How to Spend Less and Save Money

You need to be able to save money by learning how to spend less. This can be a good way to make sure you do not run out of money. This can prevent you from going broke. There can be no doubt that the money you spent should be spent wisely.

 

Use loyalty cards

You can save money by becoming a preferred customer. Discounts are often available to card holders and most have a points system allowing yo to redeem your points by way of free gifts or coupons.

Look out for discounts

Make sure that you take advantage of discounts as these can potentially lower the cost of your purchase to a very large extent. You can become easily able to avail of discounts that can make a huge difference to your savings. Discount storesare a great place to buy stuff because they make it possible to spend less and get good value for your money. This can greatly reduce your spending and make sure you save your money.

Try shopping online

You can get great discounts at online shopping sites. Such sites are good for shopping because they offer attractive rebates and discount deals. There can be many good items on online shopping sites which can offer you good deals at the right price.

Get your hands dirty with DIY

From plumbing to homemade beauty products, doing your own work has never been easier. There can be doubt that doing your own work has many benefits. For one, you do not spend money and instead get services or products for free. These can be greatly beneficial and they can help you to be able to become self sufficient and self reliant totally.

5 Tips on How to Maximise Your Credit Card Benefits

Using a credit card effectively is an art. You can spend money well if you know how to get the maximum out of your credit card. Thus, you can save more if you know how to avoid misusing your credit card. Here are some techniques on how to get the maximum out of your creditcard. 

Don't Max Out you Credit Limit

Make sure you use about 30% of your credit limit or less. Ensure that you are able to spend less so that you can avoid debt and spending. Spending a lesser amount than the credit limit also gets you a good credit score which is a hugely advantageous thing.

Clear the Balance in Full Each Month

See to it that you do not carry a balance over to the next month. Carrying a balance means that your liabilities are not well settled. Avoid carrying over a balance as this can lead to debt at a later stage.

 

Know Your T's and C's

Ensure that you do not have ignorance in matters of credit card terms and agreement. This can greatly benefit you as sometimes things such as fees are a grey area where credit cards may charge you for their services.

  

Limit the Number of Cards You Apply For

Make sure you do not apply for more credit cards than you can manage. This is because the more cards you have, the more likely you will be to spend more.

... and SPEND WISELY!

You have to see to it that you spend your money wisely and you do not go in for tempting deals that actually cost more.  Keep track of your purchases as this can make all the difference to your budget.

Saving Money Requires Discipline

We live in a material world that has many attractive gadgets like cellular phones to tablets that we may desire to own. These different gadgets cost a lot of money to obtain. In spending the money for these different gadget, the question is do we really need them?

Discipline

In being vigilant about knowing what we need as opposed to what we want, we can tell whether we spend on a certain thing. If we had the money to spare, then we could buy what we wanted. If we truly need a certain thing then no questions should be asked about whether or not to spend for it. It is a necessity after all.

 

Having the discipline not to act on impulse is a very important factor to consider in saving money. Shopping for things can be a rather impulsive action for others, so it is very important to install the discipline within ourselves to question whether we want or need a certain thing. Purchasing a certain thing comes after we determine within ourselves whether we need. In fact it is the only time when we should get that certain thing. 

We never know what surprises may occur in our lives that we will need emergency funds to be able to handle any situations that come. It is better to be prepared then to have a situation one day like an unforeseen car problem that will require a hefty sum of cash to afford the repair. We may also have loved ones who need to be hospitalized due to health reasons and will need the funding for the hospital bills. In disciplining ourselves, we are preparing for the uncertainties that the future hold. After all, it is better to be prepared than unprepared.

PPI Scandal Shows no Sign of Abating

PPI or Payment Protection Insurance is considered to be one of the worst financial products to have entered the UK financial market. The PPI scandal dates back to over a decade; it continues to be a part of the UK financial market even today. Many banks are even today rejecting thousands of applications for PPI claims without even assessing the complaints filed by the customers. What is worse is that many banks deny the fact that the customers even had a PPI.

PPI was sold along with loans and credit cards; the deal was that the policy will cover the monthly repayments if the borrower fell ill or lost the job. The problem, however, was that most of the policies were unsuitable as the borrowers were people who were self employed, out of work and were unable to claim for any other reason as there were exclusions in the policy which were the customers were not aware of. In addition, the PPI was a very costly insurance policy which just added up to the cost that the borrowers had to pay against the loan and thus it pushed many people into a lot of financial difficulties and problems.

Another problem with PPI claims also arises because of the fact that many banks claim that they get thousands of application from people who never held a PPI policy and who are not even the customers of the bank. On the other hand, many times people with genuine complaints and who can get their PPI claims are wrongly told by banks that they never held a PPI policy or that their policy had already expired. In other words, genuine PPI claims are not met by banks who generally find a reason to brush-off the customers with something or the other; thus worsening the state of the affairs. 

For more information about PPI mis-selling and claiming back payment protection insurance premiums, http://www.ppiclaimsandadvice.com.

Advice on Home Insurance Premiums – Are you paying over the odds?

Home and contents insurance is a necessity, something that we cannot overlook, but are you paying too much for your policy? Many people simply stick with their current insurance provider – it’s convenient and stress-free, after all – but this may not be the most economical, or the best insurance, way to go. Different personal circumstances mean that some policies can be more appropriate than others and, as with many such policies, it pays to read the small print to understand exactly what you are paying for.

Check your Cover

When you take out a policy the best advice is to carefully check the cover that you are paying for: make a list of what you need to be covered for, and take into account individual values of items and property covered, and talk to your broker about the possible additions that you may want to make. One thing to take note of is the maximum amount that you are covered for on any one item: this can be quite low on cheaper policies, yet much more on more expensive options. 

Rebuilding Costs

One of the more complex areas of insurance is in assessing the rebuild costs of your home in the event of a fire. There are many different aspects to take into account, but what is essential is that your insurer will agree to pay only the cost of rebuilding the property: if you are paying for a policy that insures the home for more than the rebuild costs you are paying for something you do not need. Make sure you understand precisely where your cover begins, and ends.

Shop Around

We know it’s an old cliché, but shopping around for the best deal really is an excellent move. If you get a better offer of a similar policy from someone else, but prefer to stay with your current insurer, go back to them with your new quote and see what they can do for you. You may be surprised at the way they accommodate you in order to keep your business.