Four Ways to Cut Your Auto Insurance

 Auto insurance rates are rising all of the time, much to the displeasure of motorists everywhere. If you are one of the many people who are concerned about having to pay more and more money out to your insurance company to insure your motor vehicle then you need to look for effective ways to either reduce the money you spend or minimize the increases to your policy. Here we look at four ways to make your auto insurance experience not quite so stressful on your psyche and your bank account!  

One: Insure more than one car and/or more than vehicle at once.

Insuring a single car can end up costing you more money at a given insurance company than can insuring more than one vehicle that you own at once. The same can be said for insuring drivers. In this instance the more the merrier! The reason for this is because most insurance providers will offer their customers a bulk rate to encourage more business to come their way.

To find out if you qualify for a deal or discount such as this ask your insurance company or the agent you deal with to find out if you qualify. From there you can obtain a quote and can decide if it is worthwhile for you. In most instances multiple drivers on a policy must reside at the same address and must either be related by marriage or be blood relatives. However there are exceptions to this rule.

Two: Remain as squeaky clean as possible.

A clean driving record with as few moving violations, speeding tickets or accidents as possible will work in your favor. The more of these issues that you have on your record the higher will your annual premiums be. Everyone who drives has points on their record. Your points go up with every moving violation you encounter. In most cases the more points you have the more you will have to pay on your annual premiums. 

Three: Sign up for a defensive driving course.

There are plenty of insurance companies that look favorably upon those drivers that take the time to take an approved (in other words, accredited) defensive driving course. This can help to bring down your rates because it renders you less of a risk when you get in your car. As well there are cases in which such a course (or also an accident prevention course) can serve to reduce the number of points that have built up on the individual’s license.

Find out whether your insurance provider offers deal or discounts for such a course before you sign up for it. While this type of course is always good in terms of your driving education if it does not translate to savings on your insurance policy then it may not be worth it to you.  

Four: Browse and shop until you drop!

Just as you browse and shop for a new pair or shoes or a new television the same should be said for an auto insurance plan. If you have renewed your insurance policy and now the annual premium has gone up drastically then it is time for you to start shopping around. Obtain quotes from some other companies. Healthy competition amongst auto insurers is a good thing. But bear in mind that the cheapest quote from a company does not mean that you should automatically switch your car insurance over to them. Consider the credit worthiness of the insurance provider as well before making a final decision.   

  Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net
  Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

More Simple Cleaning Tips that Embrace Frugality in Your Home

Ready for some more help around your house when it comes to your household chores? 

In the kitchen sprinkle oven stains immediately with salt after cooking and then once the oven has cooled down, whisk and wipe. Place a tray of water on the bottom rack of your oven when broiling meat to ensure that the meat drippings will fall into the water and not on the oven. 

If you want to reduce odors in your refrigerator- and who doesn’t? - then here are some things you can try. The first thing you can do is to cut a lemon in half, hollow out one side of it and then fill it with either baking soda or salt (both work well in this regard) and place it on a shelf in the refrigerator. The soda or salt will absorb odors while the lemon will give off a pleasant scent. 

The second cleaning tip is to use two charcoal briquettes in the refrigerator. Charcoal briquettes are a highly effective and inexpensive deodorizer that can also be used in other places throughout your residence.

If your dishcloth needs to be disinfected right away then don’t worry- toss it into the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds and it is good to go! This helps to kill germs ASAP!  

Your carpeting needs attention too and could use a dash of frugality. To brighten your carpets sprinkle them with salt an hour before vacuuming. Ordinary table salt or sea salt both work well. 

To remove grease spots from your carpet sprinkle with baking soda or cornmeal and brush lightly. Leave it to absorb into the carpet overnight and then vacuum in the morning.  

If your carpet or upholstery has wax or crayon on it then place brown paper over the stain and press with a warm iron. The brown paper will absorb the wax and make it possible for it to be removed. 

 

During the winter season salt from the outdoors can damage the carpets in your home. To get rid of the salt combine equal parts white vinegar and water and give it a good cleaning. 

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Simple Cleaning Tips that Embrace Frugality in Your Home

If you think that you know all there is to know about keeping your home as clean as it can be then you need to think again. There are some simple and cleaning tips for your home that you will know about once you finish reading this! They are easy to do and they cost next to nothing.

White vinegar is a cost savvy and natural ingredient that is the queen of cleaning supplies. In fact it is one of the cheapest and most beneficial cleaners you will ever need. For example, white vinegar is an amazing deodorizer. Eliminate odors caused by cooking by adding one tablespoon of white vinegar to one cup of water and then boil it to get rid of the unpleasant smell. 

Eliminating the smell of smoke in a room can also be accomplished by using white vinegar. All you need to do is place a small bowl of in in a room and let it sit. In no time at all the vinegar will absorb the smoke odor and the room will smell fresh again. This also applies to rooms where painting is taking place. 

Vinegar also works well for clothing. If you have garments that are smelly or greasy then add white vinegar to the wash to cut down on the grease and/or to do away with the odor. Rubbing washables lightly with white vinegar to remove anti-perspirant and deodorant stains and then laundering them as usual can do wonders. Add approximately one cup of white vinegar in your last rinse cycle to ensure that your clothing gets a thorough rinsing. 

White vinegar also makes it possible to eliminate undissolved lint and detergent in a washing machine. Pour one cup of vinegar into the bottom of the washing machine tub and then run it through the normal cycle without clothes using the hot water setting. 

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Six Tips for Shopping Safely and Smartly Online

If you are going to shop online (who doesn’t these days?) then you want to do so in a safe and smart manner. Online shopping can be a wonderful experience for anyone as long as it is done in a responsible manner.

Shopping online is convenient and there is no driving back and forth to the shopping mall; no worries about finding a good parking spot or having to deal with long line-ups or difficult store clerks. Another big advantage is that the Internet never closes, unlike the malls; therefore you can shop any time of the day or night. For people who have unusual work schedules and those who work backshift, this can be a huge incentive to shopping online.

It is important however to always be safe when going about your online shopping experience. Let’s take a look at six top safety measures for making sure you do not run into any serious problems when it comes to shopping by way of the Internet.

One: Safe online shopping means ensuring that you are making use of a secure browser from which to view the websites that you wish to purchases items from. The majority of computer systems do include a secure browser but if yours doesn’t, there are places on the Internet where you can download a secure browser and it won’t cost you a cent.

Two: It is always good practice to only shop online with merchants and companies that you are familiar with and ones you can guarantee are legitimate. For example, if an established company has a successful business offline and you are familiar with their products and have shopped there before then you are pretty much guaranteed that it is a secure and safe company to deal with through the Internet. If you do come across a company that you have never heard of before but it looks legitimate, before you plunge in request to be sent a brochure or a print catalogue to help ascertain if this is a company you wish to purchase from.

Three: Always keep your account passwords protected and private. Do not allow anyone else access to your passwords or you could be in for trouble. When creating a password be as strange or as creative as possible. Do not use things such as last names, family members’ names, birthdates, addresses or pets’ names that other people might be able to figure out. Also for an extra precautionary measure, combine letters, numbers and symbols together when creating passwords.

Four: When shopping online it is always best to pay for your purchases by way of a credit card, as opposed to PayPal, a debit card, a check or money order or some other form of payment. Online shopping purchases with a credit card are protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. This act allows an individual to question any charges on the credit card as well as to temporarily refuse to pay a disputed charge until an investigation into it can be conducted. There are some credit card companies that will go so far as to offer their customers an online computer shopping guarantee. This guarantee means that the person will not be held liable for any unauthorized charges that are made on their credit card.

Five: Keep accurate and up-to-date records of every online purchase you make. Be diligent in printing out copies of all transactions and orders as well as confirmation numbers. As well remember to print out all credit card receipts. Always keep your records in a safe, secure place, away from the prying eyes of others. In the event that a problem arises, or if you need to return or exchange an item you will be able to do so much easier if you have printed copies of everything on hand.

Six: Only shop with companies that provide ample contact information at their website. Nothing is more suspicious than an online company that gives no indication of its street or mailing address in the offline world or a company that does not provide a toll-free or local telephone number for customer inquiries or even an e-mail address. Steer clear of companies that provide less information as opposed to more. Refer back to the second safety measure above which cautions you as an online consumer to only shop with well-known companies who can prove their legitimacy.  

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Successful Budgeting- Keeping Extra Cash in Your Pocket

You probably have no problem knowing what you would do with a little more cash in your pocket. For many it would be a dream come true! However it seems that everything is getting more expensive all the time (think food, utilities, gasoline, mortgages, insurance and the list goes on) and that means finding that extra little bit of cash is becoming more and more challenging. 

In order to maximize your savings and find that extra little bit of money here are some things you can do to help yourself: 

Map Out Your Money:  If you really have no idea where your money goes after you earn it then it is time to turn things around. You need to start mapping your money forthwith! No, it is not particularly pleasurable to do this but it is a requirement of successful budgeting. Make it a habit to review your daily, weekly and monthly spending to figure out where your money disappears to. You may be surprised to discover what your latte habit is actually costing you!

Opt for Cheaper Alternatives: You may not realize it but there are cheaper alternatives available for many of the activities, products and services that you use and enjoy on a regular basis. Try substituting some generic grocery products for the brand name products you buy such as canned items, aspirin, cereal and crackers. Other options are to substitute meals at restaurants for making home cooked meals and swap nights out at the movies for nights in with DVD rentals (or DVDs rented from the local library). 

Look for Leaks in Your Spending: Small indulgences can add up to a great deal of money spent that might serve your purposes better if it had gone into savings. Do you realize that purchasing a coffee or tea for $1.50 daily can cost you almost $550 on an annual basis? That is a huge chunk of change! 

You don’t need to give up all of the small indulgences and pleasures that you have come to enjoy but what you can do is cut back on them a bit. If you start making coffee or tea at work or bring it from home and then only purchase it a couple times a week then this will put more money back into your pocketbook- and give you more financial peace of mind.  

Go Green to Save Your Green: To save as much money as possible look for ways to go green. Putting gas into your motor vehicle and all car related costs is expensive so instead carpool, take the bus, the subway or walk. You might even decide to ride a bicycle to work on the days that the weather permits doing this!

Replace appliances in your home that are old or are not up to modern standards because they can increase your utility bills tremendously. Recycle and reuse more. Start a vegetable garden in your backyard if you own your own home and compost if you can. Look for as many ways as possible to conserve resources and to be greener. Not only will this make you more environmentally conscious but it will also save you some hard earned dollars!    

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Money Tips to Help Guide You

If you understand every facet of money then you are better able to put making money tips to work. Read on for some money tips that can help you and guide you in making proper decisions about money. 

-Money is a tool. Do not plan your life around the money you earn but rather use the money you make to enjoy what you want in your life. Buy the goods and services that bring you enjoyment and satisfaction.

-Money making tips and spending are key elements to money management. Exercise smart spending. Investing is not the key to excellent money management. What is the most important is not spending more than you earn. Try to live slightly below your means and this will allow you to save money. In other words, live on less money than you bring in.

-When considering making a purchase, especially a large one, consider the in-costs involved and not simply the end price of the transaction.

-Setting goals are important money making tips. How can you earn money if you don’t make a plan? Amassing a lot of money can be likened to a marathon as opposed to a sprint. One of the greatest challenges is finding ways to remain motivated when the chips are down. To do this you need to chart your progress and set mileposts for yourself. In other words, in six months I want to be doing this, and so on.

-Don’t regard your budget as a type of money jail. Be realistic about your budget. A good budget is not one that highlights deprivation but rather is a formula for pre-spending and should focus on what you need and want to buy.

-Be smart when it comes to credit and debt. Use your credit cards responsibly. Only charge an amount that you know you can pay off before interest charges are added on.

-Consider your attitude about borrowing. Many people borrow at very expensive, on-deductible interest rates in order to take trips, purchase houses, cars, major appliances etc. On the other hand, they use cash when they invest. The experts say that you are better to do the opposite. If you borrow to invest then the interest will likely be tax deductible. This will also prevent you from falling into the high interest credit card trap.

-When you invest always diversify. You run a higher risk of loss if you choose to invest in only one product. Spread your money around a bit. Diversify as much as possible. If you know very little about investing then enlist the help of a qualified professional. Investing tips are important making money tips.

-When it comes to your portfolio, develop a plan for what you want to do with your money and then see it through. Allocate funds towards different assets to keep your risk as low as possible. A common combination for many investors is this- 10% cash, 40 % stocks and 50% fixed-income investments (an example of this is bonds). Move your money around throughout the calendar year as you see fit. 

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net