Five " Must-Do's" during Economic Hardship
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Figuring out where you will be financially years from now is hard to imagine with the economy's endless spiral. There are always those ideas in the back of your head of what you plan to do and what you want to do. But then there are things like the bail out, and stock plunges cross the television screen and your dreams seem farther and farther away than they used to be. You can take control of your life and stop the endless downfall of bad news. If you follow some of these forgotten steps you just may accomplish what you wished for or at very least end up close to what you expected.
- 1) Order a credit report: need to understand and know where you're at financially. Make sure everything is correct so you can formulate a plan of action. Check out these sites for your Free Credit Report now!
For more information about fair credit reporting activities check out the FDIC website: www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/ccc/reporting.html
- 2) Make a list of current bills and expenses: This will help you see where you're at and where you can make some minor changes. Do you really need that pedicure, and do you get your money's worth on that movie club or video membership? Small things add up, a regular monthly movie club membership that costs you$ 30.00 a month can add up to $360 savings over a year's time and can pay off that credit card debt. But you don't have to give up your favorite movies, try a less costly measure, Redbox (Located at all McDonald locations across the US) has free movie Mondays!
For Redbox locations check out their website nearest you: http://www.redbox.com/home.aspx
For a Great online budget calculator, check out Wachovia's website, (it's free to use, and you can adjust your budget anytime you want!)
http://calculators.wachovia.com/wic/spending/
- 3) Stop incurring any more debt. Pay down what you owe over the next two years till the economy rebounds and get yourself financially secure. If you pay down the debt you have in two years you'll have a more impressive credit score and a bigger wallet!
- 4) Protect your identity: It's a god idea with unstable economy all over the world to make sure you have current documents in order in a lock box in case you need them. Many are surprised to find that when they try to go on vacation, national security has risen to such a high you may need more documentation to prove you're a citizen. So when you're going to visit Niagara Falls make sure you have a passport and current Id available. Passports can take up to three months to get and require a lot of documents and paper to fill out. Newly available Birth certificates have a state of Ohio seal and need to be re-ordered every three to five years in order to be authenticated. So when you go to renew your driver's license. You may be surprised to find you don't have a proper form of identification!
- 5) Take care of your health: It is the most important investment you have, your health. Exercise or run on the treadmill each day. Studies have shown that in as little as ten minutes a day, if you get fresh air , sunlight and moderate exercise you will begin to feel healthier and have a more positive outlook on life! (Webmd.com Archives of Internal Medicine, April 25, 2005.)
All these plans will hopefully help you and your families become economically successful. If you can budget your money intelligently then you will have a higher possibility for success. The key is to remember the things you have learned and do things the smart economical way and keep your dreams alive!
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Your Health is the most important thing you have you don't want to abuse it for anything! During a time of crisis it is most valueable to stay healthy! Besides you think better and can come up wiht a lot better ideas. My most productive is first thing in the morning when I seem to really shine , I'm just not that great later in the day I'm tired and just blah for ideas.
Hey i use redbox too. Nothing like grabbing a movie on your way through the drivein to grab a burger and fries.
My Husband and I are expecting a baby soon and i really appreciated having the credit calculator and credit report sites. I have been all over the web and it seems all of them want you to pay to join. This article was really helpful, thanks for suggesting it to me and my husband.
~ Erin M. Jackson
You know I really love Redbox because of its convienence and it's local within Mcdonalds, plus they have free WiFI now so i can do many things while the kids play and eat! I tell ya if the world was to loose every store on the planet, wallmart and mcdonalsd would survive because between the two they have everythign you need!
Racheal Murray 3 years ago
You give some really great advice! I am glad I found you on here, I had no idea it was so hard to go on vacation. I guess i will have to do some checking before i go to mexico for spring break. Thanks for the info.