Payday Loans Blog

Be Prepared. This is the motto for the boyscouts of America and no matter where you live, you are sure to benefit from following that simple advice. When you are prepared finacially, physically and mentally you have no reason to fear the calamities and disasters happening all around us.  There have been a number of earthquakes lately, and the number of them doesn't seem to be slowing down or lessening.  Preparing an earthquake kit is easy and doesn't cost a lot of money. This article will give you a few tips and tricks for making sure you have the supplies you need should you be affected by an earthquake.

1. You will need a tupperware container or other container in order to store items in and make sure to label it, so the items that you prepare don't get used for something else.
   
2. Store a gallon of water for each person in your family and your pets. This is expected to last about three days. If there are only a few family members you can store more if you'd like.
   
3. Pack enough canned and non-perishable foods to last each family member at least three days. Pets will need about an ounce of canned wet food per day.  Remember you are packing to stay alive, not to feast.
4. Purchase a tackle box and use it as a first aid kit. It is easy to grab and carry and can include many items. Include in it: vitamins, bandages, safety pins, soap. gloves, sunscreen, gauze pads, non-prescription pain relievers, antacids, scissors, tweezers, wipes, anti-bacterial cream, and a thermometer.
   
5. Store in the tub or container: plastic cups, plates, and utensils, along with a battery operated radio and extra batteries. A pocket or larger knife, tape, aluminum foil, notebook, pencils, and a wrench may also come in handy.
6. In a small backpack you may also want to include a little cash, toilet paper, soap, feminine supplies, garbage bags, rain gear, sunglasses, flashlights, and batteries.
7. You may want to prepare two of these bins, one for the home or garage (make sure all family members know about it and what is in it), and one for the car or office.
   

If you live in an earthquake disaster zone, you may find that being safe is better than being sorry. Including a small emergency blanket or other warming items may also be something to consider, and matches may serve you well.  Check City also offers Prepaid Phone Cards so that if disaster strikes, and the phone lines are still working, you will have a way to contact those you need to most.  We can fit them to serve your exact needs, just visit us In Store or at Check City Online today to learn about the plans and what else Check City can do for you.

Now that St. Patrick's Day is past, you can pull down your green leprechaun decorations and move on to your Easter collection. If you don't have an easter collection, don't fear; I have included some easy to make and cheap to buy easter decorations that are sure to be a hit with your kids and anyone else who visits your home. These inexpensive ideas will get your mind rolling and you will be able to come up with even more ideas on your own. Also, you can look forward to some upcoming Easter Posts such as:

• Easy To Make Easter Dinners
• How to Dye and Color Easter Eggs &
• Easter Family Traditions

Bunny Seat Cover:

Materials:

• Pillow Case or White Fabric (depending on chair size)
• Felt
• Fabric Glue
• Pins 
• Pipe Cleaners
  

Instructions:

Use the pillow case as a slip cover, or make your own using the fabric and then download this PDF file to create the bunny cutouts from colored felt pieces.  Use the large round circle for pink cheek spots, the ovals for eyes, the small circles for eyeballs and the triangle for the nose, then of course you can figure out the ears. You may want to buy removeable glue or just use pins for the ears so you can remove them so they don't become smashed and you can use the decoration for multiple years.

Easter Centerpiece:

Materials:

• Various fresh fruit
• Apple Jelly
• Water
• Superfine Sugar
• Newspaper
• Spring Flowers
• Pastry Brushes
• Easter Platter or basket

Instructions:

Lay out the newspaper so that you don't make a mess on the table or surface where you will be working. Lay out the washed fruit on the newspaper.  Mix, 1 cup of apple jelly and 1 cup of water.  Cover each piece of fruit with the mixture and then sprinkle the sugar over the fruit.  Let the fruit dry and then arrange them along with the flowers in a basket or on a platter for a sweet centerpiece. 

These are just a few simple and inexpensive ideas for making your home a little more easter friendly. You can also decorate eggs and place them around your home, as well as other flowers and springtime decorations. Are you feeling a little lonely this Easter season? Come to Check City and get one of our Prepaid Phone Cards, they make it easy to stay in touch with loved ones as well as get in touch with old friends and family that you haven't spoken to in years.  We offer these great and inexpensive Phone Cards at our many Check City Locations and through Check City Online. Check them out today. 

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) released a national broadband plan that is supposed to make internet access cheaper and more available to 90% of Americans by 2020.  FCC Commissioner said it isn't something they are doing to just be nice, and that every American should be able to have access to the internet.  What is the FCC planning to do then to help more Americans get access to the internet and at cheaper prices?  The broadband plan includes multibillion dollar programs that are to be used to extend fiber optic cables to Rural America and educate people on why they need the internet and what benefits it can bring them. The plan also includes education programs for how to search and use the internet as a source of information.

The FCC says that if the United States doesn't step up its efforts to make the internet more accessible and affordable to more people the economy will suffer and those already disconnected Americans will become even more disconnected as the world moves on without them.

Why DO Americans Need the Internet?

• Much of our communication takes place via the internet.
• Most job applications are now found online.
  
• The FCC says that without the internet, many Americans will lose the ability to function properly in the world of technology.

The plan is supposed to be revenue neutral according to the FCC and profits made over the next ten years are projected to cover any costs incurred from the programs.  The plan is also set to speed up American's current average connection speed. Even though the internet was developed in the United States, we have since fallen behind in our connection rates and download speeds and 17 countries currently have faster and better internet connections. The plan still needs to be approved by congress, but an internet improvement plan was included in the requirements for President Obama's Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, so even if this specific plan is not approved, one evenutally will be.

This new internet plan should help the average, everyday American save money.   Check City can also help you as the average everyday American save money.  With our many great financial services you are sure to find something that can help you save. We have Prepaid Phone Cards to help you with your long distance phone bills as well as other services to help you save money in every aspect of your life. You can also get a Title loan or Payday Loan from Check City without getting a credit check. Visit us Online or in one of our Store Locations to get started today.

Check City offers Prepaid Phone Cards. They are easy to use and offer plenty of benefits. There are many reasons to use a prepaid phone.  Not only do these cards help lower your long distance rates, they are able to be used with any phone plan and at any time to help save money on your phone bills and with Check City we can fit your phone card to your exact customer specifications.

1. Extremely Low Rates: With a prepaid phone card you can get long distance rates for much lower prices. With a prepaid phone card, you could save up to 95% on your long distance phone bill. The best part about these low rates is that you don't have to be on a specific phone plan or switch long distance providers in order to save money.
2. Use with Any Phone: You can use these prepaid phone cards with any phone company and any phone plan. You can also use these cards on a cell, home or office phone. You also don't have to switch or turn off your long distance or phone bill to use these prepaid cards. In most instances, these cards also receive better per minute rates.
3. Great for Travel/Vacation: These prepaid phone cards can also help when you are traveling. It can save on your airport calling fees, long distance hotel fees as well as cell phone roaming charges. You may also want to contact your service provider or hotel to make sure they carry or support prepaid phone cards. International phone calls will become affordable as you use prepaid phone cards.
4. Help Budget Your Phone Bill: Prepaid phone cards also help you to better budget your phone bill.  If you buy a large amount, or small amounts multiple times as you go, you will be able to better budget your phone bill and know exactly how much you are spending each month.
5. Convenient and Time Saving Features:  Many phone cards now have convenience features to help save you even more time.  These features include things such as automatic reload, when your card runs out of minutes, and other convenient and time saving features.

Check City has a Prepaid Phone Card we can customize to your specific needs.  We can fit it to who, when, and where you are calling so that you can get the most out of each minute. It is easy to get when you visit one of our many Check City Locations or CheckCity.com.  We have services to fit all your financial needs, visit us today!

Well, despite our best efforts to use our positive energy to stop the snow, it's still coming, which means you could still have a few weeks to build that fabulous snowman or other snow sculptures you have always dreamed of creating.  Not only is building a snowman a great way to relieve your creative outlet, it will get you outside for fresh air and energize you on an otherwise drab and snowy day. You don't need a whole lot of snow on the ground a few solid inches will probably work the best, but it has to be packable. You will also need gloves or mittens to keep your hands from freezing solid.

Start by making a small compacted snowball.  Continue adding snow and packing it onto the ball until it is too big to hold in your hands. When you reach this point, set the ball on the ground and roll it away from you compacting more snow onto the ball as you go. Continue using your hand to compact the snow, helping hold it together. Continue packing the ball together until you have it the size you want for the bottom of  the snowman's body. Remember to not make it too big however, because you have to place two other balls of snow on top of it.

Make two smaller balls, one for the midsection and one for the head.  The head should be the smallest, and the bottom (first ball) the biggest. Pack the three balls together by adding extra snow to the sides to help it stand up more easily.

Give your snowman a face by using coal, large buttons, rocks or anything round for his or her eyes,  a carrot, banana or candy cane will work great for the nose or you can find something you like better.  For the mouth you could try a crooked stick to make a smile or rocks placed close together if sticks aren't readily available. Use your imagination.

Give him or her hair using a plant or other household items such as an old mop and if you want a sock hat or top hat can be used for added extras. However, the top hat will probably blow away unless secured.  Give him or her stick arms, legs if you want and other accessories such as a scarf, mittens or sunglasses and that is how you make a snowman.

Are you chilled by your high long distance bills? Do you feel like you are giving your family the cold shoulder because it is so expensive to call them? Make it a little easier on yourself.  Get a Prepaid Phone Card from Check City.  The benefits of prepaid phone cards can easily outweigh the benefits of a long distance calling plan.  With a Check City Prepaid Phone Card, you can better monitor your minutes, and spend less than you would normally spend on long distance calls.  With Check City we can mold the card to best fit your exact needs so that you can get exactly what you want and need from a calling card. Check City makes it easy and the price is right.

Lately, there has been a re-awareness of child abductions.  Perhaps it is because a missing child was recently found, or perhaps because people are speaking out about it more. These tips aren't the end all to keep your child safe at all times, but they could prove helpful in many situations.

1. Never let your child go anywhere alone.  Many times children are abducted by people they know, in neighborhoods they are familiar with and often times they are abducted very close to their home.  Many reports of missing children  happen as they are walking home from a friend's house.  They simply disappear.  Walk with them to the friends, and home from the friends, or drop them off. Don't let them walk alone (especially in the dark).

2. If you are in a big crowded area, make sure your child is wearing bright colors such as yellow or orange so that they are easily spotted. 

3. Meet your children's friends' parents.  These are some of the people that will be watching your child when they play with their friends, make sure they are trustworthy and you know who they are and what they do. 

4. Make emergency plans with your children for the home and for outside of the home.  If you are outside of the home meet in a very public place such as the town square or the middle of a large grocery store where a lot of people will be.  This is in case you get separated, the more people around, the better. 

5. When you are in the home, make sure they know the fire safety and emergency plans.  Where do they go? What do they do?

6. This seems somewhat obvious but teach your children to never talk to strangers, or answer the door for someone they don't know, especially if you aren't there. Teach them that this can be very dangerous and to never get in a car with a person they don't know either, no matter who they say they are. 

7. Teach them to always look both ways before crossing the street.  They should be with an adult anyways, but if for some reason they have to cross the street by themselves make sure they know to look both ways and to wait until there are no cars coming to cross. 

If for some reason, they do go missing, call the police and get the word of mouth out there, fast.  Tell everyone you know to watch for your child, and try to know as much as you can about what they are wearing and what they are doing everyday so that you can give the police as many details as possible. As always, if you see a child being abducted, please contact the authorities and get as much information about the person as you can so that you can give the police an accurate description. Don't report abductions too often, but if you make a mistake most parents would rather have people watching their children and call on accident, than let a child get taken. 

Check City offers you ways to keep your family safe. We have insurance plans that are sure to help your family when times are tough.  We wouldn't want you to go without, so we offer cheap insurance plans that fit you and your lifestyle.  We also have prepaid calling cards so that you can know where your children are at all times.  Give them a calling card and they can call you from anywhere. It is simple and safe.  

Start a hobby.  Is there something that you have always wanted to do, but never quite found the time? Are you a great listener, or advice giver? Do you love to quilt, or build model airplanes or cars but just can’t seem to find the time to learn? Winter is a perfect time to do those things you have always wanted to do since outside activities are a little harder.

Take a walk or find another way to exercise. It seems like a simple, obvious answer, and it is. Many communities have indoor exercise facilities and their prices are usually pretty decent. If not, maybe you have a community center with an indoor pool that is cheap to use every once in a while or a racquetball court that charges by the hour.  If you aren’t quite as adventurous, walk outside for a few minutes each day, or at least go to the store and walk around if it is a little too cold outside.

Travel. Money is scarce, everyone knows that, but if you just can’t stand the cold, a good way to shake off some of those winter blues may be to travel somewhere even a little warmer for a few days.  It will lift your spirits.

Don’t Lose Human Contact.  Many people forget that human communication and contact are vital to the human spirit.  We need contact and we need communication so talk to people. Share your stories, and let them share theirs with you.  It will help you to feel a lot better.

Do you need a way to talk to your friends, family and loved ones that don’t live next door, or even just down the road? Check City offers prepaid phone cards! We can customize your plan for whoever you call, wherever they are, and what time of the day you prefer to talk on the phone. It really is as easy as one, two, three. Visit a Check City location or give us a call to find out how we can help you.

Do not wait for the next holiday season, the next big product or the next large sale. Recent events and statistics show that those who do not spend their gift cards and decide to save them for another time end up losing money in the long run.

The Federal Reserve is working on laying out new rules and limitations on the expiration and fees associated with gift cards. These rules are in the works but wont be coming for quite some time. Tens of billions of dollars are spent each holiday season with the use of gift cards, they are a huge market for companies and account for a large portion of their profits.

Companies make most of their profit from gift cards when card holders spend more money then the card is worth. This is the aim of businesses to make customers more comfortable spending more money knowing they have a gift card in their pocket. On the other end of the spectrum, companies also collect a large profit when the card holder does not spend the full balance on the card. Many people leave between two and three dollars on their cards. Businesses plan on this and profit from it.

Something many people do not think about, especially in our economy today, is the potential for the failure of a business. If a company goes bellyup they have no responsibility in repaying you for your gift cards. Every year this happens and billions of customer dollars are lost, literally disappearing into thin air.

Different kinds of gift cards can hold fees and interest. Some cards charge a fee along with the price of items purchased, other cards charge a monthly fee for cards that sit dormant with no use. These type of cards are mostly found with banks or credit card companies. Many companies are now starting to cut down on these” dormancy” costs. It seems that a few businesses are beginning to realize that charging a monthly fee for a gift card, begins to defeat the purpose of these cards.

Fees

The plan of the Federal Reserve is to try to limit these dormancy fees. If their plan of action is successful companies will no longer be able to charge any fees within the first year a customer posseses a gift card. Following the first year Dormancy fees would be stated clearly and be able to be charged once again once per month.  They are also fighting fees involved with replacing lost cards and looking up balances on cards.

The banking world is not happy with the Fed’s efforts. Many companies have requested that they lessen the number of fees they are trying to eliminate. One fee they find very valuable is the right to charge for replacing lost gift cards. They feel these fees in particular are fair considering that losing a gift card is basically like losing cash that can be spent by someone else.

There are also the consumers who have inquired in support of the Fed. Asking them to push harder against these fees and to require the action of congress. The banking industry also has requested the Fed work on different laws such as a unified national standard, rather than state by state rules. The consumers want the to keep state laws in place and set no national standard. By doing this they feel they would be able to push for stronger rules against fees on a state by state basis.

Who knows who will win this fight but I think one thing is for sure. We have no idea when any rule changes will take effect, I would suggest spending up your gift cards and stop holding onto them for another time. Saving your gift cards ends up losing you money in the long run. Use your gift cards now.

For more great financial advice visit Check City and check out all of our great options on payday loans, prepaid phone cards, and even our insurance plans. We have great deals on everything you need to help save you money, now.

You don't want to be the one everything thinks of as Scrooge this Christmas. Here are some last minute gift ideas if you haven't finished your Christmas shopping yet.

Restaurant and store gift cards.  They aren't extremely personal, but it is better than forgetting someone all together, just try to stay away from fast food places. 

Rechargeable batteries with a charger.  Once again not personal, but very handy and a great money saver for the recipient. 

Emergency car radio and blanket. You can never know when you will have car trouble, it is a good idea to have emergency supplies for your car, and getting some for others lets them know you care. 

A gift certificate for a massage or other spa or relaxation treatment. 

A prepaid phone card! Check City offers prepaid phone cards as an easy way for you to stay in touch with your family no matter where in the world they are. You will save money on your long distance telephone bills and get to talk with the people who mean the most to you. It is a great way to say I love you. 

If you need extra cash before the Holiday (there are only 2 full days left!) bring your unwanted gold, silver and platinum jewelry into your nearest Check City location. They will weigh and determine the precious metal content of your items. Once they have determined the value of your items, you walk away with that value in cash!  Gold, silver and platinum are all at record high prices right now, and we offer you more for your gold, silver and platinum than all of our competitors. Visit us today!

Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and now it is a worldwide cultural and commercial event.

Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.

In the past, many people celebrated during this time of the year to celebrate the darkest days of the year. Many rejoiced during the winter solstice, which started December 21. Winter Solstice marked the worst of the winter was behind and people could start to look forward to longer days and the extended hours of sunlight.

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21 through January. To celebrate the return of the sun, large logs would be set on fire in the various homes. Feasting and celebration would go on until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people. Based on these flights, Oden would decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

For nearly two millennia, people around the world have been observing Christmas with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. 

There are many symbols that represent Christmas. Candy canes, silver and gold, pine trees, Santa Claus, Reindeer, red and green, holly, bells, caroling, and so much more.

When it comes to Christmas traditions it is important to share this time with family. When you can’t be together for Christmas at least give them a call. Check City offers prepaid phone cards. These cards help make calling simple and easy. They are affordable and will help you share memories with the people you love.