Healthy Financial Habits

Didn’t get the big screen flat panel lcd tv that you wanted for Christmas? Perhaps you were running a little low on cash this holiday season and don’t have the credit to obtain a small loan or credit card? Don’t let your credit issues stand in the way of purchasing the electronics that you and your family deserves.

When credit problems put prevent you from purchasing the things that you need check out what rent to own facilities such as Rent A Center has to offer. Rent A Center provides name brand appliances, electronics, and furniture to individuals with less than perfect credit. In fact, they never even perform a credit check so bad credit is never an issue. Owning that big screen television that you once only dreamed of can now become reality.

There are several benefits of renting to own. As mentioned already, renting to own usually requires no credit checks. It is as simple as walking in, picking out the things that you need, and walking out the door with a payment plan. Another benefit of renting to own is the ability to make small weekly, biweekly, or monthly payments. Flexible payments are great because not everyone gets paid at the same time. Making a few small payments per month is better in some cases.

One of the greatest benefits that Rent A Center offers is protection if you lose your job. If you are renting to own and happen to lose your job or have some other change the prevents you from making your payments on time, Rent A Center will pick up your items free of charge. Whenever you situation improves Rent A Center will drop your items off and you can pick payments up where you left off. They offer this program free of charge which is an excellent perk in this struggling economy as unemployment soars above 10%.

Rent A Center is often criticized for pricing their merchandise higher than other furniture and electronic stores. Critics often quote the price if one were to make the minimum payment for the longest period of time. The truth is that most RAC customers use the SAC or early payout option when making their purchase. By using this method you can pay off your purchase within 90 days. The overall cost of what you purchase is significantly reduced whenever you use this method.

Get ready for this years super bowl and purchase your LCD tv from Rent A Center or another rent to own center. Rent to own centers offer flexible payments, free delivery, no credit checks, price matching and some even offer job loss protection.

Looking for a car loan with bad credit? Subprime Blogger has your bad credit loan solutions.

Author: Karla Kessler

There has numerous emails circulating claiming that president Obama created Safelink, a provider of free cell phones and service to low income individuals. The email also claims that this service is provided at the expense of taxpayers. Healthy Financial Habits is here to debunk these two myths and give you factual information on the origins of this program and who actually pays for it.

If president Obama did not create the Safelink program then who did?

The Safelink program actually has origins dating back to 1984. As many of us can remember there was once a time when cell phones did not exist. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) created a program called Lifeline. The program was designed to provide affordable quality communication to lower income citizens by reducing their monthly bill for basic service.

As the landline era started to fade out and cell phones gained popularity, there was a need to expand the program to include cellular service. In todays on-the-go world it is almost a necessity to be available at any time. Because of this the FCC approved Tracfone to be a provider of a mobile lifeline service called Safelink. The way that the program works is that instead of receiving a discount on landline service, the individual in need receives a phone (paid for by Safelink) and 68 minutes of airtime per month. They then have the option to purchase additional minutes.

The Safelink program was launched in April 2008, prior to Obama taking office in January 2009, proving that the Safelink phone is not the “Obama Phone” that the email claims.

Okay, well that may be true but if the taxpayers are not paying for the program then who is?

According to the Safelink website “SafeLink phones are not paid for by taxpayers or the federal government.” As mentioned before, the handset is provided by Tracfone and the service is funded. Airtime is funded by the Universal Service Fund (UDF) which is run by the Universal Service Administration who is an independent, not-for-profit Corporation created by the Federal Communications Commission.  The USAC is not funded by taxpayer’s money.

The Safelink phone is an excellent idea that provides low income individuals mobile phone service that can be beneficial in many different ways. The phone can be used by job seekers who need a phone number so that potential employers can contact them at. In addition the phone can be used in emergency situations. This is beneficial to everyone especially the elderly.

Author: John Zinsky

Now that you have made it through Christmas your wallet may be thinner than you had expected. It seems as if every Christmas we overextend ourselves and spend more than what we budgeted for. You might be looking for a little extra cash to pay your bills this month. Perhaps you are trying to make that car payment or credit card payment. Whatever the reason, Healthy Financial Habits has you covered. We are about to share with you the formula that scrap gold buyers use when estimating how much your gold is worth. The following is not an exact science but it can give you an idea of how much you should expect when you go to sell your scrap gold.

Selling scrap gold is easy as long as you have the tools and the knowledge to complete your transaction. First you must obtain a scale. A simple metal jewelry scale that weighs in grams should do the trick. These can be purchased online or at your local tobacco supply store. Weigh your gold to figure out how many grams it weighs. Second you must figure out how many karats your jewelry is. A karat is a measure of gold purity. Twenty four karat indicates that the gold is 100% pure. Gold is often mixed with other metals to make it stronger and more affordable. Look on your jewelry for a stamp that marks the number of karats it contains. An example of karats is 24k, 22k, 18k, 14k, 12k, or 10k. Finally, you want to know what the current price of gold is. You are able to find this information online by searching for current gold prices.

Now that you have gathered your information and the tools needed to calculate the value of gold you must now plug the numbers into this equation developed by Healthy Financial Habits:

Scrap gold value = ((Karats/24) * weight in grams) (Current price per gram) (.80)

The first part of the formula (Karats/24) * weight in grams determines how much of your gold jewelry is actually pure gold. This number is multiplied by the current gram price of gold. The gram price is simply the current price per ounce divided by 31.10 (the number of grams in one troy ounce of gold). This is different from the 28 grams in a standard ounce.

Finally, true value of your gold is this number times .80. Buyers of scrap gold must take their scraps and have them melted down and processed which cost money. They will usually deduct anywhere from 15% – 20%

Selling gold can be a fun and easy way to make some extra cash in this post holiday season. Be sure to check around with several gold buyers to ensure that you are getting the best price possible. It is never a good idea to sell your gold to the first buyer that you speak with.

Author: Mike Smitt

Kicking the dirty habit of smoking can be a difficult task even for those who are strong-willed. One reason not often discussed is the fact that smoking is simply a habit. You wake up in the morning, drink a few cups of coffee, grab a bite to eat, a cigarette, and off to work you go. You smoke a few at work, a few after dinner, and a few before you go to sleep. This happens day after day and becomes a habit. Your daily habits dictate who you are and what you become.

Many drug manufactures and makers of smoking cessation products place an emphasis on nicotine substitutes in an effort to sell their product. As a former smoker, I understand that nicotine is a powerful drug that keeps people coming back for more. I also understand that a smoking habit is just as it implies, a habit. If you can look beyond the fact that you are addicted to nicotine and that it is mostly a bad habit you will have a better chance is kicking the habit. After many years of smoking I am going to share with you the way I stopped and how life is without smoking.

It was just before the New Year and I was making a list of all the things that I wanted to accomplish in the New Year. At the top of my list was smoking cessation. After several failed attempts, I began to understand why I was so unsuccessful at quitting. At the time I was reading the book “Million Dollar Habits” by Brian Tracy. The book was about developing daily habits in order to double or triple your income.

While reading this book, I decided to apply the idea of breaking the habit of smoking by changing the way that I do things in my daily life. The first thing that I did was make a list of all the great benefits of not smoking. Making a list is simple because there are many reasons- health and financial just to name a few. Armed with a list of reasons why I should not smoke I set out on what seemed to be a near impossible journey.

I must admit, the first few months were difficult. Every time I had a drink, saw someone else smoking, or ate a large meal I wanted a cigarette bad. I battled it each and every time telling myself no and reflecting upon all the reasons why I decided to stop in the first place. Months went by and eventually the cravings disappeared. It was simply amazing!

Quitting cold turkey is not easy. It requires both a strong will and willingness to change. Life after smoking as been is much better. I am no longer a slave to the cigarette and can enjoy an uninterrupted day. I have saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. In addition I am healthier than ever. For more information and techniques to stop smoking you can search the internet for a plethora of information on smoking cessations.

For help on making your resolutions come true check back with Healthy Financial Habits in the New Year. We address topics from smoking cessation to personal finance.

Author: Mike Smitt

Happy holidays from the staff at Healthy Financial Habits. Check back Monday morning for gold price predictions and other news.

So Christmas day is almost here and you are struggling to come up with that extra cash that you need to get you through Christmas? Maybe you need some extra cash to pay the rent this month or perhaps you are trying to put that big screen television under the tree for your Husband or Boyfriend. The solution to your money needs may be closer than you think.

With the extremely high gold prices this year you may want to consider selling your scrap gold jewelry. Scrap gold jewelry can bring you hundreds of dollars and is easy to sell. It requires very little effort to sell scrap gold because it is as simple as gathering all of your jewelry that is broken or not used and selling it to one of the many gold buyers out there.

Hear is a quick crash course on how to sell your scrap gold jewelry for cash. You can read a more detailed article at Healthy Financial Habits guide to selling gold.

First, gather all of the scrap gold jewelry that you can. You may want to ask your parents or relatives if they have any old gold jewelry lying around that they no longer want.  Offer them an incentive such as a portion of the amount that you receive for the gold.

Next, sort your scrap gold by the number of karats it contains. Karats are a measure of gold purity and are a significant factor in calculating what your gold is worth.  Karats start at 24 (pure gold) and go down from there. The further away from 24k your gold is, the more filler metals it contains and the less it is worth.

Now that you have gathered all of your gold, weigh all of your gold in grams and write down your total weight for each karat category.  After you determine the weight and purity of your gold check the internet for the current gold price. Todays gold is valued just below $1,100 an ounce.

With the weight, purity, and current gold price you are ready to calculate how much you should receive by selling your gold. Healthy Financial Habits has developed a formula for calculating scrap gold price:

Scrap gold value = ((Karats/24) * weight in grams) (Current price per gram) (.80)

Just plug in your variables and you will get the price that you should expect from a gold buyer.

So you have bad credit and would like to apply for a credit card? Subprime Blogger has you covered with how to apply for instant bad credit credit cards

Author: Greg Jackson

The countdown is on with only two shopping days left until Christmas. You are probably just now searching for that perfect gift that will bring a smile to your loved ones face. Christmas gifts are not always easy to find when it seems as if your man or woman has everything they need. With only 2 days left we came up with a few ideas that may jumpstart you into finishing your holiday shopping. Since this is Healthy Financial Habits we made sure to keep pricing in mind.

GIFT IDEAS FOR HIM

1.   Magazine subscription. Get him a year subscription to Maxim Magazine so that he can read about what to get you for Valentines Day

2.   Mail delivered food. Enough said? Men love to eat and what better gift to give them than food. Order a frozen food gift package from Omaha Steaks.

3.   Gym membership. Does he frequently talk about getting into shape? Get him a gym membership for the New Year. You may want to start by purchasing several trial memberships so that he can select the gym that he likes best.

4.   Beer variety pack. Beer makes a great gift especially when it comes in a variety gift pack. Go to your local wine store and pick out a six pack of unique beers.

5.   Duct tape wallet. Yeah, that’s right. Be creative and make him a duct tape wallet. This is not only practical and cheap but it is also an excellent conversation piece.

GIFT IDEAS FOR HER

1.   Edible arrangements. Get your significant other an arrangement from Edible arrangements. Fruit is arranged and delivered to your door. After she finishes admiring your gift you can stuff your face with an array of fruit.

2.   Free babysitter for one night. Offer to take care of the kids for a night in order to allow her to get away from the hustle of every day life. You can be creative by bundling this offer with a $100 prepaid Visa or Mastercard

3.   Massage certificate. You can’t go wrong with this one. Get her an hour long massage at the spa. Couple this with a gift card from a smoothie place.

4.   Wine. Wine makes a great gift for the both of you. Create a music mix with some Marvin, Barry, maybe a little Kelly. Give a gift to receive!

5.   Tickets to a play. She will eat this one up. Take her out for dinner followed by a play.

Good luck finding just what you need this holiday season. Healthy Financial habits will keep you updated with fresh gift ideas for Christmas.  Don’t forget that the internet is a great place to find those last minute gifts. Many online retailers are offering free overnight shipping.

Author: John Zinsky

Are you looking for the perfect last minute gift for your son, daughter, mother, father or even grandma or grandpa? Well, chances are that someone in your family could benefit from a prepaid cell phone with no contract.

Prepaid cell phones are a unique gift that can used in both emergency situations and for leisure. Have you ever thought about what your loved ones would do if they encountered an emergency situation and had no way to call for help. Thankfully, prepaid cell phones such as the one from Straight Talk wireless can put your mind at ease.

Straight Talk is a prepaid cellular phone from TracFone that offers the best of both worlds – affordability and convenience. With the Straight Talk phone you are not required to make a commitment by signing a contract. The process is fairly straight forward and simple. First, you must choose which phone you would like.  You are able to choose from a variety of phones from basic to elegant. Phone prices range anywhere from $59.99 on up to $373.99.  Free 2-3 day ground shipping is available until December 31st whenever you choose a phone and airtime card over $29.99

What makes the Straight Talk phone so great is the straight forward deals that they offer on their service plans. Straight talk doesn’t try to confuse you with ten different plans that are overpriced and all have disadvantages. They have two basic, simple, and easy to understand plans.

The first plan is the “unlimited” plan. For only $45 (plus taxes and fees) per month you can enjoy unlimited minutes, unlimited messages, and  Unlimited data anytime for 30 days. In addition, all 411 calls are free!

If the person that you plan on giving a phone to is not much of a talker you can choose the “All you need” plan. The all you need plan comes with 1000 Minutes, 1000 text or picture messages, 30MB of data, and also comes with free 411 calls. This service will set you back $30 every 30 days (plus taxes and fees). Thats exactlty $1 a day for phone service.

Paying your monthy service charge is easier than ever with several payment options. The first payment option is to have your debit or credit card drafted every 30 days. All you have to do is register your debit or credit card and never worry again about reloading your prepaid cell phone.

Another option is refill on demand. There are four ways to refill your service when you need it; by phone, Straight Talk official website, by calling 1-877-430- CELL (2355) or by visiting participating retailers such as Walmart who sell service cards.

So lets recap the Straight talk phone:

- No contracts, no commitments
- Great prices on phones with free until December 31st
- Two great plans to choose from one includes unlimited everything
- Nationwide coverage
- Many Convenient ways to pay for your service

It really does not get much better than this!

If you have a prepaid phone service that you are satisfied with Healthy Financial Habits would like to hear from you. Email us at Healthyfinancialhabits@gmail.com or leave a comment and tell us what features you like most about your phone.

Author: Carla Kessler

This year’s hot gift items is the Zhu Zhu pet. Retailers from all over are scrambling to keep these robotic hamsters on the shelf.  So the questions still remains: Where can I find a Zuh Zuh pet in stock. Where else but good old Wal-Mart.

Walmart is running a 3 days sale on Zhu Zhu pets that started on Monday. Each store will receive between 20 and 60 of Zhu Zhu pets. They are limiting each customer to one Zuh Zuh pet. Since the sale does start at 7am you will want to get in line early this morning. They are giving these away at $8.00 each and are offering no rain checks.

Check back with Healthy Financial Habits this holiday season for more great gift ideas. Here you will find a variety of ways to save money on everything from gifts to groceries. If financing is a problem then we offer financing solutions. If you have a question or specific topic that you would like to read about contact the staff: Healthyfinancialhabits@gmail.com

Author: Greg Jackson

The price of gold fell off in India on Tuesday due to slow down in industrial buying. India’s gold price settled at Rs 16,670 down Rs 280 per ten gram.

Gold prices also fell in the United States due once again to a stronger dollar. The price of gold tanked today closing at $1086.00 per ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The decline of $24.80 was due in part to the release of existing home sales figures for the month of November. Existing homes sales rose beyond analyst expectations giving the dollar index a boost.

Although the median sales price decreased 4.3% from last year, the sale of existing homes in the United States increased 7.4%. This is due in part to the flood of first time home buyers purchasing home before the tax credit was originally set to expire. The higher than expected results from existing home sales adds to the argument that the US economy is on the road to recovery.

Earlier this month, November’s retail sales numbers were higher than analyst had expected. In addition, data from the department of labor showed a better employment outlook when numbers for the  month of November showed a decrease in unemployment in 36 states.  The decrease in unemployment is partly the result of seasonal hiring by temporary agencies.

As we approach the new year gold prices should continue to drop as the dollar gains strength. It is quite possible that gold could make a come back in the first half of January if Christmas retail sales data in the United States doesn’t meet or exceed expectations. In addition, data from existing home sales for the month of December could drop off as first time homebuyers who are interested in taking advantage of the tax credit extention delay purchasing a home during the holiday season. Healthy Financial Habits closing Comex prediction for November 23rd is $1075.65

India’s gold prices should also decrease due to a weakened demand for gold for industrial use. Gold prices in India may suffer Rs 350 per ten gram closing  around Rs 16300

If you are interested in purchasing a home in the new year check out www.subprimeblogger.com for up to date information on FHA Home Loan Rates

Author: Mike Smitt