Don’t let this happen to you
http://abc7ny.com/news/7-on-your-side-how-to-foil-summer-rental-fraud-before-it-happens/1900916/
Tips for Successful Personal Finances
Don’t let this happen to you
http://abc7ny.com/news/7-on-your-side-how-to-foil-summer-rental-fraud-before-it-happens/1900916/
WIFE – Women’s Institute for Financial Education – Six Tips to Spend Less and Ave More
http://www.wife.org/six-savvy-tips-to-spend-less-and-save-smart.htm
It’s spring and with that we think about projects for our home each. What needs to be done for maintenance? What to we want / need to upgrade / replace? How much can we do ourselves vs. hiring out? How about doing home projects or repairs yourself.
Do you have a broken tile that needs replacing? Do you want to refinish a piece of furniture? Do you want to repair a small leak? Do you want to create a patio? Before you jump into a DIY project, take a few hours to learn a little more about your project.
It’s easier than ever today to learn how to DIY. Home improvement stores offer free classes and/or you can watch a how-to video on the internet. It’s possible to learn from the pros, or from experienced tinkerers, just by setting aside a Saturday morning.
We renovated our current home and were able to do some of it ourselves. We did the demolition: ripped up carpets and vinyl flooring; removed kitchen and bath cabinets; and broke down the plaster walls. We also did as much of the work ourselves as we thought we could handle: we rolled out and stapled the insulation; and taped and painted the inside of the house.
That may be more than you want to tackle, but our partial DIY brought our home improvement project within our budget, so we could afford professional contractors to remove a load bearing wall, install a header beam, rewire the electricity, and add a bath.
Are you ready to tackle a home project or repair? The questions you should be asking yourself are:
Let me know what you decided, and good luck on your project! Tell me how it turned out in the comments.
I was busy yesterday.
I’ve submitted my membership and paperwork for my National Speakers Association professional membership. Will keep you posted to let you know if I am accepted. 🙂
Submitted my application and 7 copies of my book, 111 Ways To Save to the Connecticut Book Awards. I’ll know in September if my book wins. Keep you fingers crossed for me.
What to keep and what to toss
Records, paperwork and old files: What to keep and what to toss!
Read this first
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0055-buying-used-car
The age-old question of payoff debt versus an emergency fund – which is more important?
If you have debt, then you know that the interest you are paying is a drain on your finances. You are correct, that interest is a waste of your hard-earned money. You know that you need an emergency fund and you have been meaning to start one, but you just don’t have the money.
Which should you tackle first? Let’s assume you have $500 in your budget to work with and we will look at a couple of scenarios.
#1 – You have debt totaling $10,000 and you are paying the minimum payment of $250 per month at an interest rate of 20%. It will take you 67 months (5+ years) and you will have paid back $16,750 ($6,750 in interest). That’s assuming you don’t take on more debt.
Then you put the remaining $250 to start your emergency fund.
#2 – You increase your payment on your debt to $500 per month. It will take you 25 months (just over 2 years) and you will have paid back $12,500.
You will not be starting your emergency fund until after the debt is paid. What would you do if an emergency expense happened? How would you pay for it?
As you can see, the answer is somewhere in the middle and you can think outside the box for faster results. You could look into reducing the interest rate on your debt – refinancing, balance transfer for a lower interest rate etc. The quicker you payoff the balance, the less you will pay in interest.
You need an emergency fund to be prepared for whatever happens in life. You will want to start to save something on a regular basis each and every month, even if you have debt.
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