Credit card advertisers have a uniquely difficult job – they are selling something that no one in the world wants, credit card debt. Therefore, many take the route of talking about anything and everything but the actual debt, repayments and interest rate, and the results are some very clever and quite funny commercials.

Following are 10 ads which are encouraging you to get into debt – hopefully you can see through them, and are able to use your credit card wisely. Have a laugh, but don’t be fooled:

1 Mastercard Priceless – Elephant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFNXwor69-U

The Mastercard ‘Priceless’ ads are quite well known in popular culture and they work well for credit card issuers as they are focussed on what you can do with the card, rather than what you will need to do to pay off the card. The Priceless elephant ad not only shows you how you can use your Mastercard, but also tugs on all the emotions associated with cute (and clever) animals, and feeling sick and wanting someone to take care of you. This ad is a clever and subtle mixture of humour and real emotions which you’ll be falling for before you know it.

2 Mastercard Priceless – The Simpsons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ccv4dZHRDE

It is nothing new for credit card issuers to use celebrities in their advertising so it is no surprise to see one of the world’s most famous men in a Mastercard ad. Again humour plays a big part in the ad – as it does in the Simpsons TV series – but the ad is of course coupled with a moral too (again, much like the TV series). After using his Mastercard to run errands quickly and easily, Homer is now free to spend time with his family – but must be forcefully prodded by the ‘voice over guy’. So, in keeping with the TV series rule that the end of the show must finish in the same place it starts, Homer must be convinced to leave Moe’s, and still carelessly brushes aside the old man outside of the pub on his way home, without really learning his lesson.

3 American Express – Robert De Niro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzeP4TvzXc&feature=player_embedded

The American Express ‘My Life. My Card.’ campaign was a very successful one for the company because American Express is a lot about selling the prestige of the card, and the exclusivity of the brand and what better way to do that than to use a celebrity customer. In this ad however, we also see De Niro take us through his life, ‘my oldest friend…my first love…’ and he doesn’t show us his expensive cars or opulent hotel rooms, we instead see his roots and his everyday life. Therefore we can both relate, and aspire to the lifestyle, and to the card which facilitates this lifestyle for De Niro.

4 Visa – Mr Brosnan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJfVBYPxIWo&feature=player_embedded

In this commercial Visa are pointing out that they know we know they use celebrities in their ads to catch our attention – just as Pierce Brosnan has caught the attention of the taxi driver. However, they play down his importance, as Brosnan plays himself, and when he’s not playing James Bond, he faces disasters just like the rest of us – but with his Visa card, he can handle anything.

5 American Express – Making it Big

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOo0U-Zi0eQ&feature=player_embedded
This American Express ad doesn’t feature a super star or a high flyer – it’s about a girl and her band, working hard to make it big. The ad shows the band struggling but succeeding because they have the help of an American Express card, and as they succeed they are part of the prestigious life the card advertises – Nicole is able to fly her friends out to see her play, all because of her credit card.

6 Visa – Jaws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BhLAWP7jGA&feature=player_embedded

For this ad to make sense, you have to know that the man in the ad is the actor who plays Jaws in the James Bond movies and as Jaws, he has a full mouth of metal entwined teeth. Regardless the ad still plays to humour and tells us we shouldn’t judge people by their appearances – ‘Jaws’ is polite and smiles despite his overbearing appearance, and the Visa Mini card can make large purchases despite its size.

7 Korean Big Debt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2tVORc7n-M&feature=player_embedded

You don’t need to be able to understand the words in this ad to know that the credit card provider is trying to tell you that with a bigger credit card limit, you’ll be the bigger man (or woman). The ad plays to natural insecurities about success in business, being able to buy nice clothes and eat in nice restaurants, not to mention the schadenfreude-like desire to enjoy the discomfort of others, in this case, those who are ‘beneath’ you.

8 Citibank – Rewards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W36rqvcUD6E&feature=player_embedded

This Citibank simply makes you smile and when you’re smiling and laughing at the teens making up for not having a games console, you’re not thinking about how much they would have had to spend to earn the points for that reward.

9 Citibank – Security

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGPBRXKuoMc&feature=player_embedded

Credit card fraud and identity theft is not a funny issue, but it is one which most people dismiss with ‘that will never happen to me’. This ad is clever and funny, but it also gets your attention and shows you how easy it is to have your credit card details used fraudulently, and how important it is to have a credit card with fraud protection. Citibank are making you focus on the security features of the card, making you think you really can’t do without it – ‘Help getting your life back – that’s using your card wisely.’ You don’t want to use your credit card irresponsibly now do you?

10 Citibank – Big Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE4AgLGLUaM&feature=player_embedded

This ad is for a Citibank Simplicity credit card, but the voice activation scenario could be applied to any number of banking, financial, phone or services business as voice activation systems are used more and more, and they seem to be getting harder to use. Therefore, Citibank are doing what ads do best – relating to your life, to a situation which bothers you and you wish you could change, and offering you a solution.

Fred writes for Credit Card Finder, where is he offers advice on the best credit cards

You know I was always bad at collecting stuff, and I guess I still am!!  I have all my kids school books – from PREP!!! but they are put away in archive boxes!!  I used to buy stuff for my kids that they really didn’t want but I told myself that they would want it – I would’ve when I was a kid.  Colouring-in books, paint-with-water books, small nic-nak plush toys from Disney movies – you know all `stuff’ that isn’t necessary and that the kids play with on the day and then never play with them again!!

I saw a program once that said that just before Christmas this lady got her kids to empty out their rooms and toy boxes to dontate to charity and to make room for the new toys they would be getting.  I tried this and it did give the kids more room but it didn’t help me with buying those little things that weren’t necessary (even if they were on special!!).

My friend finally got me set up to sell things on ebay and although I didn’t make a fortune (I think you get more bargains on ebay then actually making big money – but every little bit helps right?!)  I found that by putting all those barbies, jigsaws, books and what not together to photo, descripe and sell actually helped me to stop buying unnecessary goods from the shop.

When seeing a Christmas teddy in Target for only $2.01 since it was now June I didn’t feel tempted to `get it for the kids!!’.  They really wouldn’t want it, I would just be upset that they didn’t think it was as great as I did and inthe end I would have to donate it or try and sell it!  Not to mention that $2.01 could stay in my pocket and buy me a lettuce that would be used!!

So use something like ebay to de-clutter your house, collect it all together and what ever you don’t sell donate.  The experience will give you more room in your house and hopefully, like me, it will help with reducing future spending!!

Good luck!!

How many times have you said to the kids; “Put your toys away or throw your dirty clothes in the laundry?” How many times have you said; “I wish you would all pick up after yourselves?” How many times have you said: “I am tired of doing all of this all by myself, why can’t you help a little?”Plenty!! If we had a nickel for every time that we, as moms, and wives, have said this we would be millionaires. But, nothing ever changes; we still don’t get the help that we so desperately need.

Why?Because of these simple reasons:

1.No one really knows what it is that you want them to do.

2.How do you want them to do it, do they need something special to clean it with etc.

3.It isn’t fun.

4.No one seems to see the same ‘dirty’ things that you do.

5.It will probably take too long and they will miss out on something that they really want to do.Okay, so how do we take care of this little problem!

There are a few ways that you might want to try that will possibly get your family on the right track and make your life a lot easier.

First of all, don’t make it harder than it really is, you may have to change your thinking a little in order to get to your ultimate goal.Yes, it is true, the living room isn’t going to be polished as nice as if you would have done it yourself, but it’s polished..Right? It will get better the more that they do it, so give them time.Let’s explain the reasons it’s not getting done first; just to give you an idea of what the full picture really is from their point of view.

1.They really don’t know what it is that you want them to do.
You say; “I tell them what I want them to do, what do you mean they don’t know?”Well, you are telling them to throw their dirty clothes in the laundry, does that mean the hamper, down the laundry shoot or put it next to the washing machine or in the laundry basket? The one thing that you have to learn is to be exact in your wording or they don’t get it at all! Now, if I say; “Put your clothes in the hamper, I am washing this afternoon, if the clothes aren’t in there you will have to wait until the next time I wash in order to wear your favorite ________. (Fill in the blank with their favorite item of clothing)Now you have told them where to put the dirty clothes, why you want it put there and what will happen if they don’t. If their favorite pants or shirt are dirty they will make sure that it gets into the wash.

2.How do you want them to do it?
If you say something like, “polish the furniture for me.”Does this mean the whole house, the living room furniture and what should I use to polish it with? You need to tell them to go and get the furniture polish and the dusting rag, under the sink and polish the furniture in the living room. Sounds ridicules doesn’t it? Well, that’s because you do it all of the time and at some point and time in your life, whether you remember it or not, someone told you all of these things in order for you to learn them. If you feel that they may overlook things that you want polished you may have to be a lot more specific. You may have to say it this way: “Get the polish and the rag from under the sink and polish the end tables, coffee table, bookshelf and the T.V. stand and make sure that you polish all of it, not just the tops. Now you have told them where the cleaning items are, what to polish and how to do it.

3.It isn’t fun!
What you would really like to say is: “Of course! You think that I have been having fun all of this time!”So, now is the time to make it fun for everyone, including you. Everything is a lot more fun if you make a game out of it. Set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes and see who can do the best job with a certain chore in the fastest amount of time. This person gets to pick out a favorite T.V. show for everyone to watch or gets to stay up a half an hour longer.Hide a quarter someplace in a room, but don’t tell anyone that you did it and the first one that finds it gets to keep it or gets a special treat. Make up your own games as you go along and sooner or later, the kids and your husband will make a few games of their own.Yes, you and your husband get to play too. If he hides the quarter and you find it while cleaning, you get a half hour in the bathtub without any disturbances. If you hide the quarter and he finds it, he gets a half hour without anyone bugging him about something. When it works its way up to a extra half an hour at the golf course or fishing, he will be all for this game.

4.No one seems to see the same ‘dirty’ things that I do.
That’s true and always will be true! So, you make a list of everything that needs to be done and as it gets done, you cross it off of the list. The more times that they clean and the more times it gets crossed off of the list; they will eventually know what is expected in a room and what needs to be done before they are finished with that room. But, since they are having fun doing it because of all of the games you are all playing, they will look for another room to clean and be asking you what they should do next!!

5.It will probably take too long and they will miss out on something they want to do.
No one really ‘likes’ cleaning but if you make it fun and then set a time limit on it, everyone will know that there is an end in sight. The only thing that can change that time frame is if they are wasting time and the job isn’t finished. Then they only have themselves to blame. You could say; “Here is our list, we have until 11:00 to get it finished so, Billy can go bike riding, Sarah can go to the mall, Dad can go golfing and I can have some piece and quiet.” This way they know that if it is all finished they can go about the things that they like to do and you will be happy with the fact that the work is completed.

Now that you understand where your family is coming from and how they need to be told everything; who, what, when, where, why and how, it will make your job a lot easier.Just make it fun for the whole family and you will get a lot of rewards that you weren’t expecting.Get their ideas for more rewards that they would enjoy,You will be surprised how many they can come up with. You can write them all of paper and put them in a bowl (one for mom and dad and one for the kids) and then pick a reward . If you pick the reward before the project you have something to work for or maybe the winner can pick their reward out of the bowl. Have fun and “Happy Organizing”
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Article by Mitz Photo by popkaren

I don’t know what your life is like, however mine is an everyday rat race. Running around like an idiot, working, taking children here and there, cleaning, cooking, and volunteering. If you organize your life you will breeze through all your daily chores, save money, and be much happier!

There is no doubt that being unorganized causes unnecessary high stress levels and always definitely costs me money. The first and simplest way to save money for everyone is to make your lunch to take to school or work. With a household of 2 adults and two children, bought lunch can cost at least $30.00 a day, and that’s cheap! If you spent even just $10 during the week days on takeaway food all year it would cost $2,600.00. If you were organized you could save that money and use it more wisely.

My top tips for organizing your life

• Unclutter your house. Is anyone really ever happy to live in a pig sty? I don’t think so. If your house is a mess your life will become one too. Start on one cupboard or one room at a time. It really does make you feel good!
• Create a checklist of jobs and work your way through them. Don’t let unfinished jobs keep you awake at night. By the time you say you plan to do something, you probably could have already done it by now.
• Delegate a small job to each member of the family. Let them know why you are organizing your life and let them know the benefits to this. If they start to see a change and they like it, I am sure they will join in.
• Always have food in your fridge. Even if you have to freeze some meals.
• Throw out any papers that you do not need. Why have you got a household electrical bill from the year 2000. I am sure they know that the bill is paid by now. If you think you definitely will need that piece of paper, then keep it. A maybe is not a good reason to hold onto unnecessary paper.
• Help other family members to get organized in their own lives and then set rules for them to stick to. I have a simple rule for my children. If your room is clean you can have friends over, however if it is not clean, don’t even ask.
• Make work and school lunches the night before. That way you won’t be able to use the “run out of time factor” when you have to buy your lunch.
• Have a place for everything. Just think. Your family will never have to run around the house at the last minute looking for something important because they will know where it is. If my child brings something new into the house I always ask them where they are going to keep it? Everything has a place!
• Organize your wallet, handbag, and purse. This is a dead giveaway that you are an unorganized person.
• Organize your time. Time is money, and having no time will always cost .
• Clean your desk! Albert Einstein said “If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”

Feel free to comment and add your own organizing tips!

Mitz Pantic writes articles for various sites including Fill Your Money Box, Free Computer Help, Tips4pc, and more.