Free online banking is a Gazelle Thing

If your bank doesn’t offer Free online banking and bill-pay switch banks.

Understanding Your Financial Situation is a Gazelle Thing

What do you owe?

I’ll admit it.  There have been times when I had very little idea of what we owed.  One thing that has been very helpful in being motivated to get out of debt was to look at home much we owe — I made a spreadsheet with every debt, its balance, interest rate and minimum payment.   Seeing it all in one spot was eye opening to say the least.

Negotiating with the hospital is a gazelle thing.

I had a medical emergency earlier this fall.   The insurance paid their share and I got the hospital bill today.  There was no way we could pay it out right so I took out the handy budget spreadsheet and worked out what I could pay them and when I could probably pay them more.  After that I called and talked with their business office and offered them my plan.  “This is what I can do.”  And they took it.  No arguing or complaining even.  I was completely prepared to stand firm and stick to my: “this is all I can afford, I will pay this much until May then I will have another bill paid off and I will be able to pay you more” spiel.  But I didn’t even have to go there.

Birthday cakes baked from scratch are a gazelle thing

and they’re about a zillion times tastier than store-bought

Marketing – to children

This is a part of the documentary  The Corporation, I haven’t had a chance to see it all, but this I have to share.

Being aware of marketing in your life is serious business when you want to get away from racking up the consumer debt.  Being able to see how your children are marketed to helps you avoid literally buying into it and also helps you steer your children away from it.

You can learn more about the documentary at their official website:  The Corporation

Run for it: Credit cards companies are out for red meat

The law has changed, but it hasn’t gone into affect yet so the banks are squeezing as much blood out of as many turnips as possible.  10 ways credit card companies are still screwing you.

Is this a gazelle thing? Hypermiling

http://www.hypermiling.com/index.html

Just wondering what Mr Gazelle thinks and I know I will forget about this before he gets home.