{"id":39262,"date":"2023-01-02T10:56:32","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T10:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/strive-to-be-debt-free-in-2023\/"},"modified":"2023-01-02T10:56:32","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T10:56:32","slug":"strive-to-be-debt-free-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/strive-to-be-debt-free-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Strive to be Debt Free in 2023!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> \n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"article-authors\">\n\t\tby: <span>Better Business Bureau<\/span>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tPosted: <time datetime=\"2023-01-01T08:27:00-06:00\">Jan 1, 2023 \/ 08:27 AM CST<\/time>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tUpdated: <time datetime=\"2023-01-01T05:36:34-06:00\">Jan 1, 2023 \/ 05:36 AM CST<\/time>\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The holiday expenses may be looming on the credit card bill, or perhaps the bank balance is a little lighter from the extra gifts exchanged with family and friends. If 2023 is the year to reduce debt and bump up the savings account, it\u2019s not a bad idea to revisit prior financial goals.\u00a0When thinking about current finances and sticking to a New Year\u2019s Resolution, consider these tips from Better Business Bureau:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Assess your credit cards<\/strong>. Credit cards are known to have high-interest rates, and this can waste a lot of money over time. Reach out to the credit card company to see if a balance transfer offer can be used to switch to a card with a lower rate or ask if the interest rate can be lowered. Research the financial institution where the credit card is held on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/\">BBB.org<\/a>\u00a0first. Read the terms and contract very carefully \u2013 there may be big penalties if a payment is missed. If you have multiple cards, decide which debt-paying strategy is best for you. Some experts recommend paying off cards with the highest interest rates first.\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nfcc.org\/resources\/blog\/what-is-the-best-way-to-pay-off-debt-debt-avalanche-vs-debt-snowball\/\" target=\"_blank\">Others recommend paying off cards with the smallest balances first<\/a>. Additionally, try sending in payments throughout the month. Put the $5 that would have been spent on a morning coffee towards debt instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"nlp-ignore-block article-content rich-text\">\n<aside class=\"promo-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/whnt.com\/taking-action\/bbb-consumer-alerts\/watch-out-for-facebook-scams-in-local-buy-and-sell-groups\/?ipid=promo-link-block1\" class=\"promo-link__link\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\tWatch Out for Facebook Scams in Local Buy-And-Sell Groups\t<\/a><br \/>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Start budgeting<\/strong>. Creating a written budget and tracking spending is one of the best ways to save money and stop spending more than what is earned. First, figure out how much debt you have; you need an accurate picture before you can figure out your budget. Note the difference between fixed expenses, needs, and wants. If you have debt, include repayment goals in your budget. If possible, factor in retirement and emergency savings. Save money by giving up morning coffee \u2013 and cooking at home instead of getting takeout. Factor in any alternate income that you can think of, like selling unused items or part-time work in the gig economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Avoid wasting money on unethical businesses or scams<\/strong>. When making a purchase or choosing a business,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/search\">check with BBB<\/a>. Making careful decisions now can save time, money, and headaches later. Research all companies at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/search\">BBB.org<\/a>, and check\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/scamtracker\">BBB Scam Tracker<\/a>\u00a0regularly to see what scams are happening in your area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Take advantage of free tools<\/strong>. There are many online tools that can help manage and reduce debt.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Source: BBB.org<\/p>\n<p>Shop and use\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/bbb-accreditation-standards\">BBB Accredited Businesses<\/a>\u00a0that follow\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/standards-for-trust\">BBB\u2019s Standards for Trust<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content-cta-group\">\n<div class=\"modal modal--suggest-a-correction article-content-cta-group__cta\" data-component=\"modal\">\n<div class=\"modal__dialog\" style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"modal__dialog-content\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"modal__close-button\" aria-label=\"Close Modal Content\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon\"><br \/>\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" viewbox=\"0 0 16.85 16.875\">\n\t<title>Close Modal<\/title>\n\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M9.65 8.454l6.88-7.063a.809.809 0 0 0 0-1.15.782.782 0 0 0-1.14 0L8.52 7.305 1.37.241a.782.782 0 0 0-1.14 0 .809.809 0 0 0 0 1.15l7.15 7.063-7.15 7.063a.809.809 0 0 0 0 1.15.824.824 0 0 0 .6.219.787.787 0 0 0 .59-.219l7.15-7.063 6.87 7.063a.824.824 0 0 0 .6.219.619.619 0 0 0 .54-.219.792.792 0 0 0 0-1.15z\"\/>\n<\/svg><br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"modal__dialog-title\">Suggest a Correction<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t<button data-modal-trigger=\"\">Suggest a Correction<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/__i\/rss\/rd\/articles\/CBMiUmh0dHBzOi8vd2hudC5jb20vdGFraW5nLWFjdGlvbi9iYmItY29uc3VtZXItYWxlcnRzL3N0cml2ZS10by1iZS1kZWJ0LWZyZWUtaW4tMjAyMy_SAVZodHRwczovL3dobnQuY29tL3Rha2luZy1hY3Rpb24vYmJiLWNvbnN1bWVyLWFsZXJ0cy9zdHJpdmUtdG8tYmUtZGVidC1mcmVlLWluLTIwMjMvYW1wLw?oc=5\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by: Better Business Bureau Posted: Jan 1, 2023 \/ 08:27 AM CST Updated: Jan 1, 2023 \/ 05:36 AM CST The holiday expenses may be looming on the credit card bill, or perhaps the bank balance is a little lighter from the extra gifts exchanged with family and friends. If 2023 is the year to &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[161],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39262"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brandon.ddtest.info\/multisite-test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}