Tighten up on bills - how?

Filed under: College It hasn't gotten much press in the United States, but college students in the United Kingdom who rely on loans to pay their expenses are facing a serious problem: The Guardian reports that "Three-quarters of universities polled said they had made extra payments from their hardship funds to help students pay the rent, buy books and feed themselves while they wait for the Student Loans Company (SLC) to work its way through the backlog of tens of thousands of student applications." The SLC took over student loan processing duties from local authorities this year and, evidently, wasn't prepared for the task. Students are being placed on hold for hours, and loan sharks are descending on campuses to cash in at the expense of students who need cash for rent, school supplies, and food. Continue reading Can't get a student loan? Take off your clothes Can't get a student loan? Take off your clothes originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Bargain Babe Wow! Talk about beauty deals. Get $75 worth of mineral beauty products from E.L.F. (AKA Eyes Lips Face) by combining coupons with a $12 rebate to bring your total to just less than $20. And that includes shipping! Today only, their Cyber Monday deal gets you 70% off all E.L.F. mineral products with coupon code CM70MIN. Plus, you can get a $12 mail-in rebate or a free subscription to Vogue while checking out. The blog It's Hip To Save explains the deal scenario step-by-step that lets you get 25 make up items for $.79 each. Normally, E.L.F. products are $1-$3 each so take the quality into mind when considering this purchase. Remember, the deal is for mineral products only. Thanks, It's Hip To Save!Score $75 worth of cosmetics for less than $20 originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Food If you're feeling guilty for being a glutton over Thanksgiving, here's something else to chew on: We waste a lot of food. A new study published in the journal PLoS One has found that we Americans are wasting fifty percent more food than we did in 1974. Approximately 1,400 calories worth of food per person, in fact, is thrown into the trash every day. That translates into 150 trillion calories a year. Put another way, the study concludes that the United States throws out about 40 percent of all of its food.Continue reading The land of the leftovers: Americans throw away 40% of their food The land of the leftovers: Americans throw away 40% of their food originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Bargain Babe , Cyber Monday The three main cashback rebate sites have some super deals today only as part of Cyber Monday. Not sure what I am talking about? Read my explainer post on cash back shopping sites . From eBates. com: The Disney Store - 10% back (up from 3%) The Gap - 10% back (combine that with their 20% off coupon code MONDAY) Macy's - 7% Nordstroms - 7% Sephora - 10% Walmart - 3% (up from 1%) Continue reading Cash rebates for Cyber Monday Cash rebates for Cyber Monday originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Banks It's probably not something that most Americans are following, but in England, the Supreme Court has been studying the legality of bank overdraft fees and whether the public should be refunded, and their verdict is in: the overdraft fees that have been soaking the British are legal. Two courts had previously indicated that English banks might have to refund their fees, and I admit the thought made me rather gleeful, and last September in a WalletPop post , I started wondering if some similar lawsuit might make its way through the American courts. Why not? We borrowed The Office from England, and it's worked out so well here. Maybe we could take a real scenario in England and help us over on the other side of the Atlantic. Continue reading Overdraft fees ruled legal in England Overdraft fees ruled legal in England originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Real Estate Let's say that you owe $500,000 on the mortgage for a house that, because of the crumbling real estate market, is now worth $200,000. You can afford to make the payments -- but it feels stupid to write a check every month to make interest payments on a loan for a property worth so much less than you owe on it. What should you do? In a controversial paper, University of Arizona Law School professor Brent T. White argues that you should stop paying the mortgage, hand the bank the keys to the house, and move on with your life. Continue reading Is it immoral to walk away from an upside down mortgage? Is it immoral to walk away from an upside down mortgage? originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Bargain Babe Get 20% off sitewide and get free shipping at The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime, and Athleta with code MONDAY. The five sites are connected online. Valid today, Nov. 30, only. Expires at 11:59 p.m. EST. Not valid on gift cards, taxes, shipping and handling. Perhaps you'll find a fabulous pair of boots at Piperlime? I may well replace my yoga clothes using that Athleta code. So tempting... Caveats: Not valid on Gap RED, Converse, Havaianas, CharmIt!, Junk Food, Robeez, Medela, Stella McCartney for babyGap/GapKids, or the following babyGap home items: strollers, car seats, highchairs, and nursery furniture. Not valid on Piperlime jewelry, Piperlime "final sale" items, Kate Spade, Frye and Brooks. Free shipping valid on standard shipping only to your order's first "ship to" address anywhere in the United States (including Puerto Rico).20% off and free shipping at Gap, BR, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Budgets , Wealth , Recession , Celebs & Money Sorry, entrepreneurs. You're going to have to find another magic wand to bestow magical sales upon you. The Huffington Post reports that Oprah Winfrey has decided not to do her annual "Favorite Things" episode . For the past seven years, the big O aired her orgy of consumerist passions around Thanksgiving week, and the publicity routinely sent audiences and manufacturers into fits of apoplectic joy. But this year, apparently because the recession has proved intractable, Oprah has realized that such a celebratory spending frenzy is not in order. Last year, she toned down the unmitigated opulence of the telecast, choosing affordable goodies and broadcasting from the unlikely locale of Macon, Ga. This year, she has pulled the plug entirely -- just a week after pulling the plug on the series itself, which is now set to end in 2011. With Oprah backing out of her current television series, we hereby enter the period of Lame Duck Oprah, in which the seismically powerful culture force realigns herself for her future role. Is the elimination of her "Favorite Things" a harbinger of the new, yet-to-be revealed Oprah? Or is it merely a calculation designed to telegraph empathy for the hard times so many of us are having?Continue reading When the song goes flat, Oprah stops singing 'My Favorite Things' When the song goes flat, Oprah stops singing 'My Favorite Things' originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Career , Recession It's a good tactic to try to be noticed at a job interview for your skills and achievements. But not your clothes or grooming habits. Casual Fridays have pushed workplace attire to its limits, with jeans, polo shirts and other weekend clothing the norm at work, but that doesn't make it a good idea for a job candidate. "We live in a casual culture. We're all in jeans all of the time," said Mark Jeffries , a career expert and author of "What's up with your handshake?" That's not enough in applying for a job, Jeffries told me in an interview. Job candidates must ask themselves how they want to be perceived, he said. Continue reading Shined shoes, nice watch and other GQ tips for job interview Shined shoes, nice watch and other GQ tips for job interview originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Shopping , Technology , Economizer , Cyber Monday I'm always wishing I had a few extra bucks. Ergo, I'm thinking I should check out Extrabux more often, since its main mission in life is to make sure that consumers have extra bucks. I thought I'd mention Extrabux, since it's Cyber Monday and all -- as you already know, unless you've just awakened from a coma (it's not often when that sort of cliche actually happens ), Cyber Monday is the first Monday after Thanksgiving, a day when deals abound online and the day that tends to be the most shopped day online (whereas Black Friday, of course, is the most shopped day in brick and mortar stores). Continue reading Extrabux's aim in life is to give shoppers extra bucks Extrabux's aim in life is to give shoppers extra bucks originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Kids and Money , Shopping , Cyber Monday American Girl seems to get more and popular every year -- and, especially if you're buying the accessories, more expensive. So if you're planning on giving your favorite girl an American Girl doll, it should cheer you up to know that there are some deals out there for Cyber Monday. And, yes, that's Cyber Monday -- as in, these deals are only good today. All in all, they have more than 50 items that are up to 50% off, according to the American Girl store's Web site . (The key words: up to. Not every sale item is actually 50% off. But no matter. A sale is a sale.) Continue reading American Girl having sale on accessories today American Girl having sale on accessories today originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: 101 mortgages Finding it hard to resist mortgage interest rates below 5%? You're not alone if you want a home loan refinance. Here are the top 10 tips to making sure your home loan refinance experience goes smoothly. Home Loan Refinance Tip #1: Figure out how much equity you have. Get your property's value assessed and find out from your Realtor what the comps in your area are selling for as opposed to what they're listed for. Does your neighborhood have a lot of foreclosures? If so, expect your home value to have dropped in price, which can affect your home loan refinance. Most lenders today won't do a home loan refinance unless you have at least 20% equity and have proof of income. Home Loan Refinance Tip #2: Make sure your credit score and income qualifies you. Because of the housing crisis fallout, lenders have stricter credit and income requirements. Get your credit and debt-to-income ratio in order before even beginning to think about entering the home loan refinance process. Home Loan Refinance Tip #3: Prioritize your home loan refinance goals. Whether you want to lower your monthly payments or reduce your loan term, figure that out first to make sure you meet those goals with your home loan refinance. Home Loan Refinance Tip #4: Don't assume you can't get a home loan refinance if you are under water with your mortgage. Even if your property's value is less than what you owe on it, it is still possible to get a home loan refinance. If you have a mortgage that is owned or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you might still be able to qualify. Some federal programs even allow you to get a home loan refinance if your mortgage is 125% of your home's value. Continue reading Top 10 tips for finding a home loan refinance Top 10 tips for finding a home loan refinance originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Shopping The good news for Price Protector is that customers seem to have found it, despite the odd spelling of its Internet address (priceprotectr.com). That's also the bad news, since the site has been down a lot lately, overwhelmed, apparently, by the influx of traffic.Continue reading Price Protector could save shoppers scads of money -- when it works Price Protector could save shoppers scads of money -- when it works originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Health It's been a tough month to be a women wondering how to preserve her health. First, the American Cancer Society flip-flopped on its previous stance and said screening for some cancers might not be necessary . Then in a landmark move, a government panel issued its guidelines for mammograms, stating most women should skip the screening until age 50 . Now the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has changed its mind on how often women should be screened for cervical cancer .Continue reading Changed cervical cancer screening guidelines scare and confuse women Changed cervical cancer screening guidelines scare and confuse women originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments