personal finance blogs

I came across a blog called Give Me Back My Five Dollars and it’s all about a girl who was in lots of debt and got out of it and started saving money. I never thought I would be so into reading about finances and saving money, but here I am. I guess I am just tired of spending without looking and then having to scrap coins until the next paycheck. So I am learning how to create a budget, stick to it and put some money away. Her blog also has links to other personal finance blogs. So hopefully reading these will keep me motivated to save, save save!

Cha Cha!

*If you join ChaCha from this post, I would greatly appreciate if you use me as a reference. BeYrOwnHero at gmail dot com

My friend referred me to Cha Cha and I was really surprised that I had never heard of it/ found it in my searches! It’s awesome! So let me try to explain

Cha Cha is a service where people can ask questions either through the site or from their cell phone. The people who answer the questions are called Guides. You can apply to be a Guide and you get paid 20cents per question that you answer. It doesn’t sound like much, but once you get comfortable with the process and gain experience searching for answers, you can answer questions in less than a minute. I joined a few weeks ago and do it a few nights a week when I’m bored and I have done 248. You can also have people on your team and you get 02cents for each question that they answer. So far I have made $75.16. but my partner has made over $200. She averages about $7 an hour and is doing ChaCha to pay her rent.

There is a process to become a guide and it does involve some work. You have to apply and as long as your competent and know how to do research over the internet, you should have no problem getting accepted. You go through an orientation type thing where you learn all about ChaCha and how to do research according to their format and guidelines. When you are ready, you do 15 simulation questions (these are not questions from real people, they are used to see how much you paid attention) and if you do those successfully, you will be accepted as a Guide. The whole process takes about 2-3 days. But after that, you can answer questions whenever you want! It’s extremely flexible and convenient. And you can get the money deposited directly into your bank account every month if you hit over $100. Or you can choose to set up a debit card which ChaCha will put your earnings on it for you to use.

Please use me as a reference if you apply, BeYrOwnHero at gmail dot com

freecreditreport.com

We’ve all seen the commercials, right? The 3 dudes who sing those really cheesy songs about getting their identities stolen resulting in bad credit. Well, I wanted to look up my credit report tonight and decided to check out freecreditreport.com.

The fine print is that the credit report is Free, just be sure to cancel your account immediately after so that you don’t get charged a monthly fee. I was really happy with my credit score! But really unhappy that the only way to cancel your account with them is by calling them.

The credit report was broken down very nicely so it was really easy to understand. I give them a thumbs up on that.

Another place you can go to get a free credit report is Annual Credit Report, which are free annually by each of the 3 major credit bureaus. I would suggest trying that site first and then using freecreditreport.com if you have exceeded your free annual reports.

Credit Card Junk Mail

Are you tired of getting a million pre-screened applications from credit card and insurance companies? If you are like me, you probably get at least one a day. Not only is it annoying, but it’s a waste of paper, energy and resources.

I found this website: Opt Out Prescreen
which will take your name and information off of the pre-screen mailing list. If you do it electronically, you will be taken off for 5 years. If you do it by mail, it is permanent.