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Getting your personal finances in order is what will keep you from being obligated to others. Controlling your spending and living below your means will allow you to save money for the days that you can no longer work anymore. This article has good guidance for getting your personal finances straighten around. Make big purchases a goal. Instead of putting a large item purchase on a credit card and paying for it later, make it a goal for the future. Start putting aside money each week until you have saved enough to buy it outright. You will appreciate the purchase more, and not be drowning in debt because of it. Pay attention to the interest rates on your credit cards. What may seem like a minor difference of a few percentage points can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the long run. If you have multiple credit cards, use whichever one has the lowest interest rate. For large purchases, such as home renovations, one way to get a better loan is to borrow against the value of your home, also called a home equity loan or a second mortgage. Because of the security provided by your home's equity, these loans often have better rates than a normal loan. Use cheap sponges to make your own disposable paintbrushes. You can buy these sponges a dozen or more at a time at the dollar store. Cut them to the size you need and clip them to a spring-loaded clothes pin. You'll have a perfectly functioning paintbrush that cost only a few pennies to make! 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. Does your grocery store offer gift cards? You might not have realized it, but you can use these cards to budget your food purchases better. After you have decided how much you want to spend on food for the month, buy a gift card for that amount. Every time you use it, you'll be able to see how well you are sticking to your food budget. Eliminate unnecessary credit cards. You do not need to have a multitude of credit cards open on your credit report. This costs you a lot of money in interest fees and drags down your credit score if you have them all above 20% of the available maximum balance. Write the creditors a letter and pay off the balance. Put to good use the tips you have learned in this article. Be sure to plan for your future by saving a good portion of your salary. You can also compare your quality of living to those around but make sure you are living within a realistic range and do what is right for your specific situation. The Retirement Group educates corporate employees that are transitioning or retiring with ING Retirement.
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