Enjoy FREE Credit Report!

I can't wait for the day when I'm finally debt-free! Imagine not having to pay any more bills be it credit cards, housing loan or even an installment plan. Surely I'd live a more relaxed, less stressful life and I can add a bigger chunk to my savings too!

Everyone has debts and big or small; they undeniably play a major role in our lives. If you're like my friend Shyam who's very particular about her finances and promptly pays all her bills in full every month, you need not worry too much. But if you're like me who owns quite a few credit cards and am not sufficiently disciplined to make prompt payment every month, you might need to pay more attention to your finances.

I am actually dreading receiving my credit card bills this month. After my recent vacation and massive spending on perfumes and what not, the moment of truth has arrived and the total amount of our expenses will reach me soon. It's not like we overspent but we did spend a little more than our usual monthly budget and now we have to fork up extra cash to pay for what we enjoyed last month; payback time if you will!

Have you ever wondered what your credit is like? Credit Score Cowboy gives you access to monitor and control your credit. Registration is free and once approved; you can easily obtain your free credit report and free credit scores.

Credit report is important for so many reasons and this site offers you expert credit advice and the most current information on everything you've always wanted to know about credit. Take advantage of the FREE 30-day trial and free credit score service. Find out all you can about your credibility as a good trusty payer with the ability to pay your bills on time.

Thanks for reading and have a great Wednesday!

-FC Scoreboard points for my first THREE commenters-

MARVIC
SHEMAH
DEBBS

Credit Card Declined!

Shopping is fun! Shopping is tiring but shopping can also be a little embarrassing especially when you forget to bring along a credit card that works instead of one that's declined by the cashier!

Yesterday was an exhausting day for me. We had a lot of shopping to do so we started our day early. I was up and about by 9am, so imagine how shocked my sleep system was at that hour! After a late brunch at a waffle cafe, we shopped around for a new vacuum cleaner. That itself was a big purchase so we lugged the heavy box back to our car first before continuing shopping at Marks & Spencer and my favourite perfume store too.

I've also been meaning to get a new external portable hard drive so a computer store was our next stop. I found one with a 250 GB capacity and after much examining and asking questions, we decided this one was suitable for my storing needs. I didn't have enough cash on me so I happily produced my trusty credit card from my wallet and handed it to the cashier. He came back after a few minutes with the embarrassing message that my card had been declined!

My first thought was that I had missed out paying my minimum amount at least, last month! I've been so distracted lately and there were a few reminder letters from my credit card company. I'm pretty certain I paid all my bills during my last banking round two weeks ago, but did I somehow forget to pay this one?

Mind you I'm not one of those people who need to repair bad credit; I do try my best to make early payment, before their due dates. There's no actual call for credit repair or ways to improve credit ranking when it comes to my financial responsibility, well not yet anyway. But life does get busier than usual sometimes and maybe I did overlook making payment last month.

B came to my rescue and ended up using his credit card to pay for my new gadget, thanks love! It was only later when we stopped for coffee at Starbucks that I realized I had brought along the wrong card! My credit card recently expired and I did receive a renewal last week but in my haste this morning to leave home, I had left the current expired one in my wallet and the new one at home, which caused the decline. Silly me!

We got home late and I was so tired from a whole day of shopping that I fell asleep early and again missed all the Music Monday chopping frenzy to be first commenter! I also have not prepared my American Idol picks yet from last week so my Music Monday post here will appear here a tad later than usual. See you guys in a few hours and I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day weekend!

PS. FC Scoreboard points await my first three commenters, go for it!

LADYJAVA'S LOUNGE
MY SWEET ESCAPE
MUMBLINGS

Thoughtful Love

I woke up yesterday afternoon to the smell of coffee and B all lemony fresh and clean. Walking out into a fresh-smelling living room made my sleepiness disappear. The floor was already mopped; clean and shiny. The afternoon sun was streaming through the wide-opened windows and there was no fur flying in the air.

I looked up at the fans and was surprised to see the blades neatly wiped. All the fur balls clinging to our sofa and furniture were gone, which means the vacuuming was done! I walked into my office and my laptop was already switched on, set to my blog. Moments later B appeared with a fresh mug of coffee for me. All I had to do was bid him good morning and start my day!

Waking up to a clean house was a wonderful surprise indeed! I was so happy to avoid all the dust and sneezing and for B to do all the work while I was sleeping really made my day. It was a very sweet and thoughtful gesture and it made me feel even more pampered and loved. All I wanted to do right there and then was reward B with a thank you gift and if I were a millionaire, I wouldn't think twice about buying him something huge and expensive like this brand new BMW to express my appreciation for his thoughtfulness!




First introduced in 2005, the BMW M5 E60 is the fourth generation of the series and is currently the most powerful BMW road car ever built. And since I'm drowning in cash, I'd even throw in a customize session where B is free to accessorize his brand new BMW anyway he sees fit.

Car customization is becoming a fad among the rich and famous. The main purpose is to make one's luxury car stand out from the rest. Accessorizing is becoming a trend and simple car accessories can completely alter the appearance of your high-end car. With so many different types of car covers, rear view mirrors, HID lights, floor mats, dashboard components and many more, just about everything is now available for the car enthusiast. And since money is not a problem in this scenario of mine, B can have as much fun as he wants accessorizing and beautifying his new toy!

All this of course, if I were a millionaire but since I'm not, I decided to reward B with a nice body massage instead! I sent him off for a 2-hour massage at his favourite place and he came home all smiles, completely rejuvenated from all the cleaning he did earlier in the day. I might not be able to afford him a new luxury car but I can still make his million dollar smile appear with a simple massage gift. Thank you for helping me out with the chores love, you're the best!

LADYJAVA'S LOUNGE

Credit Cards and Me

My friend DD, who is also my neighbour, knows all about my problem with credit cards. We were also colleagues once upon a time and I remember how we used to discuss my credit card situation in her cubicle during our lunch break. She would usually give me a pep talk on how I should be more careful with my finances and make me envision a life free from the clutches of credit cards. I would respond by listening to her; nodding in full agreement, before secretly mailing out my application!

When did I first apply for a credit card? I think it was about a year after I was employed at my first job in NST. That year, the banks finally decided to lower their pay requirements for credit card application and I found myself suddenly bombarded with many cool offers! I happily sent in as many applications as I could, thinking that I couldn't possibly be approved by all the banks. As it turned out, I ended up with more than 3 shiny new credit cards, which made my eyes shine just as bright at the thought of the new source of funds I would be enjoying!

When I left my last employer in 2003 with a hefty Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) compensation, I promised myself that I'd use some of the money to get rid of at least half of my credit cards. I reluctantly parted with a huge chunk of my compensation money to settle my outstanding amounts for several cards. However, I still couldn't bring myself to cancel their respective accounts lest I might need one of my credit cards for a rainy day. I definitely should have done the cancellation then because many rainy days and countless "emergencies" later, I am back at square one with the same amount of outstanding balance and number of credit cards I started out with!

Perhaps safety in numbers is totally out of context here, but that's how I feel sometimes. The more credit cards I have in my collection, the "safer" I feel. If left uncontrolled, I know that my soft spot for credit cards can spell total disaster, especially when I'm in the mood for one of my shopping sprees. Furthermore, my sometimes motto of "Buy now, worry later" doesn't seem to be helping much! In fact, I'm currently contemplating on accepting a new credit card offer that came in the mail yesterday. It has some really great features, so before I get too enticed by the new credit limit this card is offering, I'd better pay DD a visit - I think it's high time she gives me another pep talk!

Stay Cool With a MINT Card!

This morning, the thunderous hammering of the postman at my door rudely jolted me from my slumber! Never mind the fact that my doorbell isn't working but did he really have to knock so loudly? I had a good mind to ignore his racket but since I was expecting a cheque, I reluctantly got up. In my haste to catch Mr. Postman, I tripped over Chubbs and hurt my knee!

By the time I answered the door, I was in a foul mood. Still hoping for the best, I opened the registered mail and was disappointed to discover that it was not the anticipated cheque but a credit card renewal instead. So not only was I roused from my sleep to sign for a trivial mail, I’m now suffering from a bruised knee too!

I was wide awake by then so I made some coffee and settled down to pay my credit card bills online. I usually try to settle them before the end of the month, which means I only had a week left. After completing my payments, I suddenly remembered the MINT credit card email I recently received and decided to check out the offer.

A MINT credit card comes with many exciting benefits. Currently, it offers you a 0% balance transfer until January 2009; allowing you to perform credit card consolidation by transferring higher interest balance from other credit cards to your MINT card. Other benefits include online fraud protection, free card for your loved one, worldwide acceptance and no annual fee.

The most interesting feature of this credit card is that you can personalise it with any photo of your choice. Just select a favourite photo of your pet, friends or even a celebrity idol and upload it online. Submit the image to MINT and within 12 working days, you’ll receive your personalised MINT credit card, which will surely impress your friends with its unique design!

This credit card is offered to UK residents only, which rules me out from applying. Guess I’ll just have to be content with my current credit cards, which now pale in comparison to this cool MINT credit card. Hopefully one of my credit card companies will offer this personalise feature soon. It would be great to own a credit card with a picture of Phoebe; then I can literally keep her in my pocket everywhere I go!