Beautiful Life of Zig Zag Zoom

I was searching the Internet for some crazy ways people are paying off their debt. I discovered a way some people are doing it. It is called cyber begging. We have all seen those homeless people begging in big cities. We have seen the will work for food signs but now begging has become big business.

There are several websites dedicated to people begging for money. This is crazy. I have no problem giving someone a hand up but not just a hand out. I was reading some of these and some basically are people who admit they are begging because they do not want to get a job. This is the problem with society, do nothing and wait for others to do it for you.

You should always help those willing to help themselves. However, when it comes to people who find it easier to beg than work for a living, I say, ignore them and help a neighbor or friend who you really know needs it.

If you have not used Swag Bucks before, it is a great time to join. My wife and I have been using them for a long time and they always pay out. It is simple to use and you get swag bucks for doing what you already do, search the Internet.

So far, we have cashed in for many Amazon gift cards and no I just cashed in for a free t-shirt which arrived in the mail today.

The shirt is cool looking and only cost 55 swag bucks.

To earn bucks, you search and the bucks come randomly. You also get bucks when people you refer search and earns. It is fun and easy with no crap like many other prize sites.

To join, go to Swag Bucks and follow the instructions to sign up. There are no hidden fees or credit card sign ups or any other tricks. This is straight up, you earn bucks for free searching and referring and they pay out great prizes from Paypal money to gift certificates to free clothing.

Hope you join and have fun and let me know when you cash in for your first prize.

The following is a sponsored review.

The economy is in a critical time in world history. Everyday we see on the news about how banks and financial institutions are in peril. We here on the news that people can no longer get credit or loans because we are in a credit crunch. Well that is true to a point. The truth is that people now need to do more research in order to find a deal on credit.

Extra Credit Cards.com is a site set up to help people seeking real news on Credit Cards and how to obtain them. They offer a bunch of up to date information on the latest low interest cards on the market.

Even with the credit crunch, this site still points to many offers for people with great credit down to the people with bad credit. They also have articles explaining how credit works and what a credit score really means. They even offer information about purchasing prepaid debit cards so you can still do transaction requiring a credit card without paying the interest and charges associated with many credit cards.

I have reviewed a few different credit information sites and I found this similar to many others. However, it is loaded with tons of useful information and does a lot of the research for you. Though I am not a huge proponent of credit cards, I do know that people are still using them. If you are one of these people, sites like this Extra Credit Cards will help you be an informed consumer when applying for Credit Cards.

I have been laughing my ass off since the Presidential Election at all the blogs that are posting about Obama. I have seen some of people who have broken down in tears that finally someone has come to save the world. Guess what! No politician is going to save you. He is not going to put money in your pocket. He is not going to lower your taxes. Most of all, he is not going to change the entire workings of the United States Government.

Let’s first look at his first two major choices. His first major pick was Joe Biden for his VP. This man has been a U.S Senator since 1972. Damn, I was only six back then. Wow, talk about a Washington outsider. He only has been at it for 26 years. I am sure that Obama’s next big choice was going with his “change philosophy.”

His second choice was for White House Chief of Staff. He chose Rahm Emanuel. OK, now we are getting to the nitty gritty, he is a Washington outsider right? OK, he has only been in Congress since 2003. I guess that could be considered an outsider. Oh wait, he started his career helping Paul Simon get elected in 1984. Oh let us not forget, he also served as a senior advisor to the Clinton administration. These two sure do not look like change to me.

I have to be honest, I did not vote for Obama and still do not think that his lack of experience and his charm is what this country needs right now. I also do not believe or think that the big change is coming. His socialist ideas from the campaign is not much different from the extreme liberal ideas of past Democrats. His plans to spend lots of money to buy our way out of a economic slump will fail much like it did for George Bush.

His plan to raise taxes on the rich will trickle down. If he succeeds in taxing those making over $250,000, this will result in job losses, lower wages for those in lower income brackets , and higher consumer prices. His plan to bail out everyone will result in a negative balance on the tax payers that has been unheard of in history. Trust me, Bush did a great job so far. Do you really deep down believe he will save us all?

Listen, it is your job to look out for you and your family. It should not be the role of the Unites States Government to bail out a mess you got into. It is also not their role to send billions to banks and other businesses to do with as they please. The American People have survived well for many years because they were tough and took the initiative to do what it took to better them self. Now that is being punished because they make too much.

I wish Obama well and I hope he can help America in the next four years. However, I have my doubt about much change. The only change I see is the skin color of the President of the United States. Sorry to disappoint you but Barrack Obama is not the anointed Messiah you have all hoped for.

I have taken a big step in reducing my debt. I have looked over my expenses and chopped off a few I do not need. First to go was Netflix. I enjoyed the ease of having DVDs shipped to the house but we were not watching them very quickly. It was almost a crunch trying to find time to watch them. That reduction was $9.69 a month.

The next expense I worked on was that dreaded telephone bill. I reduced my Verizon Freedom package which was $49.99 a month to a regional package which cost $35 a month. We maybe make 100 minutes of long distance calls a month so I went with a long distance plan which cost 2.9 cents a minute. This is a reduction of around $14 a month.

These minor amounts may not seem like much but it adds up. You figure $23.96 a month adds up to $287.52 a year. That is an extra payment on our debt.

Now to the big things. We started the beginning of the month with a credit card balance of $4900. We took some from our saving and crimped for the rest and as of Friday the one and only credit card will be history. If I can find a reliable full time job, we should be able to crush and pay off our $49,000 student loans off in two years. This will take some sacrifice but in the long haul, we will be DEBT FREE except for the house! The home equity (we have no other mortgage) will be paid off in another year if all goes as planned.

For the first time, Karen is totally on board and as excited as I am to get all debt gone. I could not imagine how it will feel to owe no one. Of course, once that happens, we plan to buy a new house but not till we save enough to have a emergency plan in place and have a nice down payment.

Anybody else debt free or working hard on? Share your story by leaving a comment here!

The following is a sponsored review.

Going to college is one of the biggest expenses in any person’s life. Part of the planning in attending college is trying to figure out how to pay for it. iStudentLoan.com is a site that offers information geared toward helping the potential student and their families find the right financing for college.

Student Loans come in many forms from federal backed to private loans. IStudentLoan’s website is a guide to the different kinds of loans and how each one will fit into your college financial package. They explain what each loan type is in basic terms. They also offer an interesting FAQ section that answers many questions often asked by those seeking a college education. They give precise answers to these questions.

This site is an interesting site and offers some great resources. I found the site quite easy to navigate and the site was well designed. However, it is clear from the homepage that their main purpose is to guide you to Chase Private Student Loans. They do explain how there are times that federal loans will not cover all expenses and you may need to turn to a private loan.

If you are looking to obtain a higher education or have a child ready to embark on the journey, this site should be on your list to check out. I do not like private student loans but it is great that this site offers the information in case you need to obtain one. It is well worth the time it takes to read through this site. It is best to see all sides of the financial equations prior to entering college.

Feel free to follow the links I provided and please leave a comment of this site was helpful to you.

What would be your ideal life? The one thing that leads to all roads is being debt free. You are limited if you spend your whole life living paycheck to paycheck while making someone else rich. My new goal is to end the cycle and become totally debt free.

As my core basis, I am taking the advice of money guru Dave Ramsey. I am in the midst of reading his book, The Total Money Makeover. I have always been good at handling my money but I have never been great. I have decided it is time to take on the mountain and win. My wife and I are fortunate in the sense that we have very little credit card debt. However, we owe a huge amount for student loans. We have no car payments and the only other debt we have is a home equity loan (no first mortgage). The credit card is going to be paid off by mid-November and we are attacking the student loans with all we have.

We own an old farm house that we can live in for a while but our goal is to either build or place a modular on a separate 75 acre piece of land we own. We would love to do this right away but we have to get debt free first. It will be tight living for quite a while but the end will be worth the effort.

Our key was to budget everything on paper and stick with it. I now carry envelopes in my wallet earmarked for the different things we do. When we go out to eat, I pull out the envelope and if there is enough we eat good, if it is low, we eat cheap. We have been on a solid budget for a month and it is hard to believe how much money we were spending and not even knowing where it went. I always paid bills and expenses first but the rest was free game. Now, we are on a tight budget and all excess goes to the debt. We paid off three thousand in a month and we are on a roll. I will share with you here when we get closer to our goal.

In these times of economic turmoils, it is important to get your own finances in order. How do you feel about getting debt free? Please share your own advice, plan of action, or opinion by leaving a comment.

I have always enjoyed watching the Dave Ramsey show. His advice is clear and precise and seems to have helped a lot of people. He is straight forward and to the point in a almost folksy way. If it is stupid, he will call it stupid.

The information he provides is not really rocket science, it has been said before and it makes logical sense. The key to following his advice is that the person has to have will power and be able to commit to getting out of debt and taking control of their own finances. Many financial wizards have said the same things but it is personality that i believe helps to get his point across.

If you find yourself lost and in need of help, I highly recommend watching his show on the Fox Business Channel at 8 PM EST or listen to him on talk radio. You can also listen to him on his website . He also allows both emails and phone calls but those are often backed way up so you may or may not get through.

His website also provides some information  on getting out of debt. However, a large part of his site is dedicated to selling you a product. I do understand that he is in the business of making money but I do have a problem with how much his website is trying to sell. For a man who is dedicated to helping people become debt free, I am surprised on how much he is trying to sell to the people who need his help the most.

Listen to his advice, read all you can  for free on his site, and borrow his books from the library. He is a smart man with sound advice and following his advice will help lead you and your family to a debt free life.

If you have taken his advice and have become debt free, feel free to post your story here by leaving a a comment. Either positive or negative, I would love to hear how you feel about Dave Ramsey.

Remember just a few years back when you paid full price for all your vacation needs? Yes once in a while you were lucky and a local promotion offered you a coupon for a few bucks off. We are so lucky now to have the Internet and it is so easy to find a discount just at the tips of your fingers.

Karen and I are planning are end of the year big vacation and we are still deciding where to go. We are also debating rather to drive or fly. I have an SUV and that is out of the question so the first thing I will have to find is some Car Rental Coupons. The rental will pay for itself with the savings on gas and wear and tear of my SUV.

We are thinking about maybe driving to a theme park and spending a few days. I found some great deals and some Six Flags Discounts which will cut the cost on the park and many area attractions. Since it is only five hours from us, it would a nice getaway but close enough to home that we would not have to drive for hours.

Another option we have is a trip to Las Vegas. Karen really wants to go but I am afraid of losing to much money. Karen did some great searching and found some great Las Vegas Coupons. However, we have not decided which to do yet.

It is great knowing that whatever we decide, we can find some great discounts on the Internet. I am not sure how people planned a vacation without it.

The following is a Sponsored Review.

Many Americans are deeply in debt and have no idea how to get out of debt. Credit card bills could wipe out your paycheck in no time flat. It is time to take action and control your debt. That is what Debt Consolidation is met to do. It is not a magic bullet, it a means to and end of your debt. The folks at Debt Free 24 are dedicated to helping people get their debt under control.

Like many Debt Consolidation programs, they attempt to negotiate with your creditors to lower your interest rates and consolidate your payments into one large payment. Once your payments are set into a single payment, you will pay that amount until the debt is paid off. As one loan or credit card is paid off, the additional amount is applied to the next highest interest debt until all are paid off.

Along with the program they offer, Debt Free 24 offers a lot of interesting and informative articles that explain how to reduce debt for good. They will point you to the right course of action for your set situation.

Debt Free 24 seems like any other credit counseling programs. Many of these programs are non profit but as far as I can tell that is not the case with them. This can be good or bad. For profit programs tend to be a little more aggressive in their negotiations with your creditors which equal cheaper interest rates. Many non profit agencies receive funding from the creditors themselves which always seems to me to be a conflict.

The disadvantage of a for profit program like Debt Free 24 is that the fees are often higher than a non profit program. If they get you a much lower interest rate the fee pays for itself. Also the fees are how they make their money so they do not rely on creditors to fund them. That means they work for you.

I like what I see and read on Debt Free 24. Their advice is sound and they offer an easy to contact form for clients to get more information. They seem to offer solid advice and do not state like many that there is a one size fits all fit for all debtors.

If you are in the situation where you need help, I say fill out their easy online form and talk to their representatives. You have nothing to lose from talking to them and they will offer you the best plan for your needs. Make sure you understand fully what you are getting into including the fees, the set payment, and what your interest rates will be before you sign anything.

I have included links for you to check out for yourself, you have nothing to lose by filling out the form and talking to the representatives at Debt Free 24. You could see yourself debt free in three to five years.