an amazing night! I was extremely lucky and made a lot of money… and every now and then I enjoy going out for Bingo night.

Recently, I was happy to know about Mobile Phone Bingo – that’s essentially a cell-phone enabled version of the game. The coolest thing about Mobile Bingo is that you can make bets just like in a real Bingo room, and it comes with a $5 credit to get you started. You can download the game from this website, and if you’d like to learn about mobile bingo this might help. Have fun by numbers, and if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll make a little extra cash in your spare time!

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