bjc's Blog

At the time of me writing this article Christmas has just passed. For my family it's the best day of the year, but many people are adding on the their credit card debt when shopping for gifts. They figure they will pay the bills over the next few months. The problem is many do only pay the minimum amount so they end up never paying them off.

The only person that makes out is the credit card company. What are some of the more creative ways you can earn extra cash to pay off credit cards etc? Here are a few examples to get you thinking.

1. Look around the house for items you don't use and put them on E-Bay.
2. Start doing some Data Entry from home.
3. Start taking Paid Surveys and earn quick cash.
4. Start a Home Based Business.
5. Start Processing Rebates for cash.
6. Look for a part-time job.

These are just a few of the many things you can do for quick cash. Think outside of the box and do your best to slowly get rid of credit card debt. Once you have the extra cash coming in, you will have to use discipline to ensure it goes to your bills and not spent elsewhere. You will need to be on a strict budget just to ensure you know where you money is being spent. In regards to credit card payments I would suggest picking the ones with the highest interest rate and apply your new found income to that particular card until it's paid off. You will get a great sense of satisfaction when that occurs. I know I have been there and done that before. What a relief it can be.

Don't fee alone and discouraged, because many people including myself have been in this situation more than once. You simply have to deal with it head on until it's taken care of. The online jobs are becoming more popular these days so don't be afraid to try one of them. Some of them are free and other companies will charge a minimal fee to not only show you how to make money, but help you avoid the common mistakes made by most people that cost time and money. I compare it to when I purchase a self-help book for doing a new project around the house. Could I do it without the book? Yes, but the time and money saved is well worth it in my personal opinion.

Should you decide to try some of the work at home or home based jobs you will want to use a website like mine, but not necessarily mine that has done some level of research for you or be prepared to do the work yourself. It's important because you want to beware of many of the scam artists on the web. Take your time and enjoy your success. Please feel free to read both this article or one of my many others by visiting my link in the resource box below. I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles or my site. Your feedback is important to me.

You will be better off because of it.

The slowing economy hit retailers hard this past shopping season. Many stores depend on the holiday gift giving season for up to 40% of their annual sales. When retail stores don't realize enough sales during December, many face the real prospect of closing their doors in the January.

This is happening throughout the country. Retail stores from the local mom-n-pop shop to major national chains are going out of business, or at least closing some of their under-achieving stores.

But holiday shopping still occurred. People still shopped, though just not as much in years past. And when they purchased those gifts, too many were paid for using credit cards, increasing already inflated account balances.

Once again, the reality of those balances will begin to show up as the credit card monthly statements start to arrive in the mail. More people than ever are wondering how they are going to pay those 2008 debt balances, and still survive in 2009.

Unless a person can payoff their card balances within a few months, then the amount of spent on those 2008 gifts will continue to increase as interest on those purchases continues to accumulate. Too many people don't realize that the $500 they spent on holiday gifts could really cost them $600 to $700 once those purchases, plus interest, are paid for.

The sad part is that most people never know how much money they are actually spending. Purchases made now, are simply added to previous balances, plus old interest, plus future purchases, plus future interest. A family cannot possibly budget their expenses when they do not know how much their purchases are actually costing them. All they really see is an ever growing debt balance.

How does a family survive when their debt begins to grow out of control? The first order of business is to put away the credit cards. Make a commitment to live without them. If a family's monthly income is not enough to cover the monthly expenses, then some hard, difficult choices must be made on which expenses must be cut out their lives.

The second order of business is eliminating the debt burden left behind. There are many solutions and programs available to achieve this goal. Not every solution is a good fit for every person. Some may try and settle for a lower balance, some people may obtain a low interest consolidation loan.

Many people are now discovering that debt elimination programs are very real. To accomplish this, you must make the commitment to live without credit cards. It can be done. The interest savings alone could seem like getting a pay raise.

The perception in this country is that you must have a credit card. This is false. Many debit cards can be used just like credit cards. Many people travel around the world, and never use a credit card. Of course, the money must actually be in the bank in order to make purchases using a debit card. Do not forget about using cash for your purchases. You are less likely to make that un-needed purchase when you can actually see the money disappearing from their wallet.

This just leads to a very simple concept: If you don't have the money, don't make the purchase. Living by this rule will eliminate foolish purchases, and save money that would be wasted on interest charges.

When you live in this manner, the $500 spent on next year's holiday gifts, will only cost you $500.

During the Obama / McCain town hall debate Health Insurance was a big issue. Barak Obama stated that no family should go Bankrupt based on a catastrophic illness and spend there time battling with the insurance companies while they are trying to deal with their illness.

That goal can be achieved today for over 70% of the American work force with a simple change in insurance coverage. Companies that currently offer blanket medical coverage offer the following
Policies:

Medical Insurance
Group Life Insurance
Shot Term Disability
Long Term Disability
Dental
Vision
401K

An employee that is provided with these types of benefits was considered to be fully insured and covered. Based on a Harvard Bankruptcy Study illness to either spouse will cause such a financial strain it will send the family into Bankruptcy within weeks.

The solution is to simply realign the money spent on insurance to protect the income of the employees through supplemental insurance. Using the same dollar amount the insurance package can be re-allocated to the following:

Medical Insurance
Group Life Insurance
Short Term Disability
Long Term Disability
Supplemental Income Protection
401K

Using this model of replacing the Dental and Vision insurance with Supplemental Income Protection the employee is now financially ready to face catastrophic illnesses. Employers do not spend extra money to implement these plans as they are employee contribution plans and the Employer saves on Pay roll Taxes.

The payroll deduction Companies gain can be used to defray the costs to the company of supplying medical insurance to the employees. By realigning these costs it would increase health care coverage and protect individuals from financial disaster based on Catastrophic Illness to themselves, a spouse or children.

You probably dread holidays for one single reason: it is that time of the year when you have more chances of gaining weight than at any other time of the year. And why not. Most of the foods available at this time are full of fat and sugar, the two demons which make people overweight all too easily.

However, considering that holidays come only once in a year, it won't be wise to cut yourself from the enjoyment entirely. In this article I will tell you about three ways to enjoy the holiday foods while at the same time keep the weight under control.

Contrary to what you might believe, it is not that hard to balance the two. Here are the three things you need to do to get yourself started:

1. Eat well before attending the party

If you attend a party with an empty stomach, you are more likely to crave for the tempting junk foods available to you than otherwise. So make sure that you eat considerable food at home before venturing out. And what would you eat?

Definitely not cakes, sugar, biscuits, candies or cookies. Instead, you should stuff yourself with protein-rich foods. Protein is known to keep a person full for a long time. Consequently you would be eating very little at the party, but of course, without any sense of deprivation. After all, you are not depriving yourself of the delicious foods: you are not eating them simply because you CANNOT.

Protein is also helpful in another way: it builds strong lean muscles for you. Since muscles need more energy to maintain themselves than is required by fat, your body is forced to burn your fat deposits in order to produce this extra energy. Consequently, you lose weight. As you can see, eating protein-rich foods is a win-win situation for you.

And don't think that protein-rich foods are all bland and boring. After all, how could you forget about the tasty yogurt, which is high on protein.

2. Cut down on carbs

Should you be eating carbs? Yes, of course, but you should definitely cut down on the intake of simple carbs such as sugary foods, and opt for the more complex ones. The rationale behind this is simple: simple carbs, as their name suggests, are very simple and easy to digest. They dissolve in your body very quickly and turn into fat. Moreover, they accentuate your carb cravings so that you tend to eat more and more sugary foods to satiate yourself.

On the other hand, complex carbs take longer to digest and are therefore better for you.

3. Be selective with turkey

There are very few families which don't eat huge turkeys during this holiday season. Turkey is all fine, as long as you don't buy the dark variety. The white skinless turkey is best for you since it is low on fat.

Also keep in mind that the way you cook your turkey would determine how much weight you would put on by eating it. Make sure to use minimal oil and a lot of spices when cooking it, and if possible, use fat-free or low-cholesterol oil.

Follow the tips above and you will find it very easy to keep your weight in check when everyone else would be displaying their fat bellies.

Generally, health insurance plans have their own advantages and disadvantages. Before you make any decisions on which insurance to get for yourself and your family, you have to be very careful with the details including the terms and conditions of portfolios that provided by the insurance company. All types of health insurances have benefits and risks that you must take note.

In order to know more about it, try to get use with these tips which are indeed helpful.

Here are the most common tips to know about getting this particular insurance package:

1. Spending for an insurance policy even if it costs a lot is much better than not having an insurance policy at all. The medical fee certainly cost higher than what you are paying for the health insurance plan.
2. A policy that is being offered by your company is workable for you - so better go for it. The insurance premium will be divided fairly between the employer and the employee.
3. Take your time to do a short survey on this particular insurance policy. No matter how time-consuming and stressing it is to make a comparative study, this is the ideal method to select the right insurance plan that really suits you.
4. The cheapest plan may sometimes provide expensive personal health expenses. However, if the insurance plan is much cheaper, when you need intensive medical attention and you found that your insurance policy does not cover certain diseases and accidents, thus you need to pay for the expensive hospital bills.
5. Bear on your mind that, expensive insurance policy does not necessarily mean that these insurance companies will provide reliable customer service.