The Five Fish

Living a healthy lifestyle in Arizona is easy if you live in the massive urban sprawl of Phoenix, or even Tucson. Smaller towns with fewer resources prove to be more challenging. Florence is one of the smaller towns in Arizona that has compensated well and offers multiple options for living healthy. Here are four examples. Continue reading “4 Ways to Be Happy and Healthy in Florence”

Would you like to make a bit of cash while clearing out the house? Are you looking for some spending money? A solution may exist. Pawning the right items can be worthwhile, helping to pay off an immediate bill. The shops often have several options: sell it to them directly or accept a loan, pay it back and reclaim your valuable. But this isn’t a garage sale venue. Not everything is going to work. The owners aren’t looking for junk. They need quick turnaround in case you can’t repay; therefore, if you hope to pick up a bit some funds, you’ll need to understand what to do and what to avoid.

1. Pick Something People Desire

Look up in the attic, scour the cabinets and check your jewelry boxes. When you consider pawning something, select something with monetary value. It should not be peculiar, broken or cheap. Instead, it should be of high-quality, attractive and popular. For example, the following are typically good choices:

• instruments
• historical memorabilia
• gold or silver jewelry
• sports cards
• coins
• phones
• computers or tablets

Why these? Patrons are deal makers, entering these stores to find things they require or want (but at a better price). They are looking to fill a demand that they can’t afford (or don’t want to afford) at another big box office store. For that reason, the proprietors seek sales that can be turned around quickly.

2. Do Research Ahead of Time

You picked out your piece, but don’t race through the doors quite yet. Don’t just show up at a pawn shop ill-prepared. Do your research first. Go online, and look up information about the prospective shop and whatever you believe will garner you money. As you read up, you’ll find estimates on the value and whether this particular piece will sell well in the area. For example, are you ready to part with some of your baseball card collection? If so, you can look up the various card prices. Print the online listings, and bring them with you. With this knowledge, you can now discuss proper payment, working with shopkeepers to determine a fair price.

3. Understand the Terms

This is like going to a bank. Know the language. Ask questions. Read through documents. Once you sign the paperwork, that is finalized, and you are responsible for following through with the agreement or forfeiting your item. For example, are you accepting interest on the sale? If so, how much is it? Can you afford the upcharge? Let’s say you need 200 dollars, so you sell a family necklace. The interest is 25% each month, putting an extra 50 dollars on the tab. How do you plan to find an extra 150 at the end of the three month term? Make sure the timeline is feasible. You don’t want to lose something precious to you.

This isn’t a quick stop. You’ll need to invest some reflection and organization, but, overall, it could be very helpful when you’re in a tight spot. 

The thing about credit that most people don’t tell you is that you need credit to get credit. Not only that, but you need good credit. If you don’t have a credit history, or if your credit history is less than stellar, you may have trouble obtaining a loan. Fortunately, there’s a lender for just about every person regardless of their financial situation, meaning there is a lender out there who may be willing to loan you some cash without performing the obligatory credit check. Read on to learn more about where you can find these lenders.

Pawn Shops

If you’ve never dealt with a pawn shop before, chances are you’re under the impression that you must sell something to receive the cash. This is a common misconception. The reality is that pawnshops are in the business of holding items as collateral in exchange for cash. Though rates vary, most pawn shops will give a person between 20% and 60% of an item’s value in cash. They will then hold the item for a specified period of time, giving the owner a chance to buy back the item for the loan value, plus interest.

Payday Loans

Payday loans are short-term, high interest loans that typically trap individuals in vicious cycles of borrowing and repaying. Payday loan amounts typically don’t exceed $500, but they come with APRs of as much as 400%. If you take out a payday loan, you must repay the full loan amount, plus interest, with your next paycheck. So, not only must you pay unreasonable finance charges but also, you’re already behind financially come next payday.

Installment Loans

No credit check installment loans in Canada are the smart alternative to payday loans. These loans come with fair interest rates of between 22% and 32% and flexible repayment terms. How long you have to repay the loan depends on the amount you borrow. For instance, if you borrow $700, you will be put on a repayment plan of up to eight weeks and asked to make payments every two weeks. This type of flexibility ensures you can get the funds you need without creating an impossible financial situation for yourself in the future. Also, because installment loans require no credit check, your credit score will not be affected when you apply. You also do not run the risk of being denied a loan due to your credit score or lack of credit history.

Credit or no credit, you do have borrowing options. Do your research to find the lending solution that is best for your situation.

People have many reasons for moving from the United States to a foreign country: climate, politics, economics, etc. Whatever your reason for wanting to move, you may not know where you want to go. With 195 countries in the world, you have a lot of different choices. Here is a guide to help you decide where you want to make your new home.

1. Mexico

If you want to spend every day of your life at the beach, you can look for houses for sale Mexico along the coast. However, even if seaside living isn’t for you, Mexico is a vast country with a lot to offer. You’ll find a rich culture of music, theater, and art in colonial cities with attractive architecture. The cost of living in Mexico is much lower than in the United States.

2. Canada

Like Mexico, Canada is nearby, which makes a move there relatively easy. There is less chance of culture shock in moving to Canada because in many respects it is similar to the United States. Canada is very sparsely populated, so it may be a good choice for people who want to get away from crowded cities and lead the life of a relative hermit amid breathtaking natural beauty. Canadians have a reputation for kindness, tolerance, and hospitality. People who visit or live there tend to agree that the reputation is well earned.

3. Switzerland

Moving to Switzerland could make very good economic sense, depending on your situation. The cost of living in Switzerland is high, but salaries tend to match it. Switzerland could be a good choice for families; people who move there report that the schools are much better than in the U.S. The picturesque streets are safe and impeccably clean. Nestled in the Alps, Switzerland could also be a good choice for people who like outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing.

4. Singapore

People who’d like to try their luck in Asia may find Singapore a very safe bet. The city-state at the tip of the Malay Peninsula offers incredible food; secure, high-paying jobs; excellent schools; and safety. However, paradise comes at a steep price. Singapore has very strict laws; for example, chewing gum is illegal there. The penalties for breaking the laws can be very severe. If you decide to move to Singapore, be prepared to toe the line.

5. Australia

If you’d like to move as far away as possible, Australia is literally on the other side of the world. It boasts a unique natural beauty, and people who move there report that accessing it is easier than it may be in some other countries. Moving to Australia may be good for your health, as a majority of expatriates report improved wellbeing as a result.