Sigmadelt

Archive for May 30th, 2009

Sometimes the world seems a dark and threatening place, full of threats and dangers. It’s tempting just to give up in the face of all the problems and walk away. Some do just that, posting the keys of their houses to the mortgage holders and camping out with friends. Others decide to fight for what is theirs. They know that every dollar they can scrape together and pay to reduce their debts saves on interest and avoids some of the penalty charges that might otherwise come their way. The difficulty, of course, is finding the extra dollars to pay. Many live from one payday to the next with nothing left over at the end of the month. Indeed, if there’s an emergency, they can be forced into the arms of the payday loan merchants who charge egregious rates of interest on short-term loans. Those who have better luck take charge of their household budgets to find those extra dollars.

The first step is running a good set of accounts, recording where you spend every cent. That means some effort, writing down or using an electronic system to capture all spending. But, once you know where it all goes, you can start asking the hard questions. Is all your money being spent wisely? Can you find any way of cutting back? If you can find places where savings can be made, where cheaper alternatives can be found or, perhaps, where you can do without, every dollar saved can build up into real savings over the weeks and months. All it takes is the will power to make it happen. But, there comes a point where all the fat has been cut out and only necessities are left. If you still owe more than you can afford to pay, now is the time to start talking to all your creditors. All it takes is for some to reduce the rate of interest being charged or to waive some of the fees already imposed. In this, you have to remember that it does not help your creditors to force you into bankruptcy where all they will get is a few cents on the dollar. Everyone benefits over the longer term if you can avoid court action.

So how do you approach the negotiations? You have been improving your payment record because of your debt management. That has shown you are responsible and deserve a helping hand. More importantly, you have reduced your spending and can produce a detailed set of accounts to show where every cent is going. Once the banks and finance companies see exactly what is possible, the best terms for debt settlement can be worked out. If you do not want to do this yourself, there are professional counselors who can advise and help. Always check out advisors before trusting them with your case. There are some unscrupulous people out there waiting to take your money, so pick a non-profit organization with a good track record to help you. If you can work your way out of debt, your financial future will be secure.

It’s easy to see all the big ticket items and make sacrifices but, more often than not, it’s all the little things that add up to take us over our budgets. So everyone sees the car sitting out front and decides not to trade in or downsize to something cheaper to run. Days may be spent searching round the local dealerships to find just the right set of wheels to last through the next year or more. Yet is the same time devoted to finding the best value auto insurance to go with it? Sadly, the majority spend only a few minutes to renew a policy with the current insurance company or use one of the online search engines to find a “cheap” policy. Shopping around to find the best value insurance is guaranteed to save money. Even if you do nothing more than raise the deductible, this has started the process. Now you should be looking at maximizing the discounts and bundling several policies together with the same company. Savings start around 10% when you place both auto and home cover with the same insurer.

Similarly, it’s easy to say that food on the table meets a need and you spend what it takes to keep the family from starvation. Except, of course, that’s an exaggeration. The majority of us eat a lot, and eating smaller portions is not only saving dollars, it’s also avoiding diabetes and heart disease. So the first question is where do we shop? Habit can take us to the same store every time. This can be costing us a lot of extra dollars. Shopping at local stores can save on gas but how do the prices compare? Look for stores where the grocery bill is always going to be cheaper overall. Then plan so that you can buy in quantity. If you prefer national brands, look for clip-out coupons or buy store brands or generics which are always cheaper. Never buy sale items unless you can store them or use them quickly.

It’s the same with clothes. It’s no longer cost-effective to work on a throwaway basis. Give up following fashion. Buy clothes of sufficient quality that will last and mix-and-match. You want a versatile wardrobe that makes a little go a long way. The other given is to avoid “false economies”. Often, you can buy something cheap only to find it falls to pieces after a week or so of everyday use. Buying quality is the best money saving tip for clothes. Now apply this general rule across the board. Plan ahead so you can always make the best value-for-money buy. That means spending a little time on the internet, searching out which brands give the biggest bang for the buck. Whatever you need to buy, there’s usually something of reasonable quality at a good price at a store near you. If you have to buy sight-unseen over the internet, always check the terms and conditions to make sure you can return the goods if they prove defective. Money saving through comparison shopping is the answer to budget control.