Sunday, June 22, 2008

Tips : Smart shopping

Everyone wants to save money when they shop. The best way to save money is to plan ahead. When you plan before you shop you can save money and get the foods your family needs for good health.

Before you shop:

1. Think about some of the meals you will make.
2. Look at what you have on hand.
3. Write a list of what you need to buy.

At the store:

1. Compare prices of different sizes and brands of the food you're buying.
2. Use coupons only for the things you usually buy.
3. Try to buy just the amount you need or have space to store.

Other Tips:
Package-mix dinners and other ready-to-eat foods are popular because they are easy to make and save you time in the kitchen. Just add a salad or fruit, a roll, and something to drink for a complete meal.

If you have the time, you can save money by making "planned-over" pasta or rice dinners. Buy enough rice, pasta or meat to have some leftover. Mix the leftover meats and pasta or rice; add vegetables like canned tomatoes or corn. Then spice up the dish with your favorite seasonings.

Many package-mix foods are high in fat and sodium. Be sure to read the nutrition labels. Choose the products that are lower in fat and sodium. You can lower the fat and sodium in foods you prepare from mixes when you leave out the salt; use half of the margarine or use low- fat milk instead of whole milk.
(source : umass.edu)

Tips : Credit repair - Removing negative credit

The following techniques will help correct your credit and should be done with all Credit Bureaus.

In this section you will learn the ways of removing negative items from your credit file. These methods are sometimes referred to as "Credit Repair". These are the exact same methods credit repair clinics and attorneys charge up to $3,500 to perform. Since they do not always do it correctly, consumers have been taken for millions of dollars over the past years. We will also show you all the jealously guarded secrets on how to outsmart creditors who are damaging your credit!

What the Credit Bureaus Don't Tell You
1. Each item on your credit report must be proven or it cannot remain in the report. If the credit bureau cannot verify the item when investigated, it must be removed from your file whether or not it's true.

2. Every negative entry on your report can be denied or challenged at any time. The bureau must reinvestigate and if that item cannot be verified within a "reasonable amount of time", it must be removed from the file.

3. Items when challenged can be mistakenly erased. Consumers say they often experience computer operator mistakes.

4. Many times the creditor does not re-verify in time or the credit bureau is busy and does not handle your dispute properly. It must then be deleted.

5. The older an item, the more difficult re-verification is. It is possible it cannot be verified because records may no longer exist after 1 or 2 years.

Steps to Repair Your Credit

1. Obtain your three credit reports.

2. Review the reports and locate the negative items.

3. Dispute the negative items with the credit bureaus.

4. Disputed items are removed or corrected. Items that were not re-verified are removed.

5. Negotiate with creditors and collection companies.

6. After negotiating and making payment, creditors delete the negative accounts or change them to a positive rating.

7. State the item you are disputing, but do not use dispute forms or file numbers provided by the bureau. This will cause fewer delays by the credit bureau asking for clarification.

8. Do not confirm the account if any information about the item is wrong.

9. Do not use letterhead (you don't want to raise any Red Flags).

10. Do not photocopy a fill in the blanks form letter (another Red Flag).

11. Send disputes during busy times of the year. For Example: The first to middle of November can cause a delay in verification because of Thanksgiving. Christmas rush for the creditor and the bureau can catch them before they can thoroughly investigate within a reasonable time.

Your Rights Are Important!

(See : The Fair Credit Reporting Act)

All Federal Laws are in the consumer's favor. This means you have the advantage. The specific law used here is the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

One part of this law states that when you dispute any information contained on your credit file, the Credit Bureau must verify the accuracy of the information with the creditor who reported the information within 30 days. If they are unable to verify the information within 30 days, it must be removed.

Congress passed The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) because they felt we all deserve a second chance. This act gives you the right to correct, update, amend and tell your side of what happened to the credit community. These laws do not work though unless you initiate and use them. A copy of the FCRA is included in the Appendix for your review.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets certain guidelines which credit bureaus and your creditors must follow when reporting your credit file, as well as giving the consumer certain rights.

All of this brings us to the fascinating task of working on your credit reports. Begin by getting defensive about your credit report. Remember that these credit reporting bureaus are just private companies selling information about you and are not your friends. You never authorized your creditors to sell this information and you are not sharing in the profits they and the credit bureaus are making.

Your Six Basic Rights under The Fair Credit Reporting Act
1. You, the consumer, have the right to challenge the accuracy of your credit report any time.

2. The credit bureaus must reinvestigate anything you challenge without a charge.

3. The credit bureaus must reinvestigate within a reasonable amount of time. 30 days constitutes a "reasonable amount of time" unless the bureau notifies you otherwise (so keep accurate records).

4. If the credit bureau finds an error in the challenged item, they must delete or correct that information in your files immediately.

5. If the credit bureaus cannot or do not confirm the challenged item within 30 days, they must delete that information from your files immediately.

6. You have the right to submit a Consumer Statement of your view of the problem. If you, as a credit consumer, dispute the accuracy of certain information in your credit report and it is verified by the creditor as correct, then the credit bureau is required to include your explanation of your dispute, if you request, in your credit report. Limit your explanation to no more than 100 words.

Important: You do not want us or any other company to file a dispute for you because if the dispute is sent from anyone other than you, the credit bureau will suspect that you have paid someone to repair your credit and this will not work as well as it could have if you sent it directly.

As the Credit Bureaus did not lend you money, they are not as concerned as you if the information they have is correct or not. They are only paid to store the information.

Consumers working on their credit reports say many times their letters are ignored by the credit bureaus. It is believed the credit bureaus try to discourage consumers from working on the reports by making it difficult. Consumer’s say even with proof an item is not theirs, its removal from their report can take three or four challenge letters. When the credit bureaus say they have verified or confirmed an item, it seems all they have done is verified it is in their computers. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH PROOF!!! They need to provide greater proof, so read on.

Sending your dispute letter by CERTIFIED RETURN RECEIPT MAIL greatly increases your chance of a response. This should not be done with the first attempt. Keep a record of when you sent the dispute letters and what date you should expect a response. If you have received no answer to your dispute after 30 to 37 days, attack the credit bureau with a certified return receipt letter, for an updated credit report demanding the disputed items be deleted. If the bureaus do not reply within the 30 days, it must be that the information was either inaccurate, or it could not be verified. In either case, according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the items must be immediately deleted.

Consumers have found it possible to eliminate negative marks on credit reports simply by going through this process of disputing items over and over again. Since many creditors won't take the time to defend the negative item, eventually you can "repair" your credit through default by your creditor not responding to the credit bureaus request to verify the item. This commonly occurs. The creditors do not always have time to deal with a bothersome piece of paperwork and that is your advantage. We'll go into this more later.

When you get the updated report carefully review it to see if you have lost the negative items and to see if anything else has changed. Consumers working on their credit report have found while disputing one negative item, for no apparent reason, another negative item or two disappeared. Usually some progress is made each time you challenge, but do not get discouraged if you don't get results each time. Remember, the credit bureau would like you to quit bothering them because if you aren't disputing the report, they can legally continue selling it as profitable information.

After you have received your response, repeat the process all over again. Consumers who have successfully cleaned their credit report say that they have denied a bankruptcy or judgment and have received verification from the credit bureau that it was in public record. They denied a second time and some even a third time, and finally the credit bureau deleted the bankruptcy from the report. So do not get discouraged! Patience and persistence are important keys to incredible success in repairing a damaged credit report.

The creditors who reported the items to the bureaus must be the ones to provide information to verify the dispute. These creditors do not always have the staff and proper records to verify all disputes within 30 days to keep the item from being removed. So you can see how possible it is to remove negative information from your credit file. How well is this going to work for you? The only way is to try. However, our research has shown that certain items are easier to remove than others.
(source : americanloansearch.com)

Tips : Bad credit mortgage

Mortgages are significant loans or credit facilities that hold property or home assets are securities. The mortgage system works this way: when the borrower fails to settle the amount he is supposed to repay over a specified period of time, the lender would be authorized to legally own the collateral.

The scheme may seem too risky for the average borrower and homeowner. However, different and urgent needs may arise. You may suddenly need an ample amount of money for a business venture, for a major purchase or for health reasons.

There are many loan facilities that offer people in need cold and easy cash when the need arises. However, most of the ordinary loan programs could offer only a limited amount of money to the borrower. If the borrower needs a bigger amount, then, the mortgage loans are there for him.

Mortgage loans are among the most important and well-patronized lending facilities in the market today. Many people are taking mortgage loans because the interest rates are reasonable, the payment schemes are light and the amount of money to be lent is really hefty.

Though there are many mortgage products and mortgage lenders in the almost saturated modern market, there are several setbacks that prevent people from securing mortgage loans.

Bad credit records

Bad credit record is the most common and most serious reason why mortgage loan applications are turned down. You see, although there is a collateral that serves as a security, the principal aim of the lender is still to collect the principal and the accrued interest from the borrower.

The lender may take the property if you fail to repay the loan amount. But lenders know and realize that transferring registers of deeds would never be that easy. They would also spend a lot in attorney's fees and other administrative costs doing the initiative.

If you are a lender, it would just be more practical and logical if the principal and the accrued interest from a loan would be collected on time. So, there are risk factors that have to be considered before a loan is provided to an applicant.

Credit investigations are thus very necessary before a facility is provided to a person. Credit investigations always check on the background and the credit history of the loan applicant. This is to ensure that there would be no problems in the future of ever the loan would be approved and provided to the applicant.

Did you know that all companies, utilities, credit cards, and banks, are keeping a consolidated and inter-related database that tracks and records the transactions each person legally makes in his lifetime? Yes, if you have credit cards, or utility bills, your name would surely be listed in a credit history list.

Thus, if you have not been a good payer of bills, or have tried not to settle insignificant amounts of money to services and small loans, all those would reflect on your record. Mortgage lenders, for instance, are computing credit scores for loan applicants.

If the applicant's record has not been stained ever, then he would get good credit scores and would easily be eligible for future loans, in any form and terms. Otherwise, it would be hard for the person to be approved for a mortgage loan application.

Tips for bad credit holders

If you have a bad credit history for any reason at all, there are several simple guidelines that could help you improve your position or score so you will get a better chance to having your mortgage loan application approved. Here are some of them.

1. Check your credit report. Usually, the credit history should reflect the transactions you got involved in the last seven years. If you think the report is not accurate, or somehow is not correct, you have the right to contest the scores given to you. Don't just sit down and turn hopeless, do something.

2. If you have a bad credit history and you know it is true, you can submit a letter of explanation to the mortgage loan provider. Sincerity would surely work if you would provide an explanation as to why you have failed to settle a bill or a payment due in the past. For example, you can say that you have been seriously ill in the period, or you have lost a job or lost money to a losing investment. Mortgage lenders could turn out to be considerate.

3. Show your reserves. You could show the mortgage lender your bank accounts and other liquid assets to assure them that you could pay your dues no matter what happens.

Overall, be wise and practical when pursuing a mortgage loan. It would not be that easy processing one, so be sure you would spend the money wisely and in good faith, if the loan is provided to you. It will accrue interests, by the way.
(quoted from activerain.com)

Monday, June 16, 2008

Tips : Watching Euro 2008 with great fun

As it started since June/7 2008, soccer mania started to stay awake for whole night to watch soccer, due to time difference of about 6-7 hours from europe. This event will go through until June/30.
To have real fun, amazing and enjoyable moments of watching the event, I suggest following preparation to be made :

Take enough rest
This is very important for those who work from 8 to 5, for sure you need to change sleeping schedule. Supposed that you arrive home at 7 pm then you can immediately do daily activities such as taking a bath, having dinner as quick as possible so that you can go to sleep at 8 pm. This will enable you to wake up right at the time of watching the soccer. Do not forget to sleep afterward, since you have to go to work the next morning.

Peanuts and Beer
For those who are not restricted to consuming beer, ensure that you prepare roasted peanuts and beer as a good combination when watching the matches.
You also can change the drink with hot coffee.

Stay away from troublemaker or rioter
Remember that you should have fun of watching the soccer, hence when you watch it in public place like cafe, you have to make sure that the place is specifically for fanatic supporters of certain
club only, also ensure that all those supporters are so-so fans, not ultras'. You also can find cafe which has a relax and cozy surrounding.

Enjoy EURO 2008 !

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Tips : How to start Online Business and make money

As we all know that internet is a new most famous media to do a business with unlimited possible customers (as long as they can access the internet, doesn't matter whether the people are from other side of the planet, or even from the moon :) )
Very wide and unlimited market, low cost are two main reasons why business people use internet as their activity/business base.
Is it easy ? Can be yes can be no, doing online business requires patience, be persevere, high dedication and capability to do improvisation.
Several advantages of doing online business are :

1. Limitless online market, it's just simply unlimited.

2. Not depended on or bothered by weather condition, traffic jam and else since you only need to access the internet right from where you are ... and start working.

3. Starting business with low (or lowest possible) cost, much lower than cost of any conventional businesses.

However, online business is not as easy as having a magic stick, still you have to keep an eye on it and keep learning to reach success, that's why you have to learn effective steps to build online business (I will talk about this on separate post)

To simplify and to mitigate risk in doing online business, there are 3 kind of type of business which are very effective to earn money, they are :

1. Selling e-book. Forget about such cheap price of the product, you have to realize that unlimited market of internet promise that the product will be a 'money-making-machine'.

2. Joining an affiliate program. Affiliate program is program that will pay you everytime you succeed in marketing or bringing people signing up in a website. Either on free or paid website.

3. Google adsense. A program from Google which will pay you with pay-per-click (PPC) system.
There are helpful hints provided by Google on how to optimize potential eraning from this program once you joined.

For now, these are things about how to start online business and further we will review about SEO (seach engine optimization), high paying keywords such as welding in a phrase like arc welding, tig welding laser welding mig welding and handbook welding which can help to bring traffic from search engine to your website.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Tips (Joke) : Getting on a cab in Jakarta

Following are important tips of getting a cab service in Jakarta :

1. When stopping a cab, ensure that the number of tyre is four, if only three it means you have wrongly stopped a bajaj.

2. Ensure also the number of seat, if too many seats it means that you've wrongly got on a metromini.

3. Tell the cabby your destination, this is to avoid the cabby wrongly take you to his house...(especially for gorgeous girls, this can be a must ;) )

4. Ensure that you are in before the cab starts moving, otherwise, you might be still sitting on bus shelter and not yet taken by the cab.

....... further tips are to be continued ....

Monday, May 26, 2008

Tips : Travelling abroad for holiday


There are 8 tips for you who want to have holiday in foreign country/overseas :

1. Ensure that you have valid passport and an entry visa for destination country

2. Pay attention on Consular Information Sheet at the country you are going to visit.

3. Get necessary information about law and culture of the country you are going to visit, to prevent any unnecessary things or deeds which are categorized as against the rules.

4. Make 2 copies of identification pages in your passport, in order to ease the process, in case your passport is lost or stolen. Keep one copy at home or keep it with your friend or family.

5. Ensure you leave your contact number such as hotel's phone number or other number which is easy to reach, just in case something emergency happens at home.

6. Don't leave your belongings at unsecure place and do not accept any package or other items from unfamiliar/unrecognised people.

7. To prevent unecessary crime to happen to you, avoid wearing frippery or unnecessary glaring clothings or ornaments/corsage. Do not bring big amount of cash.

8. To prevent deception or illegal acts, do exchange your money or valuables at legal exchange agent

Those are simple tips which can be helpful for your overseas holiday preparation.
Have a nice holiday ...

(image from aworldofadventure.com)