Declutter Your Home and Make Money

Do you need to declutter your home? You do if things get hopelessly lost in your house. Or you have duplicate items because you forgot you already had one. Or you have stacks of books and magazines you're going to read one day. Or especially if you still have your prom dress from high school!

If this sounds like you, it's not only costing you money, but you could make money with some of that clutter.

Declutter and save

Clutter costs money. You might have thought it only looked bad or got in your way but the problem goes much deeper. When you can't find something in your home, you go out and buy another. This is unnecessary spending and costs you money.

Spending time searching and digging through piles to find something you know you have, costs you money by wasting your time. After all, time is money. By having an organized home, avoid these two money wasters.

Declutter and make money

You have treasure in your house. You just can't see it. You can't see it, but it's there hiding under the bed, in closets and living in piles. There are people that would love to have your treasure, you just have to find it and get it to them.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of eBay and Craig's List. These are two popular online sites where you can sell your treasure. If you don't want to go online, check your local classifieds. Find free magazines where you can list your items for sale at most convenient stores. These are easy to list in and easy to sell.

Clear your clutter

Now that you know you can save and make money with your clutter, let's get to it. First, realize that you have a problem with clutter and resolve to fix it. Second, realize that you didn't get into this situation overnight and you won't get out of it overnight.

Clearing the clutter and organizing your life takes time, but you can do it. Follow these steps and organize your life in no time.

Step 1 - Pick the area that needs the most attention

This area can be the room that is in the worst shape, one that will give you the most sense of accomplishment, one that visitors see first, or one that you think has the most valuable treasure in it.

Step 2 - Pile it up!

Decluttering is really simple. Make four piles. Pile number one is stuff you need to keep. Pile number two is worthless, broken or terribly outdated (the prom dress). Pile number three is stuff you don't want or need but is still worth something. Pile number four is for your treasure you can sell.

Step 3 - Set your timer

Get a timer (you probably have one somewhere) and set it for 15 minutes. Start with one corner of the room and declutter for 15 minutes. If you want to keep going after the timer goes off, that's fine.

But know that you only have to declutter for 15 minutes at a time. This makes the chore bearable and you won't mind doing it. Try to have 15-minute decluttering sessions per day.

Step 4 - Take action

When the timer goes off, put the stuff in pile number one where it belongs. Throw away the stuff in pile number two. Put the stuff in pile number three in boxes or garbage bags and drop it off at a charity store the very next time you leave the house.

Keep pile number four, the treasure pile, until you have enough to sell. When you have some downtime at night, begin searching online to see what your treasure is worth. Search eBay and see what the going price is for your old set of dishes, your yarn stash, or the prom dress.

Once you know what your treasure is worth, list it and sell it. If it doesn't sell, donate it to a Goodwill store.

Now that you know you can save and make money with your clutter, take action. Determine that you're going to do it and follow through. You'll be surprised at the time and money you'll save with an organized home and how much money you can make when you declutter.

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Top 5 Tips for a Cheap Christmas

What with all the gifts you have to buy this December, along with the necessary stocking up on festive food and decorations, Christmas can be expensive. But there is a whole range of ways to make your Christmas budget go further this year, without missing out on all those glittery extras.

Rather than waiting until you run out of money and splurging on applications for instant decision credit cards or instant loans at the last minute, make use of these top five tips for Christmas budgeting and enjoy a Christmas without the horror of excessive repayments come the new year.

1. Use discount vouchers

Forget ideas about Scrooge, these days there are a huge range of top-name discount vouchers available at the click of a button, and all the smart kids are using them. Discount vouchers can help you take a good chunk off your Christmas present costs with minimum effort. It’s a sensible way to cut your overall bills by upwards of 10 percent, and you won’t be limited on choice as so many major brands and high street chains are doing it.

2. Start setting money aside

It’s a wise idea to start putting aside a lump of your earnings each month in the run up to Christmas. This way, you will have a ready-made Christmas fund when the time comes to start shopping. It’s far better to save money and earn interest than to have to look around for instant decision credit cards or instant loans, on which you will be paying out high rates of interest. Interest rates on savings may be low at the moment but shopping around can find you a savings account which will earn you a reasonable amount of interest on those monthly payments, giving you a little extra for granny’s new hat and scarf or your teenager’s latest Apple accessory.

3. Recycle your handset

Recycling your old phone is good for the environment and will also earn you some extra cash. This is especially relevant if a new mobile turns out to be one of your Christmas gifts. eBay is one place to go to sell off the old model, and there are a large number of online firms willing to pay good money for your old handset, and you can compare valuations online at many of the sites simply by typing in your model number.

4. Get cash for your contract

If your Christmas gift list includes a brand new mobile phone, try using one of the cashback or voucher sites such as Quidco, which offer good money for your old contract. Selling an under-used contract is just good sense, and could earn you well over 50 pounds for your trouble – another sum which could help make those applications for instant decision credit cards and instant loans redundant.

5. Get free tickets

One regular Christmas expense, particularly if you are part of a large family, will be attending the local pantomime or its equivalent. Fortunately, this is an expense you can escape by gaining free audience tickets to any of the festive TV or radio shows over Christmas. The BBC and most other channels will offer these to members of the public on their websites, sign up for the relevant newsletters for updates.

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6 Financial Issues to Discuss Before Marriage

Marriage is a monumental moment in every adults life, and the changes that come with this step are huge. Everything from living accommodations to how you spend your free time changes once you marry your significant other. With the economy being the top concern for most Americans and marriage rates at all time lows for America’s young adults, it is important to discuss and plan out a few important financial issues before tying the knot. The following list includes certain broad Personal Finance topics that each couple should discuss to see where compromise is needed and where common goals are already shared.

1.Bank Accounts. This is a subject that used to be a moot point in traditional marriages. In the past, bank accounts would be merged and that would be the end of it. But, in today’s America where it is quite common for both spouses to have productive and lucrative careers, many engaged couples are finding the issue of how to deal with separate accounts challenging. Should all accounts be merged or should each keep a separate account as well as opening one joint account? It’s a personal decision, but from a logistical stand point, having at least one joint account makes it much easier to keep track of expenses that are shared by both parties.

2.Housing: Do you or your spouse have bad credit? If so, the issue of buying your first home together could become really troublesome. If your score is significantly higher than your spouses, you might have to consider owning the mortgage solo to take advantage of the better rates that will be offered to you versus a joint application.

3.Spending Plan: If you haven’t had a budget while single now might be a good time to create one for your future combined household. A personal budget is the building block of any sound and successful financial plan. Figure out what you earn and spend each month, and then go through this list to see where waste can be eliminated or where income can be increased.

4.Billy Paying. This again is a generational shift that is occurring. In the past when only one spouse typically worked a full time job, the stay at home partner would handle all the bills. With today’s culture that expects both partners to work, the question of who runs the homes finances is front and center. While it may be beneficial for one to still handle the majority of the bills, the other partner should still be aware of what bills are being paid and where the couple stands financially.

5.Financial Goals. A constant in most Pre-Marriage counseling sessions, a couples financial goals need to be out in the open and accepted by both partners. Compromise might be needed here, but make sure your long term goals are being respected by your significant other.

6.Debt. This is a topic that needs to be discussed by each couple prior to marriage. Surprising your spouse with $100,000 in student loans on the day of your wedding is not the best way to start your life together. Make sure each partner understands what baggage is being brought into the marriage and figure out a plan to eliminate this debt as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Readers, any other financial tips for soon to be couples? Do you agree with the ones listed above? Have you had issues during your marriage about any of these topics? Let us know and maybe you could help someone just starting out in their marriage make it a smoother ride!

Preferred Financial Services is a debt reduction firm certified by the CFC (Center for Financial Certifications) and accredited by U.S.O.B.A. (United States Organizations for Bankruptcy Alternatives). Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, Preferred Financial Services has been a leader in the debt reduction industry since 2003. Preferred Financial Services has acquired some of the best experience in the industry over the past 7 years. In 2009 alone Preferred Financial Services reduced over $16.5 million worth of consumer debt for just $6.4 million, for a savings of about 60%- and over 2,900 accounts were settled on behalf of their clients.

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10 Tips for Helping You Survive the Recession

1. Create a budget. This is the first step to getting through hard economic times. Being aware of how much you are making, how much things cost, and how much you have left over will ensure that you are in control even in circumstances that may seem out of your control. As you track your expenses, you’ll be surprised at how much you spend and where. Decide how much money you should allocate monthly to food, gas, housing, bills, etc and do your best to stick with it!

2. Along with making a budget is abiding by the principle of living on less than you make. If you are doing this, then you will always have enough to go around. Try to avoid incurring additional debt, and work hard to slowly pay off the debt which you may already have. Getting out and staying out of debt is crucial to surviving a recession.

3. Companies will charge you quite a bit on fees for being late on a payment. Avoid the hassle and worry of remembering to pay your bills by setting up automatic payments online.

4. Earn a little extra money by finding odd jobs where you live. Ask around and see if you can watch your neighbor’s kids, freelance blog posts for a company looking to expand their social media plan, clean an elderly couple’s home or grocery shop for them. Put that money away and you’ll find that it will slowly add up to be a good chunk of change!

5. Reduce spending by cutting back on unnecessary spending. Take a look at your budget and decide where you could be spending less – groceries, driving less, eating out, shopping, etc. Saving every little bit definitely helps!

6. Purchase locally when possible. In addition to sustaining your local economy, you’ll find that fresh, in-season produce straight from the fields is often cheaper (and more delicious) than store bought produce. Check your local newspaper for a listing of farmers markets in your area and then check them out!

7. Purchase pantry staples on sale. You’ll save lots of money by stocking up on things that you use on regular basis while they’re on sale. Beware of the urge to use coupons advertising low prices on items you don’t normally buy – their goal is to get you to buy these things! Stick to your regular list and you’ll save money on sale items and avoid spending extra on junk.

8. Stay organized. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and out of control when you aren’t organized. Make a list of things you need to do each day and take the time to cross things off as you complete them. You’ll feel more organized and productive as you do so!

9. As you’re organizing your life, take a day or two to clean out your garage and closets. You may be surprised what you find! Sell the things that you no longer need online and make a few extra dollars!

10. And finally, to survive the recession you need to be happy. Taking time to do the little things you enjoy can make a real difference in your attitude and outlook on difficult circumstances. Whether you like to visit the ocean, read a good book, take a walk through a local park, play the lottery online, call up a friend, bake chocolate chip cookies, or ride your bike, taking time for yourself will help you stay happy and optimistic amidst uncertainty.

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8 Reasons to Have a Side Business in Retirement

You can only do so much to increase your retirement security. Once you have set up a plan to save each month, selected an appropriate investment allocation, and set up an emergency fund, the only way to improve your chances of a comfortable retirement is to create more income.

Of course, there are many ways to make more money. One of the best ways to retire comfortably is to start a side business that leverages your expertise. Here are eight more reasons why starting a side business by the time you retire will increase your retirement security.

No age discrimination. You won't get fired because you are overqualified and the company thinks you are overpaid. When your business thrives, it's because of what you can provide, not how you look or how old you are.

You can start anytime. You can do it now, next year, or in a few years. Of course, the earlier you start, the more time you have to grow your business. But there are no time constraints or limits.

The hours are flexible. Once you start, you can work in the daytime, at night, on weekends, or on weekdays. And since there's no one else who is telling you that something has to be done, you can determine how much time you want to put into this venture.

Keep your mind sharp. Playing golf every day is great, but it doesn't exactly keep you mentally healthy. Running your own business could serve as a good way to spend your time post-retirement as long as you set up your business so it's not terribly stressful.

Extra income will help in retirement. If you decide to only work 2 hours a day, you may not make much money. But even a little bit of extra income could help to finance retirement necessities and maybe even a few luxuries.

Delay your Social Security payments. The income from your business might allow you to delay claiming your Social Security checks until you are 70. Then you will get more in each check when you do receive the money in the mail.

Grow your Social Security earnings record. Your Social Security payout is based on your 35 highest years of earnings. If you were only employed for 34 years, then $0 will be factored in for the 35th year. This drastically lowers your average. However, a side business in retirement can help with that. The income from your business could potentially boost your Social Security checks.

Deduct your health insurance. One of the benefits of being self-employed is being able to deduct your health insurance on your tax return. When you are employed, this isn't such a big deal. But when you are retired, you are essentially getting a discount on your health plan just because you run a business.

Any business is hard work. But if you put in the work and consistently try to improve, you could set up an extra stream of income. Remember to adjust your retirement savings plan to reflect the new influx of money.

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