Found Not Lost

I never used to clip coupons. But with the rising prices of everything, I’m making myself more disciplined about finding coupons and using them whenever I make a purchase. Heck, if I can find coupon for gas, I’ll use it! My new resolution is to not buy anything full price. If I can buy it at a discount due to a sale or a coupon and I really need it, then maybe I’ll buy it.

I’ve signed up to several coupon sites including Savings.com. They have coupons for just about every consumer item you would purchase. Items such as: clothing, electronics, jewelry, cosmetics, tools, flowers and much more. You can also get Medifast coupon from Savings.com. If you’re not familiar with Medifast, this is a group of products that support the Medifast diet plan. They have nutritional supplements and meal plans.

Whenever I shop for anything now, especially online, I try to find coupons or promotional codes in order to reduce the price I pay. It works! I’ve saved anywhere from 10-50% of the purchase price using coupon codes. Next time you shop online and elsewhere, try looking for a discount coupon first. You’d be surprised how many are available out there.

I just saw this commercial on TV over the weekend and decided to check out the website today. I love North Carolina because there are so many programs such as this one that not only encourages but also enables students to continue on to college. Under the N.C. Learn and Earn program, high school students can start earning college credits while still in high school. By the time they graduate from high school they would have also either completed an AA degree or are qualified to go into college as a junior. This can save families two years worth of tuition!

Students can earn college credits in high school two ways: they can attend a designated Learn and Earn High School or complete the Learn and Earn Online Curriculum. The following details about both methods is from their website:

Learn and Earn High Schools

* There are 60 Learn and Earn high schools located on the campuses of community colleges and universities across the state.
* Learn and Earn students take both high school and college-level courses and may attend classes with college students.
* In no more than five years, students graduate from high school with a diploma and two years of college credit or an associate’s degree – FOR FREE.
* All college courses transfer to any state college or university.
* Most schools accept students through an application process.
* Click here to see if there is a Learn and Earn high school in your county.
* Contact your school guidance counselor to find out how to apply.

Learn and Earn Online

* Students who cannot attend a Learn and Earn high school can still take college courses through Learn and Earn Online.
* Students at EVERY public high school in the state can sign up.
* Students can take courses during the school day and at night.
* As a part of some classes, students will have a teacher in their classroom and online.
* Students enrolled in the program can graduate in no more than five years with their high school diploma and two years of college credit or an associate’s degree – FOR FREE.
* Click here to see a list of online courses currently available.
* Sign up with the guidance counselor in your high school.
* Need help? Call 1-877-NC-LEARN (1-877-625-3276)

If you are in North Carolina and have a college bound student, make sure you visit the website and get more information about the program.

My dad used to live in San Francisco but after he retired and went on a fixed income, he couldn’t afford to live there anymore. So he decided to sell his condo and move to Los Angeles to be closer to my sisters.

My sister found a great san francisco realtor to handle the sale and the property closed in no time. Finding the right agent when buying or selling property in San Francisco or anywhere in the country is vital if you want to get your money’s worth. If you ever need a Realtor in San Francisco but don’t know where to start, try Clicksmart.com. They have a database of real estate experts who can help your transitions smoother and problem free.

It’s a good thing I have a job because I am certainly no poet. I may not be a poet, but at least I’m not a complete financial dummy according to the bills IQ quiz. Take the bills IQ quiz on the website if you want to know how smart you’ve been with your financial decisions. After all, most Americans aren’t known for their saving abilities. We do like our toys and we want to have them right now. That’s also why many of us have gotten quite familiar with the idea of Debt relief. The last few decades has showed an increasing number of people who file for bankruptcy.

I know the basic idea of good financial management: do not spend more than you earn, and always pay yourself first. But do I follow that advice? Of course not. Since I was old enough to have a credit card, I’ve had at least a couple and carried balances on them; paying huge sums of interest and fees over the years. I have an average bills IQ only because I do try to pay my bills on time and have some investments to balance things out. Still, I could have done better with my finances.

If you are still holding more credit cards than you have fingers, you really should consider getting rid of them or reducing them. Debt help is available if you need it, all you have to do is look for it and follow some basic tips like Debt consolidation to reduce the ratio of money going out vs. the amount coming in.

Start by taking the bills IQ quiz at Bills.com and follow some of the suggestions after the quiz to start building a healthier money IQ.

I think most of us know that it is probably best not to take payday loans. At least that is the advise we get most of the time, and it is sound advice.

HOWEVER, life does not always cooperate with being smart or sound. It likes to throw in monkey wrenches whenever it gets a chance because it knows that while we also all know that it is probably smart to have an emergency fund for just in case moments, we usually don’t. There are a great many people who live paycheck to paycheck and they are not irresponsible or dumb people, it’s just the way things are sometimes. I know, I’ve been there before.

When your only transportation to work conks out on you, when the pipes bust or the roof leaks, you don’t always have ready money to fix them and they have to be fixed. Those are times when Pay Day Loans are best utilized (not when you need a shopping spree to feel better). Now, it’s also easier and more convenient to apply for a payday loan. You don’t have to get in line at the store anymore, just go online and fill out an application. It’s convenient, secure and private.

Not all of us have a hidden treasure in our attic worth millions like the woman who just earned over 8 million dollars for a piece of paper with the lyrics for Give Peace a Chance written by John Lennon himself. Unfortunately, even with all the advice floating around against using or, worst, relying on credit cards, many of us still do either out of necessity or convenience.

Credit cards are actually not bad, especially in this plastic world we live in, provided you get the right on and you manage how they are used and administered carefully. Before getting a credit card, it’s always a good idea to compare what’s out there rather than just settling for the first pre-approved offer you get in your mailbox. You can use the internet to investigate the credit card companies and their offers which will require a little bit of effort on your part but could end up saving you lots of money. There is also a Credit Cards Club which has compiled, in one site, a plethora of information about different types of credit cards and the features that make them different from each other, making you more informed about the type of credit card that is right for you. For instance, find out how your credit card rating can affect the type of credit card and interest rate you can get. Learn which credit cards will give you extras like gas rewards or airline rewards just for using them. If you have bad credit, they also have information on how you can restart your credit, which credit cards are suitable for your situation, and many more useful information like that.

So before you sign up for another credit card, make sure you do a little research first. If you can, do a lot of research and you’ll be richer for it.