6 Christmas money-saving tips for 2017

6 Christmas money-saving tips for 2017

With the year fast winding down and Christmas barely 55 days away, have you started preparing for the festivities?

Christmas is that time of the year that swallows up a huge chunk of our money leaving most of us apprehensive as the New Year approaches. It is common to hear people lament being broke in January, but this doesn’t have to be so for you if you follow these tips.

 

  1. Be organized

Know what you want to spend money on and create a budget to match your planned expenses. If you’ll be gifting people or travelling, find out the cost and factor that into your budget too along with any other plans you may have. Then ensure that you stick to your budget to avoid overspending.

  1. Start shopping now

By now, you should already have the list of all you plan to buy, start buying them gradually. Pick a few items to buy each week. This way, you’ll find that you are not overwhelmed when the week of Christmas comes. Knowing how prices get hiked during festivities, you will be thanking your lucky stars that you shopped early.

  1. Book flight and bus tickets in advance

Fares typically shoot up from the first week in December, so you might want to book your tickets before then. Save that extra cash, you’ll definitely be needing it.

  1. Brave Black Friday sales

If you like discounts and you’re not afraid of the crowd, then you should look forward to November 24 with joy. Take advantage of the decent discounts and know exactly what you want to buy and how much you plan to spend. Don’t get carried away by all the amazing cheap stuff on sale to avoid falling into a trap disguised as a deal. Stay focused on your goal, which is cutting down cost ahead of Christmas.

  1. Call your tailor now

If you’ve committed to wearing ‘asoebi’ for someone’s celebration this Christmas or have plans to sew outfits for yourself, now is the time to get that piece of material to your tailor if you haven’t done that yet.

Don’t wait until tailors are fully booked and you have to pay extra for ‘express’ sewing. Remember that when ‘seasonal sewing’ start, tailors too hike their prices.

  1. Save the extras

Planning now for Christmas by following these tips means you’ll have some extra money. But don’t get tempted to spend it all on some fancy desire you really don’t need. How about saving with your future or that of those you care about in mind? Remember, every little bit counts. Instead of looking for one big way to save a ton of money, save in lots of small ways like the above listed and like little drops, it will make a mighty financial ocean when you need it most.

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Source: Articles

4 reasons to get life insurance

4 reasons to get life insurance

The topic of getting life insurance is one you may not want to talk about. But because it is important that you ensure the financial security of people that depend on you, it is worth dealing with.

First, let us break down why you need one.

If you’re a breadwinner, you need a life insurance

Let’s be real, if you are the main financial backbone in your family and anything happens to you, your partner, children and anybody else that depends on you, will probably suffer financially. This is one of the major reasons people get life cover; to ensure a safety net for their loved ones in the face of unforeseen circumstances. With the rising cost of education, you can ensure that your kids will still be able to get the education they deserve should the worst happen.

It is not anticipating bad omen. It is simply facing reality and planning for it.

Got loans?

This is one that you might not have thought about. What becomes of your family if you have taken a loan or got a mortgage and something happens to you and there is no one to pay it off? Proceeds from your life insurance policy can be used to settle these loans ensuring that if the worst happens, your family doesn’t have an additional debt to deal with.

Single but responsible

Now, being single doesn’t mean you don’t have anyone that depends on you financially. It could be an elderly parent, sibling or relative. Having a life cover will make sure that these people you care about will be taken care of regardless of your presence, giving you and them peace of mind.

If you need to take care of future medical expenses

If you can’t predict the future, then you never know what may happen. A life protection plan comes in handy in the event of injuries, accidents or terminal illnesses which may prevent you from working. It saves you and your loved ones from unplanned and expensive medical bills.

While life insurance protects your family in the event of uncertainty, there are also lots of other benefits to getting one. Haven’t already taken out a life insurance? It’s not late.

Get in touch with us today via [email protected] to discuss your options.

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Next-of-kin Vs Beneficiary: Who gets what?

Next-of-kin Vs Beneficiary: Who gets what?

Ubong sat in the seat with her notepad and fiddled with her pen as she waited for Mr. Edewor to finish with his phone call and resume the interview.

Being a journalist had taught her patience and she was grateful for that. The minutes went by and Mr. Edewor’s call seemed unending. While Ubong wasn’t one to eavesdrop on the conversation of others, she couldn’t help her sudden interest and curiosity in the ongoing conversation.

“No, Esther. Don’t create a scene there. Basil didn’t make you his beneficiary so you have no claims to his estate”, continued Mr. Edewor. His response obviously triggered an outburst on the other end of the line, which he responded to.

“See Esther, I’m in the middle of an interview and your shouting and crying is not what I need right now. Your husband may have filled in your name as his next-of-kin in all documents, but pertaining his investments and will, the name there is his younger brother’s name. So yes, Fredrick is right to challenge your claims. I’ll hang up now to call you later. In the meantime, pull yourself together, I’m sure it can all be worked out.”

Mr. Edewor ended the call and with a shake of the head said his apologies ready to get back to the matter at hand. But Ubong wasn’t ready for the matter at hand.

In all her education and exposure, she couldn’t understand why she was just hearing that there was a difference between next-of-kin and beneficiary.

Are you like Ubong? Don’t fret. We will be breaking down all you need to know about next-of-kin and beneficiary in today’s episode of ARM Life Living Benefits show.

Tune in on Smooth 98.1FM by 6.40pm (Lagos) and you might also get to win a gift voucher!

 

 

 

 

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Source: Blog