Filed under Credit Card
I’ve frequently been getting a 0% offer for 15 months from Chase in the mail. This may be something I want to get because I’ve been looking into purchasing a new computer. I currently have a laptop. But as we know, laptops outdate faster. So a new computer purchase may be in store for me soon. I don’t really want to spend 800 dollars up front, so I’m thinking about just getting this 0% offer and then paying (Total Amount)/15 per month.
Only problem with this is I’m not really taking good spending habits of only spending when you have the money. I hate having credit card bills, but with the school year starting in August, I may need to apply for this card and make the computer purchase within the next month or two.
Filed under Auto
So I have been researching two credit cards that give you rebates on gas purchases. I decided to switch to using a seperate credit card for my gas purchases, so that I can receive better percentages back. There were two major ones that I found…
Citibank Drivers Edge 
The Citibank Drivers Edge credit card gives two promotions with it. The first is that it gives back 6% on gas purchases for the first 12 months and then 3% back after that. The second promotion is that they give you money for the miles that you drive. For every 100 miles you drive, they give you a dollar. So 15,000 miles a year gives you $150 dollars back. For most people, that’s pretty nice since we’re used to not receiving any money back on our miles.
The negatives about this is that they require your miles to be reported on your receipts when you get your oil changes, and then you mail it in and they credit it. This probably ends up being a lot more hassle than you intend.
BP Visa
The BP Visa credit card is the second card that I researched that gives back a significant gas rebate.
Earn 10% Rebates at all BP locations, 4% Rebates on eligible travel and dining purchases and 2% Rebates on virtually all other purchases for up to the first 60 days.1
After that, continue to earn with 5% Rebates at all BP locations, 2% Rebates on eligible travel and dining purchases and 1% Rebates on virtually all other purchases.2
For the first 60 days, you earn 10% back at all BP locations! BP is typically the gas station I go to, as I refuse to purchase it from Exxon. 10% back is MIRACULOUS, as if you spend $100 on gas every fillup, you can get $10 back!
Your rebates will continue to accrue until you request redemption and can be redeemed in increments of $25. Redeem for BP Gift Cards redeemable for purchases at BP locations, a check made payable to you or a donation to The Conservation Fund3 - it’s your choice of rebates!
Plus, there’s NO LIMIT to the amount of rebates you can earn!
I think that second line is the best part - there are no limits to your rebates! The only downfall is that the promotion only lasts 60 days after your billing cycle starts, after that it is 5% at BP locations. This is still a pretty nice percentage back.
So now what is the better deal?
Obviously the BP is the better choice at the start, and then once the % drops to 5, the Driver’s Edge becomes the better option for a year. But is that 1% really that huge of a difference? No, it ends up being 4 extra cents off per gallon (at $4 a gallon). Not really going to cry over.
Filed under Money
I read a post by Jonathon on My Money Blog that posed the question on whether or not your spouse/significant other could manage your finances. This sort of sparked the idea that I probably should start creating a Financial Will that has every thing on it and every little account. Sure this blog will assist whoever starts managing them after I am gone, telling them where money is located, but what about those little seperate accounts like extra credit card for emergencies if my wallet gets stolen?
So where would I put this kind of Financial Will? I mean it would have everything needed to access all of my finances. I assume I will be putting user names, passwords, banks, account numbers, PIN numbers, and amounts in each account on this sort of paper. So where do I put it?
I decided that putting it on my computer or on the internet would be too risky. So I was thinking of putting it in a safety deposit box in a bank - but I’ve never dealt with one of those, and I have no clue how much that would cost, nor which deposit box I would use. I don’t really trust leaving it in my house, so that leaves the bank as the best option. Anybody have any ideas for this?
Filed under Money
So right now I work a .5 FTE, which means I work an average of 20 hours a week. But starting this summer, I will be working full time, or 1.0 FTE.
One of the really nice things about this is my benefits double. So my life insurance gets twice as high, tuition advance gets to be a lot higher as well, but most importantly, I work more hours.
One of the bad news is I just got an e-mail from my school telling me my student loan lender (Student Loan Xpress) is dropping out of the student loan industry, and I won’t be receiving any more loans from them! The good news is I get to apply for another lender, but how many people do you think are going to be converting over to them as well after finding out that this lender dropped out.
This is probably going to end up resulting in MUCH less available loans to students. Our economy truly is entering a recession…
Anyone else hear about this lender or have loan problems?
Filed under Reviews
Remember that $15 Circuit City gift card I got free yesterday? Yep. Already used it. I was in the need of some new speakers, seeing as my old ones wouldn’t play out of the right side. I have constantly been looking at new ones, but when I saw that Target had the Logitech Z4 2.1’s for $80 ($20 off retail), I decided to take advantage of Circuit City’s “lowest price guarantee.”
When I first turned on a song, I was ecstatic. The acoustics were rich, and the bass was deep and full. The size of the speakers were great being vertical, and the bass was the same size as my old one.
The Z4’s also come with a volume controller that is attached separate from the satellites. I’m not really sure if I like it, as I’m used to just a little dial on one speaker. I feel as if it just adds extra clutter and one more wire. I can see it’s usefulness if the speakers were further away if my desk was larger.
One other thing I would recommend is to play with your equalizer in iTunes. I found that the “Dance” preset allows for the most diverse range of treble and bass. There is also a useful dial on the remote to change the amount of bass from the sub woofer.
If you are in the market for some new speakers, these ones seem to work fantastically for the price. Although I recommend waiting for a deal to come along, as I only paid $65 for them when they are originally $100 retail.
Filed under Credit Card
So Chase offered me a free $15 gift card today to Circuit City if I signed up for their Chase ID protection trial which is free. And I can cancel it at anytime…even tomorrow. So I definitely intend to take advantage of this deal and not pay them anything in fees.
I’ve done this a few times before - just last month I signed up for Chase’s checking account and received $100 cash. I just transferred it directly onto my auto-loan by Chase, and then canceled the account. Some people call this unethical - but can you really call taking money from a credit card company unethical, especially when they offer it to you with no fee?
Filed under Reviews
Revolution Money Exchange is a new PayPal alternative without the fees! Although right now -it’s only use is FREE CASH! Click the link to the left (have to use that link to get the reward, as the $25 hasn’t been appearing on the main site), and they’ll deposit $25 bucks onto your account right away. That can be transferred directly to your checking account and you’re all set.
Seems to be pretty useful from what I’ve seen - and very fast. At least, the entire structure of the site is relatively intuitive.
I don’t really see this site going too far soon. It seems that PayPal has dominance in this market of online money. But if they are paying us to try it out - why not, right?
Thoughts?
Filed under Auto
“Ew” is the first word that comes to mind when I hear Auto Insurance. I just received my bill today - and it’s a whopping $379.64. I’ve already increased my deductible to $500, but because it’s a brand new car, and I’m at high risk of a collision (for having balls and no wife), everything is increased significantly. Luckily there is a few reductions that I receive as well…
Reductions
Multiple Line (More insurance policies through same company) - $75
Multicar (Parents are on same plan) - $50
Good Student (or so they think…) - $40
Accident Free - $97
Wow, that last one is amazing. Remind me never to get in an accident. The many years I’ve had my license has paid off well - but when I finally start reaching my mid-20’s, I think it will be reduced even more. I hate being young.
Keep in mind this is an $18k car for a semi-annual policy (pay every 6 months)- what’s everyone else’s bill like?
Filed under Auto
Everyone’s bothered by the gas prices going up around the United States, even though we’re still cheaper than a ton of other countries that have theirs around $9 a gallon, some even with $10/gallon. But none the less - with our weak dollar, it hits home pretty easily. So here’s a few tips to keep in mind, following these has effectively increased my mileage 35 mpg on my Civic. Wonderful for a brand new car.
1.) Coasting is Glory
Whenever you know you are about to come to a red light, try coasting to it. Don’t accelerate up until the last few meters, let your current velocity take you there. You can easily save the gas that you aren’t using for other places, and it sure adds up.
2.) Don’t go above 55.
This is a hard one for me, because I love going faster. But every 5mph over 55 you go, your gas mileage (varies) drops 10%. Honestly, how much faster is 5mph going to get you to your destination than the person who is going 60. You can spare 30 seconds for the sake of some cash.
3.) Accelerate Slower!
The ideal RPM range is between 2-3.5 for shifting (varies per vehicle). You shouldn’t need to accelerate past those RPMS. In fact, my car has a specific engine that allows for balanced fuel consumption below 3500 rpms, and goes into performance mode over that. Keeping it below the 3500 on your car will give similar results, even if the engine isn’t V-TEC stiled.
4.) Break Slower
Even when you are coasting to stops, be easy on your breaks and don’t push too hard. Push earlier, as your breaks will wear out faster if you push them sooner, and you will have to replace them. It also helps you mentally to accelerate slower after the stop to save gas.
5.) Don’t fight Gravity
This sort of correlates with coasting, but as you are going down a hill, do not accelerate. Coast! Accelerate when you are going up the hill and use gravity to your advantage.
Hopefully these few tips will help you, as they’ve helped me…any one else have good tips? I prefer not to do the dangerous stuff like turning off the engine, I’m not that crazy.
Filed under Money
Just thought I’d make everyone aware of a nice little deal going on - just sign up for eBates and you’ll get $5 for free. That’s it - no credit card information, nothing, just type in your e-mail and password and you’re in. Has to be with this link though to get the $5.
Also - if you sign up for NetFlix, they will pay you $18 dollars additional, and netflix only costs around $8 anyways, so thats about $15 for free, and a month of free movies. You just have to finish the 2 week free-trial, and then have your credit card billed by netflix and cancel after that.
Enjoy the deal!
