So I just got this lovely email - the portion that I show above is followed by a bunch of giberish that I guess the email spammers put in the body of the note to escape spam filters. I really wish my spam filter would just not even put these through…
“Homeowner, you have been prequalified for a decreased percentage”
Jeez, mortgages must be a hot topic right now - at least for advertisers. If you frequent the Yahoo website at all, which I happen to do, you’ve probably seen several obnoxious, unavoidable mortgage ads with everything ranging from a long animal with all the states in it as squares that you can click on to see what mortgage rate they can give you in that state, or even this crazy looking demon complete with horns and a tale, playing a heart shaped guitar (yeah, weird). Anyways, I gotta hand it to them, they do get your attention.
I wonder though, how many people seriously looking for a mortgage would take a kitchy company like this very seriously? Maybe it’s just me - maybe I’m too serious! I have to admit, I’ve clicked on them before, just out of sheer curiousity who the company is that’s putting out these crazy ads!
About eight months ago, I bought a Honda CRV. I bought a Honda vehicle because of their reputation for reliability and superior construction. I knew I’d pay a little more than I would for a domestic car, but I also knew that by buying a Honda car, my 45 minute drive into work wouldn’t be impeded by a failing or broken down vehicle!
American Honda Finance periodically has really great offers on their car loans. For example, when I bought my CRV, they had a promotion which ran the following interest rates based on your credit score : 1.9%, 2.9%, 3.9% and 4.9% .
If you had spotless credit, you’d be eligible for the 1.9%, and so on and so forth, so it’s well worth it to apply during these promotional events!
About a year ago, I was thinking about finally doing something about what I felt were rather high monthly fees being taken for my checking account. I have a checking account, complete with fees, with Key Bank and although I dreaded the changing over and the hassle, I finally went shopping for a new bank with which to place my checking account. Should have been easy, right? Wrong. I still am with Key Bank, and here’s why.
I searched for a completely fee-free checking account, and while I did find one, at a local bank called Charter One, I was told that the no fees part of it was a bit of a catch. I guess you have to have a minimum balance many times with these banks that advertise fee-free checking, and since many people do not really keep a minimum balance in their checking, and tend to take it down pretty low since they now use their debit cards for everything, you may still end up incurring fees if you have a fee-free checking account.
So just be sure to read the fine print, and if anything, educate yourself on what the fees will be before you sign your account over to a new bank.
There was an article recently about how the high (and getting higher reportedly) gas prices are really impacting the poor and the middle income working class the hardest. To the wealth and rich, these astronomical gas prices may be a drop in the bucket, but to people who live paycheck to paycheck, and do not even have a savings to speak of, this is hitting them very hard in the wallet.
Many have even resorted to picking up small jobs on the side as extra income, and some have resorted to riding motorcycle or crotch rockets to work just to save some bucks on gasoline. Not only that, some are quitting jobs that are too far away, just because the savings in gas prices more than makes up for itself for their particular situation.
This is kind of a widely known credit preservation tip, but some people still do not practice it when they are paying off credit cards and/or cutting them up and never using them again. When you stop using a credit card, and you’ve got it paid off, go ahead and cut it up if you truly will never use it again, but regardless of that fact, do not call and cancel the credit card.
Leaving open lines of credit is actually good for your credit score, even if you’re not using it and it has a zero balance forever, your credit score can benefit from keeping it open.
Some people say “but I really feel like it’s not really “paid off” unless I cancel it. Well, I would say if you have a credit card with an annual fee, this may be a concern, but if you have no annual fee and you know you’re not using it, who cares? You’ll never accrue any interest on new purchases, and the company should not send you a bill, so it’s out of sight out of mind anyways, right? Same as cancelling it, only better for your credit..
Just a quick aside, another reason I started this weblog, is because I’ve recently been asking my friends how bad of debt they are in, and they unanimously felt they were “in over their heads”, especially if they owned a home and had kids. With the gas prices currently being outrageous, and interest rates soaring, it’s a wonder that most people can even put food on the table for their kids.
I read an article today that said that the people hardest hit by the increasing gas prices were the middle to lower paid individuals. Then, I read another article on how more and more people are resorting to buying motorcycles instead of cars to save on gas, as well as resorting to getting jobs within walking distance or riding their bikes to work. Just not using gas for one week saves many people upwards of $50 a week! Think of what the $50 could do!
Hello everyone. I’m glad you’ve found this site. I have put this weblog together because almost everyone I know is struggling with debts that seem to be out of their control, and credit card companies just seem to be increasing interest rates, as well as loan rates and mortgage rates. With all of this against us, how can we ever get ahead?
That’s what this weblog is all about. I’ll share with you my personal journey from drowning in credit card debt to getting every cent of that debt cleaned up and paid off. Also I’ll share with you how to find the best credit cards with the best interest rates, and how to also budget your spending and strategic ways to pay your bills so you pay yourself first - not the mortgage companies, credit card companies and loaning banks.
So welcome, and I hope you learn a little something here!
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