Smart Money Moves

There was an article "Smart Money Moves" in the Parade magazine in today's newspaper http://parade.com

Ideas mentioned were

Wait for Your Tax Refund. Some preparers offer an advance to get your tax refund quicker, but the fees on this are quite high. So they say if you're pinching every penny, do you really want to give a chunk of your money away.

Hold on to Your Valuables. There have been many ads for the Cash for Gold companies. I have heard other stories about this, that some companies don't give you what you could get from jewelers, etc. Most the the time you send your items to them in an envelope they provide and then they send you the money. But once they receive your items you can't do anything about it if you don't receive as much as you think it should be worth.

Put it on Layaway. More places are offering layaway again. This is one way to buy items you may not have the money for now without having to increase your credit card debt.

Be Wary of Store Credit Cards

Don't Cash the Convenience Checks that come with your Credit Card bill. It may seem like a good deal but once you cash them, you are agreeing to a loan with exorbitant interest rates and no grace period. The interest starts accumulating immediately.

Avoid Rent to Own. These too may seem like a good deal, when you think $20 or so a week. But when you figure out the installment by the amount of time they set on it you end up paying 2 to 3 times or more than the original price of the item.