Take Control of your $$$

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Financing

1. Set goals 
Life becomes a lot easier when you know what you're working toward; budgeting, saving and making changes to your lifestyle.

2. Lower a monthly bill 
Lower your existing monthly bills just by doing a little negotiating. Credit card interest rate can be lowered just by asking! 

3. Increase your 401(k) contributions 
Log on to your 401(k) or other retirement accounts and increase the amount you're contributing each year. A boost of just one percent is probably small enough that you won't even notice the money gone when you get your next paycheck.

4. Make your savings automatic 
The best way to start saving more money is to make it automatic. Figure out how much money you can realistically save each month after covering all your bills and other expenses, and then set up your direct deposit to have that amount sent directly to savings. That way you won't be tempted to spend it.

 5. Check your credit reports 
The only way to improve your financial life is to know what's going with your credit report. Errors can and do exist so you want to find any mistakes as soon as possible, so you can get them fixed and minimize the damage.

6. Make an extra payment toward a debt                                                                                                                                                                                                                             One thing you can do today is make one extra payment toward a debt. While you may not be able to pay off the entire balance today, every little bit helps. Put the extra money toward whichever debt has the highest interest rate, as that's the debt that will end up costing you more money over time

7. Transfer a high-interest debt 
If you have a big credit card bill with high-interest fees every month, transferring the balance could save you hundreds of dollars.  Once you transfer the debt, your payments will go a lot further without the high interest, which will cost you less money in the long run, and will also allow you to get it paid off quicker.