Beat the Credit Crunch. Ways to holiday on a budget.

Credit Crunch

Major holiday retailers are holding strong with inflated prices that very rarely offer you discounts compared designing and booking your own flights and hotel. There are huge advantages to taking control of your own holiday and getting wise to the hidden costs that they are paying without your consent.

Getting that cheap flight

Airlines are reducing their prices and the bargains are out there! The major retail airlines have January sales as long as you book before mid February but they impose some restrictions on when you can take your holiday, if you’re flexible then there are definite bargains to be had. The smaller budget airlines offer bargains to specific destinations and these can be quite exotic, city break flights are very easy to get hold of at bargain prices. Beware, the price you see is not the price you pay but being aware of your restrictions can bring you closer to a bargain.

Hidden flight charges

All airlines charge you for taking more than hand luggage which is considered 10Kg and restricted to the size of a small gym bag. The charge for taking a 20Kg suitcase is usually around £10 each way so consider sharing luggage and being conscious of the weight you are taking onboard. Checking in to the airport is also charged at around £5 each way but nowadays it’s possible to check in on the internet if you’re only taking hand luggage with you. Some airlines charge an unavoidable fee for paying by card (usually £5) but this is the cost of bargain shopping online.

Finding cheap accommodation

if you’re extremely budget conscious then you may want to consider youth hostels, they can bring forth images of noisy boarding schools but in reality they offer a variety of rooms at varying prices. They can be booked online up to 24 hours before the actual holiday and there is a sea of review sites that contain hundreds of reviews for each hostel. Some hostels will offer double en suite rooms for as low as £25 per night and this can be bargain accommodation if you’re planning to stay in the centre of a major city.

If you’d prefer a hotel then shop around making use of the review sites to get a good feel for the best hotels. You can get a much more enjoyable stay by selecting the hotel yourself and enjoy the discounts from booking direct, you may have to ring the hotel if their website is lacking but persistence pays off.

The early bird gets the worm

The days of last minute holiday discounts are dwindling and the early-bird discounts are much more impressive. Book at least a month in advance of your holiday to get the full spread of early-bird discounts and the largest choice of holiday destinations.

It is all too easy to use credit cards to pay for much needed holidays and this is not a good idea if you cannot afford the repayments. If you have credit agreements taken out before April 2007 there is a new unenforceable credit agreement claim which is becoming more and more known about here in the UK. It is possible to have your credit finance agreements –agreements such as credit cards, store cards, secured and unsecured loans, car finance agreements, and those with payment protection insurance ( PPI) ‘audited’. They may not comply with the terms of the 1974 Consumer Credit Act and if they do not they are unenforceable credit agreements. This means you can claim to have them written off. That is the balance completely cleared.Fo NO FEES upfront or at any point, a solicitor with handle your claim.

The emotional and psychological effects of being in debt.

The economy is struggling to keep its head above water and everyone is feeling the effects. With very few options left, more and more people are turning to their credit cards to help keep them afloat in these troubling times. The problem with that is that eventually the personal debt piles up and, like weights tied to your ankles, slowly starts to pull you under.

But the damaging effects of being in debt go far beyond the material and digs deep into the emotional and psychological health of human beings. Studies have shown that being in debt does indeed take its toll on the emotional and psychological aspects of our lives. First, there is the very basic element of fear: the fear of losing one’s source of income and job, the fear of losing property such as one’s home or car, and the fear of one day being left with less than nothing and owing more than one can ever repay financially.

Areas around the world, especially in the UK, are feeling this fear more often every day. With the cost of living continually rising, it’s not difficult to understand how these fears come about. But that fear takes it toll on people in so many ways. You may start to have difficulty sleeping or maintaining any kind of focus. Stress becomes an everyday occurrence that gets harder and harder to deal with.

Many people are at risk of falling into a state of depression when they end up losing their jobs and simply cannot afford anything at all. This only multiplies the feelings of anxiety and depression to the point that serious medical help is needed. And it’s not just one person in the family who feels these pains. Every member is equally affected in some way.

Emotions such as anger and frustration take over and divide families that had once been much closer and happier. Feelings of hurt and resentment turn many people inward and, thus, they withdraw from their loved ones. This is becoming more common in places like the U.S.A, the UK and throughout Europe where economic debt has now seeped into the personal lives of their citizens and is causing a deep wound in the emotional and psychological lives of a large amount of the population.

The mental health concern is a serious one and needs to be addressed immediately. One way to prevent these ill effects is to address your economic situation regularly and reasonably. If you find any indication that there is the slightest build up of debt, with credit cards or otherwise, an immediate response is needed. Maybe your spending habits need to be cut, or it might be that you’ll have to make a tough choice of sacrificing property or materials that you enjoy but may not need. But believe it. Your emotional and psychological health is far more valuable and necessary than a burden that will weigh you down and ultimately cause more damage than it is worth.

If you have credit agreements taken out before April 2007 there is a new unenforceable credit agreement claim which is becoming more and more known about here in the UK.

It is possible to have your credit finance agreements –agreements such as credit cards, store cards, secured and unsecured loans, car finance agreements, and those with payment protection insurance ( PPI) ‘audited’. They may not comply with the terms of the 1974 Consumer Credit Act and if they do not they are unenforceable credit agreements. This means you can claim to have them written off. That is the balance completely cleared.

Beat the Credit Crunch. Ways to eat well on a Budget.

Beat the Credit Crunch

There are many ways anyone can eat well on a budget. Preparing and eating at home always saves you money compared to eating out and is much better for you. Be prepared when you leave the house to keep yourself away from fast food restaurants. Pack and bring snacks along in the car to snack on when you get hungry so you are not tempted to stop and eat. Meals should be made from scratch. Pre-packaged foods may be more convenient but not as nutritious. Most pre-packaged foods have a lot of sodium, calories, fat and sugars. When comparing the ingredients of both, foods made at home are less expensive.

Cooking from scratch will take more time, but will save you money and be better for you. Plan your shopping trips. Do not go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. You will buy more food than you need. Making a list will keep your shopping under control when you stick to the list. Before going shopping, compare food prices between supermarkets to see who is offering lower prices at that time. Try to find and use discount coupons for the foods you are buying. Do not buy an item you do not necessarily need just because you have a coupon for it. When at the supermarket , shop the perimeter of the store. This is where the dairy, meats, fish, fruits and vegetables usually are. These foods are less processed, healthier for you and typically cost less.

Try to buy generic foods. They do cost less than name brand. Look for foods that dome in bulk. Buying foods in bulk can save you money in the long run. A large container of crackers costs less than buying multiple packages of smaller ones. When buying meat from the store, consider buying a whole chicken and cutting it into pieces. Buying pre-cut pieces of breasts, legs and thighs cost more than doing it yourself. Create your own snacks for home, work or when out and about. Food can be put in small containers at home instead of buying pre-packaged ones from the store. Food in your snack could include nuts, seed, cereal, dried fruit and vegetables. This is much for healthy for you and less expensive. Carry water with you that you need from home instead of buying bottled water. Buy a filter for you home tap water instead of buying bottled water from this store. Take your lunch to work. This will save you money from eating out. There are a lot of food storage containers to use for both cold and hot foods. All these small but effective changes will soon add up to significant saving on your food budget. And you will be healthier in the long run too!

The Credit Crunch – In a Nutshell………….

The Credit Crunch

Suddenly you’ve gone from evaluating your next major purchase to worrying about the price of bread. National retail institutions are collapsing daily but the price of petrol is going down. You wouldn’t be blamed for wondering what happened during the last few years and what’s still happening.

How did we get here?

American banks issued sub-prime mortgages for many years, these are often one hundred percent mortgages at extremely high interest rates that are sold to people with low credit scores and sometimes even no source of income. The banking industry justified this by thinking that the constantly rising house prices would allow consumers to re-mortgage their house at a profit whenever they fell behind with their payments. In the summer of 2004 the American housing market started to crash and consumers began defaulting on their sub-prime mortgages, banks were forced to write off billions of dollars of debt.

Why is worldwide lending cut?

The American banks put the money from sub-prime mortgages into investments which plummeted in value when the sub-prime mortgage crisis hit, worldwide banks also had money in those investments and were left making a huge loss. UK and US banks were the worst hit and are now left fighting to survive. They tightened their lending habits to help recuperate the loss of the bad investments. Mortgages and loans are the worst affected as they are the biggest individual financial risks for banks and lenders.

Why are companies going under?

Credit is harder to get, savings are at risk as the stock market crashes and market based savings (including ISAs and pensions) are affected. The lower rate of inflation also affects savings accounts that follow the rate of interest. People are becoming more conscious of their spending and companies that aren’t competitive in their own markets are going under when consumers switch to cheaper brands. Consumers are broadening their definition of a ‘luxury item’ and markets that previously enjoyed super-profit are now suffering a huge depression, these include luxury furniture, automotive and high-end clothing.

Who isn’t going under?

Companies selling consumables and supplies continue to thrive as long as they stay competitive in their own markets. This includes industries such as petrol & chemical suppliers, supermarkets and office supplies retailers. Companies in competitive markets that have previously enjoyed over-inflated profit margins, such as high-end clothing, will need to adjust their expectations for consumer spending in order to survive. . If you have credit agreements taken out before April 2007 there is a new unenforceable credit agreement claim which is becoming more and more known about here in the UK. It is possible to have your credit finance agreements –agreements such as credit cards, store cards, secured and unsecured loans, car finance agreements, and those with payment protection insurance ( PPI) ‘audited’. They may not comply with the terms of the 1974 Consumer Credit Act and if they do not they are unenforceable credit agreements. This means you can claim to have them written off. That is the balance completely cleared. For a fee of £295 which is refunded if your credit agreement is found to be enforceable, a solicitor with handle your claim. This is on a no-win-no-fee basis so it is risk free. Many people like me, have found this to be the perfect solution to their debt problems. Visit www.creditcardswrittenoff.com for more information.

Is Life without Credit Cards possible? Write Them Off!

Credit Cards

Is life without credit cards possible? Yes and No. Yes, I believe that it is but it will take quite sometime to get to the stage in most families. Credit cards make buying things not necessary very easy and can get a person deeper and deeper in debt than they ever wanted to be. We have become a society of want, want, want instead of what we need, need, need. Credit cards are great for emergencies that come up and you do not have the money at the time, i.e. vehicle repairs or an appliance purchase.

What we need to do is come up with a monthly budget for things we NEED such as groceries and electricity. Find a way to set aside an amount of money each month for emergencies and then if there is any money left over then buy what you want or think that you need. Think twice before buying that brand new car that probably costs more than your family makes with payments that put more strain on your budget than it can handle, thus your needs go on a credit card. Smart buying and budgeting can help greatly.

Most people think that they cannot survive without a credit card but they are wrong. Being deep in credit card debt can be a real strain on the family and if one worries too much about how to get things paid for they can possible get sick or just be so uptight about life in general that one tends to forgot to enjoy life. You did not get into this situation overnight so do not expect to get out of it overnight. It will take some time and by sticking to your budget you will one day be able to survive without the need for a credit card.

No, some people live on such a tight budget that even a car repair or appliance purchase is out of their reach without a credit card. Credit cards are good things IF they are only used in cases of emergencies. People with credit cards tend to forget that and start purchasing things that are not emergencies. In today’s economy it is almost impossible to buy certain things that we NEED without the use of credit. You must remember that you if only use your credit card for emergencies you will need to redo your budget to allow to pay off the credit card as soon as possible. It is possible to use a credit card wisely and not get deeper and deeper in debt.

If you have credit agreements taken out before April 2007 there is a new unenforceable credit agreement claim which is becoming more and more known about here in the UK. It is possible to have your credit finance agreements –agreements such as credit cards, store cards, secured and unsecured loans, car finance agreements, and those with payment protection insurance ( PPI) ‘audited’. They may not comply with the terms of the 1974 Consumer Credit Act and if they do not they are unenforceable credit agreements. This means you can claim to have them written off. That is the balance completely cleared. For NO FEES a solicitor with handle your claim. This is on a no-win-no-fee basis so it is risk free.

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