September 25th, 2008
With high fuel prices , many people are looking for ways to save and reduce their gasoline expenses. Discount gas cards can help you cut your overall costs. There are several different card options when looking for gas discounts. One is the gasoline rebate credit card. These are common, offered by a number of leading credit card providers, and can be affiliated with a specific service station. A better option may be station or chain specific discount cards. These are loyalty incentives and rewards, and typically are free or very low cost. You might also find that you can get a discount on your gas simply by paying cash.
While using a credit card to buy gas can cause you to accumulate debt, many gasoline credit cards do offer substantial rewards. While the discount may not be at the pump, it likely will provide you with a rebate, either in cash or fuel. If you typically shop at a specific service station, consider applying for their card. Do read the terms carefully to determine what will give you the best rewards. Many gas rebate cards offer their best rebates when used at the pump at the affiliated station, so be sure that you choose one you can easily access and routinely visit when you need to fill up.
Discount prices for gas are often associated with shopping at a particular retailer, and with their loyalty discount cards. Warehouse shopping clubs like Sam’s and Costco may offer discounts at their affiliated service stations. You might also find that a discount of a few cents a gallon are available if you purchase store gift cards for some chains and buy gas at their service stations. These associated stations frequently use a loyalty fuel rewards program to encourage customers to shop at both the service station and grocery store. It might be worthwhile to check stores in your area and see if any participate in these sorts of loyalty gas discounts. Some of the major chains offering these sorts of programs are Kroger and Safeway, but a store in your area may have a similar program. Discounts in these loyalty programs can be as low as a few cents a gallon or as much as .10 cents a gallon. You may also find coupons for gas on the back of your grocery receipt which can help you save if you do not have access to other discounts.
High gas prices hurt many of our wallets. Smart shopping with gas rebate cards, discount card options, and other loyalty discounts can reduce your costs at the pump , especially if combined with choosing the least expensive convenient station in your area. Using the tools available to help you save will keep more of your money in your pocket.
Tags: discount gas cards, prepay fuel
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August 10th, 2008
This new company called Gadget Trak can help you if you are a small business owner who stores private information on a laptop or if you keep lots of personal banking and credit data of your own on a laptop or phone. I first saw this reported on a local news station of how this got some laptop thieves arrested when the Gadget Trak service tracked the IP address of the victim’s laptop and turned on the web cam taking a video and pictures of thieves.
If you are worried of storing information on your computer because it could get stolen by id thieves this is one more step to take. We seem to live in the day of big brother where we have to track our own devices just to make sure our own money does not get stolen from right under us. Then again you have to decide which is best for you — tracking of your laptop or the security of knowing your id is that much more protected.
The best thing to do when your laptop or device such as an Iphone is stolen is to make sure the data is destroyed. Data such as password information and notes you have on your computer could really hurt your identity.
More information on this gadget tracker can be found here. Read more on id theft and the hassles we face on this blog.
Tags: gagdet trak, recover stolen laptop data
Posted in idtheft | No Comments »
July 23rd, 2008
Washington Mutual, also known as WaMu, recently reported a $3.33 billion dollar loss. To some this may not worry you but to others who look at it they see WaMu as the largest U.S. Savings and Loan. When the largest reports a billion dollar loss or more some start trembling who carry over $100,000 in their accounts.
Most of us do not have the problem (or luxury) of carrying over $100,000 in an account at once but if you are saving for retirement you may find that you could have some over that FDIC insured amount. My words for you are that you should move that money that is over $100,000 into another bank that is not owned under the same companies umbrella.
I doubt that WaMu goes completely under but we never know. I had an account with Netbank in 2007 that got taken over by the FDIC and all assets moved over to ING Direct. I could have lost money out of that deal.
Recently, Indy Mac bank which is a huge bank in California went under without any warning and it was not even on the list of banks on the government’s watch list. People stood in lines to get their money back who were worried about their deposits. Reps from the FDIC claim that there has never been anyone who lost money in a FDIC regulated bank according to SFGate.com. I would not trust that judgement when it comes to my retirement money.
Indy Mac is currently being ran by the FDIC until the assets are sold to another bank. I went to IndyMacBank.com today and noticed they are offering money market accounts with a 50,000 minimum for 3.70% APY. Sorry, but I am not a crazy person to put money into a bank that has been shut down even if the government is running the bank.
Is your bank account safe? Well, if you keep under 100k in your account you should be fine and under 250k on IRA accounts.
Are you banking at a risky bank? There are too many to name right now. Even the banks under the Citibank umbrella do not look too healthy, WaMu, Wachovia, all have a lot of mortgage risk. They will all most likely survive. It will most likely be the banks that are smaller that will be taken over but not fail completely.
I am beginning to wonder if the U.S. Dollar will be in existance in a few years. All of this talk about the Amero currency. Who knows what will happen next.
Tags: 100k, citibank, money risk, safe bank account
Posted in Checking | No Comments »
July 17th, 2008
Chase Bank is offering a Summer bonus to stimulate your spending in July, August, and September. This is a welcomed bonus at a time that everyone is cost cutting and looking for ways to save on summer travel.
The 2% bonus came in the mail to me as a folded up mailer but it made me jump up and down when I saw I could save 2% back – at that time I thought it was on everything I spent. I should have known Chase was not in that good of a mood when they sent me the mailer. I looked at the fine print and discovered that it is only 2% back or double rewards on “Vacations” such as airfares, car rentals, and hotels. Which is better than nothing.
Although it does get worse. When I looked more at the fine print I noticed that my Chase Freedom card double promotion was only good up to $50 in bonus rebates which is close to $5,000 in spending. I was hoping to use the card in Europe so that will help some with the huge transaction fees that Chase and Visa/MasterCard allow compared to a Capital One card.
The up to $50 back is better than the Summer offer from Discover card which only gives you up to $400 in spending at the 5% Cash Back or maybe it kind of equals out since the Discover offer is at 5% but allows less.
The cards featured in the Chase Summer promotion of double rewards are the AARP, American Kennel Club, Chase Freedom Card , Disney Rewards, Sony Card, Amazon, British Airlines, Mary Kay Visa, and various Chase rewards cards.
Tags: chase credit cards, summer travel bonus, vacaton savings
Posted in Credit Cards, Shelter | No Comments »
June 19th, 2008
I learned a tough lesson and trusted a financial adviser at my local Chase by investing into Municipal Bonds with the majority of my retirement money. I mostly freaked out about the interest rates going down and it was tempting to do this because it is a way to help to keep my taxes lower. The only problem is that its not making any money. I have lost over $2,000 in these municipal bonds so far and I have to keep the money in the municipal funds for over a year or get a 1% penalty.
As I was listening to someone who is on commission for bad advice I am seeing how much money I could be making in rising savings account rates. HSBC Direct has raised their rate to 3.50% until August 1, and it may even go higher when that promo ends. The first rate increase for nine months happens over at WTDirect from 3.19 to 3.26 APY.
WaMu is also grabbing the attention of customers looking for higher interest rates with the 5.00% Savings Success offer. Walk into your local bank and see what they are offering and search online. If your current bank is still punishing you with low interest from the fed rate cuts then transfer it over to a bank that is keeping up with the competition.
Tags: high interest savings, HSBC Direct, municipal bonds, WTDirect
Posted in High Yield | No Comments »
June 19th, 2008
Gas prices are raging high now that we are knee deep in summer travel season and people are on the lookout for anything that will help. Do not count on gas additives to boost your fuel consumption. A government agency recently named some advertising claims to avoid such as “improving fuel economy by 20%” and Federal government approved
products.
The EPA has tested over 100 devices and only came back with six that gave improvements in fuel economy. These are also fractional improvements in the mileage. Do not fall for these ripoffs even if you see it on TV or hear it on the radio.
It may not be a good thing for your car to put in additives. If you want to boost your fuel then drink a healthy protein drink and ride your bike to work that is the best way to get around in these trying times. It may also make your heart stronger for when you see the pump prices in a few months.
Tags: auto additives, fuel booster, gas mileage
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June 17th, 2008
The MagicJack is as small as a ciggarrette lighter and it plugs directly into your desktop or laptop’s USB. This small device allows unlimited calling to the U.S. nationwide and Canada and will even feature International locations soon. MagicJack only costs $39.95 for an entire years worth of calling and features such as voicemail (and caller id, call waiting, 911). What is not to like about this “magic” phone service?
Is the MagicJack too good to be true? I have seen many complains online ranging from it containing adware in the terms and conditions to people being charged before the trial membership runs at at 25 days. I am always skeptical of anything that is this cheap and how and why it works. You normally have to look into how this company is making money from such a little profit before you start giving in to the idea. If you start a free trial then cancel it after a week. That should be all the time you need to tell if it is working for you and if you want to keep the ‘magical’ device.
It is neat that you can plug a landline or cordless phone into the jack that plugs into your USB. We will be seeing more and more products like this coming out. Keep on the lookout for more ways to save money on your phone bills and cancel your landline service.
If you wish to save more money on your landline service then switch over to mobile At Home Networks which AT&T and T-Mobile are offering. They offer services where you can boost your home cell phone signal for as little as $10 month extra using your DSL or cable broadband.
Tags: at home cell service, landline phone, magicjack
Posted in Deals | No Comments »
June 13th, 2008
If you think that high interest accounts are only for the rich then think again. Washington Mutual bank (WaMu) is helping people save money for retirement and future emergencies down the road. The new Savings account promotion will get you 1 year for 5.00% interest when you deposit as little as $1 to start up the account.
The high interest savings account works by taking money out of your WaMu checking account and depositing that money in your savings each month. The transfers would be $25 to $500 each month which are low enough that you may not even notice helping save for college or your future.
You cannot put more than $500 in the account more than once a month so those of you with large amounts of money sitting around you should consider their CD at 3.25% APY. This 5% account is mainly intended to help families or people save money who are not good at saving money and helping them do that at a higher interest rate.
To get into this great deal go into your local WaMu in Georgia, Illinois, Texas, or Washington and ask them to open a Savings for Success account. If you do not live in any of these areas I would recommend that you check out the other WaMu offers online where you can normally get the best deals on higher yields.
Tags: 5% APY, Georgia, savings, Texas, WaMu, Washington Mutual bank
Posted in Checking | No Comments »
June 11th, 2008
Did you notice less people traveling on the highways over the last big holiday weekend? Americans are driving less. Gas has quickly become America’s top economic issue since it relates to so many products and services. Sunday, gas topped the $4 per gallon average the first time first in Alaska then it spread to other states. On June 10th Maryland, Georgia, and Florida got hammered with $4 gallon gas.
The national average now is $4.04, but that may go up or down depending on the commodities. The shock about $4 gas could reduce consumer spending drastically because of the fear people will not have any money left over after driving to work and running personal errands.
Commercial fleets are paying 33% of their total costs in fuel now compared to 13% in 2006. This steady rise in commercial fleets could quickly lead to our own pocketbooks in higher prices for FedEx deliveries, cereal, among other increases in everyday goods and services.
We were complaining about these prices back in 1980 when a new level of $1 was reached but you must consider inflation with these prices. Then again it took sixty years to reach over 99 cents price point. Would you love to have some 99 cent gas right now?
Expect lawn care services, shipping, and anyone and everything to try to put on extra fees to pay for their gas. We will be having dreams of hybrid cars, trucks, and lawn mowers.
You can dream all you want for lower prices at your neighborhood Shell station or 7-Eleven it might come true in a decade or so. Praying might even come in for some. We should have gotten off this addiction to oil years ago but we are still craving for crude oil and that’s what we are getting.
Watch out for thieves as gas prices soar. Crooks are cutting into gas lines in neighborhood malls and shopping centers and even stealing catalytic converters out of trucks and cars parked at residences. People may even start killing for fuel as these prices continue to rise to keep a closer eye on things when you get out and about.
Cheers to the good inventive people who are coming up with creative ways to keep gas mileage down!
Tags: $4 gallon gas, $5 gallon, florida, high gas prices, shell
Posted in Budgeting | No Comments »
June 3rd, 2008
There are a number of choices in budgeting software. The good news is that they all work and work well. On the whole, any budgeting plan works as long as you implement it and stick to it. How should you choose budgeting software? Well, many people start by looking at the software most easily integrated with their bank and other financial resources. Many banks now allow you to download your statements directly into Quicken or Microsoft Money, as you prefer. You might also consider a virtual version of old fashioned envelope budgeting with a product like My Spending Plan at Http://www.myspendingplan.com. You can also find a number of free or shareware budgeting software options on-line if you’d like to get started at a lower cost. Finally, if you already own or have access to a basic database program similar to Microsoft Excel, this is an excellent and easy to use budgeting tool.
Which of these options should you choose? First, consider how much you can afford to spend. There are a number of great free budgeting tools, particularly if you do not need to manage and supervise investment accounts or other more complex financial matters. My Spending Plan works on the envelope system, but you will find that there are a number of other free budgeting software options on-line as well, and one may meet your needs and preferences. Buddi is an open source program that will run on any machine with Java installed and is available at http://buddi.thecave.homeunix.org/en/.
Buddi offers a traditional way to track your spending and budget your money. GnuCash allows for common financial file downloads and access at no charge gnucash.org. GnuCash offers substantially more accounting tools than the other free options listed, and will also work well for small businesses needing to keep track of their money.
If you are willing to spend on your budgeting software, the two big names in the business are Quicken and Microsoft Money. Microsoft Money is easy to learn and use, particularly if you are already accustomed to using Microsoft products. It has a number of convenient on-line access features as well, including integrated access with MSN Money.
Quicken is available both as Quicken On-line and as a standard piece of software. If you do nearly all your budgeting at home or the office, the traditional software may be a good choice, but if you use multiple computers or are often on the go, the newer on-line option may be an excellent budgeting tool.
Which of these two should you choose? That answer depends upon your bank, investments and other financial matters. Choose whichever is the most compatible with your needs for the most convenient and easiest home money management.
Tags: gnucash, microsoft money, my spending plan, quicken
Posted in Budgeting | No Comments »