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It is possible to get FREE gift cards by participating in online programs. By free, I mean that you do not have to make any purchases (although you can rack up more points by doing so). All you need to do is answer a few questions and click on a few emails and youll be on your way to earning your free gift cards. Signing up with sites such as these will generate junk email and spam. So before you begin, I recommend setting up a free email account to use for registration.
1. Sign up with Mypoints.com. This site gives you points by making purchases. However, you dont have to buy anything. They send out surveys and bonus emails" that allow you to earn points. You can also check out their Max Points section and sign up for the free offers, which also gives you points. Most of the offers have a charge so read carefully to ensure that the offers you are signing up for are completely free. Mypoints
2. Sign up with Memolink.com. Like Mypoints, this site give you points by making purchases. Also like Mypoints, you do not have to buy anything. Click on the Take Surveys button and rack up the points for free. They also allow you to sign up for offers-some free, some with a cost. Memolink gives you a choice of redeeming for gift certificates, gas cards, items or cash. Memolink
3. Sign up with Partnership-Plus.com. Nothing could be easier than this site! The only requirement is to fill out a form saying what clothing items you have purchased the previous month. You do not buy the clothes from Partnership-Plus. You purchase clothing the same way youve been doing for years and fill out a simple form. You also get points if you fill out the form saying you didnt buy anything the previous month. You earn extra points by filling out the survey by the 5th of each month and you even get a friendly email reminder. Partnership-Plus
4. Sign up with Lightspeedpanel.com. This is an invite only survey site. However, the payout starts at 575 points and most surveys earn 75 or 150 points so it doesnt take long to get the required amount of points. Lightspeedpanel gives you a choice of redeeming points for cash, gift cards or items. Lightspeedpanel
Financial security is freedom. Making a budget is simple and is the first step to financial security. You can use computer software to create your worksheet but its not necessary. All you really need is a piece of paper and a pencil. How you decide to create your budget is up to you. The basic idea is the same. Doing a budget worksheet every month will help you see where you can or need to cut cost.
Things you will need:
* Financial Statements
* Financial software (i.e. Quicken), Spreadsheet software (i.e. Excel) OR paper and pencil
* Calculator (if using paper and pencil)
Step 1. You will have two categories for your expenses: FIXED and VARIABLE. Look through your financial statements (bills, credit card statements, checkbooks, receipts, etc.) to see what your list will include.
Step 2. The fixed category is like it sounds - the bills that are relatively the same every month. They are a fixed amount. This is also where you would include bills that you pay every 6 months (like car insurance) or every year (like property tax). These expenditures should be included in your monthly plan.
Examples of "Fixed Expenditures" would be: mortgage/rent, insurance, utilities, telephone, cellular phone, memberships (i.e. AAA, Netflix), internet service, cable TV, savings, etc.
Step 3. The Variable category is also like it sounds the bills vary from month to month.
Examples of "Variable Expenditures" would be: groceries, clothing, entertainment, travel, laundry, car repairs, savings, etc.
Step 4. Total up these expenditures.
Step 5. Now figure out your income. This will include your wages, bank interest and any other sources of money you have coming into your household.
Step 6. Subtract your expenses from your income. If you have a negative number, you have some work to do! Remember you CAN NOT SPEND MORE THAN YOU EARN! If you have a positive number then you are on the right track. Congratulations! Look over your expenses. Can you be doing better? Are there places you can cut some costs? The old rule of thumb was to have 6 months worth of expenses in an emergency savings fund. Currently, a financial planner on PBS is saying 8 months. Creating a budget will help
you reach that financial goal!
EXAMPLE OF A BUDGET WORKSHEET:
EXPENSES
FIXED
Mortgage $500.00
Telephone $ 20.00
Property tax $165.00 (take your yearly cost and divide by 12)
Car Payment $200.00
Netflix $ 15.00
Savings $ 50.00
TOTAL $950.00
VARIABLE
Groceries $100.00
Clothing $ 75.00
Donations $ 20.00
Restaurants $100.00
TOTAL $295.00
EXPENSE TOTAL $1245.00 (this is FIXED and VARIABLE EXPENSES)
INCOME
Wages $1200.00
Interest $ 100.00
TOTAL $1300.00
GRAND TOTAL -$ 55.00 (This is INCOME minus EXPENSES)
This person is spending $55.00 more a month then he earns. Hopefully your worksheet will reflect a positive number!
Saving money is a hot topic these days. I haven't always been a frugal person but once I learned the art of it I realized how easy it is to save those pennies and dimes. Living a frugal lifestyle has allowed me to pay off my debts, buy a condo with cash and have a decent savings. These tips won't change your life overnight, its an ongoing process. Also, not all tips work for everyone so you need to access your own needs.
1. Assess the services and memberships you are paying for. Are there any that you don't use or could live without? Do you really use that gym membership? If cancelling the cable television is not an option how about downgrading from the premium package? Same with Netflix - do you really need 6 DVDs at one time? Cancel or downgrade all the extra services you can. You'll be surprised at what you won't miss.
2. Cancel the optional features and services from your home phone. There is a lot of discussion about getting rid of landlines in order to save money . I like having a landline phone but I don't see a point to all these extras. I don't think I've ever once made a three-way call. I have a trick to see who is calling me and it doesn't cost a dime. I merely pick up the receiver and say "hello."
3. Let your fingers do the walking. If you need a telephone number use a phone book or online directory. Avoid calling Information as you will be charged for the calls.
4. Make sure your cell phone plan meets your needs. If you go over your minutes every month you'll save money by increasing your plan. Although, changing your calling habits will save you even more money. Downgrade your plan if you find you never use all of your minutes.
5. Pay your bills on time. Why add to your expenses by paying late fees? Most people set aside a day each month to pay bills but its too easy to miss due dates this way. Try to pay bills as they arrive. If that doesn't work for you at least set a day aside each week.
If you are comfortable with automatic withdraws from your bank account you may find that a convenient way to assure timely payments. Plus you'll save on stamps.
6. Buy the least expensive checks. Apparently you can save money by ordering checks from an independent printer. If you're like me you prefer to order checks from your financial institution. When its time to reorder, tell the clerk you would like the least expensive design available. The bank will do the rest. Some people argue that the puppies or mountain scenes say something about their personality. Your plain checks will say that you're too smart to waste your money.
7. Account for all withdraws you make using checks, debit cards and ATM transactions. Otherwise you may wind up with an unpleasant surprise at the end of the month. Also, be aware of charges for using an ATM not associated with your bank.
8. Save money on your insurance by raising your deductibles. Since you'll be working on saving money you will have the finances to pay for the higher deductible.
Using the same company for all your insurance needs will result in a multi-policy discount.
9. Call companies and ask for incentives to keep you as a customer. It is my pet peeve when businesses give great deals to new customers while ignoring their long-term, loyal customers. Ask for those introductionary rates. The companies most likely to work with you are: credit cards, internet, cable , trash and cell phones.
10. Adjust your thermostat and weather strip your doors and windows. By lowering you thermostat a few degrees you can save approximately 10% on your bills. Lower your heat even a little more when you go to bed or will be gone from the house. Investing in a programmable thermostat makes this task a little easier and allows for the house to heat up a bit before waking or coming home.
11. Give yourself a pat on the back for taking control of your finances!
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