The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) predicts a heavy downward slope in the refinance market over the next 2 years, that may be helped by the new HARP (Home Affordable Refinance Program), that just debuted in the middle of March, but may not recover in full. Many government programs such as a VA refinance or an FHA Streamline Refinance – that help low income or military get into homes easily — continue to fund programs with efficiency, but eventually even that will not be enough to make up for a shrinking refinance market.

2012 won’t mark the resurgence of the purchase market, but it may mark the end of it’s downward slope. Again, the Mortgage Bankers Association predicts that 2013 will mark the first signs of life for the purchase market, revitalizing a real estate industry that was heavily impacted by a turmoil market state in the last few years.

New students thinking about buying a home should do so now, but only with heavy research and investigation. These recommendations and thoughts about the future state of the purchase and refinance market are only guesses, and many guesses have been made in the past that we have “hit the bottom of the housing crash” – only to see the new bottom arrive in the subsequent year.

If lucky enough to have purchase funds (or the VA or FHA benefits to get into a home), it may be worthwhile to take advantage of a soft market position now. However, there is still real risk attached to this investment (as well as any others), so you may want to hold off as real estate is an illiquid asset class that you may not want to hold early in life. It makes sense when you are settled and less mobile, but in volatile times where jobs are not readily easy to come by, it may make sense to adjust to a more sensible asset such as a stock or bond.

Insurance is cheaper: Whether it’s health insurance or life insurance, your monthly payments and premiums will depend greatly on your height-to-weight ratio. By getting yourself to a healthier weight, you stand to see cheaper insurance quotes as a result.

The grocery bill is lower: Let any dietician or other healthy eating expert tell you, it’s all about portion. By eating less at mealtime and cutting out snacking, you’ll greatly reduce the amount of money spent on groceries.

The air conditioner is used less often: An obvious side effect of being overweight is that added fat makes overheating a real issue. Those significantly overweight are much more likely to use a home or car air conditioner when they may otherwise be comfortable without it being on. Preventing this can save several dollars on energy costs during the summer.

Less gas is used: If you opt to walk and bicycle to places you’d otherwise use your automobile to get to, then you’re certain to save on fuel costs. With gas prices going nowhere but up, it pays to find alternative ways around town, which fits perfectly into any agenda aimed at getting into shape.

Free time is more likely to be free: Whether it’s bike riding through a winding trail that stretches for miles, or listening to the big game on the radio while throwing the ball in the backyard, getting into better shape means you’re less likely to be spending your free time doing activities that cost money. Sitting on the couch only means you’re more likely to give into pay-per-view offerings, snacking, and other money-eaters.

There are big benefits to getting into shape, but not all of them are related to health. You’ll likely to see an improvement made to your personal finances as well. Weight lost and money saved is a combination most people would be happy to live with.

Take online courses before going back to school. Before jumping into an expensive college education you should explore the many online resources that are available in order to make sure you’re sure. Often times people will return to school because they’re not satisfied with their jobs, only to discover they simply weren’t satisfied with their lives. Tens of thousands of dollars later, they realize they should have explored their true passions instead of gambling on a degree.

Invest in health care. Yes, it can be expensive. Ideally, your employer will provide you with a good deal. Either way, you need health insurance. Any random day of the week, you could be in an accident that could cost you your savings and a lot of future debt. A broken finger alone can cost thousands.

Ferment your own vegetables. It’s easy, cheap, and healthy. Lactic acid helps with digestion and a multitude of other bodily functions and fermented vegetables can prevent you from spending money on condiments, salad dressings, and party favors.

Save on gas money by not blasting the air conditioner, closing your windows, and driving under 65. It’s not easy, or fun, but if you get into a habit with these three factors you will greatly augment your miles per gallon.

Make your own coffee brew. A sack of coffee beans can last you a month for around $12. Or you could buy two to three cups everyday and essentially flush hundreds of dollars a month into a lazy caffeine addiction.

Buy a bike. This may seem counter-intuitive in a blog about saving money, but some investments pay for themselves. Not only is a bike cheaper than a yearly gym membership, it provides vigorous exercise that will keep you happy. Additionally, you’ll probably save more money on gasoline, since it’s more likely you’ll ride your bike to close destinations.

Drink rich red wine and dark beer. This one also sounds counter-intuitive. Clarification—I’m not suggesting that you get drunk. Always drink moderately. Red wine is loaded with Resveratrol, a life extending antioxidant, and dark beer has also been shown to have positive health benefits in moderate amounts. If it’s rich enough you’re less likely to drink too much and waste a bunch of money at bars and restaurants.

Use Foursquare to be the Mayor. A lot of local businesses offer great discounts and giveaways to people who check in on Foursquare.com. You may find yourself getting a free lunch multiple days a week if you become a company’s Foursquare Mayor.

A list of money-saving tactics could unfurl like a sea scroll—there are too many to list here. But you’ve got to start somewhere. The best methods are ones that double as healthy living adventures.

“The Employment Pledge is a first-of-its-kind program that reinforces our commitment to enrolling future graduates and our belief in their ability to launch a new career with a Westwood education,” said Rick Yaconis, Westwood College’s Chief Operating Officer. “We’re so confident that a degree from Westwood will prepare our graduates for their career that we will help graduates with their living expenses for up to six months if they don’t find a job in their field within six months of graduation.”

To be eligible for the Employment Pledge program, students must meet a number of criteria including attaining a minimum cumulative 3.00 GPA and actively work with Westwood’s career services department to attain employment in their field.

About Westwood College

Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 17 campuses located in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Virginia. Westwood offers a hands-on, career-focused curriculum featuring three-year bachelor’s degrees in many in-demand fields. Westwood is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), depending on the campus. For more information, visit http://www.westwood.edu.

Even with a high number of recent graduates unemployed, the answer is still yes. A college degree is still worth the time and money invested. The only difference now is that students need to be more selective when choosing their degree programs. Journalism, Fashion Design, and Horticulture all ranked as some of the most useless degrees along with other surprising degree choices such as mechanical engineering and agriculture. To survive the recession and life thereafter, current college students need to choose more practical degrees if they want to avoid joining the 80 percent of their peers who will be moving back home after graduation.

The healthcare industry was one of few industries that didn’t see significant job loss during the recession, and there are numerous types of positions within the healthcare field that can appeal to a variety of individuals. If you are more interested in the business end of things, consider a degree in healthcare administration. If you like processing information or data entry, consider going into medical billing and coding – a degree which can be secured through an online university, such as South University online, in as little as two years. Other office setting hospital or clinical degrees can also be secured online in very short time spans.

However, if you wish to have a more involved position in which you will work directly with people on a day-to-day basis, consider an on-campus degree. Degrees in medicine or nursing degrees allow students the opportunity to directly impact the lives of patients, and also afford them the opportunity to work wherever they desire and for rapid advancement if they so choose. Choosing to become a medical doctor or nurse can be a bit more costly and they do require at least 4 years of student, with medical doctors generally having to go to school for 7 years or more.

The field of healthcare will continue to remain a strong hold throughout the recession, and the need for doctors, nurses, and technicians will only continue to grow as the baby boomer generation continues to age. If you want to be able to financially support yourself, don’t pull out thousands of dollars in loans for a degree in English or Art History. Choose a degree program that will actually benefit you and provide you with career options after graduation.

Online Surveys

The idea that you can get paid to take surveys is not a gimmick. Multiple online market researchers are always offering incentive for people to participate in surveys. The process usually take 15-20 minutes per survey and can promise rewards given to you that can even be traded-in for cold hard cash. Either way you’re sure to get some use out of whatever they propose, especially when you consider the amount of time you’d be putting into it.

Telemarketing

This certainly isn’t something you wish for as the career you’ll retire off of, not that such a plan is possible anyway. But telemarketing has increasingly become a house-based part-time gig over the years, making it a pretty reliable choice for earning extra money in times of need. You probably won’t like it, but it can get you through tough times. Just remember not to be so annoyed the next time you pick up a call from a telemarketer.

Writing Services

Even if you aren’t the next Twain, if you have something to say and have basic grammatical, spelling, and sentence structure skills, then you qualify for part-time writing. Paid writing jobs are more obtainable than you might assume. Online news services like Patch.com are always hiring new local reporters and who knows, you might actually be the next American wordsmith afterall.

If you find yourself on the wrong end of unemployment pension expiration, explore all the diverse ways you can keep making some income while you plan your next step. It could mean the difference between making it to the next job opportunity or letting your potential sleep with the fishes.

Having said this, the investment of a pair of prescription lenses fitted into fashionable glasses frames need not cut a deep hole into your pocketbook. Instead, such a necessity should be affordable – even to the extent of being able to buy a spare pair or a matching set of prescription sunglasses.

Gone are the days of consumers being monopolized by an overpriced optical market. As Internet shopping has gained popularity, online retailers have taken eyeglasses to the world wide web in an effort to provide cheap glasses that match the quality of those sold offline, yet rival them in terms of affordability. In contrast to years gone by, these are not the cheap, low quality glasses of the past – in today’s lingo, “cheap” means “discount”.

To top it all off, aside from being cost-effective with regard to the price of the glasses themselves, customers need never take time out of their busy schedules to choose their new eyeglasses frame. Online retailers understand that time is money and they have set out to make the process of choosing your new glasses as convenient, and comfortable as possible – you choose in your time and at your leisure.

Not all Internet retailers are the same, so be wise with your investment. Look for customer testimonials geared towards the quality of the frame, lenses, and customer service. A company that invests itself in YOUR business will not just invest money their product, but also in top-notch customer care. If they care about your business, they will invest the time and money that it takes to make you feel comfortable on their site.

Perfect vision without breaking the bank – what more could you ask for?

This post was written by contributors from GlassesUSA.com. Take $25 off your next order of glasses with Transitions lenses – use the code: Trans25.

Improve Your Credit

In today’s market, the key to getting home loans is having a good credit score. The days of liar loans and bad credit financing are a thing of the past. You can improve your chances of qualifying for any type of home loan by increasing your credit score. A higher credit score will reduce your annual interest rate and save you money over the life of your loan.

Do Your Homework

To help you make sure that you are getting the best deal for your money, I highly suggest researching the price of homes in the area you like before stepping into even one the houses. Look at previous home sales and see how much buyers paid in recent months to help you get a clear picture. This will give you an idea as to the average price for a home in the area and keep you from being unhappily surprised.

Save for a Large Down Payment

Qualifying for home loans today means bringing some cash to the table. You need to save up a large down payment so that you can increase your chances of closing your deal. Any good mortgage broker or realtor will tell you that you should put at least 20% down on your home purchase. This will eliminate the need for you to pay private mortgage insurance and save you money on interest over the life of the loan.

Get Preapproved

If you want to get a ballpark figure on how much home you can afford, get preapproved first. You may think that you can qualify for a much more expensive home than your income and credit score will allow. A preapproval will help you to target homes in your price range and lend credibility to your bids. You can get a preapproval from a bank or mortgage broker.

Get Help

A real estate agent can be very useful during the real estate shopping process. MoneyWatch gives a good list of the best traits to look for when selecting a realtor including honesty and experience.

Each of the tips above can help first time home buyers find the best home loan they can.  It’s much easier to enjoy a home if you know you also got the best deal you could on your mortgage.

These paycheck advances are short-term cash loans that is usually taken out before the borrower gets their next check at which point the money is repaid to the lender from their back account or automatic electronic withdraw. These lenders also charged a finance fee on top of the cash that was given. In some cases, the borrower must sign over electronic access to their account in the event that an amount is to be received or repaid. All of the charges usually have to be paid in one lump sum. The borrower doesn’t have to pay everything back at once and have the option of rolling the payment over into another pay period.

The terms for these payday loans range greatly in size. The figures vary from state to state and the finance charge for each loan is on average, about 15 to 30 dollars per 100 dollars borrowed. These short-term loans are extremely expensive compared to other types of cash loans. This is in part, due to the ease with which one can receive a payday loan. All a person needs is an open bank account with a relatively good standing and a steady source of income to receive one of these loans. You just need some identification, and there is rarely a full, extensive credit check nor many questions asked of the borrower.

These types of loans have been incredibly helpful to individuals who need a quick influx of cash that will be paid back quickly. Many have the income, but don’t necessarily have the immediate funds for a variety of issues. Payday Loans Uk and in the US have been useful in emergency situations, but they do have some definite downsides. They can be debt traps where consumers can find themselves in repeat borrowing cycles, due to the extreme costs of borrowing. They may be in the middle of paying back one loan and have to take out another. The interest rates are huge, so consumers should use payday loans sparingly and only in emergency situations. They can be highly useful, but only if they’re managed smartly.

Even though the job market is beginning to turn around, there are still many people presently out of work. There simply aren’t an adequate number of jobs to meet the demand, and the jobs out there don’t even come close to the supposed 40,000 a year salary that is purported to be the mean average. With so many retail and service jobs being the only avenue, people can’t afford to go this route. You can’t pay a mortgage on minimum or near minimum wage. Until the market gets better and there’s more growth in the business sector, people will keep going back to school and getting higher education to make themselves better candidates for better jobs.

The medical field is one area that, during the downturn, saw little job loss. In fact, it saw massive job growth. This type of job security and excellent pay has prompted many to either return to trade school institutions or bypass universities for a careers in various industries, such as radiology technician and nursing. People who decide to invest in trade schools don’t have the type of diverse education found on the university level, but in an industry wrought with instability, diversity in education is a luxury that doesn’t pay the bills.

Trade schools perform the advertised function and teach you all of the facets of a specific vocation to prepare you for immediate employment. While promising good pay and benefits, trade schools also cost a fraction of the price of most universities. Trade schools are a great way to go for those seeking gainful and worthwhile employment. It depends on the individual, but this seems to be a no brainer.