How many credit cards do you carry? 1, 5, 10, maybe more? Most consumers carry at least one credit card, especialy when you include department store cards, gas station cards, American Express, MasterCard, VISA, Diners, Discover and others. Consumer lending is big business, an area of marketing that lenders use to fuel their businesses.
You probably already know that not all credit cards are alike. Some offer low rates and decent rewards while others charge higher than industry rates and offer no incentives. Likely, most of the cards you have seen fall somewhere in between.
Maybe you have considered getting a new card recently. If so, let’s take a look at some of the popular credit card offers available today:
Low (or Zero) Percentage Rate Credit Cards — Lending rates remain low and there are still credit cards available with low rates, even 0% financing for balance transfers. Typically, these special rates are in place until the transfers are paid off; new purchases are usually charged at a higher rate.
Teaser Rate Credit Cards — To get you to use a new card, some lenders will offer you a special “teaser rate” that will run for several months, usually for as long as six months perhaps for a year. Purchases can be made at a very low rate (let’s say 3.9% for twelve months) and then rise to 15.9% or higher later on. These cards are popular with consumers who want to purchase an expensive item and pay it off over several months without incurring high interest charges.
Rebate Credit Cards — Make your credit card work for you! If this sounds like a marketing ploy, it isn’t: certain credit card providers will give you cash rebates on select purchases. For example,if you spend $2000 you could have $20 or $40 credited to your account — see each offer for specific details.
Award Credit Cards — Also known as rewards cards, an award card works like a rebate credit card: you get to choose prizes based on the number of points you have accumulated with your purchases. Usually, one point is awarded for every dollar spent and you can redeem those points online or through a prize catalog provided by the credit card company.
Pre-paid Credit Cards — For the consumer with bad credit or for students who at college, a pre-paid credit card allows holders to build up their credit while still having access to plastic. You don’t have to worry about carrying around a lot of money; if your car is lost or stolen you can replace it.
Many of the card deals mentioned are for MasterCard or VISA cards, but Discover and American Express have special offers which might be of interest to you too.
My region of the country is finally seeing the end of a drought which lasted for more than one year. At its peak, all outside watering was canceled except for whatever you could water by hand. Needless to say, just about every lawn turned brown and quite a few people lost valuable shrubbery.
One thing many people learned through this experience were some ways to conserve water. Besides the obvious — repairing leaky toilets and faucets — other methods soon came to the forefront.
By conserving water you can also save money. The following are key tips to help you with your outside conservation effort:
- Water your lawn less often. In the summer, when your lawn has slowed down its growth, you only need to water 1-2 times each week. After a steady rainfall, you may not need to water again for 1-2 weeks.
- Set lawn sprinklers to cover grassy areas only. Avoid soaking paved areas as the run off will simply go down the drain.
- Water your lawn during the early morning when temperatures are lowest which helps limit loss due to evaporation.
- Use water-efficient sprinklers and soaker hoses.
- Shut off your sprinkler system when a storm is approaching. Check the timer to make sure that your sprinkler is working properly.
- For your garden, use mulch as that will help retain water (as well as kill weeds).
- Plant native plants including drought resistant shrubs and grasses.
- Do not over fertilize your lawn as it will require more water to maintain your lawn.
- If you have a pool, consider keeping it covered when not in use. A cover will prevent evaporation loss while keeping the pool water warm. Also, a single back flushing with a traditional filter uses from 180 to 250 gallons or more of water — consider finding a more efficient filter that doesn’t waste water.
- When washing your car, use only as much water as you need. Turn the hose off when not in use and use biodegradable soap so that the run off will not damage plants and grass. Recycle unused bucket water by soaking nearby bushes or plants.
Most homeowners can save water by implementing these and other conservation steps. You’ll reduce your consumption, save money, and do your part to help your local environment.
Stock photo courtesy sxc.hu
Travel Tip
Love a game of Tennis. Wimbleton is about 45 days away. How about make plans to visit London to enjoy the scenes and a game at courtside.
about Wimbleton 2008
visiting London
London travel guide
Home Improvement Tip
Do you ever wish you had enough closet space for everything you have? Enough for coats, shoes, and things. View our closet organizations can up up new room.
view our upstairs closet room | find a closet specialist
Consumer Financing Tip
Prices are going up on everything - including family care and insurance costs. See what tips you can use to help reduce your family card costs:
view tips on reducing family care costs
Credit Card Tip: Reduce Your Gas Costs
College Planning Tip
Monthly Checklist for May 11
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