A few days ago, I received a letter in the mail—a great credit card offer from one of the Big Five banks. At first, I thought, “This is too good to pass up. I should go ahead and accept it.” But then I paused. A little voice in my head reminded me: You already have…
As I stood in the express checkout line at Walmart the other day, tapping my card and quickly making my way out, it hit me. Credit cards have made life a lot easier, more convenient, and even more enjoyable. You can buy what you want—even when you don’t have cash on hand—and delay payment until…
Have you ever been in this situation? You’re making steady progress, regularly paying down a significant debt. But then, your last big payment of $450 was essentially neutralized by your annual $450 gym membership. In other words, you took one big step forward, only to take another right back. Sure, you need your gym membership,…
Many of us can relate to this scenario: after diligently paying off our credit card debt, we feel a surge of relief and accomplishment. However, it’s disheartening to see our debt slowly creep back up over time, ultimately leading us to realize that we’re on the verge of starting the debt repayment journey all over…
In the realm of personal finance, being proactive holds the key to mastering your credit card journey. By anticipating and allocating for unexpected charges, you’re not just safeguarding your budget but also taking charge of your financial destiny
Being trapped in a “debt cycle” or “interest treadmill” occurs when payments towards credit card debt mainly cover the interest, preventing progress in reducing the principal balance. To overcome this situation, strategies such as increasing payments, prioritizing high-interest debt, considering balance transfers or debt consolidation, adjusting spending habits, seeking professional help, and increasing income can be effective in breaking free from the cycle and regaining control of your financial situation.
Credit card rewards are often associated with travel benefits, but it’s important to recognize that they can also be used strategically to improve your financial situation. Depending on the reward system, cashback can be utilized to save money, pay off debts, or purchase registered products.
There seems to be so many different creative approaches that people follow in order to pay off their credit card balance. We decided to come up with our own in order to eliminate $6,500 in credit card balance. To begin with, it is not that we weren’t already making payments to reduce and even eliminate our balance….
The expenses never seem to end. But neither does my determination to lower my credit card balance and eventually make it disappear completely (balance of ZERO dollars!) It has been a big struggle to keep our-myself and my wife-credit card balance under control. Just when you thought you have made some progress, comes a wedding…
When you see the ‘minimum payment’ (MP) field on your credit card statement, think of it as your credit card’s way of making you feel good and not to worry. It is their way of telling you “Don’t worry, though you have thousands to pay us, you only have to pay us a fraction of…
I have talked and warned about ‘impulse buying’ in the past and recent bank polls re-affirmed and legitimized my warnings and fear: impulse buying is indeed killing the budgets of Canadians. According to a BMO poll, Canadians spend an average of $3720 on impulse purchases, which include clothing, shoes, electronics and even food (possibly leading…
In the last three years, dating back to the start of the global recession and the worsening economic conditions, we have been hearing a lot about bankruptcies. Both business and personal. Ignoring the ‘business’ side of things, when it comes to ‘personal’ cases of bankruptcies or being on the verge of sinking into one, a…
When we hear of Greece, images of beautiful beaches and islands come to mind, if not all the great philosophers it gave the world. Unfortunately, as of late, hearing the word ‘Greece’ instantly brings images of people protesting in the streets, youth rioting in front of the parliament in Athens and other images of chaos. …
The financial world and the stock market have been rocked by the downgrading of the US credit rating by Standard and Poors. Given the poor state of the US economy and the government’s recent infighting to reach a consensus regarding the debt ceiling in a short time, have all spelled an end to the United States…
The on-going ‘debt ceiling ‘ crisis in the US is a great example of why we need to have a budget and live within our means. If the government of the United States of America-the most powerful government of the most powerful country on earth- can’t meet its financial obligations due to ever increasing spending,…
Here at Budget Sense, we almost always recommend against credit card usage, unless in extreme and desperate situations. But of course, credit cards can come in handy in certain situations. But they can also be abused by being used to buy things that just don’t justify the purchase. What are some foolish ways of using…
I have an admission to make and please stop me if you have been guilty of this same feeling or thinking as well: there are times when I don’t feel an extreme rush or urgency to pay off my credit card balance simply because there is no visible harm being done. Accumulating interest rate? who cares,…
When it comes to eliminating your credit card debt, paying the minimum payments will only mean that you are covering what is necessary to ensure a good standing order with your card issuer. But that is about it. You are not getting ahead in terms of paying off the remaining balance on your credit card….
A recent CGA-Canada survey revealed that more than half of the respondents had no idea how much interest they were paying on their credit card balances, with many mistakenly believing it to be around 3-4%, similar to the prime rate. This is a startling revelation. While not everyone may know the exact percentage, it’s concerning…
Your friends and coworkers are buying new cars, taking vacation after vacation, and seem to afford anything they desire. You, on the other hand, struggle to find the money even for affordable items. Why are your friends and others around you able to afford these luxuries while you can’t? Some of these people aren’t even…