Simply Junior

Every major U.S. credit card company with the exception of one charges a two to three percent foreign transaction fee when you use your credit card abroad. Until recently, many credit card companies did not clearly disclose these fees in their terms and conditions. Consequently, many people received a notice of a class action lawsuit settlement in regards to these fees earlier this year. Now that the lawsuit has been settled, credit card companies are required to clearly state foreign and international transaction charges on credit card applications. Here, we will look at ways to minimize and avoid these fees.

First, if you do not know how much your current credit card company charges for international transactions, contact customer service to find out. The vast majority will inform you that this fee is three percent. With the US dollar sagging, paying an extra three percent on every purchase can really hurt the wallet. Fortunately, there are a few ways to avoid these charges.

If you have cash available, using a debit card eliminates this fee. Most banks do not tack on a transaction fee for ATM withdrawals. Plus, the foreign currency rate you’ll get from your bank is often significantly better than what you would get at a foreign currency exchange booth. Again, exchange rates and potential fees vary from bank to bank, so it is important to call ahead.

While ATM withdrawals are generally free of foreign transaction charges, using your debit card as a credit card comes with some risks. First, a credit card provides much better fraud protection than a debit card. If, for example, an unscrupulous merchant overcharged or fraudulently used your credit card, you can easily contest the charges and get a refund. If, on the other hand, you debit card was fraudulently used, you will not only be faced with a depleted bank account, but it often takes a great deal longer to get your money returned. For this reason, using a debit card to make purchases abroad can prove risky.

Ultimately, the only way to pay no international transaction fees is to use a credit card doesn’t charge these fees. By using a no fee credit card, you get the security a credit card provides without the annoying added expenses.

Now, more than ever it is important to keep track of our spending. We are looking at a few months of hard times and if we are going to survive we need some strategies. Strategies that are not only easy to implement now but also sustainable over the long run. What follows is an amazing strategy that can change the way you look at money as well as spending and give you the edge you need to stay on track during otherwise trying times.

The first strategy we are going to look at is called “Test of Time.” A simple concept that has been used many times during periods of economic struggle, when making ends meet meant surviving. It is a simple idea really; it has to do with combating the impulse buying that so many of us do. That’s one of the things that makes eBay so popular is people selling things they don’t use or need anymore. Something they bought on an impulse that maybe really doesn’t fit into their life it just seemed like a neat idea at the time.

Or maybe someone else had one and you decided you wanted one too. Or you read about in your favourite magazine, or saw it on TV. Whatever the case, you bought it on an impulse. You just went out, found it in the store, and bought it. So what is the “TEST OF TIME” anyway?

It starts with a little digging. Look into product reviews, search for the product ratings. Find a nice picture, to put in your wallet or on the fridge. Then put it out of your mind. Chances are you can wait a day or two before you absolutely have to have it. See if you can rent or borrow one. In any case, wait at least a week before you buy, borrow, or rent it.

If you still think it is a great idea, determine the latest possible moment that you absolutely need it and leave your purchase until then. If you only need it for a day or two, try to rent it first. Why lay out all that money for a one time use?

If after a few days or a week if you haven’t thought about it for a while, do you really need it? Be honest, if you can go on day after day and not give it a second thought do you need it that bad. Now, if you still feel you need it, just before you buy, maybe even right in the store, or sitting at the web site, convince someone else you need it. Whether it is your spouse or partner, a good friend or family member, you need to convince them that you just can’t do without it.

Listen to what you are saying, if you can convince them and yourself that you truly need it, that it is not just a one-time thing, that it is worth the cost, and that you are willing to give up something else you may want of equal value to buy it. Then go ahead and buy it, it has withstood the test of time and you still need it as much as you ever did.

Doing this will help you to avoid making impulse purchases that are often the biggest expense in our lives. It is not going to be easy, we are an immediate gratification society so changing the way we think about buying won’t happen overnight. But if you stick with it and use this strategy, particularly for the bigger purchases in your life, you might be surprised at how much money you will save.

Having rolls of cash in your pocket when you are out on the town is not a good idea. If you had that money safely tucked away at home or even in your bank account, it might just save you from spending it. I personally like to go out with a minimum amount of cash, even without any cards that could even give me access to the money. I know I am an impulsive buyer and could happily spend any amounts of money on absolutely nothing. So the answer for me is to simply not take the money with me in the first place.

Easy access to your money is not a good idea.

Having easy access to your money is a recipe for disaster. Being cashed up will give you a choice to actually spend your money, whereas having no access to your money would leave you with no choice to spend anything. It’s not just about carrying money in your wallet or purse, it’s about being able to get to it at all. You shouldn’t even be carrying a credit card or easy access eftpos card unless you are a long way from home.

Tips to avoid having access to your money?

1. The main tip is to not to carry too much money in your purse or wallet. Just don’t take it out! It’s that easy.

2. Do not keep money in bank accounts that are easy to get to. Lock your money away in non-accessible accounts. Make it hard to get to.

3. Pay extra bills if you have extra money. Do this before you can spend it.

4. Freeze your credit into a block of ice. Just be careful with that as my husband took my credit card on a fishing trip to keep the bait cold and fresh. I did not appreciate the smell when I finally got it back.

5. Talk to yourself! Ha Ha Ha… No I am not joking. Talk to yourself in your head, silently, and stop yourself from accessing your money. At least it will make you think twice.

Simply having money in the house can drain your savings, especially if you have children. Any loose change hanging around my house is swallowed up into never never land. Never to be seen again. However I find that if I do not have it there, the children seem to survive quite nicely. They really do not need to money, but use it because it’s there.

If you can try and cut down access to your money, I guarantee you will save money and spend less. Give it a try!

Most people think that saving money is hard, and cutting down on their spending will have a negative impact on their lifestyle. In reality some simple changes to the way you live can save you pounds and give you a better standard of health and wellness too. As you change the way you spend, you’ll change the way you think.

Firstly, cutting out your bad habits can lead to a major saving. Cigarettes and alcohol are two of the most heavily-taxed products and many people spend a huge amount on them every year without realising. Twenty or thirty pounds every Saturday night really does add up, and cutting back will lead to immediate savings; you’ll be amazed at the money in your wallet! It’s not only good for your pocket; we all know that smoking is bad for you, and wine is only good in moderation.

The second culprit of over-spending is the impulse buy. Spend a day in town and you can come home without any money and nothing to show for it. Next time you find yourself gazing lovingly at a new pair of shoes, stop and ask yourself if you really need them. A good strategy is to give yourself a cooling-off period of a couple of weeks. If you still want them after that time then buy them. Most buying impulses will fade however, and your money can be put towards something else.

As for books and dvds, that’s what libraries and rental shops are for. If you can’t find the title you want, ask for it to be ordered. Most people only read a book once, and you can borrow them for free.

The weekly food shop is another dangerous time when money can escape. Do you do a big shop, but get to midweek and wonder what’s for dinner? If so, you’re probably not that organised. Always make a list and take it with you; plan each meal and make sure the food is dated long enough to last until you’re ready to eat it. If you plan well and only buy what you need you’ll save both time and money.

Don’t always buy branded goods either; own-brand foods can be just as nice and are a lot cheaper. Staples like cereals and tinned foods really don’t vary that much and you can buy large amounts for pennies. Most (if not all) supermarkets send out money-off vouchers from time to time; take advantage of the special offers on things you can use gradually like cleaning products. Don’t buy 3 for 2′s when you only need 1!

Finally, be sure to shop around for the best deals on things like car and home insurance. Every year these take a big chunk out of your earnings and you might find that prices vary hugely from company to company. Always ask for a few different quotes and don’t be lured in by special offers when you have to sign up for a long or expensive contract. Don’t rely on comparison websites; talking directly to the company can give you the latest prices for your personal situation.

When you do find yourself with cash to spare, the most important thing is to put it away. If it’s out of your hands you can’t spend it, and a savings account with money growing can be used on something fun like a holiday. There’s no better incentive to save than to save for something special!

Today, internet sales have occupied a major proportion of the sales made all over the world. Since the demand for online sales is quite high, companies are intent on getting websites prepared for themselves for acquiring high levels of online business. The step of creating E-commerce websites is the initial activity in this regard.

Most of the businesses are quite bewildered with the difference between E-commerce website and other kinds of websites. The difference between both these websites can only be understood by an intelligent web design company. It knows that the creation of an E-commerce website requires far more efforts than inclusion of pleasing colors, aesthetic and systematic navigation schemes. There are many traits of a successful e-commerce website design like a pleasing user experience, an easy to understand nature and provision of relevant information regarding its ownership. A tough, heavily flash-endowed website design can ruin sales when the visitor immediately rushes to the competitor.

The website should be easily able to produce sales for you. Losses are bound to happen if none of the visitors clicks on the shopping cart. The website should have also enough product information which excludes the need for the product buyer to consult any other source of information.

The basic facts about an e-commerce website are that it should adhere in the best manner possible to the most conventional marketing techniques. This should be kept in mind when the website is being designed by a website design company because it has to make the customer spend money through the website on the products opening his wallet. And for inducing this expenditure, the website design should have indispensable quality levels.