There’s no question that Americans carry a whole lot of plastic. According to one recent survey, the average consumer has 3.5 open credit cards. Add that to the gift cards, club cards and loyalty cards that most of us pick up, and we can easily carry a dozen cards with us wherever we go. That’s 3.6 billion cards that will eventually get used up, expire or become worthless.
But just because you can’t use the cards for their original purpose doesn’t mean you have to send them to the landfill. Julie Charles, one of the crafty folks who is breathing new life into old cards, says people are delighted to donate their plastic to a new cause. “Friends and family are so happy to find someone who can use old hotel keys, expired credit cards and used gift cards,” she says. “They love knowing that they’ll be re-purposed and not end up in a landfill.”
Reuse your plastic to improve your life — and the environment. Here are 8 smart ideas that you can make yourself from your old cards.
- iPhone stand
- Battery card cover
- Earrings
- Grappling hook
- Jacob’s ladder
- Cable organizer
- Magic wallet
- Guitar picks
iPhone stand: You may now have the capacity to watch a full-length movie on your cell phone, but who wants to hold a phone for two straight hours? Not us, that’s for sure. Bryan Casey says his child inspired him to create this clever contraption. “I created it so my kid could watch movies on a plane or at a restaurant,” he says. “I wanted something low-profile enough to fit in my wallet.” Adults can benefit, too; Just use your expired credit cards to create a stand that can be stored flat but quickly assembled to put on your desk or airplane seatback tray. That’ll leave your hands free to eat popcorn and guzzle soda. Check out the details
here.
Battery card cover: If you’ve ever lost the battery cover to a remote control, a mouse or any other small electronic device, you know exactly how exasperating it is to keep your batteries from tumbling onto the floor. Duct tape, rubber bands and twine are all crummy solutions, and buying a whole new gadget seems awfully wasteful. Sidestep these problems with the clever battery card covers designed by
Instructable’s Deathstick. While Deathstick notes that you might have to make small adaptations for the quirks of an individual device, the instructions provided will work for most gadgets.
Earrings: Who says the bling you wear has to be made of gold and diamonds? Jewelry made from credit cards can be just as shiny — and that plastic once had much more value per ounce than most precious stones. Designer Michele Rappaport says if you’re going to wear cards on your ears, don’t bother being subtle. “I like bold, graphic designs in bright colors,” she says. Wear them for good luck at the casino — or maybe just when you’re headed to the mall.
Learn to make them yourself at ehow.com or buy a set at
etsy.com.
Grappling Hook: Instructable’s Noahw doesn’t recommend climbing any vertical surfaces with this MacGyver-like grappling hook, but says you can still have fun with it.
“It’s perhaps better for snagging something off of a coworker’s desk than for actually scaling walls,” he says. “It’s silly, for sure, but fun for people to play around with.” To achieve the best results, Noahw suggests taping two thin cards together, but says a single stiff card might work just as well. Find full instructions here at
Instructables.com.
Jacob’s Ladder: The old-timey toy gets a modern update in Julie Charles’ credit card version of the Jacob’s ladder. In some ways, she says, the new version is an improvement on the old standard: “I love the colors and textures of the cards,” she says.
“It’s very satisfying to make something people enjoy out of materials that would otherwise be thrown away.” Use club cards or expired gift cards for this project because, in the wrong hands, access even to expired credit cards could be dangerous. Take a class to
learn how to make more credit card crafts.
Cable Organizer: Those credit cards helped you buy the computer, the printer and scanner sitting on your desk; they can also help you organize all the cords that help power them. “The credit card is perfect for cable management as it is very strong, and you’re supposed to destroy them anyway,” says DIYer
Creatrop. Creatrop suggests finding a card that’s quite flexible and then gluing multiple cards together if the cards need to support more than a few ounces.
Magic Wallet: What better place to stash your cash, business cards and receipts than in a wallet made of credit cards? This clever storage device has been around for decades, but this 21st century variation helps hide your valuables
within your valuables. Charles says that flat, laminated cards can work especially well for
this project.
Guitar Picks: For musicians, guitar picks are an inexpensive, indispensable tool — but they’re sometimes impossible to find when you need them. Charles says you can create your own endless supply of
guitar picks with some extra credit cards, a Sharpie, and a pair of scissors. She suggests trying a range of different cards to get your preferred thickness and flexibility-but to avoid the laminated cards. “The layers come apart,” she notes.
By Erin Peterson – Via CreditCards.com
Tags: Credit Cards, fun
12.Apr.10 
Credit Card Debt 
Comments (0)
Take these steps to renew, review, refresh and regrow your finances:
You probably have a little money stashed around the house and don’t even know it. But forget turning over those couch cushions and going through old coat pockets. Instead, try a little financial spring cleaning. Here are 10 ways you can find a little extra cash and get more mileage out of the money you do have. And you don’t even have to battle the dust bunnies:
1. Get rid of clutter. Just as spring is a good time to clean out your closets, it’s also a good time to go through your finances and toss out the things that no longer fit your life, says Gary Foreman, editor of frugality-minded Web site The Dollar Stretcher.
Foreman and his family were using one of the inexpensive movie download services so much that they dropped one of their expensive cable subscriptions. “It was rare that we were watching it,” Foreman says.
His tip: “I go through the financial statements and look at them like they’re closets,” he says. Ask: What am I not really using anymore?
2. Sweep away those winter bills. Warmer weather is here, so if you’re still shoveling those leftover Christmas bills, it’s a good time to get rid of them, says Foreman.
One way to handle them is to strategize a one-time idea to make some extra money, such as a garage sale, online sale or even volunteering for overtime at work, he says.
Or just put yourself on a more stringent payment plan. And you can use an online credit card calculator to see how quickly you can deep-six that debt. What you gain financially: peace of mind and a huge amount of interest that you won’t be paying every month.
3. Organize for next year’s taxes. One task to make it easier: create a folder (paper or on computer), to hold all of the charitable deductions you make throughout the year, says Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for Consumer Action, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. Those deductions add up fast, “and it can be difficult to follow up later,” she says.
You can do the same for other spending categories that you need to track throughout the year. And some banks offer software that makes the task easy, she says.
And don’t forget your withholdings. If you were substantially over or under for 2009, this is also a great time to adjust your withholdings for next year.
4. Play with the techno-toys. One thing that can make your life easier: alerts to tell you when you’re approaching your preset limits on credit and debit cards, says Sherry. Often you have the choice of setting them to reach you by e-mail or text message, and they are “tremendously helpful,” she says. By avoiding going over your limits, you bypass having to pay extra fees.
5. Put your savings on autopilot. Set up an automatic draft to your savings account, “even if it’s just $10 a month,” says Barbara Stanny, author of “Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life.”
It’s as easy as going to your bank’s Web site and arranging to have the money automatically transferred every month from your checking account or payroll deposit, she says.
Don’t worry about interest rates — they’re pitiful today — but look for a savings account “that has no charges,” Stanny advises.
Planning something special in your future, such as a vacation or new car? Open an account just for that, says Stanny, who says a friend of hers is doing this to save for a dream purchase: a boat. Even saving just a little at a time, “it’s amazing how fast it adds up,” she says.
6 . Scope out your credit cards and credit report. You’re entitled to at least three free copies each year — one from each of the three major credit reporting agencies — TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. Get them for free at AnnualCreditReport.com, the government-mandated site. If you want your credit score, expect to pay for it. Don’t fall for gimmicks from companies that require you to buy a service before getting your so-called free score.
These days, credit reports are being used for everything from setting insurance rates to evaluating job candidates. So making sure your report is accurate can save you some money.
Also, 2009 was a tumultuous year for credit cards. Check the interest rates, credit limits and any rewards programs tied to your plastic. While canceling credit cards can hurt your credit score, you may want to shelve the cards with high APRs and pay down balances on cards with low credit limits to increase your credit utilization ratio. The lower your ratio, the better your credit score. Cash in your rewards, or if your rewards program isn’t working for you, check out other rewards cards that better suit your lifestyle.
7. Check those beneficiaries. Some financial accounts (insurance policies, too) don’t pass through your will, even if you have one. Instead, the assets go directly to the beneficiaries you named when you opened the account or bought the policy.
Over the years, life changes. You get married, divorced, have kids, etc. But too often, you forget to revisit those beneficiary selections. That means if the worst happens, the money in that bank account you opened in college, pre-spouse and kids, could still go to Aunt Edna or your ex.
So take a look at each of your financial accounts and insurance policies to make sure that the money will go where you need it to go now — not where you wanted it to go years ago.
8. Revisit your insurance. The past few years have been a bumpy financial ride for everyone. If your circumstances have changed (cars, job, home or home value), have you changed your insurance too? If not, you could be carrying too much (too expensive) or too little (risky if you have to make a claim). Spring is a great time to take a quick look and make sure that your coverage is, as Goldilocks said, “just right.”
9. Clean house. You know those old household white elephants that have been around so long you don’t even see them anymore? Bad financial habits or outdated decisions are just like that. Lurking on the edge of your life, they take up space and resources without offering much in return. But spring is a great time to examine your financial “big picture” and clear out what isn’t working for you.
Look at the reasons behind your current financial situation, says Foreman. For instance, “is there a reason you’re always carrying $3,000 on your credit cards?” he asks. Or do you need to be a two-car family? And are those family cars you bought then the best ones to meet your needs now?
With this step, you might find that you want to cut spending, increase your income or some combination of the two.
The secret to getting the most out of this one: take off the blinders and really look at everything to find out what is (and isn’t) working for you financially.
10. Think about getting outside. Just as physical spring cleaning gives you a chance to bring the outside in and vice versa, financial spring cleaning has a fun side, too, says Foreman.
“Now’s a good time to start thinking, ‘What are you going to do for a vacation this year?’” he says. And from “stay-cations” to weekend and long-weekend getaways, there are plenty of economical alternatives to the old standard 14-day sojourn.
And a little advance planning can give you a financial advantage. Says Foreman, “You can get information on the Internet, send for a brochure,” and salt away a little money for whatever you choose.
By Dana Dratch
Published: March 24, 2010 on CreditCards.com
Tags: Credit Cards, Organization, Tips
01.Apr.10 Budgeting, Credit Card Debt, Organization, Taxes Comments (0)
