How to buy a house with bad credit

Plus, get the best seat on every plane No Images? Click here       As the Carolinas brace for Hurricane Florence, I’m reminded of one of the most important financial lessons I’ve learned as a Floridian dealing with hurricanes: The basic storm coverage in your homeowners and renters insurance probably doesn’t cover all the ways your property could be damaged. Although my policy covered mold, that really meant only mold resulting from a direct water intrusion, not mold resulting from a nine-day power loss in hot, moist conditions. Turns out I could have added a supplemental policy to handle that possibility, but I didn’t know that until Hurricane Irma cost me thousands and my claim was denied. It’s a good idea to call up your provider and talk through the limits of your coverage and what you can do to expand them. In happier news, we’ve got financial tips for college students, a clever spending trick, ways you can get a mortgage with bad credit, and more practical goodness. Janie   Take back your life Using cash is a well-known way to spend less, since we feel and see the cost of each purchase and, as a result, assign purchases more value. However, most of us are unlikely to switch to an all-cash budget. The Atlantic’s Joe Pinsker figured out a small work-around by using the same principle of behavioral economics: He made it painful to spend money – even with a credit or debit card – by forcing himself to immediately log each transaction on his phone, typing in the item purchased and amount spent. And wouldn’t you know? His spending dropped 10-15 percent. Don’t let the impracticality of cash trap you in an over-spending cycle.   Lower your spending with one simple change     Deal with it Bad credit can limit you in many ways, but getting a mortgage may be more possible than you think. As Casey Bond explains, a low credit score isn’t always a deal breaker, but it may mean you need to use a nontraditional lender, pay higher interest or mortgage points, or lower your debt to income ratio first. Read on to learn what the cutoff is.   How to get a mortgage when you have bad credit Pro Tip: There’s a perfect day to book your ticket and a perfect time (more or less) to get to the airport. So where’s the perfect place to sit? One study from easyJet claimed to pinpoint the perfect airplane seat: 7F. Their reasoning? It sells the best. But those results don’t necessarily consider that individual travelers may have specific concerns, like legroom, safety, smooth flight, noise level, kids, sleeping, or a quick exit. Here’s how to get the best seat based on what you care about. Want more practical magic? Financial pros reveal the worst advice they see online [US News] Everything Apple is expected to reveal this week [R29] The best cash-back credit cards of 2018 [Wirecutter]    .     HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. No moon dust. No B.S. Just a completely essential daily guide to achieving the good life. Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Can't get enough? You'll also love HuffPost's Entertainment newsletter. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe      . - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe