WIth all of the opportunities out there to blow money, it can be very easy to be irresponsible with your personal finances, especially when you are young. If you want to be financially stable you have to avoid these things and properly manage your finances.
Stay out of debt as much as you can. While you may need to get into debt for mortgages or student loans, try to stay away from things like credit cards. If you do not borrow any money, you will not have to pay any interests or fees.
If you’re one half of a married couple, the partner who has the strongest credit should be the one to apply for a loan. If you’re suffering from bad credit, building it can be done by getting a card that you can pay on time. You can share debt more equally with your spouse once you’ve improved your credit score.
If your bank is suddenly adding fees for things that were previously free, like charging a monthly fee to have an ATM card, it might be time to investigate other options. Shop around to find a bank that wants you as a customer. Regional banks might offer better options than large national banks and if you are eligible to join a credit union, add them to your comparison shopping, too.
Some banks offer great rewards if you are able to refer a customer to their location and they open up an account at a branch. Try to take advantage of this opportunity, as you can add anywhere between 25-100 dollars just for recommending a friend or family member to the bank.
The opportunity to sign up for a direct deposit program should always be taken. Not only does direct deposit save the consumer time in trips to the bank, it usually saves him or her money, too. Most banks will waive certain monthly fees or offer other incentives to encourage their customers to take advantage of direct deposit.
One important step in repairing your credit is to first make sure that your monthly expenses are covered by your income, and if they aren’t, figuring out how to cover expenses. If you continue to fail to pay your bills, your debt situation will continue to get worse even as you try to repair your credit.
Re-check your tax withholding allowances every year. There are many change of life events that can effect these. Some examples are getting married, getting divorced, or having children. By checking them yearly you will make sure you’re declaring correctly so that too much or too little money is not withheld from your paychecks.
Try setting up an automatic bill payment through your bank to ensure you pay on time. When you can’t completely get rid of your credit card debt, making regular monthly payments will improve your credit history. If you set up an automatic payment, late payments never happen and you can pay more than the minimum if you happen to have some extra funds free.
A great way to save money, with gas being as expensive as it is, is to cut down on your driving. If you have several errands to run, try to do them altogether in one trip. Connect all the places you need to go to into an efficient route to save mileage, and in effect, save on gas.
Track your bank balances and account information daily by making your bank’s website one of your everyday online stops. Most people already visit social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter at least once a day. It is just as easy to add your account homepage to your regular rotation of site visits.
Make sure you pay your utility bills and house payments on time, every month. These are top priority payments to make and you will avoid late fees by making a payment by the due date. Utility companies are also known to report late payments to credit reporting agencies, which can affect your credit.
A great personal finance tip that can save you money is to splurge and treat yourself when you’ve reached your savings goal. Rewarding yourself like this can keep you happy and it can help you save more money in the future because you’ll be looking forward to rewarding yourself.
If you’re a student looking to start college, you should try as hard as you can to avoid student loans. Your personal finances will never be the same with this debt looming over your head. Always check out grants instead of loans. You won’t have to repay these. And although it may put a strain on you, you could always work and pay your way through school. It’s better than being 200k in debt when you enter the workforce.
If you develop and use a budget, you can avoid getting into debt. Use the tips laid out here, so you can avoid collection calls and remain in the black.
