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Source: mint.intuit.com

Apache is functioning normally

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Later this month we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving, and for many people the Thanksgiving week is a time to sit back and reflect on all of the blessings that we’ve been given throughout the year.  For some the week is about getting together with family and enjoying all of the good food. For others, however, Thanksgiving week is all about gearing up to go out and go shopping on Black Friday, or Cyber Monday.

I don’t usually go out on Black Friday, but I’m never one to say never when it comes to finding a deal.  There have been several years where I have gone out on Black Friday, with mixed results. In years where I planned ahead, knew exactly what I wanted, and got to the store plenty early, I didn’t have any issues. In years where I just decided last minute to show up and see if I could get a deal – it didn’t work out well at all.

So today I want to go over a few Black Friday shopping tips, and look at some things you can do to prepare for the hottest shopping weekend of the year.

Don’t Just Wing It, Plan Ahead

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made when shopping on Black Friday was to not really make a plan ahead of time, and to just wing it when it came to getting a deal on the items I was shopping for. When I showed up at the store trying to get a deal, it was a complete mess. I didn’t know where the item I was looking for was going to be, others had showed up way before I did and the store in general was much busier than I had anticipated.

Here’s a video looking at my experience and the madness that ensued at Wal-Mart that night.

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View the video on YouTube

So as you can see it was complete madness and mayhem. I hadn’t planned ahead, and it was obvious others had.  I saw one family talking on walkie-talkies, coordinating their battle plan!

Websites To Research Your Black Friday Deals

As mentioned above it’s a good idea to plan ahead and to research all of the Black Friday sales ahead of time.  Track down and find the best deals on the items that you need.

So where can you go to do all your research? There are a ton of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping sites you can check out, here are a few of the better ones:

This “most wanted” list from gottadeal.com – will give you an idea of what items are most wanted at each store. Using that information you can prioritize you list and make a battle plan.

Black Friday Most Wanted Deals

8 Tips For Black Friday Shopping

Black Friday shopping starts way ahead of the early morning hours on Friday following Thanksgiving. It starts by doing your homework ahead of

time, and making a battle plan for where you’re going to go, and what you’re going to get.

  • Make a list in the order of importance:   Make a list of things you were planning to buy this year anyway, and then prioritize them in the order that you want them the most – so you can make sure to go and wait in line for those items first.
  • Make a budget and save up the cash: Make a spending budget for the day, and save up the cash ahead of time to pay for all your purchases.  Don’t spend more than you had planned!
  • Make sure the stores don’t have advance Black Friday deals: Some stores will give you the Black Friday price on the item ahead of time, they start the sales earlier in the week.  If you can avoid going to the store on the big day, do it!  Some stores also have rewards programs and members will sometimes get a preview shopping event and get Black Friday prices earlier in the week! (for example, Sears does this)
  • See if the item is available online too: Some stores will have Black Friday deals on their websites as well, so if you can get the deal online and avoid the store, go for it!
  • Go on a reconnaissance mission:  If you’re looking for an item that’s going to be extremely popular, you may even want to go to the store ahead of time and scout out the location of the item so you know where to go. Be careful, however, as some stores will place Black Friday deals throughout the store, so make sure to get that store’s Black Friday sales plan layout.
  • Go with a friend.. or two:  If you’re looking for more than one big ticket item, you may want to go to the store with the friend so you can wait in separate lines and get both of the items you wanted.
  • Bring some snacks: If you plan on waiting in line for a long time Friday morning, bring along some snacks, and maybe even some coffee (but don’t go overboard or you may lose your spot on line when you go to use the restroom!)
  • Figure out if you need a voucher for big items:  Some stores will hand out vouchers to people in line for more popular or big ticket items to avoid a scramble once the doors open. Find out if your items need a voucher at that store, and if so, make sure to be in line super early.

So start planning for your big shopping day today, and you’ll be sure to get the deals that you wanted and save on your Christmas shopping, unlike those poor slobs like me who just show up!

Cyber Monday Is Great For Deals Too!

If you don’t get the deal you wanted on Black Friday, don’t worry.  Cyber Monday  – the Monday after Black Friday – also has a ton of great deals, mainly at online stores.  Checking the sites linked above will also give you access to a lot of the best online deals to be found then.

Also, remember that while Black Friday has a lot of hype surrounding it, it isn’t always the best time to buy certain items.

When you do finally get around to buying the things you want, make sure you’re taking advantage of all available discounts to get the best possible deal!  Also, remember, you can always go the route of buying or making frugal Christmas gifts for your family as well!

Have your own Black Friday shopping tips? Tell us what they are in the comments!

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

In the past nine months I’ve found $12.89 in singles and specie. The cash has shown up in a number of places, but most of it is from coins I picked up.

As usual, I’ll squirrel away the found funds until Thanksgiving, at which time I’ll write a check to a food bank. I’ve been doing this for a couple of decades, including a span of several years during which I had neither a vessel into which to urinate nor a casement through which to dispose of it.

This was a painless way to help others at a time when I worried nonstop about my own ability to stay afloat. Giving to others got me out of my own head, reminding me that plenty of people lived with considerably fewer resources (financial, emotional, practical) than I had.

It also reminded me that despite my fears I actually did have enough to get by. In fact, I had so much enough that I could afford to share a little with others. What richness!

Maybe you’re in a tight spot of your own, or maybe your paycheck covers the basics without much left over. But writing a check isn’t the only way to give. Our time, our talents and even our frugal hacks can make a difference in the world.

The Ultimate Social Network
Why give? Because there’s need — and because it’s as good for you as it is for the people to whom you contribute.

Helping others connects us with the bigger picture, i.e., life outside our own little circles of circumstance. Giving is the ultimate social network, because it connects us with the wider world vs. the virtual one.

Suppose you spent an hour driving a veteran to the doctor and back. For you it would be an hour you could spare. For the vet you drove, it would be a lifeline.

Note: You shouldn’t give anything — even your time — if it endangers your equilibrium or your budget. A single parent with one and a half jobs already has enough on his or her plate, and you should chase the wolf away from your own door before you pick a name off the Angel Tree.

The following tips are not one-size-fits-all. For example, maybe you:

  • Live in a high-rise and don’t know your neighbors.
  • Aren’t the kind of person who would ever pick up recyclables.
  • Can’t donate blood for medical reasons.

But surely one of these suggestions will resonate. And if not? Share your own ideas in the comment section.

“Used,” but still useful

    1. Charity thrift shops. Goodwill and others can use clothing, housewares, books and maybe even furniture. However, keep in mind that the stuff you think “still has some use left in it” might not be saleable. Get a receipt in case this is the year you itemize; see “Getting the most from your charitable deductions” for specifics.
    2. The Freecycle Network. Not all chapters are created equal, but I’ve had tremendous success with people coming to get stuff I no longer need.
    3. Got books? This American Library Association fact sheet offers information on libraries that accept donated materials.
    4. Got children’s books? Ask if you can leave your kids’ outgrown titles in the waiting room at a public health clinic or social service agency.
    5. Periodical sharing. When you finish with magazines, ask if it’s OK to leave them at laundromats, job-source organizations or other places adults tend to sit and wait. Cut the mailing label off the front of the mag; it doesn’t hurt to be wary even though identity theft is generally more high-tech than that.
    6. Rags that rock. Before tossing worn-out towels or blankets, see if pet rescue groups could use them.
    7. Holidays for kids. This doesn’t have to cost a bundle. Shop the Black Friday or pre-Black Friday sales, or the loss leaders during the holiday season. If experience has shown you which stores have the best stuff, shave off a few more bucks by paying with a discounted gift card.
    8. Holidays for adults. Social service agencies or places of worship will likely let you know who’s in need. Shop the same sales as noted in “gifts for kids,” above, and also watch daily deal sites like My Bargain Buddy and Dealnews.com.
    9. Clothing drives. Got a second coat, a like-new hat, an extra scarf? If you’re in a cold climate a collection box is waiting somewhere. When I lived in Alaska I carried extra hats, scarves and mittens in the trunk of my car, in case I met a homeless person who needed them. (And I did.)
    10. Pro bono es bueno. Lawyers and doctors aren’t the only ones who donate their time, incidentally. Whether it’s social media savvy or landscape architecture, your skills might be needed by a town landmark, a group home, an elementary school.
    11. Helping hands. Not everyone has an in-demand skill, but just about any of us can stuff envelopes or help clean up after a PTA meeting.
    12. Teach a class. Take stock of what you know well — web design, cake decorating, Excel spreadsheets? — and offer that knowledge to others through a club, afterschool program, fraternal organization or place of worship.
    13. Be a youth-group leader. This is a huge time commitment, and some people (including me) aren’t nuts about certain organizations’ policies on gays and lesbians. But if you can find a match — scouting, 4-H, youth sports, Sunday school — your help is needed.
    14. Mentoring. Big Brothers/Big Sisters is the group people most often choose, but other options exist. Maybe your place of worship has a way to match kids in need with caring adults. Perhaps a professional organization arranges job-shadows for teens interested in your industry. A recent college graduate in your field might need advice and/or networking.
    15. Yard work. Got an elderly or chronically ill neighbor who can’t manage snow, leaves or lawn? Step up.
    16. Give blood. If the bloodmobile comes to the workplace, well, score: You get a break from the job plus juice and cookies! If not, look for blood drives. Donation doesn’t take very long and it’s a literal lifesaver.

Frugal-hack giving

    1. Use your coupon powers for good. By combining sale prices, coupons and instant store rebates, you can pay nothing or next to nothing for toiletries, cleaning products and food items. I’ve donated numerous bags of these things to a shelter and a couple of emergency pantries.
    2. Coupon powers, part 2. Michael’s and Jo-Ann’s have dollar sections and they run “50% off any non-clearance item” coupons in their Sunday ads. Thus I pay 50 cents for knitted gloves that aren’t good to 30 below but do keep out the chill. Shelters can use these.
    3. Clearance tables rule! Speaking of gloves: I found them priced at two pairs for 33 cents a couple of late-winters ago. (I bought 100 pairs to give away.) Clearance tables can also yield gifts for next year’s holiday donations.
    4. Recycle for credit. Trade in spent ink cartridges for store credit at Office Max, Office Depot and Staples, then buy school supplies to donate. Deliver office supplies to your favorite local nonprofit. Drop off teabags or coffee filters at the senior center. (Cartridge trade-in policies vary, so be clear on the rules before you do this.)
    5. Recycle for cash. If you walk for exercise, carry a bag and pick up cans and bottles along the way. Give the money you earn to your favorite cause.
    6. Plant a little extra. If you have one zucchini plant you have enough; if you have two, you have enough to share. Seriously: Put a few extra seeds in the ground and donate extra produce to food bank or soup kitchen.
    7. Calendar creep. Do charities send you calendars, greeting cards and notepads? Offer calendars to teachers (animal-themed ones are a big hit with younger kids), group homes, senior centers or nonprofits, or bundle up the cards and notepads and donate them to charity thrift shops.
    8. A non-pay phone. Got a plan with unlimited minutes? Maybe someone in a veterans’ or long-term-care home wants to call family or friends but can’t afford it. Ask a social worker if you can temporarily donate your phone on a weekend afternoon.
    9. House-caring hack. Next time someone offers you $50 to pick up the mail and feed the cat for a week, make a counter-offer: You’ll do those chores if he or she will make a donation to the charity of your choice. If you’re a cynic, just accept the money and donate it yourself.

Readers: How do you give on a budget — or for free?

Source: getrichslowly.org

Apache is functioning normally

Personally, I begin to panic every year as the holiday season approaches. It’s not because I don’t love Christmas. I really do love the holiday season, in general. I just cringe at the thought of all of the money that gets spent unnecessarily, especially mine. And as holiday spending has steadily grown out of control, expectations have come along for the ride. What is now considered to be a reasonable amount of presents is completely different than it was when I was a kid. Nowadays, children are getting showered with big gifts, expensive toys, and things I never would have dreamed of receiving as a child.

My mom once told me that, when she was young, she typically got an orange and some candy in her stocking on Christmas. Seriously. And she was thrilled to get it. She also reminded me that she and her siblings would each get only a few small toys as well. The thing is, this isn’t just some story about walking 10 miles to school, uphill, both ways. It is actually the truth. Of course, it happened 60 years ago, and I cannot believe how times have changed. Kids certainly expect a lot more gifts now, and it doesn’t take much to figure out why things have changed so dramatically.

Doesn’t it seem like the holiday season creeps up on us earlier every single year? It is no longer surprising to see stores decorated for Christmas in early November… way before Thanksgiving! This year, several stores even announced that they would open for Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day, and they made many customers upset in the process.

We are inundated with toy store ads and commercials featuring the tippy tops of Christmas trees hidden by huge piles of gifts. In the meantime, I have also noticed that children’s toys have gotten extremely expensive! My 3-year-old recently asked for a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas. After a quick Google search, I determined that it is a nearly $200 gaming system! My brother has also convinced her that she needs an iPad for Christmas. Obviously, that is not going to happen. Still, it’s hard to avoid the trappings of a consumerist Christmas when we are constantly confronted with expectations that are sometimes unreasonable and wasteful.

So, where does that leave us? What should families do to keep holiday spending under control? Should we sacrifice our own financial well-being in order to deliver the Christmas that advertisers portray? Or should we stick to our guns and only buy the bare minimum for our children, family, and friends?

Since my children are so young, ages 3 and 1, we have decided to keep expectations fairly low. This year, we spent approximately $100 per child, and we actually got them some nice things that I believe they will enjoy. The additional money we have allocated to spend on them this year is going straight into their college savings 529 accounts. How did we do it? It’s fairly simple actually. We’re giving them used stuff.

There, I said it. I give my children used toys and clothes for Christmas. Well, not all of their gifts are used. Still, many of the toys and clothes that will be under the tree are second-hand items. Do I feel bad about it? No, absolutely not. In fact, I feel like it makes perfect sense.

This strategy might feel completely tacky to some….but I have to ask you, “What difference does it make?” My kids are so young that they can’t possibly know or care. Once the gifts are wrapped and under the tree, they will easily blend in with the others. My children will never suspect a thing. Buying some used toys and clothing has allowed me to stretch my holiday dollars much further. I am also able to buy them nicer gifts than I would be able to if I paid sticker price for every one.

Maybe giving used items isn’t in your game plan this Christmas. Still, there are plenty of other ways to stop spending so much money during the holidays. Here are some easy steps that may help you save some of your holiday cash.

Make a holiday gift budget and stick to it. Making a gift budget is an ideal way to keep your spending under control. First, decide who you are buying for. Second, determine what you can afford to spend on them and stick to it. Remember that it is not necessary to buy for every last relative and person you know – and it is unreasonable for them to expect you to do so.

Stop buying for siblings and their spouses. Initially, this didn’t go over too well with my family. However, since my siblings and I are all adults, it seemed silly to insist on buying each other gifts. By the time we finally stopped, we were basically just trading gift cards around. It was totally unnecessary, and I was relieved when it finally came to an end.

Make homemade gifts if you can. Choosing not to buy for extended family members, neighbors, and co-workers can save a ton of money if you are able to get away with it. If you feel obligated to give them something, try making them something instead. If you aren’t crafty, bake some cookies or holidays treats and wrap them with holiday wrapping paper or bows.

Stop buying for pets. Do pets really need Christmas gifts? No, they don’t. If you feel obligated to put something under the tree for your pet, re-gift them something that they already have. I’m giving my dog a bag of dog food for Christmas this year. Trust me, he’ll love it.

Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses. Everyone has some Joneses in their life. Don’t try to emulate their bad Christmas spending decisions. Spend only what is a responsible amount for your family. Remember that the Joneses may or may not be able to afford all of the gifts they bought in the first place.

Obviously, there is so much more to Christmas than rampant consumerism. Maybe lowering Christmas expectations will help us all focus on what is really important during the holiday season – spending time with the people we love.

How are you saving on your Christmas shopping this year? What gift-giving limits do you practice?

Source: getrichslowly.org

Apache is functioning normally

Every year, I fail to really account for the cost of Christmas. “A few hundred dollars,” I think, for gifts, and then by the first few days of December I’ve bought several pounds of butter, and lots of my favorite seasonal chocolate, and the big size of maple syrup because I’ll be baking and pancake-making a lot this winter. And suddenly I’ve already spent a few hundred dollars, and not a gift among them.

And because my children are children, having grown up in a big extended family of good Christians who are totally O.K. with Santa, (and let me reiterate: a big family, with traditions including fat, stuffed stockings and gift-giving to aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents, going to public school and occasionally coming across those toy ads in the circulars from department stores like the local Fred Meyer… ) well, they expect something. Like, a big something. They want their Christmas-morning minds blown.

I’ve done this to myself.

This year as in years past I have, utterly without thinking or planning, built up the anticipation against my financial best interests and my professed desire for less consumerism. “Well, maybe you might ask for that for Christmas,” I’ll tell my five-year-old when he asks for a toy in September, while we’re shopping for a new lunch bag. “Why don’t you look at this LEGO catalog and tell me what you want for Christmas,” I’ll tell my oldest when he’s claiming boredom in October. “Christmas is coming and I want to save my money for that,” I’ll tell my middle child when he asks for yet another iTunes game around Thanksgiving.

And then the whole frenzy of Thanksgiving comes. I’m not much of a Black Friday shopper — ok, I have not seen the inside of a mall on Black Friday for as long as I can remember — but I do get caught up in the early holiday Pinterest-ing and the Instagram-ing and the Facebook-ing and the tweeting that starts about that time. Some of my knitting friends begin their annual holiday rush to knit gifts for everyone they know. My photographer friends are putting the final touches on calendars and coasters and everything else you can make with photos. There is a flurry of crafting and craft-desiring like none that will occur again until Valentine’s Day.

I get caught up.

And then come the Christmas tree photos.

Let me stop here and say that I am an enormous fan of Christmas trees. I love the smell of a Douglas fir and I love the look of lights glimmering on a tree and I never want to turn them off for weeks and weeks. But to get a medium-sized tree even here in the middle of this Christmas tree land (I think my uncle even grows them on his farm 20 miles away) is $40, plus the inevitable hot chocolate and sugar cookie that must be purchased during the ritual getting-of-the-tree. Usually, I agonize over the cost and then find it in my budget somehow and commence Christmas thrill.

But this year I feel done. I bike around Portland looking at the lots full of trees, trees everywhere, trees in wagons and bicycles and on Subarus and Volvos and I think how ridiculous it is. (I may get over this soon.) All this growing and fertilizing and trucking trees around, all this buying and decorating and lighting and watering, all this sawing and taking down and composting — for what? Over a billion dollars spent just on trees every year!

One day one of my friends (a person I know in real life, even) said on Twitter that her tradition was to get a different angel ornament every year for her tree. I’m quite certain that my friend, who has excellent taste and is not known for excess, had no idea that her little statement would send me into a tailspin of guilt and frustration. But I didn’t have any such tradition and I’d not even bought a baby’s first Christmas ornament for each of my boys and I thought, “maybe I should start a new tradition like that!” and at almost the same time thought, “I don’t wanna!”

I don’t wanna

I waited a respectable amount of time. And I tweeted something about not having energy for the holiday spirit, about getting myself into a tizzy about what I hadn’t done (no wreath-making party, what?) and then realizing I just wanted to write. Several people from a variety of internet circles chimed in, agreeing, commiserating. And then I kept seeing more and more expressions of exhaustion. One friend in the Midwest said she’d given over the reins of the holiday spirit to her husband. She felt conflicted about “raising little consumers.” Another friend was writing a post for a major food web site on the topic — enough with the cookies already!

I realized I was done spending money on Christmas just to take pictures of my family following a cultural tradition that brought up so many feelings of guilt, insufficiency, and financial stress. I could do this my way, right? Right!

Now, how to convert the kids?

I bought my oldest son’s big present for him around the first of December: a bike trailer, a very heavily-used one from a friend. I’d been meaning to get this for him anyway, because pulling his little brother around behind him is a big thrill. (For all of us!) And his pride and gratitude was a big inspiration for me. I came up with a several-pronged strategy that I hope will turn the holidays lower-key without making them feel cheated:

  1. Give the kids the power. Instead of handing down traditions from on high, I’m going to let them direct me as to which traditions they want to follow. “We could go Christmas shopping for each other at Fred Meyer with this money. Or go to the thrift store. Or go out to Little Big Burger. Or save it for gear for our next family camping trip.”
  2. Make the kids do the work. We’re going to go get a tree and Everett gets to pull it back in his trailer. I have an idea this is going to keep the tree pretty small — and cheap. (And if it doesn’t, I’m sure the bragging rights will be well worth the extra money.) I’ll let him do the setting up and decorating, too. This will hopefully keep me from that insane desire to buy new ornaments (so I too can start one of those traditions! Or go with an all-blue theme this year! Or…) and give them the chance to make ornaments if they like.
  3. Give gifts that are collaborative creative projects. We’re making calendars out of my photos and the kids’ art to give to grandparents and cousins. And my big gift to the boys will be wool traveling cloaks straight out of Harry Potter (also practical; they’ll be very warm while riding bikes). I’ll let them pick the fabric and help me design them, letting me engage all my creative energies with a minimum of time spent shopping.
  4. Only bake together. Those December issues of food magazines are like cocaine for me. (And I don’t need new ones; I have over a decade’s worth of Gourmet and Saveur and Martha Stewart Living.) I have three separate cookie cookbooks and I barely eat sugar any more! I will declare baking days and only make cookies if they’re helping the whole way along. And, sorry, no new cookie cutters!
  5. Cleaning before buying. Want a tree? We have to clean the living room first. Asking for new toys for Christmas? I’d better see room for said toys in your bedroom. It’s kind of working! I’ll take “kind of” right now.
  6. Everything used. I’m not buying any new toys this year. You know what they say about cars, that they lose value when you drive them off the lot? Same with toys. Open the package, zap, 50% of the value (if not more). But my kids don’t give a darn, as long as most of the parts are there. I’ll go thrift-store shopping for LEGOs and buy a couple of new-to-them Wii games at the CD and game exchange, and some used books at Powell’s.

The hardest part of all for me is to hold myself back from the desire to look like everyone else does (but with my own creative twist!). The holidays can be such a way to express the highest version of your cultural self. But really, my cultural self is a writer and a mother. I’ll try to remember that, and to resist the urge to see what everyone else is doing on Instagram, and think, “Oh, I can do that too!”

Source: getrichslowly.org

Apache is functioning normally

Save more, spend smarter, and make your money go further


Last Friday is affectionately known as Black Friday, and and today is Cyber Monday.  These colorful monikers are used to describe two of the heaviest shopping days of the year, both of which kick off the holiday shopping season.  This isn’t a secret and the retailers see you coming.

The National Retail Association will release the official results of Black Friday shopping on November 28th, but we already know that the numbers are going to be massive, because they always are.  In fact, the billions that will be spent from Black Friday until the after Christmas sales will likely outpace what we’ve spent at retailers in the preceding 47 weeks.

So, why am I telling you all of this?  I’m telling you because many of you have, or will open, new retail store credit cards or general use credit cards during the holiday shopping season because their offers are very enticing this year.  Retail card issuers will offer between 10 and 20 percent off daily purchases, and some of the general-use card issuers are offering $100-$200 cash back bonuses if you charge more than $500 over the next three months.

Because you’re likely to spend more than normal, you’re more likely to consider at least one of these offers.  While many of you will permanently add the card to your wallet’s inventory, some of you will use the initial discount offer and then close the credit card after the holiday season.  For those of you who’ve followed my Mint blog, you know that closing a credit card can cause problems for your credit scores.  So, what gives?  Is it a good idea or not to close a credit card?

The Good News

The good news about closing credit cards is that you eliminate the potential for fraudulent use, which shouldn’t be much of a concern to you since the Fair Credit Billing Act caps your liability to only $50.  There’s also no way you can use that card to get yourself into excessive (or even modest) credit card debt, and that’s not a bad deal either.  Although, I’d argue that getting into credit card debt is a choice, not a requirement.

Generally, it’s ok to leave your credit cards open and use them all from time to time just to prevent the issuer from closing them because of inactivity.  Having unused credit limits is actually very good for your credit scores, even if you never use the card.  Of course, you only have unused credit limit if your cards are open.

The Bad News, and More Good News

The bad news when closing a card is made up of one big deal and one myth.  When you close a credit card you lose to access to the credit line, which can lower your credit scores.  The amount it can lower your scores is going to depend on how much of a line you just lost AND how much credit card debt you carry on other credit cards.  If you have no debt, then the closure might be meaningless.  If you carry a lot of debt, then the closure will likely be significant.

If you’ve ever explored the downside to closing a credit card on the Internet, then you’ve inevitably seen someone talk about how you should close newer cards and leave the older ones open.  This is the myth and it suggests that closing older cards can make your credit file look younger, which lowers your credit scores.  Credit scoring systems take the average age of your accounts when calculating your scores.

The problem, and what makes this one a myth, is that the average age of your credit accounts considers both open and closed accounts, including credit cards of all types.  According to Craig Watts, a FICO spokesperson, “When assessing length of credit history, the FICO score considers the origination date on all accounts on the credit report, open and closed.”

This is great news for consumers who want to close down unused or unwanted credit card accounts.  Now they can choose which ones to close based on how expensive the rate is or how high the annual fee, and not based on whether it’ll hurt the average age of your credit report.

I’d strongly suggest when you’re choosing which cards to close that you consider closing retail store cards instead of general-use cards like Visas, MasterCards and Discovers.  The reason is the limits on retail cards are generally very low, at least when they’re initially issued, compared to the limits on your general use cards.  This will limit the damage you’re going to cause to your credit scores because you’re probably not closing credit cards with thousands of dollars of credit limits.

Happy shopping!

John Ulzheimer is the President of Consumer Education at SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for Mint.com, and a contributor for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.  He is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. The opinions expressed in his articles are his and not of Mint.com or Intuit. Follow John on Twitter.

Save more, spend smarter, and make your money go further

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Source: mint.intuit.com

Apache is functioning normally

Home renovation is one of those things that are necessary from time to time, regardless if there is a genuine need to fix a problem or just to make your home look and feel better.

But renovations can be expensive depending on the type of work you are planning to carry out, which is why a lot of people decide to put it off for as long as they can.

Renovating on a budget can be easily doable if you devise the right plan. If you are thinking about how you can accomplish that, here are the best money saving tips that you can use to help you renovate your home on a budget.

Set a Budget

The first thing you need to do is obviously set a budget for yourself. However, that budget needs to be realistic and reflect the nature of work you are planning to carry out. After all, you can’t plan to refloor the entire house on a $500 budget.

To set a budget, first, see how much you can invest. Then evaluate the most important things that need to be done in order of priority and cost.

The money you can spend might not match what you are trying to achieve which is why planning is a must. See what you can do yourself and what would require a contractor. Contact some of the local contractors and ask for a quote so you can match expectations with reality – they can easily provide you with a quote by using an estimate app.

Reuse What You Have

Clearly, getting everything brand new when renovating is the ultimate dream. However, if you are on a tight budget it might be difficult to achieve that.

Look around your home and see what you can reuse. Some of the items might be in a good condition yet the external appearance might be worn out.

Look around to find ideas of how you can refresh old flooring and furniture, even bedroom and bathroom tiles and save money by fixing what you have instead of replacing the items.

Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash

DIY Is Your Friend

When it comes to renovation, the optimal thing to do is just go on holiday and let someone carry the work out for you. We all know that due to finances that’s not possible for the majority of us. So factoring in some DIY is what can save you a lot of money when renovating your home.

Doing the paint job or buffing the old flooring and repainting it is something that you can definitely do yourself. It doesn’t take a lot of skill, you just need the right tools for the job.

Still, buying the tools and equipment will ultimately cost you less if you have some time on your hands, plus you will get to keep the equipment for future projects.

Photo by Milan Popovic on Unsplash

Wait for Sales

Time plays a crucial role when it comes to renovation but in order to save money, you need to find the right time. Different things you will need for your renovation project go on sale at different times of the year.

That’s why gradually buying the things you need is a good idea, plus it won’t feel like a big burden on your budget as opposed to buying everything at once.

For example, Black Friday is a good time of the year to buy new technology items, the end of the summer is good for gardening tools and American holidays are the best time to buy appliances. Don’t rush but rather take time to buy things at the best price – store them somewhere in the meantime and once you have everything, the remodeling can begin!

Home renovation can be a pleasurable experience, especially if you invest your time in it to add your own personal touch. At the end of the project, you will be happy to look at the outcome and see what you have managed to achieve.

Marie Erhart is a Success Manager at FieldPulse, creators of field service software that lets you run your entire contracting business from a single app. She works with contractors to help them grow their business using best practices.

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Source: fancypantshomes.com