The cost of meat in recent months has left me considering vegetarianism. Fortunately I have found a fantastic way to reduce the cost of my butcher's bill: buy a whole carcass and trim it myself.
This idea can cause problems if you're on a tight week to week budget. It also requires freezer space and a decent set of knives. Fortunately, these downsides are backed up by a lot of information online about trimming your own meat and saving money at the butcher.
So, where do you buy a whole animal? Or even a quarter or half? If you live in a rural area, you're bound to hear about these places by word of mouth... Of course you probably wouldn't be reading this right now if that were the case.
My favourite seller is the Min Y Morfa farm shop in Wales. You can order online and with a small delivery charge they will deliver across the UK.
Once your order arrives you'll need to know what to do with it... I've written a couple of articles to get you started:
How to trim your own beef tenderloin
Recognise your cuts of beef
Good luck!
Saturday, 7 November 2009
Avoiding and Disputing Car repossessions
Car repossessions are on the rise... Sadly, so are illegal car repos. From turning up at your house at unreasonable hour to using force, car owners are often left feeling powerless. But, there is a way to dispute this.
Of course, the best way is to avoid car repossession altogether. Sounds easy, eh? It can be, if you are completely honest and are able to communicate calmly and openly with your lending provider as soon as you're aware that you can't stick to your end of the bargain.
Taking you to court, sending the account to a collection agency or repossessing your car costs money and lenders have to make sure this is a viable option that will leave them with some degree of profit. So it's worth considering what your position is as a borrower before contacting them.
Let's say you've just bought (within the past 6 months) a $15000 car. It's still quite fresh from the showroom and has a high worth. By taking back the car and sending your account to a collection agency, the lending provider can still make back quite a bit of its outlay to you. After all, most of what they were planning on making off you was interest! In these circumstances, lenders will be more likely to undertake car repossession quickly.
But... if you're further into your car loan. Say you purchased that same $15000 car four years ago. A lender will realise that it isn't worth taking you to court for such a measly sum - and repossession could get complicated as they must provide you with any profits resulting from it... so you're most likely going to be able to negotiate over payments and see your lender's flexible side.
Good luck with it...
Of course, the best way is to avoid car repossession altogether. Sounds easy, eh? It can be, if you are completely honest and are able to communicate calmly and openly with your lending provider as soon as you're aware that you can't stick to your end of the bargain.
Taking you to court, sending the account to a collection agency or repossessing your car costs money and lenders have to make sure this is a viable option that will leave them with some degree of profit. So it's worth considering what your position is as a borrower before contacting them.
Let's say you've just bought (within the past 6 months) a $15000 car. It's still quite fresh from the showroom and has a high worth. By taking back the car and sending your account to a collection agency, the lending provider can still make back quite a bit of its outlay to you. After all, most of what they were planning on making off you was interest! In these circumstances, lenders will be more likely to undertake car repossession quickly.
But... if you're further into your car loan. Say you purchased that same $15000 car four years ago. A lender will realise that it isn't worth taking you to court for such a measly sum - and repossession could get complicated as they must provide you with any profits resulting from it... so you're most likely going to be able to negotiate over payments and see your lender's flexible side.
Good luck with it...
Reap the rewards of online shopping
Looking forward to Christmas? Not many of us seem to be this year, thanks to redundancies, budget cutbacks and rising prices. But I reckon the few who are getting in the spirit are aware of the many sites offering cash back shopping rebates and discounts online.
My personal favourite is Ebates. You're looking at rebates of up to 20 per cent for small retailers, while the big boys - like JC Penney, Sears and Macys offer just 5 % back. But - every little counts! If you were to make $5000 of purchases through the major brands over the course of a year, you'd be able to claim back a whopping $250.00! And spending just $100 with one of the smaller companies could net you back $20.00. The site has been going for a decade and they have an excellent reputation - so why not try for yourself and see what you've been missing.
To find out about some more sites offering these kinds of savings... and much, much more, check this out.
My personal favourite is Ebates. You're looking at rebates of up to 20 per cent for small retailers, while the big boys - like JC Penney, Sears and Macys offer just 5 % back. But - every little counts! If you were to make $5000 of purchases through the major brands over the course of a year, you'd be able to claim back a whopping $250.00! And spending just $100 with one of the smaller companies could net you back $20.00. The site has been going for a decade and they have an excellent reputation - so why not try for yourself and see what you've been missing.
To find out about some more sites offering these kinds of savings... and much, much more, check this out.
Facebook meets your checkbook
I don't know about you but I dream of a world free of bank managers... Life would be sweet, wouldn't it?
While it isn't entirely possible at present, there's hope on the horizon. Peer to peer lenders, also known as social lenders, are all the rage among those looking to reduce interest rates on their borrowing.
Rather than approach a bank with your loan request, you simply post it online - along with your affordability details and credit history - and investors can choose whether to invest in you.
What's more, the more investors who climb on board, the lower the interest rate you face.
To find out more about how this could work for you, check this article out.
While it isn't entirely possible at present, there's hope on the horizon. Peer to peer lenders, also known as social lenders, are all the rage among those looking to reduce interest rates on their borrowing.
Rather than approach a bank with your loan request, you simply post it online - along with your affordability details and credit history - and investors can choose whether to invest in you.
What's more, the more investors who climb on board, the lower the interest rate you face.
To find out more about how this could work for you, check this article out.
Budget grocery shopping using an EBT food stamps card
Whether you rely on EBT food stamps cards or not, in today's climate it's worth increasing your knowledge on how to streamline the family grocery bill.
As food prices climb ever skyward, you're sure to pick up a valuable, money-saving tip or two from this article.
And, if you have any ideas of your own on shaving costs at the supermarket, please share! I'm always looking for better ways to cut back.
As food prices climb ever skyward, you're sure to pick up a valuable, money-saving tip or two from this article.
And, if you have any ideas of your own on shaving costs at the supermarket, please share! I'm always looking for better ways to cut back.
Take the crunch out of rental car charges
There's nothing quite so frustrating as making travel plans which includes hiring a rental car. Ok, so these are a necessary evil for those who opt for the comfort of flying... but do they need to cost more than the flight? Yes - but only if you don't know where to look.
To find out where to look for the internet coupons and discounts on rental cars, click here for a full list of the best deals available.
To find out where to look for the internet coupons and discounts on rental cars, click here for a full list of the best deals available.
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