Debt Help For Me and You

Times are tough for some of us that are barely making it by, or at least sacrificing some of our high-end buys for drugstore steals (me!). It’s more than ever necessary to be more frugal and to take steps toward being debt-free.

I try to stay away from credit cards. They are risky business, because you never know when you’ll have to cut costs and end up struggling to make your payments on time each month, including car insurance. Not only that, but if you find yourself with near maxed-out credit and also not doing so well in other areas, your credit score will falter. Being relatively debt-free is crucial to credit health, and credit health is so very important in our present state of economy.

When you have good credit you will have a better shot as a borrower should you ever need a lender for extra cash. This could mean being able to provide for your family better during a shortage of income, or if you’re celebrating Christmas with gifts, being able to buy for each member of your family. This time of year always sets people back in the finance department; just know that you can explore alternative options to celebrating the holiday season. I think your family and friends will understand. Christmas doesn’t need to be about spending money to make people happy. It will also spare you the stress of paying back all debts accrued for the holiday.

Get your FREE debt makeover guide here. The website is made especially for women provides a FREE e-book.

Reader Poll: Cash or Credit?

Do you prefer to pay with cash, or with your credit or debit card? Does it depend on the purchase?

Lately I’ve become a lot more keen on being frugal and guarding against spending my money. Because I tend to spend more when I’m paying with my credit or bank cards, I’ve decided to simply withdraw the money I “allow” myself to spend on discretionary things so that I can monitor more closely how I’m spending my cash. Bank fees have also grown quite ridiculous so I may be using my bank card a lot less from now on! For online purchases, there’s always PayPal.

PS – No need to worry about identity theft, either, if you enroll with life lock.

Savvy Spending: How to Compare Credit Offers

When you are trying to build credit for yourself or are already in debt, it’s easy to want to take the first credit or loan offers that come addressed to you in the mail. These lenders boast low APRs, high credit limits for low credit scores, etc. If these offers sound too good to be true, they usually are. If you have a credit score lower than 600, it is generally not wise to apply for any credit or loan offers until you clean up your past mistakes and improve your credit score. Because, as mentioned in a previous post, merely applying for credit offers or loans dings points off your score.

If you have decided to start perusing the lending market for sensible, safer credit and loan offers, the Bad Credit Offers website can help. This site allows you to compare and contrast offers such as home, auto, and personal loans as well as credit card offers. If you have a credit score around 600 and need to consolidate, Bad Credit Offers offers bad credit loans to those in such a predicament. Have a look at the site to see if this service may be of some help to you.