How to Stop Overspending: 7 Tips and Tricks

Admitting you have a problem is the only way to take control of financial life. Of course, that's a lot easier said than done, but there are some specific actions you can use to how to stop overspending and improve your financial habits. 

Take it from a former chronic overspender: It might not be pretty, yet the process is worth it.

1. Develop a Budget or Improve Your Existing Budget.

Taking a fresh look at what you bring in versus what you spend is a crucial initial step. Seeing the amount of money you're wasting on clothing, gadgets, and other luxury items can be a major wake-up call.

Here's an easy way to start:

Set up a Spreadsheet. Regardless if you do this online, with Excel, or merely on an old-fashioned notepad, build a spreadsheet to classify different expenses and types of earnings.

Total Your Pay Stubs. Compute just how much you're generating monthly from salaries, tips, and any other income sources.

Gather All Your Bills. Get your utility bill, credit card, mortgage statements, and whatever else you have to pay monthly. Start by making a classification for fixed expenses and add them up first.

Detail Your Variable Spending. From home entertainment to clothing, and from groceries to gas, start allocating funds to each variable spending classification. Base your amounts on how much you've spent before, however also try to control things a bit. 

Don't start out too precise though. I discovered that if my budget is too tight, I'm simply setting myself up for later binges and eventual failure.

Put Some Cash to Savings. Don't forget that a good budget also allocates cash to savings. Consider following the "50/30/20" rule: 50% of your monthly earnings must go to fixed and essential costs, 30% to enjoyable stuff and lifestyle alternatives, and 20% to savings and paying off debts. 

Talk to a financial advisor about exactly what type of cost savings vehicle is best for your budgetary objectives-- a regular savings account for emergency expenses and an IRA for your retirement should help you get going.

Test Your Budget. Leave room beside each budget entry and enter the true amounts you spend moving forward. Compare them to exactly what you 'd planned and correct your numbers for the next month appropriately.

2. Dump the Plastic.

If you are really serious about learning how to stop overspending you need to dump the plastic. By switching to a cash-only envelope budgeting system, you're forcing yourself to stay with the strategy-- when your money runs out, you're done spending. Get a bunch of envelopes for all your variable expenditures and label each one according to how much money you've allocated in your spending plan. Then, put that sum of cash inside for the next week.

Additionally, you might choose to simply keep all of your weekly money in one envelope and draw out a couple of $20s here or there as needed. Just do whatever serves you best and adhere to your spending plan.

3. Leave behind Your Credit and Smart card Numbers.

When shopping online, there's no better convenience than remembering your charge card number by heart. Failing to remember your numbers makes it a little less convenient to purchase things, and in the few seconds you're grabbing that wallet you simply may contemplate the choice you're about to make.

If you currently understand a few of your numbers by heart, cancel your current cards and ask for brand-new ones. Then, go through your favorite Web shopping profiles and eliminate your saved info so you can avoid the temptation of buying with a single click.

4. Select Cheaper Entertainment.

Overspenders might prevent the urge to alter their ways since they believe it means no longer having a good time or socializing with good friends. That's just not the case. While you may not have the ability to splurge on that couple's cruise ship or eat at your preferred four-star restaurants anymore, you can still be sociable and live a full life simply by making cheaper plans.

Is the discussion any less special if you invite your friends out for a cup of coffee instead of an expensive dinner? It's all right to let the people in your life understand that you're attempting to spend less-- after all, you undoubtedly mention to folks when you go on a diet because it helps improve your accountability. The same goes for your budget. Who knows, you may even discover a few of your friends or family grateful for the example you're setting.

5. Establish Interim Financial Goals.

Someone who puts a brand-new laptop on a credit card with little intention of paying it off immediately isn't really usually concerned about the future. Overspenders are all about the " here and now," seldom giving major pensiveness on how their practices may impact them in the long-run.

However, by specifying some possible, achievable short-term goals, you can encourage yourself to save and transform those habits:.

• Save a minimum of 15% of each paycheck in a different account.
• Stick to a money budget for two weeks.
• Save $1,000 in an emergency savings account.
• Take lunch to work daily for a week instead of ordering in.
• Remix your closet for a full month without shopping.

Short-term objectives like these can serve to help fundamentally shift how you view and spend cash. They can also be a little a hurdle, so pat yourself on the back whenever you achieve one. As you become more money-savvy and less impetuous, you can start to set longer-term goals for the future.

6. Zero Out Your Accounts.

As an overspender, your state of mind may be, "If I have it, I'll spend it." That's why I empty out my accounts each month. No, it does not mean I spend until it's all gone however I find a home for every dollar in my checking account so I'm not tempted to make senseless purchases.

Deposit your salary in your bank account, and instantly begin" informing" it where to go. If you're on a money budget, withdraw the needed amount. Then, pay your debts. To prevent the temptation of blowing the rest, move it to other accounts, such as a savings account and a pension fund. Make sure that every dollar has a home, leaving you basically with a $0 balance in your bank account at the end of every month.

7. Assume Context.

Now it's time to try and think of spending in a different context. When you're faced with a possible purchase, compare it to the better things you could purchase with the exact same money, or to the energy you expended to make it, and you might reconsider splurging.

Assume you wish to spend $2,000 on a spontaneous vacation: If you make $20/hour at the workplace, it will take you a minimum of 100 hours to earn that cash-- not factoring in taxes. That $2,000 could go to getting out of financial debt, launch a retirement fund, or even purchase an automobile. Comprehending the value of money to your personal financial picture is an essential element to altering the way you think about spending.

8. Treat Yourself.

Imagine you go on too strict a diet plan-- you're going to be very tempted to splurge when the right temptation catches your eye. The same holds true for spending. Yes, instantly putting yourself on a strict spending plan can help you save money-- until you go nuts and wind up on a shopping binge.

It's all right to give yourself little rewards now and again to remain on track. If you love clothing, put a little cash aside or load up a prepaid debit card for a reasonable shopping holiday. If you have the tendency to splurge on outstanding dining, plan one night each month to nosh at your favorite restaurant. Love to take a trip? Reward your good behavior by searching around for last-minute deals or taking a day to check out what your city has to offer. This is your financial version of a cheat meal, so make the most of it.

I like to believe that I'm a completely reformed overspender, however the urge to swipe my card does occasionally appear. You can't totally reform your bad habits overnight. Nevertheless, merely acknowledging them and making a commitment is a fantastic initial step towards learning to stop spending more than your means. Set objectives and put safeguards in place, and you can slowly but surely make the maneuver from chronic overspender to smart consumer.

Are you an overspender? How do you suppress the temptation to spend lavishly?

Is it Possible to Buy a Country? Australia Fears New Wave of Colonialism

A wave of massive land purchases is taking place around the world. Big investors are spending billions on land acquisition, mainly for crops and livestock. 

This phenomenon raised suspicions. Is this a new way of colonialism? Buying a significant part of a country compromises its sovereignty and reserves. The recent blockade by Australia of the sale of a large tract of land equivalent to 1% of their territory to a consortium led by a Chinese company is the last sample of those misgivings.

The centenarian S. Kidman & Co, star of the controversy, is dedicated to raising cattle for beef export and controls rangelands of about 100,000 square kilometers. The group led by the Chinese company, Shanghai Pengxin Group, which also involved Australian companies, has made an offer, worth about 325 million euros. 

But the Australian Treasury has paralyzed the operation, expressing doubts about whether this offer meets the national interests as "the size and importance" of these assets, which are home to some 200,000 head of cattle. 

One possibility to consider would be to sell the land into smaller pieces to different buyers, because, according to the Australian authorities, no country would allow foreign capital to acquire such a piece of its territory. 

Last year the neighboring New Zealand had already rejected a similar offer from the same company.

More Land Passing into Foreign Ownership 

"Since 2000, 40 million hectares of land, in the world, have passed into foreign hands, more than the size of Germany."

In less affluent countries it is more difficult to impede. Beijing's appetite for buying land is well known in Africa, which is by far the region where most part of its territory has been sold to foreigners, followed by Asia. 

But how much land has been acquired worldwide with investors or for crops and livestock purposes in the last decade? Impossible to know exactly. 

According to Land Matrix, an international organization that tracks such operations, 1,100 purchases of a big scale have been closed since 2000. In total purchases and sales, have passed into foreign hands 40 million hectares. The main investors are: The United States, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and UK. 

China does not yet appear on the list, but is the second most active country in the purchase of land after Saudi Arabia whether operations that are still under negotiation are recorded.

The United Nations warned in 2008 about this new "food neocolonialism" because greed for land sometimes has a purely financial objective. 

There are mutual funds that include the purchase of land as one way to earn money, which can sometimes subject the crops to the capricious market tensions (eg, interest in promoting biofuel resulted in an increase of soybean prices). 

An example of this concern has been seen recently in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, which has banned pension funds to buy farmland in the area to avoid "speculation on Wall Street." 

Maybe rent is the solution to this problem, promoting local farmers to use the land as a cooperative way of working. In theory, it should not be a problem if the multinational corporation respects the local laws but we all know how things work in life.

3 Essential Tips to Ensure a Smooth Car Deal

2015 saw a rise in the demand for cars in the USA. This was the period after the recession and several people in the US were opting to buy cars. 

Some of the top cars of 2015 are Hyundai Sonata, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic and Nissan Altima. However, most of these buyers are now finding it difficult to repay the loan amount to the financial institutions.

Mentioned below are some ways by which you can repay the car loans without facing many problems.

1. Choose the most suitable loan with the best rates

You should also take your time when you are selecting which car loan to choose. It is similar to selecting the car of your choice, which suits your preferences and budget. 

Doing a little research about the most profitable loans before you buy a car is going to do you good. It is natural to get attracted by the low rate interests some financial institutions associated with the car dealer offer. 

The low- interest rates are for those who have a good credit score and you may be in problem if your credit score does not match the requirements of the loan. Thinking that the dealer is offering you a profitable loan is a mistake unless you have already gone through the best car deals in town.

2. Get a credit report

Before you go to the car dealer, visit the annualcreditreport.com set up by theAmerican government. It helps you to calculate your credit report. You should opt for reports from multiple credit reporting agencies. 

You can also get your scores from credit card issuing companies.This approach helps you to get a holistic insight into your credit score. The interest rateyou will be offered by the financial institution depends on your credit score. The better your score, the lower rate of interest you will be offered. 

3. Beware of easy and simple finance policies

Some buyers, who are eager to buy some of the best cars of 2015, ignore the finance policies. They are happy to get the car without thinking about the aftermath of the deal. 

http://idealautousa.com is an ethical car dealer which informs its buyers that it does not consider an amount paid unless they have the money in their account.

Sometimes, you and the car dealer agree upon a price, but after a few days, you come to know that the dealer could not get the deal approved at the price they had agreed upon and you need to opt for a new loan at a higher interest rate. 

Some dealers go to the extent of demanding a rental fee for the time you use the car without paying the dealer. If you refuse to negotiate a new deal, the dealer may cancel the deposit you had made initially and also the trade-in. 

Under such circumstances, most buyers tend to opt for a new loan.

If you think that the dealer was being unethical as they had already given you the car keys, you might consider reading the papers once again. 

Most dealers mention in their documents that if the agreed upon price and the interest rate do not get approved, they have every right to declare the deal null and void. Either you missed the point or were too credulous to read the agreement.

There is, however, one way to protect from this trouble. You can tell the dealer that you do not consider the car to be your own unless the transaction is approved.

Keep the above-mentioned tips in mind before you sign a deal with the car dealer. Adhering to these tips can assist you to stay away from trouble after you buy a car.



Author Bio – Melissa George is a car loan expert who helps aspiring buyers to make the right loan choice. She is associated with http://idealautousa.com/ and takes an ethical approach to inform her clients.

Discover the Top SEO Strategies for Entrepreneurs Today!

Majority of consumers today head to the Internet when they are searching for products or services to buy. It has made the world a global village. 

Users from all over the world can get online and buy items directly from websites. For an entrepreneur, the Internet is a perfect place to find a market for their product or service. To do this, they need to have an optimized website. 

It is not enough just to have a website, SEO optimization must be conducted upon it. Read on to find out why.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a practice where the individual elements of web pages are fine tuned and adjusted so that the overall website can rank higher in the search engine results. 

According to statistics, Internet users click most often on the first few links on the first page of the search engine results. As such, by increasing in rank, the website link gets more visitors and becomes more popular on the Internet. 

If it is a business website, the brand value increases with every additional view. As an entrepreneur, how do you optimize your website? Here is how!

Utilize URLs that are easy for search engine crawlers to find

The keywords for your website should be utilized on many elements of the web pages. They should be utilized in:

1. The website copy
2. The titles
3. The headers
4. The image tags 
5. In multimedia 

Another element that should have your keywords within is the URLs. Known in full as the Universal Resource Locators, they are unique identifiers for every web page in your website. 

The keywords or key phrases should be included in the names of these web pages. This helps visitors to know the content of the web pages much easier. For example,

'www.motors.com/new_cars/Mercedes_Benz'

At one glance, it is easy to tell the content of the web page that has the above URL. This is how to optimize all the web pages in your website. 

Search engine crawlers will be able to find and index the webpages easier when they are described in this way. This automatically indicates that your website is user-friendly and its rank is boosted.

Pick unique, descriptive keywords

This is a very important element of SEO. Keywords are special words that indicate the content, theme, product or service that is in your website. They should be unique to your website. 

They must also indicate the purpose of your website. You can have as many keywords or key phrases as you want. However, distribute them evenly throughout your website. 

This is because if you put too many of them in the same web page, they will have a negative effect.

In an effort to trick search engine crawlers to find and index their websites faster, some webmasters put too many keywords into the content of their websites. 

This is known as keyword stuffing. In such cases, the keywords even prevent the content from making grammatical sense. Search engines frown upon this practice and demote websites that are found with stuffed pages. Thus, use your keywords sparingly for best results. 

Ensure they they fit in with the rest of the website content such that the sentences flow smoothly.

Use very little or no Flash media in your website

Multimedia is presented in the website using Flash. Videos and animations are rendered in the website using this technology. 

Despite its usefulness, Flash has one major disadvantage. It cannot be optimized for search engines. 

Search engine crawlers are normally unable to read Flash media content in a website. As such, they can't index it. 

The same applies to AJAX content in the web pages. The crawlers cannot recognize the material and therefore skip it. This makes Flash content irrelevant in promoting your website on the Internet. Another technology that you should not apply in your website is Frames. 

The crawlers are unable to read this technology too. To maximize the optimization process of your website, it is important to stay clear of these two technologies when developing your website.

Content marketing

This is an SEO strategy that is applied in the content of your website. In content marketing, you ensure that the copy in your web pages not only promotes your website but also helps the reader solve some of the challenges that brought them to your website. 

This is a form of marketing by relating with the visitors and helping them to find solutions to issues that they could be facing. It is a form of helpful content provision.

Ensure that you include helpful tips, tricks and solutions in your website. Remember to include the keywords sparingly in the content. 

In addition to that, an invitation to try the service or product that you have in your website is always a good idea. Your website should not be purely promotional but have some advice for the readers as well. You should also ensure that the content in your website is kept fresh.

Use social media to your advantage

There are very many social media sites today. Examples of these are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Each one has a unique way of posting information. These sites attract millions of visitors every day. Thus, they are ideal locations where you can promote your website.

You can create a social media page for your company or your business. After that, you can post information about developments in your business, your products or your services in the page. 

Whenever you post something, remember to include a link to your official website. This way, readers of your social media page can click on it and be directed to your official website. 

Moreover, ensure that you make your posts shareable. Let your readers share the information that you post among themselves. This goes a long way in making your business more popular and profitable.

Conclusion

It is very important for an entrepreneur to leverage the power of the Internet as they build their business. 

It offers an opportunity to present your product or service to the whole world. The above tips can help you to optimize your website and improve your brand value.

Bio

Barney Fletcher is an SEO specialist. With more than five years experience performing dental seo services, she is highly skilled in this field. Her knowledge has been used extensively in this report. For more information, visit this website.