Sometimes you really do need an installment loan to make ends meet. But an easy cash loan isn’t the only way to round up extra cash. Here are some money-saving ideas that might help you save cash now and make it easier to manage your expenses.

Keep moving and don’t touch

According to an article published by Joann Peck and Suzanne B. Shu on the Chicago Journals website, touching an object or even staring at it for too long increases the psychological sense of ownership. This isn’t news for retailers, who have long known the benefits of window dressings that stop passersby in their tracks and table displays that encourage shoppers to handle the goods. Staring and touching make it harder to resist buying. So tread lightly.

Be a happy shopper

Don’t go shopping when you’re in a lousy mood. According to a study published by Jennifer Lerner on the Harvard Kennedy School website, people who feel depressed when they shop are willing to spend 30% more than consumers who shop in a better frame of mind.

Don’t get started

According to marketing research published on the Stanford GSB News, for most people, buying the first item — however unremarkable it may be — opens the purchasing floodgates. The researchers called this the “shopping momentum effect” concluded that the phenomenon has important implications for how stores are laid out as well as for understanding individual shopping behavior.

A big cart can lead to big spending

Don’t make it easy

The easier it is to shop, the easier it is to overspend. Unless you intend to stock up on supplies, use a shopping basket instead of a cart. In fact, if you’re wandering around without a clear shopping agenda, don’t use a basket at all. If you aren’t willing to carry it, you probably don’t need it.

Write it down

According to MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, making your spending limits concrete by writing them down or even telling them to someone else can help you maintain self-control when shopping. When you walk into a grocery store with a list in hand, you’re far less likely to make impulse purchases. If you stray from the list and make one impulse buy, the “shopping momentum effect” can take over.

Indulge yourself a little

Research published by Columbia University marketing professor Ran Kivetz on the American Marketing Association website suggests that occasional self-indulgence is a good thing. If you’re too hard on yourself and don’t splurge occasionally, you’ll end up feeling deprived. Deprivation fosters regret which in turn tempts you to splurge on something big in an effort to feel better.

Don’t overtax your willpower

According to Roy F. Baumeister, Kathleen D. Vohs, researchers and authors of Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory, and Applications, you have only so much willpower to work with. If, for example, you’re trying to lose weight and also trying to cut back on spending, give yourself a little slack on the spending front. Losing weight will save you so much money in the long run that you can probably afford those deeply discounted shoes now.

Pay in cash

According to a study published on the NYU Stern website by joint researchers at New York University and the University of Maryland, consumers spend less when paying in cash and spend more when using credit cards, gift cards, or gift certificates. Additionally, consumers are more frugal when they estimate expenses in detail. The authors concluded that “treating [non-cash] tender as play money leads to overspending.”

Use coupons

Coupons can yield big savings if you’re not too proud to use them. But don’t quit your day job to become a full-time coupon clipper, and use coupons only for items you would normally buy.

Save on homeowner insurance

Check with your homeowner insurance carrier about ways to reduce your premiums. Loyalty discounts for long-term customers, increased deductibles, combined policies (home and auto for example), and installation of dead bolts and security systems can help lower your premium payments.

Small houses make wonderful homes

Move to a smaller home

If you’re struggling with a huge mortgage, now is a great time to consider downsizing. Home prices in many markets appear to be bottoming out and mortgage rates are low right now. Or if the interest rate on your current loan is higher than prevailing interest rates and you plan to stay in your home for a few years, consider refinancing now.

More money-saving ideas

Find more ways to save cash until payday by reading Cut Your Spending | Part I and Cut Your Spending | Part II.

Wouldn’t it be great if you never had to borrow money again? Applying for small cash loans is one way to make ends meet when you need cash until payday. But here are some money-saving ideas that might make it easier to get by.

Lighten up on the road

If you don’t own a Prius and don’t want to trade in your clunker, you can still cut down on the money you spend for gas each month by adjusting your driving habits. Aggressive highway driving — speeding, accelerating rapidly, and braking — lowers your gas mileage dramatically. Fuel efficiency decreases significantly at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour.

Keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your mileage. Check your vehicle-owner’s manual to determine proper tire pressure, buy a reliable dial-type air-pressure gauge, and check your tires once a week. Too much weight in the trunk can also reduce fuel efficiency. Don’t carry around unnecessary items, especially in small cars.

Sign up for a flex account

If your employer offers a flexible spending account, you can cut the cost of your child-care expenses by signing up. The flex accounts offered by most large companies allow you to use pretax dollars to pay care-giving bills (including day camp) for children and elders who are your legal dependents. You can also use them to pay out-of-pocket health-care costs with pretax dollars. Why not save money by paying less for necessary expenses covered by a flex account?

Say good-bye to excessive phone bills

Why pay for a landline if you're not using it?

Teens love to text. If your teens have cell phones, switch to a family plan with unlimited texting. College students text less than high school kids, so consider upgrading to an iPhone or other smartphone with unlimited data if your college student agrees to a limited text and calling plan.

Lots of people today are dropping landlines altogether and using cell phones only. With the right calling plan, you might save money by following that trend. If your parents are paying for cell phones that they use for nothing but emergencies, you or they might save money by combining your phones in a family plan.

Work out for less

Walking and bike-riding are free. Yoga work-out videos are more convenient and much less expensive than classes. Dance for exercise anywhere you don’t have to pay a cover charge. You can do it for hours, and when you’re ready to sit, consider your workout over. Head home instead of sitting down to eat or drink.

Save on prescription medications

Some health plans have money-saving mail order programs for prescriptions, and sometimes you can save even more by buying generic versions of name-brand pharmaceuticals at chain stores like Target and Wal-Mart. If you’re taking a prescription medication on a long-term basis, ask your doctor if he or she can prescribe it at twice the potency you need so you can cut the pills in half. Usually, your copayment for the prescription will be the same at either potency.

Refill printer ink cartridges

It’s less expensive and less wasteful to refill both black and color ink cartridges at your local drug store or shopping mall instead of buying new cartridges when your computer printer runs low.

Share babysitter costs

The more you save, the more you can do for your best friend

Organize a babysitting co-op with neighborhood parents and take turns watching the kids for free. Your kids will be happier with their friends and there’ll be fewer rounds of Battleship and Apples to Apples for you! Or go in on a sitter with another family, paying, say, $10 an hour apiece instead of the usual $14 (more kids means a higher hourly rate for the sitter).

Save on pet expenses

Instead of hiring a pet sitter or boarding your pets when you go away, trade sitting duties with other pet-owner friends. Instead of taking Rufus to the groomer, take him to the pet grooming school where prices are about half what you pay the groomer. Pet insurance isn’t cost effective. If you have it, consider letting it go.  Coverage is marginal and the premiums you pay probably amount to quite a bit more than anything you stand to save on vet bills.

More money-saving ideas

For more money-saving ideas, read Cut Your Spending | Part I and Cut Your Spending | Part III

Money is tight, but there are lots of simple things you can do to free up some extra cash. In fact, making just a few minor changes to your spending routines could mean you’ll never have to get a payday cash advance again.

Make off-season purchases

You can save lots of money if you plan ahead for seasonal purchases. Buy air conditioners in January, winter coats in May, and swimsuits in July and August.

Eat what’s in season

Produce costs more when it’s out of season in your locale and shipped a long distance. For a list of what’s in season, go to fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org and click on the Planning and Shopping tab. Organic produce costs more than the conventional kind. Cut your toxin intake by choosing organic on the most chemically-laden produce (apples, lettuce) and conventional on the cleanest (kiwi, tomatoes). To figure out which produce to buy organic, and which conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables are okay if organic isn’t available, go to foodnews.org.

Shop once a week

When you stop by the store to pick up just one or two items, you usually end up making a few unplanned purchases as well. The more trips you make to the store, the more frequently you will make impulse purchases. Try making a shopping list and making just one planned trip to the store each week.

Stretch time between hair appointments

Add a couple weeks to the time between hair-coloring appointments by using over-the-counter products from the drugstore to touch up the roots.

Cut down on dry cleaning

Many clothes with labels that recommend dry cleaning can be washed by hand in cold water or on a gentle machine cycle with cold water. For example, linens can be washed in the machine and most sweaters can be washed by hand (including cashmere and camel hair). Most silks are hand washable too.  Even so, some deeply saturated and bold colors should be dry-cleaned.

Stop the water-bottle madness

Stop drinking bottled water and instead buy a filter for your kitchen faucet. For the most part, the water you’re paying for in those little bottles is nothing but filtered tap water.

Support your local shoe repair shop

Shoe repair shops are recession-proof

Rather than spend your extra cash to buy a new pair of good shoes each season, repair the shoes your already own. Your local shoe-repair shop will charge just a few dollars to fix worn-out heels on women’s shoes, and men can extend the life of dress shoes by replacing the heels and soles.

Spend less money commuting

If your employer has a transportation reimbursement account, you may be able to get a tax break by paying your monthly parking fees or public transit with pretax dollars, so sign up. Or cut your commute costs in half by carpooling to work with a colleague. If you don’t know anyone to carpool with, check out some carpool-matching sites like carpoolworld.com or erideshare.com.

Get fit on your way to work

You might be pleasantly surprised at how convenient it can be to take a public bus to work. And why not cycle to work when the weather permits, instead of spending time and money at the health club?

More money-saving ideas

Find more ways to save cash until payday by reading Cut Your Spending | Part II and Cut Your Spending | Part III

Racking up payday loan after payday loan should tell you something about your budget—it’s stretched to an over-capacity and that you are spending your money on things or services you can probably live without. Couple an over-stretched budget with an under-capacity imagination, and you have what you have—a lot of stress over something you can probably do something about. Why the imagination? Because, if all you can see are bills, upon bills, upon more bills, then you are not using your imagination to its full capacity for finding creative ways to remedy your situation.

First, you more than likely have some budget busters that are destroying your peace of mind. These are the “gotta have it” items, that in retrospect, you didn’t need. Items such as a bigger house (with the bigger mortgage payment), a brand spanking new car (with the big payment spanking you), and all the electronic gizmos and gadgets that you don’t need. How to get out of the trap? Stay tuned…

Budget Saver #1—Food Expenses

Probably the biggest drain on anyone’s finances is the expenses related to food, especially when you have at least one teenager in the house (Girls or guys—they both eat a lot!) There are some ways to cut down on how much you spend on food without sacrificing the good stuff or even changing what you eat. In fact, the only thing you really need to change is how you prepare your food.

What do I mean by that? Well, have you ever bought the convenience foods in the store? Stuff like pancake mixes, flavored syrups, premade breakfasts…things like that. Have you ever noticed how much they cost per serving? No? Well, let me give you an example: Say you buy pancake mix on a regular basis for $2.35 per box. Now say that you use at least half a box per batch, which comes out to $1.18 per batch. That isn’t bad, but what if I tell you that I use a pancake mix that comes out to maybe $.50 per batch? Would you be interested? The only thing I do differently is that I make my own pancake mix from scratch and I store them in zipper-type bags. Then I label them, and store them in the cupboard until I need them.

Also, when you make your convenience foods from scratch, you know what goes in there, and you can therefore control the ingredients your family consumes. This makes your mixes healthier and cheaper in the long run. Another thing that you may want to change is to buy generic brands over brand name foods. There isn’t much difference in taste, and all you are paying for is the advertising and label, which may require a payday loan to afford. Save a few bucks here and there by getting generic food. You’ll end up saving enough money to start a savings account!

Budget Saver #2—Utilities

This is the next biggest drain on your budget. But if you make the appropriate changes, such as better insulation and energy saving appliances, you will be able to slash your monthly bills and add to your savings account. Another thing—in the winter, if your windows are losing a lot of heat, putting up plastic on your windows will help to reduce your heating costs by at least one-third. Space heaters work wonders as well.

Budget Saver #3—Auto

Auto insurance, maintenance and gas—not to mention car payments—really take a toll on your budget. The best thing to do, first of all, is to shop around for cheaper auto insurance. Then, when you do find a cheaper company, only get the liability coverage. Of course, if you do not own your car outright yet, you will need to get the comprehensive, unfortunately. However, if you shop around, you can find the cheaper premiums.

There are also ways to cut down on your car maintenance costs. Commercials today are popping up where you can pay a certain amount each month, and they will pay for any and all maintenance costs. Might be something worth checking into. Gas…the most fickle price of them all when it comes to your auto costs. If you have to commute a long distance to get to work, there are things you can do to cut down on these costs. Car pooling, move closer, or try getting your boss to agree to let you work from home. All of these ideas can help you slash the amount of money you paying for gas each month. Besides, getting a payday loan just to buy gas to get to work may not be such a great plan.

Best Budget Saver Tip!

The best budget saver tip I can give you is that you DO NOT have to have the latest gadget or fashion to hit the market right now. You also do not need to live in the newest or flashiest house, or drive the newest model of vehicle. Take my advice—wait until you can reasonably afford it…

So many people strive to make enough money for their homes, and though short term loans most definitely assist; there are ways to save extra money. What with the cost of children, miscellaneous bills, mortgage and car payments, cutting back costs in a few areas, and observing frivolous spending habits can help you enjoy a lot more of your money. Just follow this guide:

Adjust the Temperature

By moving the thermostat down in the winter, and up in the summer, thus changing the temperature so that it is not more than 68 degrees in winter and no less than 78 degrees in the summer, you will save anywhere from $300-600/Yr.

Also, lowering your thermostat’s temperature during the night and when you are away from the home saves money, after all, you’re not feeling it. To respectfully cool down your home in the summer months, keep your blinds open, and in the winter keep them closed in order to preserve heat (and if your cooling or heating unit is over 10 years old, try and replace it with another more up-to-date to save over $100/Yr).

Insulate to Maintain Steady Costs

Polyurethane is the best insulator for your home. By sealing all cracks or crevices where hot air can escape- making sure even your attic is insulated- you can save between $100-500/Yr. Remember that hot air rises and you don’t want to lose it because it’s wafting from a non-insulated attic.

Plant Trees

To reduce the amount of heat entering your house during hot summer months, plant trees on the south and west sides of your home. Doing this could save you over $200/Yr rather than spending money on cooling costs every summer. If you’re concerned about the time it takes for a tree to grow, when searching for a new house, look for trees on the west and south sides.

Become a Little More Vegan

By cutting down on your consumption of meat by $10 a month, you could save over $130/Yr. Plus, there are other positives: you will lose some weight in the process, and a gargantuan amount of our crops go solely to feeding animals in order to produce the large quantity of food consumed. Eating less food could produce more.

Stand Up, Don’t Sit Down

Taking showers rather than baths can save you over $500 a year. A 5-minute shower, as opposed to a 20-minute bath, means you’re using less water and that is better for the environment.

Navy Showers

A navy shower is when an individual steps into the shower, waters their self down, and then turns off the water. They lather themselves up, and then turn on the water solely to rinse the soap off. This technique greatly reduces the quantity of water used up.

Turn off Your PC or MAC

Running your computer all day, every day, can add up to lots of money. Instead of applying for those online short term loans, you could turn off your computer- and especially your laser printer (if you happen to own one), and save around $120/Yr. Try only turning your printer on just before printing out a document.

Replace Those 60Watt Bulbs

Switching your 60W incandescent light bulbs to 6 13W CFL’s can save you $70-200/Yr. Technology is progressing and now CFL’s look the same, and produce the same or more light than incandescent bulbs.

Wash it All Together

By washing your clothes in only full loads (in the washer and dryer), you can save between $40-100/Yr. Just like with your heating and cooling units, if your washer or dryer is over 10 years old, replace it with new appliances. Besides, a new version will probably save you lots more water and electricity, and in turn, more money.

Reduce the Flow

Regular showerheads allow a monstrous 10 gallons of water to flow a minute. By reducing to a low-flow showerhead, the surge is cut to 2 gallons of flow per minute. This means that taking a 10 minute shower every day of the year with low-flow showerhead can save you about $50/Yr. If you knock down your shower time to 5 minutes, you can save close to $70/Yr.

Your Total Yearly Savings: $2,520

I’ll bet you didn’t know you had over an extra $2,000 dollars just hanging around. And to think, you didn’t even need a short term loan to obtain it. I’ve only listed a few ways, but there are plenty more. Think about it, you work very hard for your money, why not save some of it?

Anything to do with money is rough in this neck of the woods and I do my best to save wherever possible. My best tactic at the moment is not to buy anything, not even that pair of classy jeans hanging in the window of the men’s clothing department. I also invest fair amounts of time bringing my wife up to speed on the subject of economics and how to run a house on cooking oil fumes.

These are my rules:

• If we have one, don’t buy another one.
• Shop around first, you may find the same thing cheaper somewhere else.
• Do not feel sorry for the shopkeeper.
• The supermarket will not go bust if you miss a day.
• Look at the specials but make sure we need it before you buy it.
• Go to the supermarket with a list.
• When you have all the items on the list, you are done. Pay and leave.
• If you are short of housekeeping money apply for a Cash Advance at the Personal Money Store.

I think the rules are all very clear and easy to follow.

If you break the rules…

(Still under construction)

Look at all the great deals

One can save money every day. The problem is you have to buy in order to save. The deals change from day to day. Basically it’s all a plot to keep you from understanding exactly what’s happening. That pair of jeans that I slobbered over was $350 when I first saw them. Last month’s articles I sold would pay for them, but, I couldn’t do it. The next day they were marked at $299.99. Aha, I thought. Progress. I will wait this out. Sure enough, the following day they were $275. I gloated. Those jeans will soon be mine.

The days passed and the price kept dropping. Then they changed the marketing strategy. 3 pairs for $600. I stopped going to look. Who needs 3 pairs of jeans? Anyway I wear shorts most of the time.

Back in the supermarket

The supermarkets are great marketing strategists. The way they place the counters, the color of the floors, the subtle changes in decoration and the music that floats out over the sound systems. Everything is carefully designed and formulated to make you feel as though you have money to spend. The pricing is part of the game. One week sardines are $2 a tin and the next week they are $4 for 2 tins.

Last week I was buried deep in the start of an article and I heard my wife telling me that she was off to the supermarket. I grunted in response without missing a keystroke. Some time later I heard her come back into the house. “I got some great bargains!” she said flouncing into the study. I was close to my 500 words and didn’t look up. “It was 3 for 1 day!”

Tonight’s dinner, dear

My wife’s Chinese chicken is simply the best. It is served on a bed of rice. It is sweet and sour and the little pieces of chicken have been fried in a batter. Mmmmm. But tonight’s dish was different. “Excuse me, my love,” I said gently, “but what is the bed in this dish?” “Oh that? Remember the other day I told you about 3 for 1 day at the supermarket? Well that’s the rice I bought. 3 packets for $2!”

I guess there’s something missing from my rules, right?

We all have great intentions when we fill our carts with fruit, vegetables and other fresh, healthy groceries.

However, according to a study by the University of Arizona at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=6951820&page=1, average American households throw out a quarter of their fruit and vegetables. That adds up to a big chunk of change.

Saving some green

There are some simple steps you can take to make your food last longer. For instance, make sure fruits and vegetables are dry when you put them in the refrigerator. Store them in resealable bags with paper towels inside.

Store fruits separately from vegetables because fruits, such as apples and pears, can give off gasses that make vegetables go bad.

Staying farm fresh

Many refrigerators have egg holders in the doors, but those are the worst place for your eggs. Eggs should be left in the carton and stored at the back of the fridge. The door is the warmest part of the fridge, and eggs shouldn’t be exposed to so much air.

Delicious dairy

Sara Moulton of ABC News says that if you store your milk in glass bottles it will last twice as long. Glass gets colder and doesn’t let in as much air as cardboard. She says any glass container with a lid is the best place to store your milk. She didn’t talk about plastic versus glass, however.

Making the most of meat

That “meat” drawer in the fridge is there for a reason. It’s the coldest part of fridge, so always use it to store your meat. Make sure you store meat in resealable bags with all of the air squeezed out.

Fish is especially perishable and should be kept in a bag on a bowl of ice. If you can’t eat it within a few days, broil it first and then store it in the fridge and then reheat when it’s time to eat. This works for other meats besides fish, too.

If you find your perfect dress at a fatally flawed price, check eBay.

Maybe if Maria Ayson and Nolan Green had gotten a payday loan, they wouldn’t have had to postpone their wedding an entire year.

Yes, it seems the recession is creeping into every little facet of life, and weddings are no different.

A dream deferred

Last year Ayson and Green planned to marry in August, but they changed their plans when Green lost his job. The couple say they are glad they decided to postpone the wedding, but maybe if they’d gotten a payday loan, they’d already be married.

Costly celebration

As it is, the couple plans to marry in August this year. Ayson has revamped her original plans to adjust to the couple’s new situation. She is doing what most Americans are doing in the face of the recession: cutting corners to try to save whatever money she can.

Couples spent an average of $28,700 on their weddings in 2007. That amount dropped 6.5 percent in 2008, and this year couples are expected to spend $20,400.

Wedding 2.0

In the grand tradition of using the Internet for, well, everything, one bride saved $1,000 by buying her dress on eBay. She found her dream gown, but the $1,200 price tag was a bit of a nightmare. She found the exact dress for $200 on eBay.

Do-it-Yourself

There are all kinds of creative ways to save some dough on your wedding.

From making their own decorations to preparing their own food, couples are finding all sorts of ways to keep wedding costs down. One bride even purchased her dinnerware at a dollar store.

The same couple decided to hold their wedding in their own backyard to save the cost of renting a reception hall. Other couples simply booked their weddings on a Friday or Sunday instead of Saturday, the most expensive day for renting a hall.

Time-share cake toppers?

Ayson has gotten very creative with her money-saving measures. She says she even found other brides who were willing to split the price of a cake topper.

Ayson seems bound and determined to save as much money as she can. But if she comes up short on funding again this year, maybe she should consider a payday loan instead of putting off her big day for another year.

Life was stressful enough when the situation occurred that turned you to take out a personal loan, but now you need to accumulate the cash to pay it back.  Do you worry about how to come up with the money to pay off your personal loan? Is the stress of all of this disturbing you?  Could you use some simple and effective tips to save money, so you can apply that money to your personal loan? If the answers to these questions are, “yes,” then this article is for you.

Droplets make an Ocean

You may look at the tips, below, and think that the little bits of money you are saving in each of these situations is just not enough to make a difference, but, have you heard, “Droplets make an Ocean?”

Economical eating saves money

Economical eating refers to the eating habits that will save you a lot of money. Eating cannot be stopped but ways of eating can save lots of money. First, if you are a food-lover, then you might have a tendency to go to restaurants and fast food to eat. This is the first change you can make. Make your meals at home and save.

Or, if you feel you have to go out, look at the dollar menus of your favorite fast food restaurant.  And keep your eye out for coupons.  If you go to a nice restaurant, cut out the drinks, alcoholic or even soda, and drink water.  And speaking of cutting out the drinks, cut down on the bottles of soda and fizzy drinks at home and work too. Drink water, from the tap, if possible where you live, and save.

Save money on your clothes

Many of us spend too much on clothes, don’t we? This needs a change as well. I am not against buying new clothes and wearing them. I am also not asking you to wear the same jeans for 5 years or so. But money can be saved if you can compromise on one thing when buying clothes-buying brand names. Advertisements looks good on T.V. but it does not mean we have to buy every T-shirt our favorite actor is wearing.

Don’t buy clothes only for the sake of its brand. In reality, there is no such thing as ‘brand-value.’  You will pay 3-4 times the value of the shirt to get the brand name. Try to avoid buying any new clothes until your personal loan is paid off, but if you have to buy something new, avoid costly brand names. One more clothes shopping tip, if you e-shop, search for sites giving free shipping charges. This can save you a lot of money.

Enjoy less today, enjoy more tomorrow

No, this has nothing to do with enjoying your life, but rather it deals with purchases. What do I mean?  Well, say it is the Christmas season.  Instead of buying gifts before Christmas, can you celebrate the week after, saving you maybe even hundreds of dollars in the after Christmas sales?  This is what I mean by enjoying more tomorrow.  Or, what about a product that is launched? Don’t try to be the first customer on the block with that new electronic game. The price will go down in no time.

And what about a vacation.  Should you take a personal loan to take your family to Disneyland?  Wait until your first personal loan is paid off, with all these money saving tips, and then save until you can afford the trip.  Go camping or visit family or friends.  Stay at their home to avoid hotel costs.  But do watch out for long drives. Although the price of gas is down, it is not free and, another thing to consider is that burning fuels makes the atmosphere unhealthy. But that’s another story for another day.

Paying off that personal loan

Follow the tips above properly and apply the savings to your Personal Loan.  You will have that loan paid off in no time.  And that stressed I talked about at the beginning of this article, will subside.

Companies are getting creative, too. As I scoured the internet today in search of some unexpected tidbits in the midst of all the expected headlines, here are some things I found.

A vacation from getting paid

Newspapers across the country are facing declines in advertising revenue, rising costs for printing and dropping circulation numbers. Most papers have responded to this by laying off employees, cutting sections and reorganizing their business models.

But one of the largest newspaper conglomerates in the country, Gannett Inc., has come up with an idea that I think is, quite frankly, brilliant. The company is ordering all employees to take a week of unpaid leave this quarter. This edict applies to everyone, from part-time workers to the CEO.

Like most newspapers, Gannett went through extensive layoffs last year. I highly doubt you will hear grumbling from employees if one week without pay means they get to keep their jobs. Because they will still be officially employed, employees can always get payday loans if an emergency comes up.

Going green to the extreme

There has been a lot of advice out there on how to save money on groceries and food in general. We’ve all heard about cutting coupons, buying in bulk, cutting out restaurants and investing in basic staples.

One commenter on a MySpace money forum reminded me that buying canned fruits and vegetables instead of fresh ones saves money. This makes sense because you don’t run the risk of produce going bad and ending up a waste of money.

Another MySpace poster brought up an idea that I honestly had never thought of. “Buy books on foraging!” he urged. It sounds a little extreme, but a quick search of books on Amazon revealed that there are indeed many books out there on how to identify wild plants that are safe to eat. They even have instructions for how to prepare them. Some of these books were as little as $8.

School of scavenging

Another idea occurred to me as I was reading posts by starving college students. Web sites geared toward young people attending school are all over the place and have been around for years. The starving student is a master of frugality.

The same advice aimed at individuals looking to be able to buy text books as well as Ramen Noodles can apply to families and individuals who are out of work or just plumb out of luck. I Googled “money saving tips for college” and got 14.5 million hits. You’re bound to find some applicable information in one of them.

Misery loves company

Many of us are struggling to keep our budgets and our debts under control. In times like this, it can be humbling to read about people who are going through — or have gone through — worse. Thus, I leave you with a collection of quotes from a MySpace forum titled “What Was The Poorest Moment in Your Life?”

“I remember asking the gas station attendant to pump a dollar in gas for me and I paid him with quarters.” – So Fly

“Eating condiment packages from McDonald’s,” – MG Sales.

“I invented … chili with tomato paste and corn, taco seasoning and baked beans,” -spam

My favorite “poor” story:

“My poorest moment was at a Korean store … I was short just 12cents for a can of Similac for my son. … I asked a person there if he could let me 12cents and I promise to give him back – (he) said no. Then I asked a man (homeless) that always hang-out around the store there and he gave me the 12cents. I treated him to Zippy’s 1/2hr later, gave him $50, and Thanked him!”

Just goes to show you can find help and hope in the most unexpected places. There also seems to be the message there that if you share what little you do have you’ll be rewarded.

This article was provided by your payday loans source.

Building credit is more complicated than most people think. It's not simply a matter of paying your bills on time.

On PersonalMoneyStore.com’s payday loans money blog, we talk about a variety of financial topics and money-saving tips, tricks and strategies that help you stretch each of your hard-earned dollars the furthest.

We care about your financial welfare and want to equip you effectively to prosper financially.

That being said, today we are going to start a series on credit — undeniably the most important and least understood part of consumer financial education.

What is Credit?

Most consumers don’t realize the importance of credit or even what credit is. When most of us hear the term credit we think of all the plastic in our wallet that allows us to charge purchases for later payment.

Often times the term credit brings a mixture of both good and bad feelings because of the opportunity it provides us as well as the difficulties it can bring in light of the debt we as consumers tend to accumulate.

The Objective of this Series on Credit

For the duration of this series, however, we will be talking about credit in the terms of personal credit or credit score, or in other words the scoring index by which creditors judge our “credit worthiness” or ability to handle money effectively and responsibly.

How Credit Works

How credit works is complicated, but to get the ball rolling a little more quickly, let’s just throw out a quick description in layman terms.

Every time a consumer, such as yourself, applies for an account with a creditor — such as a bank, credit card company, retail store, auto loan, personal loan or even a home mortgage — the account is reported to each of the nations three main credit bureaus.

There are many factors which determine a good credit score.

What Creditors Track

The credit bureaus track the number of open accounts, closed accounts, account balances, credit inquiries and any history of late payments or collections that have been reported on your behalf. Through a complex algorithm unique to each of the bureaus, they assign you a numerical score.

The purpose of this credit scoring system is twofold. First, it helps protect creditors from fraudulent or irresponsible customer transactions on financed merchandise such as cars, furniture, appliances and anything else you would choose to finance with a credit card or a company’s in-house financing options.

Their are some exceptions to this rule, such as payday loans lenders. These companies typically don’t work with the credit bureaus, which makes them a good loan option for people with bad credit, but we will talk about that later in this series.

Secondly, and most importantly, credit scoring it set up to award those who are diligent and responsible with their financial resources and penalize those who are not.

The difficulty in obtaining a good credit score these days has become a little more cloudy and involves more than just paying your bills on time. For many this begs the question: Is the effort worth it? Or is having good credit really that important?

How Important Is It To Have Good Credit?

It can be easy to brush off the pursuit of good credit as unimportant, but today good credit has become a very important, integral part of every consumer’s personal and financial success. Your personal credit score has an effect on the following:

• How much you pay for car insurance
• How much you pay for house insurance
• How you pay for your personal health insurance
• How high your interest rate is on your home mortgage loan
• How high your interest rate is on auto or other personal loans
• The total credit amount you’re awarded with financed options or credit loans
• Your chances of employment

Almost every major financial transaction will consider your personal credit rating or credit score before awarding or denying you any contractual terms.

Credit and Employment

As mentioned above, more and more employers are running credit checks to validate the credit worthiness of new hires, as they believe it is the best indicator of a potential employee’s responsibility. Employers associate a good credit score with an employee’s diligence to come to work on time each day and fulfill the requirements of their job position.

The Value of Having Good Credit

You can’t put a price on good credit. Good credit saves you a fortune in unnecessary expenses over time that can be delegated to a retirement savings plan or college fund for the kids. Knowing how credit works and its effect on your financial endeavors will open doors that would otherwise stay shut. Short term credit needs are filled well by payday loans.

That concludes part one of this series on how credit works. Consider your personal credit and its limiting factors in your life and join us again tomorrow for part two.

See you then!

Posted courtesy of personalmoneystore.com, your payday loans source.

This article is a continuation of “Witty Living Part I | A Report From Your Payday Loans Source,” covering money saving tips to brave the current economic storm.

Saving On Interest

If you currently have debts such as high interest credit cards or perhaps an auto loan, you may consider making a large lump sum payment with the funds you may have set aside in savings.  Why?

Bank savings accounts usually pay very little in interest, failing sometimes to simply keep up with today’s inflation rates. By using these funds to pay off your high interest debts or make a significant payment towards them, you will save more money in the long run in interest fees then in the interest you would have earned on it if it were in a bank savings account.

Also, making payments above and beyond the minimum required payments on your credit accounts, will save you lots of extra money in interest fees over the life of the balance as well.

Reconsidering Your Mortgage Payment

Perhaps one of the most significant ways to save yourself money is by changing your current mortgage structure from a 30 year fixed mortgage to a 15 year fixed mortgage.

If you were to take a $100,000 fixed rate loan with an annual percentage rate of 7%, it would cost you $75,000 less than a 30 year fixed rate loan at the the same percentage rate.

Many think that a 15 year mortgage means your payment will be double the size that it is now however, payments on a 15 year versus a 30 year usually only differ by a few hundred dollars.

Before you decide to switch to a 15 year mortgage, take a careful accounting of your finances as you don’t want to find yourself borrowing payday loans each month just to make your monthly housing payment.

Water Down Your Heating Bill

Believe it or not, heating your water accounts for approximately 14% of your monthly utility bill. Being diligent about cutting costs here will show you a noticeable difference on your next bill. Here are a few ways to cut costs on your hot water bill.

• If your water heater is old, you can invest in a newer more efficient water heater for only a few hundred dollars and by doing so you should see some significant savings each month.
• I you cannot afford a newer unit, you can wrap your current water heater with insulation or a water heater blanket to make it more energy efficient.
• Encouraging shorter shower times among your family members will dramatically decrease the amount of energy it takes to heat your water and keep it heated.
• Check the temperature of your hot water.  If it is scalding hot, you should turn your water heater thermostat down so as to avoid heating water above the satisfactory temperature for bathing, doing dishes, etc.
• Changing your existing shower head to a lower flow aerating shower head can save you up to half the water consumption that is currently being used for bathing.
• When washing clothes, 80% to 85% of the energy used is for heating the water. Try using cooler water with your loads of laundry. You shouldn’t have to use hot water except for heavily soiled or stained clothes. For everything else, you can use warm and cold water.

Subsidize Monthly Entertainment With Public Resources

Families are faced with large costs these days with the cost of entertainment. Taking the kids to “Chuck E Cheese” or to a movie at the local cinema can cost an arm and a leg these days.

Subsidizing your entertainment costs by utilizing your public library for book and movie rentals can prove to be a cost effective and fun outing for the family.

Looking at a local community newsletter or website may also provide you with some additional community funded activities that are community funded.

Posted courtesy of PersonalMoneyStore.com, your payday loans source!

Personal Money Store, the Internet’s number one source of online payday loans, would like to give you some additional money saving tips to help you brave the current economic storm. Implementing one or all of the strategies below will guarantee you financial savings and help each payday stretch a little further.

Eliminate impulse buying

Impulse buying is the primary cause of consumer credit debt. We tend to “impulse buy” when we go shopping with only a vague idea of what we are shopping for. This results in extra cash being spent on things that are either not needed, or unnecessary.

When you go shopping, whether it be for Christmas, birthdays, or groceries, be sure to write your self a list of what it is that you have in mind.

You will also want to guesstimate the expenses so that you have a realistic expectation of what the day’s shopping is going to cost you and therefore help you to prioritize your purchases , control impulse buying and stop the accrual of unnecessary debt.

Investing in a new car filter can save you money

The last thing many of us ever get around to is vehicle maintenance however staying up-to-date on your vehicle’s tune-ups can and will save you extra money in the long run.

Regular maintenance prevents one problem from starting another, and when it comes to things such as clean oil, your fuel efficiency is the big money saver.

One such example is your air filter. Changing out a dirty and clogged air filter can save you up to 10% in fuel efficiency. This equates to about $.15 cents per gallon of fuel.

Expect More From Your Bank

When it come to banking and the payday loans industry, remember that it pays to shop. Each has their own fee structures that they uphold with their customers or clients so doing a little research before settling on a choice can pay you dividends in the long run. With payday loans in particular, you can use a broker such as personalmoneystore.com who will help to match you with the best lender possible.

When setting up an account with your bank be sure to obtain a list of fees and attempt to negotiate the fees with your account representative. The banking industry is a very competitive field and will wave fees just to keep you as a customer.

If you have a considerable chunk of change that you hold in reserve in your savings account then you should be able to request free checking as well. Remember the bank uses your money to make money, and when you leave, your money leaves with you as does the banks opportunity to make money with your money.

Pay Off Your Monthly Credit Card Balances

Americans on average can pay up to a thousand dollars a year in credit card interest. By paying off your credit card balance in full each month you save yourself a fortune over time.

If you already have a substantial debt accumulated on your credit card you can save money on the monthly interest fees by performing a balance transfer. Introductory credit card offers will give you anywhere from 6 to 18 months at a 0% interest rate, giving you a chance to make some headway on your debt and avoid additional fees as well.

Keep your eye on personalmoneystore.com’s payday loans blog for additional money saving tips in part two of this series on Witty Living.

We have all been there before, standing in the aisle looking at a piece of merchandise you have been wanting, for what seems like ages, trying to decide if you should draw payday loans to take advantage of the good deal you’ve just found or if you should just walk away.

Wanting things that you really can’t afford, knowing that you may never find a better deal can break your heart or burden you with debt. Being faced with financial responsibility and the things you desire to buy but don’t necessarily need can be a heart wrenching experience. What do you do in times such as these?

HAGGLE!

Make A Good Buy Even Better

When you see a good deal you can

The only way to get a good buy that you can’t afford is to make the good buy even better! This can be achieved through haggling and believe it or not, this can save you a fortune.

Here are some tips to help you get the things you want without having to find the extra cash or borrow a payday loan to buy it at face value.

How to Haggle

There are many ways to haggle to get the things that you want. Not all merchants will succumb to your haggling tactics, but don’t let that deter you from trying. The worst possible thing a merchant can tell you is NO!

On average, retailers usually charge consumers somewhere between 40  and 60 percent more for their products than what they purchased them for from their distributors.

Some profit is better than no profit, and moving merchandise off their shelves makes them and their distributors much happier.

Getting Something Extra For Free

Sales assistants are not always authorized to give you something for less than the sticker price. However, often times, depending on the product, you can get accessories at no additional charge by making it a conditional part of the purchase.

This would be things like:

• Batteries for a remote or any other battery operated product
• A camera case or digital media card for a new digital camera purchase
• Extra laces for the purchase of a new pair of shoes
• An assortment of connection cables such as Component, RCA, HDMI, etc., for the purchase of a new television

Finding the Floor on Discounted Items

When you come across a good deal that has already had its price reduced or is on clearance, you may be tempted to buy the product as is. You may think haggling on an already reduced price would be somewhat insulting to the retailer trying to sell the goods, but the opposite is actually closer to the truth.

By the time retailers slash prices on merchandise or put it on the clearance rack they have already, to a large extent, written it off as a loss, and at this point they don’t want it to sit around any longer.

Capitalizing On Retailers Losses

A retailer’s willingness to move the product at almost any cost is better than nothing at all. The retailer is more than prepared to lose money on the deal, so pipe up and make the purchase well worth your while.

With Christmas behind us now, expect a lot of things going on sale or hit the clearance rack to make room for next year’s inventory. Now is the time to get the best deals of the year!

Stay tuned to the payday loans blog for some more money saving haggling tips.

Until next time,

Happy Haggling!

There are a lot of things which cause debt.  Most of us know what those things are and may have even found ourselves in such a situation.  Is there a time when payday loans can help?

Identify the causes of debt before it's too late!

Being that the average American has thousands of dollars in consumer credit card debt, I will assume for the duration of this article that you are currently in such a dilemma, perhaps borrowing payday loans just to stay on top of your current finances or maybe you are quickly headed that way with the forceful push of our slumping economy.

Nonetheless, I thought by revealing the biggest causes of debt, you and I could be watchful for the things that may cause us to end up there, thus taking the safer road less traveled.

Leaving Your Spouse? Think Again

Ironically, yet understandably, the biggest cause of debt is divorce, and the biggest cause of divorce is debt or disagreements regarding money. If it cannot be done civilly between you and your spouse, you may lose what you have and then some just to make the break.

The best advice would be to work it out if at all possible.  Remember you loved your spouse enough once to get married so look at other alternatives besides divorce before jumping on what you “think” is the freedom train. This train may leave you buried in debt.

Living Beyond Your Means

Oftentimes, especially in today’s economy where credit is used more then cash, we tend to find ourselves living beyond that which we can afford. This is either because we fail to keep a fair record of our finances or because we suffer some setbacks professionally leaving us taking less home each payday than we have been used to.

Failure to make the necessary adjustments when your income is reduced can find you accumulating debt quickly. If you find yourself in a similar situation, prioritize your expenses and eliminate what you can afford to live without as soon as possible.

Failure To Manage Your Money (Get A Budget!)

Yes, we have been told how to budget our money since we were young, so why don’t we?

If we do not know where our finances are being spent, we will never know where we can make changes to begin saving. Budgets are critical to any income large or small and anyone can benefit from one. If you don’t have a budget, it’s time for you get one started for the sake of both yourself and your family.

To prove the importance of a budget, record every expense both large and small for one month. At the end of the month, categorize your expenses and see how many fall under the “unnecessary” or “wasteful spending” category. The results are usually shocking. A budget helps you to save money as well as keep you accountable from spending your funds excessively or wastefully.

Unemployment Can Be Underestimated

Finding yourself without a job due to layoffs or some other factor, may leave you with unemployment, but these funds are hardly comparable to what you have been used to each payday.

Many times after being laid off, spending habits don’t change due to the optimism of finding a job in the immediate future. If things happen to the contrary, you may find yourself in a heap of trouble and no way to get on top of it.

If you happen to get laid off or lose your job, make the necessary sacrifices to your spending habits immediately because every dollar you spend during this time will be working against you.

America’s Favorite Pastime… Gambling!

Believe it or not, gambling is quickly becoming America ’s favorite pastime. With tribal casino’s making gambling available in just about every location on the map, consumers are having a hard time telling themselves when enough is enough.

Gamblers, who catch the bug will spend the cash they have on hand, the emergency funds they have set aside, borrow payday loans or pawn off valuable assets just to try their luck at obtaining fortune.

If you like to gamble, do so responsibly. Don’t bring your ATM card to the casino. Instead take a predefined sum of money that you can afford to lose and when the spending is done, you will be forced to walk away. Moderation is key as this habit can quickly get out of hand.

Hopefully the above will be helpful indicators in identifying the potential pitfalls that cause debt.

Today marks the 75th day that gas prices have fallen and another day that consumers are saving money at the pump. This is good news for Americans approaching the Christmas holiday, when a lot of people get payday loans for those holiday gift expenses.

Payday Is Coming More Often. Now At The Pump!

With the troubled economy, saving money has been difficult. Higher gas prices only compound the country’s economic strain and tend to discourage tourism and people’s willingness to travel, spend, and consume.

40% of American households live paycheck to paycheck so when the price of gas doubled, hitting a national high of $4.114 a gallon, it put a lot of American consumers in trouble; alternative measures had to be taken just to make ends meet. Utilizing local city transit systems, cutting back on consumer spending and taking advantage of payday loans services were just a few of the actions taken by many in order to meet and pay their monthly expenses.

National retailers largely depend on revenue made by consumer spending during the holidays.

Tis The Season To Be Spending

With the the third quarter of the year responsible for the largest percentage of the nation’s consumer spending, it is important for many retailers, and therefore the economy, that consumer spending habits be left unbridled for what is left of the Christmas shopping season. This year has raised a lot of questions in regards to how much would be spent by consumers under the economic pressures such as rising gasoline.

Thankfully however, gas has dropped over 55% to a national average of $1.83 per gallon. This has made some big differences in the balances of consumers’ checkbooks.

“It’s like an extra payday every time I go to the pump”, said one consumer. “What was costing me over fifty dollars is now costing me under twenty-five. I have to fuel up at least three times each month so it’s nice to see the extra seventy-five dollars in my pocket come the month’s end”

This is an encouraging change of events as the money consumers save in gas, they are likely to spend on gifts for both themselves and others, which will help to stimulate and rejuvenate the state of our current economy.

Saving Money Through Conservation

Practicing fuel economy can save you big in the long haul.

Saving money is a hot topic today and gasoline seems to be where the money is being made, that is if you have learned to be conservative with it. Here are a few money saving tips that will help you to do just that and save yourself even more money this month.

Don’t Drive Aggressively

Aggressively speeding up and slowing down as well as constant breaking can cost you up to 33% of your gas mileage on the freeway and 5% of your gas mileage in town. Try to avoid the constant stop and go of your daily commutes. This aggressive behavior is usually associated with being in a rush on the road, and will also send you out for payday loans to pay off traffic tickets. Practice leaving five minutes earlier for work and you can save on both gas and money.

Keeping it under 60mph

Honestly, how often do you keep your speed under sixty miles an hour on the freeway?

Most speed limits are around 65mph and everyone is always trying to press the “Ticket Limit” which is usually five to seven miles per hour above that.

The thing to remember here is that wind resistance increases exponentially with the rise in speed and although vehicles tend to reach their optimum fuel efficiency at different speeds, the general rule of thumb is that it will cost you an additional $0.24 per gallon for each 5mph above 60mph.

Depending on the length of your daily commute and the speed at which you drive, you can decrease your fuel consumption dramatically and again, save money.

Lose The Extra Weight

Still have those fifty pound sandbags in your truck from last winter? If so, the last nine months may have cost you a small bundle. For every hundred pounds extra, you may reduce your fuel consumptions by up to 2%.

Cruise When You Can

The steadier the speed you maintain, the better the fuel consumption you will achieve. Whenever you are on the highway or freeway take advantage of automatic cruise control if you have it and remember to keep it at 60mph or under.

Every little bit helps, especially today. Practice implementing the tips above and you will give yourself a good start on saving the additional funds for the holiday’s and beyond.

With the troubled economy everyone seems to be having their own little cash crisis. Debts that were manageable before have now become a challenge to keep out of default. Many have lost or are loosing there homes because of bad mortgages and experts are assuring us that before it gets better it will surely get worse, and more Americans are going out for payday loans these days.

There is no silver bullet to solve all these problems but we as individual consumers we can implement a few strategies to make each payday, a little more gratifying.

We tend to get complacent about saving money when the money is rolling in, but when it slows, or rising expenses such as gas consumes our buffer, we have to create our own. There are several things we can do to accomplish this. One of the best is by managing our energy consumption.

Get a programmable thermostat

Programmable thermostats will save you a considerable sum each month!

95% of home owners “Set and Forget” their home thermostats. The running temperature of your home should only be at comfort level during the hours in which you are there. Most working families with children will only need the temperature in their home to be at comfort level during specific times of the day. These hours are typically in the morning around 6am to 8am as the family wakes up and prepares themselves for the day and then again upon every ones return in the late afternoon to early evening hours. Usually these would be the hours of 3:30pm to 9pm. After 9pm people begin retiring under the covers and the temperature of the living space becomes of less concern.

So then, on average “comfort” hours sum up to a total of only seven and half hours in a twenty four hour period . Having the thermostat regulating your homes temperature from 70 to 73 degrees all day and night is a wasteful way to spend your financial resources. You can lower your temperature to between sixty and sixty eight degrees while you are away or sleeping.

To manage the temperature of your home effectively you will want to purchase a programmable thermostat. These types of thermostats will allow you to set different temperatures for different times and on different days depending on families personal schedule. Once programmed you can expect to save a considerable amount each month on your gas or electric bill. The cost of the thermostat will quickly be compensated for.

Using Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Yes, we have all seen them but do they really work? The good news is YES they do! Energy efficient florescent light bulbs use two thirds less power than conventional bulbs and can last up to ten times longer. They are more expensive but the total savings per bulb can be $50 dollars a piece over the life of the bulb. Calculate these savings over your entire household and you’ll likely save thousands, and a few trips to the payday loans store.

Wrapping your water heater in insulation or a water heater blanket will help lower your utility bill.

Wrap Your Water Heater and Change Your Furnace Filter.

If you are not in the habit of changing your furnace filters, it may be costing you! Changing your furnace filters once a month allows proper air flow easing the workload on your furnace and allowing it to run in shorter intervals. Changing your filters in conjunction with wrapping your water heater with an insulation source can improve your homes energy efficiency by 20% alone.

Most water heaters reside in the colder basement areas of homes which require more energy, whether electricity or gas, to keep the water contained within them to the set desired temperature. By wrapping your water heater you prevent this cycle from occurring so often thus saving you a considerable amount on your energy bill.

You may want to check the temperature that you have your water heater set to as well. One hundred and thirty degrees is the standard for cleaning dishes, killing germs and keeping the bath water warm. You will want the temperature to be set as low as possible while still meeting your needs for comfort.

Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters save you money by heating your water on demand.

When then opportunity presents itself and you can afford it. A tankless water heater will save you even more each month as it does not need to regulate an ongoing temperature. Tank less water heaters actually heat the water on demand allowing for both a steady state temperature and a never ending supply of hot water.

These types of water heater are more efficient than storage tank water heater but they are also much more expensive and it may take a few years before your savings cancel out the original purchase cost.

Try these tips in energy conservation. They will save you money and help you to manage your debts. After all, couldn’t you use a few extra bucks at the end of the month, and not have to get payday loans?

Winter Storm: Financial Damage

With winter just around the corner, a cash advance can help you stay warm and safe this season. As the temperature drops, costs can go up. There are free and low-cost steps you can take to reduce your winter time costs, but preparation can be expensive, too. The money you spend on preparing for cold weather is money well spent, but it seems like something always comes up that you weren’t quite prepared for.

Snow Day

It doesn’t snow in all areas of the United States, but there are a number of places that receive several feet of snow on an annual basis. Snow is a force to be reckoned with, and it’s important to be ready for it before the first snowfall. A few snow storm necessities are a snow shovel, snow tires (or all-weather tires), chains for your tires, and an ice-scraper. Should the snow storm be so severe that you can’t leave your home, it’s crucial that you have a small stockpile of water and food. These are all small things, but they’re important to have when the snow starts to pile up.

Winter Conservation Tips

Electricity is an everyday necessity, and people often take it for granted. However, you have control over how much electricity you use, which is especially important during the winter months when your heat/electricity bill can be its highest. Here are a few conservation tips to lower your costs this winter:

• Set your thermostat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit

• Lower your thermostat at night and when not at home

• Seal cracks around doors and windows—this is one of the least expensive steps you can take to reduce your energy costs

• Check ceiling and crawl spaces to ensure there’s adequate insulation

• Close fireplace damper and glass doors when fireplace is not in use. Don’t use your fireplace in the coldest weather

• Open curtains during the day to allow the sunlight to naturally heat your home

• Close curtains at night to reduce heat loss

• Set your hot water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees, and make sure it’s well insulated

• Consider using fluorescent lighting, and always turn lights off in an unoccupied room

Mother Nature Always Wins; So Does a Cash Advance

As previously mentioned, there are many steps you can take to prepare for the winter months, but chances are something will come up that you are unprepared for. Mother Nature has her way of creating trouble for you when you least expect it, and regardless of how hard you try to combat the forces of winter weather, Mother Nature always wins. An ice-covered tree could fall on your roof, your car could slide off a slick road, or your pipes could freeze; anything could happen because Mother Nature is full of surprises. Although you can’t prepare for everything, you can always get a cash advance to help cover those unexpected costs so you stay warm and safe this winter.