fbpx

How to Lose Weight Without Spending a Fortune

September 27, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Losing weight is a priority for a considerable part of the population. This can be seen from the various diet and weight-loss trends that come and go regularly, gaining a lot of attention in the process. With the economy in its current state and more people worried about their personal finance, however, it’s clear that you may not be willing to spend a fortune on losing weight. Here are some of the methods that you can use to lose weight without breaking the bank.

Cook More of Your Meals

Your diet can impact your weight a lot, and this is the reason why you need to make conscious decisions regarding it if you’d like to lose weight. For instance, you can cut out carbs, artificial sweeteners, and most processed food from your diet. Replace this with lean protein, healthy fats, and vegetables.

To do this regularly and in the best way, try to cook more than you eat out or order takeout. This is something that a good number of people do, based on the fact that 48% of Americans surveyed in 2020 admitted that they’ve used either Postmates, DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub for takeout. In addition to being the wrong option for your health, ordering takeout and dining out are also bad for your personal finances.

Avoid Shopping for Things You Don’t Need

Next, many people find themselves preparing to start exercising and living a fit life long before they’re ever ready to actually begin. This means that they shop for shoes, outfits, and even training equipment that they may never use if they keep procrastinating. You could fall into this trap yourself if you spend too much time online, looking at advertisements for fitness products. This is based on the fact that the most engaged audiences spend up to 76 times more on services and products that are advertised online, according to High Rock Studios. Remember that regular exercise typically doesn’t even need a lot of specialized equipment and you can simply start with what you have.

Find Exercises You Can Do at Home

Another way for you to lose weight without leaving your personal finance in disarray is to start a home fitness program. This will save you from having to pay for a gym membership, which could go to waste if you don’t actually go to the gym. That said, you can find all the resources that you need for a fitness program at a beginner’s level on the internet.

Note that 32% of clicks normally go to the first desktop search result on Google. This means that you can easily find what you need without going too deep into an online search. You can start simple and adjust as you go, improving your fitness right from the comfort of your home. If you like, you can get together with a few like-minded friends and start working out together. This way, you can help to keep each other accountable.

Change Your Daily Habits

Finally, you may be surprised to learn that simply changing your daily habits can help you improve your health. Basic things like parking further away from your place of work and taking the stairs instead of the elevator could help you build some resilience and lose some weight in the process. You can also carry your own lunch so that you don’t go out to eat where you may only be faced with options that aren’t healthy.

By following these tips, you’re sure to lose some weight without breaking the bank. Remember that it’s going to take you some time to start seeing results, so practice patience. Once you get into these healthy habits and start to notice an improvement, keep up with them so that you can keep living a healthy life and get to your ideal body weight.

Filed Under: Meal Planning

5 Signs You Have Frivolous Spending Habits

September 27, 2023 By Leave a Comment

The term ‘frivolous’ means “not having serious purpose or value.” If you’re a frivolous spender, it means your spending habits are highly wanting. In other words, you’re a wasteful spender. All these are harsh adjectives to describe anyone’s spending habit, but it’s better to be told the truth now and change than receive unhelpful platitudes that keep you in debt. Here are six signs you have frivolous spending habits.

1. Your Monthly Income Is Enough To Cover Basic Expenses, But It Doesn’t

Have you ever wondered where your money goes? Nothing is as frustrating as knowing you’re making enough money to cover your bills, but you only ever pay part of them. This indicates that even though you’re making enough to meet your needs, you’re not living within your means. Your personal finance may be in disarray. If this earning and spending pattern continues, you’ll soon be deep in debt, which can easily lead to depression. This may result in the need for costly medical care and visits to one of the 30,000 prescription dispensaries in the United States, according to Envicare.

2. You Lack Spending Goals

Goals keep you focused on the most important things. They keep you from aimlessly spending, which is the quickest route out of debt. Your spending goals must be specific, such as saving for a vacation of your dreams or buying a car or a house. Impulse buying can be considered an obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom. In the United States, 20% of adults have a form of mental disorder, according to Roots Through Recovery

With your spending goals always in sight, you’ll resist the temptation to spend on minor things that strike you on the spur of the moment, otherwise known as impulse buys. Setting up a budget helps you keep important goals in perspective, resisting the temptation to spend on non-priority items.

3. Your Credit Score Keeps Dropping

Overspending is likely to hit your credit score badly. Missed and late payments are the main causes of bad credit scores, with 35% of scores deriving from one’s payment history. Overspending also raises your debt balances. Keep your credit card debt below 30% of your credit limit. High credit card balances could adversely affect your credit score. This is bad news since poor credit scores will make it difficult to qualify for other credit products such as loans, and where you qualify, the interest rates are punitively high.

4. You Constantly Max Out Your Credit Cards

You need help if you keep maxing out credit cards. This is the clearest sign you’re overspending. The higher credit limit is there to ensure you don’t get anywhere near it. Another sign your spending habits are wanting is if you keep juggling between cards to find one with adequate credit for a new purchase. By the time you get to this point, you’re in serious financial trouble, and your credit score will suffer. Getting out of debt is arduous if your debt balances are too high.

5. You Have No Savings

The root cause of a lack of emergency savings is poor spending habits.  If you currently find it difficult to settle your bills, how would you fare should you suddenly find yourself in a financial crisis? To withstand financial emergencies tomorrow, build up your savings today.

People can behave in ways they may not normally, simply to get out of debt. This can include hustles such as drug trafficking, even though drug possession on state charges carries a sentence of about 20 months. Get out of debt today by avoiding spending impulsively, and then start saving, little by little, and you’ll soon achieve personal finance stability. Good luck!

Filed Under: Budget

How to Afford Your Next Off-Roading Trip

September 27, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Few drivers venture beyond the pavement whenever the craving for adventure strikes. However, they don’t have to get off the tarmac to get to landmarks, campsites, and panoramas. The way to go is off-road for real adventure, the thrill it comes with, and the bragging rights for the most memorable driving experience. Contrary to what many believe, an off-road trip doesn’t have to be out of reach. Here’s how you can afford one.

1. Select a Manageable Terrain

There are many off-road destinations to choose from. You can opt for a form of off-roading known as “two-tracking.” It involves driving on pathways and unpaved roads designed for most off-road vehicles. You can also attempt dune bashing, a sub-genre of off-roading that involves driving up and down dunes while maintaining complete vehicle control. Rock crawling is the most difficult, as you’ll need to crawl up and down rough boulders, rocks, and other massive, immovable obstacles. An even more challenging off-road drive is mudding, which is driving through lots of clay and mud.

Since getting stuck in the mud is common, this terrain is considered the most challenging. The trick is to choose a destination you’re sure you can handle. This is great advice since off-roading can also be dangerous. Stay within your experience level and move to more challenging terrain as your confidence and expertise increase.

2. Memorize The Route

Once you choose the destination to go off-road to, map and memorize it. It’s important to review the experiences of other off-road drivers and visualize yourself on those trails by watching several videos or reading their reviews. A thorough knowledge of the terrain and the obstacles you’ll have to surmount will enhance your navigation skills and confidence. Apply similar logic for other outdoor adventures, such as hiking trips.

3. Prepare Your Off-road Vehicle

The first thing you must do is choose the vehicle you’ll be using. According to Statista, Crossover cars accounted for 45% of vehicle sales in June 2021, making them the most popular on American roads. Since you understand the terrain you’ll soon be handling, it’s time to prep your vehicle for the trip. Raise your car’s undercarriage and add extra traction by purchasing new off-road wheels and tires. While at it, add brush bars, fender flares, and other protective features should the terrain include many but minor obstructions such as tree branches and other necessary nuisances.

4. Drive Strategically To Save Gas

To maximize gas mileage on highways, drive at 60 miles per hour, avoid constantly changing speeds, and try not to keep the car idling unnecessarily. To avoid wasting time, map out the most optimal gas stops ahead of the trip. You can always fuel later, but don’t forget to bring a can for carrying gas should it run out while you’re deep in the trails.

Off-road modifications negatively impact your vehicle’s gas mileage. A full tank won’t give you the same mileage as on normal, paved terrain. One little extra matter, though: don’t drink and drive just because you’re unlikely to come across the cops in the rough terrain, and there’s good reason for keeping off alcohol. There are 15,000 fatal injuries resulting from car crashes caused by drivers who consume alcohol and other illicit drugs, according to the National Library of Medicine.

5. Partner with a Friend

It’s common practice to adopt the buddy system when engaging in a potentially dangerous activity such as off-road driving. Besides, having a friend provides an extra layer of safety and protection. For instance, if you get injured, lost, or stranded, you’ll need help.

It’s more fun to go off-road with a friend than solo. The shared memories of the tribulations and trials encountered during the excursion will live with you. Besides, if your personal finance isn’t in good shape, you can cost-share the trip’s expenses, making it even more affordable.

Most off-road terrains, especially in forested areas, are constantly degraded by erosion. A healthy forest may experience gradual erosion at an average of 300 pounds yearly for every acre, which means the terrain may change yearly. Being prepared for every eventuality is, therefore, essential. Happy driving!

Filed Under: Goals

What to Do if You’re in Debt Due to Identity Theft

September 18, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Crime is an unfortunate reality, and any area where people operate has the potential for a criminal element. For example, during the first half of 2019, the Houston Police Department received over 90,000 crime reports. With the rise of technology, many of today’s crimes occur online. One of the most potentially devastating of these online crimes is identity theft.

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is when unscrupulous people access your personal information and use it to purchase merchandise illegally or to place it in unauthorized bank accounts. People who steal your identity can use it to get bank loans or to commit cyber crimes in your name. They can also use it as an identity to travel by air.

These crimes have a widespread effect because of the money the fraudsters steal from you, and because it can potentially ruin your business or personal reputation. According to ConsumerAffairs, the number of reported identity theft cases has increased by almost 600% during the last 20 years.

Call Your Bank or Creditor

When you discover you are the victim of identity theft, contact your bank. They will want to know which of the transactions was authorized by you. Since you and your bank will wish for the fraudulent activity to stop, the bank will put a ‘stop’ on your checks.

Call the bank as soon as you discover the ID theft. Your bank will investigate if the person who stole your identity takes money from your account. Once the bank confirms that the money was stolen without your knowledge, they will usually refund the money. You won’t be liable for any of the fraudulent charges made by the fraudster.

You May Unintentionally Participate in ID Theft

There are times when you can be an unintentional part of the fraud. You may be contacted by an identity thief and threatened – or tricked – by a criminal. Criminals may pretend they’re your relative and need money for an operation or car repairs. Other criminals may blackmail you into sending money to them.

If the investigation into the crime shows you sent the person money voluntarily, you may not be able to get the money back. If you transfer money via bank transfer to a fraudster, this is called a ‘push payment scam,’ and different rules apply to these. Your bank’s fraud department will be able to help guide you to the next steps you can take.

Make a Complaint

If you are not satisfied with the response you received during the reporting process of this crime, you should contact the company that provided the problematic service. If they do not respond to your complaint within eight weeks, you should contact the FOS (Financial Ombudsman Service.) They can assist with your complaint.

What Do I Do After It Happens?

Depending on how large a debt the crime caused, your finances can take a long time to recover. Use this occurrence to remind you to check your bank balance every day. Don’t enter your credit card information online unless you absolutely trust the website. Be careful where you post details that contain your financial information.

Remember: when you first see an irregularity in your bank account, call your bank. Don’t allow the crime to extend for longer than necessary. If the bank freezes your account now, it will prevent your bank balance from being decimated by the fraudster. If you delay, you may be held legally responsible for the debt. According to Legal Jobs, 97% of bankruptcies are filed by individuals.

Identity theft can cause severe financial problems. Contact the bank as soon as you know you’re a victim of identity theft so your bank can act as quickly as possible. Although this crime will play havoc with your financial situation, you can put the solution into action by contacting your bank.

Filed Under: Personal Finance
« Previous Page
Next Page »