Managing Your Money for Household Expenses

Dropping Incomes
Many people have been complaining over the past year that incomes are dropping. This is fine for people who already have jobs. Other people are facing job losses and living on unemployment benefits. Expenses have not kept up with dropping incomes. Facts are that expenses are on the rise all the time. There has been an increase in the prices of food, utilities and consumables. Quick development of cash management skills is the need of the hour. It is these very skills that will keep household budgets under control and cannot be ignored. Do this if you want to maintain a semblance of control over your budgets.

Prioritize Household Purchases
Every expense that you indulge in affects your household in some way. Good planning of your expenses will go a long way. Consider that a dollar saved is the same as earning one. Plan your budget so that basic goods and services are included. You don’t need any luxuries so do away with the thoughts. Afford them first, but keep them waiting until then. Leave every commodity that is not important out of your shopping list. You will cut down on your impulsive spending as well, by doing this, relieving some of your budgets for debt repayments.

Shop Around for Better Prices
Markets are also facing the same strain everyone else is. Shopkeepers would like to see more consumers walk into their stores. Don’t forget to look around before you start shopping, you will find discounts and offers at the drop of a hat. Get started early in the day to give yourself plenty of time for leisurely shopping. When you find low prices for things that you were going to buy anyway, it will also cut your budget down to size.

Cut Down on Borrowing Money
Borrowing money increases your household expenses, because they must be paid. You will be left short of cash for the month after making the payments on the scheduled dates, which will affect your household budget. Therefore cut down on all loans, which of course includes the use of credit cards and any other loans. Buy all you want with cash, because you will know what you have spent. You don’t have to pay extra charges or even face them if you default on any payments in the future.

Reduction of Transportation Costs
The average American household has two cars. The owners may be burdened with car and gas payments, while this may look impressive to others. Suggesting to families to reduce the number of cars they have may not be practical. Cutting down on the use of these cars should however be considered. Try keeping these costs under control, by using public transport or even signing up to use car pools. Use the cars, if the need arises, as situations cannot be compromised. Give the cars some rest and conserve some gas if possible. Your budget will soon be down to the bare essentials. This can help you keep your budget under control. You can also live into a future that is debt free.

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Managing Money for Household Expenses

Dropping Incomes
Many people have been complaining over the past year that incomes are dropping. This is still better for people who have jobs. Other people are facing job losses and living on unemployment benefits. There has been a drop in incomes, but not in expenses. Increases in expenses are facts, which are true. Prices are rising for food, utilities and consumables. Quick development of cash management skills is the need of the hour. Household budgets can be controlled by these skills and that, cannot be ignored. To maintain a semblance of control over your budgets, here is what you can do.
Prioritize Household Purchases
Every expense that you indulge in affects your household in some way. Expenses will go a long way with effective planning. Consideration must be given to the fact that every dollar saved is the same as earning it. Plan your budget in such a way that basic goods and services are included. The luxuries that you may have thought about get rid of them. You can leave these waiting until you can afford it. Every commodity that is not important should be left out of your shopping list. You can cut down on impulsive spending as well, by doing this, clearing your budgets for debt repayments.
Shop Around for Better Prices
Markets are also facing the same strain everyone else is. Shopkeepers look towards more consumers walking into their stores. Discounts and offers are available at the drop of a hat, so look around before you start shopping. Get started early in the day to give yourself plenty of time for leisurely shopping. Getting lower prices for things that you were going to buy anyway, will also trim your budget down to size.
Cut Down on Borrowing Money
Borrowing money increases your household expenses, because they must be paid. After making the payments on the scheduled date you will be left short of cash for the month, which affects your entire household budget. Reduce the use of credit cards and loans from other sources, apart from cutting down on all other loans. Buy everything you need with cash, as you will know what you have spent for. You will also avoid the extra charges you will face if you default on future payments.
Reduction of Transportation Costs
The average American household has two cars. This may look impressive to others, but the owners may be burdened with the cost of gas and car payments. Suggestions that families reduce the number of cars they have may not be practical. The use of these cars can be cut down and this should be considered. Using public transport or signing up for the use of car pools can help bring these costs under control. Situations should not be compromised, and if the need arises, use the cars. Give some rest to the cars and also conserve some gas in the bargain. You will have brought your budget down to the bare essentials in quick time. This help that you get will keep your budget under control. Your life in the future will be free from any debts.

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Walmart, others cut TV prices in Super Bowl run-up

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc is cutting prices on high-definition TVs ahead of the U.S. Super Bowl championship game, looking to entice shoppers to spend now that the holiday season has ended.

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ManCrunch Super Bowl commercial rejected

CBS rejects ad for gay dating site

Visiting ManCrunch?

An online dating site called ManCrunch submitted a commercial to CBS for play during the super bowl, but the commercial was rejected, reports CNN Money. The gay dating site’s slogan is “Where many many many men come out and play,” and you can view a video of the ad at the end of this post.

The ad looks to me like something Super Bowl fans would enjoy, but CBS wrote in the letter of rejection to ManCrunch that “is not within the Network’s broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday.” The confusing thing is, CBS also said at one point that the reason the commercial was rejected was because the TV spots were sold out (they weren’t).

More strange stories

CBS also said in the letter that it “had trouble verifying [ManCruch's] credit status.” However, Elissa Buchter, spokeswoman for ManCruch, says the site didn’t need loan lenders and offered to pay for the spot in cash. ManCrunch recently raised $40 million from investors, so the Toronto-based company would have no trouble paying for the Super Bowl spot, which would have cost $2.5 million. … click here to read the rest of the article titled “ManCrunch Super Bowl commercial rejected“

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Finding Private College Loans

College May be Out of Reach

Getting through a college education is a great experience of life. Funding your education becomes a completely different matter. If you want to go to a private college, you need to the funds to pay for it. You should be able to find a loan that meets your requirements. In your quest for a decent loan, follow these tips.

Assess Your Situation

As you have already made a decision to go to college, the next step is to weigh all the options ahead of you. It may be desirable to apply for a student loan. There could be more options available. Many other options can help you. A variety of publications will list grants and scholarships that are available. If you have a number of grants, your experience can be greatly enhanced. You could save up some money by working for a year before going on to college. Other options can include going to a trade school or joining the military for a time. You do not have to choose a private college loan as your only option.

State and National Loans

Looking around, you are sure to find a number of loans that are available at the state or national level. First, apply for these loans. You are not the only person who will find benefit from your education. After graduation, the economy benefits. It is not that hard to apply. Take the time to determine which type of state or national loan you will qualify for.

Do Not Despair at the Rejection

If your application for a state or national loan is rejected for any reason, do not worry about it. You will find a wide variety of loans at a bank or private institution. Take some time to apply for these loans at home or at the college you intend to register at. Education loans can be found online on the websites of the institutions. If you look for them, good offers should be easy to find. A physical address and legitimate lender should be considered before doing business with them.

Bad Credit Not a Problem

It is easy to assume that you will not qualify for private education loans if you have bad or no credit. The fact is you are likely to find a lender who will look at your application favorably. A higher interest rate or a cosigner may be part of the terms of the loan. There will be no disappointment. No money for college should not hold you back from going. A college education can be experienced with a private college loan.

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Donald Trump has the strangest hair.

This is not new to anyone. Everyone knows his hair is strange. It looks fake. It looks like it was just thrown there. It sure does not look grown.

But the odd thing is that Donald Trump is filthy rich. He could afford the nicest hair or at least a good hair cut. But he does not. He still wears his hear the same strange way, year after year. I wonder if it is really his hair or a toupee gone bad. Oh well. Obviously he has enough money not to care.

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A story about claiming what is rightfully mine

As a young curious mind I wondered along with my friends, and as you know a curious mind is always in to something, you can almost guess what happens. Whatever.

So as I remember like any other Saturday my mama, she would give me a bowl of captain crunch, while I watch my favorite cartoons, then I heard… ” Bang! Bang! Bang!”, as the door was getting beat on repetitively.

“Get the door!” my mama exclaimed. I opened it.

“Hey mama, it’s James!” I said. ” Well tell him to quit beating on the door like he the police!” mama said. ” It wasn’t that loud!” Well tell him anyway!” As we yelled at each other like we were hog calling.

So as usual I would ask my mama ” can I go outside?”

And she would ask me, did I do what I needed to do like clean up and as usual, I would say “yes”. So James and I went to get Layla, but we called her “L” for short, her name was too girly, even though, she is a girl. Then we would go get Jackson, we just called him Jackson, because if we called him anything else it would sound girly or just plain old weird. So we continued, we played in the back yard, and found a silver spoon and three shiny rocks.

But Layla as usual she claimed that she found it first.

I hated that. So James took her side because he had a crush on her and Jackson took my side as usual.

“That’s ours!” Jackson and I exclaimed and James said ” If possible we can get the three shiny rocks and you can get the spoon?” And I retorted ” How about you give me three shiny quarters and I give you three shiny nickles?”

He replied and said “Okay!”

And “L” said ” That’s not funny”.

Because I was basically using his own stupidity to tell him to back off and give me the rocks, but Layla’s mind was set like a brick wall. Once again we bargained for the whole kit and kabootle, but Layla dove a hard bargain.

So I told her ” I’ll race you for the shiny rocks”.

” On your marks…. get set… GO!” James said.

I took off like speed racer. I pushed, she pushed, I nudged, she nudged. Then she tripped on a rock and I stopped to help her and as I rushed for her, she immediately got up and won the shiny rocks. I started to feel like I was James because every time we raced she would do this to me. And I don’t know why I fell for it. So she began to laugh at me and I decided to pull out the big guns.

“Do you want to have a snail eating contest?” I said.

“Hmmmmm…., yes but you don’t get to use salt this time.” Layla said

” CONTEST! CONTEST!, CONTEST!, CONTEST!, CONTEST!” Jackson and James repeated. We stared each other down as if it was the wild west. We moved our fingers as if reaching for guns. Then we reached for it, and before I had the chance o own what was rightfully mine. ” Timothy! Get in this house and eat you lunch, and put that snail down this is the last time I’m gonna tell you”! she yelled

“Okay mama.” As Layla, Jackson, and James laughed at me, and ran off with the shiny rocks.

“This is not over.” I convinced myself, as I forcefully ate my lunch, and knew I would never claim what’s rightfully mine.

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Five things to watch for in Obama’s State of the Union address

Barack Obama’s relatively short political career has been punctuated by important speeches. His 2004 Democratic Convention speech catapulted him from an obscure state senator to a presidential prospect. A 2007 speech to Iowa Democrats gave him the momentum to win that state’s primary and the Demo…

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This morning, when I left the house, it was dark

I cannot believe it is dark out at 6:30 in the morning. It seems like yesterday when it was dark in the morning last time, but that was over half a year ago. Time just goes so fast.

I remember one time a friend told me that the world goes faster every time it rotates around the sun. Now I believe it. When I was young, a day seemed to go so slow. Now, a year goes by so fast. Even though it seems strange that it is dark now, I am not too worried because it will seem like just days and it will be a hot summer day again.

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Refereeing volleyball is a lot harder than it looks

You don’t have time to hardly blink because you have to pay such close attention to everything that is going on. If you are the official on the stand, you have to make snap judgments about ball handling, back row attackers and blockers, net violations and other violations.

If you are the down official, you have to watch for proper alignment, net violations, and assist the up referee on calls such as back row attackers and blockers, four hits, and out of bounds. During dead balls, the down official has to be aware of substitutions and time out. The down official also has to make sure that the score keepers are doing their jobs right.

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