Simple Debt-Free Finance

What Not To Tell Your Insurer.

Joe — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:46:06 +0000

Here’s an article from CNN Money about the 5 Things you should never say to your insurer that’s both humorous and at times enlightening. Here’s the list along with some thoughts on each. 1. “I Think …” I found this one to be enlightening because I could easily see myself saying it without thinking about the implication. The [...]

Mortgage Refinancing Saves Borrowers $3 Billion in 3rd Quarter.

Joe — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:14:26 +0000

A recent report released by Freddie Mac shows that half of the borrowers who refinanced their mortgage in the 3rd quarter of 2009 lowered the mortgage rate by an average of 1.1%. This totaled a whopping $3 billion in dollars saved. This is in large part due to The Home Ownership Affordability Refinance Program that allowed home [...]

Have A Skill, Or Need Some Work Done? Check Out SwapASkill.

Joe — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:40:51 +0000

The tag line says it all: Swap what you can give or can do for what you need with swapaskill.com Swapaskill serves as a hub to connect people from all over the world - some looking for something, and others looking to provide something. Need your house decorated, and like to get rid of that second car [...]

Looking For The Best Rates On CDs, Checking And Savings Account?

Joe — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:36:39 +0000

Look no further than Rate Brain. Let’s face it, interest rates on savings accounts, CDs and checking accounts are near historic (if not historic) lows. With interest rates so low, it’s almost not worth the inconvenience of keeping your money in a bank instead of under the mattress. Almost. There are a lot of great deals to [...]

Why Debt Settlement and Loan Consolidation Don’t Work.

Joe — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:38:58 +0000

Debt settlement companies and consolidation loans look like a lifeline when you’re staring a 5-figure debt load in the eye. But this is rarely the case. In fact, most people only end up prolonging their indebtedness and adding unnecessary fees and costs to the effort to find financial freedom. As this article from The Grand Junction [...]

6 Things You Should Know About 0% APR Credit Card Offers.

Joe — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:17:36 +0000

0% APR credit card offers are certainly a lot more rare than they were a few years ago, but if you’re lucky enough to still qualify for one, you’ll want to go over this check list to see if you’re really all that lucky, or if you’re going to be taken for a ride. Watch the [...]

How To Fight Credit Card Rate Increases.

Joe — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:38:48 +0000

They got their credit card company to back off and slash their payments by taking their plight to CNN: Chuck and Jeanne Lane got some good news earlier this week: After more than doubling the Lanes’ monthly minimum payment, their credit card company is now slashing their payment. The Ohio couple was featured in a CNN story [...]

Why I’m NOT refinancing My Mortgage.

Joe — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:03:23 +0000

I got a call from a local bank offering to refinance my mortgage for 5.25%. On the surface this sounds like a great deal, since I’m currently paying 6.125% on my mortgage. But here’s why I’m not taking the offer, and some of these reasons may be things to consider if you too are faced [...]

My Wife Just Got a 0.99% APR Transfer Credit Card Offer, What Does This Mean?

Joe — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:31:33 +0000

Just last week I blogged about 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards Offers Finally Coming to an End and darn if it hasn’t come to pass in my household! Just a year and a half ago, my wife and I were getting 0% transfer offers every week. Then the credit crunch hit. Then the recession hit. Then, [...]

15 High stress, low pay jobs.

Joe — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:59:10 +0000

I stumbled across this a few days ago, and thought I’d share it. It’s CNN/Money’s list of 15 jobs that offer high stress, and low pay. I’m not sure what their criteria were or how they determined the amount of stress. The low pay aspect is fairly easy to determine, each is below the median household [...]

Pay your bills using Electric Orange Bill Pay and you could win $1,000

Joe — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:48:24 +0000

ING direct (famous for their high yield, Orange savings accounts) have a promotion that runs from now until November 30th. They’re trying to get more people using their Electric Orange online Bill Pay. Electric Orange is their high yield checking account, similar to their orange savings but it’s a checking account. The promotion. Every day that you [...]

Last Day to Enter to Win a Free Gas card from Shell and eBillme.

Joe — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:39:05 +0000

Today is your last chance to enter the free $20 gas card giveaway contest from Shell. There are 3 ways to enter - and they’re all free! Ways to ENTER and Win: Visit the Enter at Shop Debt Free site, and leave a comment. In your comment, tell them how you are saving money, and share and recommend [...]

0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards Offers Finally Coming to an End?

Joe — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:18:37 +0000

Not long ago you could have wall-papered a McMansion with all the 0% APR credit card offers going through the mail. Times have changed, and while the credit crunch of ‘08 put a serious damper on those offers it looks like the Credit Card Act of 2009 may be the final nail in that coffin. According [...]

Beware ezsver rw and the proflowers scam!

Joe — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:58:02 +0000

I can’t believe it and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I was scammed. I used Proflowers.com recently to send flowers to my wife (our anniversary) and my mother (her birthday) and thought I got a great deal. The flowers were beautiful, and they seemed to last forever. It wasn’t until two months [...]

10 Credit Card Mistakes, on a Scale of 1 to 10.

Joe — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:58:16 +0000

CreditCards.com has an article (by way of Yahoo finance) that rates 10 common credit card mistakes on a scale from 1 to 10. I’ll let you read the full article for all the details of why each is rated the way they are, but here’s the list and my thoughts about each. Paying Late How bad is [...]