39 Totally Free Ways to Treat Yo Self

A spontaneous weekend getaway.

A fancy dinner out, complete with three courses and two (or four) drinks.

Finally caving on the brand-new dress you’ve been eyeing at the mall.

Clicking “submit” on your Amazon shopping cart, full of wish list items.

via GIPHY

Treating yourself is awesome — and important. But it can be expensive.

Don’t worry, we have good news for Penny Hoarders who enjoy the finer things in life: You don’t need to wreak havoc on your wallet to soothe your soul!

We’ve gathered 39 ways to pamper yourself — without spending a dime.

Treat Yo Self — For Free

It turns out the best things in life really are free.

Here are some of our best ideas to get you rolling.

1. Read a Book

When’s the last time you let yourself crack into a good, old-fashioned book?

You know, the kind with a cover and paper pages?

Set aside a few hours to curl up and get lost in one of those 18 titles on your shelf you’ve been meaning to read for years.

2. Write

Grab a pen and let yourself go.

You can journal or write fiction, maybe even try your hand at poetry! No one has to see it if you don’t want.

3. Draw

If words aren’t your thing, take your paper and pencil and just doodle.

Draw what you see around you, or recreate your favorite dream. Make up a new animal or draw someone you love.

The possibilities are endless!

4. Color

With the sudden ubiquity of adult coloring books, you may already have one on your bookshelf. No need to stay within the lines.

Don’t have one of these books? Don’t spend $10 or more: You can get tons of free adult coloring pages online.

5. Cook

Spending time in the kitchen doesn’t have to be a chore.

Really.

In fact, if you take your time and create something new with ingredients you already have, it can be a fun, creative way to treat yourself to something tasty (and maybe even nutritious).

6. Bake

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You probably have flour, sugar, butter and eggs. You can make a delicious treat with those four ingredients alone — see?

If you’ve got chocolate chips, peanut butter and vanilla extract, you’re basically looking at a bakery’s worth of mouthwatering options. Hop to!

7. Girl, Put Your Records On

Music changes everything.

Sit and listen to your very favorite album, or check out the new one you’ve been meaning to get to for a while.

Even if you can’t spare the time to just listen, background music upgrades any experience, whether it’s driving, cleaning the house or even having dinner.

8. Dance

If you feel the urge to move while you’re queuing up those tunes… do it!

Grab a hairbrush and sing along, loudly. Dance around your apartment in your underwear.

Stereotypical chick flick material? Yes.

Actually cathartic and awesome? Also yes.

9. Sweat

Even if you don’t feel like it right now, you’re going to feel awesome after you exercise for an hour.

And if you pick the right activity, the exercise itself can even be fun — I promise!

An outdoor run is always free, but if you’re an indoorsy type, check out these great free yoga videos you can find online. There’s lots of other free fitness on the web, too!

10. Soak it Away

If you have a bathtub in your home, you have an instant treat-yo-self machine.

Fill ‘er up, lie back and let your troubles melt away.

If you have a bottle of wine, some candles and a good book, you’ve just amplified the pampering by a power of ten.

11. Wander Aimlessly

Put down the phone. Go to the door. Open it.

Walk around for a while.

Really observe the world around you — the plants growing through the cracks in the sidewalk; the kids playing in the neighbor’s front lawn.

Just make sure you don’t get lost — or at least not too lost.

12. Go Geocaching

If you’re not familiar with geocaching, it’s kind of like a worldwide anonymous scavenger hunt.

Follow others’ hints to find their stashed creations, which might be hidden in remote woods or just outside your front door.

Make your mark, then hide ‘em again to keep the fun going!

13. Enjoy Sunrise, Sunset

They’re beautiful and free, every single day.

Soak in a moment of solitude, or head out to watch the beginning or ending of the day with someone you love.

14. Find Free Stuff in Your City

From museums to community movie nights, there’s most likely a rich menu of 100% free things to do wherever you are!

Check your local newspaper or city website and see what you can get into — without paying a dime.

15. Go Outside

Beach! Mountains! Trees! Oceans!

They’re all free (unless you have to pay to get into the park), and they’re all just outside your four walls.

Go for a hike, swim or climb — or just go sit and listen to the sounds of the world. Either way, you’ll nourish your soul.

16. Sleep Under the Stars

Even if it’s only in your backyard, sleeping under the stars has restorative powers.

But if you already have camping gear, you can take an outdoor overnight anywhere.

Breathe the fresh air while you sleep. Commune with nature. Treat yourself.

17. Try Aromatherapy

Light some scented candles or incense for an instant indulgence.

Put some music on, too, and you’ve seriously upped your home atmosphere game!

18. Have an At-Home Spa Day

You don’t need to go to some fancy beauty parlor and spend a hundred bucks to feel like a hundred bucks.

Create your own nourishing hair conditioner out of coconut oil, or give yourself a facial with some of the ingredients around your kitchen.

Got course sea salt and olive oil? Mix some together, and soothe it over tired skin for an exfoliating treat.

19. Gussy Up

Tired of the same old eyeliner and mascara every day?

Open up that makeup case you never touch and play with eyeshadow, lipstick — even glitter! Do your hair up real big beauty-queen style to boot.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got nowhere to go. Getting fancy can feel so luxurious.

20. Netflix and Nails

At least one night a week, you’ll find me parked in front of my laptop.

I’m soaking my feet and buffing my fingernails, while drinking in a Netflix title like “Fat Head” or “What Happened, Miss Simone?”

I get some new knowledge (or at least perspective) and a fresh, new nail color to sport for a week.

Win, win!

21. Rewatch Your Favorite Movie…

It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen “The Princess Bride” 80 times.

Number 81 is going to feel just as good.

22. … or Treat Yourself to a New One

You’ve been meaning to watch “Cloud Atlas” for four years now.

23. Go Ahead and Binge-Watch

Even if it’s the first season of “Orange is The New Black”

… Again.

24. Play

This can be as simple as breaking out the forgotten yo-yo in your junk drawer.

Don’t forget about video games, board games, sudoku — even jigsaw puzzles!

Adulting should not get in the way of playtime.

25. Go Through Old Family Photos

On a recent trip to my hometown to see my parents, my mother and I had plans to play a round or three of chess over champagne.

It’s our favorite way to play — since we’re both already pretty terrible. The effects of the wine don’t matter.

But when I went to the closet to get the board, I was distracted by the cases of old family photos from when I was three or four.

My parents and I ended up laughing and reminiscing around the table for a whole evening.

It was definitely a treat.

25. Enjoy Free Stuff at Your Gym or Apartment Complex

If you have a gym membership or a fitness lounge at your apartment complex, you might be missing out on lots of luxurious freebies.

Think tanning beds, massage chairs or complimentary personal training sessions.

Get down there and treat yourself!

26. Craft

If your sewing machine or yarn collection has been gathering dust, turn off your cell phone and pick up that long-forgotten project.

Even if you don’t keep crafting stuff on hand, you can turn a T-shirt into something fun with just a pair of scissors — needle and thread optional.

Check out these other easy, fun crafts, too!

27. Play With Your Kids

Get down on the floor and remember what it’s like to be a kid… by acting like one!

Fur kids count, too. The ball isn’t going to throw itself!

28. Call Someone You Love

No, a text message will not suffice.

It can be a long-lost friend or someone you speak to every day, but don’t ever set aside time to really have a conversation with.

Just 30 minutes will feel like a gift to both of you.

29. Volunteer

Treat yourself by treating others.

It’ll give you the warm and fuzzies — I guarantee it.

30. Eat Right and Exercise… For a Whole Week

I know, I know.

This sounds more like something you reward yourself for actually doing, rather than the treat. Hear me out.

If you commit to eating well and exercising for a whole week, you’re going to feel awesome when it’s over.

Refreshed, strong, energized and ready to take on anything. How better to treat yourself than well?

31. Quit Negative Self-Talk

Challenge and reward yourself at the same time by phasing out negative self-talk for a given amount of time.

No “I’m too fat/thin/tall/short/stupid/smart/poor/whatever.” No shoulda, coulda, wouldas.

It may be harder than you think, but it’ll feel great and improve your confidence.

Start with an hour, and graduate to a whole day — then, maybe a whole lifetime.

32. Go Screenless

No screens.

Lots of concentration, restoration and relaxation.

One happy heart.

33. Go Window Shopping

This one won’t work for everybody.

If you’re easily tempted, it might not end up being a free treat at all!

But I have a lot of fun just hanging out with the nice things I want at the mall, even if I can’t afford to have them.

Just don’t tell anyone I’m the girl feeling up all the soft blankets at Pottery Barn and mysteriously leaving without a trace, please…

34. (Re)decorate

You don’t have to buy anything new to make your space feel brand-new!

Move the furniture around or hang those paintings sitting in your closet, waiting for the perfect spot.

35. Barter

If you absolutely have to have something new to feel like you’ve really had a treat yo self experience, never fear!

Find a local used clothing exchange like Plato’s Closet. See what credit you can get for those old items in your closet. Then, use it to buy a new (but pre-loved) piece!

You could also hit up the Craigslist free section, or try to swap instead of buy on other sections.

Who knows how far you might get trading up?

36. Go to an Art Gallery

Although they aim to sell, most commercial art galleries are free to enter and browse.

Plus, in many downtown areas, there’s a whole neighborhood of art galleries, so you can hit several in a row.

37. Go to a Park

When’s the last time you went to the public park in your area?

You might be able to walk nature trails, goof around on a swing set, or just sit and watch the leaves fall.

38. Or a Dog Park

Treat yourself by treating Fido to some run-around time!

Bonus: The objects in your house will be safe(r) from the consequences of your pup’s excess energy.

Bonus number two: You could dress your dog in embarrassing pajamas first. Sorry, Odin.

39. Go to Sleep

Sleep makes every other thing you do better.

A lot better.

Grab yourself an hour-long nap and see how awesome you feel.

Your Turn: How do you treat yourself without spending any money?

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes other stuff, like wine reviews and poems. She is a staunch advocate of treating yo self.

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Good Investing Goes Beyond the Stock Market

When people talk about investing, they almost always talk about the stock market. Heck, if you check out my archives here at The Simple Dollar, you’ll find they’re almost exclusively articles about how to get better at investing in the stock market.

And that’s great. The stock market is a fantastic way to build wealth and it should be a part of just about everyone’s long-term financial plan.

But it’s not the only option. There are other ways to invest that are not only less risky, but can offer a bigger return. Here are four of them.

1. Invest in Yourself

The stock market won’t do you much good if you don’t have money to save. In fact, when you start investing, the amount you save has a much bigger impact on your end result than the investment return you earn.

The more you save, the easier it is to reach financial independence. Simple as that.

In most cases, the quickest way to increase your savings rate is to cut expenses. There are almost always a few simple changes you can make to free up room in your budget.

But over the long-term, the most powerful way to save more money is to increase your income. The more you earn, the more you can save.

So in many cases, the best investment you can make is an investment in yourself. Improving existing skills and adding new ones can have a big impact on the amount of money you’re able to earn, which in turn can have a big impact on the amount of money you’re able to save.

• Related: Nine Strategies to Earn More Money in the Coming Year

2. Invest in Relationships

Skills are important. You need to be able to do high-quality work in order to get recognized.

But skills alone aren’t enough. As the saying goes, it’s often who you know that matters most.

I got my first job out of school from a family friend. I started my business in large part because my wife pushed me to take the risk. I’ve improved as a business owner because of the mastermind groups I rely on. And some of the biggest opportunities I’ve had to promote my work have come through people I already knew.

The skills and the quality of work had to be there. But the big steps forward have almost always come from my relationships with other people.

Jim Rohn is famous for saying that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Surround yourself with good people and good opportunities will come your way.

Surround yourself with good people, and forge new relationships with other professionals in your field. Photo: Tech Cocktail

3. Invest in a Business

Anyone who tells you that entrepreneurship is easy is full of it. There is no quick path to riches.

But in today’s world, it is easier than ever to make at least a little money on the side and potentially even start a full-time business.

J. Money at Budgets Are Sexy has chronicled over 60 ways people have made money on the side. Catherine Alford teaches people how to make money writing online. The gang at Fizzle has developed an amazing set of training courses and cultivated an entire community around building a honest business you believe in. And of course Trent here at The Simple Dollar has detailed 50 small businesses you can start on the side and scale upward if they succeed.

Building a business isn’t easy, but what if you could find a way to make money doing something you love? What if you could not only earn more, but also have more freedom to spend your time as you please?

The best part is that you don’t have to do it all at once. You can start small, test your idea, see if you like the work, and then decide to grow it (or not) depending on the results.

• Related: Build Things That People Want

4. Invest in a Mission

I’ve found the most personal and professional satisfaction when I have a mission attached to what I’m doing.

At home, my mission is to raise children who will have a positive impact on the world and to support my wife in all of her endeavors.

At work, my mission is to help other parents take control of their money so they can take care of their families.

When times are good, my actions are advancing these missions and I feel good about the work I’m doing. When times are tough, I remind myself of the mission I’m on, which helps me re-energize and get back on track.

Invest in a mission that makes a positive impact on the world. Allow that mission to guide your decisions across all areas of your life.

Not only will you see better results, but you’ll almost certainly feel better about them as well.

• Related: Why Bother? Digging Into the Purpose of Personal, Financial, and Professional Success

Matt Becker is a fee-only financial planner and the founder of Mom and Dad Money, where he helps new parents take control of their money so they can take care of their families. His free book, The New Family Financial Road Map, guides parents through the all most important financial decisions that come with starting a family.

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Do You Work for a Salary? You’re Probably Getting Screwed Today

Ready to get hit with some Monday truth?

Because it hit me hard this morning. I’m still reeling, and I need to talk to someone about it.

If you work for a salary, you’re getting totally screwed today.

“Oh my god, I work for a salary.”

Did you just say that, like I did? Then stick around.

Salaries are based on a 365-day year, which makes sense — for 75% of our years.

This year has 366 days.

You’re Working for Free on February 29

In case you haven’t been on Facebook yet, let’s catch you up: Today is February 29.

It’s leap day: That extra day in this weirdly shoe-horned month that happens every four years to make up for the fact our calendar doesn’t align perfectly with the solar cycle it’s based on.

If you’re on salary and working today, you’re not being paid any more for it.

And you probably are working today, because it’s Monday and not a bank holiday.

As The Guardian puts it, “29 February is a dirty, capitalist day, geared purely towards the needs of the 1%.”

OK, it’s a little bit of an exaggeration for effect. But this is a real thing no one seems to think about.

How Much Money Are You Losing Working on Leap Day?

Because your 365-day salary is not adjusted to include 366 days this year, you’re technically working an extra day in 2016 — for free.

What does that actually mean?

Let’s say the average U.S. salary is $42,068, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ median weekly earnings.

That’s $115.25 per day — including weekends, holidays and other paid time off.

So every four years, you work the extra day but don’t get the extra $115.25.

If you work for 45 years, you’ll encounter about 11 leap years.

Working for the same salary, that’s $1,267.75 in compensation you’ll never see.

If you were to set that missing money aside into a retirement account — at an even rate of $28.17 each year — it could be worth $9,204.67 by the time you retire.

What to Do With This Information

So, what do we do now?

Rally? Occupy? Tweet about it once the Oscar buzz dies down and people are willing to talk about something new?

In the name of logic, I have to propose we probably do nothing — it’s a tricky problem to solve.

And you could argue your salary already takes leap years into account, with the other three years absorbing this lost day.

But if you’re not satisfied, try negotiating a 366th day of pay or time off with your boss.

Or take a job with an hourly wage.

Or work for yourself.

I, for one, am going to be satisfied with my salaried lot in life. I can always try other tricks to make extra money to save for retirement.

Maybe I’ll just sleep in an extra day sometime later this year.

Your Turn: Do you work for a salary? What do you think about this Leap Day nonsense?

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes about writing, life, comedy and love for blogs and books and sometimes things people care about, like Huffington Post and that one time she had an article published in the Onion.

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Savings update: no improvement on horizon as rates continue to fall

Sylvia Morris

savings-gone.jpg

Rates on fixed–rate bonds continue to fall, with French-owned RCI Bank cutting its one-year rate to 1.75% before tax (1.4% after) for new savers, down from 2.01% (1.72%).

Rates on fixed–rate bonds continue to fall, with French-owned RCI Bank cutting its one-year rate to 1.75% before tax (1.4% after) for new savers, down from 2.01% (1.72%).

The top one-year rate is 2% (1.6%) from Swedish-owned Ikano Bank or 1.76% (1.41%) from Charter Savings Bank.

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Born on Leap Day? Here’s Where to Get Free Pizza and Dessert

About 12,000 people are born in the U.S. each Leap Day, the every-four-years anomaly when February tries just a little bit harder to act like a normal month.

If you’re one of them, you know birthdays are weird.

Would a free pizza make you feel better?

We think probably.

How to Get Free Pizza Today

“Born on Leap Day? We got you,” Pizza Hut promises on Facebook.

Take your government ID to Pizza Hut on Monday, February 29, and you’ll get a free Personal Pan Pizza.

They want “to help make up for all the lost birthdays,” because clearly anyone who only has a birthday every four years has never felt the awkwardness of a Pizza Hut party, where the only place for adults to hover is around the salad bar.

More Leap Day Birthday Freebies

After you eat your pizza, keep your ID handy and head over to Olive Garden for dessert.

The Italian restaurant chain is offering leaplings four free Dolcini desserts.

The coupon on OG’s Facebook page doesn’t specify whether you need to make a purchase to get the free dessert, but can you really pass up unlimited salad and breadsticks?

The offer’s good through March 6, so if you’re busy throwing yourself a party tonight, you can fill up on desserts later in the week.

And don’t forget to check out our list of 100 places that offer birthday freebies.

You might as well flash your driver’s license all day and take advantage of this fabulous opportunity to get carded.

Your Turn: Do you have a Leap Day birthday? Will you take advantage of these deals?

Lisa Rowan is a writer, editor and podcaster based in Washington, D.C. She celebrates her birthday every year (how boring).

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Millions of energy customers hit by back-bills

Helen Knapman

big-bill.jpg

As many as 2.1 million households could have been hit by large late bills in the last year because energy suppliers initially undercharged them, Citizens Advice reveals.

As many as 2.1 million households could have been hit by large late bills in the last year because energy suppliers initially undercharged them, Citizens Advice reveals.

According to the charity, the average back-bill received was for £206, while 15% of those who had been back-billed said they were charged more than £250. 

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Questions About Food Sales, Stocks, Children’s Clothing, Self-Employment and More!

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Money when you’re dead
2. Sales on unusual foods
3. Late college attendee
4. You Need a Budget discontinued?
5. Why do stocks retain value?
6. Finding local self-employment groups
7. ETFs and index funds
8. Future numbers?
9. Tip for children’s clothing
10. Finding time to read
11. Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club?
12. Presidential election thoughts

Several months ago, our family adopted a shelter dog. This was not a move that I was a very big fan of, as I did not really want to be a dog owner, but literally everyone else on our family wanted a dog, so I acquiesced.

For the most part, this experience has been a fine one. We got a very friendly half-Yorkie half-Maltese dog who has no signs of aggression at all other than the fact that he barks at people walking down the sidewalk (something we’re trying to break him of doing). He gets overly excited pretty often, so it’s sometimes hard to tell when he’s signaling that he needs to go to the bathroom or that he sees another dog outside or that he wants to play, as he runs around and puts his paws up on you and barks a little in a very similar way for all of those things. He’s potty trained, though it is very difficult to get him to go outside on the coldest days.

Have I changed my mind about dog ownership? I like our dog very much and I have a very good relationship with him, but I don’t think I would own a dog if I were single again. If I found myself single with this dog, I think I would care for him through the rest of his natural life and then simply not get another dog. Pet ownership isn’t for everyone, and I now know that it’s just not for me.

Q1: Money when you’re dead

Shouldn’t the ideal goal be to have nothing left when you die? I don’t understand why a person would want to spend very little in life so that they can have a huge mountain of money that they will never spend before they die. Seems like a waste. I want to leave this world with what I came in with – nothing.
– Donald

I agree with you. If it were possible, I think almost everyone would shoot for that kind of conclusion to their life, leaving with a net worth of $0.

The problem is that we don’t know the exact date when we are going to die. No one does (unless they are contemplating suicide). I don’t know when I’m going to die. You don’t know when you are going to die.

I might not make it to age 40. I might live to age 110. I don’t know. No one knows.

For me to hit that target of having nothing left when I die, I would have to accurately know my date of death within a month or so. If I die earlier than that, I’m going to have money left over. If I die later than that, the last days/weeks/months/years of my life are going to be pretty awful – scrounging for food, praying that the bills can get paid, and so on.

That seems like a pretty wretched way to spend the final period of my life. I want that final period, however long it may be, to involve me personally spending quality time with loved ones, giving them gifts/mementos to remember me by, maybe traveling a little bit to see things I want to see again before I pass away, and so on.

I would far rather die with money left over than to have a miserable existence at the end, given the choice.

And the thing is, I have the choice. I can choose how much to save right now. I have that choice every day. To me, it’s worth giving up my most extraneous purchases today to have a relatively high quality of life near the end of my days without worry that I’m going to run out of money.

Since I don’t know when I’m going to die, in order to live out that dream, I have to plan for a situation where I can live in perpetuity on what I’ve saved, where my investments will either never draw down to zero or draw down so slowly as to not really matter in terms of a normal human lifespan.

Yeah, I’m going to leave some behind. That’s okay. Let my kids and grandkids have a big boon when I die. Let a handful of charities that I care about see a nice check, too. I can definitely live with that.

Q2: Sales on unusual foods

I’ve been trying your strategy of using the grocery store flyer to make a meal plan each week. Some weeks this is fine but some weeks the flyers contain almost nothing that I am familiar with. Like cottage cheese. I have eaten it a couple of times but other than using a scoop for a side dish I don’t know what you do with it.

What do you do if the flyer is full of stuff that seems useless to you?
– Ana

Research those ingredients!

Just go to Google and search recipes using cottage cheese, substituting the ingredient that you’re unsure about, and browse through what you find. I found results that suggested using cottage cheese as a ricotta replacement in lasagna (which is actually pretty good – I’ve done that before), using it in a parfait, and this interesting turkey and kale bake that I actually want to try with some of the modifications suggested.

Finding new ingredients in the flyer and then Googling for interesting recipes using those ingredients is a great way to try new foods that aren’t too dissimilar from things you already like. Then, once you’re a bit more familiar with the ingredients, you’ll feel more and more confident about experimenting with those ingredients.

This is actually something I still do sometimes. I’ll see a sale on something that I rarely if ever use in the kitchen – like kumquats – and I’ll have to go figure out what to do with it. That usually lures me into some new recipes and a new ingredient in my cart.

Q3: Late college attendee

I am thirty two years old and single. After high school I went to trade school and became an electrician. I am very fed up with the politics of the electrical trade in my area and want to go to college and study computer science and become a IT specialist. I have plenty of money saved to cover at least a couple of years of college.

The thing that is holding me back is the possibility that this is a really bad investment. If I don’t finish a degree this money is basically a waste so I feel like I need a plan, but I feel overwhelmed when looking at the college materials and trying to figure out an optimal plan for this. Don’t want to just lose money on this. Suggestions?
– Cory

First of all, if you go to college, you’ll be assigned an academic advisor who will help you navigate all of this. Most academic advisors are very good, but if you happen to get a lemon, you can usually talk to the college and they’ll find you a new one.

Your primary concerns should be what you want to do for a career after college, whether the degree you’re working on is the right one for you, and whether you’re academically up to the challenge of it all. If you’re really on board for all of this, your advisor will really help with getting you into an efficient degree program. So, start by researching your desired career path. What kind of degree is recommended? Then, what is that degree program like?

What I would do if I were you is look up the syllabus of some of the classes you might take in your degree program (you know the classes already according to your message). Look over the materials for the first few weeks. Do they seem completely overwhelming? (It’s not a good idea to look at the more advanced classes because classes build on each other.)

You’re also going to need some study skills. Can you sit down in a room with no electronic distractions and study for a while? If that’s difficult, you may find college studies difficult.

Q4: You Need a Budget discontinued?

Do you have any thoughts on the new version of You Need a Budget? It has moved to a subscription model. I am sticking to version 4 for now but that softare is supposed to no longer be updated at the end of the year. Is the subscription model worthwhile?
– Annie

This is something that’s frustrated me deeply with You Need a Budget. I am a huge fan of YNAB version 4, which is what I still use. I have no interest in switching to a subscription model.

In about a year, the company is going to discontinue updates for YNAB 4. It will still work at that point, but gradually it will become incompatible with operating systems and with Dropbox (which a lot of people use for syncing). I’d suspect that in three or so years, the software will still work but will have a few features that are no longer functional.

I understand why the company has moved to a subscription model for their software. When people buy software, it’s a one-time thing. You can’t sell it to them again and again. When you move to a subscription model, those customers become steady long-term streams of income.

However, that runs counter to why I use the software in the first place. I use it to manage my budget and see what subscriptions and services I can cancel, not to add another one to the pot.

I’m sticking with YNAB 4 for now and probably forever, at least until it stops working completely.

Q5: Why do stocks retain value?

I don’t understand why stocks retain their value? Does everyone just agree that they’re worth something? I understand why companies would sell stock to the public to make money, but why do they hold onto value?
– Phillip

There are actually a lot of reasons beyond merely “everyone agreeing that they have value.”

The big reason is that most companies issue dividends. A dividend is a small payment by a company to the owner of every single share of stock in that company. They’re usually issued quarterly. So, let’s say you have a share that’s worth $50 and the company issues a $0.25 dividend every quarter. That means you’re earning $1 every year just for holding the stock – a 2% return. Companies usually raise their dividends over time, too. If you sell that stock, you lose that dividend. How much would you pay for something that spit out $0.25 into your savings account every three months, especially considering that it will have significant resale value later on?

Some people buy stock because it offers additional access to the company via shareholders meetings and so on. Typically, these are large-scale investors who want a company to make choices that will benefit the value of the stock that the investor owns.

There’s also the possibility of the company buying back the stock directly. Companies sometimes do this to reduce the amount of dividends they have to pay out over the long term.

These factors combine to keep the value of stock shares high. There’s real value there.

Q6: Finding local self-employment groups

I was interested and curious about the part where you mentioned you joined a Slack group with other self employed folks in your area. Any suggestions on how to actually find such teams/groups?
– Marcus

I found my group via meetup.com. It exists as a face-to-face group, but I actually get far more value out of the online discussions with group members.

Aside from meetup, I really can’t advise you on where to look. Some professions have professional organizations with local chapters, which might facilitate this type of thing.

If you know at least a few people in your area who might be interested, you can start a group on your own, spread it by word of mouth, and list it on meetup. A friend of mine did this with a local group within the past year and it has more than a hundred members now.

Q7: ETFs and index funds

What is the difference between an ETF and an index fund? I see both terms bandied about but I don’t know what the difference is. They seem to often be used interchangeably. Is there a difference?
– Martin

An index fund is simply an investment option offered by an investment house. You put money into the index fund and this gives you a certain number of “shares” of that fund – here, you usually invest a certain dollar amount and they give you a number of shares (including fractions of a share). Those shares go up and down in value depending on what the index fund is invested in; they also often pay out dividends. When you’re ready to sell, the investment house will buy those shares back for whatever their current value is. There usually aren’t any trading fees or anything.

An ETF is short for “exchange traded fund.” The way I like to think of it is imagine that it is a company itself that is issuing stocks, and the only thing that company does is own a bunch of shares of other companies, sit on those shares, and pass along the dividends to people who own shares in that “shell” company. Popular ETFs usually match the value of all of the shares that they’re holding really well, because that’s how the free market works – if enough people are buying and selling, the value of the item will approach the real value. You buy and sell ETFs through a normal brokerage by paying that brokerage to issue “buy” and “sell” orders. Unlike index funds, you typically can’t own fractions of a share. This is a good way to go if you’re wanting to invest in a mix of individual stocks and index funds and other mutual funds.

Since I have no interest in mixing and matching investments, I invest my money solely in index funds through Vanguard. There are no “buying” or “selling” fees. Instead, I just deposit a certain amount each week and let it sit until I need that money for something. If that’s the kind of investing you want to do, I recommend just getting into an index fund and not bothering with ETFs.

Q8: Future numbers?

How do you figure out what the best financial path to take is when it’s all about future numbers? My husband and I were talking about whether to pay off our mortgage early. It is at 5.5%. We already contribute plenty to retirement so our other option is to put that money into an index fund for possibly starting a business in several years without business loans.
– Denise

Given your two options – investing in something or paying off your mortgage early – you really can’t go wrong either way. You’re getting different things out of each investment.

If you pay off your house, you’re essentially getting a 5.5% post-tax annual return on your money (assuming you’re not deducting your mortgage interest, which you may or may not be depending on family size and other factors).

If you invest, you’ve got a lot of options. You can get a very steady return, but it’s going to be lower than 5.5%. You can accept some risk and volatility and get your average annual return over 5.5%, but that’s pre-tax return (meaning you’ll have to pay taxes on it). Depending on your tax rate and how the investment volatility goes, you might beat the 5.5% post-tax return… or you might not.

My thought? Don’t worry about it. Whichever way you choose, you’re making an excellent move. You’re spending less than you earn. You’re doing something productive with that extra money.

I’d suggest choosing the path that feels right to you in this case. This often has a lot to do with your risk tolerance as well as your goals. For me, I’m a pretty big advocate for debt freedom, so I’d pay off the debt first. I like just having it gone and having a lower stack of bills each month. Other people feel differently.

Q9: Tip for children’s clothing

A suggestion for your readers about kids clothes. Whenever a clothing season is ending and clothes of that style are on discount I go to the stores, estimate the size that my kids will be when that season rolls around again, and I stock up. I estimate on the big side and sometimes I’m too big so the clothes have lasted two years before wearing them. I have been able to get tons of clothes for just a few bucks each as they’re on clearance. The only trick is storing them and then finding them the next season! I use cardboard boxes that are labeled in our garage rafters.
– Connie

This is a good idea if you’re really in tune with the growth of your children. To be honest, we’ve done similar things when they were younger.

However, I would probably stop doing this around age ten or eleven, because when that growth spurt hits, all plans go out the door. I grew a foot, jumped four shoe sizes, and gained about forty pounds over the course of a summer. That would have destroyed any reasonable winter wardrobe my parents would have purchased for me.

So, this works well for early childhood up to about age ten. After that, other frugal clothing strategies work better. I highly recommend checking out secondhand clothing stores and consignment shops.

Q10: Finding time to read

How on earth do you ever find time to read all of the books that you claim to read? We have two children and I’m lucky if I can read 30 pages a week, let alone two entire books!
– Janine

I probably average about two books per week that I read. Obviously, this number goes down when I read a really challenging book or a very long book, and it goes up when I read shorter books or page turners. Still, this is a devotion of a good ten to fifteen hours per week. How do I do it?

First of all, I watch very, very little television. Aside from “family movie night,” I honestly don’t remember the last time I watched a television show. During times when I might have crashed in front of the television, I read, and if I’m too tired to read, I go to bed.

I also intentionally set aside reading time. I usually block off one hour a day for focused reading in the evenings. If there are no urgent household chores, I also usually participate in my children’s “sustained silent reading” that they do after school each day (they all read for 20 minutes after school before any screen time). I also usually read before bed.

These strategies add up to more than enough time to finish two books a week.

Q11: Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club?

Have you tried a subscription razor club like Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club? Was it worthwhile? I tried using a safety razor and it didn’t work for me as it burnt my skin up and I cut myself repeatedly. I want to stick with cartridge razors.
– Melvin

I have tried both in the past. I think they are both on par with the quality of a cartridge razor you might buy at the store (like Gilette Mach 3) or maybe even a bit nicer. Looking through their current offerings, it looks like the prices still constitute a small savings over buying cartridges locally.

However, there’s a catch. In order to be sure that you don’t run out of blades, you have to order more than you’re going to use, at least for a while. You can’t just run down to the store and buy more blades like you can with the store-bought cartridge razors. These blades aren’t compatible with anything else.

If you’re willing to look past that, I consider these clubs to be a better value for the dollar than store-bought cartridge razors. You’re just going to want to have a bit of a blade surplus on hand, which means ordering extras at first.

Comparing the two? I thought Harry’s sent nicer stuff, but it was also more expensive. I’m not sure the “niceness” was worth the extra cost.

Q12: Presidential election thoughts

Do you have any thoughts on this crazy presidential election season? Which candidates will be best in terms of our finances?
– Dennis

First of all, everyone has their own set of personal political opinions. I have my own ideas on what should be done to improve our country, but they’re just that – my opinions. I’m not a politician, nor am I a political pundit, so I don’t think there’s really any point in sharing my views or starting needless arguments. I’ll save that for my extended family Thanksgiving dinners, thank you very much.

However, I will say this. The best thing you can possibly do to figure out which candidate is the best one to vote for is to read both the pros and the cons of each candidate. No candidate is perfect, nor is any candidate completely reprehensible. For the most part, they’re each expressing a particular view of the world, one that isn’t “evil” but simply different than how you see things.

You should take the time to read positive coverage of each candidate, as well as negative coverage. You should read conservative-leaning profiles and liberal-leaning profiles. With each of those things, you’re going to learn new facts and facets about each candidate that will help you make a more informed decision.

I also recommend doing the same with major issues of the day. What are the major policies being bandied about regarding immigration? What are some of the criticisms of each of those policies? What are the good things? Which candidates are in favor of each option? And which ones make sense to you?

The more informed you are as a voter from as many different angles as possible, the better off you’ll be… and the better off we’ll all be.

Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

The post Questions About Food Sales, Stocks, Children’s Clothing, Self-Employment and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Modern Online Marketing Education: 18 Courses and Resources

There are many paths to becoming a great marketer.

Even more so, there are tons of different roles that marketers excel in.

There’s a great degree of flexibility.

Take your education as an example. Did you go to school to get a marketing or business degree?

There’s a good chance you didn’t, but you still enjoy marketing, and it plays a part in your business or job.

And while you can pick up a ton of skills on the go, you might be missing a few fundamentals.

The best solution for this is to take courses online.

I’m not talking about sketchy courses offered by schools you’ve never heard of. I’m talking about courses from schools such as Harvard, MIT, Cornell, and more.

Most of these courses are available free.

That’s why I’ve put together a list of 18 courses and resources that you can find online.

Pick the ones that interest you, and do them in your spare time.

Note that this list doesn’t exactly mirror a complete marketing degree, but it does contain most of its components. 

Core Courses

The courses in this section should be taken by every marketer. If you haven’t taken any of these or similar courses in the past, I recommend adding them to your list of courses to take.

1. Introduction to Marketing (University of British Columbia): Everyone needs to start somewhere, and this is the best place for marketers.

This is a very introductory course that will give you a general overview of marketing. It’s not very difficult, but it will make the gaps in your marketing knowledge obvious.

If you have a tough time clearly defining concepts such as market research and brand strategy, you should start here.

2. Networks, Crowds and Markets (Cornell): This course, on the other hand, is fairly advanced.

It’s a great course if you’re an analytics junkie like me. The main concepts covered in the course are:

• applying game theory to various parts of marketing
• understanding how marketing connects to various aspects of life (social, economic, technological)
• exploring how ideas spread

It mainly focuses on these concepts in the context of the Internet, which is ideal for most modern marketers.

3. Digital Branding and Engagement (Curtin University): This course is essentially digital branding 101.

You’ll look at the basics of getting positive attention for your brand through paid, owned, and earned media.

This course focuses on how a brand can use these different types of media to increase brand presence and user engagement.

Essentially, it provides a high-level look at ways of incorporating many of the tactics you read about on Quick Sprout and other marketing blogs into your marketing.

4. Principles of Macroeconomics (MIT): Economics is a fundamental subject that all marketers should have at least a basic understanding of.

This course is an introductory course to macroeconomics.

Macroeconomics is a study of economics on a national basis. It’s good to understand how your industry as a whole responds to changes in:

• output
• employment and unemployment
• interest rates
• inflation
• and more.

Since MIT is a US school, most of the examples are within the context of the US economy, but the lessons can be applied to any country.

5. Principles of Microeconomics (MIT): This is the other side of economics, which is more interesting to most marketers.

Microeconomics looks at economics on a much smaller scale: individuals, companies, and groups.

This is another introductory course, where you’ll learn fundamental concepts such as supply and demand, types of competition, and welfare economics.

While a lot of this will seem simple, it will be useful in all your marketing roles to some degree.

6. Introduction to Financial Accounting (University of Pennsylvania): One of the most important things to know, as I keep telling you, is what your return from your marketing work is.

Whether you’re running your own business or working for someone else as a marketer, it’s crucial for you to have this ability. Being able to present hard numbers behind your performance to your boss is a great way to stand out.

This is a very short course—only 4 weeks.

It’s not going to make you a financial wizard, but it will teach you how to interpret three main aspects of financial accounting:

1. income statements
2. balance sheets
3. cash flow statements

By the end of the course, you will have a higher level of financial literacy and a better understanding of your business’s financial needs.

Specializations/Electives

As I pointed out previously, there are tons of roles marketers might find themselves in.

Depending on your job or your interests, some of these courses will appeal to you.

I included them into this section because you could be a very good marketer without taking any of them. However, they may be worth taking as they are logical extensions and specializations of marketing.

7. Entrepreneurship 101: Who is your customer? (MIT): A high proportion of marketers are interested in starting their own businesses. Not all, but many.

You can be a fantastic marketer without being an entrepreneur, but you can also apply your marketing knowledge and skills to become a successful entrepreneur. Either path is fine, but don’t be afraid to try both.

Entrepreneurship is a tough thing to teach in a course, but I like the approach of this MIT course.

Instead of standard lectures, each class consists of a detailed case study of actual entrepreneurs across different industries.

During these classes, you will learn the skills you need in order to understand your customers better, which is a fundamental ability for an entrepreneur.

8. Entrepreneurship 102: What can you do for your customer? (MIT): You will have the same instructors as in the course above as this course will pick up where the previous left off.

Instead of focusing on figuring out who your customer is and why they buy products, this course focuses on figuring out what value you can provide to your customer.

If you’re experienced in content marketing, you’ll see a lot of parallels. Just as good content must provide value to readers, products must provide value to customers.

9. Startup Success: How to Launch a Technology Company in 6 Steps (MIT): There are many types of entrepreneurs, but most commonly, people want to found their own startups.

The source of the desire is obvious: it’s a chance to have full control of a business where you can apply all your marketing and business knowledge.

But you need more than marketing knowledge to launch a startup.

This course will help you fill in the gaps in your startup knowledge (kind of the reverse purpose of this whole list).

This is another introductory course, but it will answer all the basic questions you might have. Once you finish the course, you’ll know how to:

• generate startup ideas
• develop prototypes and improve them
• recruit a team to help you
• raise funds (if needed)
• grow your business (where marketers excel)

Note that this course focuses on technology startups, but most lessons will apply to other types of startups as well.

10. Digital marketing specialization (University of Illinois – Paid courses): This isn’t actually a single course; it’s a series of five.

I included this for anyone who already has a good foundation in marketing but needs to update or extend their skillset.

These courses are all connected to each other and are focused solely on digital marketing. That includes things such as:

• digital marketing analytics
• SEO
• social media marketing

A note: you’ll have to pay to take these courses. However, they only cost about $100 each, which is incredibly cheap compared to an actual university course.

11. Social media marketing specialization (NorthWestern University – Paid courses): This is also a series of five courses.

The main difference is that this is even more specialized, focusing solely on social media marketing.

The first few courses are really basic, so if you have any experience with social media marketing, you can probably skip them without falling behind.

This course is great if you work (or plan to) in a niche dominated by social media marketing.

If social media is going to play a big role in your success, you want to learn as much as you can about marketing effectively on it.

12. Introduction to Project Management (University of Adelaide): If you have aspirations to run your own business or be promoted to a managerial position, this is a useful business course to take.

It’s exactly what it sounds like: an introduction to all the basic project management skills you’ll need.

It’s more of an abstract course because projects can be very different from each other, but the basic fundamentals will still be useful if you’re managing a project and a team.

13. Quick Sprout University for Internet Marketing: This is the first of a few items on this list that is not from an actual university.

I created this a few years ago, and it is now available free.

It covers all the major areas in Internet marketing:

• SEO
  • Link building
• Content marketing
• Social marketing
• Paid advertising
• Email marketing

…and a few more niche topics.

The whole course consists of many short videos that address a particular skill, tactic, or strategy you should know.

Even better, you can choose your skill level by using the menu on the left. Most topics are covered from the beginner level to advanced.

In my opinion, this rivals any course on this list in terms of completeness and value. Think of it as an “introduction to Internet marketing.”

It’s a good complement to the earlier mentioned digital marketing course as it is more specific and teaches you things you can apply right away.

Extras

This final group of courses will teach you skills that are, although not crucial, useful to you as a marketer.

If you want to have advanced or unique skills that other marketers can’t match, take these courses.

14. Introduction to Computer Science (Harvard): In a post on the most important skills for a content marketer, I mentioned that being able to code is a big plus.

Honestly, this single course will make a huge difference.

It’s not as hard as it seems to learn how to program on a basic level. This will allow you to automate repetitive marketing tasks, analyze large data sets, and do things like scrape websites.

I understand that the concept of programming can seem overwhelming, but this course is of reasonable difficulty and will take you step by step over all the hurdles you need to overcome.

If you have any interest in programming, you’ll enjoy it.

15. Data Analysis for Your Business (TU Delft): Data should be the core of marketing in most situations.

You need to understand how to sort and analyze data so that you can use it to make decisions that grow your business.

This course in particular focuses mainly on using advanced techniques in Excel (spreadsheets).

If you’re already fairly advanced with Excel, you can skip this course. However, if you’re looking to learn a few new tricks, it may still be worth your time.

16. Data Science and Analytics in Context (Columbia University): This is another option for learning data analysis.

It focuses on more advanced concepts such as natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and approaching data with a statistical mindset (important).

It’s less practical than the course right before it, but if you’re interested in working with large quantities of data, it’s a great place to start.

17. HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing Course & Certification: This also isn’t a university course, but it’s extremely well-established nonetheless.

HubSpot is famous for its contribution to inbound marketing, and this course covers a lot of digital marketing topics in detail (although still focusing on the basics).

I recommend this mainly to marketers who don’t have much experience with digital or content marketing. It’s a great introduction to inbound marketing.

18. PPC University: Finally, this is another free resource and probably the best set of courses you’ll find on paid advertising (for a reasonable price at least).

It covers just about everything you need to know to get a good start in paid advertising, which all marketers should have at least a basic understanding of.

Conclusion

We’re living in an amazing age when courses from the top universities in the world are at your fingertips.

Even if you weren’t fortunate enough to get a formal education in marketing, you can still learn everything you need to know about the subject.

Take as many of the courses on this list as you’d like if you feel they will teach you knowledge and skills that fill in your gaps as a marketer.

If you’ve taken any other marketing courses online that I haven’t included, let me know what your experience was with them in the comments below.

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Want Free Travel? An Introductory Guide to Credit Card Rewards (image added – MK)

I still remember the first time I signed up for a credit card that doled out cash back or rewards. It was 2011, and I had just received a direct mailer to sign up for the Chase Freedom card. Although I was confused rewards cards worked at first, I quickly learned that some credit cards offer a “bonus” if you spend a certain amount of money within the first few months.

The fine print made the process sound easy. The signup bonus on the Chase Freedom card was $100 at the time (it’s currently at $150), and all I had to do was spend $500 within 90 days.

“Just $500?” I thought. If I charged just our groceries and nothing else, I knew that type of spending requirement would be a breeze.

After mulling it over, I couldn’t find a single reason not to go through with it. With one small child and another bun in the oven, one hundred dollars could have easily meant a few trips to the doctor, a months’ worth of formula, ten packages of diapers, or whatever else I could dream up. I wasn’t 100% sure the deal would really work, but I didn’t think I had much to lose, either.

Fortunately, there were no caveats or “gotchas” at all. Once I charged groceries on my card for a few months, the sweet $100 bonus posted to my account without almost no effort on my part. All I had to do to steer clear of trouble was to pay my bill in full every month (or even more often), avoid credit card interest like the plague, and not let my penchant for rewards trick me into spending more than I planned.

From Cash Back to Travel Rewards

I was hooked, but my hobby continued to evolve from there. And now that our income and the amount of time we can take off work has increased considerably, I’m literally traveling the world on credit card rewards, and that’s not even an exaggeration.

We still have to make a living, but we easily take anywhere from 8-9 trips per year, some with and some without the kids. In the last two years alone, we’ve seen and done so many amazing things – for example, we took a canal ride in Venice, explored Henry VIII’s Hampton Court, snorkeled with sea turtles in St. Maarten, saw the amazing landscape in Capri, and enjoyed Spring Break with the kids in Jamaica.

We’ve dined on stone-heated pizza in Rome, stayed in one of the finest hotels in Paris, zip-lined the highest zip line in the world in Puerto Rico, and basked in the mystery and wonder of Stonghenge. Over the last few years, we have learned to enjoy and embrace life in ways we never thought possible – and in ways we could never afford otherwise.

In this article, I hope to offer an introduction to travel hacking – a term used to describe the process of earning points and miles and redeeming them to see the world. If you’ve been interested in the past but were afraid to jump in, consider this a personal invitation.

Getting Free Travel with Credit Card Rewards: How to Get Started

For the most part, the key to figuring out which card is best for your needs is deciding where you want to go. What does your ideal trip look like? Do you want to stay in a hotel or condo?

Do you want to fly all over the world or mostly stick to train travel?

Would you rather sink into a white sand beach with a cold drink, or go hiking through the Swiss Alps?

When it comes to rewards, the sky is truly the limit. You can truly go almost anywhere, but your first step is figuring out a way to narrow your selection of destinations down.

Aside from deciding where you want to go and when, here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• A credit score over 700, but ideally over 720. The best travel credit cards are geared to individuals with good or excellent credit, which usually means a score over 720. Lower scores are occasionally acceptable if other employment and income conditions are met.
• A debt-free lifestyle. If you are paying down credit card debt, you need credit card rewards like you need a hole in the head. Pay down your consumer debts and get on solid financial footing before you even consider travel hacking or pursuing rewards.
• A plan to stay organized. While it’s easy to keep track of a single rewards card, having two, three or four can easily cause you to forget some of the important details. To stay on top of it all, you’ll want to keep a simple spreadsheet or list with details such as when you sign up, when you earned the signup bonus, and when (or if) an annual fee will be charged.

Top Travel Credit Cards to Consider in 2016

Once you decide where you want to go, figuring out the right card or combination of cards is your next step. Since it would be impossible to cover every rewards credit card on the market in one article, I decided to highlight most of my favorites in this post instead. If you want to score free travel – whether that means airline miles or points for hotel stays, here are some of the top cards you should consider no matter what:

Flexible Rewards Credit Cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Ink Plus^® Business Credit Card
• Chase Freedom^®
• Citi ThankYou^® Premier Card
• Citi Prestige^® 

Airline Credit Cards:

• Citi^®/ AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® MasterCard^®
• British Airways Visa Signature^® Card
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card

Hotel Credit Cards:

• Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express
• Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Cards that Offer Travel Credit:

• Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard^®
• BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Credit Card

This is just a small sample of cards you could sign up for, but believe me, there are plenty of other awesome rewards cards to browse through. If you want to explore all of your options, Good Financial Cents highlights the rest in these comprehensive guides:

• Best Travel Credit Cards
• Best Business Credit Cards
• Best Cash Back Credit Cards
• Best 0% APR and Balance Transfer Cards

An Introduction to Chase Ultimate Rewards

If you’re looking for a good place to start, Chase Ultimate Rewards is easily the top rewards program for travel. With either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Ink Plus^® Business Credit Card, you’ll earn points that are redeemable for any type of travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal at a 20 percent discount, good for cash back or gift cards, or transferable to the top loyalty programs out there including Southwest Airline, British Airways, United MileagePlus Explorer, Korean Air, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG Rewards, Ritz Carlton, and more.

The best way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points depends a lot on your travel goals. As a Southwest Airlines enthusiast, my family commonly transfers our points to the discount airline for free domestic flights or flights to the Caribbean. Or, if we plan to take a short haul flight within the United States, a transfer to British Airways is another easy option.

Transfers to Marriott, IHG Rewards, and Hyatt can be equally lucrative if you have a specific hotel in mind. For example, my family once used Hyatt points to stay at the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris at a time when rooms cost more than $1,000 per night. To say we felt out of place was an understatement, but the experience is one I will never forget.

And don’t get me started on IHG Rewards. For the second year in a row, my family is heading to the Holiday Inn All-Inclusive Resort in Montego Bay for Spring Break. We paid for almost the entire trip with points, and the fact that it’s all-inclusive means we don’t have to pay for meals, drinks, or entertainment. Best of all, we booked our flights on Southwest Airlines after transferring them from Chase Ultimate Rewards, which means we only had to pay for airline taxes and fees.

Best Ways to Use Chase Ultimate Rewards

• Redeem them for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal at a 1:1 discount
• Transfer them to top hotel and airline loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio
• Redeem them for cash back or gift cards at a rate of one cent per point
• Pair all three cards for maximum exposure and potential in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program

Top Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card– Earn 50,000 points worth $625 in travel through the Chase portal after spending $4,000 on your card within the first 90 days, plus free primary auto rental coverage, free trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and a slew of other perks. The $95 annual fee on this card is waived the first year. Read here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Ink Plus^® Business Credit Card – Geared to small business owners, the Ink Plus^® Business Credit Card lets you earn 5X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services each year, 2X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent at gas stations and on rooms booked directly with a hotel, and 1X points on everything else. The current signup bonus is 60,000 points after you spend just $5,000 on your card within 90 days. The $95 annual fee is not waived the first year, but the signup bonus alone pays for your first six years!. Read here to learn more about the Ink Plus^® Business Credit Card.

Chase Freedom^® – While this card doesn’t offer Chase Ultimate Rewards points on its own, pairing it with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card allows you to pool your points for use in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. The current signup bonus on this card is both lucrative and easy to earn. After spending just $500 within 90 days, you’ll score 15,000 points worth $150 in cash back or considerably more if transferred to Chase Ultimate Rewards. Read here to learn more about the Chase Freedom^® card.

Scoring Free Travel with Citi ThankYou^® Rewards

Thanks to the increased signup bonuses on Citi cards last year, the Citi ThankYou^® program is once again luring in new customers. This program works similarly to the Chase Ultimate Rewards program in the fact that you can transfer points to a slew of top airline programs and one hotel program, or use them to book travel through the Citi travel portal at a discount. As a last resort, you can also redeem your points for gift cards at one cent per point.

Since I focus so much of my efforts on Chase Ultimate Rewards, I just got into the Citi Game full force last year. My husband and I both signed up and earned the signup bonus on the Citi Prestige^® card and I signed up for the Citi ThankYou^® Premier Card. Due to some regular spending on our cards and their collective signup bonuses, we now have around 170,000 Citi points to spend.

As we speak, I’m about to pull the trigger on six round-trip flights to the St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, for my children’s fall break from school. Not only are we going to take our two children, but we’re taking my parents as well.

This is only possible because of the unique way you can redeem points from the Citi Prestige^® card for flights on American Airlines. With this card, you get 1.6 cents value for every point you redeem with American Airlines, which makes my family’s round-trip flights out of Chicago cost only 25,000 Citi points each.

I have always wanted to take my parents somewhere really exotic, and now I am able to thanks to this combination of cards. I can’t wait to see my entire family’s faces when they see just how beautiful the mountainous Caribbean can be.

Best Ways to Use Citi Points for Travel

• Book flights on American Airlines while getting 1.6 cents per point with the Prestige card
• Pair both cards and transfer your points to your Prestige account to get more value when you redeem on American Airlines
• Transfer your points to a lucrative Citi airline travel partner
• Use your points to book travel through the Citi travel portal, or redeem them for gift cards at a rate of one cent per point

Top Citi Travel Credit Cards

Citi ThankYou^® Premier Card – The current signup bonus on this card is 40,000 points after you spend $3,000 in 90 days. Plus, you’ll earn 3x points on travel including gas, 2x points on dining and entertainment, and 1x points on everything else. This card offers no foreign transaction fees and your points never expire. Best of all, the $95 annual fee is waived the first year. Read here to learn more about the Citi ThankYou^® Premier Card.

Citi Prestige^® – The Citi Prestige^® card is one of my favorite cards right now, and for good reason. Not only does it offer 50,000 points after you spend $3,000 in 90 days, but it also comes with a $250 annual air credit, airline lounge membership, $100 credit towards Global Entry, and myriad other benefits. Once you sign up, you’ll earn 3x points on air and hotel travel, 2x points on dining and entertainment, and 1x points on everything else. This card does come with a $450 annual fee, but the $250 air travel credit, Global Entry fee, and lounge membership more than make up for it – let alone the huge signup bonus! Read here to learn more about the Citi Prestige^® card.

Getting the Most Out of Airline Credit Cards

While flexible cards that dole out Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi points are easy to use and understand, airline miles are an entirely different animal. Beyond keeping track of award charts that change at the drop of a hat, using airline miles can mean struggling to find award availability or to find more than one seat on a single flight. I really, really hate that.

That’s the main reason I stick to cards that tend to offer availability for the flights I want, or at least have miles that aren’t impossible to use. For domestic flights and trips to the Caribbean, my favorite airline is Southwest Airlines. Not only give you your first two checked bags free, but they have no blackout dates or capacity controls. If there is a seat available on a flight, it’s yours. This is crucial when you’re flying with a family of four or five and need all of your seats on the same airplane. And remember, Southwest flies to a bunch of awesome destinations in the Caribbean in addition to its domestic routes; currently, that list includes Punta Cana, Aruba, Cancun, Mexico City, Los Cabos, Nassau, Costa Rica, San Juan, Montego Bay, Belize, and others.

British Airways is my second favorite airline for domestic flights due to its generous awards on fairly short flights within the U.S. Even after a devaluation earlier this year, you can still fly less than 1,150 miles for only 7,500 British Airways Avios per leg.

When it comes to travel to Europe, the American AAdvantage program is my go-to. Based on the fact that it has decent availability and fairly low fuel surcharges on international flights, we have used this airline to fly overseas several times. The last time was this past fall when we visited Italy for the first time. To fly into Rome and home from Venice, we paid a total of 80,000 American AAdvantage miles and $109!

Best Ways to Use Airline Miles

• Be flexible. If you’re hoping to use airline miles for an award fare, you need to be extremely flexible on your flight date and time. Remember, you have to pick flights based on what is available.
• Watch out for fuel surcharges and taxes. Some airline charge higher than average fuel surcharges on international flights. Make sure to shop around before you commit to a specific airline program or flight.
• Pair your airline credit card with a flexible card that lets you build up more points. If you’re obsessed with a specific airline, getting a flexible rewards card that lets you transfer points can be an extremely smart move.

Top Airline Credit Cards

Citi^®/ AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® MasterCard^® – This card is a no-brainer for anyone who hopes to use airline miles to travel to Europe, the Caribbean or within the United States especially. Currently, you’ll earn 50,000 American AAdvantage miles after spending just $3,000 on your card within 90 days. You and up to four travel companions will also get a free checked bag on domestic itineraries, and the $95 annual fee is waived the first year. Read here to learn more about the Citi^®/ AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® MasterCard^®.

British Airways Visa Signature^® Card – The British Airways Visa Signature^® Card offers a tiered signup bonus. Currently, you’ll earn 50,000 Avios after you spend $2,000 on your card within 90 days, an additional 25,000 Avios after you spend $10,000 on your card, and an additional 25,000 Avios after you spend $20,000 on your card within the first year. To keep things in perspective, 100,000 Avios is enough for two round-trip flights to Europe! This card comes with no foreign transaction fees, but it does have a $95 annual fee. Read here to learn more about the British Airways Visa Signature^® Card.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card – This card lets you earn points for the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, which is the best program for domestic flights and trips to the Caribbean. The current signup bonus is 25,000 points after you spend $2,000 on your card with 90 days, but the signup bonus frequently surges to 50,000 points. In my mind, you should definitely wait this offer out. In the meantime, get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card since points transfer to Southwest 1:1. Read here to learn more about the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card.

Scoring Free Nights with Hotel Credit Cards

Depending on what type of travel you enjoy most, hotel credit cards can be extremely useful. Not only can you book “destination travel” with hotel points, but you can book staging rooms for flights as well.

Since we often drive three hours to stay in Chicago, I frequently use starpoints to book a room at a Chicago airport hotel. However, I’ve been known to use hotel points for specific trips as well. For example, we’re spending five nights at the Westin Resort & Spa in Grand Cayman this May for just 12,000 starpoints per night. And just this past December, my family and I spent seven nights at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa without paying a single cent, even though rooms were going for more than $800 per night!

Another awesome way we have used starpoints in the past was at the Park Lane Sheraton Hotel in London. For just 12,000 points per night during the off-season, we stayed at a top tier property that was just minutes from the London Underground and right across the street from Buckingham Palace.

Best Way to Use Hotel Points

• Use your points for airport stays
• Rack up a ton of points to earn enough for a week-long vacation stay
• Get your spouse involved in the game so you can earn double the points – and stay twice as long!

Top Hotel Credit Cards

Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express – While there are several hotel credit cards that offer a lot of value for both domestic and international stays, the Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express is at the top of this class. With this card, you’ll earn 25,000 starpoints after you spend just $3,000 on the card within 90 days, plus additional perks like upgraded in-room wifi, and free BOING internet access at 1,000,000 destinations worldwide. Since weekday rooms at Starwood properties start at just 3,000 points per night, your starpoints can go extremely far if you plan ahead. Whether you want to stay in London, Mexico, or all over the United States, the Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express is the perfect card for your wallet. You can even transfer your points to more than 30 airlines, or book a Nights & Flights package that includes both airline miles and free hotel nights. Read here to learn more about the Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express.

Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card – For a limited time, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card is offering 80,000 bonus points after you spend just $3,000 on the card within 90 days. That’s enough points for two nights at one of their higher tier properties, or several nights at one of their lower tier resorts or hotels. You’ll also get a free stay at a Category 1-5 property on your account anniversary, which is the perfect reason to keep this card past the first year. Read here to learn more about the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card.

Maximizing Cards that Offer Travel Credit

While hotel credit cards, airline credit cards, and flexible travel cards offer plenty of ways to score free travel, there is an entirely different type of travel card to consider – cards that offer” travel credit.” These cards don’t let you earn miles for a specific airline or points for a specific hotel, but instead dole out points you can redeem for any type of travel.

Most of the time, you use your card for the travel expenses you want to cover, then simply redeem your points as a statement credit to cover those purchases. This strategy can be extremely helpful when you want to stay in a hotel or property that isn’t part of one of the big chains, or when you want to book a flight but can’t find availability using airline miles.

You can also use travel credit to cover the many incidentals you will incur during your trips – things like taxis, train tickets, and entry fees to attractions. At the end of the day, this type of card offers one more way to save money on any number of travel expenses we’ll need to pay.

Best Ways to Use Points for Travel Credit

• Since your redemption is based on the amount of money you spend, you can (and should) shop around for the best deal before you book.
• Get your spouse to sign up for a travel credit card to earn twice the rewards.
• Use your travel credit to cover expenses that are hard to pay for with airline miles or hotel points.

Top Credit Cards that Offer Travel Credit

Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard^® – With the Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard^®, you’ll earn 40,000 “miles” worth $400 in travel credit after spending just $3,000 on your card within 90 days. Add that to the 2x points you earn on every dollar you spend, and you’ll see why this is a top rewards card for anyone who travels. This card comes with no foreign transaction fees, making it the perfect companion for international travel – plus the annual fee is waived the first year. Read here to learn more about the Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard^®.

BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Credit Card – Like other cards that offer “travel credit,” the BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Credit Card lets you earn points that are redeemable for any type of travel. Earn 1.5x points for every dollar you spend, plus 20,000 bonus points after you spend just $1,000 on your card within 90 days. Since you can redeem your points for any type of travel, you won’t have to worry about blackout dates, capacity controls, or award availability. Best of all, this card never charges an annual fee! The main reason this card is on my list is due to its low spending requirement to earn the signup bonus. Even if you aren’t a huge spender, most people can put $1,000 in groceries or regular bills on their card. Read here to learn more about the BankAmericard Travel Rewards® Credit Card.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been trying to save for the perfect getaway but can’t seem to set aside the funds, it might make sense to look into airline miles, hotel points, and other types of rewards to see what kind of savings you can find. With the right strategy, you could even fly around the world, visit places you have never dreamed of seeing, or take your children or parents on a trip that will cause envy among even your closest friends.

With the right combination of cards, good or excellent credit, and some self-discipline, any trip you can dream up can be within your reach.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask away in the comments.

 

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