Listed below are some of the rewards and perks that credit cards offer. By reviewing these perks, customers will learn about how to save money and maximise potential earnings from their credit card.

1.Rewards

Credit card reward programs allow customers to earn points, miles, cash back and discounts on products purchased with the card. Customers may also earn airline certificates, gift cards, merchandise and countless other rewards. Philanthropic customers may donate to charity with their rewards. Some credit card companies also offer 5% cash back on purchases. Some of the purchases are restricted to gas, groceries and home. When you take advantage of the rewards, you often get free nights at hotels or airline tickets. Rewards points are excellent reasons to make purchases on your credit card.

2. Purchase Protection

Credit card rewards do not always have to be in the form of points on the credit card. Credit card companies also reward the customer by protecting them against theft, damage or fraudulent charges. If a product is damaged or stolen, the customer will be protected by using their credit card.

3. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is another way that credit card companies protect their customers. Travel insurance for a single trip may be as much as $200 or more. If you have a credit card with rewards, travel insurance will be automatically included for any trip charged to the card.

This is hugely beneficial as travel insurance not only covers lost baggage and trip cancellation, but also rental car collision waiver insurance. This is a tremendous savings and protection for customers that travel often. In addition, roadside assistance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance is also included.

4. Extended Warranty

Some credit cards will extend the warranty on purchases for up to five years. For instance, if you purchase a new laptop, it may only come with a one year warranty. If you purchase the laptop on the credit card, then the warranty may be doubled or even extended up to five years. This reward or perk is most often provided to customers free of charge. The extended warranty makes purchasing all items on your credit card worth it.

5. Price Protection

Some credit card customers often overlook this incredible reward or cost savings. Basically, if you purchase an item and the price drops on the item within a certain time period, typically 60 days, then customers may receive a refund.

This gives the customer peace of mind that they can purchase a product when they need it rather than when the product may go on sale. If the product does go on sale within the time period, the customer will not lose any money from their purchase at the higher price. Take full advantage of this reward to maximise your credit card rewards.

Conclusion

To get the most out of your credit card rewards, take full advantage of every reward offered on your card and minimise the interest payments on the card. Obtain a card with a 0% introductory rate and a low interest rate thereafter. The lower the interest rate is, the better.

Even if you have an interest rate as low as 2.9% or lower, continue to pay off your balance in full. Then, when you use your rewards, it will be as if your credit card is rewarding you for your business, rather than you just breaking even or reducing the effective interest payments.

5 Ways to Maximise Your Credit Card Rewards is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

To help keep your car running and your bank account in credit, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has put together a list of the top 50 tips to help you save money on motoring.

Buying A Car:

Buying a car is likely to be the second most expensive purchase in your life after buying a house so it’s essential you are fully aware of all the financial implications before you drive away. Before you part with your money, do your research and shop around. Follow these top 10 rules and you could end up saving thousands of dollars…

1. Set yourself a budget and stick to it. It’s easy to get carried away when purchasing a new car so if you’re prone to overspending, take a relative or friend with you to help keep you in check.

2. Research a car thoroughly before buying. By checking the market, you can easily compare the latest car sale prices so you don’t end up overpaying.

3. Search around for car finance. You can compare over 400 loans by using one of the many online comparisons sites, potentially saving thousands of dollars.

4. Go green. Research the car’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions before parting with your cash as these figures are important in helping your fuel last longer.

5. Consider car leasing vs car buying. If you’re planning to change your vehicle on a regular basis, leasing a car could be cheaper than purchasing outright from a dealership.

6. Shop around for a used car. You could more save money with a private sale or car auction than at a local dealership.

7. Haggle! Barter with the seller to slash the car’s price. This rule applies for new cars as well!

8. Ask for extras to be thrown in. Simple things like an up-to-date safety check, car registration disc and full tank of fuel can go a long way when it comes to saving money.

9. Never view a car in the rain, in poor light or at night. View the car in good light to evaluate its condition effectively. Make sure you can see the vehicle clearly from all angles.

10. Take a test-drive. Test drive the car before committing yourself as this is the only way to assess whether the car meets all your needs and whether it has a mechanical problem.

Cut Fuel Costs:

With fuel prices higher than ever before, filling up your car at the pumps can be a costly expense. By following these simple top tips you can improve your fuel consumption and save money…

11. Check Fuel Prices. Research the latest fuel prices in your area by logging onto Motormouth. Fuel stations often compete against each other so make the most of the cheapest rate.

12. Use loyalty schemes. A number of stations or local stores offer loyalty schemes which can help save money on fuel – take advantage!

13. Keep your tyres inflated. Low tyre pressure increases the drag on your car wasting more fuel. Correctly inflated tyres improve efficiency by up to 3%.

14. Turn off the air con. Air conditioning also uses an incredible amount of fuel so make sure it’s turned off unless you really need it.

15. Don’t fill up. Try and keep your fuel level at around the halfway mark to help your car run longer. Low enough to lighten the car but not too low that you’ll break down!

16. Remove your roof rack. A roof rack adds massive wind resistance to a car and can increase fuel consumption by up to 30%. Get rid of it!

17. Plan your route. Cut fuel consumption and long journey times by investing in a satellite navigation system.

18. Lose Weight. Remove any unnecessary items from your car – every ounce you lose will save you money at the pumps.

19. Avoid sharp acceleration. Move off gently and smoothly to reach your target speed and maintain it for maximum miles per gallon.

20. Be aerodynamic. Try to drive with your windows and sunroof closed as this will help make your car more aerodynamic and reduce drag resistance.

Insuring Your Motor:

Car insurance is on the rise so its time to get money savvy. When your policy is due for renewal, make sure you shop around to get the best deal. It’s also time to watch your speed…

21. Shop around. Get yourself onto an online comparisons site to compare more than 300 insurance quotes and get the best deal.

22. Slow down. You must inform your insurance company about any motoring offences and speeding tickets add an average of 13% to insurance premiums… stick to the limit!

23. Stay safe. Accident-free motorists can be rewarded with up to 70% no-claims discounts so drive safely.

24. Protect your no claims bonus. Ask your insurance company if you qualify for no claims protection so you don’t lose your bonus if you make a claim.

25. Third party cover. If you own a low-value car, switch to third party cover and save yourself some money.

26. Avoid modifying your car. Certain modifications can raise your car insurance premium so resist the temptation to add your own modifications.

27. Get breakdown cover. Many insurance companies offer inclusive breakdown cover at a discount rate or as an introductory offer so make the most of it.

28. Check the discounts. Many insurance companies offer discounts for older drivers, members of a professional organsation and for those willing to pay a higher excess.

29. Combined coverage. If you insure more than one vehicle with the same insurance company you can lower your overall premiums.

30. Pay outright. If you can afford to pay your insurance premium outright rather than by direct debit, you can save money on monthly interest costs.

Car Maintenance:

Look after your car and it’ll look after you… sound simple? It is! Perform these basic maintenance checks and you could end up saving a fortune on expensive repair bills…

31. Top up your coolant. Keeping your coolant level topped up can avoid engine trouble and nasty repair bills.

32. Replace your battery. If your car’s battery is nearing the end of its life, replace it as soon as possible to avoid an expensive breakdown recovery.

33. Change the oil regularly. A dirty engine can lower fuel economy so change your car’s oil on a regular basis to keep it clean and running efficiently.

34. Check your tyres. Check your tyres on a weekly basis to prevent paying for an early replacement. Check the tyre pressure, tread depth and look for any stones or nails.

35. Stick to your service schedule. If you miss consecutive service checks, your warranty may become void and could end up costing hundreds of dollars on parts and services in the future.

36. Change tyres yourself. By changing old tyres yourself, you could save hundred of dollars on service costs.

37. Fill your tyres for free. Pop down to your local fuel station and fill up your tyres with air for free. There are plenty of garages which don’t charge for this service so make the most of it.

38. Perform your own safety check. Look for windscreen chips and cracks as well as faults with the horn, wipers, door mirrors, seat belts, lights and handbrake before paying for repairs.

39. Check your oil level. If it’s too high or too low, it can cause trouble for your engine leading to expensive repair bills so make sure it’s at the right level.

40. Switch off electronic controls. Switch off your lights, wipers, radio and heater before turning your engine off as this allows extra charge to run into the battery, making it last longer.

Drive Economically:

A recent survey has revealed that the majority of drivers can save money on motoring by simply cutting out bad driving habits. To make the most of your fuel by driving more efficiently, simply follow these tips and you could cut your fuel costs in half…

41. Change Gear. Change gear at around 2,000rpm in a diesel car or around 2,500rpm in a petrol car to put less strain on your engine and use less fuel.

42. Don’t mess about. Only switch on your engine when you’re completely ready to drive and avoid sorting out your mirrors or glove box whilst the engine is running.

43. Manage your journeys. Set yourself a weekly petrol limit and avoid short journeys wherever possible.

44 Keep your eyes on the road. Stay alert so you can plan ahead and move away more gradually. A steady drive is more fuel efficient than an erratic one.

45. Avoid built-up areas. Regularly slowing down and speeding up because of junctions and speed bumps is a less efficient way to drive.

46. Check your tyre pressure regularly. Make sure you fill to the recommended pressure as poorly inflated tyres put more strain on your engine and burn more fuel.

47. Switch off your engine. Switch off the engine if you’re likely to be at a standstill for more than three minutes.

48. Slow down naturally. Rather than braking all the time, let your car slow down naturally and use its stored momentum.

49. Convert your engine. Switch your engine to run on liquid petroleum gas (LPG), a fuel which costs less than unleaded and diesel.

50. Car Share. Finally why not share a ride to work with a co-worker and split the fuel bill to save costs on a weekly basis?

By following the above tips, almost everyone can save money on motoring as well as helping the environment. Happy motoring guys!

Marie Smith is a keen motorist and a regular writer for Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, the UK’s premier car leasing website. Visit the website for great UK car and van leasing deals.

50 Tips to Save Money on Motoring is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

Seasons

You really do save money visiting a site just before or after the main season. Just before is often the best choice because the sites are usually spruced up by this time but not so crowded that you can’t obtain specials. The end of season often has even better specials than the start as the sites try to pick up every last dollar before the season ends. For winter attractions, April or early May are preseason times; September and October are after season times. For summer attractions it reverses. March to April is after season; preseason falls around October and November.

For those who like to cruise, the cheapest cruises are early and late season. You can see when these are by reading the cruise price schedule. No cruise line has one price all year long. You can also save money by booking cruises when the ship is relocating. This is usually a good deal, and often you only have to pay airfare one way to reach your homeport.

Hotels

One of the biggest expenses on holiday is paying for somewhere to stay. This does not have to be extremely expensive if you plan well. Look for deals. Many hotels these days provide breakfast and a free night if you stay for a certain number of days. Don’t be afraid to rebook your stay to obtain a special. Another money saving idea is to book in the next town over. If you don’t mind driving, you can often save by simply booking in a suburb of your intended goal. You need to consider parking and other expenses to go to your intended sites. I find that it is often just as cheap in terms of time and price to stay next to Disneyland because of the local hotel competition. However, when visiting Sydney, I do better staying at a city near this area.

Generally, booking early will also save you money on your room. Other ideas are to share rooms. The more people in your room, the less it costs. Don’t be afraid to book a suite for say six persons rather than trying to cram six into a room for four. You will still save plenty of money and you probably will have an extra bathroom. Don’t forget camping out in season. Campgrounds are still a great deal, and you really will get away from it all. Time of week is also important. It is cheaper to stay Sunday through Thursday.  Staying on Friday and Saturday nights will usually cost you twice as much.

Meals

Eating out is another costly item on a holiday. The trick here is to try not to do it. If your hotel offers a free breakfast and you can eat it, this is essentially free. Eating out for breakfast will easily run you $7 or $8 a person unless you order a bowl of cereal. You can also cook your meals by using a kitchenette or microwave. Of course, if you camp, you can cook all your meals at the campsite. Many hotels have barbecues for their visitors to use; you can barbecue for dinner.

Meals are more expensive as the day goes on; you can eat lunch or breakfast out and do something inexpensive for dinner, such as ordering pizza or going to a sandwich shop. If you can afford a nice dinner or two out, then do it. If you can’t, don’t do it. Just because you leave home is no reason to spend like mad. Ask at the hotel where good deals are and don’t be afraid to use coupons. We try to restrict eating out to just lunch when on vacation. If you can, don’t eat at the attraction you are visiting. This is usually very costly. Some vacation plans now include meals. Some of these are pretty reasonable and will save you money.

Attractions

First, you don’t need to see everything in one visit. You can go back. Try to get tickets early for what you want to see; these are usually cheaper than buying at the time of entrance. Look into joining any loyalty group that the attraction has. These will usually save you something during your visit. If you plan to come back soon, maybe a season pass will save you money. Use a combination of attractions. Plan one or two big expenditures with several free or inexpensive ones, and find out about parking at your attractions before you go.

Parking

This has become a big expense to attend some venues and stay at some hotels. Last time I went to an arena, the parking was more than the price of two tickets. Investigate the cost of parking and what you can do to decrease it. Often loyalty programs give patrons free or reduced parking. Hotels have begun charging for parking for certain guests. Usually this is waived if you are on a special or are staying at certain times, but $10 a day for parking can take a bite out of your budget. There are still hotels that don’t change for parking. Stay there over paying for parking. Otherwise, parking costs will never go back down.

Summary

With careful planning your holiday should not cost a great deal more than to stay at home and go out for the day. Your goal is to stay on budget, or come in below it. Now, get out there and go on holiday!

Heather Johnson writes for HoneymoonDestinations.org, the best honeymoon research and planning website. Discover some great honeymoon ideas today!

How to Save on Holiday is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

This is a guest post written by Lauren Dzuris. Lauren runs FindMyCarSeat, a website on Graco Car Seats and other great brands that can help new parents find a great car seat, while giving them tips, and advice on everything from pregnancy to parenting.

Being savvy with your money comes from strong work ethics and from a young age. If your teach your child poor spending habits from the get go, they will more than likely use those habits throughout their life.

In order for your child to be a smart shopper and great saver, there are several tips you can take into consideration. Need some ideas? Continue reading below to find out!

Allowance: First of all, you need to teach your children that you earn money through working hard. Once they understand this concept, not only will they want to “work hard”, but they will also have more respect for everything you do.

Give your child chores to do, but also give them harder ones, ones they actually get paid for. For example, cutting the grass, moping the floors or even helping you with yard work are all great jobs for them to do.

Just make sure your child knows the difference between “chores” and “jobs for money”. Your child should not get paid for keeping their own room clean or for taking out the trash one time.

Set aside: Now, once your child gets their weekly allowance, or once they get cash gifts for their birthday or holidays, make sure you teach them to set aside at least 10% each time they receive money.

Explain to them that they may run into a time where they really want something but don’t have the money. Saving for a rainy day is important from day one.

Watch it grow: Now that your child is saving at least 10% each time they get money, you can put it into a savings account or something with great interest. Every few months, let your child see how much they started with and how much they have today. This will encourage them to save money.

Double money: Some parents will actually match their child’s money that they save. This is a great way of encouraging them to put money away. For example, if your child got $100 from grandma and grandpa for Christmas, tell them they must put 10%, being $10 away in the bank. If you want, you can also say since you’re saving $10, I will give you $10 more to put away. They will then see how saving money has benefits.

Also explain that they can get more for their money now just because they saved. So instead of one toy, they can maybe get two now just for being patient.

Avoid temptation: Teach your child to avoid temptation. They may see a toy their friend just got, and they may want it really bad. When this happens remind them of previous times they wanted something and then barely played with it.

Always make them wait a week or two so that way if they still want it they can get it, but if they’ve moved onto something else or forgot about it, they can realize they didn’t want it all that bad.

There are several ways to teach your child good spending habits, but it’s important you start these right away. You can’t give into your child’s wants all the time. Teach them they must help around the house, but let them also understand what going above and beyond and getting paid for it means.

Money Saving Tips to Teach Children is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

Like any punt, there are winners and losers otherwise the whole concept couldn’t work. Current estimates suggest that almost 90% of those that try out the financial spread betting market lose their deposits or close their accounts within the first three months.  Obviously,  the other 10%  who do win are making their money out of the 90% who lose and while that sounds very cut throat the simple fact is that even winners will have losing trades from time to time.

The other common misconception about spread betting is that it’s all about Futures and Options.  It’s true that there are some similarities with Futures or Options contracts as well as an investment vehicle called Contracts for Difference (cfds), but spread betting is a very different animal under the skin.   In order to invest or trade in Futures and Options  directly, you need a great deal of money and know your market  extremely well, whereas spread betting demands a high degree of prudent judgment but less in depth, intimate market knowledge. Financial spread betting prices are usually linked to that of the Futures and Options market for a particular stock or set of indices, so in effect spread betting allows you access the potential profitability of Futures and Options without the need for the huge amount of ready cash required to trade.

What may have been true once was that you needed to be relatively wealthy to consider spread betting.  Nowadays you can open an account with as little as a £100.  While that isn’t going to break the bank, trading that amount will also never make you rich, no matter how well your trades go! What dipping your toe in the water with that modest amount will do however is allow you to learn how to trade.  Once you have proved to yourself that you can make regular profitable trades and have a feel for how the whole thing works without the fear of losing your shirt, then you can begin   to trade with larger sums.

So if it’s that easy why isn’t everyone doing it? Quite a few people are: in excess of 50,000 in the UK it’s reckoned. Many start out by using a “virtual trading account”  to prove to themselves that they can successfully manage spread betting and  then move to a small margin with one of the financial spread betting companies.  The scale of success in spread betting depends on many factors, but one of the more significant is your attitude to having winning and losing trades.  Regarding spread betting as a regular investment vehicle will always disappoint.  It is a gamble after all (which is why it’s tax exempt) albeit one based on your own judgment, knowledge and skill and you will have your fair share of victories and defeats.  As with any other form of punt, never gamble more than you can afford to lose, or if you do, be prepared to accept the consequences – good or bad.

the Author, Kat Cole, admits that so far her forays into spread betting haven’t exceeded the £100 mark!

Financial Spread Betting: The Glass Half Full Version is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

First and foremost it is important to document all of your financial difficulties or hardships.  Without refinancing your home loan, the lender you have sought out must restructure the loan.  While not everybody qualifies for this step, it is possible.  Before they are able to approve this inquiry, they need to completely review your financial situation as a whole to determine whether or not you are eligible for this aid.  There are several reasons on would qualify including injury or disability, extreme illness, and the loss of job.  Be sure to keep copies of any and all your statements from financial means including banks, bills, compensation for unemployment, and even previous pay check stubs.

Do not procrastinate, start the process now.  Do not wait until you are unable to handle the situation.  Before this happens, get in touch with your mortgage company when trouble first arrives at your doorstep.  This lengthy process of lowering your mortgage payment can take many weeks to be approved and for the paper to be finalized.  Waiting too long will not only damage your credit but build up unnecessary debts along the way.

Loan modification is something you should inquire about.  This type of loan restructure is available to all sorts of homes; the process includes the lender lowering the interest rate or extends the loan term itself.  This reduces your mortgage substantially at times.  This is an agreeable alternative to a loan modification.

Bringing and submitting your own proposal for the conversation of interest rates or adjusted mortgage rates is a possibility.  There are some instances where lenders will take your proposal over something they have constructed themselves.  Every little bit helps.  During this process try negotiating with the mortgage lender if they do not agree outwardly with your proposal.  Often times a middle ground can be met and other options can be discussed.

When you make extra repayments on your mortgage you may also be able to do this in the form of setting up an offset savings account which acts a bit like an alternative to a traditional high interest savings account. You don’t pay interest on your mortgage for the dollar value in your offset account. As you don’t have any interest income to pay taxes on like a normal saving account you get the full benefit.

By utilizing these few simple tips you can easily reduce your mortgage with your home loan lender.

Reducing Your Mortgage is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

There are many different cashback websites, but all do the same thing. Some of the best known are Quidco, Top Cashback and Big Cheese. The way they work is very simple.

When you are browsing on the internet you will often come across adverts or banners on one site trying to refer you to another. If you’re on a site which sells cars, you may see advertising for an insurance company. Clicking on the advert takes you to the insurer’s site, and if you go on to purchase something from the insurer, the car buying site where you first clicked the advert will get a fee from the insurer, known as a referral credit.

Cashback sites operate on the same principles, but rather than taking the referral credit for themselves they pass it on to their customers. When you visit the cashback site you will see menus with all the different retailers and participating companies. Clicking on any one of those companies will take you to their site, and should you buy anything it will be logged by the cashback site, assuming you’ve set up an account and logged in. Once the retailer pays the referral credit, it is passed on to you.

Some of the amounts are small, with large high street retailers typically paying out 2% to 4% or less. The largest amounts to be made are from finance or service providers, with amounts such as £50 for a car insurance policy, £100 for taking out a new mobile phone contract, £40 for breakdown cover or 17.5% on a holiday insurance policy. If you factor in the cash back when you are shopping around for new insurance you could find that you are able to decrease the premium considerably. Not every retailer is in partnership with cashback sites, but most of the major high street brands are, as well as many other smaller speciality stores.

The main drawback to all of this is that you don’t get your cashback right away. Some companies are very prompt in paying referral credits to the cashback sites, and the money could be in your account within a few weeks. Some providers, most notoriously the insurance companies, are very slow to pay up and in some cases you may wait up to a year for your cashback. Having said that though, if you use cashback sites for all internet purchases it is more than possible to have regular cashback sums paid into your bank account almost every month, which over the year can add up to a considerable sum which otherwise would have gone into the pocket of another website or into the retailer’s bottom line profits.

Guest blog written by Ben who works for Simply Stock Broking – leaders in online trading.

Please add your comments or compare savings accounts for the best rates to grow your savings.

How Much Money Can You Save By Using Cashback Websites? is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

Actually the fiscal situation of Europe can have adverse effect on Australia. However, the household debt in Australia is more than that of America’s household debt. It has infact the highest household debt to disposable income ratio in the world. Credit consolidation is one of the debt reduction ways that can help the debtors to pay off their debts and lower the amount of the household debt.

The household debt situation in Australia

According to the Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens, the household debt in Australia is higher in comparison to any other developed countries. Debt has been a cause of worry and angst in Australia. The debt is not only from the households but are also related to banks. The banks have been borrowing and the foreign debt level is high too. This according to the financial experts can even leave the country vulnerable to a harsh credit squeeze. However, as per the deputy governor of Reserve Bank of Australia, Ric Battellino, this is not that risky a condition as compared to offshore lending.

He rather surmised that the household bet in Australia increased more than the household income. The households contained in the top 2 income quintiles accounted for almost 75% of the outstanding household debt, as compared to those in the bottom two income quintiles. They accounted for only 10% of the household debt. This debt has mainly resulted from the households trying to acquire assets rather than expenditures on consumption.

Though the Australian economy performed well in 2011, according to reports it may have to face some trouble sin 2011. There may be some interest rate hikes in 2011 and this can worsen the debt problems as the household debt situation is already bad. The interest rates may rise due to a number of reasons like China strengthening its economic growth, weakening of the Australian dollar thereby outing pressure on the inflation, and consumers dropping their guards on expenditure. The fluctuating inflation will put pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia and as a result they may increase the interest rates. As a result, the consumers may face problems in making payments on their credit accounts.

One way in which the credit situation may be put under control is through credit consolidation. Credit consolidation is the process of combining all of the unsecured debts for example credit cards and other unsecured loans. With consolidation, the interest rate on your debt lowers and thus it becomes easier for you to pay off the outstanding debt that you have.

There are various benefits of credit consolidation, like it lowers the interest rate on the debt, you will have to make single and low payment each month in comparison to what you had to forward previously. You will have to deal with only one creditor or one lender and thus there will be only one repayment plan. You also can have a certain idea on the time within which you may be able to become debt free. If you opt for credit consolidation, it also helps you to gain control over your debts as you make the timely payments. Thus, it also helps you to maintain a stress free life. You are no more required to worry about making the several payments each month, you are no longer required to remember the different interest rates and payment options of the different credit cards and loans.

So if you are swamped with credit card debt and if you have other unsecured debts that you think is gradually becoming unmanageable, you can opt for credit consolidation. Though, credit consolidation in no way actually eliminates your debt but it reduces the pressure on you as you are required to make only one payment each month.

Household debt in Australia and credit consolidation is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

America’s long struggle with debt has prompted plenty of finger pointing, with consumers pointing at government, government blaming Wall Street, and Wall Street blaming both government and consumers. Want to know who’s really to blame for this massive, messy debt? All three of them.

Consumers

America was once a country full of people who saved a significant portion of their income, always fearful of the so-called “rainy day” or worst case scenario. But over the last thirty years, Americans’ spending habits changed dramatically. Gone was the emphasis on savings; instead, many Americans spent their savings on new cars, new appliances, and home renovations. When that wasn’t enough, the average American started opening credit cards and maxing them out, only to make the minimum payment each month.

Americans with a far greater sense of risk, or perhaps a lesser understanding of financial responsibility, refinanced their homes and used the equity to go on vast shopping sprees. This worked really well for a good number of people until housing prices came back down to where they belonged. Then, it was revealed that vast numbers of Americans were stuck paying mortgages on their homes that were worth twice their home’s value.

With no ability to reduce debt, Americans simply stopped paying, resulting in a crisis that reverberated directly to Wall Street.

Wall Street

But Wall Street was the entity that made it possible for consumers to borrow all of this money in the first place. Driven by nothing more than profits, big banks offered credit cards with 0% introductory interest rates and free gifts just for signing up for a credit card. Banks gave mortgages to people with sub-par credit and allowed them to borrow against their homes. And then, when one payment was missed on a credit card, they socked users with fees that exacerbated the problem until they simply walked away from the debt.

Government

Of course, none of this would be possible without a government that came to view financial regulation as the enemy. At a certain point, government regulation of the consumer financial market had eroded so badly that it was no longer about simply ensuring a “free market.” Instead, it became laws that basically favored the big banks and credit card companies and kept consumers in the dark about the truth behind interest rates, late payment penalties and the consequences of their irresponsible actions.

The current state of the American economy is too complex to lie on just one group’s shoulders. Indeed, all three groups hold ample blame for the run-away consumer spending that ended up dooming housing prices, credit markets, the stock market, and even the unemployment rate.

There is a silver lining to all of this, however: increased government regulation could stop the crisis from happening again in the future, and many consumers have dramatically shifted their spending habits away from merely buying more things. The rate at which Americans are saving their income has risen steadily and dramatically since the crisis began. With so many lessons learned on each side, perhaps it’s time to admit that we all had a hand in the problem — and start fixing it.

America’s Struggle with Debt is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts

First, there is cardio and that is one of the most important aspects of staying healthy.  The only thing you really need to do any sort of cardio work out is to get your blood pumping.  Some of the most common ways of doing cardio include running, jogging, or even power walking.  Make sure you have some comfortable shoes.

Another way to enjoy savings on that gym membership is to invest in some dumbbells.  The most ideal kind of weights you could get is ones that have adjustable weight.  These are very versatile and can be used for a wide variety of exercises to keep you healthy while saving you money in the long run.

A great way to keep your upper body strength even more constant is push-ups. They are fantastic in way of strengthening your arms, chest, and shoulders!  There are proper ways to go about doing push-ups and doing them the right way will aid in staying fit and saving money!

Crunches are another great way to keep fit from home.  Repetition with crunches is important.  Doing at least 25 per set is ideal, and will help keep you fit and ready to do anything.

For your legs, try squats.  They work your thighs and your buttocks.  Standing and doing proper squats will also helping in keeping you fit.  Doing bear crawls will also help you with strengthening your legs as well as improving your agility.  Another great method for strengthening your quadriceps, hamstrings, and buttocks are wall squats.

By using these few, and simple, tips for working out at home, you can combine a routine that fits your schedule and that keeps saving you money.  With enough determination and repetition you will be fit and your pockets will not be emptied by those outrageous gym membership prices!

Tips on How to Stay Healthy While Saving on Gym Fees is a post from: High Interest Savings Accounts