Thrifty Thursday

Thrifty Thursday

Today for Thrifty Thursday I want to talk about just a few miscellaneous tips on avoiding unnecessary fees.  Hopefully a few of these will help save you money.

1.  Consolidate and pay off debt as soon as possible.  Money paid in interest is money thrown away!  If you carry any debt, focus on consolidating it to lower interest and paying it off as soon as possible.  Why spend your hard-earned cash to make the financial institution rich? 



2.  Pay your bills on time and avoid late fees.  Get organized about your regular bills.  If possible, automate the payments.  Most utilities and other recurring bills can be set to be charged to a credit card or deducted from a checking account these days.

Also, many banks offer free bill pay programs.  So there really is no excuse for forgetting to pay a bill on time and forking out the late fee.  Say, by chance you do forget to pay a bill, if you are a first time offender, call the company and request politely to waive the late fee, and more likely than not, they will oblige.

3.  Be aware of your bank balance to avoid overdraft fees.  If you use your checking account often or have some bills that are paid automatically from your checking account, be aware of the balance to avoid overdraft fees.

4.  Avoid ATM Fees.  Be aware of the ATM withdrawal fees charged by your bank.  While some banks waive fees for all ATM transactions on any ATM machine, most don't.  So be sure to use only those machines where your bank will not charge the fees   

5.  Avoid Credit Cards with annual fees.  Credit cards with their cash back bonuses and reward points are a great way to save some money.  Just make sure that the credit card does not charge you any annual fees.  There are plenty of cards that offer fee-free reward plans, so there really is no reason to pay the annual fees.

Following these tips should help you save a few dollars. 

Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching!!!

Sharyn