One of the most important things a student who wants a credit card must do is a financial assessment of his/her current situation, research the net and the books, review which one has more rants than raves and question all the people to be involved in this credit card application. It is very important that the student knows everything that he/she is getting into before the actual request.It’s no fun at all applying for a card and just being rejected once or twice. That is why college credit cards were invented, to help small earners like you because you are still in college. But don’t worry what you need to remember is to develop a good credit card history. Since you are starting you just need to be a wait a little. Remember patience is a virtue.Here are certain things you need to remember:- If you have your own place now, remember one thing. PAY YOUR BILLS ON TIME. That will definitely put a star in your potential to be a good credit card owner. Companies will see that and you might just be shocked by the number of companies wanting you as their customer. They will swarm to you like bees to honey.- Credit cards can deceive us to thinking of wealth we don’t really have. Avoid using the card unnecessarily.- Use this card to put an A plus on your credit record.- Make a small financial plan for yourself. Plan what you will be spending and plan how you will be able to pay for it.- Assess yourself and know and how much you can really afford.- Do not over spend. You will just kill your credit record.- Use your card regularly; don’t make it look like it has not been used.- Beware of fees. Especially late fees due to your inability to pay at the due date.- For some credit card companies student cards have no annual fees. Be sure to grab that.- Can help pay for tuition fees.- If at anytime you transfer addresses immediately notify your credit card company so the bills will still be able to get to you at the proper time.- Low interest rates- Not only is this credit card helpful it has a lot of incentives stuck with it. (Like tickets to see MTV shows).Not all good things are meant for you. Things as important as your record need to be acted upon responsibly. If you have a knack for spending a lot or you are already termed as the impulse buyer you might want to give this a second thought. This will only entice you to spend even more. False wealth is never a good option.Having bad credit will cause you even more worries eventually as it will reflect on your credit record. Not only will you have problems with debt, you will also lose a chance for home loans, payday loans and automobile loans.Above all this, know your rights through the Fair Billing Act for Consumers.- If someone stole your card and was used, you will not be legally responsible for what happened. Just remember to immediately report this lost card.- If a certain good or service was ordered but was not received, what ever was charged in your bill will be cancelled.- If someone used your account without your authority you may also let this be cancelled in your account.- If there are any mistakes in your billingNo matter how young you maybe it is not an excuse to act like a kid. Act conscientiously and maturely, know what will pull you down and what will bring you up. Credit records are stuck to your name for a long period of time. You shouldn’t put any blemish in it. If you unluckily did try your best to have it removed in your name.Good credit records will aid you and allow you to be given loans for your house, automobile and payday loans. Starting with your student card and keeping it blemish free will give you more chances to use these loans at the time you will need them. Isn’t that neat? Clean record and better chances of loans in the future. Cool.
For Credit Card Rookies
What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime
What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.
As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.
That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.
Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.
Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.
Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.
Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.
That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.
Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.
Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.
My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.
Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.
And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.
All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:
• Farm eggs
• Fresh vegetables
• Cow’s milk
• Freshly baked bread
• Coal for our open fires
Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.
Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.
Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.
Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.
My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.
The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.
Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.
Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.
People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.
In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.
Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.
• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.
• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.
• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.
On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.
Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.
We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.
Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.
My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.
Baby Skin Care – Treating Cradle Cap and Nappy Rash Naturally
According to Loyola University, the average one-month-old baby is bathed four times each week and shampooed three times. Commercial Baby Skin Care Products are loaded with chemicals, fragrances and detergents that dry out sensitive skin and often cause skin rashes in babies and young children. As a result more products are applied with a further de-hydrating affect on your precious baby’s skin. For a natural approach to Baby Skin Care newborn babies need only an occasional bath in warm water and no soap or shampoo is needed. If you are treating cradle cap, nappy rash or skin rashes in babies, then use only natural baby skin care products.We recommend looking after your baby’s skin with Natural Products that are organic relief for your baby’s skin and scalp and won’t dry out skin. Baby skin care products should have a pH 5.5 and be free of Sodium Lauryl sulphate, soap agents and fragrances.Over 75 percent of newborn babies get nappy rash within the first months after birth. Nappy Rash most commonly occurs due to bacteria and detergent residues that are not completely rinsed off when nappies are changed and/or washed. It is important to keep your baby’s sensitive skin clean and well hydrated and if nappy rash does occur, we feel natural skin care products and natural treatment of nappy rash and skin rashes in babies is imperative, giving your baby the best organic start in life.The standard medical treatment for skin rashes and nappy rash is cortisone cream. Fortunately, some paediatricians prefer not use such strong steroids purely for cosmetic reasons. Try Pure Organic Aloe Vera to nourish, moisturise and protect your baby’s sensitive skin. Organic Aloe Vera will gently re-hydrate the most sensitive skin, without fragrance, colour, SLS or gelling agent added. Apply with every diaper/nappy change and don’t rub in; allow a few minutes to dry. The lotion will absorb naturally and allow for much loved nappy free time. We recommend washing the nappy area with clean water each diaper/nappy change then patting dry before applying Aloe Vera lotion. Without a powder base this baby skin care treatment insures no concerns of inhalation. Apply a barrier cream to protect your baby’s sensitive skin. A natural baby skin care barrier cream protects against further dehydration and assists in keeping nappy rash and skin rashes in babies at bay. Apply with every diaper/nappy change.Aloe Vera has a pH factor very close to that of the skin and it helps to restore the skin to its natural pH. Six antiseptics naturally contained in Aloe Vera soothe nappy rash, baby skin rashes, inflammation and irritated skin and reduce the chance of further infection. Aloe Vera is a mild anaesthetic, antibacterial & antifungal, containing anti-inflammatory fatty acids. These components have shown to assist in relieving itching, swelling, redness and pain. Aloe Vera is a natural moisturiser, fragrance and oil free, perfect for baby skin care products and treating cradle cap, nappy rash and other skin rashes in babies.Cradle Cap is a thick, yellowish, crusty rash that forms on the scalp and sometimes the eyebrows of babies. Cradle Cap can be found on newborn babies skin, on toddler scalps and if persistent cradle cap can still be found on pre-schoolers. Cradle Cap is not dangerous, only unsightly. Cradle Cap in babies and young children is caused partly by an over production of oil. We suggest, if harsh detergents are used in baby care products and used daily, the bodies natural oil production is stimulated to counter act the drying effects of these so called ‘gentle’ baby care products. Instead, apply Aloe Vera products directly onto the skin, just a fine mist at a time but apply regularly to soften cradle cap crusts, then after bathing rub gently with a towel or a soft hair brush to remove cradle cap crusts. Several attempts may be needed.Organic Aloe Vera Natural Skin Care Products [http://www.naturalskinandbeauty.com/natural-skin-care-products-with-aloe-vera] are ideal for baby skin care. Aloe Vera is natural skin treatment that will gently re-hydrate the most sensitive baby skin. Aloe Vera will cleanse, repair, moisturise and protect the most sensitive skin without fear of petroleum by products, SLS, fragrance, colour, gelling agents or fillers added.