Alternatives To Expensive Family Activities by Robert Jamett

Everyone has different views on fun. Some like to read a book, others like to go out to parties but one thing we can all agree on is how important family fun is. Time spent with family is priceless and you never know what may happen tomorrow. Although times are rough for the whole country, there are many cost effective activities you and your family can partake in and still have fun.



Outdoor Activities- Outdoor activities are generally free or cheap and a great way to bring your family closer together. Camping is fairly cheap and can bring a lot of communication to the table. Being in the beauty of nature with no technology can clear your head and allow you to reconnect with your loved ones. Taking everyone to the park for a day is another great way to spend time with the family. Finding a sport everyone enjoys allows for exercise and some good old fashioned competition. Consider investing in a family bike set or something of the sort and take a couple of hours out of your week to exercise, spend time with your loved ones, and overall better yourself.



Other Activities- Although everything is pricey these days, there are many alternatives to expensive family fun. Me and my family used to love going to the movies, but ticket prices at my local theater have gone up to $11 a ticket. That comes out to $44 for my family to see one movie and that does not even include the cost of food and drinks! If food and drinks were purchased, we could easily spend $70. Now that is ridiculous. For a fraction of the price, you can get a subscription to Netflix. They offer downloadable movies at home or an at home mailing system. The price for a month of movies is the price of one movie ticket and you can enjoy them at your own leisure at home. Take at least one night out of your week and sit at home with the family watching a movie or playing a board game.



Money should not be an issue or reason that you do not spend time with your family, but the options are endless and these are only a few broad ones. At the end of the day, your family are the only ones that will be there for you and you should spend as much time with them as possible because they are the ones that truly love you.


Robert Jamett is a high school student and internet marketer. To learn about simple and quick ways to earn great prizes using gift surveys visit my website and make your opinion heard today!


Article Source: Alternatives To Expensive Family Activities

Beat the Amortization “Monster” To Earn Your Financial Freedom by Phil Strong

In a previous article I have explained how an Amortization schedule outlines the slow process that is typically followed to repay a mortgage. To me this makes it a “monster” as it steals time, money, and freedom from home owners. But I don’t write this article so you can take the SLOW WAY to pay off your mortgage – I don’t want you to have a mortgage for a long time, I want you to be able to pay it off much, much quicker than you think.



One of my goals is helping people to identify what financial freedom looks like and how to get there. For me one of the key priorities in financial freedom is releasing the shackles of debt; that is, breaking out of the mind-set of a “debt culture” and working towards building wealth. One of the quickest ways you can build wealth is to pay off debt.



Unfortunately for many home owners with debt, their mortgage is designed to work against them due to the standard mortgage being constrained by this “monster” called Amortization, hindering the progress they may like to make towards being mortgage free.



If this is you I would like to encourage you by sharing the key to progress, and that is to increase your understanding of how your mortgage works. It’s a simple concept, but when you know the rules of the game you can make sure you take advantage of every opportunity to succeed.



A typical mortgage follows an amortization schedule which is a pre-determined path of repayment over the duration of the loan. This schedule of payments forces a home owner to pay the maximum interest as they are also forced to make the minimum principal reductions to their mortgage debt.



Let me give you an example from some calculations I did for the purpose of writing this article.



A mortgage of $285,000 at an interest rate of 7.5% over a 30 year term has a monthly payment of $1,992.76. That’s $23,913.12 per year.



In the first year you pay $23,913.12, and here’s the split: $21,285.89 paid in interest and $2,627.23 goes towards reducing the principal balance.



In the second year you pay $23,913.12, and here’s the split: $21,081.95 paid in interest and $2,831.19 goes towards reducing the principal balance.



In the third year you pay $23,913.12, and here’s the split: $20,862.16 paid in interest and $3.050.98 goes towards reducing the principal balance.



So over the first three years you pay a total of $71,739.41 in mortgage payments and your loan balance only reduces by $8,246.34.



Does that sound like the slow way to pay off your mortgage? I think so.



In fact, when I first found this out I had smoke coming out of my ears – I was so mad – as I thought about all the money I had wasted in helping someone else get rich while my family made literally no progress towards paying off our mortgage.



The challenge you have is the same one I faced, getting to grips with how this works so that you can make sure they you do not suffer for longer than you need to! I worked my tail off to find and implement strategies to help us get rid of our mortgage. And 6 years later we were mortgage free. When you begin to understand how the Mortgage Amortization schedule is not designed for your benefit you will begin to seek out new solutions, like I did.



Here are three quick ideas for you to explore so that you can begin to beat the “monster” that is the amortization schedule for your mortgage:



See the immediate benefit from additional mortgage payments, interest savings will sky-rocket as the benefits compound over time.

Find additional ways to apply funds to your mortgage, permanently or temporarily, to reduce the amount of interest you pay.

Identify new ideas and strategies you can use to accelerate your debt repayment beyond the SLOW WAY of doing things.





These three ideas are just the start for you to achieve the goal we set out to achieve. If you begin to understand how the Amortization “monster” works – you can beat it!


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Do not let the "monster" control your financial future. You deserve more than that!



Phil Strong is a money expert who helps people to smash their debt much faster than they ever thought possible!



Get Your FREE DVD Today!



How To Make Sure You Don't End Up With A 50 Year Mortgage




http://www.howtosmashyourmortgage.com



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Article Source: Beat the Amortization “Monster” To Earn Your Financial Freedom

Shopping Can Still Be Fun! by Laura Griffin

Times may be tough, but we still have to buy occasional gifts for family, friends and sometimes for ourselves too! So how do you do that without breaking your budget? There are places on the Internet where you can go to find affordable and unique home décor items and gift items for every member of your family.



I know what you are thinking. You will have to sacrifice quality for price, right? Wrong! Some of the online locations have quality items at bargain prices. No one will know the difference. The best part is that your friends and family will never know the price you paid judging by the quality of the item.



Shipping cost on the items you purchase in most cases are not so exorbitant that you can’t afford them. If you live on a tight schedule like many of us do, your item will be on your doorstep in a matter of days.



Shopping on line is much easier and quicker than shopping in town. You will have a better chance of finding those affordable, unique gift and home décor items. You won’t be wasting your gas running all over town looking for the perfect gift at the price you can afford. Who has the time to go from store to store? In many cases you can’t get it all accomplished during your lunch hour. After you have found the item you want at the price you can afford, you will be standing in the checkout line waiting to pay for. All of that adds up to time and money you don’t have.



My favorite way to shop is by looking at the catalog and then order it online. There are many stores that have items for sale only online. You can’t get them from the catalog. Sometimes these same stores will have sales online that you won’t see in the catalog. It can be difficult shopping online because the stores usually have so many products. It would take you hours to go through and look at every one of the items they sell. That is the reason I like the catalog. Then I have a general idea of what they have before I start looking online.



Most of us have to live on a strict budget these days, but that doesn’t mean we can’t shop. What it does mean is that we have to change the way we shop. You don’t have to lose the joy of shopping; you just have to limit yourself and look for places that have the affordable, unique gift and home décor items you are looking for..


Laura Griffin is the owner of Timeless Treasures. To visit her website go to Timeless Treasures.


Article Source: Shopping Can Still Be Fun!

Budgeting For Emergency Funds: You Can Do It! by JNFRD

Emergency funds are considered to be a necessity as far as financial security is concerned, since it can provide one with financial resources that one can resort to and depend on when an emergency arises such that when one is sick and have the burden of paying huge medical bills, or unexpected home or major car repair.



When one has no emergency fund, one can be obliged to acquire debt on your credit card that might take several years to repay with interest that would later cost so much more.



However by putting an extra thirty to fifty dollars every month in an individual "emergency savings account" one can be secured with what emergency the future may bring. In doing this, it is recommended that one regards the emergency fund as an additional bill, to be punctually paid each month.



Yes, one can and should budget and allocate the extra money for emergency fund, as this is very significant when one refers to his "financial future." Here, the goal is to create savings from budgeting your income; the emergency savings should ideally be equal to at least three months your living expenditures.



What's important is that you should steadily put a certain amount of money aside, and only use it for real emergencies.



Not like an investment, the success of one's long-term savings funds does not really count on the amount of return or interests but on placing a fixed amount of money away constantly and steadily so to have immediate access to it at all times.



In spite of one's financial status, the initial step in the process of constructing an emergency fund is by knowing where your money is presently being consumed or spent.



When one recognizes and determines where one's earnings are spent, then it will be easy for one to choose and make a decision where to trim down expenses. In other words, budget.



Budgeting is putting or setting aside money for anticipated and unanticipated future use. It is here that one sets up a goal so as to save. So set an emergency fund as your goal.



Checking, savings, money market accounts and "certificates of deposits," are great places to keep one's cash that might be needed on quick notice.



The amount saved from budgeting can either go to your savings goal, emergency fund or both. One could utilize the money saved from budgeting financial expenses by saving half of it to your savings account and half of it for emergencies. This way, you achieve your goals in savings and at the same time put in funds for emergency use. It's your choice.


For more tips on how you can live on a budget and save, visit http://ucanliveonabudget.blogspot.com/


Article Source: Budgeting For Emergency Funds: You Can Do It!

Debt Negotiation and Settlement Tips by mbhat_fdr

If you’re drowning in debt, facing collection, or even facing bankruptcy, you need to address the situation now, before it gets any worse. Debt negotiation is often a better solution to severe debt than bankruptcy.



What is Debt Negotiation and Settlement?

Debt negotiation, also called debt settlement, is the process of negotiating with your creditors to either establish a new payment schedule at a reduced interest rate, or a lump sum payment that’s significantly lower than the total balance. If your only other option is bankruptcy, your creditors may be willing to negotiate with you to ensure that they get something rather than nothing.



How to Negotiate Your Debt

If you’re interested in debt negotiation, you can either hire a debt negotiation service to represent you to your creditors, or you can contact them on your own. If you want to try a do-it-yourself negotiation, follow this advice:

· Be calm, clear, and convincing. Explain your situation in unemotional, professional terms. Remember, they’re not required to negotiate with you, so crying or screaming is not likely to move them to help you.

· Don’t give up easily. If your creditor denies your request, explain to them why settling would be beneficial for them. Their priority is their bottom line and you must make it clear that the offer is in their best interest. If your request is still denied, do not agree to anything before you hang up the phone.

· Send a debt negotiation letter. The letter should be professional and clearly state your arguments. Send it by certified mail and keep copies of all your correspondence.

If you’re not comfortable negotiating with your creditors or don’t achieve a settlement, you can hire a credit counseling or debt settlement service. For a fee, they will negotiate for either a low lump-sum payment or a small number of monthly payments toward a reduced balance at a significantly reduced interest rate.

Although it might seem odd to pay a fee to save money, experienced debt negotiators will save you far more than the cost of their fee. They know which creditors are willing to negotiate and how much of a settlement they will accept. Due to their network of relationships, they can settle debts you couldn’t on your own.



Things to Remember When You Negotiate

Whether you negotiate on your own or hire a debt negotiation service, keep the following things in mind:

· The amount you can afford to pay. This should be a reasonable amount – often 40-60% of the total debt. Low-ball offers will be rejected immediately.

· Creditors aren’t required to negotiate. They often will, if the next option is bankruptcy, but don’t expect them to make it easy for you.

· Negotiation is a process. When you negotiate, you make an offer and your arguments. Expect them to make a counter-offer and counter-arguments.

· You’re negotiating with a person. If you’re friendly and professional, they will be as well. Explain your situation in personal terms without becoming emotional. Listen to their arguments and answer them clearly. Your job is to convince them to see your side. Their job is to convince you to pay more. If you both play your roles properly, you’ll reach an agreeable settlement.

Negotiating debt is difficult and scary for most people, but it can be done. If you don’t succeed on your own, hire a professional to do it for you. You can get help for your debt.


Source: http://www.bills.com/debt-negotiation-and-settlement/


Article Source: Debt Negotiation and Settlement Tips