Put some cash back into your pocket after Christmas

It’s easier to get into debt now, than it’s ever been before. The government takes over 60% of what you earn in tax, both the obvious and the ’stealth’.  House prices, even with the recent market wobble are still out of reach of the majority of the population. And banks and credit card firms lure you with advanced marketing techniques, and hike up interest rates just when you can least afford it. 

 However, there are ways of living cheaply without living miserably. Having faced up to the difficult financial circumstances the christmas holidays can create for us, you can support yourself with these savvy shopping and saving tips.

Remember, you can have the things that really matter, if you accept you can’t have it all. Concentrate on core items that you really want and don’t waste money or effort on anything else.

Don’t confuse buying the cheapest with saving money. Quality lasts and will save you money in the long run.

Always make a list before grocery shopping and never buy anything not on the list. also stop impulse buying when you pay for petrol, you don’t need the bag of crisps, bar of chocolate or fizzy drink. See – I’m getting you healthy too!

Avoid prepacked fruit and vegetables when supermarket shopping. there’s usually too much in the prepacked bags and often some items aren’t the freshest. Bag only what you need.

Never buy from the middle shelves in supermarkets. These are the premium items, supermarkets actually charge suppliers for that space! Items here are the supermarkets most profitable and usually the most expensive. Look for your goods on the high and low shelves.

An old staple of frugal shopping, Never shop when you ‘re hungry! You can actually increase your spend by as much as 20%.

Readymeals are up to eight times more expensive than buying raw ingredients and you usually get much smaller portions. So make the meal yourself. See- now you get a new hobby and skill too!

Buy chicken pieces with the skin on and remove it yourself. Pre-skinned chicken portions are over twice the price.

Buy nuts from the cake making section where they are unsalted and and tend to be much cheaper.

Chop everything finely, the way Chinese do. Both vegetables and meat go much further and you tend to use less. It’s also faster to cook smaller pieces.

Stop using shopping as a hobby or pastime. If you have issues, they’re not going to be solved by filling up your wardrobes or littering your shelves with unnecessary clothing, gadgets etc. Deal with whatever’s bothering you by facing it.

Remember you’ll also have less to face as you’re not adding to your bills or living in denial anymore. So, you can feel proud of your personal growth and strength and be ready to take on whatever you’re underlying problem is.

Don’t fall for ‘cheap’ fashion. the way to decide on an item of clothing or shoes before buying is to ask yourself, ‘Can I live without this?’ If you can, then you don’t need it or really want it. 9.5 times out of 10 the answer to that question will be yes!

Become a discriminating shopper. If you come home empty handed, celebrate. It means that your taste is so good, the shops don’t have anything to satisfy your exalted standards.

When you do need a particular item, a suit, new blouse, whatever. Shop around! Check out good quality retailers, price compare on the net and buy the best you can afford. That way the piece will last, will wear better, fit you better and you’ll wear it more often. A great shopping investment.

Frugal but not miserable, cost conscious but not cheap. that’s the way to think when shopping in 2008.

Two Sides to The Post Christmas Sales

This post starts out factually, but it ends up very bleak. I didn’t really mean to go there, but what I’ve written is true, so I’m just going to go with it.

The busiest shopping period is after Christmas during the sales clear outs. Retailers announced increases in business of between 8% to 11%. Even on Christmas Day people managed to break shopping records. Although no retail outlets were open, bargain starved people raided the internet, where shopping activity was up 269% on last year! (This was after yet another record breaking pre Christmas shopping result)

And yet, Credit Action UK released debt statistics  that showed more than a million bills in January 2007 were not paid as a result of excessive festive spending. And since we spent several billion more this year, I would suggest that there will be more unpaid bills in 2008.

It’s as if we’ve had a collective fit of irresponsibility. Millions have rushed out to max their cards to the limit in the sales. No doubt buying things they don’t want or need just becuase they’re half price!

January will be the time to pay, with credit getting more and more expensive, credit card companies and banks are already fleecing their clients and will do so with even more gusto as they have to recoup their losses from the sub-prime fiasco.

Do we all think there’s someone coming to rescue us from the results of our spendthrift ways? A white knight that will sweep in and pay all our bills?

Maybe we think that finally our ship will come in, we’ll get that promotion or pay rise, the book we’ve been slaving over will be published, or we’ll have the best product idea since James Dyson!

Unfortunately, the reality will be a doormat of red bills that keeps growing, phone calls from creditors wanting to know when they’ll be paid, and a spiral of depressing, worrying circumstances that make our lives miserable and dull.

Is a few days of over indulgence really worth it?

Credit Card Rates Shooting Up, Customers Have No Right To Appeal

Marbles,  the ’sub-prime’ credit card operator, is pushing through large increases in its lending rates, even as base rates fall.

Marbles is closed to new business, so has no incentive to keep rates down to attract new customers, and is pushing through rate rises that leave it’s account holders looking at 33.9% interest on cash advances and 26.9% interest on purchases. If Marbles customers cannot switch to other credit card suppliers, they will be completely at the mercy of this credit card company.

Profiteering? Many card companies are seeking new ways to boost new revenue after the crackdown on excessive late payment fees, and this is probably the first of many inventive and immoral ways that card companies will exploit their customers and fatten up their margins.

Customer care is obviously a dirty phrase to banking and credit card companies, don’t expect them to look after you, they only want your money and they’ll try to get it anyway they can.

There’s no rules on credit card companies, they along with banks, have no real watchdog and are able to raise interest rates at will, and you have no right to appeal. Who can you turn to?

Well, how about stepping up and taking responsibility for your financial welfare yourself? Stop spending money you don’t have, stop spending all the money you do have, and start saving so you can invest, make more money and get out of the credit trap.

Most of us are honest people who want to pay what we owe, but we should not be made to pay the mercenary, greedy credit charges banks now force on us. Check out how to reduce credit costs with The Ultimate Entrepreneur at www.wealthfreedomfighters.com