Money Saving Tip

If you need to cut down on your expenses, it’s time to try coupon clippings!

A solid coupon strategy can help you save up to 30 percent off your bills, says Brad Wilson, founder of BradsDeals.com.  

If you are new to the coupon world, here are some tips:

1. Stick to coupons for things you really use. Trying another brand is fine. Buying something you know you won’t or shouldn’t eat is a waste.

Americans tend to throw out about 27 percent of consumable food, according to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While this includes grocery stores and restaurants, the family refrigerator is also a culprit. One quick way to slice into your food bill is to buy only what you need.

2. Pick a couple of favorite coupon sites and hit them regularly. Issuers offer “10 times the coupons available on manufacturers’ Web sites,” says Stephanie Nelson, who runs CouponMom.com.

Be sure to hit them early in the month, because sometimes manufacturers instruct the issuers to cap the number of coupons they distribute, says Steven Boal, CEO and founder of Coupons.com. Get there early and you get first pick. And don’t be afraid to check back several times a week to see if any new coupons are added. “New offers come in and out almost every day,” Boal says.

3. Target the manufacturer sites of your favorite brands. It takes a little more time than just visiting several coupon issuers. But this is a great way to find coupons for the products that you regularly use.

And if you’re willing to provide your e-mail and/or snail mail addresses, you can often receive additional coupons, Nelson says.

4. Layer coupons with store specials and sales. “Combine every possible savings opportunity,” says Nelson, whose site summarizes weekly specials in the local grocery stores. “That’s strategic shopping,” she says. And it helps to know which stores sell various items at the cheapest base price.

It’s also a good idea to find out if any of your favorite stores will match their competitors’ offers.

5. Visit store sites. “A lot of people don’t realize that all supermarkets have Web sites,” says Lisa Lee Freeman, editor in chief of ShopSmart magazine. Shoppers can use these sites to find out about weekly specials, as well as store coupons.

Ditto for drug stores and big-box retailers. Many times you can combine those store coupons with manufacturer coupons to save even more on one item, Nelson says.

6. Join the store’s loyalty card program. The card gets users a discount on certain items at checkout. The trade-off: The store tracks what you buy. In return, the retailer will mail or e-mail you coupons for products that you regularly use or even for generic items, like fresh fruits or vegetables, Nelson says.

7. Opt in for mailed offers, newsletters and offers for special deals. Want some additional coupons from manufacturers or issuers? Sign up and you shall receive.

But read the site’s privacy policy. You want to know what information it collects, whether it shares your personal data and with whom.

“Sign up for everything,” says coupon clipper Jamie Howard, who estimates she saves 30 percent weekly with coupons. “For me, it’s worth the effort.”

And while the discounts and offers are great, if the spam becomes too much, “I unsubscribe immediately,” she says.

A favorite clippers’ trick: Use a separate e-mail address just for coupon offers, Freeman says. That way, if that address gets spammed, your personal e-mail address is still protected.

Return to Thrifty Spending Issue 106

Thrifty Spending Issue 106

FEATURE ARTICLE:  Use Budgeting to Reduce Your Debt

Many Americans live their daily lives without a budget, possibly why the average American household is  over $8,000 in credit card debt. People in these difficult financial situations often say that the reason they have fallen upon hard times is because they do not make enough money. More money does not always solve the problem; more money often leads to more problems. The real solution to financial problems is planning, or budgeting.

READ MORE

 

MONEY SAVING TIP:   If you need to cut down on your expenses, it’s time to try coupon clippings!

A solid coupon strategy can help you save up to 30 percent off your bills, says Brad Wilson, founder of BradsDeals.com

READ MORE

 

DID YOU KNOW…there are four risky places to swipe your debit card?

Would you give a thief direct access to your banking accounts? Unfortunately, you may be doing just that by regularly using your debit card.

READ MORE

Did you know…

…there are four risky places to swipe your debit card?

  1. Outdoor ATMs. A great place for skimming to occur. Skimming is the practice of capturing a bank customer’s card information by running it through a machine that reads the card’s magnetic strip.  To avoid the risk of a skimming device, use an ATM inside a bank, retail outlet or other high-trafficked, well lit place.
  2. Gas stations. Another great place for a skimming device as the pumps have minimal supervision. All a thief needs is a lap top and antenna to steal your debit card information and pin number.  Avoid swiping your debit card at the pump. Use cash or a credit card next time you fill up.
  1. The Web. Debit cards are a convenient way to buy products online. The consumer could have malware on their computers o it could be at their endpoint that the data gets compromised. There’s always the possibility of somebody is eavesdropping on their communication via the wireless network. Use a credit card for online purchases so that you have the protection of your creditor against fraud.
  1. Restaurants. Any place where your debit card is out of sight, it can increase the chances of fraud. The same threat is apparent when ordering for delivery and using your debit card to pay for the food over the telephone.  Avoid this and take the extra safety step to get cash or use a protected method of payment such as a credit card.

Remember thieves are skilled and know all the tricks. They may only use your debit card for small transactions that may go unrecognizable for a while. Review your banking transactions daily to avoid becoming a victim.

 

Return to Thrifty Spending Issue 106

Feature Article

Use Budgeting to Reduce Your Debt

Many Americans live their daily lives without a budget, possibly why the average American household is  over $8,000 in credit card debt. People in these difficult financial situations often say that the reason they have fallen upon hard times is because they do not make enough money. More money does not always solve the problem; more money often leads to more problems. The real solution to financial problems is planning, or budgeting.

With a little knowledge and effort, anyone can begin creating a budget to reduce their overall debt.

First, stop adding debt upon debt. It’s of the upmost importance that you quit accruing debt immediately. Use cash for your purchases, not your credit cards. If you can’t pay cash, you don’t buy it. Period.

Next, figure out how much you pay per month total for all of your expenses. This includes rent/mortgage, car payments, car/home insurance, utilities, credit card debt, other personal loan debt, food, gas, Internet, cable television, clothes, eating out, and entertainment – everything.

Now, determine your total income. Subtract this total from your monthly income total. Where do you stand? Are you comfortably in the positive, or barely? Or are you in the negative?

If you’re barely in the positive, or if you’re in the negative, it’s time to reduce your overall expenses.

What can you get rid of? Eliminate extraneous expenses. Also, shop around for better telephone rates, cell phone rates, and insurance rates. Make changes where you can.

Phone your credit card companies and try to get your interest rates reduced; sometimes they’re even willing to negate past due and over the limit fees. Consider contacting a non-profit credit counseling company. Debt consolidation or debt settlement might be a consideration for your situation. Your goal here is to reduce your overall debt from your credit lenders.

If you shift your focus from short term to a long term point of view, you will find that you will eliminate many of your wasteful spending habits. Furthermore, you may find that you are saving money for a rainy day, possibly even investing. Once your financial maturity reaches this point, you will no longer fall prey to life’s unexpected expenses. This is the only way to reach financial independence.

Return to Thrifty Spending Issue 106

How Military Members Can Avoid Illegal, Unfair Debt Collection Efforts

The Association of Credit Counseling Professionals – ACCPros – Offers Tips for Servicemembers With Student Loans and Other Debts

Falmouth, ME (PRWEB) May 02, 2014

Members of the military face a host of enemies abroad: everything from terrorists and suicide bombers to inhospitable land and severe weather conditions.

Unfortunately, back at home, many U.S. servicemembers and their families must square off against a different kind of enemy: financial services firms and bill collectors that use aggressive, often illegal practices when trying to collect debts.

“The list of financial abuses that military families face is downright appalling,” says Judy Sorensen, president of theAssociation of Credit Counseling Professionals, ACCPros. “On a daily basis, many deal with harassing phone calls from debt collectors, predatory lending traps and wrongful foreclosures on their homes, not to mention widespread problems with student loans. This is the last thing our service men and women need after they’ve been out fighting for our safety and freedoms.”

To help combat these problems, Sorensen and the experts at ACCPros offer four tips to military members facing financial difficulties, especially with student loans.

Tip#1: Know your legal rights

“Part of the problem is that many U.S. servicemembers simply don’t know that they have various military protections to help them in areas such as their mortgages and student loans,” says Sorensen.

For example, under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003, military members and their families are supposed to be protected from housing evictions. The Act also includes a stay of all court proceedings a bill collector might attempt, and a cap on loan interest rates, including a 6% ceiling on student loans.

Separately, the Military Lending Act caps payday loans and title loans at 36%.

Sorensen notes, however, that some payday lenders use loopholes to get around payday loan caps. She recently wrote about this abuse in an article on Credit.com.

Tip #2: Report abuses to the authorities

It’s not in your best interest to be silent about financial misconduct by any company with which you might do business. So Sorensen urges military members to report wrongful doing to the authorities, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In April, the CFPB issued a report highlighting everything from dubious default judgments to wrongful debt collection activity against military members. The report concluded that more needs to be done to ensure that members of the U.S. armed forces receive the full protection of the law concerning their financial affairs.

That’s one reason the CFPB does track complaints. In fact, the agency says it received 14,100 complaints filed by military consumers between July 2011 and February 2014. Also, the number of complaints the CFPB received rose by 148% from 2012 to 2013. And the agency does act on these concerns.

For instance, the CFPB and other federal agencies are now investigating Sallie Mae over its handling of students loans held by military members. The CFPB says it is examining “unfair or deceptive” practices that violate the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, and allegations of discriminatory lending and payment-processing issues.

“Statistics show that four out of 10 U.S. service men and women are now repaying student loans, and the average amount borrowed is about $26,000, so this is a major issue that must be addressed,” Sorensen says.

Tip #3: Utilize the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

Under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, individuals employed by the military for a decade, or those who’ve been in specific public service jobs for the last 10 years, can have their federal student loans completely discharged.

Some of the public service jobs that qualify for this student loan relief are: police officers and firefighters, emergency management workers, and specialists in public health, including nurses and healthcare practitioners.

Tip #4: Understand how to get a student loan discharge

Those who received National Direct Student Loans and Perkins Loans can get partial cancellation or a discharge of their loan based on their military service in they served for a full year in a hostile fire or imminent danger pay area.

So if you qualify for loan cancellation, Sorensen suggests supplying a copy of your DD214 (discharge form) and a letter requesting a discharge to your loan servicer.

About ACCPros

The Association of Credit Counseling Professionals, ACCPros, is the credit counseling industry’s newest and fastest growing trade association. ACCPros hopes to distinguish itself from other associations by placing an emphasis on ethics and compliance and focusing on best practices, quality service, education, training, and professional ethics. ACCPros member agencies can be a great resource for consumers seeking help managing their debt. Call the toll-free ACCPros Locator Line at 800-635-0553 to speak with a certified credit counselor at an agency licensed/registered in your state.

 

Ref:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/accpros_servicemembers/military_debt_collection/prweb11819370.htm