Loanio

If you are worried about gas, try carpooling.

If you follow the news, chances are the state of the economy may have you a little concerned. Bad news is rampant, the housing market is shaky and doom appears to be around every corner. While there are some definite problems with the economy right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to start panicking. Smart money management is always important, but if you find that you are overly worried about the state of the economy, there are a few steps that you can take to shore up your financial defenses and stop worrying.

The first step is to take a hard look at your mortgage payments, car payments and any other loans that you may have. If they are calculated under a variable rate, now is the time to start allocating a little extra each month to ensure that you have enough to keep up with the payments. If your mortgage payment looks like it is going to be too high, act quickly by negotiating with your bank for either a payment deferment or even a refinance. No one wins in a foreclosure situation and most banks will be willing to work something out with you.

The second step is to think about consolidating your credit card bills if necessary. If you are paying on multiple cards that all have high interest rates, you could be wasting a lot of money each month. Take advantage of a low or no interest card that will allow you to transfer those high balances into one. Just make sure you read the fine print to see how long the interest rate will remain low. Or use Loanio to receive a loan from lenders, this is easy and painless to do. This not only helps you save money on high interest fees, but you can also save time by paying only one bill every month.

Next, you can take a look at what you’re spending and how rising prices are affecting you. For example, the cost of gas right now has many people worried. You may find that you’re spending more to get to work than you may make for the day, or the ratio may have changed dramatically. If this is the case, consider setting up a carpool with other workers to save money, or you may even be able to arrange to telecommute. There are many ways that you can reduce your monthly expenses and free up more money to handle the rising cost of necessities.

This is also a good time to think about setting up an emergency fund. This is a very beneficial type of savings account that can tide you over if you run short during the month, or if you end up with a personal crisis on your hands. When you have the security of a savings account, emergency fund or other means of income, you’ll be in a much better position to weather any economic storm.

While the economy has been better, there is certainly no need to start panicking right now. Simply follow smart money practices, and you’ll be in a position where you can withstand whatever comes.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-10-28 20:01:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Tips for College Student Budgets /caption] Trying to make ends meet when you are in college is not an easy task. Your income is usually pretty limited and expenses can be high, even if you have a scholarship. If you’re trying to save money or just get by, there are some great tips for college......
• What Are Legitimate High Yield Investments? In this day and age, everyone is hurting for money, and locating legitimate high yield investments is not easy. Aside from scams, another consideration that needs to be made is the potential return on any investments that you make. Despite the fact that there are many attractive investment opportunities available......
• 7 Budgeting Examples /caption] When it comes to budgeting examples, one of the best things that you can do is to look at a successful budget and draw from it to establish your own. Everyone has a different idea of what makes a good working budget, and your budgeting examples need to be......
• 3 Types of Safe Investments /caption] Given the shaky financial markets across the world today and the extreme ups and downs that are being seen from one day to the next in the US market, you might be wondering what are safe investments, and how can I be sure I won't lose all the money......
• Do You Need a Money Manager? /caption] If your idea of organizing your finances is throwing a receipt in a big pile, you may want to consider the benefits of hiring a money manager. There is a new trend in the financial world where daily money managers are becoming very popular, and for many consumers, they......

• Ben Bernanke Wants Personal Finance Blogs Out Of Business! According the the Wall Street Journal Economics Blog Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, in a speech today, stated the importance of financial literacy classes in high school. A survey given to high school seniors had only 48.3% of the students correctly answering questions about personal finance and economics. This is down......
• This Year Give the Gift of Personal Finance Education As "Black Friday" approaches, the personal finance blogosphere is exploding with ideas about where and how to find the best deals in holiday shopping.  So, Mr. ToughMoneyLove thought he would chime in with his own, slightly contrarian suggestions on how to shop for Christmas gifts this year. First, resolve to......
• Top ten ways personal finance blogging has helped me Lazy Man & Money has started a meme about the Top Ten Ways Personal Finance Blogging Has Helped Me. If you're interested in participating, let him know that you've done so & he'll link to you. 10. It makes me feel good to know that I may be helping others.......
• Organize Your Personal Finances in No Time by Debbie Stanley If nothing else, the state of the economy has shown that millions of people don’t have a good grasp of how to manage their personal finances. There are hundreds of books written every year on the subject and yet, this concept still seems to elude many. Some books are either......
• Personal Finance Lessons Learned the Hard Way Today is the first anniversary of the Tough Money Love blog. I am honored by those who read what I have to say and thankful for all of your comments. Your input is always educational and, at times, quite entertaining. I hope that you can say the same about my......