How to Live on One Income

Is your goal to live on one income so you or your spouse can be a stay-at-home parent, pursue schooling, keep house, or another establish another endeavor? Take the following steps to make sure that you are well prepared for your lifestyle change. Get a New Attitude If you are currently living on two incomes, you may need to make some changes, both drastic and non-drastic in order to make the one income work for your family. Embrace money-saving ideas, such as shopping at yard sales or thrift stores, cooking at home, and bargain hunting. Look at these practices as … Continue reading

Which Debt Reduction Strategy is Right for You?

You are committed to doing whatever it takes to get out of debt and remove financial worries from your life. You see a promising future, filled not with stacks of bills or collection calls, but a paid-off home and enough liquid assets to be able to enjoy life and to provide a future for your children. What a wonderful goal and one that could come true with some good choices and perseverance. Gaining financial freedom first starts with getting out of debt, with forming your own debt reduction plan that contains solid and achievable goals. It is do it yourself … Continue reading

Do Debt Consolidation Loans Work?

Consolidation loans, or consolidation of debt may work for you in your goals to get out of debt. Consolidation has some benefits, but it also have some risks as well. Find out if consolidation loans would work for you. To consolidate your debt, you would take out a new loan that covers the cost of all of your pressing debt. The new loan pays off all of the others, leaving you with one loan. This consolidation loan must still be paid off, of course. Consolidation loans can make it a little easier to keep up with your debt, since it … Continue reading

How to Turn Your Resolution to Save Money into a Reality

Make sure that you can turn your resolution to save money into a reality when you put the following steps into place. It isn’t enough just to resolve to be frugal or cut back. You have to make a commitment and then know where to begin and how to keep it going. It takes just 21 days, by conventional wisdom, to turn a resolution into a habit. That means with just a little effort each day for the next three weeks, you can start down a path of a lifetime of saving with the end result being financial solvency. The … Continue reading

Taking Debt Too Lightly

Why is it so easy to go into debt and so hard to get out of it? I think for modern generations, there has been a culture of taking debt too lightly. Fortunately, for some of us, that culture is changing toward one of getting rid of debt or not getting into it in the first place. Meanwhile, there is still a more corporate culture that encourages debt, and it is one, as individuals, that we have to fight against in order to be solvent and live a good life. Being offered a loan, whether it is a home mortgage, … Continue reading

Three Reasons Why Low Interest Credit Card Transfers May Put You in Debt

Many of us seek to take advantage of those low interest credit card transfer offers. With a low interest credit card transfer offer, you can take the debt you have on one credit card and move it over to a new card that gives you a lower rate of interest. With lower interest, you will save more money, right? If your credit score is still decent, you will find yourself getting a lot of these offers in the mail. Switching from a 12 percent card to a five percent card seems like a great way to speed up your recovery … Continue reading

To Get Out of Debt, Start Small

The bills are piling up in the corner of your desk, and it seems that every day the mail brings a new stack to deal with. Although the collection agencies haven’t started calling yet, you know that it is only a matter of time before they do. You want to get out of debt and get back on track, but the whole thing seems so overwhelming. Fortunately, it really doesn’t have to be. Just start small and go from there. Most financial advice about debt will guide you toward paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first. This … Continue reading

The Best Way to Pay Off Credit Cards

Credit card debt is at an all-time crisis. With compounded interested levels of up to 20 percent, it can quickly spiral out of control. Getting the credit cards paid off should be every family’s number one financial goal. It is the first step in living debt free. The are right ways and wrong ways to pay off your credit cards. Taking out a second mortgage or home equity loan is probably not the best idea, although some others may advise such actions. The same goes for borrowing from your life insurance policy or from friends and family. The key is … Continue reading

How to Use Garage Sales to Get Out of Debt

Garage sales can help you get out of debt in at least two major ways. Learn how you can use this staple of American culture to your advantage, as you pay down your bills and obtain financial freedom. Dave Ramsey, financial guru, once said to get out of debt he held a garage sale, selling so much that his kids thought they were going to be next. While this may seem like an extreme thing to do, the fact is that it is a good strategy to use in your arsenal of tools that will get you out of debt. … Continue reading

5 Steps to Getting Your Car Paid Off Early

Paying off your car loan early will save you hundreds of dollars in interest charges, eliminate a monthly expense, and increase your credit score as your rate of debt to income goes down. Plus, you’ll get a real sense of accomplishment knowing that your car is completely yours, free and clear. 1. First do your homework Review your loan paperwork before you start. Most car loans are simple interest loans. That is, the interest accrues during the life of the loan, so paying it off early will save you a lot of money. In a precomputed interest loan, on the … Continue reading