Fight Holiday Debt

By Ryan M. Healy

It's exceptionally hard to avoid taking on additional debt during the Christmas season. Maybe it's unrealistic expectations about gift-giving; or maybe it's just poor budgeting. Whatever the case, here are few tips for enjoying Christmas -- and leaving the debt behind.

Swap Names

If you have two or more people in your family, consider swapping names and buying gifts for just one person.

For instance, if there were four people in a family, each person would buy just one gift: four total.

If, on the other hand, each person bought gifts for the other three family members, 12 gifts would be purchased. (4 family members x 3 gifts apiece = 12 gifts) So by drawing names, it's possible to reduce your gift-spending by 200%.

Make Your Gifts by Hand

Do you have a talent for crafts? Make your gifts instead of buying them!

My wife is good at making jewelry, ornaments, and hair bows. She's used her skill to save money during the holidays.

Go "Gift Free"

There is so much abundance and wealth in the U.S., we hardly "need" anything. So is it really necessary to go nuts and spend a small fortune on gifts?

Consider putting a moratorium on Christmas gift-giving for one year. Focus on spending time with people you care about.

Use a List

If you decide to give gifts, use a list to guide you. Write down all the gifts you plan to buy in advance, as well as how much you intend to spend.

Shopping without a purpose quickly leads to overspending and debt. But if you have a clear "game plan," you'll survive with little damage to your pocketbook.

Don't Use Credit

Only use cash or a debit card when you buy gifts. Do not use credit cards. Since you're spending more money than usual in a short period of time, it's too easy to overspend.

And by avoiding credit, you won't get any nasty surprises in January when the credit card bill shows up.

About the Author:

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Get A Better Credit Rating With These Tips

By Chris Channing

Credit ratings are important for buying things in life that we can't afford on our own. An example may be a new home, or perhaps even a vacation to another part of the world. Whatever the scenario, the ability to obtain a loan and obtain good interest rates on it will depend on one's credit score. As such, bolstering the score is a good goal to have.

Credit ratings will determine whether or not a loan can be obtained, and also dictates the interest rates that the applicant receives. A negative score will largely impact this ability, and often times this negative score is by error or from accident. Checking one's credit report and ironing out and false statements or errors is likewise vital in getting the best rates possible when applying for a loan.

Credit is built when a positive interaction with the credit industry in maintained. This is primarily done through loans, which measure how responsible a consumer is in keeping up to date with their finances. Sometimes it is a good idea to take out a loan even if it isn't needed, especially for young adults who likely have no credit built at all. A good parent will take out loans such as this for children, who definitely need the extra credit.

Be extremely careful on what goes on a credit card, and only put an product or service on a credit card if you think you can pay the full amount back within a month. If you don't, your payment will be considered late and over a period of time, this will negatively impact one's credit rating. Obviously being responsible is key to a good credit rating.

One situation where one is at a disadvantage in not having credit or being self employed is made better by showing a lender bill statements from the past. As long as you have kept up with payments, this in itself is a form of credit, although not as important as real credit. Every little bit helps in trying to convince a lender your worth, because it will equate into savings.

Something as simple as being married can also benefit a credit rating- or even negatively impact it if your loved one has a bad history in credit. While this certainly shouldn't be a pro or con in choosing a mate in life, but it should certainly be reviewed and fixed before getting married if one's rating is substantially low.

Final Thoughts

From this point, consumers should try to find their credit report, which can cost money. There are some websites online that allow users access to a free credit report, but special rules and conditions usually apply in such a scenario.

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Learn more on My Credit Score and Credit Repair.

Emergency Fund Should Be Large Enough

By Darren Cason

Financial experts agree that a family's emergency fund should be large enough to pay their expenses for three to six month's worth of living. This means enough money to pay your monthly budget for up to six months. Seems like a lot, and it can be if you have no savings at all, but it's not impossible to save this amount. The first thing you'll need to know is how large your "Rainy Day Fund" needs to be.

So the first step is to figure your monthly expenses: mortgage payment, car payments, insurance, household expense, groceries, and so forth. Include everything. Don't forget your monthly bills like cable television and electric. For the average household in America, this totals to about $3,400.00 per month. Once you know what your number is, you can times it by three and by six to get your three and six month goals. So if yours is the average, three months is $10,200 and six months is $20,400. Big numbers, but you'll see how they can become workable.

What is this emergency fund for and why are you supposed to have it? That's a good question and one that should be answered because it's your incentive for working towards having your six month's of funds available. We live in an uncertain world with uncertain times and economies. You never know if you're going to lose your job tomorrow, need a new roof on your house, or have a disaster happen. Emergencies have a way of showing up when it's most inconvenient. That is what your emergency fund is for.

If you're saving for retirement, then (in a way) you're putting away an emergency fund. Your emergency fund can be as easy to set up and build as your retirement fund is. All you need to do is think about your goal and figure out how you're going to attain it. You'll soon see that saving three or six month's worth of expense money is chump change compared to your fifteen or more years of retirement funds.

So approach the emergency fund like you would any financial goal: think ahead and plan right now. You've already figured out your monthly expenses, so now you need to look at an overall monthly budget. How much do you make in a month and what is the difference between that and your expenses? Most people consume about 65% of their incomes in just housing, food, and transportation. That means you've got about 35% of your income to work with: income that is "discretionary."

Now you have your goals and an idea how you're going to get there. Obviously, that whole 35% number isn't available, but it's your starting point. Consider your savings plan over a 2, 3, and 5 year period and see if you can achieve your three month's emergency savings inside 3 years. Working with our $3,400/month number from before, you'll see that this is only $340.00 per month for two and a half years. That's 10% of your income.

Now for the fun. Over time, you can increase what you're putting into savings by changing some of your lifestyle habits in the long run. For instance, when it comes time to buy a new car, opt for one that's less expensive to purchase or to operate (or both). Find out if refinancing your home mortgage or a debt consolidation procedure would save you money over time. Consider donating time, money, or items to charities to increase your tax savings. And if you are using more than one credit card, check if a balance transfer option would work for you. These are just some of the ways you can increase your savings over time.

If you keep your goal in mind, set up the payments to the emergency fund in the same way you do all other bills, and then work towards your goal diligently, you can have a six month emergency savings before you know it.

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How to Deal with Bad Credit Reports as a real estate investor

By Doc Schmyz

Today our credit score is everything. Creditors and bankers approve or disapprove loans based on your credit worthiness.

A good credit rating allows you to be able to apply for loans and/or credit cards easily. And, ultimately, isn't that the goal? It will also mean that you will have more chances of getting certain jobs. You will be able to pay your bills on time.

Having bad credit can reduce the opportunities of things. You may get approved for a loan or for a credit card but with a higher interest rate. You are considered a "at risk" customer because the creditors are not sure if you will pay your bills. If you are trying to apply for an apartment complex the landlords may take a look at your credit score to determine if you will be able to pay your rent. Not to mention that most look at the report and will use it to form an opinion about you character.

These are just some of the reasons as to why having a good credit score is important in today's world. However, what do you do if you happen to have a bad credit score? If you have bad credit it is important to fix the problem as soon as you can.

First, you must stop your bad credit before it gets worse. So how do you do this? You pay your previous overdue debts as soon as possible. This works on establishing a new payment trail...this means the creditors will see over several months that you have made an effort.

Secondly, you can raise your credit score by opening a new savings or checking account. You should also apply for a secured credit card. This secured card will have a lower limit and a higher interest rate however,by paying the monthly credit card bills on time you will be able to see a significant rise in your credit history report.

Follow these steps you will eventually start to see a good credit rating. However, your past credit history will remain on the "books". This does not expire for 5 to 7 years. You must remember that it does take time to raise your credit rating. You must be patient and diligent to see a change.

That is why it is very important to make positive reports for your creditors. They then will pass those on to credit reporting agencies. Remember to pay your loans and credit cards on time in order to get a good credit rating. By doing so you will eventually end up with a good credit score and history. Never miss out on a future financial opportunity when they come your way.

About the Author:

Doc Schmyz has worked with investors all over the US and Canada. He built a free website shares Real estate investing information for all over the US. Find Real estate investing information by state

Credit Cards: How To Avoid Debts

By Don Pedro

Credit card has been granted to be the sign of elegance in the past. But with the advancement of time and because of the increasing popularity and hassle free buying powers it has become part and parcel of many of us. Even though credit card gives you a sense of freedom, there is always a maximum limit that you wont be allowed to exceed. And spending without keeping an account often leads people to credit card debt.

Credit card debt can become hazardous in times. And when the debts of more many cards have been transferred to another credit card which is new is called consolidate credit card debt. Unlike other debts, credit card debts can be desired sometimes and its sometimes popular among those people who wants their credit cards maximum grant limit increased.

Sometimes even people are rather willing to go on debt with their credit card, simply because it gives them better chance to get the increment on credit card limit. Whatever, a credit card has becoming an essential part in the busy day-to-day life as it can save a lot of time and hazards. You now need to simply log in to the internet and buy whatever you need sitting before your PC.

The most common fact that many of the credit card holders suffer from is credit card debt. And those who usually do not like keeping account of their card balance while buying are most likely to run into a debt.

To help people keep all the record of money transactions and large business expenditures, business credit cards have been introduced. These cards can help the owners get an account of their business costs; it could be for analysis or may be for keeping record.

Even though online shopping has become extremely popular in the present time, but where there is money there are fraudsters. There will be hundreds of ways that they will try to cheat you, So before making any purchase by giving your credit card information make sure that the seller is authentic. Otherwise it will leave a bitter feeling in your mouth about online buying.

If you want a list of the most widely accepted credit cards, here are the names for you -America express, citi, diners club, JCB, MasterCard, visa and Discover.

Saying all these, its clear that credit card holders will only be able to enjoy the utmost freedom using their credit cards only if they use their card most wisely.

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