I've been there. It can be very difficult to stop gambling because it offers the promise of something for nothing, the most addictive drug there is. There are some support groups like Gamblers Anonymous (I don't know of any in the Philippines, but a Google search might turn something up). I found it useful to play video games that have a lot of unlockable content, such as Disney Magic Kingdoms. Medication and therapy helped a lot, too. I will keep you in my thoughts.Read More...

My AC is on here in Ohio, which affects both gas and electric (gas HVAC with electric ignite and compressor having its own electric breaker). I hang clothes to dry and do other things to cut costs. I don't run the AC unless it is humid. I have budget billing, so I pay the same prices year round.Read More...

My electric goes down in the summer months because I hang my cloths out to dry.running the dryer boosts my electric up as does my oil burner. If it is going to be hot and humid out I close the windows and the shades before it gets too hot out. Then I put on the ceiling fan, my oscillating fan and turn on the A/C on energy saver for and hour or two then I shut it off for most of the day. Then before the Hubby comes home I will turn the A/C back on and cool it off for him after his long day .Read More...

This is an interesting option: https://fundrise.com/acq-plus/start?utm_source=thepennyhoarder&utm_medium=cpa&utm_content=retire-by-2040Read More...

I would be suspicious of investors promoting 10% returns especially with a $500-800 investment. Higher interest paying accounts usually require minimum investments of $10,000 +. The stock market average over many years is 6-7%, and that's been one of the highest rate of returns for many years, typically.Read More...

Still trying to catch up on posts from the last couple weeks. Hard to believe how fast July has flown by!Read More...

@Moore Income I am right there with you. I want to be a minimalist, but in reality, I am not. Being a seller, it is impossible to be a minimalist. People have changed. Amazon Prime has helped people change. They want new things cheap. They want it delivered. Sometimes they forget that they pay for that service. Then there is the keeping up with the neighbors. Selling can be frustrating because people don't show up or they ask a million questions, and they are not really interested or they...Read More...

In my mind, I like to think of myself as a minimalist, but then I look and in reality I can't believe how much stuff I have. I am working on that though. But since I am a re-seller, I find it a struggle because part of how I make money is buying and reselling stuff. If you saw my pile of stuff to resell, you would definitely figure me for a hoarder. I am still trying to work on a good method of buying, listing and getting stuff sold right away. It's a work in progress to say the least...Read More...

I think it depends a lot on your priorities, My opinion is that you must start attacking the debts, you can order them from the smallest to the largest, prioritize the minor, free yourself from it and continue with the others. Or list them by order of which is the one that has the highest interest rate, and attack the highest. I understand that that will depend absolutely on you. You should not put your hopes in the debt forgiveness, but on the way you will find creative ways to increase...Read More...

@Mrsmcbride I'm on the PSLF as well. I did 10 years on the wrong loan (so frustrating and the loan companies were NOT helpful!) but glad to see that I'm slowly ticking away towards my end. I have heard of the 25 year loan program.Read More...

@Mexpensive , so glad to see a local person here! Feel free to PM me if you want more info or anything. PS, are you just loving this weather? I am, but glad it doesn't last too too long.Read More...

This comes with a caveat to do a lot of research and perhaps speak with a financial advisor but if you own your home outright you may be eligible for a reverse mortgage. I'm suggesting this without having done recent research myself. Reverse mortgages, when they first appeared on the market, had a lot of fine print issues that were not good for the homeonwer. That has changed, but there are a lot of things to consider before jumping into one. The positive, is that you can still live in your...Read More...