Rite-Aid Construction set to begin on lower Main

The sounds of construction and heavy equipment may soon be filling the air on lower Main Street as the borough has issued construction permits for the Rite-Aid according to borough manager Brian Bond.Plans for 11,115 square-foot building, that will feature a drive-thru pharmacy, were submitted in March 2016 but BTS Stroudsburg, the development firm in charge of the site, still had some hurdles to overcome.“I was one of their biggest cheerleaders so I’m thrilled, [...]

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Peer-to-Peer Lending 101

Sorry, Meal Kit Fans. Up to 30% of What You Pay is Used for ‘Free’ Shipping

Why do meal subscription boxes cost so much?

Pick one up and you’ll figure it out. It costs a lot to ship a box that can easily weigh 15 pounds once it’s packed with the ingredients, ice packs and protective cushioning.

The Washington Post recently reported the costs of shipping a meal kit account for 20-30% of what you pay for the service.

Take away all the first-timer coupons that cut the price of a meal box in half or the referral codes that make meal kit prices more palatable, and you’re usually paying between $50 and $60 per box. It could easily cost $10 or more of that price to get your meal from the warehouse to the bush next to your front door.

Caitlin Dewey of The Washington Post explained that Blue Apron orders ship from one of three warehouses in New Jersey, Texas and California.

“The company continues to tweak both the exact packaging of its boxes, and the company that delivers them, on a Zip code by Zip code basis,” Dewey wrote. “In other words, even if you and a friend down the street both order from Blue Apron, two completely different trucks might deliver your (differently insulated) boxes.”

High Costs for Huge Convenience

We’ve never told you meal kits save you money on ingredients. Instead, they save you time. If grocery shopping frustrates you and meal planning makes your head hurt, well, the $60 a week to have someone plan it all for you may be worth it.

And no one is hiding the dark side of food boxes (because we’re nosy, we’d find out anyway). The safety of the perishable food in your insulated delivery boxes may not be ideal. We don’t yet completely know the environmental impact of shipping all that portion-packed food to everyone’s homes. And reviews about quality of life if you work in one of the warehouses that packs your sprigs of mint are mixed at best.

But making grocery shopping and meal planning easier is a big business, with a Blue Apron IPO imminent and Amazon poised to redesign the grocery industry altogether.

We Love Free Shipping, But for How Long?

We all get excited about free shipping — perhaps even more so for the promise of free returns — but it’s easy to forget the costs of that “free” service are often rolled into your order’s price.

UPS recently announced shipping surcharges for retailers mailing packages during peak holiday weeks. Amazon only makes back about half of what it costs to get your order to your door, even if you pay for Prime.

At some point, online shoppers will have to make a choice, whether you’re picking out a new pair of running shoes or a meal kit for the week: Would you rather pay a few extra bucks to cover shipping and see that amount on your invoice, or pay a higher price and still have the illusion the company’s hurling it your way for “free”?

We’ve been conditioned to expect the lowest prices possible, but we may have to start making some compromises soon.

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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Pocono Twp. zoning board chairman resigns in protest

Pocono Township’s zoning hearing board chairman resigned Thursday in protest of what he said are exorbitant fee hikes for hearings in front of the board.Former attorney and board Chairman Mark Love said the increases, some of which more than tripled, are not justified by the costs or legislation governing the setting of fees.The fees were voted for in a resolution at the township’s last commissioner’s meeting on June 5. It increased the filing fees for [...]

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Average Vacation Ends With $1,108 of Debt (and It’s Totally Avoidable)

I just got back from a 10-day stretch in Europe — and let me tell ya, it was expensive.

Something about being on vacation throws the frugal side of me completely out the window. I realized this while I chugged a 60-euro ($66.89) bottle of Champagne in front of the Eiffel Tower one afternoon like it was nothing (worth it!!!!).

The good news is, I saved for my trip. Expensive wine, late nights out and a spontaneous day in Amsterdam didn’t throw me into a financial hole.

However, that isn’t the case for most Americans.

A new survey revealed that many Americans are hurling themselves into debt to pay for vacations.

Ouch.

Why Do People Go Into Debt for Vacation?

LearnVest, a personal finance planning company, recently revealed new findings from its Money Habits and Confessions Survey, in which 1,000 adults in the U.S. were polled between May 17 and May 23 about their money habits.

In the survey, 32% of respondents said saving for vacations is a financial priority, but less than half of them actually account for vacations in their annual budgets.

This lack of planning may explain why 74% of respondents say they’ve gone into debt to pay for a vacation. The average respondent’s debt for a trip was $1,108.

*shocked emoji*

Aside from the lack of vacation planning, LearnVest suggests additional reasons why people come home with debt, such as:

• Falling for flash airfare sales. Flash airfare sales sound great, but it’s easy to jump at them without having the money available. Can you really afford that cheap ticket, or are you buying it just because it looks like a good deal? I won’t lie — I think I look up tickets back to Europe almost every day. There are multiple times when I’ve seen an extremely low price and wanted to pull the trigger, but I’ve grown to always think twice.
• Buying plane tickets with a credit card. Putting a pricy airline ticket on a credit card is one of the fastest ways to pay way too much for it in the end. You may tell yourself, “Oh, I don’t have the money now, but I’ll just pay it off in a few months!” The truth is, you’ll end up paying for the ticket plus whatever interest it may incur. Don’t do it!

Some Good News (I Think?)

We may not be saving enough to go on vacation, but we are at least taking small steps in the right direction when it comes to prepping for one.

The survey shows that people are doing a few things well when they prep for vacations, such as reducing restaurant visits, shopping less and spending less on entertainment.

Although these efforts are notable, they’re still not enough.

If you want to have a baller vacay (that doesn’t involve you coming home chained to a pile of debt), here are a few things you can do to generate the money you need:

• Consider getting a side gig for the months leading up to your trip. This can be a great way to build extra funds without disrupting your regular budget.
• Sell your unwanted things. Ever heard of the Letgo app? By being able to easily sell things from the palm of your hand, you can embrace minimalism and maximize your vacation fund.
• Make your money work smarter, not harder. Investing sounds scary, but Stash is an easy-to-use app that walks you through the process. If you start out small and build your portfolio, you could have a good amount of money waiting for you when you’re ready to cash it out for your trip.

This article contains general information and explains options you may have, but it is not intended to be investment advice or a personal recommendation. We can’t personalize articles for our readers, so your situation may vary from the one discussed here. Please seek a licensed professional for tax advice, legal advice, financial planning advice or investment advice.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. Adding these links helps us keep the lights on in The Penny Hoarder HQ, which makes it a lot easier to play shuffleboard after a long day of deal seeking!

Kelly Smith is a junior writer and engagement specialist at The Penny Hoarder. Catch her on Twitter at @keywordkelly.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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These 10 Jobs Pay More Than $55K/Yr and Only Require Associate’s Degrees

Face it, college can be a real drag.

We know. That’s why we want to cut your time in academia in half.

Getting your associate’s degree allows you to jet off into the workforce quicker and can provide ample opportunities for high-paying and fulfilling careers. So The Penny Hoarder did an analysis to show you the 10 best jobs you can land with just a two-year degree.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that healthcare jobs dominate the list, because with an aging population, we’ll need plenty of these jobs in the coming years.

10 High-Paying Jobs With an Associate’s Degree

According to the latest available data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, here are the 10 best high-paying jobs that are also seeing a lot of growth.

We also included the states with the highest concentration of each job.

1. Radiation Therapist

Median pay: $80,160

Job growth through 2024: 14%

As the child of a breast cancer survivor, I have major respect for anyone involved in the treatment of the disease — especially the unsung heroes.

Radiation therapists are the behind-the-scenes operators of the machines that blast x-rays at cancer cells in a patient’s body. With an associate’s degree and certification, this career can flourish in a variety of health care settings, from hospitals, to medical offices and to outpatient centers.

With an aging population, health care jobs like these are some of the fastest growing over the next decade. The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, an organization that certifies radiation therapists, has plenty of resources on where to start if you’re interested in this career.

It’s important to note that some radiation therapists can pursue a bachelor’s degree which pays more, bumping up the median wage for the occupation as a whole.

Where the jobs are: New York, Texas, Florida, California, Illinois

2. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

Median pay: $69,650

Job growth through 2024: 26.4%

It’s a mouthful, but basically, diagnostic medical sonographers are responsible for the first glimpse expectant mothers get of their babies.

They also operate imaging equipment used to investigate muscle and tendon tears, the presence of breast cancer or pretty much any other internal problem in your body.

There are more than 350 viable programs for you to pick if you’re entering this field, according to the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Where the jobs are: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania

3. Occupational Therapy Assistant

Median pay: $59,010

Job growth through 2024: 42.7%

Picture occupational therapy assistants like Dorothy oiling up the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. They help you move it, move it. (Yeah, that was two movie references in on paragraph. Sue me.)

They help you get back to work.

These careers are based out of hospitals, retirement homes, home health care agencies and can be provided by local governments. There’s a lot of flexibility when you’re looking for a job.

As for where to start, check out the Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant Centralized Application Service for leads on where to find a school near you.

Where the jobs are: Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York

4. Dental Hygienist

Median pay: $72,910

Job growth through 2024: 18.6%

So this isn’t a job for everyone, but dental hygienists are the real workhorses of any dental practice. They clean teeth, take x-rays and chat you up while you drool through massive balls of cotton in your mouth.

Like the previous jobs mentioned, this job requires a certification after graduation, and some students elect to pursue a bachelor’s or master’s degree as well. The American Dental Hygienists Association has resources on where to start if you’re interested.

Who knows, one day you might have R.H.D. after your name.

Where the jobs are: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan

5. Web Developer

Median pay: $66,130

Job growth through 2024: 26.6%

The first non-health care job on the list is also the one that has the lowest barrier to entry and most flexibility: web developer.

They design and create websites just like the one you’re browsing right now (and please, stay for a while). While you can learn to code on the cheap, picking a community college for your associate’s degree can provide you with internships and help with building a portfolio.

Because there are so many resources out there to learn the basics of web development on your own, you might want to take a few classes to see what you think before committing to a two-year degree.

Where the jobs are: California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois

6. Physical Therapist Assistant

Median pay: $56,610

Job growth through 2024: 40.6%

Similar to No. 3 on the list, physical therapist assistants are support staff helping people get their groove back.

This job involves ensuring patient safety while implementing physical therapy treatments and collecting data on patient progress.

The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education has approved 331 schools in the U.S.

Where the jobs are: Texas, Ohio, Florida, California, Illinois

7. Cardiovascular Technologist or Technician

Median pay: $55,570

Job growth through 2024: 22.2%

These combined fields both represent health care workers focusing on diagnosing and treating heart and blood vessel issues.

Cardiovascular technologists are lifesavers — literally. They are involved in teams treating heart attacks, but also help install stents and pacemakers. Technicians run stress tests and electrocardiograms.

Like most health care jobs, they require certification upon graduation.

Where the jobs are: Texas, Florida, California, New York, Pennsylvania

8. Respiratory Therapists

Median pay: $58,670

Job growth through 2024: 12.3%

Respiratory therapists help patients with the essential life function: breathing.

They care for everyone from infants to the elderly, and they also assist doctors during emergency situations, such as drownings, patients in shock or heart attacks.

The demand for these jobs is the highest it’s ever been, and they offer stable careers, according to the American Association for Respiratory Care.

Check out this nifty map that compares each school with respiratory therapy programs.

Where the jobs are: California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, New York

9. Geological and Petroleum Technician

Median pay: $56,470

Job growth through 2024: 11.8%

Given President Donald Trump’s push for energy independence, geological and petroleum technician jobs should grow by even more than the 11.8% the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted in 2014.

These workers pretty much do it all. They gather samples for scientists to test, record data, install lab and field equipment, monitor oil wells and even do scientific tests of their own.

Once you find a school, you’ll probably take mostly science and math classes.

Where the jobs are: Texas, California, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Pennsylvania

10. Radiologic Technologist

Median pay: $57,470

Job growth through 2024: 8.7%

Radiologic technologists maintain x-ray equipment, run x-rays on patients and record results.

But don’t just think of them as some machine jockeys — they have to know all about the anatomy of the human body, radiation safety and patient care.

Click here to find an accredited program for this career. Like the other health care jobs above, it requires certification after you graduate.

Where the jobs are: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania

Methodology

Using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Department’s employment projection database, we pulled out the jobs that require an associate’s degree.

Next, we looked at the median wage and projected job growth through 2024, and used a nerdy mathematical method developed by these two guys to throw out bad data and rank the jobs based on those two metrics. And voila!

Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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No One Likes Ticks. Protect Yourself From Them Without Blowing Your Budget

Ticks are sneaky little jerks.

They like to hide in hair, behind your knees, between your toes and all sorts of other out of the way places where they won’t be noticed.

Aside from the squick factor of having a tiny interloper attached to your body, ticks are generally bad news. You definitely want to find and remove them as soon as possible.

The Tick Ick Factor

The biggest problem with ticks is they carry diseases like Lyme, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and a whole lot of other illnesses with long medical names.

Tick-borne illnesses are no joke.

Some do strange things like rewire your chemistry so you suddenly become allergic to meat. Others can be fatal or leave you with long-term medical conditions that are difficult to treat.

I don’t want to scare you with all kinds of statistics and data on how many people get tick-sick every year. I’ll let the University of Rhode Island’s Tick Encounter Resource Center do it for me.

Where Ticks Call Home

We generally think of ticks as living in lush forests, grassy areas or moist environments. While those are their favorite places to hang out, you can pick up a tick just about anywhere — even the middle of New York City.

And I do mean anywhere. There is at least one tick species in every state except Alaska. You’ll even find them in Hawaii.

These interactive maps from the Center for Disease Control can tell you exactly what types of ticks live in your state and which diseases they transmit.

Inexpensive Ways to Protect Yourself From Ticks

The key to protecting yourself against tick bites is to not let them hitch a ride on your skin in the first place.

The Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services says:  

• When hiking, stay in the center of the trails so you’re as far away from trees and bushes as possible.

• Cover as much of your skin as possible, including wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into your socks. You may get hot and you may not look super fashionable, but ticks really hate it when you dress like that.

• Use bug repellent that contains DEET on any exposed skin. For double-protection also give your clothes a good spray of insect repellent that contains fabric-safe permethrin.

It costs a total of around $20 for both products. Repellents without these powerful extra ingredients may be less expensive — but they’re also less effective.

For an added layer of protection against tick bites, consider fortifying the environment around you.

I have no idea why, but ticks like to lay their eggs in mouse nests.

Lots of eggs. So very many eggs.

Female ticks can lay as many as 8,000 eggs at a time. (If it’s any consolation, she then drops dead.)

To help keep the tick population down where you live, make tick tubes to let mice help you eradicate the little buggers.

Just cram a few permethrin-soaked cotton balls in cardboard tubes you’ve saved from rolls of paper towels and toilet paper and leave them around your yard. When the mice drag the cotton back to their nests, the permethrin will promptly kill all the little ticks in the area.

A bottle of Permethrin costs about $30, but it lasts a long time and also kills fleas, mosquitos, bedbugs, termites and a host of other creepy-crawlies.

You can also soak the cotton balls in less expensive all-natural plant oils like rosemary, lemongrass, or garlic oil but the CDC says, “products made from these ingredients have not been evaluated by [Environmental Protection Agency] for effectiveness.”

No matter which option you try, it’s likely to be less expensive than having professional exterminators treat your yard for $100 per month or more.

Tick Removal Doesn’t Have to Cost a Lot

No matter how solid your tick precautions are, it’s possible one might clamp down on you anyway. After all, something the size of a poppy seed can pretty easily slip undetected through the tiniest of holes.

If you find one on yourself, don’t panic.

You’ll want it off you as soon as possible, but you need to do it safely.

Harvard Medical School recommends you ignore folk remedies like touching it with a hot match or freezing it off. It probably won’t help and can definitely make things worse.

You also don’t need a pricy tick removal kit or fancy tools.

The CDC says, “a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers will remove a tick quite effectively.”

Simply grasp the tick with the tweezers and pull straight up. The CDC walks you through the process, including how to properly dispose of the tiny carcass.

While most tick bites are harmless, don’t leave things to chance.

For the cost of a couple of pizzas, you can protect your family and pets from ticks and avoid the “completely preventable” diseases they carry.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She looked at tick pictures all day so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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No, the FTC Doesn’t Need Your Banking Info for Western Union Settlement

The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers about a scam that’s pretty ingenious and might just trick even some of the more skeptical internet users.

According to the FTC, people across the country have reported getting an email from a woman named Maureen Ohlhausen. In the email, she asks for personal banking information and says she needs it so the government can send you your portion of a payout from a settlement between the FTC and Western Union.

This scam has the potential to be effective because the scammers have woven just enough truth into their lies.

As it turns out, Ohlhausen really does work for the FTC. She’s the acting chairman. But she is not sending out any emails asking for your banking information.

Also, the FTC really is in the middle of a global settlement with Western Union. The company agreed to repay $586 million to consumers who were tricked into sending money to scammers using its money-wiring service.

However, the FTC is not handling the refund process. The Department of Justice is managing that, and it has not opened the door to claims and refunds just yet. It is still waiting for Western Union to pay up.

Got Burned in a Western Union Scam? Here’s What You Need to Know

For those of you who are expecting money from the Western Union settlement, the FTC says this is what you need to know:

• Later this year, after Western Union has paid all the settlement money to the DOJ, the government will begin the “Petition for Remission” process, which allows you to make claims.
• Anyone who lost money to a scammer between Jan. 1, 2004 and Jan. 19, 2017 could qualify for a refund. It’s not yet clear if victims will get the full amount they lost. The amount victims receive will depend on how much they lost, how many people ask for refunds and how much money people lost in total.
• Although victims can file claims this year, the DOJ will do its due diligence to make sure all claims are valid before paying them out. That means it could take up to a year to get your money back.

While you wait to file a claim, the FTC and DOJ suggest holding on to any paperwork that proves you were a victim of a Western Union scam. They also warn against paying anyone who promises to get money back on your behalf.

If you get one of the scam emails, forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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Amazon Could Lower Whole Foods’ Prices. Here’s How to Save in the Meantime

Whole Foods gives you the option to feed your family healthy food produced in a way you can feel good about.

And Amazon’s recent buyout announcement makes us think that food could come a whole lot cheaper someday soon.

But in the meantime… the chain’s prices still make you want to walk down the street to the discount chain and forget all about the contents of your food.

How has anyone been able to afford groceries at Whole Foods all along?

Well, they know the secrets.

How to Save Money at Whole Foods

There are tons of little ways to save money at Whole Foods — without Amazon’s price magic. You just have to know how to take advantage of them.

We’ve pulled together the best tips from Whole Foods insiders and our personal experience to help you save money on the healthy food you really want.

1. Buy Discounted Gift Cards

To cut your costs every time you shop, buy Whole Foods gift cards online.

You can get them for less than face value through gift card exchange sites like Raise.

Buy a gift card before your weekly shopping trip, and you could save around 2% on all your groceries!

2. Use a Cash-Back App

While coupons often help you save money on carbo-loaded brands and packaged foods, rebate apps can help you save on your staples.

Every time you shop, take a picture of your receipt with a free cash-back app like Ibotta to find deals on non-name-brand items like bread, fruit or milk.

If you can, check the app before you shop, and plan your purchases around available Whole Foods deals.

When you get home, submit your receipt and look for the money to appear in your Ibotta account within 48 hours. You can cash out for gift cards or a PayPal payment you can transfer to your bank account.

Sign up through this link and you’ll score a free $10.

3. Download the Whole Foods App

Download the Whole Foods app for iOS or Android to get free coupons and recipes.

You can also keep your shopping list in the app and even order groceries for delivery by Instacart.

Be sure to scan your app’s barcode at the register to automatically add any applicable coupons.

4. Subscribe to the Newsletter

Tons of stores offer deals and freebies when you share your email address.

Enter your email and location to receive weekly Whole Foods coupons, recipes and tips in your inbox.

5. Find Manufacturer Coupons

In addition to the store coupons, look for manufacturer coupons for items on your list.

These are awesome — and you can usually stack them with in-store sales and Whole Foods coupons.

Here are 100 places to find free coupons for everything on your list. If you’re shopping online to pick up in-store (see #21), here’s where to find coupon codes online.

Looking for savings on healthier choices? Try these secret places to find coupons for fresh fruits and veggies.

6. Follow Your Local Store on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Businesses share some of their best deals on social media before anyone else hears about them.

Stay up to date with Whole Foods deals by following your local store.

Choose your store here to find links to its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

7. Check out the Whole Foods Sales Days

Saving money at Whole Foods might simply be a matter of knowing when to shop.

New weekly sales start on Wednesdays, so you’re bound to find the most available deals then.

Whole Foods also runs weekly Friday One-Day Sales on select items. These are usually advertised a few weeks in advance, and you can call your local store to find out what’s coming up.

Keep an eye out for sales, and plan your shopping list accordingly!

8. Bring Your Own Bags

Like many grocery stores, Whole Foods offers a discount when you use your own bag and save the plastic or paper.

Bring lots of them! Depending on your store, you’ll receive a 5- to 10-cent discount per bag, so come prepared.

9. Bring Your Own Containers

When you buy in bulk, you’ll pay for the weight of the plastic container that holds your goods.

It’s intentionally pretty light, but you could always shave off just a little more.

Bring your own jar or plastic container, have it weighed before you fill it, and you’ll only pay for the weight of the contents.

10. Compare Prices

Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value brand is intended to be the chain’s affordable option.

Keep an eye out for it, but compare it with other brands to make sure you get the best deal.

11. Look for Unadvertised Sales

Not every sale item is mentioned in the flyer, so keep your eyes peeled for other ways to save money at Whole Foods!

Scan the shelves for yellow and red tags, which indicate a Whole Foods clearance item. You can save a lot on staples by stocking up when you find a good sale.

12. Try Before You Buy

The chain actually has a generous sample policy, a former Whole Foods employee says.

To cut down on waste, you can “try before you buy” to keep from buying something you won’t like.

Don’t be shy about asking to sample items like cheese, meat or chocolate. Employees can open the package for you and share the rest as samples with other customers.

13. Get a Whole Foods Punch Card

The Whole Foods punch card offers vary by store, so ask around at your location.

Some stores have punch cards for sandwiches, burritos, salads, sushi and coffee.

You may also find a punch card for $10 off after you spend $100 on 365 supplements.

Also keep an eye out for the Whole Foods Market Rewards program in your area. The pilot program is currently available only in some stores in the Philadelphia and Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

14. Buy in Bulk

Did you know you can buy most packaged items at Whole Foods by the case for 10% off?

The same goes for wine: Get a six-pack to save 10 to 20%.

Some locations also offer discounts on bulk meat purchases when you buy more than three pounds. Stock up, and freeze it!

If you’re looking for particular spices for a single recipe, buy what you need from the bulk section instead of buying a whole jar and storing it.

15. Buy Produce at the Salad Bar

If you’re buying small amounts of produce, check the salad bar before the produce section.

You might be able to find what you need cheaper there, and you won’t have to worry about buying more than you’ll use.

16. Choose Your Own Cheese

You don’t have to settle for the pre-weighed and wrapped cheeses in the case.

For cheeses wrapped and labeled by Whole Foods, ask an employee to split and rewrap the wedge — you’ll save money and only take home what you need.

17. Buy Frozen Meats and Fish

Unless you live near a body of water, the fish at any local grocery store has almost certainly been frozen in transit.

Even when it’s thawed and sold in-store as “fresh,” you’re still buying frozen fish — and paying more for it. Plan ahead, and buy your meat and fish frozen to save money.

18. Return Glass Milk Containers

Do you cringe when you see the price of organic, non-homogenized, grass-fed or whatever kinds of milk come in the glass jug?

You might be missing out on huge savings if you’re just recycling the jug. The price has a built-in deposit for the jug — as much as $3.

Keep your jugs, and return them on your next trip to the store for a deposit refund. Consider it $3 off your next jug of milk.

19. Take Advantage of Whole Foods Kids’ Club

It seems to be a well-kept secret that many grocery stores offer a free treat for kids.

When you shop with the kiddos at Whole Foods, stop by customer service for a Kids’ Club Coupon for a complimentary organic apple, fruit leather or package of natural animal crackers.

20. Shop Whole Foods Online

Even when you’re buying groceries, we recommend shopping online, because it allows you to use a cash-back site and earn rewards for your purchase.

Use Cashbackholic to determine which cash-back site’s offering the best deal. Then shop Whole Foods online through the portal, and pick up your order in the store for free shipping.

21. Find Whole Foods Coupons Online

Before you head to your local store, check the website for Whole Foods coupons. They’re easy to find!

Just go to http://ift.tt/1SbmmfI, and select your location to find current sales and printable coupons.

22. Grab the Store Flyer

On your way into the store, pick up a copy of The Whole Deal, the store’s weekly sales flyer. It’s full of advertised deals and coupons from manufacturers and Whole Foods’ own 365 brand.

You can also print the flyer yourself each week — download it here.

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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18 Clever Ways to Make Frugality a Highly Social Endeavor

It’s easiest to be frugal when you’re flying solo. When all you have to think about is yourself and your own internal demands, it’s easier to make frugal choices. Often, the desire to be social or the desire to keep up with social demands can really eat into our finances, because the financial cost of things like going out with friends and eating out with friends add up really quickly.

Because of that, many people who dabble in frugality tend to take that path of least resistance and find themselves engaging in a lot of solo activities. They spend more time at home and less time with their social circles, which works okay for a while when the excitement of trimming back your spending and getting your bills under control is still burning bright, but when that glow cools off, frugality can end up feeling pretty lonely – and, for some, lonely often feels boring, too.

Frugality winds up creating a lot of anti-social feelings and stereotypes. People who are new to frugal living – and even old hands, sometimes – can feel like antisocial weirdoes and worry about being unwelcoming.

I’m an introvert. I like having lots of solo time. However, even for me, there are times that doing the most frugal thing can end up feeling a little lonely.

It’s during those moments that I turn to a healthy handful of frugal strategies that also happen to be pretty social strategies as well. Here are eighteen social things that I really enjoy doing that also happen to be quite frugal. Don’t be afraid to pick and choose among these and suggest some of these ideas to your friends for feedback.

Strategy #1 – Go to a Meetup
Meetup.com is an invaluable tool for frugal people with varied interests who want to explore those interests and easily meet others who share those interests in the community. Effectively, Meetup is a directory of interest groups in your area – clubs or organizations that are focused on a particular shared interest among its members. You might find groups for origami or board gaming or storytelling or woodworking or anything else, depending on the area you live in.

Simply head over there and browse what’s available within, say, a 25 mile radius of your home, and then make a conscious effort to visit all of those meetups that are of interest to you. Try diving into things that you’re unfamiliar with but that you might find compelling, or even things that are just completely outside of your typical areas of interest, just to see what they’re like. At worst, you spent an interesting afternoon or evening and know more about the topic in question and perhaps met a few interesting people; at best, you found a new social group and a new hobby to boot.

Strategy #2 – Host a potluck dinner party
A potluck dinner party is simply a gathering of friends at your home where each invitee brings some sort of contribution to the meal. Perhaps they bring a side dish or a couple bottles of wine or a dessert. Each person should bring enough to contribute meaningfully to the meal, which reduces the cost for the hosts and adds a lot of variety to what’s on offer.

Not only is a potluck dinner party a super-inexpensive way for a group of friends to spend a great evening together, it can also become a rotating thing, enabling different people to take on the chore of hosting (as the host does have to handle cleanup and dishes and such).

Potluck dinner parties are the backbone of our social life. We have them fairly regularly, inviting several friends to bring themselves and food and beverages to our home for a great shared meal and a lot of laughs. It works incredibly well for families that are quite busy and can’t always find time to plan a perfect dinner party or find babysitters for a night out.

Strategy #3 – Check out your community calendar
The website of almost every city and town in America features some sort of community calendar feature which lists upcoming events of interest in the community. These calendars often include civic government things like city council meetings, but they also include things like community band concerts (which are often free), town festivals, city-wide garage sales, and other events that are either free or extremely low cost to participate in. Those events are usually well-attended and, if you’re willing to be outgoing, they can often be a place to meet interesting people in your community.

Find an event or two of interest and attend it. Be friendly and open to meeting people at the event. If you find it compelling, find out who organized that event and get involved with planning the next one. It usually won’t cost you a dime and you’ll definitely meet some new people in that process!

Strategy #4 – Host a “game night” or a “movie night” (and ask people to bring a snack or drink)
In addition to our potluck dinners (mentioned in #2, above), we also regularly host game nights and occasionally host movie nights (though our movie nights usually center around collectively roasting a bad movie rather than quietly watching a good one, as a good roasting is far more social than a quiet viewing in the dark).

We simply ask everyone to bring some sort of snack to share and, if it’s a game night, bring a game they’re interested in playing and are willing to teach. If the group gets too big, we set up a table in the living room for an additional game running in parallel to the one in the kitchen (one is usually a very open social game, while the other one is usually more complicated and strategic).

Neither of these events cost anyone much money at all – you might bring $5 or $10 worth of food or beverages in exchange for an evening of snacks and entertainment.

Strategy #5 – Organize a soccer game or a basketball game at the park
If your community has open soccer fields (as ours does), all you need for a game of soccer is a soccer ball and enough people to form two reasonable teams. That’s it. You just go out there, run around like fools, kick the ball a bunch, and have a good time. It just requires one person to have a soccer ball, and some communities will even loan them out for a tiny deposit.

Even if your community doesn’t have an open soccer field, you can still go out there, find an open space, define some goals using natural landmarks, and play soccer. It’s a great way to get some exercise, hang out with friends, and not be in a competitive league that might be above your skill level. I’m awful at soccer, but I still enjoy doing this every once in a while.

The same thing holds true if your community has open basketball courts. All you need is a ball and a willingness to play.

Strategy #6 – Make something useful with your friends, like soap or
Just invite some friends over to make something frugal together and have them bring some of the ingredients they’ll need. With soap, for example, have them bring whatever unique ingredients they might want in their soap along with maybe a snack or something and you’ll just supply some of the basics (like lye and molds).

Making something together is a great way to bond socially and if it’s centered around making something you can actually use, it’s a pretty frugal way to spend an afternoon, too. You can make things like soap or homemade dishwashing detergent tabs or bread or anything else. The goal is to just hang out together for a while and then, at the end, everyone has something worthwhile to take home. My wife sarcastically calls this strategy a “Tupperware party without making people buy stuff they don’t want.”

Strategy #7 – Organize a block party where everyone brings a food item or some beverages
A block party is simply one in which you get together with a bunch of neighbors, spread out a bunch of food, hang out together, play some music, and get to know each other a little. It can be a great way to meet people in your neighborhood, especially if you’re new or if you have a lot of new neighbors.

If you know any of your neighbors very well, stop by and talk to them about organizing such a block party together. Then distribute flyers and tell people to bring a side dish, some chairs, and their own grilling materials (and buns if needed). On the day of the event, all you have to do is get together a bunch of grills and then turn on your social side. People will come.

Strategy #8 – Organize rotating babysitting with another family
If you would like to occasionally go out but the cost of child care is prohibitive, see if you know another family with children close to the age of your own children and consider talking to them about rotating child care amongst the families. This is a great solution for two families that have several children each, because the burden can be intense and expensive for a babysitter but a family with several kids can handle an afternoon or an evening with a few more quite easily.

What this does is it makes date night for a married couple much less expensive than before and makes it possible for them to attend parties without the children in tow on occasion without having to spring for the additional cost of a babysitter. The only real cost will be one meal for a few extra kids on a future night, but your own children are being provided a meal as part of the equation, so it balances out.

Strategy #9 – Invite good friends to do normal life activities and errands with you, such as jogging or buying a planned item
If you find that many of your activities that you’re filling your life with aren’t inherently social, make them social anyway. Invite a friend to go jogging with you. Invite a friend to binge watch a show on Netflix. Invite a couple of pals to help you go buy a mattress.

Those are normal, everyday activities, but with friends, they become much more fun than they would be if you just tackled them alone. I’ve invited friends over to just play video games. I’ve invited a friend over to help me sort through a mountain of books (and he brought along some books to swap). I’ve gone on ordinary bicycle rides with friends. I’ve gone grocery shopping with friends. It’s just normal stuff, but if you do it with someone, it becomes inherently social.

Strategy #10 – Look into social groups at your local library
Many local libraries have a number of groups that meet within its walls. You’ll find things like book clubs (usually a bunch of them on a bunch of different topics), political discussion groups, speaker series, workshops, and lots of other surprising things. One library in our area has an open D&D group, a board gaming group, multiple crafting groups, and a group that apparently finds some place to do tai chi, although I have no idea where exactly that works in there.

Just check out the library website or stop in for a bit and ask the librarian about their programs. Put aside some time and check out all of the groups that seem interesting. They’re almost always loaded with interesting people and I’ve wound up with a few pretty good friends from events like these.

Strategy #11 – Go on a picnic and take a small hike at a nearby state park with friends
If you’re looking for a special excursion with your friends, just plan on spending part of a day at a state park with them. Pack up a picnic lunch, then find a spot to meet up. Go on a few trails of a difficulty that won’t overwhelm anyone, stop for lunch, and then just explore the offerings of the park.

It’s a great way to get outside with friends and explore lots of new environments without spending much money at all. A day at a state park with trail walking and a picnic is actually one of the things Sarah and I enjoy doing the most with friends, so we often suggest the idea.

Strategy #12 – Join a civic group like the Lions Club
Many communities have civic organizations that are open to all interested community members or a broad cross-section of community members. These organizations often help organize community events and step up when charitable efforts are needed for the town, and many of them build a strong community within themselves of like-minded people who take pride in having a great town to live in.

See what civic organizations are in your town and which ones you might be able to join, then look into those organizations and choose one or two that might fit your needs. Doing so will provide an opportunity to get to know many people in your town, build some relationships, and spend some of your time and energy making your community better for everyone.

Strategy #13 – Get involved with a volunteer project, like your local food pantry or Habitat for Humanity
If you’re more interested in project-based volunteer efforts, look into volunteer organizations in your area such as Habitat for Humanity or the local food pantry. Such opportunities are still social in nature, but they tend to have much more of a service orientation to them.

I will personally vouch for working for the local food pantry or food bank. I have been a regular volunteer at such organizations in the past and continue to do so when family scheduling allows it. Helping with local food distribution to the poor has been one of the most profound experiences of my life and it’s helped me to build several valuable friendships. I can’t recommend it enough.

Strategy #14 – Take a frisbee and some friends to the park
This follows along with the idea of taking a soccer ball to the park or a basketball to a playground, but a frisbee has a different set of advantages. First of all, tossing a frisbee around is about as low impact as you can get in terms of exercise. However, you can escalate things into all kinds of games, with games like ultimate turning into a pretty serious workout.

Another advantage of a frisbee is that it works almost anywhere and you can easily toss one in your backpack or keep one in the trunk of your car. We keep a frisbee in both of our vehicles just in case the opportunity comes up.

Strategy #15 – If you’re adept at a musical instrument, invite musical friends to jam or even to form a band
If you own a musical instrument, enjoy playing it, and are even remotely adept at playing it, invite friends over to jam with you. The simple process of playing music in a group is one that is almost always enjoyable for everyone involved, as it often turns into a collective that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

If it doesn’t go all that well, then you simply had a few hours to hang out with friends and jam a little. If it does go well, you can take it further than that and form a band, working on pieces of music and even performing shows. I have a friend, for example, who taught himself how to play the banjo and eventually turned that into a standing gig with a band that basically consists of some old friends playing a guitar, a banjo, and some woodwinds.

Strategy #16 – Attend a religious service and join in social events after the service or during the week
If you’re already religious or are curious about religion, attend a religious service of a faith or denomination that is interesting to you. Pay attention, then talk to the people afterwards and find out more about the organization. Religious organizations often provide a wonderful community to be a part of and typically have lots of social events throughout the week.

This tends to be a good idea if you are in spiritual agreement with most of the tenets of the organization, but if their beliefs are far away from your beliefs, this is a poor idea as you’ll often end up in conflict with the rest of the group. If you’re unsure where you stand, explore your own ideas a little before diving into a religious group.

Strategy #17 – Have a “home improvement project” party and encourage friends to host them, too
This is a frugal activity that was very popular in the area where I grew up. Whenever people would be facing a major home improvement project, like replacing a roof or moving to a new home, they’d often host a party and divide the work amongst everyone who came. This would often turn home improvement tasks from something that would take weeks into something that would take an afternoon for the cost of a group meal.

These parties were very social and they were hosted by people on an at-need basis. If someone was moving, they’d host a party at their new home with friends and family helping them to bring boxes and furniture to the new place. If someone was refinishing a basement, they’d have a big party for everyone after a day of hanging drywall and painting.

Strategy #18 – Organize and have a large meal prep session with friends
This final strategy is another clever one if you have busy friends and can line up a weekend afternoon together. It’ll provide a great social gathering and also save everyone involved a ton of money and time.

Essentially, what you do is plan out a make-ahead meal of some kind – like, say, a pan of lasagna – and then plan everything out so that everyone will get to take home four pans to stick in the freezer. If you have seven people show up, that means 28 pans. How many noodles will that take? How much sauce? How many reusable containers?

Divide up the shopping for all of that stuff among all attendees, averaging out the cost to the best of your ability. Have one person bring several jars of pasta sauce. Have another person bring a ton of lasagna noodles. Let someone else bring the cheese. Have two guests split the purchase of 28 reusable pans for the lasagna.

Then, just get together and assemble all 28 pans as a group. The whole thing is a giant social endeavor, allowing you to all spend some time together and enjoy each other’s company. Perhaps you can even make an extra pan and eat it together when the meals are completed.

Final Thoughts

Being frugal does not have to mean being anti-social. It just means being a little more selective in terms of the social things that you spend your time doing. There are still infinite options for spending time with friends, even if you put a tight cap on your spending, and there’s no reason you can’t mix and match the ideas above with some of the activities you used to do.

You might be surprised to find that some of your friends really embrace the lower-cost options, too. Many people secretly balk at the idea of spending a lot going out every night but are afraid to buck their social group’s norms. You might just find that by suggesting some lower cost things, you’re pleasing many more people besides yourself.

Not only that, making intentionally frugal choices can sometimes help you build new friendships. When you take the initiative to check out a social organization or go to a meetup, you’re likely going to meet new people who share at least some interests and values with you, which is a wonderful way to expand your social circle.

Good luck!

The post 18 Clever Ways to Make Frugality a Highly Social Endeavor appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Uber Finally Listens to Its Drivers and Adds a Tipping Feature to Its App

The people have spoken, and Uber is finally responding.

After years of Uber drivers demanding asking for a tipping platform within the Uber app, the ride-hailing company has announced plans to roll out a tipping feature.

The tipping feature is already available in Houston, Minneapolis and Seattle. Over the next few weeks, Uber will add more cities to the list, aiming to make tipping available to all U.S. drivers by the end of July 2017.

Why Include an Uber Tipping Feature Now?

After some recent shake-ups in the company, Uber launched a new campaign called “180 Days of Change” earlier this week, promising to make some serious improvements over the next several months.

The first issue the company plans to tackle? Driver earnings.

Previously, Uber refused to include a tipping option within the app, insisting that foregoing tipping made for a “hassle-free” experience for drivers and riders alike.

However, drivers with the popular ride-hailing app have been vocal about what they feel is missed earning potential. Earlier this year, over 11,000 drivers in New York City signed a petition asking city officials to force Uber to include a tipping option.

Although it has always said drivers are welcome to accept cash tips, the company has stood firm in its decision not to offer a tipping function, saying tipping may create a bias, particularly within the driver/rider review function on the app.

The company also noted a tipping system could incentivize drivers to spend more time in areas of town where tips may be higher, thereby narrowing the company’s reach.

How a tipping feature will affect drivers’ earnings and the overall functionality of the ride-hailing system remains to be seen, but the reaction from drivers seems entirely positive.

Harry Campbell, who runs the popular blog Rideshare Guy, wrote, “I’ve always been frustrated by Uber’s lack of empathy toward drivers, and although this won’t shift the perception overnight, it is a big step in the right direction.”

Along with the new tipping feature, Uber has also announced a few smaller changes, such as shortening the fee cancellation period and a paid wait time which starts two minutes after arriving at a rider’s pickup location. Drivers will also be able to cash out earnings and tips at any time — no waiting for a certain amount to accrue.

All we can say is props to Uber for listening to its users, taking responsibility and formulating a plan to better the overall experience for riders and drivers.

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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Shipt Grocery Delivery Service: Is it Worth the Added Cash for Convenience?

Tennis On a Budget: Play for Next to ‘Love’ With These Tips for Gear and Fees

I’ve been playing tennis since my childhood days when my parents stuck an old-fashioned wooden racket in my hand, and I can’t seem to get enough of it. Tennis has helped me get fit and healthy and meet many cool people who’ve become good friends of mine off the court.

However, I’ve never been able to afford a membership at a fancy tennis club, nor does my budget have room for top-of-the-line tennis rackets and shoes. I’ve discovered, though, that you don’t need to have the resources of stars like Roger Federer and Serena Williams to enjoy the sport of tennis — and get better at it.

Find Great Tennis Gear for Cheap

First off, let’s get you geared up. Much like basketball and soccer, tennis is a sport with a low barrier to entry. All you need are a couple of basic pieces of equipment and a court.

Buy Balls in Bulk

You won’t be able to play tennis without a few fuzzy yellow (or pink, orange, etc.) balls to whack around the court. A standard three-ball can of tennis balls typically costs around $3 to $4. Cheap, right?

The downside is that, unlike baseballs, footballs and basketballs, tennis balls wear out quickly. After a few vigorous sessions on the court, you’ll notice a distinct drop in the balls’ air pressure.

It’s no fun playing tennis with flat balls that don’t bounce, so make sure you stock up and order them in bulk. At Amazon, you can buy 12 cans of tennis balls for $23.81. That’s well under $1 per ball. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, the deal gets even better: You can buy 15 cans — that’s 45 balls — for $49.83, and with free same-day shipping, that saves you a frantic trip to the sporting-goods store when you find yourself short on decent tennis balls.

Get Cheap Demo Rackets and Bulk String

If you don’t want to drop big bucks on a racket made of the latest space-age polymers and what not, check out a used sporting goods vendor like Play It Again Sports. If you’d rather try before you buy, pay a visit to the pro shop at your local tennis club. For a small deposit, the experts there can provide with you some rackets of varying brands, sizes, styles, and string tensions to try out on the court.

If you don’t have a tennis club in your area, log on to MidwestSports.com and feast your eyes upon its vast array of rackets and other gear. If you see a racket that tickles your fancy, click on it and see if it’s available to demo. You can usually demo rackets for a fraction of the price of buying them.

For example, a $249 Wilson Pro Staff RF 97 racket can be demoed for just $15. For $5 more, you can demo two to four rackets, in case you wind up not liking your first choice.

If you demo rackets from your local brick-and-mortar pro shop, you’ll likely be required to put down a small deposit via credit card in case you damage the racket while trying it out. However, the deposit will be returned to you if you decide not to keep the racket; if you like the racket and choose to buy it, the deposit will be deducted from the purchase price.

Before choosing to demo a racket, make sure you have time to play-test it because the racket must be returned at a set date – unless you choose to buy it. Midwest Sports will charge a late fee of $2 per day per racket beyond its seven-day demo window.

Another way to save money on tennis gear is to buy your own string in bulk. If you play a lot of tennis, chances are you’ll break the strings on your racket at some point. A professional restringing job at a tennis club’s pro shop will cost you at least $20, and sometimes more, depending on what kind of string you choose.

Again, Midwest Sports is a great resource – check out its tennis string buying guide to get a feel, pun intended, for what string type, gauge, and tension is best suited to your style of play.

Once you’ve settled on your string of choice, bring that to the pro shop and, voila, you’re paying only for labor. Better yet, ask around the club for someone who has their own stringing machine, and have them teach you to use it. Maybe you have a skill you can teach them in return.

Or if you’re really serious, buy your own stringing machine and use it to make some money on the side to support your tennis habit. But be warned – stringing machines can cost anywhere from $189 to nearly $4,000.

Invest in Reliable Shoes

Proper footwear is also essential if you plan to make tennis a regular part of your life.

Shoes, believe it or not, can also be the difference between winning and losing a match. I had to forfeit a tennis match once because one of my shoes “blew out” during play: the shoe’s outsole became completely detached from its side panel, which prevented me from being able to perform the sudden changes in direction required by competitive singles play.

Needless to say, I resolved never to buy that model of tennis shoe again and to invest more time and thought in shopping around for the most suitable footwear for my style of play.

Online shopping has revolutionized the way people buy shoes, so don’t feel obligated to visit a brick-and-mortar sporting-goods store to try on pair after pair of tennis kicks. At Zappos.com, you can drill down by brand, sport, and many other criteria when searching for shoes. Nike, Adidas, Prince, New Balance, and ASICS are some of the brands you’ll want to check out.

If you join the Zappos Rewards program, you’ll be eligible for free, expedited shipping with no minimum order cost. Also, Zappos’ legendary customer service ensures that you can return any pair of shoes, as long as they’re still in their original condition, for free up to a year after purchase.

If you need more help finding the right fit in footwear, hit up Midwest Sports. Nearly every page on their website has a “Chat With a Tennis Pro” tab at the far right. Give that a click and you’ll be connected with a tennis expert who can answer your questions about shoes, rackets, and all of the other tennis gear they carry.

Also, like Zappos.com, MidwestSports.com offers free shipping and returns, but you have to spend at least $69.95 to qualify. Unlike Zappos, however, Midwest Sports will honor six-month outsole warranties on some tennis shoes, which means you might qualify for a free pair of shoes – or credit toward the purchase of a different model – if yours wear out too quickly (a very real possibility for hardcourt tennis players). This policy varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so be sure to read the fine print before buying.

MidwestSports.com also has frequent sales and specials on shoes. For example, recently the site advertised a pair of 2016 Adidas Barricade men’s tennis shoes, which normally retail for $140, for $89.95. Sign up for the site’s email list if you want to be advised of when these sales and specials are scheduled to occur.

Saving on the Court

Now that you’re properly kitted out for action on the tennis court, it’s time to save money on court and league fees.

Public Courts

Many U.S. cities and towns have public tennis courts that can be accessed for free. If your local park doesn’t have courts, try the public high school. Its courts are usually available on weekends or during the week whenever the school’s teams aren’t practicing or hosting matches.

Some private and public tennis clubs will waive or reduce your court fee if you are enrolled in a competitive flex league, like Ultimate Tennis. Be sure to print out your league schedule and keep it in your tennis bag so you can prove you are there to play a league match – doing so might help keep a few bucks in your pocket.

Join a League

In fact, depending on what region of the country you’re playing in, Ultimate Tennis requires the home player to cover any and all court fees for the visiting player. In other regions, the visiting player is responsible for court fees up to $10 if the match is being played at a private club. Any fee over $10 must be paid by the home player.

Even if the league you’re playing in doesn’t have a specific policy toward eliminating or reducing court fees, sometimes your opponent will pony up and cover your fee if you discuss it in advance. After all, tennis is a genteel, courteous sport– most of the time, that is.

Ultimate Tennis will cost you $35 for a singles season, or $60 for doubles; however, if you sign up and then refer someone else to the league, you’ll receive a $20 Amazon.com gift card.

Find Other Players for Free

However, if you’d rather experience competitive play for free, there are other programs out there, like TennisRound.com, that will let you signup and contact a certain number of players in your area for free before charging a modest fee ($6.99 per month or $29 per year) for continued use of the site.

Meetup.com is also a fantastic – and completely free – resource for connecting with tennis players and groups in your area. It takes only a few minutes to set up a basic profile and then start searching for tennis Meetup groups to join. If you don’t find a group that’s right for you, you can start your own — for free.

Game, set, match! We’ve covered how to acquire quality tennis gear at affordable prices, save money on court and league fees and meet other players with whom to hone your racquet-wielding prowess. Now it’s time for you to get out on the tennis court.

Brian Hartz is a freelance journalist and tennis legend (in his own mind) based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Check out his blog and links to his other writings and ramblings at www.briwrites.com.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. Adding these links helps us keep the lights on in The Penny Hoarder HQ, which makes it a lot easier to play shuffleboard after a long day of deal-seeking!

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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Should You Use Plastiq to Pay Your Mortgage and Other Bills With a Credit Card?

If you love credit card rewards and spend your free time pursuing points and miles, you already know the secret to outsized rewards: The more bills you can charge to your rewards credit card (and pay off right away), the more points and miles you’ll earn over time.

Personally, I pay every possible bill I can with credit – expenses like car insurance, health insurance premiums, groceries, gas, and internet service. Over time, even small purchases can add up to huge rewards that cover some pretty cool travel experiences around the globe.

But, there are certain bills that are tough to pay with a credit card. Your mortgage and rent can be downright impossible, for example. Some companies, like utilities, even charge fees of 3% or more when you swipe – fees that usually cost more than any rewards you’d earn.

So, what do you do when you want to pay with credit and can’t? A fairly new service called Plastiq.com has the answer.

What Is Plastiq?

Plastiq.com is a service that makes it possible to pay bills like rent, tuition, or mortgage payments — and even invoices — by credit card when you ordinarily couldn’t.

Once you open a free account, just add a credit card, enter your mortgage or bill details, schedule a payment, and you’re done. Plastiq will send a check to your mortgage company or bill servicer, and charge the expense to your credit card. And voila, your rewards are on their way. You can set up automatic payments that take place on a certain date every month for a specific amount, or you can make every credit payment manually through the service.

Alas, Plastiq doesn’t offer this service out of the kindness of their hearts. They also charge a fee, typically equal to 2.5% of each bill you pay. So, your $1,000 mortgage payment? You can pay it through Plastiq, and earn credit card rewards for it — but it will set you back $25.

Is that worth it? Not usually- but in some cases, you might decide it is.

When Does It Make Sense to Pay Bills With Plastiq?

Paying a 2.5% surcharge for the privilege of paying certain bills with a credit card is rarely a stellar deal. Yet, there are notable exceptions and times when this strategy can make sense.

In my humble opinion, there are three instances where using Plastiq to pay bills with your credit card can be a boon to any rewards strategy. Those instances are:

#1: When the rewards you earn are more valuable than the fee.

If you’re paying a 2.5% fee to use credit, but earning more than that amount in rewards, then using Plastiq can make sense.

Imagine you have the Discover it® Miles, for example. With this card, you earn a flat 1.5% back on all purchases. However, Discover promises to double your rewards after the first year, bringing your net rewards to 3% for the first 12 months.

If you paid a 2.5% fee to pay a hefty mortgage or other bill, but managed to net 3%, you’d end up ahead — provided you had a good use for those rewards.

#2: When you need to hit a minimum spending requirement to earn a huge signup bonus.

Many of the top travel and rewards credit cards offer huge signup bonuses to those who can meet minimum spending requirements. Take the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, for example. This card doles out 50,000 points worth $625 in travel after you use your card for $4,000 in purchases within the first three months.

While some people can easily spend $4,000 in three months paying regular bills, others with low expenses might struggle to reach that threshold without putting a big expense like rent or mortgage payments on the card. In those cases, it can “pay” to cough up a 2.5% fee if it helps you earn a huge signup bonus.

Even if you paid all $4,000 in bills through Plastiq to earn the signup bonus, you’d fork over $100 in fees to earn $625 in travel. Not bad at all.

#3: When you’re trying to reach a spending limit to earn status (maybe).

Many hotel loyalty programs offer status perks for customers who carry their co-branded hotel cards and meet certain spending requirements. With the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, for example, you can earn Gold status if you use your card for $30,000 in qualified purchases within a calendar year. You can also status match to Marriott and Ritz Carlton to score Gold status with all three chains.

I’m not saying you should pay $30,000 in bills through Plastiq.com to earn Gold status with a hotel chain; that would cost $750 in fees! But it could make sense if you’re getting close to the threshold but need some additional spending to put you over the limit.

The Ritz Carlton card also offers Gold status for free the first year, then each thereafter when you spend $10,000 on the card. If you stay at Marriott or Ritz properties often enough, paying $250 in fees (2.5% of $10,000) to earn Gold status could be worth it. Why? Because Gold status can lead to pricey room upgrades and free breakfast that can be worth significantly more than $250 if you travel often.

The Bottom Line

Outside of these three examples, though, it rarely makes sense to pay bills with Plastiq.

Keep in mind, however, that special promotions can change the numbers quite a bit. Occasionally, Plastiq offers discounts for multiple payments, or a smaller percentage fee for a limited time. You can also sign up for a referral code to earn fee-free payments when you refer your friends.

If your goal is earning more rewards over time, a service like Plastiq.com can help. But, it can also hurt. If you don’t do the math, you could wind up forking over fees that exceed the rewards you earn.

Like all other important financial decisions, you have to take a look at your own situation and run the numbers to see what’s best for you. Paying bills with a credit card can make sense under the right conditions, but it can also cost you more than you’ll get in return.

Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer and the author of Zero Down Your Debt. Johnson shares her obsession with frugality, budgeting, and travel at ClubThrifty.com.

Related Articles:

• Eight Tips to Make Credit Cards Work For You, Not Against You
• When Credit Card Rewards Become Dangerous
• Best Rewards Credit Cards of 2017
• A Simple Guide to Getting Maximum Value from Your Credit Cards

Have you ever heard of Plastiq.com? Would you pay bills this way or not?

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