Have you ever applied for a loan? Taken out a loan? Did you feel empowered, or pained? I guess how you feel about it has something to do with your reasons for the loan. I saw a couple on a TV show this weekend, and they were $400,000 in debt. They had taken out a home equity loan (which are secured loans tied into your home) on their home to pay off their debt, and the host of the show pointed out that in 30 years, they would JUST have finished paying for the shoes and clothes that the wife bought last month. It’s sad, really, when you think of it that way.

I’m sure the day will come when my husband and I apply for a loan other than a car or mortage - perhaps a loan to put in a pool, or something else we need. Maybe we’ll check into unsecured loans or maybe we’ll do a home equity loan. I know what we will do though - we’ll compare personal loans online and know what we’re getting into before we do it. I don’t want to EVER have to take out a loan to pay for silly things like the woman I saw on TV!

I’m the first person to admit that I’m a shopper, and not a saver. Today I did something that made me proud of myself though. I had several items in hand in the store, and after walking around with them in my cart, I put them back. Go me! I decided I didn’t really need the items, and I’d rather save my money. I guess all those years of using credit cards DID teach me something. I know that I never want to take out loans to payoff my debt again…my current accounts are fat and happy right now and that’s the way I want things to stay.

If anyone can give out debt advice - it’s me. I went to the school of been there, done that. I felt better today putting down those items I didn’t need, and walking away, than I would have felt had I bought them. With taxes due, our home insurance up for renewal in a month or so, and vacation - I didn’t need to spend the extra money.

What about you? Are you a spender, or a saver? Do you have debt up to your eyeballs? Do you get notices in the mail to apply for a bad credit remortgage? Are creditors calling you? Would a mortgage broker look at you and see dollar signs, or a big red warning label?

I’m so happy that we’re WAY beyond that time in our life.

Are you smart with your credit? If you’ve got decent credit, the next time you see an offer for 0% balance transfers - look into it. You can transfer the balance of a card you’re paying interest on to a new card, and save yourself some money. By switching credit cards each time the introductory interest rate is due to expire, and getting into one or more new 0% credit cards, you can avoid paying hundreds, or thousands in interest! Sure, it will take a little extra work on your part - you need to make all of your payments on time, or you risk losing that 0% rate. You need to know when the rate will expire, and you need to be ready to transfer your balance again. But isn’t saving the money worth it?

Don’t let the credit card company make money off of YOU, when you can use them to save yourself a bundle!

One of the smartest things my husband and I did recently was call up our credit card companies, and threaten to walk away. You see, we got a few of our oldest credit cards at a time when our credit wasn’t the greatest, so we were HAPPY to get any card - even one with a $60 annual fee. And when you think about it - that’s insane. You’re paying interest on your purchases, PLUS a fee for the privilege of having the card in your wallet. When we called those accounts up and told them we wanted to close the account, they asked why. When they found it was because of the fees, they dropped the annual fee - just like that! Let’s face it - credit cards are great ways to buy things without applying for loans, but paying an annual fee, if you can avoid it, is insane.

As a couple, we’ve gotten smarter about our money in the past few years. We shop around for deals on car insurance. We moved our extra cash to high yield saving accounts. We shopped around for the best mortgages before buying our house.

It feels good to grow up financially.

I’m a sucker for a cute credit card. I guess that explains the Mary Engelbreit credit card I have that says “Princess of Quite A Lot” on it. I get a lot of laughs from store cashiers when I use that one! This credit card from Mint is pretty cute too - just look at that big “M” in the middle, and it’s curvy little shape:

I’ll bet that’s a card that would get people talking. Aside from being adorable, it’s got a great rate too…because really, what’s the point of having a totally awesome credit card if you can’t afford the annual fees and APR? The Mint credit card has a 0% interest rate on balance transfers until December - very attractive!

Mint also has a fun ‘Mint Gift Card’ too - it’s a pre-paid credit card you can give as a gift. That’s a nice option, because you’re not limiting the recipient to just one card. More than once I’ve been given a gift card to Target, when what I really wanted to do was shop at Macy’s!

By now, you may have noticed a few posts on this blog with a special disclaimer at the bottom…a disclaimer that mentions a company called LoudLaunch. In order to monetize this blog, as well as my other blogs in the network, I’m always experimenting with paid blogging services, and LoudLaunch is one of the newest. Unlike other paid blogging programs, they not only require full disclosure, they give you the disclosure within the campaign, so that every LoudLaunch user discloses in the same manner. Actually, you might say that LoudLaunch has based their whole business model on disclosure.

In order to work for LoudLaunch, you first need to submit a blog. Once your blog is accepted into the LoudLaunch program, you’ll have access to a list of paying campaigns. The price varies according to your blog stats - traffic, PR, niche, etc. Advertisers can create campaigns for as little as $50 in order to rest the waters of Loud Launch.

LoudLaunch is still in beta, and growing - but here’s what I’d like to see there:

I look forward to seeing what they offer in future releases!

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