I am trying to learn the right method for me in thrifty shopping. I like to keep a pricebook and a calculator with me. Also, there's coupons and sale ads to keep up with. I found some helpful information below to keep all this in one!
http://athriftymom.com/category/how-to-organize-your-coupons/
http://tipnut.com/coupon-organizer-system/
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
100 Easy Ways to Save Money
Here's a great online document with 100 ways to save money! I already knew these, but they are a great reminder and great for someone who doesn't already know. :)
http://www.bargaineering.com/100EasyWaysToSaveMoney.pdf
http://www.bargaineering.com/100EasyWaysToSaveMoney.pdf
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Meet the credit score perfectionists
Meet the credit score perfectionists
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/meet-the-credit-score-perfectionists.aspx?ucpg=2#uc2Lst
Here's how they achieved (or came close to) the ultimate rating for creditworthiness and what the rewards are for keeping the scores so high.
By CreditCards.com
Most Americans likely strive for good credit scores, but others take special care to achieve great ones. Meet some credit score superstars -- and learn why and how they keep those precious three digits so high.
Good scores are key to financial health
Credit scores were developed as tools to help banks and businesses make objective decisions. To generate them, a mathematical formula pulls credit report data and transforms it into a numerical rating. FICO scores range from a low of 300 to a high of 850, and, according Fair Isaac, the creator of the scoring system, mortgage lenders consider anything above 760 as ideal.
Though it is the dominant score used, FICO isn't the sole scoring model. For example, the three major credit reporting bureaus -- TransUnion, Experian and Equifax -- produce the VantageScore, with a scale ranging from 501 to 990.
Factors that lower your credit score
Despite differences in each ranking system, they have one thing in common: A higher score indicates less risk. And having high credit scores makes you more appealing to lenders, employers and landlords.
Consequently, focusing on your credit scores is only natural. "People are drawn to this subject because it allows them to measure something that they equate to financial health," says Jose Rivas, the national education manager for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco.
That focus, however, can turn into anxiety, and conflicting information is often to blame.
"One article states that consumers should close their unused accounts," says Rivas, and "another states that consumers should never close their accounts." For this reason, getting the facts from reliable sources is essential. Like the following high achievers, you can create terrific credit scores with real knowledge and a specific sense of purpose.
Credit score vigilante
Dan Nainan, a comedian who frequently travels between New York and Los Angeles, has carefully built an 830 FICO score. Doing so enabled him to negotiate preferential terms with his premium reward card.
"I was able to drop the annual fee for my $450-per-year American Express card to $150!" Nainan also cites the "feel good" factor: "It's a comfort to know that wherever I go and whatever I apply for, I can get it."
Vigilance is Nainan's strategy. "If there's anything at all that might affect my score, I ask a ton of questions and go to the Internet and do as much research as possible. If I test-drive a car or sign up for a health club, I look at the fine print very carefully to see if they have a right to hit my credit file with an inquiry."
Nainan has programmed everything online "so that all of the bills pay themselves, and any and all credit card balances are paid off immediately."
Protecting a long history of timely payments
Want the very best vehicle loan available? Let your numbers do the talking. When Brenda Avadian, the founder of The Caregivers Voice, out of Pearblossom, Calif., was applying for a car loan, her 849 score helped her secure top financing.
"Saving thousands on interest charges is a tremendous motivator," says Avadian, who locked in 0% interest for five years. A loan with a 4% rate would have cost her an additional $3,200 on the same vehicle.
Avadian attributes her impressive score to a long history of timely payments. "And on those rare moments when a bill sneaks under some paperwork and it's either late or due that day," Avadian says, "I call and take care of it."
She believes her loyalty to the same banks (three credit accounts -- not too many, not too few) also helps. "Instead of constantly shifting to capture the best deal, discount rate, rebate points, etc., I've stuck with the same folks for years."
Regular charges, zero balances
At last check, Paul Entin, a marketing company president from Bloomsbury, N.J., held a 990 VantageScore. For him, it's a matter of honor and integrity.
"A high credit score indicates your name and your signature on a contract have meaning," he says. "It's an indicator of certainty . . . of character. It would be difficult to trust someone with a poor credit rating to the same extent you can trust someone with a higher credit rating."
Entin maintains his high score by using his business and personal credit cards regularly and paying them off every month. "It's not magic. Pay your bills on time, and pay the debt. Make it a priority. Pay attention to spending."
Keeping the right mix of credit
"Every time someone runs my credit, they say, 'Wow, I almost never see someone with credit that high,'" says Carrie Rocha of Minneapolis, the founder of the Pocket Your Dollars blog. She keeps it first-rate to preserve her autonomy.
"As someone who got out of $50,000 in debt in less than three years, I take a lot of personal pride in my financial freedom," she says.
Though Rocha has no plans to borrow money again, "I have no barriers when it comes to employment, insurance or other areas of life where my credit score is used to assess the kind of risk I am."
Besides "the obvious things like pay my bills," Rocha says she increased her scores by talking to her credit union loan officer, who said an overabundance of idle retail accounts was driving it down. She had opened the cards randomly during in-store promotions but never really charged on them, so there was no history to protect. After formally closing the accounts, her scores that were previously in the 720 to 740 mark rose to the 800s.
Does the perfect credit score exist?
Pursuit of excellence is often wise, but does "perfect" exist? Yes, says Craig Watts, the public affairs director for Fair Isaac. "Several thousand consumers do, in fact, have the highest possible FICO score."
Though most people won't reach the credit score apex, you can get close by consistently following three simple guidelines:
Pay all bills on time.
Keep credit card balances low.
Take on new credit only when you really need it.
Don't obsess over small credit score variations. "Lenders decide what score they will accept for their best-interest-rate product," assures Watts. "They genuinely don't care if your score is 50 or 100 points higher than that."
Clearly, A-plus credit has its advantages, but there is no reason to go overboard. Find a balance between attentiveness and fixation by understanding what those numbers can do for you and knowing how you can improve them. And remember: Credit scores gauge your borrowing history, not your value as a person.
This article was reported by Erica Sandberg for CreditCards.com.
Published May 3, 2010
More from MSN Money and CreditCards.com
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/meet-the-credit-score-perfectionists.aspx?ucpg=2#uc2Lst
Here's how they achieved (or came close to) the ultimate rating for creditworthiness and what the rewards are for keeping the scores so high.
By CreditCards.com
Most Americans likely strive for good credit scores, but others take special care to achieve great ones. Meet some credit score superstars -- and learn why and how they keep those precious three digits so high.
Good scores are key to financial health
Credit scores were developed as tools to help banks and businesses make objective decisions. To generate them, a mathematical formula pulls credit report data and transforms it into a numerical rating. FICO scores range from a low of 300 to a high of 850, and, according Fair Isaac, the creator of the scoring system, mortgage lenders consider anything above 760 as ideal.
Though it is the dominant score used, FICO isn't the sole scoring model. For example, the three major credit reporting bureaus -- TransUnion, Experian and Equifax -- produce the VantageScore, with a scale ranging from 501 to 990.
Factors that lower your credit score
Despite differences in each ranking system, they have one thing in common: A higher score indicates less risk. And having high credit scores makes you more appealing to lenders, employers and landlords.
Consequently, focusing on your credit scores is only natural. "People are drawn to this subject because it allows them to measure something that they equate to financial health," says Jose Rivas, the national education manager for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco.
That focus, however, can turn into anxiety, and conflicting information is often to blame.
"One article states that consumers should close their unused accounts," says Rivas, and "another states that consumers should never close their accounts." For this reason, getting the facts from reliable sources is essential. Like the following high achievers, you can create terrific credit scores with real knowledge and a specific sense of purpose.
Credit score vigilante
Dan Nainan, a comedian who frequently travels between New York and Los Angeles, has carefully built an 830 FICO score. Doing so enabled him to negotiate preferential terms with his premium reward card.
"I was able to drop the annual fee for my $450-per-year American Express card to $150!" Nainan also cites the "feel good" factor: "It's a comfort to know that wherever I go and whatever I apply for, I can get it."
Vigilance is Nainan's strategy. "If there's anything at all that might affect my score, I ask a ton of questions and go to the Internet and do as much research as possible. If I test-drive a car or sign up for a health club, I look at the fine print very carefully to see if they have a right to hit my credit file with an inquiry."
Nainan has programmed everything online "so that all of the bills pay themselves, and any and all credit card balances are paid off immediately."
Protecting a long history of timely payments
Want the very best vehicle loan available? Let your numbers do the talking. When Brenda Avadian, the founder of The Caregivers Voice, out of Pearblossom, Calif., was applying for a car loan, her 849 score helped her secure top financing.
"Saving thousands on interest charges is a tremendous motivator," says Avadian, who locked in 0% interest for five years. A loan with a 4% rate would have cost her an additional $3,200 on the same vehicle.
Avadian attributes her impressive score to a long history of timely payments. "And on those rare moments when a bill sneaks under some paperwork and it's either late or due that day," Avadian says, "I call and take care of it."
She believes her loyalty to the same banks (three credit accounts -- not too many, not too few) also helps. "Instead of constantly shifting to capture the best deal, discount rate, rebate points, etc., I've stuck with the same folks for years."
Regular charges, zero balances
At last check, Paul Entin, a marketing company president from Bloomsbury, N.J., held a 990 VantageScore. For him, it's a matter of honor and integrity.
"A high credit score indicates your name and your signature on a contract have meaning," he says. "It's an indicator of certainty . . . of character. It would be difficult to trust someone with a poor credit rating to the same extent you can trust someone with a higher credit rating."
Entin maintains his high score by using his business and personal credit cards regularly and paying them off every month. "It's not magic. Pay your bills on time, and pay the debt. Make it a priority. Pay attention to spending."
Keeping the right mix of credit
"Every time someone runs my credit, they say, 'Wow, I almost never see someone with credit that high,'" says Carrie Rocha of Minneapolis, the founder of the Pocket Your Dollars blog. She keeps it first-rate to preserve her autonomy.
"As someone who got out of $50,000 in debt in less than three years, I take a lot of personal pride in my financial freedom," she says.
Though Rocha has no plans to borrow money again, "I have no barriers when it comes to employment, insurance or other areas of life where my credit score is used to assess the kind of risk I am."
Besides "the obvious things like pay my bills," Rocha says she increased her scores by talking to her credit union loan officer, who said an overabundance of idle retail accounts was driving it down. She had opened the cards randomly during in-store promotions but never really charged on them, so there was no history to protect. After formally closing the accounts, her scores that were previously in the 720 to 740 mark rose to the 800s.
Does the perfect credit score exist?
Pursuit of excellence is often wise, but does "perfect" exist? Yes, says Craig Watts, the public affairs director for Fair Isaac. "Several thousand consumers do, in fact, have the highest possible FICO score."
Though most people won't reach the credit score apex, you can get close by consistently following three simple guidelines:
Pay all bills on time.
Keep credit card balances low.
Take on new credit only when you really need it.
Don't obsess over small credit score variations. "Lenders decide what score they will accept for their best-interest-rate product," assures Watts. "They genuinely don't care if your score is 50 or 100 points higher than that."
Clearly, A-plus credit has its advantages, but there is no reason to go overboard. Find a balance between attentiveness and fixation by understanding what those numbers can do for you and knowing how you can improve them. And remember: Credit scores gauge your borrowing history, not your value as a person.
This article was reported by Erica Sandberg for CreditCards.com.
Published May 3, 2010
More from MSN Money and CreditCards.com
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Buying car tips
Buying car tips
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/car-dealer-scams-to-avoid.aspx?page=2
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/car-dealer-scams-to-avoid.aspx?page=2
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