Emily's list: Holiday procrastination edition
Updated: 2011-12-31 09:44:36
Holy moly, the holidays are almost here. Hanukkah starts on Tuesday evening, and Christmas is in just over a week away. With a gift list that includes my husband, parents, step-parents, siblings, in-laws, and a few special colleagues, I'm definitely feeling the pinch.
If you are one of those many people who has been procrastinating holiday shopping, whether you're too busy or are avoiding spending the money, here are several easy ways to get affordable holiday presents. Plus, read my roundup of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from this past week.
I've written numerous times about chip-and-PIN credit cards, but mostly about how it's frustrating that the technology has been adopted in Europe and Asia, but not in the United States. It makes international travel frustrating.
Some U.S. issuers started making chip-and-PIN cards this year, but they were small and exclusive banks such as the United Nations Federal Credit Union. Today, I'm a happy girl because, according to The Washington Post, Chase rolled out a chip-and-PIN card in November!
Keep on reading for more details and my list of my very favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week.
Each year feels like it passes faster than the next, and 2011 was no exception. So much changed for me when I got married in March. On that day, my husband's daunting law school debt became partly my responsibility (he is in his second year), and we then got on the same insurance plans. My emergency fund was also partly depleted in 2011 due to an unexpected laptop death.
On the bright side, I managed to go on an amazing trip to Costa Rica in October without incurring any debt due to diligent savings. I also escaped this past holiday season without any credit card debt--a first for me.
If one or more of your resolutions for 2012 is to improve your finances, read on for this list of 10 great personal finance blog posts from the past week.
Credit card companies know what features their customers are looking for and naturally use the information to make their terms sound as compelling as possible. For example, they may capitalize on existing legislation designed to protect consumers, and they definitely make liberal use of "the fine print" to qualify their glorious-sounding offers.
In other words, many of their policies aren't as great as they make them out to be, so don't be fooled. Know what you're really getting before you sign up. After all, the last thing you want to do is make an important financial decision based on terms that you don't understand.
Sometimes the difference between keeping $150 and losing it is one simple phone call.
It's a simple lesson: Persistence pays. It's also one that every personal finance expert worth their salt will tell you is among the most important to learn. No one cares about your money as much as you do, and to keep it, sometimes you have to fight for it.
I learned that the hard way today during one incredibly irritating morning of back-and-forth with a major airline.
I'm thrilled that the frantic shopping aspect of the holidays is almost over and that it's almost time to be with family and dine on fine food. My gift to you: this roundup of nine amazing personal finance blog posts from the past week!
I learned about a mobile payment app for smartphones called Tabbedout, and I went barhopping in downtown Austin to test it out.
Ah, the things I have to do to earn a living.
Remember that classic opening scene from "The Grifters" where John Cusack tries to con a busy bartender out of $10 by presenting a $20 bill for change and then substituting a $10 in its place?
There's a grifter here in the Tampa Bay area where I live who figured out a way to pull a similar stunt with a $25 American Express gift card. St. Petersburg Police say he scammed Bay Area bars and restaurants out of more than $20,000 over seven months before they nabbed him.
You don't have to go deep into debt to care for sick pets. With a little bit of searching, you can ferret out low-cost alternatives to pulling out your credit card and paying high veterinary fees.
It's interesting to me that women who are hard-working and financially responsible are some of the best potential mates, but some men seem to have trouble getting serious with women who make more or have better careers. Come on, guys -- let's celebrate the ladies instead of being scared of them! Who cares if you have credit card debt or are still in the early stages of your career. We can love you just as much anyway. I should know; my husband is in law school!
Read on for my list of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week.
10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft by Ben DeMeter on December 30, 2011 Identity theft is bad news and more of a concern than ever before , especially when it comes to credit cards It’s not hard to steal a card number just have a look around our blog to learn how thieves do it and if you’ve been a victim , you know what a mess it can be . As criminal attorney David Shapiro told us , Having your identity stolen can be a real hassle . It can cost you both time and money , and it can cause your credit score to take a tumble too . According to the Identity Theft Assistance Center consumer fraud costs increased by 63 between 2009 and 2010. In particular , cases of friendly fraud” in which identify theft victims are targeted by people they already know , like a friend or family member are
: Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Study : Medical Identity Theft Rising Sharply by Christopher Maag on 12 30 2011 An overwhelming majority of healthcare providers—96 percent—admit that they have lost patients’ medical data in the last two years , according to a newly released study . And the number of medical data breaches surged 32 percent in 2011, a worrisome trend as the healthcare industry pushes to digitize all medical . records According to the study , published by the Ponemon Institute which studies data and privacy ,
: Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Verizon’s 2 Fee : Can They Do That by Gerri Detweiler on 12 30 2011 When I heard today about Verizon’s announcement that it will charge a 2 convenience fee for debit and credit card payments made online or by phone , my first reaction was one of outrage . I am a Verizon customer who pays online with plastic , and I don’t want to pay an extra 24 a year for the privilege” of paying my . bill But my second thought was , isn’t this illegal Certainly Verizon has plenty of high-priced attorneys they
: Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Talk Credit Radio : Turn Your Financial Life Around in 2012 by Credit.com on 12 30 2011 This week on Talk Credit Radio : Friday December 30, 2011 Tune into Talk Credit Radio this week with Credit.com’s personal finance expert Gerri Detweiler , live from 4-5 ET 1-2 PT on WSRQ Additional ways to listen are listed . below Do you want to get out of debt in 2012 Lynette Khalfani Cox dug out of 100,000 in debt in three years . She joins Talk Credit Radio on Friday December 30, 2012 to share how she
Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans How to Get Help if You’ve Been Scammed by Steve Rhode on 12 27 2011 If you feel like a company you paid for a service that they did not deliver on , the best place to start to resolve the issue is to contact the company directly . If you’ve tried repeatedly to get your issue resolved by sending an email or leaving voicemail and that’s not getting any attention , send a letter by some traceable means that provides you with proof of delivery . A signature or name of who signed for it is even more .
Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans How to Find Out if Your Credit Card Has Price Protection by Beverly Blair Harzog on 12 26 2011 You know what’s really annoying Buying something , say a 500 HDTV , and then seeing the same TV on sale for 375 a week or two later . Some merchants will reimburse you for the 125 difference if you ask and have some proof . But this doesn’t always work . out If the merchant refuses and you purchased the item with a credit card that has price protection , though , you might be able to get a refund for
: Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Top Economist : Double-Dip Recession Possible in 2012 by Christopher Maag on 12 29 2011 There’s a 40-percent chance the United States will slip into another recession in 2012, according to Doug Duncan , chief economist for Fannie Mae , the taxpayer-owned mortgage . giant We don’t think the economy is going to go into recession , but it wouldn’t take too big of a trigger to tip it , 8221 Duncan t old the San Diego Source . newspaper Related Articles : Read more on the recession If we do fall
Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Posts Back to school by Emily Peters on 09 29 2005 It’s back to school season again When your kids are gearing up for new classes and picking out backpacks , why 0 comments by Emily Peters on 09 29 2005 Credit card delinquencies hit all time high by Emily Peters on 09 29 2005 According to an Associated Press report today , nearly 5 of all credit card accounts were 30 or more days past 0 comments by Emily Peters on 09 29 2005 The big three by Emily Peters on 09 29 2005 You’d be surprise to learn
: Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans The Debt Diva : Expecting the Unexpected by Chris Geoffrey on 12 28 2011 An emergency fund is such a valuable thing , I will always make it a priority to fund mine . I started with a small amount of money withdrawn from each paycheck being automatically deposited into my emergency account . I have increased that amount so it will build faster . 160 Any unbudgeted money I have , including spare change , bottle returns , and rebates get added to my emergency account . 160 I will get a 1 pay
Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans The Best Credit Cards of 2011 by Beverly Blair Harzog on 12 22 2011 No doubt about it , this has been a very good year for credit cards . Sure , interest rates are still a little high , but in the past few months , banks have loosened the purse strings a little . This led to some really exceptional credit card offers during the past year . In fact , the sign-up bonuses got better and better as the year . progressed So here’s my last shout-out to the best cards of : 2011 Best Airline Miles Credit
: Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans The Debt Diet Challenge : Holiday and New Year’s Strategies by Credit.com on 12 24 2011 This is our weekly installment of The Debt Diet Challenge , in which we follow the progress of participants selected to take Jean Chatzky’s Debt Diet as they work to get themselves out of debt and on track to a better financial future Every week , the participants blog about their experiences with the program . Here is the latest . dispatch Penny With Christmas coming up , all I have been doing is working .
Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Tis the Season to Be Wary by J . J . Bianco on 12 25 2011 You better watch out You better not swipe Your credit’s wiped out It’s too late to gripe Badman Claws is coming to town He’s making a , list You’re on it twice Your bank account will barely . suffice Badman Claws is coming to . town He’s phishing when you’re sleeping He tracks you when you wake He knows your numbers like a book So he’ll maximize his take With little weak laws and little code worms Your life can take a very bad turn Badman
Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Why Buy a Christmas Tree When You Can Rent One by Christopher Maag on 12 23 2011 It’s getting a little late for chopping down a Christmas tree . But if you suddenly find yourself tree-less and overcome by the Christmas spirit , you might not need to cut anything at . all That’s because California entrepreneur Scott Martin has created a different model : Instead of buying a dead Christmas tree , why not rent a live one Related article : More on the holidays It just makes sense that you would bring
, Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Thanks to Gridlock , Tax Prep Loans Live to Fight Another Day by Christopher Maag on 12 22 2011 A political standoff in Washington is creating a loophole for lenders looking for new ways to continue offering loans that many consumer advocates say are predatory . After years of work by federal regulators to prevent companies like H R Block from selling costly tax anticipation loans , at least one company appears to have figured out a new way to offer such loans by exploiting Washington .
, , Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Fannie , Freddie , the Feds Freud FUBAR by Adam Levin on 12 21 2011 As a citizen , a voter , and a consumer , what do you think this country needs Less partisanship in Congress Less Congress Easier credit Lower taxes Higher taxes There are about 307 million Americans and given the state of the American economy , perhaps there are as many answers to that . question Here’s my take : We need a good shrink . I’m talking real , Freudian-style analysis , because we don’t seem to be paying attention
Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans Chris Geoffrey The Debt Diva : No Need to Fear the Holidays by Chris Geoffrey on 12 20 2011 I had to overcome fear in order to start down the path of becoming debt free . 160 I did not know 0 comments by Chris Geoffrey on 12 20 2011 Debt Diva : One Blogger’s True Story of Facing Reality and Paying Down Debt by Chris Geoffrey on 12 13 2011 I started my journey to debt reduction many times over the years . Then , I would buy something I wanted , vowing 0 comments by Chris Geoffrey on 12 13 2011
. . Hello . Sign in to get personalized recommendations . New visitor Start here Follow Us Frontpage Topics Editorial Staff Archives Subscribe Credit.com Credit Cards for Excellent Credit Credit Cards for Good Credit Credit Cards for Bad Credit Secured Cards Prepaid Cards Credit Reports Personal Loans J . J . Bianco Elizabeth Warren Gains on Republican Opponent for Senate by J . J . Bianco on 12 19 2011 With the squalls surrounding the filibuster of Richard Cordray’s nomination for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , it was 0 comments by J . J . Bianco on 12 19 2011 How to Handle the Debts of a Deceased Loved One by J . J . Bianco on 12 12 2011 Although it is a time that may be difficult for many , it’s worthwhile to pay attention to debt , in particular 0 comments by J