Premier Consumer

Category: Budget and Goals

Learn how to prepare a budget and establish objective and effective goals.

  • Learn to Prioritize Your Debt Payment

    Learn to Prioritize Your Debt Payment

    The surge of the pandemic has impacted the personal finances of many around the world. In some cases it has become a challenge for people to continue with the payment of their debts due to the loss or collapse of businesses, the increase of the unemployment, or individual situations; in summary, the income of many people dropped sharply since 2020.

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that in January 2021, 14.8 million people reported that they had not been able to work because their employer closed their business or lost business due to the pandemic, that is, they did not work at all or worked fewer hours than usual.

    In addition to this type of situation, the fear generated by the media, indirectly affects decision-making and produces confusion to keep or plan an organized financial life.

    In most of these settings, there has been little preparation and ability to react to low income situations. Financial training or discipline is not very common, so keep in mind that at Premier Consumer Credit Counseling we have a section of educational articles focused on financial education and that our team of experts can also provide support and advice on the proper management of debts.

    Due to the above reasons, this article intends to share some actions or alternatives that you can take into account to identify which debts you may pay first.

    Learn to prioritize. The first thing is to focus on cost reduction in order to be able to designate economic resources to the payment of debts, especially those of financial institutions, where interest are high and debt increase when presenting default situations due to late fees. A detailed analysis of the budget must be made, in Excel tables and even making a list with pencil and paper, leaving only the basic expenses in each period, since everything that is going to be saved will be used to pay the obligations.

    Pay off your smallest debts first. A very effective method that generates a sense of achievement and tranquility to a certain extent is to pay debts from the least amount owed to the greatest. As the smaller debts are being paid, it feels like you are moving towards the goal of getting out of all the obligations. Which in turn provides the emotional effect of an early victory.

    This method, in turn, indirectly generates a greater cash flow capacity, which can redirect financial priorities and in one way or another be able to pay off remaining debts faster.

    Have clear knowledge of the debts details. It is very important to know in detail the terms, rates, fees and other characteristics of the debts and even know which of these provides insurance for crisis or unemployment. This allows a greater field of action and reaction to the alternatives that can be embraced, in case of an emerging situation such as the one we are currently experiencing. The fundamental objective of this is to be able to identify the debts that have higher interest rates and in this case is recommended to analyze whether it is more beneficial to pay faster the debts with the lowest balance or those with the highest interest.

    Debt consolidation. Another alternative is to leave your debts in the hands of experts, where they can negotiate interest at a better rate and you will only have to worry about making a single monthly payment that is adjusted to your capacity. Remember that Premier Consumer Credit Counseling can advise you on this.

    Read also Mental Health Behind Debts

    In conclusion, regarding situations of a financial nature and especially in complex consumer economy issues, achieving timely payment of financial obligations generates peace of mind, emotional stability and a good credit history. It is true that indebtedness creates comfort in the acquisition of goods and services, but being up to date, harmonizes with the environment in general. Borrowing can be done, and doing so in a responsible manner according to cash flows, is vital to maintaining a healthy financial life.

  • Learn How to Deal With Debt Collectors

    Learn How to Deal With Debt Collectors

    If you have a credit card and have ever fallen behind on your payments then you have probably interacted with a debt collector. These are people that earn their lives by contacting people with debts in order to get them to pay. When someone owes money to a bank or a financial entity the first thing they should expect is a phone call from a collecting agency.

    What these agencies do is try to contact people by any means necessary in order to get them to pay the money that they owe. In exchange for this most agencies receive a percentage of the total amount of the debt. It is quite common for a debt collector to call and not say that they are calling from an agency, rather they will tell you they work directly for the bank or company they are representing.

    We are now going to expand a little bit on some of the best ways to deal with debt and bill collectors. The first and most obvious recommendation we can give you is not to give collectors a reason to call you. Try to avoid being on a collector’s list by always paying your debts in time and in accordance to the terms of your contract. Being targeted by a collecting agency is like poison for your record history and it can greatly affect your future in a negative way.

    Try to stay clear from debts and collectors by only using credit when necessary and if you must, try to pay it off as soon as you possibly can. If you loaned money to a friend you would like to have them pay you back, the same thing happens with banks. They only want their money back.

    The Facts on Credit Repair

    Now then, in case you do have red in your book and are now finding yourself in the awkward situation of dealing with debt collectors here are some tips on how to deal with them.

    1. Face your problems. Avoiding or running away from collectors and their calls is quite useless. Within the limits of what they are allowed to do, they will keep a constant stream of calls until they manage to contact you. Collectors are prohibited by law to call more than once a day and they must do it within business hours. But they will call you every day until they get a hold on you. Remember that they get paid to do so, they have to be insisting. Many agencies just want people to pay up and they will try to use all sorts of tricks and gimmicks to smoke the money out of your pockets. So instead of having someone calling you every single day answer the phone and see if you can negotiate with them or come to an arrangement, something that will benefit both parties.
    2. Don’t take it personally. Easier said than done but keep in mind that there is no reason why an agency would call you every day just for fun. This is what they do. They have a job and that is to get people to pay. Remember that the person calling you is not out there to get you, they are just doing their job.

    When you are first contacted by a collecting agency the best thing you can do is keep the conversation as short and simple as you can. Collectors are legally obligated to send you a written notification of your debt five days after first contacting you. Wait until then to engage them.

    Try to stay clear from debts and collectors by only using credit when necessary and if you must, try to pay it off as soon as you possibly can. If you loaned money to a friend you would like to have them pay you back, the same thing happens with banks. They only want their money back.

    3. Know their limits. There are things that a collecting agency can and can’t legally do. Some of the things that are off limits are using obscene or threatening language, harassing you with constant calls, calling you outside of business hours (8 a.m. to 9 p.m.), they can’t call you at work without your consent, discuss your debt with a third party, or threating to take legal actions if they don’t actually intend on doing it. Keep in mind that if an agency violates any of these laws you should immediately report them to the authorities.

    4. Make sure that the debt is yours. Or that it is real. You wouldn’t be the first person to be victim of identity theft, having your credit card stolen or cloned, or maybe it’s all a simple mistake. If the debt they are calling you about seems odd or unfamiliar check your records before agreeing to pay for anything. Make sure that the debt is actually yours. If this is the case you should contact the collector and explain your case and why you will not be paying. It’s best if you do this via certified mail. You can also ask the collector to do a debt verification.

    5. Negotiate. The ideal situation for any agency is that people pay the entirety of their debts but this is rarely the case. If you can’t pay off the entire debt then try to explain your situation to the agency and see if you can reach an agreement on a payments plan with them. If they agree to this, have them send you the agreement in a written letter before you pay.

    6. Ask for help. If negotiations prove futile and you simply can’t reach an agreement with the collector then you better contact an attorney. Remember that if the collecting agency tells you that they are going to take your case to court they truly intend to. Most agencies will avoid getting to this point because it is v going to take your case to court they truly intend to. payments pery expensive for them.

    Most Wonderful Things Built with Credit

    Debt collectors may seem to be a plague from hell but if you’re smart enough you can surely be capable of dealing with them and you won’t let your life go down the drain because of them.

  • Learn About The Bill That Will Benefit Those Affected By The Coronavirus.

    Learn About The Bill That Will Benefit Those Affected By The Coronavirus.

    Thousands of American households are being affected by the Coronavirus crisis, this motivated the Senate to create an aid plan for 2 trillion dollars, which will focus on providing support on issues of unemployment, retirement, student loans, among others. Here we will tell you the most representative of the project:

    The stimulus payments for adults are planned to be around $1,200.00 and for those with children under 17 an additional $500.00, this payment will be made only once. Single adults who have Social Security numbers, who prove to be residents of the United States, and who have a gross income of less than $75,000.00 or less, would get the total amount of $1,200.00. Married couples with incomes of $150,000.00 or less would receive a total of $2,400.00. Households would receive $1,200.00, only if their income was $112,500.00 or less and scaled-down checks if their income is up to $136,500 annually.

    The payment will decrease for people with incomes higher than those mentioned above. Adjusted checks will be issued for individuals with incomes up to $99,000.00, the check will be reduced by $5.00 for every $100.00 of income greater than $75,000.00, and will be scaled for married couples with incomes greater than $ 150,000.00 up to $ 198,000.00 thousand.

    People who qualify for financial aid will receive the money in approximately three weeks in their bank accounts, although it could take more weeks, as long as the internal tax service has the necessary information. Likewise, they will not have to pay taxes on this money.

    This new bill would include freelancers and part-time workers, unemployed or people who cannot be linked to work for reasons related to Coronavirus, also those who have received a positive diagnosis of the disease or who must care for a family member diagnosed with Covid-19, or who must be part of quarantine. The money they receive will vary depending on the state. Any person who is a dependent on taxes, for example children who live at home and are 17 to 18 years old or dependent university students who do not pay at least half of their expenses, or older parents residing with their children will be excluded. Nonresident aliens and workers in the United States without a green card are also excluded.

    Read also ¿How Much Is Saved In Times of COVID-19?

    Additionally, the Department of Education will suspend interest on student loans and can also apply for administrative forbearance or temporarily defer the monthly payment of your federal student loan for 60 days effective March 13,2020. This period can be extended depending on the situation of the Covid-19.

    If any person has the need to withdraw the money from the I.R.A. or from your early work retirement plan, you can do it up to $100,000.00, without being fined 10 percent, only if the withdrawal corresponds to reasons related to Coronavirus.

    If, on the other hand, you want to offer financial support to the people who were affected by the pandemic, you can do so by handing over money to a qualified charity, donating a maximum of $300.00 a year to access the deduction benefits on your bills.

    With this information you can verify if you are eligible to receive the help that this project proposes.

    Remember that Premier Consumer Credit Counseling has the technology to continue supporting you remotely, at the usual times.
  • Labor Day: The Celebration of Economic Achievements

    Labor Day: The Celebration of Economic Achievements

    Most of us work really hard every day for different purposes: to grow up as professionals, to help the company we work for maintain a good place in the market, to live and support our families and ourselves, or simply because that’s what we should do. Regardless of the purpose we work for; it is important for all of us to have a space in which people recognize and celebrate that effort given and hard work.

    Back in 1894, as a result of a campaign created by the Knights of Labor, workers finally got a day to commemorate their work, Labor Day.

    Every first Monday of September, Americans celebrate Labor Day, “a day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the working population”, whom, in return, contributes to the strength, prosperity and stability of the country. Don’t you think is fair to have a day reserved to honor America’s workforce?

    “Don’t you think is fair to have a day reserved to honor America’s workforce?”

    For most of the working population, Labor Day means just the end of summer and the last long weekend on vacation before starting our regular activities as usual; nevertheless, the US government has a different way to celebrate this day. Due to the historical background of this holiday, many states make a huge parade leaded by officials, industrialists, educators, clerics, and all kind of professional workers to commemorate the achievements of those who provide the country with such economic freedom. Of course, after the big closure, workers and families can enjoy of a festival that brings on a lot of special activities for each member of the family.

    On the other hand, certain amount of workers sees this labor day as an opportunity to shop at an incredible low price. Many big brands of shops also come together to this celebration dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the working population by stablishing up to 70% off in a great variety of products, pushing the Americans’ need to save money.

    As we all know, economic stability is really important for all citizens, who sometimes rather buy products at second hand stores or maybe only on discount days such as labor day to save some cash. Walmart and Amazon, for example, are two of the most important stores offering holiday discounts, and two of the most frequented shops by Americans; they offer discounts in different departments such as clothing, technological devices, home cleaning products, among others; these helps us to save money on the products we need.

    Read also: Ten Easy Ways To Save $100 Fast

    Another way to save money and have fun at the same time is through the huge variety of discounts that the entertainment and tourism institutions offer on Labor Day weekend. A lot of hotel chains considerably decrease the prices of their rooms in order to make them affordable for the regular workers; even for those who work at the operative levels.

    So, not only do we have a day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the working population, but also we have the opportunity to celebrate it big time next to the people we love the most.

    Labor day, nonetheless, is not only an invitation to celebrate how lucky you are to have a job or all the goals you have achieved for yourself, your family, company or country; it is also an invitation to maintain high quality in the work we do.

    History signals that the work union used to fight for the right to have a work schedule that allowed them to both work and have a fulfilling personal life. When they finally got it, the production of these companies considerably decreased to a 30% less than the prior production. Workers had to find a way to produce the same or more than they used to in less time; and that hasn’t been easy job; until now, having only 6 daily hours of work is just not enough for a person to give its 110%.

    American workers nowadays not only to accomplish the production stablished or determined for a given company, but exceed the expectations and go above and beyond on the estimated production.

    Worker’s amazing job contributes to the economic stability that characterizes the United States, so they deserve this day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the working population, and more. Being a worker means not only contributing to your country’s economic development but to earn and manage your own status and conditions, as your paycheck allows you to live longer and better.

    Also read: No Financial Freedom Means No Freedom At All

    To sum up, we can say that Labor Day is the holiday in which we celebrate workers and economy contributors; we also celebrate our own personal financial freedom and the status we earned with our daily sweat. Congratulations to all of you workers in these upcoming Labor Day! Enjoy and keep on burning the midnight oil and building a better country!

  • It Is Never Too Late To Start Saving Money

    It Is Never Too Late To Start Saving Money

    There are several reasons to start saving money: Are you planning to buy a new car? Do you want to create your own business? Do you dream with having a beautiful big house to bring your children up? Would you love to send your son or daughter to study abroad? Are you thinking about your retirement? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions it means you have a great motivation to start doing it!

    If you are in your twenties, you are beginning your adult life and maybe you are planning to save money because you have many other goals to achieve before even start thinking about retirement. But, what if you are getting to your 50’s or 60’s and you don’t have yet the money for your elder years? Maybe you could start getting a little concerned… The good news is: you shouldn’t be! You should get down to work and start saving. It’s not too late! Every penny you deposit in your saving account will get you closer to a calm retirement, which means, a more comfortable future.

    Set Your Goals and Make a Plan

    To start, you need to set your objective/s and identify how much money you are going to need to achieve it/them. Afterwards, you just have to create a realistic plan and to follow. For example, you can set a fix amount of money you will deposit monthly in your saving account or you could check your expenses and identify which of them you could reduce or eliminate; that money could be directed to your savings.

    Three Secrets To Making Personal Finance Work For You.

    Likewise, you should inform yourself about the saving plans that will allow you to tax break. For example, maybe the company your work for offers you a contributions plan such as 401(k). Another option could be an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) that you could open by yourself in any bank of your trust.

    Regardless the age, this is the first step to follow when we are talking about putting away money. Also, you should keep in mind that disorganization and overspends are enemies of savings.

    “It’s not too late! Every penny you deposit in your saving account will get you closer to a calm retirement, which means, a more comfortable future”

    Subsequently, how could you start saving for your retirement?

    There are some recommendations to follow in order to optimize your saving strategy:

    1. Look over your retirement idea: Maybe you would have loved to spend your elder years in a Caribbean island, but that plan could not be quite realistic at the moment, so you need to think about a new way to spend those years. Perhaps, you will have to make some changes in your lifestyle; you will have to move with some relatives or to a cheaper household. Also, consider the possibility of working longer (instead of retiring at 65, you could continue until 70) or finding a mid-time or a freelance job you could do after you retired.
    2. Seek counsel to make a better saving plan: There are some free calculators online (see the calculators that Premier Consumer puts at your disposal, here) that could help you determine the amount of money you will need to save. Having that in mind, you can develop the plan to follow. If you don’t know how to do it by yourself, you could contact a financial coach; together, you could define which will be the strategies to follow in order to achieve your goal.
    3. Reduce expenses: Record all your monthly expenses and identify which ones you can reduce or eliminate: can you change your Satellite TV package for a cheaper one? Are there any active subscriptions (magazine, gym…) that you aren’t using and you could cancel? Direct all that money to your saving account.
    4. Pay debts: One of the biggest leaks of money people usually have is through arrears. Paying credits and other debts will be also a great strategy in order to save more money; the fastest you pay what you owe, more money you will have to put into your saving account. To determine an effective payment plan, you could also contact a financial coach.

    How To Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster?

    1. Avoid taking risk: When you are near to your retirement age, it is not a good idea to take big risks when investing your money, even if the profit is promising. Why? Because if you risk big, you can also lose big. At this time, it will be better to have a little less but to be sure you have it, instead of dreaming about having much more and end up with nothing.
    2. Try to get extra money: Any bonus or inheritance you receive, or any extra money you make working as a freelancer, for example, you should also put it into your saving account.
    3. Work longer and take advantage of the Social Security: According to the Daily Worth, if you work until you are 70 years old, you could receive payments of 132% of your full retirement benefit. On the other hand, if you work until 65, you will get only 70 or 75% of your full benefit. As consequence, if you postpone claiming, you will get a bigger support from the government when you need it the most. Another advantage of working longer is that you will have more time to put away money in your own saving account.

    It’s not too late, but don’t delay

    Don’t wait until next year, next trimester or next month. Start saving right now especially if you are feeling concerned. It doesn’t matter if you begin with small amounts of money or little measures (as putting each one-dollar bill you have away in a piggy bank) but don’t wait any longer; every action you take regarding your savings will sum to your future.

  • How To Teach Children The Culture Of Saving.

    How To Teach Children The Culture Of Saving.

    Nowadays there is a big number of adults suffering the consequences of not having proper financial education. Debts are bigger than expected, paying interests and taxes is a big concern, savings for retirement are an unreachable dream, and so on.

    If you have experienced a similar story and you have children, it’s now the moment to realize that you can make a difference for the future: You can teach your child how to appropriately spend money, how to make a budget, how to save, and many other financial activities that could assure economic stability during adulthood.

    Children repeat most of the action they see at home; they learn most of their behaviors by imitating. Therefore, everything you want your child to do, you will have to do it first, you will have to teach by example.

    Read also: Why Should Parents Monitor What Their Children Watch On The Internet?

    Communication is always the key.

    In most of the cases, kids have a hard time trying to understand grownups issues. Picture this: You tell your 4 years old you have no money to buy that ice cream or that new superhero toy he really wants; but, he knows there’s a machine where you go, enter your card, push some bottoms, and voilà, there’s some cash. How is it, then, that you are saying there’s no money? You just have to go to that machine…

    Communication is the key to help your children understand how money issues work. Talk to them and explain what money is, what you must do to gain it and which is your criteria to spend it. Instead of saying “There’s no money for that toy,” try something like “The money I have I would rather spend it buying cookies for your school snacks,” or something more appealing for them: “I’m saving to buy you a nice birthday present.”

    Read also: Tips And Tricks To Protect Your Children On Internet.

    “Children repeat most of the action they see at home; they learn most of their behaviors by imitating. Therefore, everything you want your child to do, you will have to do it first, you will have to teach by example.”

    Learning to save with fun activities.

    When teaching children, it is very important to consider that deep explanations may not be as effective as we would like them to be. Therefore, when introducing some abstract concepts, such as saving money, it would be more appropriate to do some fun activities that help the kid understand how the process actually works.

    Make a saving jar.

    Identify together with your kid a saving goal, label a jar (e.g.: “Savings for new video game”) and put it in a place where you kid can see it every day. Explain that every week he/she will have to put money in that jar until reaching the amount needed to acquirer the goal.

    Make a timeline on a board.

    After having identified which is the saving goal, talk to you kid about the time he/she will need to save the money. Consider if he/she will, for example, save the full percentage of the allowance or only a part. Let the kid make the decision but guide him/her by explaining all the possibilities. Draw on the board the number of weeks needed and make your kid put a mark every time he/she puts the money in the piggy bank or jar.

    Become part of the game.

    As it has been said before, children learn through imitation; watching you doing the same activity he/she is doing, can be a great motivation. Set yourself a goal (it should be a very affordable one, such as a book or a new dress), put your own saving jar next to his/hers, and week by week start saving the money you need to achieve your aim. Besides being an inspiration to your kid, this activity can also develop the sense of healthy competition.

    Treat your children for saving.

    A great motivation to continue with an activity can be receiving a reward. Telling your kid you will give him/her a candy every time he/she puts money in the jar, or saying he/she will have to save only the 70% of the amount because you will complete it can be a good strategy to encourage saving.

    Timing.

    For all these activities to be more effective, parents must identify the appropriate moment to introduce the concept of saving. When kids ask you to buy them some toy, instead of saying “We can’t afford it right now”, try something like “If you want it, you can save to buy it. When we get home, I will give you a piggy bank so you start collecting the money.” Another appropriate moment to make a saving plan or guiding your children to consider how to spend their money is when they receive it as a gift on Holidays or their birthdays.

    These situations put children in context, therefore, concepts such as saving or identifying how to appropriately spend the money will be less abstract.

  • How to start your Year Debt-Free

    How to start your Year Debt-Free

    January tends to be one of the hardest month financially speaking. Most people spent most of their money during the holiday season and family get-togethers. Dinners, travels, contributions, gifts and clothing are highly seen around December.

    Read Also: Calculate Your Borrowing Capacity Before Asking For A Bank Loan

    As people spent their money on December, January almost always ends up as a completely limited month budget-wise. Premier Consumer Credit Counseling will help you out without the need to use your credit cards or ask for loans to pay for your children school, uniforms, books and other expenses and responsibilities that we have every year beginning:

    • Ask your friends, family and other acquaintances if their kids are in the same school as yours, you could inherit  books and other supplies that may save you lots of money.
    Ask your friends, family and other acquaintances if their kids are in the same school as yours, you could inherit  books and other supplies that may save you lots of money.
    • Remember to use all your food coupons available. Every time you are out on the supermarket check for prices and discounts you can get and try to stick to those products. Another highly effective choice is to buy the supermarket’s own products; most big market chains offer all basic products made by themselves. These are very high-quality and sold at a lower price than other positioned brands.
    • Cook your food at home. The restaurant days are gone with December and the spending days are gone with them. It’s time to cook at home now. Home-cook is not only healthier in most aspects but overall cheaper; plus, you get more meals out of each trip to the store and can plan ahead a healthy menu.
    • January has big sales up on the windows. While that may be a temptation, remember that you don’t need everything you want. Everything that is not urgent can wait a little longer.
    • January is still “High Season”, this is a term used by airlines to separate the dates according to the frequency people quote for trips, the higher the season, the more expensive. If you need to travel, check the price for different dates and compare so you can travel on the low season if possible. If you absolutely need to travel in January, try to look for your ticket months in advance so the price is as low as it can be.
    • If you are travelling but are doing so in a personal vehicle, you can make some sandwiches and carry them with you. Remember to pack your food properly and cook them the day they will be eaten. Try to travel places where you know some people that could let you stay in their house. This may be awkward for some but when you lose your shame and ask can end up having the best of times with these friends. Also, if you open the door to your own house back home to visitors them and others will be more willing to do the same for you. If the destination is friendly on this matter, camping is always a great idea.
    • Try shopping at dollar stores. You will be suprised how discounted stores can help you keep a budget!
    • Kids at college? You can try shopping for some used books online.

    Being a little create can go a long way!

    Read Also: Four Ways A Budget Can Help You Manage Your Money Better.

  • How to save money on Black Friday

    How to save money on Black Friday

    Black Friday is held every year, and it’s a day that has become famous in the United States due to the great discounts offered by most of the shops, to introduce the holiday shopping season. As a tradition, this day is celebrated every year the day after thanksgiving.

    This festivity took place in 1977 in the United States, however, over the years other countries adopted this tradition. On Black Friday, you can go to many establishments and shop on-site, but if you don’t live in the US or you prefer staying at home that day, you can shop online. The importance of this day is to benefit from the discounts, for example, by buying gifts for Christmas, you can save money and give them away on Christmas Eve as usual.

    We advise you to start saving money so you can buy everything you need or want on Black Friday, in which you will spend less money than a regular day for the same products.

    We advise you to start saving money so you can buy everything you need or want on Black Friday, in which you will spend less money than a regular day for the same products.

    Start following all your favorite brands on social media and, before the date, they will probably publish all the discounts they are going to apply on their products; also, join their web pages so you can receive their newsletter with all the information about that day. This way, you can know beforehand the things you’ll buy on November and plan ahead your shopping day.

    Read Also Five Steps To Writing An Annual Budget.

    If you are planning on going to a physical store, don’t forget to go really early, because people start lining up early in the morning outside the gates, or even the night before, waiting for them to open. The establishments that usually get more traffic of people are technology and electronics stores, where people can buy cellphones, televisions, computers, etc.

    Where to buy on Black Friday?

    If you are shopping online, Amazon is one of the sites that offers the most discounts, if you need to buy clothes or household items you can go to Macy’s; other stores that offer big discounts are Abercrombie & Fitch, GAP, Banana Republic and Victoria’s Secret. If you are looking for technology and electronic devices you can visit Best Buy or B&H. On that day, most of the establishments participate on the discount frenzy and offer great prices.

    In addition to the Black Friday, the Cyber Monday was also created to offer discounts and promotions; it is only for online shopping and it’s celebrated the Monday after thanksgiving.

  • How To Save Money By Appreciating What You Have.

    How To Save Money By Appreciating What You Have.

    With mounting debts and job insecurity, many people in our consumerist society feel compelled to continue to spend lots of money every day, leading to higher debts and severe financial problems if they are laid off. Why does this happen?

    Often we spend money because we are discontented. We are looking for something but we don’t know what we are seeking, so, when we find something we like, we buy it, mistakenly thinking that we have found what we were searching for.

    However, the pleasure of owning the new item is very short lived and before we know it, we are discontented again and searching for something else. How can we break this vicious circle? The answer is to focus on what we already have in our lives and appreciate those things, making the very best of what we have.

    No one has a perfect life. Not a single person on this planet has complete perfection in every aspect of his or her life and so it is very easy to focus on what is less than perfect in your life. Why not turn that around and focus on what is good in your life?

    We all have aspects of our life which we are happy with, whether it is having a wonderful family or a nice home, living in a beautiful location, owning a devoted pet, having a fulfilling job or business, or enjoying absorbing hobbies and interests.

    Write down ten areas of your life that you are content with. When you feel discontentment creeping in, look at that list and truly appreciate one or more aspects of your life right now. The next step is to think of ways in which you could make those aspects of your life even better. Try to think of ways that cost little or no money, or even make you money.

    For example, if you are happy with your home, you may wish to improve it further by clearing out all of the clutter. If you come across lots of things that you have bought and never used, why not organize a garage sale or sell everything on eBay? Instead of wasting time on shopping, you will be using your time purposefully and you will be earning money rather than spending it unnecessarily.

    Another way in which you can appreciate what you have without spending much money is by developing your skills to improve certain aspects of your life. For example, if you don’t have much money to spend on new items for your home, why not have a go at making something instead of racking up expenses on your credit card.

    Read also Five Simple Ways To Save $1,000 This Year. 

    Even if you have only very basic creative skills, you can look on the Internet for free video tutorials that will enable you to improve your skills and make something that will be useful. Such creative pursuits give you a lot more satisfaction than shopping.

    So, whenever you feel discontentment creeping in, avoid going shopping. Focus on the good things in your life and think of ways in which you could improve them without spending money. During the course of this process, it is likely that you will need to develop new skills. This will bring you more satisfaction and enjoyment than shopping ever did, and it won’t bring credit card debt along with it.

  • How To Return Something You Bought Online?

    How To Return Something You Bought Online?

    Online shopping is a wonderful thing. Can you imagine going to a mall without actually leaving home? That is what buying online is like. There are countless items available and most of the renowned brands now give the opportunity for their customers to purchase their products via internet.

    However, some peopleremain reluctant to engage in online shopping because of fear of the unknown. They believe that the purchase will be a purchase without an option to returnsince it was bought online and there is no physical store to do so. Nothing could be further from the case.Sites such as Amazon.com and eBay.com are among the most famous online stores available right now. They are the leaders in online shopping right now with millions of products on sale. From household appliances to clothes, games, and electronics the possibilities are endless. And being the kind of business they are, Amazon and eBay care a great deal about the quality of their products.

    Most sellers have to comply with a very strict code of conduct and ensure the companies that their product are of top notch quality, even sellers that offer second-hand items. These sellers depend highly on reviews to ensure future customers that their product are worth each penny.

    “Some people remain reluctant to engage in online shopping because of fear of the unknown. They believe that since it was bought online the purchase is final as there is no store to take it back to”

    But what happens when a product fails to meet your expectations? Maybe you bought an article of clothing and it turns out that the size you bought is actually too big or too small, perhaps you bought a smartphone or a tablet and they do not work properly. What can you do on these cases? You can return them.

    The process could not be any simpler. Let us use as example a shirt you bought that is not your size. Whether you selected the wrong size by accident or you got the wrong one you can always return and exchange it. Surely some conditions may apply depending on the website, but most of them are quite user-friendly. If you bought the shirt on Amazon the first thing you should do is heading to the Online Return Center section of their website. It is very easy to find and you can also Google it go reach it directly.

    Also read 8 Smart Ways To Use Your Smartphone To The Fullest for more information.

    The instructions are very simple, the first thing to do is select the item you wish to return, download, fill and print a return label. Depending on the type of product it will be eligible for a refund, replacement, or exchange. Remember always checking these policies before you buy anything! Also keep in mind that within Amazon there are some third party sellers with their own policies. In some cases you will have to contact them through Amazon in order to submit a return request, the seller will review this and then issue a refund or a replacement. This process should not take longer than two business days. If you do not receive an answer by that time, then you should contact Amazon directly and tell them about your problem and they will do everything in their power to help you out.

    Once you have your return label and filed the online return request you will have to ship the item back to the seller. All the information required for the shipment will be supplied by Amazon. Pack your product in a secure and proper fashion. If you no longer have the original box, then use a sturdy box and remember to fill it with packing bubbles or newspaper to protect the content. Attach your return label to the package and ship it off back to the seller. If you want to return more than one product Amazon recommends to send them individually each with their own return label instead of putting them all together in a single package to avoid problems.

    The cost of the shipping will depend on whether the error was made by Amazon, a third-party seller, or you. If it was Amazon’s error then they will take care of all the fees that come with the return shipping. If it was a seller’s error, then it depends on their policies, most of the time they will take care of those fees. And if it was your error then the fees will have to be paid by you and will be deducted from your refund.

    Also read Five Tips To Make Purchases Like A Pro for more information.

    After the item has been shipped and received by Amazon or the seller, the refund or exchange order will be issued, and you should receive your money back in the same method you used to pay initially,otherwise you will get a new product in a few days.

    The process is very similar with eBay. The main difference is that most sellers on eBay are third-parties that use eBay as a platform to sell their products. This means that for most of the cases you will have to contact the seller directly whenever you need to return an order. But eBay will always have your back during this process and will provide you with help throughout the process. The same way you do it with Amazon, you need to submit a return request, eBay will provide a return label.They also recommend attaching photos in case you received a broken product. The rest of the process is the same, print the return label, pack the item and attach the label and send it back and wait for your refund or exchange to be issued.

    Another thing that you should look out for when buying things online is the warranty.Most sellers offer some kind of assurance that their product will be as advertised. Make sure that the things you buy come with some kind of guarantee and save it when you receive your items, that way you always have something to fall back on when your product is not what you expected.

    Just like Amazon and eBay, most online stores, regardless of their brand have the option to return anything that is bought from them. What you always need to do is check them, read their return policies before buying and you should be good to go. So have no fear and remember that buying online is just as safe as going to a physical store.