Filed under: personalfinancenewsss.wordpress.com | Tags: deal, free, Mart, Take, this
Welcome to OnSale at FOX Business, where we look at cool stuff and insane bargains.
Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: get Smart. This week, the retail giant is offering $100 gift cards to shoppers who opt for one of their weekly specials, which could also help you stay connected. And, starting Tuesday, fans of The Beatles: Rock Band will have the chance to expand their song selections, and rocking-out skills.
Getting Smarter
In the market for a new smart phone? Through Friday, Wal-Mart (WMT) is offering big savings on its entire collection of BlackBerry devices. All four of the major carriers are available: AT&T (T), Sprint (S), T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless (VZ).
All you have to do is sign up for a two year contract, and get smart with one of these models:
AT&T Curve 8310
AT&T Bold 9000
Sprint Curve 8330 (In Red and Titanium)
T-Mobile 8520 (In Black, White, and Frost)
T-Mobile Pearl 8120 (In Emerald)
Verizon Storm
Verizon Storm II
Buy a smart phone and a two year contract and get free money.
Yes, seriously: Wal-Mart is offering those who take the deal a $100 Gift Card. You can keep the gift card for a rainy day or use it in store after picking up your new phone.
Too busy to stop by your local Wal-Mart store? Go online at Walmart.com, buy a BlackBerry and a two year contract, and get a $100 Walmart.com e-Gift-Card e-mailed to you in four to six weeks.
Gamers Getting More Beatles Love
Attention gamers: love your Beatles: Rock Band, but wish you had more songs to choose from?
Apple Corps Ltd., MTV Games and Harmonix have announced Tuesday they will begin offering via download a second Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper?s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album, first released in 1967, will now be just a click away.
It?s the second full Beatles album to hit Rock Band since the game launched on September 9. Beatles fans, seeking the tune ?All You Need is Love? on Xbox LIVE, have downloaded the song more than 100,000 times. And it seems love goes a long way, as the proceeds of those sales went to Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres.
For $1.99 per song, you can download ?Fixing A Hole,? ?She?s Leaving Home,? ?When I?m Sixty-Four,? ?Lovely Rita,? ?Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!,? ?Within You Without You,? ?A Day in the Life? and others for Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 System. You can get the ?Complete the Album Pack? for $13.49. If you?re using a Wii, you can get individual songs for $2 each.
Know of a great deal or insane bargain? E-mail the goods to Onsale@foxbusiness.com and share the wealth. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Cash, free, helps, Holidays, Items, Online, Wealth
In uncertain economic times like these, it’s comforting to know you can still find items that are free. And one way to avoid going into debt this holiday season is to find free items to fulfill your own needs, thus freeing up your cash for holiday purchases.
The Internet reigns supreme when it comes to finding no-cost stuff. Sure, you might have to provide your email address and sometimes a bit more information, and you might be put on a mailing list, but the end result is plenty of free goods and services.
Financials
Want to control your holiday shopping? FinancialRecovery.com offers a free holiday planner. This spreadsheet will help you track spending so you don’t bust your budget. See the site.
Mint.com helps track everyday spending. It also categorizes trends and searches the Web for deals based on where you spend your money. See the site.
Meanwhile, Rudder.com is another free personal finance site that helps you take control of your spending. It tracks credit cards and bank accounts, and even offers free software aimed at helping people dig themselves out of debt. See the site.
Entertainment?
After Napster, free downloads died — but not for long. There are a number of ad-supported sites where you can download songs by musicians from Adam Ant to ZZ Top. One is SpiralFrog.com, offering more than one million songs and 4,000 music videos, all free. See the site.
Another music site, Pandora.com, bills itself as an online radio station that builds play-lists from your preferences. For example, entering “Bob Dylan” brings up “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” followed by Neil Young’s “Ohio (Live at Massey Hall)” and then “Imagine” by John Lennon. See the site.
If you’re willing to watch television on your computer, you might be able to lower or eliminate your cable bill. For instance, you can watch everything from “My Favorite Martian” to “30 Rock,” “Ugly Betty” and “Sons of Anarchy” for free at TV.Blinkx.com, a site in beta currently. See the site.
Hulu.com is another Web site offering free television shows and movies. See the site.
Also, don’t forget the networks offer many of their shows for free on their Web sites. Another online freebie: Comedy Central shows including “The Colbert Report” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” See the site.
Books and guides
If you’d rather read than watch TV, save money by checking out Free-eBooks.net. The site offers popular works, how-to guides, recipe books and more, including Adam Smith’s 1776 tome, “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” which might be pertinent today. See the site.
At MrExcel.com you can download a free copy of “Learn Excel” by Bill Jelen, the self-proclaimed “Mr. Excel!” This is a book of more than 900 pages with 377 Excel tips. Jelen does caution: His book is designed for people who already use Excel 20 to 40 hours a week. See the site.
The Sutter Lake Hospital in Lincoln, Neb., offers a free wellness book, titled “The 5 Keys to Wellness.” This is a hardcover children’s book — not a download — teaching whole body wellness. See the site.
If you have always wanted to write a book, April Hamilton offers free, downloadable copies of her book, “The IndieAuthor Guide.” See the site.
From clothes to video games to art – and more
Almost everyone these days knows Craigslist.org, which offers free and barter listings online. For an alternative, try Freecycle.org, a rapidly growing online community where people post stuff for others to take. Or ask for items you want. One user, Robin Bectel of Alexandria, Va., said she’s amazed at the items she’s found there. See the site.
“I got a brand-new, tags still on them, pair of snow pants for my toddler, and a few months ago, I got a whole snowsuit for myself, also with tags still on them. I have gotten hundreds of dollars worth of garden plants, landscaping pavers and winter clothing. And, I’ve given away a lot of stuff that I would have just left piled in my basement or thrown in the trash,” Bectel said.
There are a number of blogs that direct readers to free offerings, including Gayle Bu’s AffluentPauper.com. See the site.
Bu, from Grayson, Ga., said she started her blog out of a frustration many middle-income American families share. “I’m not rich enough to reap the benefits of the wealthy,” she said, “and not poor enough to qualify for government assistance programs that provide free food, education and services.” Bu has received free meals at Zaxby’s just by signing up on the restaurant’s site. See the site.
She’s received free tacos at Taco Bell, a free cappuccino from Barnes & Noble, and free ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s. Some recent offers:
Free sample products from Wal-Mart
Free sample products from Procter & Gamble
Instant coupons for free meals at Captain D’s
Free museum visits sponsored by Target
Special offers for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Leah Ingram writes a blog called “The Lean Green Family,” which offers a wealth of free items and resources. See the site.
C&T Publishing produces how-to arts-and-crafts books — dozens of free projects are available on their site. See the site.
Some people create a blog with the specific goal of receiving free items. Mike Essex, Birmingham, England-based writer of Blagman, said he’s received over 250 freebies worth more than $8,000. He encourages others to do the same.
“The trick is finding a unique offer about yourself that makes you viable for a company,” he said. “Whether it’s starting an online book club, becoming a product tester, offering to show products to others at work or emailing all your online friends, everyone has something they can offer.” See the site.
Gamers have a lot of options if they want to play without paying. Free online gaming sites include GamesCampus.com, TrueGamesInteractive.com, WickedInteractiveLtd.com, and G4box.com. They’re great for folks who don’t want to pay $40 to $60 for a new game CD.
Meanwhile, Troy Lilly, of Cross Lanes, W.Va., offers his photographs free to anyone who wants to download them on ForestWander.com. He said that while he was hiking on mountains and through forests with his sons, he was inspired to share nature’s beauty with others. See the site.
If Lilly’s work inspires you to take your own hike in the woods — another free activity — check out the Automobile Association of America’s free map site, AAAmaps.com. You can find a map of just about anywhere in the country. See the site.
Want to make free 411 directory information calls? Call Google’s 1-800-GOOG-411. Troy Corley, editor at FreeFunGuides.com, said that’s just one of the freebies you’ll find at the site. See the site.
Another freebie Corley noted: A free education online from MIT through its OpenCourseWare which offers about 1,800 courses. See the site.
Sweepstakes and company promotions are an almost $2 billion a year business, according to Carolyn Wilman, of Oshawa, Canada. Wilman is that country’s self-proclaimed “contest queen.” She lives by her motto: You can’t win if you don’t enter. She fills out about 50,000 contest ballots a year, and said she has won more than $100,000 worth of prizes over the past five years, including trips to Los Angeles, New York, London and Venice. See her site.
If you’re stressed from searching for freebies or just have the holiday blues, you can get help cheering up — for free. Susan Gayle is a certified hypnotist, author and teacher in New York. She offers free, downloadable classes on how to let go of stress at NewBehaviorInstitute.net. See the site.
If you just want to laugh out loud, check out Humoru.com. See the site.
Ann Fry is a humorist and chief executive of Humoru.com, and just in time for the holiday season she is offering free holiday stress management teleconferences. “I’m committed to helping people at work or in life,” she said, “have more lightness and fun.”
Marty Orgel is a freelance writer in San Francisco.
Copyright © 2008 MarketWatch, Inc. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: debt, drive, economy, free, living, more, Weak
At a time when the average American household carries nearly $10,000 in credit-card debt alone, Barbara Brockaway?s debt-free household doesn?t seem so typical.
When Brockaway and her husband first married, they had student loans, some credit-card debt and a mortgage. But through some careful planning and a little bit of luck (for one, their Atlanta, Ga. home almost doubled in value over an eight-year period), the couple managed to pay all of it off and hasn?t owed a dime since 2003.
She believes that anyone is capable of doing the same.
?We?re not day-to-day, nickel-and-dime budgeters,? said Brockaway, a stay-at-home mother of two. ?I just think it?s just about paying yourself first, saving right off the top and living within your means. I think anybody can do it.?
Brockaway isn?t alone in her thinking. With lenders tightening their grip on credit and economic worries mounting, some say it may be more important now than ever to get out of the hole for good.
?We?ve been living this life of overextending ourselves and we need to get realistic now,? said Debbra Dillon, founder of Dillon Financial Planning in Eagle, Idaho.
Dillon, a certified financial planner who works mostly with middle-income clients, said the biggest drains on her clients? books tend to be credit-card debt and automobile loans — the latter of which has been made worse by the shifting auto market.
?Trucks and SUVs aren?t selling and people are stuck with these payments,? she said. ?It?s a real mess.?
Dillon said she doesn?t feel auto loans are ?worth? going into debt for, advising people to put aside the equivalent of a vehicle payment every month and pay for their cars in cash. While that sort of practice may have been balked at when credit flowed freely, it?s exactly the kind of practice that could catch on as people try to economize.
?I think people are realizing the picnic?s over ? it?s never going to be that easy again,? said Gerri Detweiler, a credit advisor at Credit.com, who believes ?fear and necessity? will drive a huge increase in the number of people aiming to live debt-free.
So do they do it? There?s no magical formula, but those aiming to live debt-free need simply to quit spending and start saving.
For Trent Hamm, a self-proclaimed ?spending maniac? who worked his way out of debt and now runs personal-finance Web site The Simple Dollar, it was all about baby steps — literally. His infant son served as the catalyst for his debt overhaul in the first place.
?I kept spending more than I was making over and over and over again, and I realized [my son] wasn?t going to have a very good future,? Hamm said.
Hamm and his wife began cutting back on their spending, making all of their meals at home and going out less frequently. Hamm also sold off his DVD and baseball card collections — moves that might seem minor, but have big impact.
?If you do 10 or 12 small things that don?t seem like that big of a deal and just start putting those savings towards your debt, your debt just starts disappearing,? he said.
And, while it may seem wise to dive headfirst into paying all your debt off at once, experts suggest getting a grip on one payment first.
?Tackle the highest-cost debt first,? Detweiler of Credit.com said. ?It becomes very difficult when you?re trying to spread your money across all your debt.?
Still, paying off your debt now shouldn?t come at the expense of saving for your future. Experts stress the importance of creating an emergency fund in the event of an unforeseen health issue or job loss. Dillon of Dillon Financial Planning recommends married couples set aside enough money to cover six months of expenses, and singles set aside enough to cover nine months of expenses.
She also reminds people not to forget about their retirement savings.
?Start paying down the debt, but don?t ignore the contribution to the 401(k), especially when you get a match from your employer,? she said. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Flipping, free, Homes, Profitable, Risk
If flipping a house in today’s real estate market seems riskier than trekking with a ragtag band of hobbits to Mordor, take heart: Home flippers can still find plenty of opportunities, though they’re not entirely without risk.
It may seem counterintuitive to invest in real estate when the housing market is in its darkest hour. But in fact, it may prove to be the most optimal time for such a venture. According to RealtyTrac, a seller of mortgage default data, the foreclosure rate reached its highest level in 50 years in 2007, and has since risen to record numbers in the third quarter of 2008. Real estate investors are finding bargains everywhere, particularly in formerly hot housing markets such as Florida, Nevada and California.
Angie Hicks, founder of Angieslist.com, a compendium of consumer-service reviews, says a recent informal poll of list members found that of those who had purchased a home in foreclosure, 29 percent of respondents had done so within the last six months. Of those, 95 percent said their purchases were profitable.
“The key … is doing your research and knowing what you’re getting into,” says Hicks. “Know the area you’re buying, the market, how the price compares to the neighborhood.”
The horizon is flush with opportunity for those with the money and know-how to snap up a bargain and flip it, but to make it pay you first must understand how the rules of the game have changed.
1. Stick with familiar territory
Charlotte, N.C., resident Emma Allen, CEO of Emma Allen Enterprises and an experienced flipper, says there’s lots of inventory on the market.
“The prices that were recently so outrageous are down again, so those with capital or access to credit will find it’s a very good time to pick up bargains in the marketplace,” Allen says.
Allen finds those bargains mostly in neighborhoods where she would like to live. “Properties I’ve added lately are near our downtown area, with an urban feel to them,” Allen says.
Areas undergoing urban renewal present good investment opportunities. Allen, who owns a home on a large, popular lake, also thinks waterfront is a win-win on a flip, but she echoes Hicks’ caution. “If you’re not terribly experienced, stick with what you know — just like buying stocks,” says Allen.
The dreary economy has resulted in increased inventory, but it has also affected financing. Allen and other veteran home flippers say the days of flipping on a thin wallet have officially ended.
2. Check your capital
It seems elementary, but in the recent past many flippers found themselves in trouble because they had not correctly calculated the amount of money it takes to finish a flip and market it. Allen says investors should figure out how much money they’ll need right upfront, and not just the purchase price. It translates to being realistic about renovation costs and the hidden expense that gets so many in trouble: carrying costs.
“You may have carrying costs on the books longer than you think. The days of the 60-day flip are gone,” Allen says.
Carrying costs, or house payments you must make until you sell the property, can subtract thousands from the bottom line. And even though you are technically chipping away at the debt incurred when you purchased the property, the interest you’re paying at the top of the flip probably won’t be earned back in the sale. Those payments come right out of your potential profit.
What about financing in general? While it’s certainly more difficult to obtain a bank loan, it still can be done. But having a stash of cash is still important. Veteran Southern California flipper and interior designer Nicole Sassaman advises would-be flippers looking for a loan to “be sure to have 25 percent down and 18 months of reserves in the bank.”
If you can’t come up with it any other way, consider putting together a consortium of investors — either share the cost of the project or divide the responsibility by contributing the manpower while your investor brings cash to the table. But when partnering on such a deal, Sassaman cautions, remember that the process has changed.
“In the last 10 years, any dummy could make money in real estate. Now you must buy sharp, do a professional finish job on your product, (and) you must create something very special,” Sassaman says. “You must have the staying power and the stomach to go with it all.”
3. Cut your costs creatively
Flipping in an economy that’s not terribly user-friendly takes guts and creativity. Home flipper and Internet entrepreneur Scott Patterson says he increases his chances for success by breaking as many rules as possible, including making aggressive “low-ball offers” on potential flips.
“(I) offered $80,000 on a house I would have offered $100,000 (on) a year earlier,” Patterson says. His strategy worked and he sold the renovated home for a tidy $160,000 a few months later.
Patterson also hopes to cut the middleman by obtaining his real estate license, letting him pocket the commission he would normally pay to sell his flips. He actively seeks capital via Internet and e-mail lists, marrying projects to the right investors.
“The stock market tanking has more people thinking that real estate is looking good right now,” Patterson says.
He also expands his chances of selling his flips by targeting VA and FHA homebuyers. “We are concentrating on the first-time buyers market (and) will offer to pay closing costs where possible,” Patterson says. He plays up a home’s VA or FHA eligibility when advertising.
But buying and selling aren’t the only places where a flipper needs to become adventurous to succeed. It also helps to get creative with materials.
Think good secondhand appliances or new ones sold as scratch and dent models, refinishing old cabinets by painting them and changing out the hardware, purchasing leftovers from rolls of carpet, close-outs on tile and fixtures, clearance items and even recycled stuff. By cutting renovation costs, you can keep your asking price low and make your property attractive to more potential buyers.
4. Consider it a long-term investment
Real estate consultant and mortgage broker Todd Huettner of Huettner Capital says changing markets have forced his clients to alter their business practices. Huettner says that while a quick flip is possible, investors should be prepared to hold the property for several years as a rental.
“If they flip it at their price, then they made their short-term gain. If they can’t sell it at their price, then they will have a good long-term flip investment and just sell it in a few years,” he says.
Huettner says renting protects investors from losing properties they can’t sell. “Some complain they tie up too much money if they hold a property, but I point out they will be much better off with money tied up with a return than losing money.” In other words, a positive return is always better than a negative one.
Huettner concedes it’s more difficult now to qualify for loans and the terms are not always as favorable to buyers, but that well-qualified investors can still make a profit if they meet three criteria: Understand their risk tolerance, know their market and come prepared to hold a property long term if needed.
The journey from Point A to Point B may take more time, but in the long run, there’s still profit to be made in flipping homes. (more…)
