Bad Debt Personal Loan Advice From Tame Your Debt

7 Ways To Save An Extra $100 A Month

When we look at increasing the amount of available money we have to pay off debts, save for the future or simply enjoy it’s usual to just focus on trying to earn more.

However recently I’ve been thinking a little more about the other end of the seesaw - spending less.

If you jot down all your expenses each month I bet you can brainstorm a whole host of ways to reduce your monthly outgoings.

One tip recommended by some of the money experts is to keep a money diary - just as weight loss experts tell you to keep a diet diary.

Every time you spend money, no matter how small, jot it down in your diary - the amount, what you spent it on and the date.

Over time you’ll start ot build up a picture of where that excess cash is going - common culprits include magazines, posh coffees and cigarettes. Because only when you know where your money is going can you try and turn that situation around.

Anyway, here are 7 common-sense ways you may be able to save an extra $100 a month - because with the magic of compound interest, $100 a month put away over 25 years would leave you with a pot of $ - pretty impressive I think you’d agree!

1) Ring your cell phone provider and tell them you want a better deal or you’ll take your business elsewhere. You’d be surprised how much negotiation can be done with the networks.

2) Ring your credit card company and tell them a similar story.

3) Use one of the many price-comparison sites online such as x and x to help you work out if you could be getting a better deal on your utilities (phone, gas, water, electricity etc.)

4) Cancel your gym membership and start running or walking in the great outdoors. It’s more fun and you’ll save a bucket-load.

5) Ring anyone you don’t pay automatically each month (rent, mortgage, utilities, loan etc.) and find out if there is a discount for other payment options. Quite often you’ll be able to save a few dollars here and there with very little effort.

6) Walk or cycle rather than taking the car wherever possible. When you do take the car, try car sharing so you can split the cost of gas.

7) Eat more fruit and vegetables. Typically meat and dairy products are more expensive than plant-matter so try going on a detox diet where you eat nothing but fruit and veg. You’ll feel better *and* save money.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Posted in Money Saving |

Make Extra Money Taking Online Surveys

There are numerous companies out there that will pay you for your opinions because you serve as an important source of market research data.

The easiest and best way to find these deals are online where you can sign up with one or two of these companies and they will offer you dozens and dozens of different surveys you can take.

Some will take moments to fill in, others will take up to an hour or so but you are generally paid in proportion to the time it takes you to complete the surveys.

You’re never under any obligation to actually take a survey that’s offered to you but if you get into the habit of taking every one the survey companies offer you, you will start to build some rapport with you and you’ll get offered special deals that aren’t open to others.

One perfect example is my girlfriend who got paid $150 (plus a free lunch) to go to an office for the day and give her opinions on the nation’s health. Sounds like asy money, doesn’t it?

Well, it is!

The chances of getting rich off this venture are small in all honesty but you *will* likely make some adiditional money - and who is going to complain about that?

Popularity: 20% [?]

Posted in Earn More |

Chargebacks - A Consumer Protection Weapon

I’m surprised by the number of people who don’t seem to know what a chargeback is and it’s such a useful tool I thought I’d take a minute just to explain a little more about it.

The reason you need to know about it is that chargebacks provide you, the consumer, with extra protectedion when you buy anything with your credit card.

Essentially, if you buy something with your card and you don’t feel you got what you should have (it broke quickly, it never showed up, your hotel was dirty etc.) and you honestly feel you’ve been had you can ring your credit card company and carry out a chargeback which will basically take the money you spent off the company and put it back on yout card so you’re not out of pocket.

More so, the company will likely be charged upwards of $20 in charges for not providing a good service.

I should mention that the chargeback should be your worst case scenario.

Both the banks themselves and the companies using their merchant accounts don’t take kindly to the use of chargebacks due to the cost implications so I suggest you try other avenues first - ring the compay responsible etc. but as a last resort it’s worth knowing about this useful tip.

One more reason to get yourself a credit card to protect you from fraudsters.

If you’re considering getting a card at all then you might want to check out Credit Cards Guaranteed for a good deal.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Posted in Credit Cards |

Dealing With Unemployment

Unemployment can tear lives apart but handled properly and sensitively, losing your job doesn’t have to mean the end of the road for you.

The first thing to consider once you’ve got over the shock, is finances. Indeed, if you have enough in the bank, is this newfound freedom an ideal opportunity for you to live a dream? Should you open your own business, go travelling or write a book? These are things many people dream of but very few ever have the time to do.

Now you do. And work can wait.

Or are finances tight?

If so, take a day or two to recover from the shock, relax and enjoy yourself a little (go for a walk, see old friends etc.) then it’s time to get back to it.

First off, how can you cut your monthly living expenses fast to make it easier to make ends meet? What can you cancel, what can you stop doing. Try ringing people you will owe money to soon (credit card, mortgage, medical insurance etc.) and explain the situation. Many will be simpathetic and may be able to offer you a payment holiday or reduced rates.

Then it’s time to find a new job.

Be realistic - firstly you need cash, the job satisfaction and pride have to come later.

So don’t aim too high. Sure, start applying for jobs of a similar level to your old one, but you can’t afford a slip-up so also apply for basic, entry-level jobs like working in a store, a bar or a fast food joint.

I know, the thought of mixing drinks on a Friday night probably doesn’t appeal, but it’s better than missing mortgage payments. And once you’ve got regular (if considerably smaller) cash flow coming in, it’s then that you can start to hink about the next step.

The next step, of course, being to look for more enjoyable, more meaningful (and more profitable) work.

I hope it doesn’t take you too long to get yourself back on your feet. Good luck to you.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Posted in Financial Emergencies |

Work From Home Jobs

There are thousands of small business owners operating online who are looking for reliable freelance workers.

Trust me - I’ve used a few myself and it can be like getting blood out of a stone dealing with some people. if you’re reliable and hard working there is a lot of wqork waiting for if you’re interested.

What’s more you don’t need to be an internet whizz.

With basic typing skills there are a whole range of tasks you can complete that people will be willing to pay you for.

What sort of tasks?

Here’s just a sample of the work at home jobs you *might* get if you market yourself right:

1) Forum Moderator

You’ll oversee a discussion forum to ensure everyone is following the rules. That generally means no adverts, no adult language and so on. If you find any you delete it and perhaps ban or at least warn the poster.

2) Forum Writer

New forum’s are hard to get going. People don’t like posting in empty forums so many webmasters will pay one or more people to actually start conversations and answer questions thus building up readership. If the forum is on a topic of interest to you, what could be better than just basically chatting about a hobby of yours?

3) Article Writer

Content makes the Internet work, but it’s a struggle producing plenty of high-quality articles on a regular basis. One of the most common tasks therefore is for a webmaster to hire you on a per-project or recurring basis to write articles on the topics that he or she specify. Each 600-800 work article will typically earn you $5-20.

4) Guest Blogger

Very similar to the above article creation but you might be expected to take a little more control over the general topics you are writing about and then upload them to the owner’s blog.

5) Ebook Writer

Some people make good money selling ebooks online, but writing them takes a lot of time. You can earn $500+ for writing a short ebook.

6) Customer Service Rep

In the online world people send a *lot* of emails and expect a response fast. This can quickly turn into a nightmare if you have a busy site so many webmasters now outsource this. You will be answering questions and problems from customers on a daily basis.

These are just a sample of the more common tasks available. There is a whole host more if you have some specialised skills such as typing, programming, placing adverts and so on.

There aren’t really any big agencies I have come across I’m afraid so the best idea is to go straight to the source and offer your services directly.

There are a number of websites that specialize in bringing together freelancers like you and people who need your services.

Here’s how it works… after you’ve signed up for your account you’ll be able to view jobs currently available. You then place a bid (how much you want to do the job) plus details of what you can do, and the person who placed the advert will then select a winning bid.

As this is an “auction” process, and you’ll be new to this, you will have to charge a lower fee initially to gain experience and then as your reputation and feedback start to grow you can slowly increase your prices.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Posted in Earn More |