Posts made in May 2015

Work out what you owe

The first thing you’re going to need to do is write up a list of your outstanding bills. Whether it is rent or mortgage payments, credit card debts or utilities. By putting everything down on paper, you’ll be able to see exactly how much you owe and to who. This step will also make it easier when we come to prioritizing, a little bit later on. Go through any unopened mail, bank statements and bills to find out exactly how much you need to pay back.

Prioritize your debts

Now you have everything written down; the next step is to work out which debts are the most important to pay back. Here’s an example of the most common debts and what their priority should be:

• Rent or mortgage payments – To keep a roof over your family’s heads

• Taxes – The state can imprison you if you don’t pay them; property tax is one of the most common

• Utility bills – Keep the electrics on and the water running

• Insurances – Especially medical insurance

• Loans and credit card bills – Still a high priority, but not at the top of the list

• Any other bills – If you have any other outstanding bills they should come fairly low on the list

• Friends and family members – If you’re struggling to pay back loans from peers then they’re the least important on your list

Paying the debts off

You should now have a pretty good idea of how much you owe, to whom, and when they need to be paid back. The best thing to do would be to call every single one of the companies you owe money to and explain your situation. They may want you to fill out an income and expenses form, to prove that you really are struggling to pay things back. Here are some of the best ways to pay off some of the most common debts:

• Rent or mortgage payments – These are your most important debts to clear first. Whatever money you have coming in will need to go toward keeping that roof over your head.

• Taxes – Property tax should be your next biggest priority. You can look into tax loans that will help buy you some more time. Alternatively, if you have some spare cash, then it should go toward taxes.

• Bills and Insurances – Ring up the companies you owe money to and ask if you can be put on a payment plan. Let them know how much you can afford each month and start paying it back a little bit at a time. Use any method you can think of to make some spare cash and pay them off.

Digging your head into the sand won’t work when it comes to debt – it will just make things worse. Follow this handy guide and you’ll be back in the black before you know it.

Check For Deals –This check will be particularly important in the build up to big holidays like Christmas. Sites like Hot UK Deals are run by users. When someone finds a hot deal they post it online and depending on how much interest there is, it receives a rating. It will also tell you when the deal has expired. If you are lucky, you will also find that people have posted codes for ten and twenty percent off sites like Zavvi and Tesco.

This has certainly come in handy when having a teenage son. Games are commonly posted, telling you where the best place to buy the latest title is.

Another important check during the build up to Christmas is black Friday deals. We are not suggesting you consider venturing out into the stores on the week of Black Friday.  But you will find great deals online. Amazon offers five days of fantastic deals, and we are sure you will find a gift for each and every family member. Last Year the XBox One was slashed in price by fifty percent during Black Friday. But again, do not even think about going shopping on the streets on Black Friday. Trust us, it is not worth it.

Flubit – Heard of Flubit? Well, we have and it is well investigating. Flubit is a site you can sign up for. It works like this. You post the link of an item you want to buy from a site like Amazon. Flubit will then search all available prices of that item across the internet. It will then offer you a discounted price. The service is totally free but you will have to wait to be invited to use the service once you sign up. The site has become very popular and this is the way they deal with the excess demand. This is an idea of the kind of deal you will receive. We input a £15 Blu-Ray, and two days later received an offer of £8. Every little helps.

Research Prices – Of course, there is nothing stopping you doing research. We frequently compare prices between websites like Zavvi and Amazon. For new film titles, Zavvi is constantly more expensive however for older films it certainly comes out on top. If you use Google shop, you can type in an Item, and it will give you every website that is selling it with the price. We have found this is a fantastic way to find the cheapest deal if you have not yet received your invitation to use Flubit.

Something Simple – Chocolates and Flowers are underrated. There are plenty of reasons that you should buy a loved one a bouquet of flowers. You can show you do listen. You know their favourite type of flower. Yes, they will not last forever but that is not the point. Flowers have a certain traditional romance about them. Also, any girl will tell you they would love their boyfriend to give them a single, red rose.

Chocolates have a similar quality. We do recommend you make sure the person is not dieting. But surprising them with their favourite brand is a wonderful gesture of love. There is a reason Galaxy and Cadburys commonly use the notion of romance in their ads. It works. It sells.

Something handmade – Father’s day is coming up. Do you want to spend a fortune on Father’s Day gifts? You could save money and instead just spend some time. Make your day something special this year. Are you good with your hands? Then how about a nice hand carved, engraved tool for his tool kit. Do you have that creative flair? Then why not try writing him a poem. You can get it laminated or buy a frame. Show your dad how much you really care. Handmade presents get a lot of mockery in the media. But that is because the media want you to spend a fortune on gifts every year. Just look at how much advertising starts up in October.  Last year Christmas advertising even started in August.

A gift voucher – Not sure what to get someone? It may seem lazy, but a gift card or a voucher is the perfect idea. The price is fixed and affordable and the person gets to choose what they buy. You can also get that more personal touch. If you know someone loves films, a card that gives them one free year at the movies is a  fantastic present. Also, it is not like giving someone cash. You can still wrap it up and make a big deal out of it. Be creative.

We hope at least one of these ideas has inspired you to do something different this year. Stop wasting a fortune on presents you are not even sure people will like. Instead, you can save money and still show people just how much they mean to you.