Struggling to Pay Off Your Debts? Here's Where to Start

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The financial world is a maze of unnecessary jargon, red-topped letters and small print. Many companies are happy to make demands but very few will actually help their clients to meet them. This is why getting into debt is so distressing: you can quickly find your finances spiraling out of control. 

The key thing to remember is this: if you bury your head in the sand, it will get worse. On the other hand, if you ask for help, you can get back to black and get on with your life. Debt doesn’t have to be all-encompassing and even if you are facing court action, you can get assistance with a debt lawsuit. But let’s not jump the gun, here’s where you should start. 

Understanding Your Money

Before you can begin to fight your debt, you need to understand your money and balance your income and expenses. Start by writing down all your income streams. For most people, this will be their regular monthly salary but if you are working a few jobs, have a side hustle or you’re freelance, it might be a bit more complicated. You should also write down how much you have in savings, if you have any. 

Next, write down your outgoings. The simplest way to do this is to look back at 3 months’ worth of bank statements and put each spend into a category such as loan repayments, fuel, groceries, insurance, rent/ mortgage etc. Adding all these costs together will tell you how much you are spending. If you subtract your spending from your income, you should, ideally, find that you have a bit leftover. Your spending will also reveal where you could be getting more for your household budget.

Setting Debt Repayment Goals

If you are struggling with debt, you probably won’t have a bit left over at the end of the month and you may even be spending more than you make. While this is obviously a problem, it can be fixed. 

There are 2 schools of thought for paying off multiple debts. Start by writing down your debts, beginning with the one you’re paying the highest interest rate on and moving down to the lowest interest rate. 

The stacking method suggests that you pay off the highest interest rate while making minimum payments on your other debts. Then once that debt is cleared, continue down the list, one at a time. The snowball method is very similar but instead of paying the highest interest, you pay off the smallest debt. 

Working Out Your Action Plan

While you are repaying your debts and working through your list, you should also look at ways to save money. You don’t want to get into more debt while you are working so hard to repay! Start by reducing your spending as much as possible by living as frugally as you can. If you have some spare time, you might also consider taking on a second job or a side hustle to raise some extra cash. 

Being in debt is stressful but it isn’t forever. Ask for help, work out your financial plan and start working one day at a time. You can do this. 

Buying A New Construction Property: Tips To Simplify The Entire Process

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New construction properties have no former owners, which for buyers, is often extremely attractive. There’s no need to worry about the former owners’ taste, or long-standing issues with a property that was constructed using old-fashioned or outdated techniques: instead, it’s a fresh slate, with a modern property that you can be sure is fit for purpose. 

If you’re currently looking to move home and are intrigued by the possibility of buying a new construction property, below, we have provided advice that you may find useful. 

Buying your property 

It is possible to buy a new construction property that has already been built (which is known as buying “on spec”), but one of the best choices is to buy a property that is yet to be constructed, and which you can then customize to meet your own ideals. While this option does take awhile - as the property won’t be built until you have made all decisions - it can be worth it if you’d like to be involved in each step of the process. If customization is less important, then buying an already-built new construction is still a great choice that allows you to enjoy a property built to modern standards relatively quickly.

As well as the type of property you’re looking to buy, you’ll need to ensure you have independent advice. Building companies often recommend mortgage providers and agents to buyers for the sake of convenience, but you may prefer to make your own arrangements. However, you can ask if there is a specific discount if you go with the builders’ recommended team - there often is, which can make it an option well worth considering. 

The moving process 

The process of moving into a new construction home is largely the same as any type of property - you’ll want to hire a moving company, label boxes, and so on and so forth. There is, however, a significant benefit to be enjoyed when moving to a new construction: you can move slowly. 

As there’s no need to work around the existing owners schedule, you can start to move items as soon as the construction work is complete and you have the keys, which can remove the inevitable stress that a single “moving day” often provides. 

You may find it helpful to start by transporting items that are too large or awkward to fit into a box, or are particularly delicate and are thus not necessarily suitable to be transported alongside other items. Moving the aforementioned kinds of items individually should simplify the main bulk of the move considerably and help ensure all your items get to their new home in the best possible condition. 

When you have moved in 

When moving into a brand-new property, many people expect that they can be sure the building will be flawless - but this isn’t necessarily the case. Poor workmanship and similar issues can occur in newer properties just as they can in older ones, so a Solex Group professional home inspection is advisable upon moving into the property. If any issues are identified, then these can often be rectified under the conditions of the warranty supplied by the builder. 

With the inspection - and any necessary work - complete, you can now think about personalizing your property. Create a few mood boards and let your creativity go wild; there’s no pre-existing decor to contend with or remove, so you can create a home that perfectly suits your tastes and preferences. 

In conclusion

The attraction of being the first family to live in a property is undeniable, so if you decide to go ahead and buy a new construction, then you’re likely to be delighted by the choice - and we hope that the tips above will prove to be helpful throughout the process. 

5 Ways To Keep Yourself Safe From Financial Disasters

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Money is one of the most important factors in this life – it’s probably the most important in a civil society. Some people value is higher than others, but the fact remains that being smart with it is imperative. Life goes great when you have money to spend – you feel as though you’re constantly filled with energy, and that problems can be quickly solved. When you’re not exactly rolling in dough, the complete opposite is felt.

In this world, you never know when your money might just disappear. Most of us have a lot of different measures in place to stop that kind of issue, but that doesn’t make us completely impenetrable. Disasters can strike at any time. Want to know a few ways you can limit any kind of financial mishap? Well, read on:   

Get Insured 

Insurance will do you a world of good – you know this by now. Lots of people know how important it is, yet they take their chances and plod along without it. Getting insured would mean that, whatever issue strikes, you’ll be covered. If you in, say, the United States, then you might need to get some health insurance. Some operations can cost horrendous amounts of money. Home insurance is also smart – you don’t want to lose everything you have due to outside factors. 

Save!

It sounds pretty obvious, but again, people like to live life for today. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but a rainy day fund might be a lot more sensible. This world is so unforgiving, and you won’t be spared if you run into any trouble one day, unfortunately.  

Attain A Lawyer Or Two 

Lawyers have the ability to drag you out of some pretty nasty situations. They may cost a little to work with, but they’ll do a tremendous job most of the time. They’ll be able to get you exactly what you want. If you’ve been in, say, an accident at work or you feel you’ve been hurt when you shouldn’t have, then a personal injury attorney will be able to look at your case, and take appropriate steps. A lawyer will also be able to help you if you’re the one facing a legal challenge. 

Watch Who You’re Speaking To! 

As a collective society, we’re a lot wiser to the scams that the ne’er-do-wells like to come up with, but there are still people out there that fall for them. When you receive a phone call from someone or an email suggesting that you can earn money by working with them, you might want to have a little think about what you’re actually doing. If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is. Don’t throw money down the pan without doing a little research first. 

Get Some Home Security 

Finally, we’ll talk about home security. Again, there are people out there just waiting for you to leave your home unattended. Make sure you have cameras, alarms, locks, and all kinds of reinforcement guarding your home. 

3 Simple Ways To Earn Extra Money Online

When you are trying to budget for a family, you might find that your money just doesn’t go far enough. Sometimes, that’s because you are spending too much and you just need to make some cutbacks. But a lot of the time, it’s because you aren’t earning enough and you can’t even afford to cover your basic expenses. If you find yourself in that situation, things can quickly start to spiral out of control and you will have to rely on borrowing to make ends meet. Once you get into a lot of debt, it’s so hard to get out of it, which is why it’s best that you try to avoid it in the first place. The best way to do that is to bring in a little extra money if you can. Finding ways to earn a bit of extra money and plug the gaps in your budget can make life so much easier for you. Even if you are not struggling financially, it might be a good idea to earn a bit of extra money in the lead up to Christmas, so you can take the strain off a bit.

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If you could do with a little financial boost for whatever reason, these are some of the best ways to earn a bit of extra cash online from the comfort of your own home. 

Health On A Budget: Keeping Children At The Top Of Their Game

Keeping a child healthy can be a difficult task. Thanks to their constant growth, it can be very easy for health problems to form which mom and dad simply haven’t noticed, and visits to the doctor are considered essential during this time. Of course, though, going to see a doctor every few months can be an expensive ordeal. Some people simply can’t afford to go through this, but they will still want to get the right kind of help for their children. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring health on a budget, giving you the chance to give your kids all of the medical support they need.

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Insurance

Despite the negative press which medical insurance companies often get, a lot of them work tirelessly to make sure that children are looked after. Even if you can’t afford a policy for yourself, you may be able to get one for the little ones, and this can cover a lot more than you might expect. Not only will they be able to go for regular checkups, but they will also have cover in case they have a more serious injury, and this can be a massive benefit when you’re worried about money. It’s always well worth shopping around for products like this, as there are a lot of options on the market, and they aren’t all born equal.

The Right Doctor

There are a lot of doctors out there who don’t work for medical practices or large hospitals. Instead, they work for themselves, serving their patients from the comfort of a small office. Professionals like this will have far more room to be compassionate than their larger competitors, and will often be willing to do special deals for parents who are struggling to keep their little ones at the top of their game. You will have to hunt very hard for something like this, while also putting some time and effort into talking to each doctor you find. Of course, this will rarely be an official offering, and you will need to be honest about your situation if you’re going to get something out of it.

The Right Clinic

A lot of hospitals and other medical practices are operated as businesses which need to make a profit. They have shareholders, board rooms, and targets which they have to reach, and this means that they often have to charge a lot for the services they provide. The right kind of clinic can solve this issue for you. You can support The Doctor Spot, giving you the chance to access a mobile clinic whenever it comes to your town, and this will often be enough to cover the basic check ups which a child needs. As they are run as a charitable organisation, they won’t be looking to charge their patients as much as possible.

Mobile Apps

Children often tell small lies about the way they feel. Whether this is because they want to get out of school or are looking for other kinds of attention, it can be an expensive process to go to a doctor and figure out if they’re telling a lie. Instead, to make this a lot cheaper, there are a range of mobile apps on the market which can put you in touch with professional medical experts across the world. While they won’t be able to inspect your child, you will be able to relay their symptoms, while also sending photographs and videos to give the professional insight into the problem.

Apps like this are able to work by offering a range of possible conditions your child could be suffering with. Of course, there are a lot of illnesses which only special procedures can find, and this means that you can’t simply take their word for it. If it doesn’t seem like your child’s issues are serious, you can wait to see if the symptoms get worse. If they think it might be something serious, though, it will be worth taking your child to a real doctor as soon as possible. These apps are designed to provide guidelines, though you should never take their word as absolute until you have seen someone face to face.

Diet And Lifestyle

Along with making sure that they have affordable access to a doctor, it also makes sense to give your child the right kind of diet and lifestyle to keep themselves healthy. This can be difficult, with parents and kids alike not wanting to eat boring food. You can solve this issue by getting more adventurous with your cooking, looking for good flavours which don’t require large amounts of fat, sugar, or salt. Extreme diets are not good for children, as they will need a wider range of nutrients in their food than adults. If you’re able to get on top of this, it should be much easier to keep the little ones at the top of their game.

Lifestyle is about more than just the food a little one eats, and their physical activities also play a heavy role in this. More and more kids are spending large amounts of time using digital devices. While this isn’t necessarily bad for them, it will stop them from being able to see the outside world, and this can lead to a very sedentary lifestyle. It’s worth pushing them to get involved with sports, go on long walks, and spend as much time outside as possible. There are always evenings for them to sink into the digital world, but they should be outside when the sun is shining.

Health can be a difficult field for anyone, though parents often have the hardest time. Children don’t care about their health, with their future feeling very far away, and the things they enjoy being right in front of them. Of course, though, if you want them to have the very best future, it makes sense to put some time into making this side of their life more affordable. There are charities and other organisations which can help you, though you will have to do the bulk of the work for yourself.