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It’s Friday again, and that means it’s time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag! Today it’s all about erasing debt. Reduced debt means less money wasted on interest, fewer collectors calling on the phone, and, ultimately, higher credit scores. Here’s a round-up of some tips and resources that will help you reduce, eliminate, or otherwise master your debt, no matter how big a hole you’re in. 

Forget a gift registry…try a debt registry!

Now, services like BillPayRegistry.com give your friends and family a way to help out with those pesky credit card, student loan, and auto loan bills. C

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Recently, I was asked about credit cards and banks by a friend of mine. I told her about credit unions and why I thought they were so much better than banks. For a brief review, you can read my article about the credit union revolution. A few days later, I received the following email, which I’m reprinting with her permission:

Dear Kristy,

Thank you for helping me make a decision to look into a credit union in order to dump my bank. And thanks for some information about credit and credit cards. With your encouragement in mind, I did a little research and made a major decision today. I had a wonderful experience switching to a credit union from my bank and wanted to share. <

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A data breach happens when an unauthorized person gains control over a company’s electronic files. Data breaches are costly for businesses because the business may lose customers after news of the data breach is spread. According to Network World, companies must also pay legal fees, costs associated with notifying customers, and prevention expenses. The Ponemon Institute, an agency that researches information security policies, estimates that a data breach costs businesses $204 for each customer record that was lost or stolen.

But consumers also stand to lose when a data breach happens. W

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Australian retail banking major National Australia Bank may team up with US private equity group Blackstone, and British buy-out firm Revolution in a potential bid for as many as 300 branches of troubled British banking giant Royal Bank of Scotland, according to the Financial Times.

Spokespersons for both private equity groups either declined to comment or could not be reached.

RBS is almost fully nationalized after the British government acquired an 84 per cent stake in a government sponsored bailout designed to rescue the troubled lender at the height of the global financial crisis.

The bailout has meant the European Union has mandated that the lender divest part of its branch banking network and non-core banking assets, and has been given four years to do so.

A banking source told Reuters last month that National Australia Bank and Spanish bank Santander could be interested in acquiring RBS branches.

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman.

We all know that cooking meals at home can save money. For some (like me), it’s a lot of fun, too, but it’s easy to get in a rut — which is where I found myself last year.

Brown rice was my go-to side dish, but there are only so many ways to cook the stuff before your taste buds get bored. That’s when I discovered a whole new world of grains that got me excited to cook again, many of which are now kitchen staples. If you’

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