Saturday, April 12, 2008 

10 Financial Practices To Improve Your Financial Health, Part 2

Your credit score needs to be improved so you can be approved for cars, houses, and other things you want to buy. But not many of us take seriously the fact that how we handle money every day affects our financial life as a whole. That is why, if you are after an improved financial life and an improved credit score, start with these good financial practices so you will have more money to pay your debts and to protect the past efforts you exerted in raising your credit score.

6. Buy used or at discount prices. Things sold at retail prices will cost you more than used things or those sold at discount prices. If you need to buy a textbook, a set of fancy jewelries or figurines, buy them from garage sales, store sales or Ebay, where a variety of things are sold for more than half the retail price.

7. Track how you spend your money each day and replace them with cheaper alternatives. Every day we tend to spend on little things that wallow up our budget without us knowing it. And we don't even notice it because they are already a part of our routine. But if we stop and and analyze how much they cost in a month or in a year we'd realize they cost a lot, and yet they could have been avoided if we replace them with cheaper alternatives.

For example, if you buy a coffee each day before work, it will cost $1. Not much, you'd say. And if you buy a slice of pizza, it will also cost around $1 again. Not much again, it seems. But if you think about how much it will cost you, that would be a round $60 a month or $720 a year, which can be a lot. The same is true to other things you mindlessly buy which you don't think cost a fortune: newspapers, lunches at fast food chains, unnecessary calls or text messages from your mobile phones, etc. All these, when added up, can lead to major savings if you avoid them or replace them with cheaper alternatives.

For a week record all the things you bought and how much. You will be surprised at where your money goes, no matter how small an expense is. After a week, analyze the things that can be substituted by inexpensive alternatives. For example, if you always buy your lunch outside, bring a home cooked lunch from now on.

8. Prepare an emergency plan. While this is not a daily thing, preparing a plan in case a disaster strikes is one way to ensure your money savings are safe and you are in control of your finances. In the event someone is sick or there is a natural calamity, it would mean you'll have to spend a lot to support the people involved. If you are not prepared you will end up using all the money in your bank account and asking for debts from lenders.

An emergency plan should include a list of assets you can liquidate, the savings in your bank account, insurance you can take use, a lawyer who can help you, and loans you can turn to. Ask your employer if there's some financial package you can take advantage of in case of emergencies.

9. Control your credit card spendings. Credit cards are the fastest way to incur a debt. If you have a credit card you know how easy it is to use it, and how hard it is to pay off your debts later especially if they are too large and your salary is not enough to support them. The best way to avoid credit card debts is not to use your credit card at all. Leave your credit cards at home when you are out so you don't have something to snatch from your wallet if you want to buy something out of impulse.

10. Avoid situations w After all, the environment we live in encourages us to buy, thanks to ads and shops around us. So to avoid spending your money, you should avoid instances, situations and places that encourage you to spend your money or order now. Don't go to shops if there's no reason to. Don't read catalogs, watch infomercials or visit online stores. Don't watch TV shows that feature the latest trends or gadgets, or anything that makes you want to buy. If you don't feel that sense of wanting you'll less likely waste your money.

Would you like to know all about credit scores and credit reports, and how to best raise your credit score legally? Then download "Credit Score 101: The Definitive Guide To Raising Your Credit Score Dramatically!" at http://credit.430niches.com at no cost. Sign up and automatically receive the latest version of this ebook at no cost as soon as it comes out.

 

Rickets: Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants

Many people believe that rickets (soft bones and other developmental problems) is no longer a problem, but it has shown up again in children who are breast-fed and dark-skinned. Up until 1920, rickets was common. It's caused by lack of vitamin D.

Rickets was caused by the industrial revolution with thick clouds of dust and people working 18 hours a day, and even when they got outdoors, the dark clouds prevented them from get sun. In 1822, physicians in Warsaw showed that children in the suburbs didn't get rickets, while those in the city did. Children in the farms got sunlight, children in the city did not.

In 1913, Hans Steenboick at the University of Wisconsin showed that lactating goats kept indoors got rickets, while those let outside did not. In 1923, Elmer McColum at Johns Hopkins showed that cod liver oil prevented rickets. Now we had to explain why sunlight and cod liver oil prevent rickets. 1924, Adolf Windaus in Gottingen, Germany isolated the chemical that prevents rickets and it was called vitamin D. 1931, Michael Holick at the Massachusetts General Hospital showed that vitamin D3 was produced by sunlight on the skin. The darker the skin, the more exposure to sunlight is needed to get enough vitamin D.

Humans rarely get enough vitamin D from food, so they have to depend on sunlight to make it in their skin. The reason we are seeing Vitamin D deficiency today is that many people do not get enough sunlight because they are brought up in cold weather climates, or avoid sunlight because of fear of skin cancer, or spend all their time indoors. So now doctors are seeing rickets where mothers lack vitamin D, breastfeed, protect their infants from sunlight, and do not use vitamin supplements.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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