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I do not doubt that it is the cost of gas, not car insurance, which is hurting your pocket book. However, getting the cheapest car insurance is a good way to take away some of the pain at the pump. Yet, finding the cheapest car insurance out there is often a difficult task. There is so much noise about what insurance company is the best or which offers the cheapest quotes.
Ive learned that generally the cheapest car insurance companies are the ones who specialize in bringing you the lowest prices. This advice may sound ludicrous but its true. The larger companies who have always had expensive rates rarely adjust their insurance rates to accommodate us cheap folks. Why? Because they realize that us cheapos wont stay with them once they hike our car insurance rates.
One way to find cheap car insurance is to fill out the form above. This form searches through the different car insurance companies to find you the cheapest deals out on the web. Believe me when I say this will save you tons and tons of time of searching.
There are also little things you can do to bring down your insurance. Below I have listed out several really good tips. I hope these help, because in our day and age paying as much as we do in gasoline every penny counts! ~Harrison
Tip: Good credit means cheaper car insurance
If you have solid credit, your monthly car insurance rate will be lower. Just about all car insurance companies check out your credit report. Wondering why your credit score has anything to do with getting cheaper car insurance? Well, research has proven a direct connection between what your credit history says and what your actions are going to be if you get into an accident. Most likely if you show an unstable credit history you have a higher likelihood of filing a claim. On the flip side, auto insurance companies also know that if you are good at paying your bills on time and have established stable credit history, that you are less likely to get drunk and find your car hanging from a power line (see picture below). To determine whether you get cheap car insurance they use your credit score to create your insurance risk score. Your insurance risk score is a big indicator on whether you are going to have expensive or cheap auto insurance. You can image that car insurance companies do not offer you your insurance-risk score. However, we do know that your credit report mirrors this score. If your credit report shows unusual activity it might be wise to wait a month or two to have it return to normal before trying to get cheap car insurance. If you are a part of a growing number of people who have shaky credit, clean up your credit and then go shopping for car insurance companies that can offer you cheaper insurance than what you are currently paying.
Americano news >>> Read more...
Ive learned that generally the cheapest car insurance companies are the ones who specialize in bringing you the lowest prices. This advice may sound ludicrous but its true. The larger companies who have always had expensive rates rarely adjust their insurance rates to accommodate us cheap folks. Why? Because they realize that us cheapos wont stay with them once they hike our car insurance rates.
One way to find cheap car insurance is to fill out the form above. This form searches through the different car insurance companies to find you the cheapest deals out on the web. Believe me when I say this will save you tons and tons of time of searching.
There are also little things you can do to bring down your insurance. Below I have listed out several really good tips. I hope these help, because in our day and age paying as much as we do in gasoline every penny counts! ~Harrison
Tip: Good credit means cheaper car insurance
If you have solid credit, your monthly car insurance rate will be lower. Just about all car insurance companies check out your credit report. Wondering why your credit score has anything to do with getting cheaper car insurance? Well, research has proven a direct connection between what your credit history says and what your actions are going to be if you get into an accident. Most likely if you show an unstable credit history you have a higher likelihood of filing a claim. On the flip side, auto insurance companies also know that if you are good at paying your bills on time and have established stable credit history, that you are less likely to get drunk and find your car hanging from a power line (see picture below). To determine whether you get cheap car insurance they use your credit score to create your insurance risk score. Your insurance risk score is a big indicator on whether you are going to have expensive or cheap auto insurance. You can image that car insurance companies do not offer you your insurance-risk score. However, we do know that your credit report mirrors this score. If your credit report shows unusual activity it might be wise to wait a month or two to have it return to normal before trying to get cheap car insurance. If you are a part of a growing number of people who have shaky credit, clean up your credit and then go shopping for car insurance companies that can offer you cheaper insurance than what you are currently paying.
Americano news >>> Read more...
- Mood:passionate
- Music:Led Zeppelin
Sometimes the only way to stop a snowballing problem is to go back to the top of the hill and find out what started it.
If youre up to your eyeballs in credit card debt, take a step back and recount your money missteps. Knowing your weaknesses could help prevent you from falling back into the bad-credit pit and show you a way out.
According to Gail Cunningham, vice president of business relations at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Dallas, a nonprofit financial-management service, consumers mired in debt make common financial blunders, most of which they can prevent with discipline and behavior changes. Learn from these mistakes and start paying off your debt.
Bad Habit No. 1: Misusing balance transfers
Transferring balances on high-interest cards to lower-rate cards can be an effective technique, but its easy to make it a good idea gone wrong. Transfer a balance onto a card with a low introductory rate and you can potentially save money on interest if you refrain from charging on it and focus on paying off the balance before that introductory rate expires. But most people continue to charge on the new card and wind up with more debt once the teaser rate expires, says Cunningham. In fact, new purchases may pull an altogether different interest rate. Read the fine print very carefully, and attempt the balance-transfer maneuver only if you can control your spending on the new and old card. See Losing at balance-transfer roulette.
Try this: If you cant refrain from charging, balance transfers wont get you out of debt. If youre really in the hole, consider getting a part-time job and dedicating your earnings to your debt load. If thats not possible, go back to your budget and cut back on unnecessary expenses such as restaurant outings and cell phone extras. Put the money you save toward paying off your balances. Pay for any new purchases with cash or a debit card.
Bad Habit No. 2: Not checking credit reports because you cant change them anyway.
Wrong. If you have credit cards, pull your credit report at least once a year and check it for errors. (See How to get a credit report for free.) Purging your record of inaccuracies can be crucial for getting better interest rates, landing the job you desire and stopping an identity thief from ruining your credit rating. Your credit report also affects your credit score, which determines how high your interest rates will be on future loans. Dispute anything you think should not be there. The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows for the correction or deletion of inaccurate, outdated or unverifiable information, provided that a reinvestigation into the disputed data sides in your favor. Unfortunately, negative but truthful data must stay put. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, for instance, will remain on your credit report for 10 years, a Chapter 13 for seven years.
Try this: You can request one free copy from each of the big three credit reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, every year. Why bother? Errors on your report, such as a payment marked late that came in on time, could raise your interest rates, lower your credit score and affect your ability to obtain credit in the future.
If you do find a mistake, send a correction letter to each of the credit bureaus that show the error. All three allow you to dispute errors online.
Dont bother with so-called credit-repair clinics that aim to charge you hundreds or thousands to fix your credit record. Anything you can legally do to repair it, you can legally do for free, says Cunningham. Of course, if youre not willing or dedicated enough to write those letters and follow up with the credit-reporting agencies, paying someone else to do it for you may not be such a bad idea. Better to have someone dispute the errors rather than no one. But be extremely careful in selecting such an organization try to get referrals and seek out others who have been satisfied with the service.
Bad Habit No. 3: Failing to alert creditors about a financial hardship
You heard the rumor: Layoffs are coming to a department near you next week.
Dont wait until it happens to worry about how to pay your bills. Do some damage control right away.
Try this: The best time to negotiate is before the problem spirals downhill, says Cunningham. Call the credit card company and explain the problem youre about to have. Ask if they could temporarily lower your interest rate or extend your payment deadline. Some issuers have in-house help programs that provide such short-term services to customers.
Bad Habit No. 4: Thinking of as a dirty word
The word may call to mind tedious self-trickery meant for those with low incomes, but everyone can benefit from deciding on certain amounts for spending and sticking to the amount. It also makes sense to budget for known future expenses, such as quarterly insurance premiums, college textbooks and rent. Not saving up in advance means youll have to charge expenses or cut into funds set aside for necessities. Budget these fixed costs while you can handle small financial pinches.
Try this: To find out whats draining your finances, keep track of where your money goes for a month. Use a spreadsheet, financial software or a pen and paper to categorize your expenses. This will reveal whether youre spending too much on expenses you could trim, such as restaurant outings and gas. Then you can consider cooking at home more often or consolidating driving trips. Cut back as necessary without cutting out expenses important to you. Cunningham suggests that if you enjoy watching TV but dont tune in to a majority of the 300-plus channels you have, cut back on your cable package instead of cutting out TV altogether.
For a detailed household spending plan, try this home budget work sheet. Or, get help creating a budget with a budget calculator. (For a really simple budget, try the 60% Solution.) Plan for future costs by figuring out the total amount youll owe and divide by the number of months you have until that day, says Cunningham. If you have money due next month, divide by the number of weeks you have and save that amount every week. For more help, see MSN Moneys Learn to Budget Decision Center.
Bad Habit No. 5: Using retail store credit cards to make use of discounts
Chances are, that card carries a high interest rate youll be forced to deal with if you dont pay off your balance each month.
Try this: If you must charge your purchase, use your general-purpose credit card, says Cunningham. If you cant pay off the balance, at least youll pay a lower interest rate. Limit the total number of credit cards you have to just two, if you can: one you can pay off each month and one with a low interest rate for those large purchases youll pay back over time.
Bad Habit No. 6: Procrastinating on creating an emergency fund
Learn to save for financial emergencies. Even if you feel robust and invincible, a single emergency room trip or car accident could force you to put large balances on credit cards, causing interest to accrue and more debt to pile up. That rainy day will happen, Cunningham says. s not a matter of if, its a matter of when. If your tire goes flat and you cant pay upfront for the replacement, for instance, youre stuck with charging it or reducing funds earmarked for necessities. Thats where the emergency fund fits in. See Why you need $500 in the bank.
Try this: Maintain an emergency fund of at least three to six months worth of living expenses, and keep your insurance policies up to date. Work toward that goal by socking away 10% of your take-home pay each month in a liquid savings account, says Cunningham. If you receive a raise or bonus, add that money to savings. Since youre not used to the extra cash flow, you wont miss it. If that seems impossible right now, read The $0 emergency fund.
Bad Habit No. 7: Paying bills in no particular order
While the order may not matter if you can pay all of the balances, it will matter if you fall short one month. Say you pay off the balances on your credit cards first, then find you cant make the minimum on your house payment or monthly rent. Youve put the roof over your head at risk.
Try this: Pay for living expenses first, says Cunningham. After the house or rent payment, necessities such as utilities, groceries and medical care should top the priority list. Next comes the car payment you want to avoid repossession, obviously. On down the line, secured loans and co-signed debts follow in importance, then unsecured loans and credit cards. Ideally, everyone can get paid, but if a choice has to be made, paying in this order will do a better job of keeping the home life stable. (If youre really in trouble and unable to pay right now, see How to not pay your bills for more on which bills must be paid and which can wait.)
Since bills often arent due in this order, youll need to work out a payment schedule and set aside money from each paycheck. See No. 9.
Bad Habit No. 8: Charging purchases instead of paying in cash or with a debit card
How many times have you charged services or merchandise when you had the money to pay with cash or debit? Insignificant purchases of $20 and $30 made several times over can quickly add up, particularly if you already carry a balance. Balances you cant pay off each month mean paying interest charges and, subsequently, more money for items you could have bought outright, interest-free.
Try this: Make a habit of paying for purchases under $50 with cash, debit or check. Knowing that the money has to clear the bank sooner could help curb your spending habits. Just be sure to check your balance regularly to ensure that you have enough funds.
Bad Habit No. 9: Making credit payments late
After all, its only a $39 late fee, right? Besides wasting money you couldve put toward the balance, a payment that arrives at least 30 days past due can throw your account into default and triple your interest rate. Plus, other creditors may start charging you a default interest rate as well, thanks to a universal default clause buried in your contract.
Creditors are constantly reviewing your credit activity, and if they see you falling behind with one creditor, even if you have a perfect payment history with them, they can raise your interest rate, Cunningham says.
Try this: On a calendar, mark upcoming paydays and payments that should come out of that paycheck, she says. If youre mailing payments, send them seven to 10 business days in advance. Better yet, sign up for online bill pay. Just check that the address on file and the address on the statement match, or the payment might not arrive on time. If youre still late, call the creditor, explain the situation and ask them to forgive the late fee. Check your credit report and be sure the information shows up correctly.
Bad Habit No. 10: Making the minimum payment only
Paying the minimum is better than paying nothing, but it doesnt do much to pay off most balances and forces you to keep paying interest. By paying interest on interest, you lose any savings from buying a dress on sale, Cunningham says.
Try this: If you can afford to pay more or in full, go ahead and pay as much of the balance as you can. You never know when youre going to have a tough month. Pay in full every month and you can avoid interest charges altogether.
Or, if paying more than the minimum proves difficult, consider working an extra part-time job or decreasing your expenses or both, says Cunningham. Put all of your extra earnings toward the debt. Use the minimum payment calculator to see how much youre saving in interest charges.
Americano news >>> Read more...
If youre up to your eyeballs in credit card debt, take a step back and recount your money missteps. Knowing your weaknesses could help prevent you from falling back into the bad-credit pit and show you a way out.
According to Gail Cunningham, vice president of business relations at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Dallas, a nonprofit financial-management service, consumers mired in debt make common financial blunders, most of which they can prevent with discipline and behavior changes. Learn from these mistakes and start paying off your debt.
Bad Habit No. 1: Misusing balance transfers
Transferring balances on high-interest cards to lower-rate cards can be an effective technique, but its easy to make it a good idea gone wrong. Transfer a balance onto a card with a low introductory rate and you can potentially save money on interest if you refrain from charging on it and focus on paying off the balance before that introductory rate expires. But most people continue to charge on the new card and wind up with more debt once the teaser rate expires, says Cunningham. In fact, new purchases may pull an altogether different interest rate. Read the fine print very carefully, and attempt the balance-transfer maneuver only if you can control your spending on the new and old card. See Losing at balance-transfer roulette.
Try this: If you cant refrain from charging, balance transfers wont get you out of debt. If youre really in the hole, consider getting a part-time job and dedicating your earnings to your debt load. If thats not possible, go back to your budget and cut back on unnecessary expenses such as restaurant outings and cell phone extras. Put the money you save toward paying off your balances. Pay for any new purchases with cash or a debit card.
Bad Habit No. 2: Not checking credit reports because you cant change them anyway.
Wrong. If you have credit cards, pull your credit report at least once a year and check it for errors. (See How to get a credit report for free.) Purging your record of inaccuracies can be crucial for getting better interest rates, landing the job you desire and stopping an identity thief from ruining your credit rating. Your credit report also affects your credit score, which determines how high your interest rates will be on future loans. Dispute anything you think should not be there. The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows for the correction or deletion of inaccurate, outdated or unverifiable information, provided that a reinvestigation into the disputed data sides in your favor. Unfortunately, negative but truthful data must stay put. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, for instance, will remain on your credit report for 10 years, a Chapter 13 for seven years.
Try this: You can request one free copy from each of the big three credit reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, every year. Why bother? Errors on your report, such as a payment marked late that came in on time, could raise your interest rates, lower your credit score and affect your ability to obtain credit in the future.
If you do find a mistake, send a correction letter to each of the credit bureaus that show the error. All three allow you to dispute errors online.
Dont bother with so-called credit-repair clinics that aim to charge you hundreds or thousands to fix your credit record. Anything you can legally do to repair it, you can legally do for free, says Cunningham. Of course, if youre not willing or dedicated enough to write those letters and follow up with the credit-reporting agencies, paying someone else to do it for you may not be such a bad idea. Better to have someone dispute the errors rather than no one. But be extremely careful in selecting such an organization try to get referrals and seek out others who have been satisfied with the service.
Bad Habit No. 3: Failing to alert creditors about a financial hardship
You heard the rumor: Layoffs are coming to a department near you next week.
Dont wait until it happens to worry about how to pay your bills. Do some damage control right away.
Try this: The best time to negotiate is before the problem spirals downhill, says Cunningham. Call the credit card company and explain the problem youre about to have. Ask if they could temporarily lower your interest rate or extend your payment deadline. Some issuers have in-house help programs that provide such short-term services to customers.
Bad Habit No. 4: Thinking of as a dirty word
The word may call to mind tedious self-trickery meant for those with low incomes, but everyone can benefit from deciding on certain amounts for spending and sticking to the amount. It also makes sense to budget for known future expenses, such as quarterly insurance premiums, college textbooks and rent. Not saving up in advance means youll have to charge expenses or cut into funds set aside for necessities. Budget these fixed costs while you can handle small financial pinches.
Try this: To find out whats draining your finances, keep track of where your money goes for a month. Use a spreadsheet, financial software or a pen and paper to categorize your expenses. This will reveal whether youre spending too much on expenses you could trim, such as restaurant outings and gas. Then you can consider cooking at home more often or consolidating driving trips. Cut back as necessary without cutting out expenses important to you. Cunningham suggests that if you enjoy watching TV but dont tune in to a majority of the 300-plus channels you have, cut back on your cable package instead of cutting out TV altogether.
For a detailed household spending plan, try this home budget work sheet. Or, get help creating a budget with a budget calculator. (For a really simple budget, try the 60% Solution.) Plan for future costs by figuring out the total amount youll owe and divide by the number of months you have until that day, says Cunningham. If you have money due next month, divide by the number of weeks you have and save that amount every week. For more help, see MSN Moneys Learn to Budget Decision Center.
Bad Habit No. 5: Using retail store credit cards to make use of discounts
Chances are, that card carries a high interest rate youll be forced to deal with if you dont pay off your balance each month.
Try this: If you must charge your purchase, use your general-purpose credit card, says Cunningham. If you cant pay off the balance, at least youll pay a lower interest rate. Limit the total number of credit cards you have to just two, if you can: one you can pay off each month and one with a low interest rate for those large purchases youll pay back over time.
Bad Habit No. 6: Procrastinating on creating an emergency fund
Learn to save for financial emergencies. Even if you feel robust and invincible, a single emergency room trip or car accident could force you to put large balances on credit cards, causing interest to accrue and more debt to pile up. That rainy day will happen, Cunningham says. s not a matter of if, its a matter of when. If your tire goes flat and you cant pay upfront for the replacement, for instance, youre stuck with charging it or reducing funds earmarked for necessities. Thats where the emergency fund fits in. See Why you need $500 in the bank.
Try this: Maintain an emergency fund of at least three to six months worth of living expenses, and keep your insurance policies up to date. Work toward that goal by socking away 10% of your take-home pay each month in a liquid savings account, says Cunningham. If you receive a raise or bonus, add that money to savings. Since youre not used to the extra cash flow, you wont miss it. If that seems impossible right now, read The $0 emergency fund.
Bad Habit No. 7: Paying bills in no particular order
While the order may not matter if you can pay all of the balances, it will matter if you fall short one month. Say you pay off the balances on your credit cards first, then find you cant make the minimum on your house payment or monthly rent. Youve put the roof over your head at risk.
Try this: Pay for living expenses first, says Cunningham. After the house or rent payment, necessities such as utilities, groceries and medical care should top the priority list. Next comes the car payment you want to avoid repossession, obviously. On down the line, secured loans and co-signed debts follow in importance, then unsecured loans and credit cards. Ideally, everyone can get paid, but if a choice has to be made, paying in this order will do a better job of keeping the home life stable. (If youre really in trouble and unable to pay right now, see How to not pay your bills for more on which bills must be paid and which can wait.)
Since bills often arent due in this order, youll need to work out a payment schedule and set aside money from each paycheck. See No. 9.
Bad Habit No. 8: Charging purchases instead of paying in cash or with a debit card
How many times have you charged services or merchandise when you had the money to pay with cash or debit? Insignificant purchases of $20 and $30 made several times over can quickly add up, particularly if you already carry a balance. Balances you cant pay off each month mean paying interest charges and, subsequently, more money for items you could have bought outright, interest-free.
Try this: Make a habit of paying for purchases under $50 with cash, debit or check. Knowing that the money has to clear the bank sooner could help curb your spending habits. Just be sure to check your balance regularly to ensure that you have enough funds.
Bad Habit No. 9: Making credit payments late
After all, its only a $39 late fee, right? Besides wasting money you couldve put toward the balance, a payment that arrives at least 30 days past due can throw your account into default and triple your interest rate. Plus, other creditors may start charging you a default interest rate as well, thanks to a universal default clause buried in your contract.
Creditors are constantly reviewing your credit activity, and if they see you falling behind with one creditor, even if you have a perfect payment history with them, they can raise your interest rate, Cunningham says.
Try this: On a calendar, mark upcoming paydays and payments that should come out of that paycheck, she says. If youre mailing payments, send them seven to 10 business days in advance. Better yet, sign up for online bill pay. Just check that the address on file and the address on the statement match, or the payment might not arrive on time. If youre still late, call the creditor, explain the situation and ask them to forgive the late fee. Check your credit report and be sure the information shows up correctly.
Bad Habit No. 10: Making the minimum payment only
Paying the minimum is better than paying nothing, but it doesnt do much to pay off most balances and forces you to keep paying interest. By paying interest on interest, you lose any savings from buying a dress on sale, Cunningham says.
Try this: If you can afford to pay more or in full, go ahead and pay as much of the balance as you can. You never know when youre going to have a tough month. Pay in full every month and you can avoid interest charges altogether.
Or, if paying more than the minimum proves difficult, consider working an extra part-time job or decreasing your expenses or both, says Cunningham. Put all of your extra earnings toward the debt. Use the minimum payment calculator to see how much youre saving in interest charges.
Americano news >>> Read more...
- Mood:whimsical
- Music:Pink Floyd
If you are in Singapore, you must try the Chilly Crab. A national dish, this is so popular among locals and tourists alike. Many seafood food outlets and local ones definitely will have this in their menu. Widely popular, this is crabs cooked in a thick gravy with egg drop and is tomato and chilly based. Many versions are available and many individuals do have their own preference on how the perfect chilly crab tastes like. This yummy seafood dish can be served to eat with some Mantaos (chinese buns, that has been steamed, then fried).
Another seafood dish that is also popular is the Black Pepper Crab. The Black Pepper gravy is sauteed and then mixed together with fresh crabs. One of the best places you can opt for seafood is the UDMC Seafood Centre in the East coast. This is the place where you can eat various seafood, by just selecting any food outlets you wish. Some of the popular ones are Long Beach Seafood Restaurant and the Jumbo Seafood. If you fancy Chilly Crab in a much more luxurious setting, Ah Hoi's Kitchen is the perfect place to go. It is located in Trader's Hotel, at 1A Cuscaden Road.
All information >>> Read more...
- Mood:fun
- Music:Death Cab for Cutie
- Mood:joyous
- Music:Madonna
More wedding/baby registry pain from Target, a reader calling herself Consumer in MD, has started a blog called "Target is the Devil," with the aim of convincing other consumers not to register their weddings and baby showers with Target after they ripped her off to the tune of $75.01. She tried to return a gift from the registry (with a gift receipt), and Target told her that according to their records the current clearance price is what the person actually paid for the gift. It turned out that this wasn't the case, and when she brought the actual customer receipt back to Target they refused to refund her the additional money.
The best top 10 >>> Read more...
- Mood:rambunctious
- Music:Pink Floyd
- Mood:family
- Music:Muse
Not everyone can be driving around in the newest luxury automobiles with built in Bluetooth and iPod mounts. For those of us still driving around in Dodge Aries and Chevy Novas, theres an iPhone and iPod Touch dock just for you- its the VentMount. The VentMount allows you to mount a device that probably costs more than your cars resale value to the heating/cooling vent on your dashboard. Once attached, you can still rotate your gadget horizontally or vertically if you wish and access the dock connector. It also functions as a belt clip and features a locking desktop stand for movie viewing.
All information >>> car value
- Mood:summery
- Music:Coldplay
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