6 Little Spending Mistakes That Can Cost You Your Financial Freedom

Can't seem to get ahead financially? Debts piling up? Maybe you're making some of these mistake unknowingly. These mistakes listed below will help you understand where you may be going wrong and how to get back on track quickly. You can be debt free.

Mistake 1. Living Beyond Your Means

This is the real cause of your worry and stress. If you are spending more than you are earning, whose money are you spending? It's the credit card provider's or the bank's. The cost of this money is interest.

The way out - Make a Commitment to yourself only to spend within your income limits. Maybe you could increase your income (or cash in) by applying for more skilled positions, selling some of your unused articles or assets. Is the second car really a necessity? What about working out ways to make your hobby pay for itself?

Why not find ways to reduce your spending? How much would you save each year if you decided not to have the daily coffee shop coffee? Why not make your work lunch each day rather than buying it? Commit to only buying the necessities.

Mistake 2. Paying Off Less Than the Full Credit Card Balance Each Month

Get this debt under control and your life will be much easier. If you are like many others and only pay the minimum balance each month, the interest on the interest makes those purchases oh so expensive.

You can be debt free.

The way out - Find ways to put aside more money to apply to the credit cards. It will take time to reach this goal. However, if you don't make a start now you may never pay them off. This situation did not occur overnight and neither will the solution. But, by diligence and commitment you'll get there.

Mistake 3. Not Really Knowing Your Financial Situation

Before you can set meaningful goals and develop savings strategies you need to know your financial situation now. The best, proven and tested method by far, is by developing your own personal budget. This is not hard to do. Please don't give up now. Just follow these simple steps:

The way out -

a) Find your latest credit card statements. Write down all the unpaid balances.

b) Are there any other unpaid debts (not home or car) then include these balances as well.

c) List out your (or family) monthly income. Only the amounts "brought home". Include all types of income.

d) Work out your monthly spending. List out where all the money goes. Don't leave anything out.

e) Minus the monthly spending total from the monthly income total and review the answer.

This will give you an initial idea as to whether you are living within your means or on borrowed money.

Mistake 4. Continually Adding to Your Debt

If debt has got you into this situation it is critically important not to add to the state of affairs and thus make it worse.

The way out - cut up the credit cards, keeping only 1 for emergencies. Don't buy on impulse. Ask yourself twice or three times before you buy anything "Do I really need this?" before you hand over your hard-earned money. Don't buy at the height of the fashion or fad. Commit to never paying full retail for anything. Get it on sale or negotiate a lower price.

Mistake 5. Spending All Your Income

It may sound OK to spend any money you earn but there are risks attached to this strategy. How are you going to pay for emergency items? What about major car repairs. What about major electrical appliance replacement? Are you going to pay for these on credit? Bad idea! How are you going to save for a substantial deposit on the next car?

The way out - Once you've prepared your budget you will clearly see what you need to do to put some income aside for other needs such are emergencies and repairs.

Mistake 6. Spending Without Caring About Your Future

Unless you are planning for your future and financial security, you cannot be really happy. There are always worries lurking in your mind about how you would survive in a financial emergency if you have no savings. It can be very rewarding to see how quickly your savings multiply over time with only a small investment each payday.

The way out - Take stock of your life and realize that tomorrow won't look after itself. It needs your attention. Keep some funds aside to put away for your retirement, children's college costs, emergencies, holidays and major purchases.

Avoid these 6 spending mistakes and you'll be well on your way to financial freedom. Guaranteed.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory

About the Author

Bruce Hokin has designed a simple budget tool called "5 Steps to Freedom Personal Budget." It based on his extensive background as a qualified, experienced accountant, manager, consultant and financial adviser.

Coming Up With Landscaping Ideas

By: Cindy Heller

You may not be interested in landscaping ideas but if you own a home with a yard then you should at least learn a little bit about landscaping. Eventually you will have some type of landscaping done and it is best to be prepared if you can. Basic, effective landscaping ideas are not that hard to find and the landscaping process can actually be fairly easy if you have some landscaping knowledge. And if you are an expert landscaping hobbyist, then you are always on the lookout for new ideas.

Where To Look For Landscaping Ideas

The Internet is one of the first places you should look for good landscaping ideas. You can easily and quickly search through many different sites to access many landscaping ideas. You will be able to obtain many options and can dramatically shorten your search for landscaping ideas. You can search by specific designs, focus pieces or plants and determine what will work for your area, weather and soil.


If you did not find the Internet helpful then you should visit your local landscaping or hardware stores.

About.com is an Internet website you should visit when looking for landscaping ideas. This site provides how to information about anything. A few landscaping topics that are discussed on this site are Tree problems, Landscape design in Seattle, Fall Webworms, Perennial Flowers that Bloom in the Fall, Moonbeam Coreopsis Plants, and many more topics. You may find that you are able to do many of the landscaping yourself.

About.com is a great website and may be the best place to begin your search for landscaping ideas. Besides describing different landscaping ideas they also provide how-to information about even the most basic landscaping procedures.

All About Lawns is another available website that provides resourceful and useful information on landscaping and landscaping ideas. Find ideas in magazines, landscaping online, talk to local garden merchants, look at your neighbors gardens, and make a landscaping wish list are some of the more popular topics presented on their website.

No matter what method you use to come up with new landscaping ideas you need to remember that you should be having fun with landscaping. If you don't put yourself and your personality first when landscaping then you will not create a unique design that you will enjoy. This is your project so don't let anyone push you around.

If you did not find the Internet helpful then you should visit your local landscaping or hardware stores. The professionals there will be able to answer your questions and provide you with landscaping ideas, tips and suggestions.

About the Author

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. To learn more about landscaping idea, please visit backyard landscaping idea.

(ArticlesBase SC #789225)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Coming Up With Landscaping Ideas

No More Procrastination

I'm assuming that you have encountered some form of procrastination in your life. For those of you who don't struggle with procrastination. Congratulations! I find procrastination especially frustrating to handle, when it disguises itself as irritability, confusion and anger, pointing my heart and mind away from where the real causes lie.

Procrastination is a temporary solution to cover or push away intense feelings during the creative process. Some creatives feel anxiety before starting a project. Others feel depressed in the middle of creating a project. Still others struggle being unable to finish a project, especially one that comes closest to the realization of part of their artistic vision. They don't want to face the unknowns of exploring a new project.

Start working on it now!!

Procrastination is a form of self-sabotage. I call it a short-term last resort. If you let procrastination go, it can take over your life. In the following exercises, I can increase your awareness of how procrastination may be interfering with your work. Remember to choose to work one exercise at time. Take your time when you write. Be patient as you start to react to these two exercises. Let your mind and heart gently guide you toward deeper awareness and desire to change.

TO-DO LISTS:
Lists are easy to write in your journal. If you can write a laundry list, then you can write a journal list. Feel free to choose organization tools that work best for you. My preference is to use a combination of my calendar, some goal files (pc), index cards and my memory. When I'm creating lists, I like having access to both flexible tools(cards and memory) and a workable structure ( past lists and some goal files). Remember to write a clear, easy to read, and detailed to-do list.

CHOOSE ONE AREA: Choose one urgent "procrastination" area.

To help your focus answer the following questions about your situation:

Purpose: Increasing your awareness of your resistance:
What part of this activity, that I don't want to do? (answer in specifics)
What am I feeling about working on this activity? (There may be more than one feeling)
What would I rather be doing?
What is so attractive about resisting this activity?

Purpose: Increasing your awareness of your motivation:
What part of doing this creative project do you like?
What are your feeling about this creative project? (any feelings)

Summarize your resistance statements and your motivated statements
Look for any similarities and differences (use this information to answer the next question)
Look for ways to increase your motivational actions and decrease your procrastination actions.

Congratulations! You've chosen your new goal.

No more procrastination! Author Bio Lael Johnson, owner of Writer's Eye Advisory Service, offers creativity coaching services and additional writing resources. For more information visit: www.writerseye.com Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Getting Your House Ready to Sell

by Sonia C Llesol

Buyers are more comfortable in buying a well cared for home since if what they outwardly see is maintained, then most probably what they cannot see is also maintained.

In getting your home ready to sell, you must consider it as a product of about to go on the market, where it would probably be competing with brand new houses. It has to show well in the buyers eye.

Here are some basic tips in getting your home ready to sell:

1. Check your house's curb appeal. Before you put your house on the market, maximize it exterior. Take time to enhance its curb appeal by keeping the lawn well maintained, the steps, the walkways and patios checked for cracks or crumbling, align and clean gutters, check windows and doors for peeling paint and replace or repair damaged roof shingles.

2. Keep the home interior neat and clean. Get clutter out of site, make sure the carpets are clean and floors are polished and scrubbed. Ensure that the walls are clean and freshly painted.

3. See to it that all your lights are working well and cobwebs free. Remove family pictures since your aim is to help prospective homebuyers to get a feel of the house as their own.

4. Check for leaks, cracks or signs of dampness in your basement and the attic. Repair damage, holes or cracks to wallboard, paint, wallpaper and tiles. Make sure you repair immediately any cracked or broken windowpanes and moldings. Inspect the plumbing, the cooling and heating and the alarm systems.

5. Make sure your roof is in good condition. If climbing onto the roof is not appealing to you, you can do the inspection using binoculars, or better yet, hire the services of a professional to the job for you and make the necessary repairs needed in your roof.

6. Examine your walls since its condition greatly affects the look of your home. Replace any old caulking. Make sure that the paint on your walls looks good. Do a repainting job if you see fading colors, peeling or cracked surfaces.

Well polished homes sell faster and for a higher price.

7. Ensure that the stairs are free from loose boards, loose or missing guards and handrails, ripped carpeting. Doors should open and shut properly. Check the windows to make sure that they are in good condition.

8. Clean your kitchen and all appliances including the oven. Clean greasy stove hood filter and make sure you clean the inside of your cabinets thoroughly. Your countertops should also be squeaky clean and clutter free. Repair or replace dripping faucets and remove anything from the tops of your fridge including artworks and magnets.

9. Remove any rust stains from bathroom sinks, tubs and toilets. Get rid of mildew from the bathtubs and showers. You can also vacuum your fan grill. Clean mirrors, cupboard handles and light switch plates in bathrooms. You could consider installing a new 6-liter toilet. If you are using ceramic tile in the bathroom, make sure the grouting is clean and intact.

10. Do an inspection of the basement, ensure that there are no cracks, water seepage, crumbling concrete or mortar and rotting wood. Use a dehumidifier if your basement is musty or damp. Your basement should also be clutter-free and well organized. Replace furnace filters and clean it.

11. Do not neglect your garage. It is one of the most important parts of your house. Get rid of old car parts, discarded bikes, broken tools, empty cans of paint and dozens of useless items accumulated in your garage. Your garage should appear clutter-free and use cleaning solutions to remove oil stains from the floor.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sonia_C_Llesol

Get Moving Insurance before Moving

By: Paul Wilson

There are different kinds of Insurance that pertain to moving:

Released Value Insurance, the most basic coverage provided by moving companies. Estimated by weight it covers US$0.60 per pound of objects.

Declared Value Insurance offers coverage of US $ 1.25 per pound, coverage is on the total weight of your movables. If any objects are damaged, the insurance is based on the depreciated value of the object to the maximum value of items shipped.

Lump Sum Value, this insures based on the actual value of goods shipped and not by weight. The specific value of items must be declared on the bill of landing.

Full Value Protection, covers all damage or losses. Objects will be replaced, repaired, or cash for value of object will be offered.

Tips:

Decide which objects are to be moved and which are to be stored.

Prepare a detailed list of objects to be moved along with weight and value.

It is advisable to take insurance over and above that offered by the movers.

Ask for advice on which insurance would benefit you the most.

Get estimates from insurers.

Remember a customer has to file a complaint within nine months of the move.

A mover is legally obliged to acknowledge a claim within 30 days and offer settlement within 120 days.

Even if there is damage a customer is obligated by law to pay for the move. After which the customer should address the claim procedure to receive compensation.

Ask the mover to explain clearly the insurance cover offered by them, the exclusions, and limits.

Always read carefully the small print on the mover's contract and insurance papers.

List antiques and valuables separately and take extra coverage for them. Extra premium is generally charged for fine china, paintings, and so on.

If any goods are damaged, never unpack/remove them from their boxes until all procedures for claims are completed.

Check whether your homeowners insurance covers moving. Purchase an insurance that best covers the value of the property being transported.

Find out what can be insured. Normally, jewellery, cash, as well as items not packed by movers are not covered. Goods like fuels, fertilizers, acids, ammunitions, paints, aerosol cans, corrosives, as well as flammable substances will invalidate insurance and should not be moved.

It is important to know the laws of the state or country where you live and the place you are moving to.

Experts recommend transit insurance as a good supplement to moving insurance. It will generally cover the gaps left by the insurance policy.

Clever coverage can save hundreds of thousands of dollars and insurance is available on the net, through the mover, a move-it-yourself company, or homeowner's insurance companies.

Author Bio - Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888MovingCompanies.com, the premier website to find help on moving including moving companies search, compare movers, moving insurance, auto transport, moving tips, and more. He also freelances for www.1888Discuss.com.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Obtaining a Online Mortgage

A mortgage for first time home buyers or people who are looking to refinance their homes has become much easier in later years' thanks to the internet and the ability to obtain a mortgage on-line.

There are literally thousands of lenders looking for your business

Of course there is your local bank, where you can go, walk in, sit down with the branch manager, and have him set up an appointment with the banks mortgage representative.

That's all fine, but not everybody has time for that. So they resort to the internet, which isn't such a bad idea considering that there are literally thousands of lenders looking for your business across the country and using the internet as a tool to get it.

Using the internet for obtaining a mortgage on-line has its benefits because it gives you the opportunity to shop lenders and rates.

By filling out a simple on-line form with limited information, you will be putting lenders at your service within twenty-four hours of your submission.

The mortgage industry is a very competitive one, so these lenders will be fighting for your business, forcing them to offer you the lowest rates possible. You can than base your decision on the one that is most ideal for you, and most of all, the one that best meets your budget.

Also, if your situation is unique or special, such as having bad credit, no money to put down, or your looking for a specific program such as interest only, the internet is perhaps the best resource for you to find what you need.

Author Bio
Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of www.explainingmortgages.com, a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Mobile Home Repair - Ceiling Stains

Ugly, brown stains are a common feature of mobile home ceilings. They develop when roof leaks or condensation cause water to drip onto the ceiling tiles from above.

There is no point in doing the repair until you are sure the leak is fixed

They persist because because removal is not as simple as painting over the stain. The stain "bleeds" through paint leaving it as ugly as before. In addition, many mobile home ceilings are made with a sprayed on acoustical texture which is VERY fragile. Painting it with a roller or brushing on a heavy latex paint is a good way to pull off some of the texture, leaving a bare, untextured area. Fortunately, stains are easy to cover if you have the right materials.

There is no point in doing the repair until you are sure the leak is fixed and your ceiling has dried completely! Then go to your local paint store or home improvement center paint dept. and look for an aerosol can labeled "Stain sealing ceiling paint" or something close to that. Two brands I know of are "Kilz" and "Zinsser". It will be made to spray straight up and only comes in one color. Hopefully, the color will be a good match for your ceiling tiles.

While you are shopping you may also want to buy some of the blue masking tape. It costs more than standard masking tape, but comes off when you are done, without leaving adhesive behind or pulling anything off when it peels away.

At home, mask the area you plan to spray and put an old sheet or something on the floor. Then follow the directions on the can to do the actual spraying. Two light coats with adequate drying time between them is better than one heavy coat.

In most cases the color of the new area will be close enough to the old that no additional topcoat is needed. The fact is, people seldom look up. With the really obvious stain gone there will be nothing to draw the eye to what is probably a very subtile difference in color.

The repair described here will cover water stains on ceiling tiles or wallboard anywhere, not just in mobile homes.

Author Bio
The Mobile Home Doctor has been providing mobile home repair information since 1999. There are more than 100 pages of advice to help mobile home owners repair their homes. Directions are written so readers with little repair and renovation experience can be confident they can do the work themselves.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content


More Links

Types of Solar Panels - Crucial Facts About Solar Panels Types

Author: Theron Neels

You've heard the exciting testimonials from homeowners generating their own energy for home use, and the great savings in energy costs they boast about. But what are the options if you start looking around at the different types of solar panels in use?

There are two basic solar panels types that you will come across. The first type is solar heating panels, and this refers to panels used to heat your household water. The second - discussed later in this article - is the solar electric panel.

Solar heating panels come in a variety of configurations. One popular set-up is the flat plate collector. This system uses plates exposed to the sun which contain sealed liquid-filled pipes. The liquid heats up and circulates via the pipes through the household water tank, which heats up the water. The effectiveness of this system depends to a great extent on the amount of thermal loss of the pipes while circulating the heated liquid towards the water tank.

A basic variation on this system is a homebuilt solar heater that uses the coolant grill of a discarded fridge to heat water. The household water circulates through the grill mounted in a glass-fronted panel which acts as a solar heat trap. In its most basic form this system might not be integrated with your household water supply, but could be used as a separate, portable system for a particular, limited use, for instance when you go camping.

Another version of the solar heating panels system works on the same basis as the flat plate collector mentioned above, with the main difference being that the heat collector pipes are vacuum sealed. This minimizes heat loss to a great extent, even during cold weather.

This system also uses circular collectors which have better ongoing exposure to sunlight during the course of the day.

The second main type of solar panel you will encounter if you do some research is the PV panel, or photovoltaic panel system. These are also called solar electric panels because they don't generate heat but they convert solar energy into electricity. PV panels can therefore be used to power just about anything in your household, from your hot water system to your laptop, fridge or stove.

How does a PV panel work? A PV panel consists of a set of silicon cells linked in series. When exposed to sunlight these cells convert the solar energy into electric current.

This current can then be used to charge a set of batteries, or it can be linked up to your household grid via an inverter to power your household appliances.

There are a number of different types of solar photovoltaic panels. Monocrystalline solar panels are manufactured from a single large crystal, and are considered to offer the most efficient panels, but also the most expensive. Then there are the more common cells found in Polycrystalline solar panels. These are cast blocks of silicon which may contain many small crystals.

As more and more homeowners are struggling to maintain a positive cashflow in difficult times, many of them are opting to build a solar panel system to make them less dependent on the local power grid. What has made photovoltaic solar panels popular - apart from how effectively they work - is the fact that they can be home built by just about anyone, even with little or no practical experience.

About the Author:
Visit Energy-Saver-DIY.com for a great introduction to solar power, detailed plans for building your own solar panels, color diagrams and pictures, a guide showing how to fix the solar panels to your roof, electrical wiring plans to safely wire up your solar panels and a solar calculator to show you how many panels you will need.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Types of Solar Panels - Crucial Facts About Solar Panels Types

Ultimate Guide to Staging Videos

Looking for ideas on staging your home? Frontdoor has some great ideas you may have not thought of. Take a look!