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The following article is brought to you by Travis Holmes.

Credit cards are open lines of revolving credit, often charging high interest rates and tempting the consumer to run up a high amount of debt without really thinking about it. By the credit card companies own admission, this form of credit is not meant to be used often or extensively, and no one should carry a debt.

When facing a situation where you are carrying credit card debt, it is vital to find ways to pay as little interest as possible, without doing anything to damage your credit score. One of the better ways of handling this is to transition the debt to a personal loan, and close all but the oldest credit card account you have. Here are a few reasons why you should do this.

Lower Interest Rate
Credit card companies can often charge over twenty percent in interest. This can result in the average consumer spending a great deal of money in maintaining a debt, rather than paying it off. Over the long haul, having to spend money on interest decreases the fiscal strength of the borrower and actually increase the amount of debt carried.

A personal loan has a fixed interest rate, and since it is not a revolving line of credit it is impossible to add new principal to it. In short, it is a one-shot deal, with limited interest and a payment plan that is predictable.

Take note not all loans will have a lower interest rate. Some quick loans might be good for your situation but may carry a higher rate. It’s best to verify the rate and do the math yourself.

One Line of Revolving Credit
By closing out all but the oldest credit card account, the consumer is doing two things. The first is limiting the potential for future debt, by decreasing the amount of available credit at any given time. Since you will have less free credit to utilize, it would be harder to make impulse purchases that land people in debt to begin with. This article helps you weigh the pros and cons of both.

The second reason for keeping the oldest account open is to take advantage of long term credit on the consumer’s credit report. A credit report is only as strong as the oldest item on it, so it makes more sense to keep a credit card in play if the consumer has had that account for several years. Doing so can reduce the amount of interest paid on other forms of credit, including the personal loan.

Additionally, having an open line of credit is a good thing in an emergency. It can provide an emergency cushion if you encounter an expense that you cannot fit in your monthly budget, but can pay over the course of two or three months. This becomes less needed as the consumer starts saving money, but starting out this flexibility is crucial.

Transitioning debt from a higher interest rate, revolving account to a lower interest rate, closed account, can serve as a way of lowering the amount of hard earned money wasted on interest.

Doing so can set the stage for a better, more stable financial future as long as certain steps are taken at the same time. Eliminate most of your open credit, in order to limit potential exposure to negative forms of debt. Start putting back the extra cash each month, to provide a means of paying for emergency expenses without having to turn to credit.

A personal loan can be invaluable when trying to improve one’s fiscal health. By taking the time to formulate a plan, it is possible to create a system that will lead the consumer to a better and more stable financial future. All it takes is the ability to take advantage of the lower interest rates.

A Super Bowl Party is great fun for everyone. Two great teams slug it out on the football field. You and your friends get to visit and enjoy each other. And don’t forget the great commercials; sometimes, I think they’re the best part of the whole show.

What isn’t so great about hosting a Super Bowl party, however, is the cost. If you go crazy, you could spend a small fortune. Do you really have to break the bank to have a good time? No you do not! Remember the point of the party is to enjoy the game and hang out with your friends. Anything else is just gravy.

There are lots of ways to keep a tight rein on the cost of your Super Bowl party. Try these suggestions as you plan your big bash:

Serve basic snack foods. Does your family really expect mini-quiches and crudités while they watch a football game? Of course, they don’t. Simple appetizers are more than adequate fare for a Super Bowl party. Pour bags of chips into large bowls. Pop up some popcorn. Even health-conscientious party hosts can find favor by providing veggie trays filled with celery strips, carrots, and ranch dip. Stock up on hot dogs and burgers and do a cookout for the big game.

Provide one or two types of beverages. Don’t try to bring something for everyone; you’ll drive yourself insane trying to think of everyone’s drink tastes. Instead, provide one type of soda and one type of beer. (Don’t forget to shop the sales.) Tell all of your guests ahead of time what you’ll be serving; if they want something else to drink, they can always bring it themselves.

Divvy up food and drink responsibilities. While providing drinks and food for everyone may be burdensome for one person, the task is easy if all of the partygoers share the responsibility. Ask one or two friends to bring drinks. Ask others to bring snacks. By going potluck, you can all enjoy the party without enduring any stress over the cost. We usually just focus on one main dish that we will provide (this year it will be grilled hot dogs) and we ask our guests to bring other dishes to share such as potato salad, nachos, chips and dip, etc.

Skip decorations. None of your friends are expecting fancy decorations or place settings for a Super Bowl party. They just want to watch the game with you. Focus on having plenty of available seating around the television and plenty of snacks. That’s all you need.

Are you throwing a superbowl party this year? If so, what are your plans for food?

When you are planning a trip, air travel will usually be the most expensive thing you will need to pay for. In fact, the high cost of air travel prevents many people from flying. However, it does not need to be this way. There are many methods that an average person can use to help them save a lot of money on the cost of their plane tickets. Using these methods can make it possible for anyone to take the vacation of their dreams. You should also look for discounts when you are trying to find things to do in Barcelona. Here are just a few of the ways to save money on air travel.

1. Buy your tickets far in advance

If you are one of the people who insist on waiting until the last minute to do everything, you will probably not be able to afford to buy a plane ticket. This is because the price of buying a plane ticket less than one week before the flight is enormous. However, if you are willing to plan your trip far in advance, the money you will be able to save will be quite significant. The further in advance that you book your flight, the less expensive your ticket will be. Most airlines continue to lower the price of their tickets as far in advance as six months before the flight. Therefore, it is in your best interest to plan your trip as far in advance as possible. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making your plans ahead of time. If you really want to save money on your plane tickets, you will need to do this.

2. Be willing to accept layovers

Most people do not like layovers. They like to make as few stops as possible, taking direct flights whenever they can. This is certainly understandable behavior. However, accepting the minor inconvenience of layovers is another easy way for you to save yourself some cash on the price of your plane tickets. In fact, the more layovers you are willing to accept, the less your ticket will cost. However, you must make sure that your layovers are long enough to allow you to get to your next flight. Otherwise, you will need to go to the trouble of booking a new flight.

3. Be willing to travel at night

Most people want to avoid taking “”red eye”” flights at night because they find it hard to sleep on a plane. Once again, airlines are willing to charge you less if you are willing to fly at night. This is because they have trouble filling these night flights. Flying at night should not be a problem for any person who is looking to save every penny on air travel. Besides, you will be getting to your destination in the same amount of time, whether you fly during the day or at night.

4. Fly on less popular days

Friday through Sunday are the busiest days for air travel. If you are willing to book your flight Monday through Thursday, your flight will be much cheaper than on one of the peak travel days. Once again, this is mainly because airlines have a hard time getting people to book flights on these days.

This article was contributed by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, a complete travel platform that allows you to do everything from comparing charter flights and train rides, to finding the best resort hotels and Airbnb rentals.”

Ever thought about the price of convenience?  We’ve come to the conclusion that convenience has a pretty high price tag. It is so much more convenient to purchase all my groceries in one weekly stop. However, I learned that by doing just that, we were spending a couple hundred dollars more per month in our grocery expenses. We’ve tackled the grocery budget and have seen tremendous results these past 2 months. So I started wondering about other areas in spending where convenience has the potential to run the bill up.

Getting a take-out meal or heading through the drive-thru at dinner time versus cooking a meal at home.

I am pretty good about planning my meals ahead of time and cook virtually all our meals at home (except for the one day per week we go to McDonald’s). I can see how this would be a difficult habit to break though, because it does require a lot of energy and planning to get those meals on the table nightly at 5 p.m. The key for me has been weekly meal planning which includes making the menu and purchasing the ingredients on the weekend, so that during the busy week I have everything I need to cook the meals. It’s just a matter of getting the items cooking at the required time so that everything is done by 5 p.m.

Stops at the 7-11 or Jiffy Mart for a snack or soda following after school activities.
I have to admit I have had trouble with this one, but once I set up a “snack bag” in the van, I don’t make these stops anymore. I make sure I always have some bottled water too.

Purchasing diapers, detergents, shampoos, etc. at the grocery store.
Unless you are grocery shopping at Wal-Mart or Super Target, then the grocery store is not the best place to purchase these types of items. Diapers and other types of baby products are going to be much cheaper at the larger discount stores. This is also true for trash bags, dish detergents, aluminum foil, and baggies.

Buying meats pre-marinated, veggie trays, store bought muffins and cakes.
Marinate your own meat, cut up your own veggies, and bake your muffins and cakes. It just takes a little bit of time, and planning is of the essence. I can throw together some homemade muffins in less than 10 minutes.

Doing all grocery shopping at one store versus comparison shopping at different stores.

This is definitely one area where the price of convenience was making a noticable dent in our budget.
The price worksheet I’ve been doing has been invaluable in this effort. I can see that it is cheaper to shop around to get the best prices. Really scanning those weekly grocery ads helps a lot too. I like finding the Buy 1 Get 1 Free sales and then stocking up on those items.

Making last minute gift purchases.
I have found myself doing this on occasion. I’ve done well with the Valentine gifts though. I purchased a few small items for the kids from the dollar store and will be making Valentine cupcakes on Wednesday. We will all share a special homemade Valentine dinner too.   For children’s birthday parties I try to keep a “gift closet” stocked up. When I find items on clearance that would be great to give as a gift, I purchase it to be put into the gift closet. We usually have several different items on hand that can be used to give as a gift, and it really saves not having to make that last minute (and most likely not frugal) purchase.

What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving? For some people it is spending time with family and friends. For others it is remembering how blessed we really are; no matter what trials we endure there is always something to be thankful for. For some folks, however, the absolute best part of Thanksgiving is the traditional turkey dinner.

You know the dinner I’m talking about: the one with all of the fixings. A traditional turkey dinner includes a gorgeous baked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, rolls, candied yams, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. While your family may have its own version of this dinner, you can’t argue that it’s an important part of your family’s celebration.

Even on a tight budget, you can provide the ideal Thanksgiving dinner for your family. You already know how to cut corners in your day-to-day grocery shopping. You may even be an expert at it by now. The last thing you want to do, however, is skimp on things that will make your dinner a less tasteful version of the real thing. Follow these tips to keep your turkey dinner within a reasonable budget without sacrificing this great meal.

Shop ahead of time.

This means that you will have to have your menu planned ahead of time. This probably isn’t a problem at Thanksgiving, however, since you prepare the same meal every year. Shopping ahead for non-perishable components of your meal will allow you to take advantage of any great sales at your local grocery store. Canned vegetables and stuffing mix will last quite awhile in your pantry stockpile.

Skip the side dishes that no one eats.

As I was growing up, my mom always made green bean casserole and traditional green beans. No one ate the casserole, but she always felt like she “had” to make it. You could save money and preparation time by getting rid of the items that no one enjoys and focusing your efforts on the dishes that really contribute to your meal.

Share the load.

Now, I’m sure you don’t want to farm out responsibility for baking the actual turkey. However, maybe your cousin Suzie makes a mean dish of mashed potatoes. Why not call her and tell her how much you’d love for your turkey to share the table with her special dish? She’ll probably be honored that you love her dish so much.

Scale back on your quantities.

Of course, you want to have plenty of food for everyone. You don’t, however, need to be eating turkey for two weeks after Thanksgiving. A more appropriately-sized bird or side dishes, can help you save money without changing your menu at all