It is hard enough when collection agencies call your home or your workplace on a debt that you owe, but what happens when they are calling for someone else and holding you responsible? Here is what you need to know and what you need to do. When collection agencies are looking for someone else, there are two types of collection calls that you may be faced with. The phishing call in which the caller is looking for information on that person, such as a neighbor, and the intimidation call in which the person on the phone is making threats or … Continue reading →

Increasing your income can be easier than you think. You just need to stop concentrating on the things that you can’t change and start focusing on the things that you can. Managing the areas that are under your control is a quick way to start making your money grow. There are some things that you just can’t control when it comes to your money. Two good examples are if the stock market goes down or if gas prices go up. You can’t really manage those things. You can, however, manage other areas to increase your income. Manage Your Debt Finding … Continue reading →

Beware of fake collection call scams. They will try to separate you from your money in no time. With the current economy, many people are finding that they have to juggle a bunch of bills and may be used to getting calls from collection agencies, or they may have a friend or family member in such a situation. But what if the collection agency isn’t real? If you aren’t careful you could wind up giving your hard earned money to con artists. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which was formed from a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation … Continue reading →

If you get paid weekly then be prepared for an extra paycheck this month. It is the first month of the year in which you will get five paychecks instead of four. Put that paycheck to good us with the following ideas. Most of us in our budgets, plan a budget per month. The monthly budget will contain a set amount of income over four weeks. March, however offers five weeks of paychecks. This means that you can have an extra paycheck this month that might not have been accounted for in your income. Take that extra paycheck and see … Continue reading →

Are you getting a tax refund? Here is what to do and what not to do with it. Many people get excited about their tax refunds, usually relying on them to fund a new purchase or to to give them a chance to have a little fun money. But what these people don’t realize is that the tax refund shouldn’t be viewed as free spending money. It didn’t manifest from nowhere but was actually a “loan” to the government in which the government paid no interest. If you do have a sizable refund coming to you, that is great news … Continue reading →

Facing debt is usually not a fun thing to do. As a result of that, many of us are in denial about how much debt we have, how much we actually owe. As one friend told me while she was writing yet another check for her daughter’s expensive extracurricular activities, “I just don’t want to know how much I’m spending. I know I’m in debt and probably won’t get out of it, so why worry?” Well, there are very good reasons to worry. First of all, if your debt gets too large, you could lose everything, including your home. Second … Continue reading →

Getting out of debt can be an exciting journey and a worthwhile goal. Just imagine how free you will feel when you owe nothing and can basically live however you want to live. You’ll be able to keep all of that money that you current spend on interest on your debt and apply it to where you want it to go. When you first start down the path of getting out of debt, you’ll want to make sure that you have some support systems in place. Not only will these support systems help you to stay motivated and to stay … Continue reading →

There is no magic formula for getting out of debt, and many times there are tough choices to be made. In the end, it is all worth it, since the sacrifices can lead to greater good down the road. But still, when you are in the middle of the hard choices, and the last thing that you want to do is make them, life can be full of anxiety. We have one such choice we are facing right now. My daughter is a competitive figure skater. This is a sport that requires a bit of money to maintain. Although she … Continue reading →

If you need to dig yourself out of debt or a family budget that is stretched to the breaking point, you may want to consider having a little help to develop a plan and keep you on track. There is nothing embarrassing about using a debt counselor. If you are in debt, you are not alone. According to recent estimates, there are millions of Americans who are deep in debt. The important thing, of course is what they do about it. A debt counsellor will help you by taking a look at the big picture as well as the details. … Continue reading →

Interested in challenging yourself to go without spending anything for an entire month? Accomplishing such a goal can be something to brag about. If you want to try a no-spend month, you might want to do just a little research and preparation. This way, you’ll be more likely to be successful. Here are my tips for having your own no-spend month. Visit the Library Head over to your local library and take out a bunch of cookbooks. Skip the ones that use a lot of complicated ingredients as well as the ones that you a lot of processed food. Why? … Continue reading →