Your Money: How to manage on AmeriCorps low wages, save money and get out of debt! credit freereport

Transcription

1 Yur Mney: Hw t manage n AmeriCrps lw wages, save mney and get ut f debt! Presented by: Sarah Yunker-Keppel, Indiana Reading Crps Prgram Directr Facilitatr s Guide If yu are making lw wages (living paycheck t paycheck), r spend mre than yu earn, life can be chatic and stressful. Realizing and discussing yur financial prblems can be ne f the hardest things an individual can d. But, like mst prblems, it helps t realize, accept, and deal! The best advice I received was t check my credit reprt annually. Yu can d this fr free at Once yu d this, yu can start addressing the issues. The first step t slving yur financial prblems is t take a deep breath and assess the damage. Dr. Carl Kauffman frm Harvard University suggests making an hnest list f all f yur financial burdens, and then addressing each ne individually. It can becme t verwhelming t tackle them all at nce, which culd lead t added stress and failure. Yu must address yur financial prblems NOW and take immediate actin, whether that means making a strict budget, getting a lan r talking with creditrs. Realizing where yur mney is ging each mnth can help yu figure ut what areas need wrk. The next step is t figure ut hw much yu we, what it will take t get yu ut f truble and if yu have anything in savings. Then yu need t d sme damage cntrl t head ff any future mishaps. This means calling creditrs t discuss missed deadlines and future late fee penalties. Talking with creditrs can be intimidating but is a must if yu are in a financial disarray. Remember that they are peple just ding their jbs. They did nt frce yu t take their mney, but yu are required t pay them back. This being s, there is n reasn t speak t a creditr in a mean manner. Yu als d nt have t tell them yur life stry and why yu cannt pay yur bills. They are nt interested, they just want their mney! Knw yur rights as a cnsumer by calling the Natinal Cnsumer Law Center at t get a brchure n debt cllectin befre speaking with a creditr. Here are a few tips when dealing with creditrs: Cntact them as sn as pssible. They may be mre willing t wrk with yu befre yu are late with a payment. Estimate hw much yu can pay and ffer 10% less. Yu are already in a tugh financial situatin. There is n need t agree t pay mre than yu have available. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. It is imprtant t write dwn wh yu spke with, yur cnversatin and ask fr everything in writing (even prf that yu paid). This will help if there is any legal actin. Dn t let a creditr rush r pressure yu. Tell them what yu can pay and stick t it. Negtiate at the end f the mnth. Mst creditrs have qutas they must meet, s they may be mre willing t wrk with yu if they are in a time crunch. Keep in mind that any late payment can hurt yur credit scre. Late payments are anything made at least 30 days after the due date. Hwever, this wn t cause permanent damage. Yu can always rebuild yur credit by paying yur bills ff and n time. 1

2 Third, priritize yur bills. Shelter, Utilities (pwer & water), fd, transprtatin and childcare are all essential. Bills relating t these shuld be paid first. If yu cannt pay yur bills and have had n luck with creditrs, yu have tw ptins. 1. Nt paying. This is what will happen if yu d nt pay yur bills. (Nt recmmended) Debt Truble Starts Penalty Mrtgage days late Freclsure, lse hme in 3 mnths Car Lan One day late Repssessin, cllectin f unpaid debt Student Lans 270 days late Garnishment f wages, taxrefund seizure Credit Cards 180 days late sent t cllectrs Cllectin Lawsuit, wage garnishment 2. Bankruptcy ( Chapter 7 all assets are liquidated, expect thse that are exempt (maybe yur car, hme, clthing, appliances, life insurance, pensin and wrkrelated tls.) Chapter 11 Fr large businesses nly. Chapter 13 If yu have unsecured debts f less than $269,250 and secured debts f less than $871,551, yu may be eligible fr this. It can help prtect certain prperties while yu pay ff yur debts under the supervisin f a curt-appinted trustee. The next step is t make and stick t a budget. Budgeting Planning a budget (and sticking t it) can help get yu ut f debt and allw yu t start saving. Fllwing a realistic budget can help yu meet yur saving gals, plan fr emergencies r unexpected csts and can reduces stress. Budgeting lets yu finally cntrl yur mney cntrlling yu. Saying yu will budget and sticking t it can be challenging. Many peple plan great budgets and give up as sn as smething des nt g as planned. But, the majr reasn peple fail at budgeting is a pr attitude. If yu think f budgeting and being financially respnsible as a chre r a sacrifice, yu are sure t fail. Hwever, if yu change yur attitude, yu can be successful. Think f it as a plan instead f a budget. Like all ther plans, it will need t be custm-made t yur situatin and lng-term financial gals. Dn t wrry abut fitting int a ne-size-fits-all categry, but instead fcus n what wrks fr yu. Start ut small if yu must! Hw t Plan a Budget Start with sme srt f a budgeting tl. This can be a wrksheet, a piece f paper r cmputer sftware. G thrugh yur checkbk and put yur expenses int categries. Lk at pay stubs t determine hw much mney yu bring in each mnth. 2

3 Fr each categry, try t make a budget that realistically reflects yur actual expenses. Dn t frget t make a categry fr SAVINGS Keep track f yu expenses thrughut the mnth. If yu are spending mre than yu are bringing in, yu have a prblem! Yur spending habits will need t be changed. If yu have extra mney left ver each mnth, put a prtin f it int yur savings accunt. Yu can use the rest t pay ff a high interest credit card. Keep tracking yur expenses mnthly t see where yu can make changes. Remember the fllwing tips when planning yur budget: $ Yu must be cmmitted. $ Be realistic and keep it simple. Planning n saving $200/mnth when yu nly make $800, may nt be realistic. Fcus n what is imprtant and necessary and try t make small, effective and realistic changes. $ Budgeting mney = Saving mney. Think abut why yu are budgeting yur mney. D yu want t save fr retirement? What abut a new car? Budgeting helps yu save! $ Track yur spending. This is very imprtant!! Dn t d all the hard wrk f preparing a budget just t ignre it. Tracking yur mney will help yu see where yu need t curb spending. Whether yu d it daily, weekly r mnthly TRACK YOUR SPENDING! $ Lk fr Free stuff! Check ut lcal newspapers. G t the park. Attend that free cncert. Vlunteer. Be creative. $ Crrect bad spending habits nw. This will take discipline, but yu can d it! $ Plan fr the unexpected. It never fails. Yu have a little mney saved up fr a trip and yur car breaks dwn. Make sure yu put aside a little mney each mnth t avid added stress. $ Dn t panic. Yu are ging t make mistakes. It s kay. Just get back n track as sn as pssible. $ Reward yurself. D smething fr yurself if yu stick t yur budget fr an entire mnth. Just dn t g crazy! $ Stick with simple budgeting tls. Yu can use excel r a piece f paper t track yur budget. There is n need t invest in high-tech, high csting tracking tls. $ Dn t let mney rule yur life. Yu have enugh stress in yur life. D the best yu can when it cmes t yur budget. Learn frm yur mistakes and try t d better next time. Once yu have created a budget, yu need t start fcusing n yur debts. Getting ut f Debt Did Yu Knw...The average American husehld with at least ne credit card has $9,200 in credit card debt? Have yu ever thught, I make mre, nw I can spend mre! D yu want the simple slutin t debt management? PLAN. DISCIPLINE. CONTROL. If nly it were that simple! If yu want t get ut f debt, yu must be serius and willing t make majr changes! Yu didn t get int debt vernight and yu are nt ging t get ut f it that way either. 3

4 Nt all debt is bad. Brrwing mney fr cllege, a huse r a car makes sense. Using a credit card fr a new utfit, entertainment r fd des nt. If yu really want smething (this is a WANT, nt a NEED), save fr it. Hwever, if yu feel yu cannt live withut smething, pay cash fr it. Yu will better understand the pain and sacrifice f buying smething ut f yur price range after cunting ut all thse bills! If yu d have t purchase smething that will require financing, make sure yu can affrd it. Dn t frget interest rates and ther hidden csts. NO INTEREST FOR 6 MONTHS, may lk enticing, but if yu d nt pay the stre credit card ff in that time perid, interest is charged n the ORIGINAL price! It is recmmended that yu have three t six mnths f yur mnthly bills in a savings accunt t avid unexpected layffs r jb lsses. Hwever, if yu are in serius debt, yu may need t hld ff n building up yur savings. Yu can always rebuild yur savings with the mney yu were spending n credit card bills. Yu can als use a credit card fr REAL emergencies if yu have t. Keep in mind that ging t a new club, buying a new utfit r CD is NOT an emergency. If yu are in serius debt cnsider getting a part-time jb, creating a stricter budget r brrwing frm family. It will be difficult t ask fr help frm a family member, but they are mre willing t lend it t yu and the interest rate is lwer. Here are sme suggestins n hw t start getting yur debts under cntrl. Remember tw things: Yu must be serius abut getting ut f debt, and these sacrifices will be investments in the future. (PASS OUT MONEY SAVING TIPS SHEET. As we g thrugh these tips. I want yu t put a circle r check next t the items yu can d r are ding RIGHT nw.) The Snwball Effect Pay ff yur credit cards using this methd and watch yur debt dwindle! After yu have priritized yur bills in regards t amunt and due dates, see which ne has the highest interest rate. Try t make duble r triple payments n this bill each mnth while paying the minimum n the rest f yur bills. Once yu have paid it ff, use the mney delegated t the riginal high interest bill t pay the next bill in line (accrding t interest rate). Once yu have paid ff all yur bills, yu can start putting that mney int a savings accunt! Schl Lans Mst peple have them, s knw that yu are nt alne! Yu have several ptins in repaying yur student lans. Yu can cnslidate them and just pay ne price t an utside agency wh essentially buys yur lans. Yu can call the lender and setup a payment plan based n yur budget. Even if yur payment is $150/mnth, mst schl lan lenders will wrk with yu t adjust that amunt based n yur incme. Yu culd serve tw years in AmeriCrps and earn almst $10,000 t repay schl lans! Finally, yu can apply fr Ecnmic Hardship. Yu will need t turn in sme paperwrk, but, nce apprved, yu will nt have t pay back schl lans fr 12 mnths. Keep in mind that interest is still accruing ver this time perid. Mre Tips Pay as much as yu can n yur credit card bill mnthly withut verspending yur budget. This may mean ne less dinner ut r mvie rental, but it is wrth it. 4

5 Keep a penny jar at wrk and at hme. Put yur spare change in everyday r after ding laundry. G nce a mnth t the bank and depsit it int a savings accunt r use t make an additinal credit card payment. Are yu getting a tax refund? N matter what the amunt, make an ath t use it t pay ff a bill. Be careful when cnsidering transferring ne credit card t a lwer rate card. Read the fine print! Credit card cmpanies may ffer a lw r 0% transfer rate but culd hike that up after 6 mnths. If yu cannt figure ut hw t get ut f debt n yur wn, there are lts f reputable and free nnprfit agencies t assist yu. Try: and Create bank accunt errrs IN YOUR FAVOR. Rund up yur purchases t the nearest dllar r higher. Fr example, if smething csts $7.30 write it dwn as $8 r $10! Yu will end up with mre mney at the end f the mnth. Lk at yur budget and take ut cash fr the week. Leave yur credit cards and debit card AT HOME. Fr example, if yu spend $80/week, take that exact amunt ut f yur accunt IN CASH. Make it last! Yu nly need ne credit card! Say it with me. I nly need ne credit card and it is fr emergencies nly. Only take mney frm a bank branch during business hurs. Avid ATM s. If yu have t use an ATM, try t use yur bank t avid fees. Always review yur mnthly bills. Smetimes there are added fees r adjustments that shuld be questined. If yu dn t like t keep cash in yur wallet, put everything n a debit card. This means leaving yur credit card at hme! This way yu can track everything yu spend. Remember: If yu use yur credit card fr that night ut at $50, it will turn int $60 n yur mnthly credit card statement due t interest rates! Yu can always give plasma! Yu will receive abut $20 fr yur 1 ½ hur dnatin. Yu can g t r t read frequently asked questins. Yu shuld nt be paying mre than 12% interest n yur credit cards. Call yur creditr t negtiate a lwer rate r g t fr a list f the lwest rate credit cards. If yu must get a credit card, make sure they are n fee. SAVINGS There is n magic way t save yur mney. It is the basic principle in financial planning. Nw, mre than ever, we must be prepared fr ur future. Peple are living lnger, healthcare and scial security are changing, and attending cllege is mre expensive. But, dn t stress. This, like every thing else discussed here, can be dealt with by being ready t make small changes. 1) Setup a savings accunt if yu d nt already have ne. 2) Autmatically deduct frm yur checking accunt mnthly (this can be a set amunt r a percentage f yur paycheck) and DO NOT TOUCH THAT MONEY! 3) Set a gal. Why are yu saving? Is there a trip yu want t g n? D yu want a new car? 4) Write SAVINGS int yur mnthly budget. 5) Whenever unexpected mney cmes yur way, put it int yur savings accunt. (if yu d nt have a lt f debt) FINAL THOUGHTS 5

6 Yu are nt ging t be able t slve every financial prblem r save enugh mney nw. Identify yur gals and decide which is the mst imprtant. Figure ut why they are imprtant t YOU. Be prepared fr setbacks. Dn t get discuraged. Yur car will need new brakes and yu will prbably blw $50 n a night ut. But dn t let it get yu dwn. Yu can d this. Make time wrk fr yu. By wrking n yur debts and creating a realistic budget, yu will have a lt f time t save fr the future. Include yur family and friends. Make sure yur family and friends are aware f yur gals. They can ffer supprt and guidance. START NOW. The lnger yu wait and make excuses, the harder it will be t btain yur gals. Be prepared fr change. Yu may get a new jb, cme int an inheritance r g back t schl. Yur gals will change. Just be prepared and adapt. Dnate yur time r mney. N matter hw bad yu feel yur financial situatin is, smene has it wrse. Make sure t put things int perspective when yu are stressing abut paying yur cell phne bill. HAVE FUN. Mney is nt everything. It is upsetting that the wrld revlves arund it, but this isn t changing anytime sn. It s kay t g t a cncert r t dinner with friends. Just remember t mderate yur spending. YOUR HOMEWORK: Yu must be willing and ready t make real changes in yur life!! Write dwn EVERY penny yu spend fr 30 days. NO CHEATING. If yu have a cmputer, put yur expenses int a categry in excel. Once yu have dne this, decide were yu can cut back. Are yu ging ut t eat t ften? D yu really need call waiting? Where can yu save? Once yu have determined where yur mney is ging every mnth, make small changes. The wrst thing yu can d is try t make a majr change quickly, whether it is dieting, becming caffeine-free r cutting csts. Surces: The infrmatin gathered fr this paper was given by the Indiana Reading Crps AmeriCrps members, staff as well as frm numerus articles frm the belw surces. Mney Saving Tips and Budgeting Water Saving Tips Energy Saving Tips Car Care Tips 6

7