You’d never guess there was any good news in the economy based on the gloomy headlines and the lack of consumer confidence.  The economy is definitely in turmoil right now, but I’ve always felt that the media focused on the negative news and buried any good news.

So I was thrilled to see ‘10 Things That Are Going Right’ on Kiplinger.com today.

According to the guys at Kiplinger, there are a few reasons to be optimistic about after all:

1.  Oil prices have dropped 50% in the last three months.  I have definitely noticed this at the gas pumps as gas prices have dropped from over $4 per gallon to $2.33 per gall earlier this week.    This will definitely help the old pocket book each time we fill up.

2.  Deals on new cars are abundant as carmakers have suffered double digit decline in sales.  This is good news for consumers in the market for a new car.  In addition, carmakers have finally started developing hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles which should have long-lasting benefits.

3.  Interest rates are low and are expected to go lower.  So again, consumers in the market for a new car or house should benefit.

4.  Home prices are down significantly, which is good news for first time home buyers who were previously priced out of the market.

Continue Reading It’s Not ALL Bad News…

Here are some more articles on how to save money with meal planning:

Quick Ways To Save and Be Frugal With Meals - Make a list. Always keep a list on hand for what you need and what’s on sale. This will also help with your meal planning. Plan your meals around sales. If pork is on sale that week add it to your menu for the week. …

7 ways to save money at the grocery store - Fresh, frozen or dried, fruit makes a satisfying, sweet end to any meal. It will add vitamins, minerals and fiber that aren’t found in cakes or candy. Working some small changes into your grocery shopping habits will not only save money …

While I was on vacation this week, some thief was busy emptying out my checking account.

I have always loved the convenience of debit cards, but this recent experience has me re-thinking the cost of that convenience.

First, your liability if you are a victim of debit card fraud is greater than if someone steals your credit card or uses your credit card to make unauthorized purchases.

With credit cards, your liability for unauthorized transactions is limited to $50. However, most major credit card issuers have a zero liability policy, so you typically aren’t liable for anything if you are a victim of credit card fraud.

With debit card fraud, your liability is limited to $50 only if you notify your financial institution within two business days after realizing their card has been lost or stolen. After that, your liability is limited to $500 if you report any suspicious activity within 60 days of receiving your account statement. After 60 days, your liability is unlimited, so it’s very important to check your statements on a regular basis.

Continue Reading Debit Card Fraud Much More Damaging Than Credit Card Fraud

Okay, I’m not a big meme person, but I couldn’t resist when I saw that today’s Friday Faves at TheHouseholdHelper.com is HGTV.

I absolutely love HGTV - my tv is on that station more than any other!

My favorite shows on HGTV are…

House Hunters - I love looking at new houses, and with House Hunters I get to see new houses all over the US and with House Hunters International, all over the world!

Hidden Potential - the things they can do with houses (that I would never have imagined) are incredible!

Money is one of the biggest sources of worry, anxiety, and divorce among adults. So many people struggle to make ends meet and incur thousands of dollars in credit card debt along the way.

This week on Mom’s Love Shopping guest host Carrie Lauth interviewed me about two strategies that anyone can use to pay off their credit card debts.

There is no one perfect way to eliminate debt; the important thing is to choose a payment plan that you can live with and commit to.

You can find more great ways to eliminate your debt in the Living Debt Free ebook.

I never expected to see a personal finance blog post by Seth Godin, but I am totally lovin’ it!

Urgent personal finance advice

by Seth Godin

If I could only share one piece of personal finance advice to grads or to just about anyone, it would be this:

Only borrow money to pay for things that increase in value.

It’s a short list: your business, your house and your education, mostly. Stocks if you’re smarter than me. That’s pretty much it.

If you have credit card debt, you’re in big trouble. Your bank account has a huge leak in it, and it’s getting worse. Hence the urgency.

I will be offering a new consultation called Jump Start Your Finances. It’s a consultation for young people - recent college graduates, young families, young professionals starting their first job, and any 20 or 30-somethings looking for help getting their finances started off on the right foot. I’ve actually offered this consultation for a while now, but I am finally “branding” it… giving it a name, a logo, etc.

I have the title already - Jump Start Your Finances - and my wonderful graphic designer (Jeni at DesignDelites) is working on a header and buttons for me.

Kelly invited me to call in to Mom’s Morning Show today to talk about my free teleclass next week on ‘getting out of debt’.

Kelly and Tishia are always fun to talk to, so I really enjoyed my time on the show today!

If you’d like to listen, click here.

To sign up for or to learn more about my free teleclass next week, please click here!

"Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep; whoever enters
through me will be saved…"

————–

I subscribe to the NIV Daily Bible Verse email series, and this picture and verse was in my email box this morning.

Isn’t it beautiful?  I love finding emails like this one in my inbox every morning…

Cancun trip earlier this year… wishing I was back there now!