Many Americans have gotten themselves caught up in credit card debt and often have to take drastic measures in order get out of the hole that they’ve dug. Many will contact services that offer to consolidate your credit card debt into one monthly payment by cutting monthly interest rates the card companies charge. These are known as debt management programs. They will negotiate with your credit card companies to get you a lower rate. You then make a monthly payment to the debt management program and in that monthly payment is a fee that they charge. Typically around $50. These programs are great for people who need a structured monthly payment to help get them back on track. But this can be done on your own. All it takes is a phone call to your credit card company.
Take a look at your monthly bill and look at the interest rate they’re charging. Now find your credit card’s customer service number and give them a call. Tell them that what you’re looking to do is pay off the revolving balance you have and would like a lower interest rate. What they will then do is look at your payment history. They want you to typically have 3 - 6 months of on-time payments and from there they will lower your rate. Now this is great even for people with very little balance or zero balance at all. But there’s more you can do. After getting your lower rate, ask for their account services number. Now these are the folks that can really help. Explain your situation to them saying that you just called the regular customer service number and got a little break on your rate but that you’re really looking to pay off the card as fast as possible. These folks will then be able to offer you an even lower rate and can even setup payments plans to get that debt paid off. With this you’ll be on your way to being debt free in no time.
But a few tips you want to watch out for when applying for a new credit card. Most “new cards”, and by that I mean ones you typically see commercials for. Something like American Express has some sort of new special deluxe rewards card, will typically have a very high interest rate for the first year that cannot be lowered. These cards are part of special programs offered by the companies just to get you to sign up. Also, beware of store branded cards. These can lower your credit score by 20 points each for every one you have. Most offer you some sort of discount to sign up by in the long run it can cost you more when attempting to make big purchases like a car or house. If you can use cash, because that’s everyone’s best friend.
These are just a few tips I have but if you have any I’d love to hear them.
Lately, I’ve been receiving a bunch of phonecalls on my cellphone that are completely unrecognizable when I look at the number. All of which have had Unknown ID for their caller ID title. With the help of the following two websites:
http://www.800notes.com
http://www.whocallsme.com
I was able to determine that these folks are scammers. Just trying to trick you into giving your personal info. to them in the hopes they can rob you blind. Most of the numbers are disconnected in a few days so there’s no way to know where they’re really calling from. What’s even more disturbing is that everyone can do this. It’s called Caller ID spoofing. You can pay for an ID spoofing card which will mask your phone number and display and name and number you want onto a person’s caller ID. Most companies have a section of their website dedicated to their practices and say that they’ll never call and ask for personal information over the phone. Take a look at your credit card, bank, cell phone, and basically any other business that you deal with regularly to see what their policies are. Most offer numbers to call if you’ve been contacted by someone that is mis-representing themselves.
What should you do if you get one of these calls? First, start by asking questions - things like the person’s name, phone number to call back, etc. Some scammers will immediately hangup when you start asking questions. Next is to use one of the website listed above to test both the number that the rep. gave you and the one that’s on the caller ID, if they don’t match. Now it’s time to give the company a call. Call their hotline and report the number. This will allow them to track the number and help others from getting scammed. If you have given out information, you’ll be able to ask them what steps need to be taken so that the information does not get used. You can also sign up to get monthly credit reports and credit watches. With all of the calls I’ve been getting recently, this is definitely something I’m going to do. It’s worth the money to keep my identity.
I’ve written before about reducing non-biodegradable waste but I’ve got another few suggestions that can help to reduce the amount of trash that sits in landfills.
1. First, let me say that recycling is great but you can make even more of a difference by purchasing products made from recycled materials. By doing so, you reduce the amount of raw materials consumed and in turn help the planet.
2. Use reusable containers if you pack your own lunch for work. I’m no expert but I know that those plastic sandwhich baggies can add up quick in the ground so opt for something you can washout and reuse. If you do use the baggies, a quick rinse and dry is an easy way to cut consumption. It’ll save you money too.
3. When using a public restroom, use less paper from the paper towel dispenser. This is easy. If you’d normally press the lever 5 times, just try 4. I’ve recently done this and haven’t noticed any difference when drying my hands.
These are just a few things I’ve done recently in an effort to help. I hope you too can join in.
Remember it’s the little things that add up to help us all.
After watching So I Married An Axe Murderer, which on a side note is a phenomenal movie, I realized that the Juicer, was an absolutely ridiculous invention. Everyone, I’m sure, remembers these things. You’d cut up your favorite fruits and vegetables and jam into this machine, which would then extract a pukey looking beverage which you were supposed to drink. The best part was the infomercials. Without fail, the commercials would attempt to make these devices seem like they made absolutely no noise. On the contrary, if you’ve ever experienced the workings of these device, it was the equivalent of shredding a car in your kitchen. It’s really quite hilarious to watch someone use one. There was also some of the pulp that always made it into the glass which is just plain disgusting. My aunt had bought one and I had always asked, why not just eat the fruit and vegetables. Not only do you get the juice but you get physical food portion too.
Now onto the Salad Shooter, which I’m sad to say, is sitting in our kitchen cabinets right now. My mother bought one of these nightmare devices well over a decade ago and we’ve used it a whopping four times. I decided to give this gem a whirl one day and was sorely disappointed. The cleaning time alone on this device was enough for me to not want to use it again. I prefer the manual Mandoline over the Salad Shooter any day. The plus side on this device is that it’s damn near impossible to chop your fingers up but that’s half the challenge of cooking.
Anyone else have any other ridiculous devices?
This will be short because of the busted hand I received skiing last weekend. I just wanted to post a pic. of the x-ray so everyone can see the two broken metacarpals. I will post the picture of my eye shortly.
