There are a lot of ways to get around a very tight budget. If your budget is extremely tight the payment plan is a real Blessing and it does help build back credit.
Buying Quality Products without using a Credit Card
There are a lot of ways to get around a very tight budget. A strong budget plan is essential, especially when your income is merely adequate or less! From painful personal experience I can say with authority, CREDIT CARDS are a really BAD idea. However, there are times when needs arise that make waiting for enough cash on hand is very difficult. Several years ago I discovered FINGERHUT. The sign up was easy and painless. The beginning credit line is small but if you make payments on time and keep your account current, Fingerhut will keep increasing your buying power.
They have an amazing amount of products to choose from including many name brand items. Over the years I have purchased a wide variety of items and have never been disappointed about the quality of the purchases.
Their pricing is far considering you are allowed to have the item while you pay a small monthly payment. Some things are almost the same as you would pay in any other store even with the financing privilege and some are considerably higher. The best way to deal with this kind of purchase is:
Be sure you comparison shop before making your decision.
Carefully analyze your budget plan to be sure the 'potential payment' of your new purchase will fit COMFORTABLY into your budget plan. If it will cause your positive cash flow at the end of the month to be 'too strained'...it is best to wait before you buy.
Make sure you consider the cost of shipping. As with most things on-line you decide to purchase, the total cost of the item you are considering for purchase will have shipping charges added. After shipping charges, be sure the purchase is still a good deal for you, your needs and your budget.
If you can avoid time payments, that is your best option to save money. However, when needs arise and waiting is truly difficult (legitimately a real need and not just an impulse buy), then Fingerhut is a good option.
When I was in a position of needing a whole apartment of furniture and appliances, using payments on time became my only real option. I did end up paying more for each item than if I had bought it outright with cash but the items were quality and after paid lasted many years. I bought furniture, TV, washer, and dryer from my local rent to own type store. From Fingerhut I bought coffee pot, vacuum, carpet cleaner, bedding sets and small miscellaneous items.
**With such a good product and so many options it is hard to keep it sensible. I am prone to impulse buying! Warning, warning!!! To help with the 'character flaw', I have learned to use the '3 day' wait period. Whether I am using Fingerhut or the local stores, any purchase over $20 I give myself 'three days' to cool off and rethink. If I am still convinced the purchase is a GOOD decision, I run with it. It works for me. ;)
I hope you take a look at Fingerhut. It has really become part of my life. My friends always love looking through the catalogs they send. A lot of my orders have come with not only their great catalogs, but with a 'Bonus Gift'. The last gift became a Christmas gift for a friend. If it doesn't happen to be something I want to keep, I stash it away and use it for gift giving. That also saves money. It’s a win/win!
Fingerhut has been a life saver for me personally for many years now. My budget is sooooo tight the payment plan is a real Blessing and it does help build back credit.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
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| Perfect Cup of Coffee Every Time |
Coffee lovers will all agree that there is just nothing better than a really well brewed cup of hot steaming coffee. The problem is, how to get that great cup of coffee every time. A one cup coffee maker could be the answer to creating perfectly brewed coffee for every single cup of coffee you brew.
Coffee is definitely its best when freshly brewed. After it sits for a while, it slowly turns into somethings that resembles mud and tastes about as good. Saved coffee that has been reheated is not much better. That is just the fact of the matter. To get a truly delicious cup of coffee every in every single cup you drink it is almost a must to brew it cup by cup.
Another problem is the quality of the coffee you brew. Even when you buy quality coffee beans and grind them yourself using the same amount of water with the same amount of coffee it is never a given that the first cup will be consistently delicious each and every time. If for some odd reason you freshly brewed coffee does not turn out as good as you expected you are then stuck with a pot of 'so--so' coffee.
One way to get a gourmet cup of coffee is to buy it in a specialty coffee shop. This can be delightful but also very expensive and a tad inconvenient. By the time you get in the car and drive to the coffee cafe for that gourmet cup of coffee the mood may have passed.
There is a simple solution to all of this. A one cup coffee maker will solve the inconvenience and cost issues as well as being stuck with a pot of 'so--so' coffee sitting on a warming plate or being reheated. A freshly brewed cup of coffee each and every time you want a cup that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, so to speak, is optimal. Small coffee makers can be used to brew just one cup of coffee and will only cost pennies per cup. However, the coffee ground will need to be ground in the perfect amount each time or a container of ground coffee will be sitting on your counter on in your freezer getting stale over time. This means the quality of each freshly brewed cup of coffee you make will diminish over time.
This is the Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System and is my recommendation as a real solution to creating perfect coffee with every single cup you brew. The cost is higher than the average large coffee maker but the advantages certainly outweigh the extra purchase cost. The average for using the Keurig One Cup Coffee Maker is about $0.40 per cup. This is far less than the cup you will buy in a cafe but more than it will cost for each cup in a big pot of coffee you brew.
The reason for choosing this particular brewing system is the versatility it offers. This is a mid-range system cost wise because it does offer three choices in the sizes of the cups you brew. You can choose to brew a regular cup sized cup of coffee, or choose medium setting for a mug of coffee or you can even brew a large cup of coffee in a travel mug for your morning commute.
All of these types of coffee makers use what is called a 'K-Cup'. These are becoming more and more readily available even appearing on the grocery shelf presented by Folgers. K-cups come in a variety of roasts and even come in a variety of teas. Your one cup of freshly brewed beverage can even be a perfectly brewed cup of gourmet tea. The K-cups come in a box of individually vacuumed packed sealed cups that just drop into the coffee maker and then are dropped directly into the trash with no cleanup necessary. You know how great it is to pop the seal on a container of coffee the first time. You get this with each K-cup.
Please leave and comments or questions and check out the Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System
Happy brewing! Please let me know if you have found this helpful information.
My Review of Berkline Upholstery Merrimac Queen Anne Wing Recliner
Great Chair and Great Experience
By pennywrites from Tiger, GA. on 12/11/2010
Pros: Can't tell it reclines, Fits well in small apt, Works Smoothly, Comfortable, Easy to move, Sturdy, Touchable Fabric
Cons: LIttle hard to assemble
Best Uses: Watching TV, Office chair, Relaxation, Decoration
Describe Yourself: Budget Shopper
Ordering a huge item over the Internet was scary but turned out really well. The chair is exactly what I anticipated and arrived in perfect condition. My order info was incorrect so I had to deal with both the delivery company and then directly with the courier company. Both were delightful, helpful, and professional. The chair is lovely, sturdy and comfortable and I would recommend this chair and buying it online to anyone! The chair works perfectly.
(legalese)
Why Buy Online?
Buying items online can be scary at times but it can also be very rewarding. It is possible to be 'taken' online but it is also a possibility to be 'taken' when shopping locally also. There are advantages and disadvantages to buying online but sometimes the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages making purchasing even really huge items online a very good deal.
PROS:
RECOMMENDATIONS:
PROS:
- Certainly the convenience and comfort of shopping online is a huge pro. Shopping can be very strenuous, especially if your health is not the best.
- There are crowed parking lots, crowded isles and those long lines in local stores but online this is no problem.
- Running from store to store is time consuming and uses a lot of gas which is pretty pricey these days. Shopping is just a matter of using your keyboard and mouse.
- Most local stores have limited hours of operation. Shopping online can be done in the middle of the night is that is when you want to do your shopping.
- The best way to find the best deals is through comparison shopping. Doing this locally is difficult and time consuming but online it is very simple and takes only minutes of search time.
- Most items you find online, especially the 'huge' items, will have reviews. Be sure to read all the reviews as they almost always have a couple negative comments that may influence your decision to buy the product.
- You can always check the status of your order and the progress of the shipment online any time you wish.
- Shipping and handling costs make an otherwise great deal, not so great. Often online shops will offer reduced or even free shipping but the catch is you need to buy a minimum amount of merchandise to qualify.
- Buying huge items means high costs in shipping. Some companies online offer free shipping for their items, even furniture but most do not have this luxury.
- Some online companies offer payment options. This might be considered a pro rather than a con but just like using a credit card to make a purchase, the item will eventually cost you more than if you bought it without financing. Some companies, like Fingerhut.com for instance, do offer payment options with no interest but their items are all slightly higher in price than you will find in local stores. They do not have credit checks which could again be more of a pro than a con. There are several stores like this available online.
- There will be pictures of the items online so you an see them but it will never equal seeing the items in person. One way to overcome this con is to do some shopping locally so you can see the item up close and personal. This way, if the online item is a better buy you will know it is exactly what you want. Every item should have a picture and a full description plus reviews.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Always do comparison shopping.
- Always take shipping and handling expenses in account.
- Always read reviews.
- If you do not know the company it is best to make your purchase using PayPal.com. Online services like PayPal.com give a huge amount of customer protection to any online purchase you make.
- Make sure you understand the length of time it will take to receive your item. Often purchasing express shipping will not make a big difference in the time it takes to get your order.
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