Lance Armstrong Comes Clean to Doping

The other night, I was in bed, looking for something to watch on television.  I know, I know, experts say you shouldn’t have a television in your bedroom, but I find it comforting to watch a little before I go to bed. I was channel surfing when I came across the Lance Armstrong interview on OWN.  I didn’t realize this was the first airing and I am not a huge cycling fan, but something compelled me to watch. It has already been leaked to the media that Armstrong would confess to using performance-enhancing drugs to Oprah, but I wanted to … Continue reading

What Your College Kid Needs to Know to Save Money

All around the country, nervous parents are getting ready to send their kids off to college for the first time. The shopping for the dorm room is done, the tuition is paid and the car is gassed up. But before you hit the campus, make sure that your college kid knows the following stuff to save money. Otherwise, she may wind up with huge debt and no idea how to manage it. How to do things for herself If your college kids knows the basics of how to do things for herself, she is more likely to avoid extra bills. … Continue reading

Do I Really Need a Replacement Ring?

Earlier this year I wrote about how I broke my ring. As much as I hate looking at my naked ring finger (which always reminds me that it’s my own fault my diamond’s not perched there anymore), I realized this past Saturday I don’t want another ring. Looking at New Rings My heart hasn’t been in the shopping mood anyway, but while we were waiting for a table at Carrabba’s Saturday night, Wayne suggested we skip across the parking lot to Jared’s and see what kind of rings they had. “I really need to get you another ring. It’s been … Continue reading

DIY Mortgage Repair

Unless you have your head in the sand, you are aware of the foreclosure crisis. More families are losing their homes than ever before. If you are nervous about your mortgage situation, there are some “do it yourself” solutions to consider. Your mortgage is the most important loan you have. It enables you to keep a roof over your head. You should pay your mortgage first if you don’t have enough money to go around for all your bills. The problem that often leads to foreclosure is the inability to pay that large payment each month. The first step to … Continue reading

DIY Debt Reduction – Multiple Creditors

Most people don’t have one type of credit account. Most of us have our debt spread out in multiple locations. This can often make managing our bills complicated. If you have many different types of credit accounts – loans, lines of credit, credit cards, overdraft accounts – and want to reduce your overall debt, you will need to get organized first. Start with a file folder and put in your most recent balance statements into this folder. Collect them all, even the ones you don’t use often. Next, take this folder to a quiet place. Using a calculator and piece … Continue reading

DIY Credit Card Debt Reduction

Is most of your debt with credit cards? Do you have lots of cards with large balances? Are you having trouble making your minimum payments? Credit card debt is one of the worst kinds of debt. It is considered empty debt, as you often have little to show for it. With a mortgage or car loan, at least you have the house or car. Credit card debt tends to sneak up on you with lots of little purchases. This is especially true these days where almost all businesses accept credit cards. If you want to get out of credit card … Continue reading

Do It Your Self Credit Repair

Given our whole discussion on credit counseling and credit repair companies, you may wonder… can I just do it myself? The answer is… absolutely! Everything a credit repair company will do, you can do yourself instead. The advantage of DIY credit repair and debt management is you save yourself money AND prevent the hassles of finding a reputable company. Before you launch into this… there is one key thing to consider. Ask yourself seriously, how did I get into this credit and debt mess to begin with? You will have a lot of trouble with doing it yourself, if you … Continue reading

Choosing a Credit Counseling Agency

This month I have been discussing credit counseling services. In Do you Need Credit Counseling?, I gave some possible benefits to credit counseling services. Then in Credit Repair Scams, I gave some possible pitfalls of credit counselors. Today I wanted to offer some help on how to find a good credit counseling agency if you have decided to take the leap for help. Unfortunately, the credit counseling industry is full of scams and poorly run companies. The rules that govern them can vary greatly from state to state, plus they are confusing and disorganized. Relying on the law to help … Continue reading

Buying a Home with Bad Credit: Part 2

Earlier I started answering a question by one of our members here at Families.Com. She asked: “We have really bad credit, should we find a realtor that will help us fix/rebuild our credit before buying a house. Or should we try to fix it ourselves?” We are now in the second part of answering this question. If you missed the first part, you can read it by clicking here: Buying a Home with Bad Credit. Now, let us continue. Begin to work on repairing your credit. As much as you can, pay off old debts and loans. Start with the … Continue reading

Ensure your Credit Security Through Credit Cards

I realize many people out there shun credit cards entirely. While I can see their point, they are actually bucking a system ingrained in society. By doing this, they are inadvertently hurting themselves. Yes, credit cards can be black holes into debt and financial ruin, except, they are not a loaded gun. You have to use them incorrectly to get yourself in trouble. There is no accidental debt. The problem with not having credit cards is our society has become so reliant on them. Therefore, so have the credit bureaus for their credit reports and scores. By avoiding credit cards … Continue reading