Online Shopping vs. In-store shopping

Sometimes, the only way to stop a snowballing debt problem is to go back to the top of the hill and find out what started it. If you are having problems due to your credit card debt, take a step back and recount your money missteps. Knowing your weaknesses could help prevent you from falling back into the bad-credit pit and show you a way out.

Firstly, try to pay for your purchases in cash as much as possible. Charging your purchases with a credit card instead of paying in cash or with a debit card will mean that you have to pay interest charges, especially when you cannot pay off the balance each month. Make a habit of paying for purchases under RM50 with cash. Making late credit payments can throw your account into default and triple your interest rate. If you are mailing payments, send them seven to 10 business days in advance. Better yet, sign up for online bill payment so that the payment can be done immediately.

Secondly, make it a habit to pay your credit card bill in full every month in order to avoid interest charges. You might think that paying the minimum is better than paying nothing, but it does not do much to pay off the balance and forces you to keep paying interest. If you cannot afford to pay more or in full, pay as much of the balance as you can. You will never know when you are going to have a tough month.

Finally, learn to save for financial emergencies. Even if you feel robust and invincible, a single emergency room trip or car accident could force you to pay large sums on credit, causing interest to accrue and more debt to pile up. For instance, when your tyre goes flat and you cannot pay up front for the replacement, you would usually have to pay by credit or using funds earmarked for necessities. This is where an emergency fund comes in handy.

There are reasons why advertisements aimed at children should be regulated. One argument is that the things advertised may be bad for them. Young
children cannot see the difference between advertisements and ordinary television programmers. Keeping in with their peer group is more important at that age, while older children may not understand or care about the purpose of the advertisements. Advertising may also influence children to persuade their parents to buy things they do not need or cannot afford. It seems wrong that advertisers are taking advantage of children’s naivety in order to make money. Marketing managers are aware of this. Thus, giving away Kung Fu Panda or Power Puff Girls collectible toys in packets of fast foods, cereal or crisps will ensure that sales of their products will go through the roof.