All Posts Tagged With: "credit cards"

I will never understand people who use a credit card for everything!

AS for me, and my thrifty shopping habits: I always limit my spending to what I have in my bank account at the time (plus, as an avid saver, I always have extra cash when emergencies arise). Alright, alright … I kinda’ understand the “psychology” behind the credit card use: most people don’t feel as much of the pain of spending when they use plastic as opposed to cash…but I can’t understand this kind of talk: “I have plastic so I think I can afford more than I really can”. That just doesn’t register in my brain for some reason!

So you had a big balance on your cards (wasn’t too bright, you know)? You wanted to pay it back, but you were trying to make ends meet as well, am I right? Then when you got your credit card bill and saw the minimum amount due, I bet that very low amount enticed you to just pay it, and the extra money went towards other things like food and rent, correct? Did you answer “Yes” to all of these questions? Well then, fast forward a few years, and I also bet that you’ve finally figured out that instead of your ancient purchases getting paid off, your freaking amount grew out of control … now, when you finally look at the interest you’ve paid out over the years, you realize that it was as much as the original items you bought! Sound about right? Sucks, huh? Continued

Did you know that the average credit card APR is just above the 18% mark?

You say your rate is higher than that? Well, don’t you think the time has come to change that … to stop giving these rip-off companies your hard-earned money, when there’s a very simple solution to getting a much lower rate? What is that solution, you ask? Calling and asking for a better rate is my answer to that, plain and simple!

WARNING: This is where I get serious: convincing your stinking, no good credit card company to lower your rates will not only reduce the amount you pay on interest each month, but it will also drastically reduce your overall debt. Even if you’re not a very good negotiator, it is still very possible to lower your rates — all that’s required from you is a little research and then a couple of phone calls (too yellow? Then ask a friend, who actually has a pair, to make the call for you. Then get down on yourself for being such a chicken-s#$t [just kidding. Or am I?]). Continued

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty sick and tired of being told, by everyone, how bad the economy is getting!

Ok, enough is enough … we’re going to have to cut back on some things — I get that, I really do. And I know things are going to get worse before they have a chance to get better! However, what I don’t get is why the media feels the need to drone on and on about every little issue that they can get their claws on … why do they try to scare us so? I think I have some real answers to these puzzling questions: 1) they do it for the ratings, 2) they do it so we stayed glued to their network, with a promise that more and more of the story will be coming up shortly (note: the rest of the story usually winds up being just a lame excuse, and a waste of airtime) and 3) they are being paid by company-sponsored dollars, under the condition that they will only tell the one side of the story (the one that the corporations tell them to)!

While some of this garbage, which they force-feed us every day, may actually turn out to be true, and even though it most certainly does not help us much in terms of our own personal financial situations (most of the times, the news doesn’t pertain to the average citizen) I thought, just in case a blind squirrel finds a nut, I would share some practical advice on what we can do now to ensure that our families survive the current economy either way. Want to get started? Ok … Continued

New Year’s Resolutions are for the birds!

Seriously … they never work, and eventually you start right back up with whatever you gave up (ex. smoking [fill in the blanks], drinking [fill in the blanks], losing weight [ughh], etc. and etc.)! However, you probably spent way too much money over the holidays, just like the marketers wanted – no, dictated- you to do, so I bet you’re looking for a way to get rid of that debt you just raked up on your darn-blasted credit cards. Yes? Well look no further then, because I have your answer (do me a favor though, and start it up next month so there’s no resolution garbage associated with your quest for the debt-free lifestyle, ok?)!

Here it is (the answer, remember?): these simple rules will both reduce your credit card debt, and help you on your way to relieving the stress these plastic devils caused you in 2008. Good luck: Continued

Credit card debt is a major social problem in some Western countries. To eliminate credit card debt, it is best to recognize the problem as both a social and individual problem.

If you are overburdened with credit card debt, or are in danger of becoming so, it is very easy to see it only as an individual problem, one from which you might be suffering both physically and mentally. Worry and stress can be silent invaders into your physical and mental well being. Debt can undoubtedly cause both worry and stress, not just to the debtor, but to their immediate families as well. Continued