Make It A Pro$perous 2009!!!

Eight Easy Tips to Boost Your Household Budget

By Barry Ritz

Balancing the household budget is a very important step to achieve your financial goals. You should treasure your paycheck right now as it is hard to make extra money in a recession. In order to bolster your savings account, you have to make every effort to reduce unnecessary spending.

I can't stress enough on the importance of balancing the household budget because if the economy gets worse, you could be facing a loss of income and even worse, swarmed with debts.

Here are eight easy tips to balance your household budget.

1. Spend on needs, not wants. Of course if you have the money, you can classify any want as a need but you have to be realistic here. Just buy what you need for sustenance and avoid splurging on the wants, like Armani and Prada.

2. Track your money. Take the time to write down how much you spent per day and the items you bought. You can review immediately if the purchases are wasteful. Grasping the ins and outs of your household budget will enable you to stick to it.

Also beware of ATM withdrawal fees charged by your bank. While some banks waive fees for ATM transactions, most don't. But as customers, we can exercise our right to use only ATM machines where there are no fees imposed.

3. Evaluate your bills. Your phone, cable, and utility bills are places to save money and balance the household budget. Cancel any cell phone services you don't use as well as redundant features which the phone company enticed you to sign up for.

Understanding the items in your monthly bills will enable you to notice sudden spikes in charges. Also, be on the lookout for promotions with your cable company or cell phone provider.

4. Do It Yourself. If you need work done like repairs (aircon, plumbing, car) or home improvement (building a new rack, patio furniture, painting, gardening) why not take time to learn a new skill and do it yourself?

Since labor constitutes a hefty portion of home and car repairs, you can save a lot of money with DIY even if it takes away some of your recreation time.

5. Plan your errands and buy in bulk. Try to do as much in one outing to save on transportation expenses and time. Besides improving efficiency, buying in bulk (load up on bargains especially for non-perishable items) will translate to huge savings over time.

6. Change your lifestyle. Try to avoid going out for movies, party, dining or having a few beers at the lounge. Find things to do at home like renting movies or find new bars that have no cover charge.

Instead of going out every weekend, why not stay at home alternate weeks. It will also have a tremendous health benefit (with less smoking and beers) and the money saved will be impressive.

7. Use coupons for grocery shopping. This can be a big savings. Use coupons to buy your daily items and consider buying store brands instead of high quality brands. Clipping coupons go beyond groceries. You can use it for almost all online shopping items. Just take some time to search and comparison shop on the net.

8. Pack lunch box to work. Instead of wasting leftovers from your dinner, bring them to work and save on buying lunch each day. Just imagine how much you save money you save by not buying sandwiches, sodas, and snacks from convenience stores.

I am the author of AssociateMoney, a personal finance blog for me to discuss investment, and money saving, management tips. To be financially secure, we have to learn how and what decisions to make about our finances. Please visit my blog to share your thoughts or feedback.

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Best Job Sites

With the economy in the slumps many people have become downsized, fired or laid-off and are desperately in need of employment. We have done some research on the best job sites around. Some are familiar and some you may not know. Below is a short & snappy list of job sites that you may want to visit or revisit:

Monster – One of the largest job sites. Has been around for years and most people already know about it. Jobs are updated regularly.

Yahoo Hot Jobs - Another popular one with thousands of job listings. You can post your resume onsite which can help you attract employers and land you faster employment.

Hound – This fresh cutting-edge resource is another great Job Sites resource. Centralizes jobs from all across the U.S. and beyond. Contains plenty of hard to find jobs. Currently over 700,000 job postings available.

Employment Crossing – This is a great place to find jobs of all types from basic to Fortune 500 or Fortune 1000. Has a Super Large database and is quickly gaining reputation as one of the Best Job Sites in existence.

Private Bad Credit Lenders - Who Are They?

By Richard Brooks

Private Bad Credit Lenders are typically individuals or small firms who specialize in lending to the bad credit market, otherwise known as the subprime market. Due to the high risk nature of servicing citizens with damaged credit, these bad credit loans will understandably contain higher rates and fees over traditional loans. However, the great thing is that Private Bad Credit Lending rates are typically more attractive than most other bad credit lending sources. Also being that these lenders are usually independents and not large corporate entities, they can usually approve your loan much faster and with less hassle.

You can try locating these sub prime lenders by doing deep searches on the internet, through word-of-mouth, consulting with financial brokers, and even sometimes larger lenders that have turned you down may be able to direct you. Private Bad Credit Lenders are not the easiest to find, and they like it that way - which is one of the reasons they are referred to as 'Private' Lenders. You won't see a ton of commercial or advertisements flooding the market with these type of lenders compared to the traditional lenders. They know that the ones who need them most will find them.

The great thing is that once you do connect, you'll find that Private Bad Credit Lenders are really not OVERly concerned or concerned at all with you credit rating. They understand that even the best most well-meaning individuals can fall into a financial tailspin -- and as a result badly damage their credit. Therefore these lenders are Masters at examining the overall picture. In other words: Unlike Large banking institutions, they look for reasons to approve you rather than to disapprove you.

When reviewing your application for bad credit loan, some things they will look at is your employment stability and income, as well as additional income sources and assets that you may have. Details such as this can override a poor credit history in their eyes.

So if your credit is definitely not smiling and You Know It -- Do Not waste your time dealing with traditional lenders. That will only make matters worse because they will make inquiries into your credit report, and ultimately turn you down -- taking points away from your credit score with each series of inquiries. And that doesn't make sense at all. It is much wiser to deal with lenders who specialize in the Subprime Lending Market. They will be far more understanding and sensitive to your situation. This is the true essence of what Private Bad Credit Lenders represent to you.

Richard Brooks is a strong Financial Advocate for quality products and services, designed particularly for individuals with bad credit. He is the webmaster of http://www.Private-Bad-Credit-Lenders.com where you'll find more helpful tips and resources to connect you with the Best Private Bad Credit Lenders in existence.

Note: This article may be freely reprinted without any changes in the content or bio information whatsoever. All links appearing within this article and/or Author Box must remain active. Thank You for your cooperation.

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FIXR - Saving Money for Homeowners

One of the largest expenses of owning a home is home repair and home improvement costs. This can easily drain a household budget really quick. I came across an interesting website today called Fixr, and it definitely caught my eye.

What this site allows people to do is post their home job requests right online in a convenient web portal. What this does is allow professionals in your area to competitively bid for your job and try to ‘Win’ your business. This is a great money-saving concept because this bidding process enables prices to stay lower for the consumer - while still getting quality work done from professional contractors. It’s win/win situation …especially for Homeowners!

From scanning the site I see a variety of jobs postings from pool installation, gardening, landscaping and more… right now it looks like there’s a very high rate of competitive bidding going on in the pool installation and landscaping categories. This is great concept, kinda puts me in the mind of an eBay for home improvement!

Here a screenshot of some of the work and bids going on:


The thing I'm impressed with most about Fixr is that the service is actually Free! You can post as many jobs as you want for professionals in your area to bid on them – and there’s no obligation at all for you to accept a bid at all.
Unfortunately, the only problem is that this new service is only available in Massachusetts. However, they do state that they will be expanding nationwide real soon. So I’ll keep an eye on this service and should too IF you want to save money on home improvement & repairs.

Sole Junkie Releases Custom Xbox-Alpha-Dunks! But get this...

Sole Junkie is laughing all the way to the Bank!

You know, I don’t usually write about stuff like this. But this has really caught my attention. There is a new sneaker that just hit the scene called Xbox-Alpha-Dunks that custom designed by Sole Junkie. And get this... it sells for whopping $2500! Now I don’t know about you, but I think that’s utterly ridiculous amount to spend on a pair of sneakers …especially in this economy. I mean you gotta be crazy to spend that type of money of a gym show that will be worn out -- and 'Played Out' in about 6 months or less. Guaranteed.

But hey people are going crazy over this thing. Why? Get this… because they glow in the dark. Woopee doo! But hey to each his own. If you have that type of money and able to blow a cool $2500 on a gym shoe, without missin’ a beat - then like Nike says Just Do It! But when all the hype fades I hope you don’t look stupid walking around in a pair of $2500 glow-in-dark kicks. There's so many other things that one can do with this type of cash. And I’m sorry but blowing $2500 on a gym shoe that glows is flat out ridiculous in my opinion. I don't know...maybe I'm the crazy one what do you think?

Computer Financing For Bad Credit - 5 Crucial Checkpoints

By Richard Brooks

Bad credit is no longer an obstacle preventing you from owning a computer of your very own. Computer Financing for Bad Credit does exist. But you must be careful that you're dealing with an ethical source. There's just too many these "Computer Financing for All" Companies coming into the market and shafting people. In this article we will focus on 5 key things to look for, so that you can secure the best computer financing opportunity for your situation.

1) Company Website - If the computer company you're considering securing financing from does not have a company website, I would definitely suggest that you forgo doing business with them. This is an indication that they're probably a start-up/non-established company, or possibly even a scam.

2) Credit Reporting - It's not just about getting a computer, but you also want a chance to boost your credit right? It is important to do business with a company that specializes in computer financing for bad credit -- and one that is willing to report your good payment history to credit agencies i.e. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

3) Contact Info. & Support - It is also important to make sure that the Computer Financing for Bad Credit firm has real contact information, and also a dedicated contact line for customer support. Not in all situations, but oftentimes the case, if a company has a sales number for ordering and no customer support line at all -- then usually this is a recipe for frustration.

4) Negative Reports - You can search the Better Business Bureau, or other public protection agency, to uncover any excessive complaints against a Bad Credit Computer Financing Company. I use the word "excessive" because even Top companies may have a complaint or two.

But if you see the same complaints continuously from a lot of people, then this is something you need to take into strong consideration! You might also want to ask around or search for any customer reviews via the search engines or other public sources.

5) Computer Specs & Condition - Be sure to get clear details about your potential PC purchase. Is it used/refurbished or new? What are the specs and will they meet your needs? Is it an upgradeable computer? These are some key questions you need to consider when searching for Computer Financing for Bad Credit.

Richard Brooks is a strong Financial Advocate for quality products and services, designed particularly for individuals with credit issues. He is the webmaster of

http://www.Private-Bad-Credit-Lenders.com where you'll find more helpful tips and resources guiding you to Computer Financing for Bad Credit

Note: This article may be freely reprinted without any changes in the content or bio information whatsoever. All links appearing within this article and/or Author Box must remain active i.e. 'Clickable'! Thank You for your cooperation.

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