Read magazines online for free
By Anita | August 14, 2008
There’s no catch here. You don’t even have to sign up and give them your email address. Mygazines is a collection of magazines that you can read online. Most popular magazines are available here and they are uploaded by readers. Even though many magazines provide their content for free on their own websites, you usually can’t access the current issue until the next month. But at Mygazines you can find all the current issues.
The interface is pretty cool: with the mouse you can click on a page corner and simulate the turning of a page. The magazines are scanned so it’s similar to a hard copy version of the magazine.
Very often I notice a cover story on a magazine while in the checkout line at the grocery store but don’t want to pay $5 for the magazine just to read the article. So this has come in handy.
I don’t know if they will run into copyright difficulties. In their press release they say they have, “full intentions to work with the industry, with the aim of fortifying the future of all those either directly or indirectly supported by the production, sales and distribution of magazines.” At any rate, so far so good.
Topics: Shopping | No Comments »
College Starts This Month: Warn Your Kids About the Dangers
By Deb | August 12, 2008
Credit cards companies. They’re out there, waiting to offer your kids a free t-shirt, free lunch, or just about anything it takes to get them to complete an application. Before you send them off to college, warn your kids about the dangers of credit cards.
Although many colleges prohibit credit card companies from soliciting on campus, many of them are coaxing college students to apply for credit just outside the boundaries of the campus. They’re offering new, “just can’t say no” incentives to get your kids to use plastic instead of cash.
Before your child goes to college, warn him or her about the dangers and how easy it is to rack up thousands of dollars in credit card charges that can ruin credit in the long run. Do more than just have the talk. Show your kids–on paper–how long it takes to pay off $1000 of credit card debt. It could take 10 or 11 years, and they’ll be paying back a lot more than the original agreement.
Finally, show them the film Maxed Out. It’s a film that shows the real dangers of credit card debt and features the stories of two college students who got in way over their heads.
Topics: Credit Cards, Debt, Economy, Kids | No Comments »
Women on a budget make better fashion choices
By Anita | July 20, 2008
If you are on a budget and don’t have the ability to make impulse clothing purchases, then you’re in luck. According to my favorite fashion guru, Tim Gunn: “People get their fashion right more frequently when they are shopping on a budget than when they have deep pockets or a bottomless pit of a purse.”
This is because you have to ask yourself more questions and think harder about your wardrobe when you have to be careful about what you purchase. What colors and patterns look best on you? Will an item fit in with the rest of your wardrobe? You’re more likely to ask, and know the answers to, those questions before buying something.
By the way, if you are a Tim Gunn fan and need a fix, check out this Time Magazine video.
Topics: Budget, Clothing | No Comments »
Fun video says it all about financial management
By Anita | July 11, 2008
This Saturday Night Live video with Steve Martin says it all about how to avoid debt.
We sent this to the email list a couple of days ago but wanted to make sure the rest of you saw it too, because it will make you laugh.
By the way, the emails that go out on the email list usually don’t show up as blog posts. So if you’re not on the list, you’re missing out on the fun. Feel free to sign up over there in the right sidebar.
Topics: Credit Cards, Debt | No Comments »
What’s your share of the national debt?
By Deb | July 6, 2008
If you’re interested in knowing the national debt and what your share is, here’s an interesting site.
The national debt has increased an average of $1.67 billion dollars each day since September 28. 2007.
Ouch.
Topics: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Debit cards are causing a freeze at the gas pump
By Deb | June 22, 2008
If you routinely use your debit card at the gas pump, you might be putting your available funds on hold in your bank account for a few days.
The truth is that many of you might get forced into using cash or debit cards at the pump. The increasing costs of gas are costing gas station owners a lot more money these days to take credit cards. The higher the purchase, the more they have to pay the credit card issuer for the transaction. Therefore, many gas stations are adopting a cash or debit policy.
Here’s a catch you may not know about: When you swipe your debit card at the pump, you might have up to $90 on hold in your bank account as well as the cost of the actual purchase. If you have limited funds, you could be in trouble. Your purchase could be denied, or you could be charged excessive fees if you don’t have enough money in your bank account to cover the hold.
Here’s how it works. If you prepay with a debit card before you pump, you’ll be charged only what you pay for. In other words, if you pay the attendant and use your pin number during the transaction, that’s exactly what you’ll be charged. However, if you use your card at the pump, you could have a hold placed on your card until the actual charge clears.
Because there’s no way to know in advance how much gas you’ll put in your tank, the vendor places this hold to ensure payment. Since many vendors process their debit card payments in batches, you’ll have to wait until your payment clears before the bank drops the hold. . . sometimes a few days later.
The good news is that most stations still place a $1 hold to verify customer accounts. If you want to avoid headaches, use the envelope system to pay for gas. Withdraw your weekly amount ahead of time, and you won’t have to worry about large freezes on your funds.
Topics: Debit Cards, Economy, Gas | 2 Comments »
The rest of my debit card story…
By Deb | June 18, 2008
In a previous post I discussed an issue I had with a former satellite provider who would not allow me to “unauthorize” the use of my debit card. I filed a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs. Here’s what happened.
Today, I received a letter. Not only did the company remove my debit card information from their system, but they also found an error on their part. I didn’t mention this in my last post, but I confronted the customer service rep about over-charging me for the Early Cancellation Fee. I was quoted one fee when I initially disconnected the service; however, when they attempted to deduct it from my debit card, it was much higher.
Here’s the deal: They attempted to charge me $280.00 plus $16.80 in taxes. When I filed a complaint, they discovered that I only owed $145.22. Had I passively allowed them access to my bank account, I would have lost more than what I budget for my weekly grocery bill.
According to the letter from the company’s president, there was no record of them attempting to charge the fee against my debit card. That’s a discrepancy. I actually learned about the attempted debit when I reviewed my debit card statement and saw that an attempted debit was declined. Since I didn’t expect the debit, I didn’t have the funds in that particular account to cover it at that time.
While the company requires that you maintain a credit card on file, my debit card does not work on credit. It takes the cash directly out of my PayPal account (which is linked to my checking account), and I wasn’t about to allow it. Using the cash system means that I must budget my expenses, and an unexpected $300 debit was not in my budget at the time.
I am pleased with the outcome. I rarely complain to companies, but when I discovered that I had lost control of my debit card–according to “them”–I wasn’t about to take it sitting down.
Topics: Budget, Debit Cards, Personal Experiences | No Comments »
Gas Prices by Zip Code
By Deb | May 29, 2008
Summer is just around the corner. If you’re planning a road trip, you might want to check out the gas prices ahead of time.
This website will allow you to enter a zip code and compare gas prices in the area.
Topics: Economy, Gas | No Comments »
50 Worst Cities for Homeowner Debt
By Anita | May 27, 2008
Here’s a list of the 50 worst cities for homeowner debt.
How does your city rank?
Mine is in the top ten. Oops.
Topics: Debt, Mortgage | 1 Comment »
Is it OK to use credit cards if you pay off the balance each month?
By Anita | May 23, 2008
A lot of people use credit cards so they can earn “rewards” from the credit card company, such as rebates, frequent flyer miles, etc. They pay off the balance each month and think this is OK.
If you do this, consider:
1.) When you do this you spend more money, even if you pay off your balance. Dun & Bradstreet studied this and found that people spend 12-18 percent more when they pay with a credit card instead of cash. As Dave Ramsey says, “there is no responsible use of credit cards. You will spend more if you use credit cards. Even by paying the bills on time, you are not beating the system!”
2.) The credit card companies make money off of you even when you pay off the balance and never pay interest. They make the money from the fee the merchant has to pay to them for your transaction. This applies to debit cards too.
Think about what credit card companies do with the money they make from you. They use it to prey on the poor. They intentionally seek out weak customers and give them credit cards. See my post about the documentary Maxed Out for further information about this. This reason alone is why I curtail even my use of debit cards. I use cash as much as possible when in a store and pay bills online from my checking account.
I love the simplicity of a cash transaction. The only person that profits from it is the merchant. No fees. It’s nice and straight-forward.
3.) It’s one more bill hanging over your head. If you’re one day late with a payment there are late fees. And sometimes a false charge will appear on your statement and you have to sort that out. Long term use of a credit card involves some sort of hassle down the road, even if you pay off the balance every month.
4.) About those “rewards,” Dave Ramsey says, “I have met with thousands of millionaires in my years as a financial counselor, and I have never met one who said he made it all with Discover card bonus points. They all lived on less than they made and spent only when they had cash. No payments.”
If you haven’t ever tried a cash-based approach to store purchases, I encourage you to get a copy of our free Expense Tracker form by signing up for our e-mail list. We give you instruction on how to use the form.
Topics: Credit Cards, Debit Cards | 1 Comment »