13 Places You Can Get Delicious Deals on French Fries This Friday

Mmm… fries. There are so many versions of this magical food: shoestring fries, crinkle-cut fries, steak fries, waffle fries, curly fries, straight-cut fries, home fries — just like shrimp, the list goes on and on.

There are also many ways to enjoy fries, including dipping them in more traditional condiments like ketchup or more creative dipping sauces like ranch dressing, mayochup, nacho cheese or even milkshakes. (Don’t knock it until you try it.)

You can also top them off with a combination of bacon, chili and cheese with a little bit of sour cream. (I’m so hungry.) You can even put chicken Parmesan on top of french fries instead of pasta, like they do in Australia.

With so many ways to enjoy them, it’s no wonder they have their own special day: National French Fry Day!

Celebrate National French Fry Day With These Freebies and Deals

No matter how you choose to eat your french fries, here are some places you can enjoy them for cheap (or even free) this Friday, July 13.

1. Arby’s

Last year, Arby’s celebrated National French Fry Day by giving away free curly fries and a drink with the purchase of a brown sugar bacon sandwich. Now, we do know that some places like to keep their deals and freebies a secret until the day of (plus we have not received a response from Arby’s yet to confirm the deal).

So, if you really want to celebrate National French Fry Day with some Arby’s curly fries, I suggest keeping an eye on their social media channels. I could be wrong, but I think this Facebook post might be a hint of something to come.

2. Bite Squad

This food delivery service is celebrating National French Fry Day by offering $5 off orders of $20 or more with the promo code FRYDAY. This service is available across several locations in the U.S. To see if the squad is in your area, enter your city and state here.

3. BurgerFi

This fast-casual burger joint prides itself on serving fresh, natural ingredients and 100% Angus beef free — and this Friday, you can enjoy a free order of BurgerFi’s fresh, hand-cut french fries with any purchase.

4. Checkers and Rally’s

If you’re a sucker for the seasoned fries of Checkers and Rally’s — and apparently most people are, because they took the No. 1 spot on “The 10 Most Craveable Chain Fries” last year — then sign up for the Flavorhood email club and you’ll receive a coupon for free large fries with any purchase. The coupon is good for two weeks after receiving the email.

P.S. These are the ones to dip in milkshakes. I know what you’re thinking, because it’s the same thing I thought: “Seasoned fries dipped in a milkshake? Yuck!” But really, just try it.

P.P.S. They now have funnel cake fries on their menu, so I’m thinking about making an order of these my purchase to get the coupon for free large fries… Too many fries? Not on National French Fry Day.

5. Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts recently released a different spin on french fries: donut fries. And on Friday, July 13, Dunkin’ will be giving them away for free. According to a Dunkin’ Donuts press release, “Donut Fries feature individual pieces of delicious, buttery croissant-style donut dough that are tossed in cinnamon sugar and served warm.”

Mmm, 🍩 fries.

Just be warned: This freebie is only available to the first 100 guests at 25 participating restaurants between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. So if you live near Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City or Tennessee, put on your magic shoes and make a run for one of the Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants on this list.

6. Farmer Boys

If you live in California or Nevada, stop by your local Farmer Boys for an order of free fries with any burger purchase. And if you’re a Very Important Farmer member, you can double that offer. Simply scan the receipt from your purchase on National French Fry Day and another offer for free french fries will be loaded into your account.

7. IHOP

IHOP may have faked a name change to promote its burger menu — and joked about it on Instagram — but you can still celebrate National French Fry Day at the International House of Pancakes.

And if you order from the new Ultimate Steakburger menu, you can chow down on unlimited fries and wash it all down with a drink, which are included in the steakburger combos starting at $6.99.

8. McDonald’s

If you have the McDonald’s app, you can get free medium fries with any $1 purchase — simply claim the deal through the app this Friday, July 13. What’s even better is that McDonald’s has turned every Friday into Fryday for the rest of the year as this offer is good through Dec. 30, 2018.

Pssst… here’s a little secret: If you like dipping your fries in that McDonald’s Szechuan sauce people went crazy for last year, try this recipe.

9. Sonny’s BBQ

Sonny’s is celebrating Fryday with a “Sidekick-sized” serving of crinkle-cut fries for just 50 cents. This offer is available for dine-in only and is limited to one per guest.

And if you love french fries so much that you’re willing to splurge a little, you can try the limited-time loaded BBQ Fries – that’s crinkle fries topped with creamy queso, fried onion straws and sweet barbecue sauce, along with your choice of chopped brisket, pulled pork or chicken. Did I mention I’m hungry?

10. Taco Bell

This deal may not be specific to National French Fry Day, but Taco Bell is bringing back its Nacho Fries just in time for the occasion.

Rumor has it an order of Nacho Fries will cost a little over $1, and additional Nacho Fries menu items will include Nacho Fries Supreme, Nacho Fries Bell Grande and a $5 cravings box featuring an order of Nacho Fries, a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a Doritos Locos Taco and a medium drink.

11. Wayback Burgers

If you want to celebrate National French Fry Day by eating as many fries as you possibly can, head to your nearest Wayback Burgers location to indulge in free bottomless fries with the purchase of any burger or sandwich.

12. Wingstop

This also isn’t a National French Fry Day deal, but you can still get some free fries from Wingstop this Fryday — or any other day that ends in “-day” — when you sign up for The Club.

To become part of The Club, enter your name, birthday and email address here and you’ll instantly receive a coupon for a regular order of fresh-cut, seasoned fries (which is valid for two weeks after receiving the email).

13. Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar

If you live near one of these East Coast burger bars and are a member of the VIP Club, stop in for a free order of hand-cut fries with any purchase. This offer is limited to one per table.

Jessica Gray is an editorial assistant at The Penny Hoarder. She plans on incorporating french fries into every meal this Friday, including dessert. Yes, she is a fan of french fries dipped in milkshakes.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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Why You Should Be Pumped for the New Exxon Mobil Rewards Program

With the expiration of Plenti points on July 10, Exxon Mobil has launched its own rewards program.

The Exxon Mobil Rewards+ program awards a sign-up bonus of 100 points and 15 points per gallon for your first 30 days. After that, fill-ups earn three points per gallon, and members will receive two points for every $1 they spend on car washes and most items in the convenience store.

Every 100 points translates to $1 of savings and can be redeemed on gas, car washes or in the convenience store.

Eligible Exxon and Mobil customers who participated in the Plenti program will automatically receive a Rewards+ card in the mail. Any unused Plenti points will be matched when you register your new card.

The new program integrates with Exxon Mobil’s existing Speedpass+ app, so you can continue to pay with the app and manage your rewards from there.

And if Exxon Mobil stations aren’t your preferred places to fill up, you can still get fuel rewards at grocery stores through other fuel rewards programs.

Jen Smith is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She gives money saving and debt payoff tips on Instagram at @savingwithspunk.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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Panda Express Is Serving Up 4,000 Jobs In July During Week-Long Career Event

Hungry for a job in the restaurant industry? Panda Express is serving them up.

Looking to fill 4,000 new jobs, the panda-themed Chinese restaurant chain is holding its second annual Panda Career Event. The week-long massive job fair runs from July 18-24 at 400 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Interested applicants can sign up for interviews at a nearby location.

“We look forward to discovering candidates who have the unwavering qualities of grit, grace, giving and humility — they're the values we prize and see every day at our Panda Express restaurants,” said Leonard Yip, Panda Restaurant Group’s chief people officer, in a press release.

Panda Express is an example of a true immigrant success story. Andrew and Peggy Cherng opened their first restaurant after emigrating from China. Thirty-five years later, the family-owned chain employs more than 35,000 associates and is adding over a hundred locations a year.

In 2017 alone, Panda Express invested $200 million in its employees, the press release stated. That money has contributed to a pretty comprehensive benefits package.

Employees can expect a starting hourly pay at least 50 cents above minimum wage, paid time off, health insurance and continuous-learning stipends or tuition reimbursement for eligible students.

So grab a job while it's hot. Or, you know, put it in the fridge and save it for tomorrow.

Adam Hardy is an editorial assistant at The Penny Hoarder. He lives off a diet of stale puns and iced coffee. Similar to pandas, he’s a clumsy vegetarian. Read his full bio here. 

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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The Wisdom of Frugality: Why the Philosophy of Frugality Is a Hard Sell

This is the fourth entry in an eight part weekly series that provides a detailed look at the book The Wisdom of Frugality by Emrys Westacott. If you’re new to the series, feel free to hop back to the first entry.

In this chapter, Westacott turns his vision to one of the most difficult questions when it comes to frugality: If the benefits of frugality are so obvious and so widely supported by philosophers, why isn’t it widely adopted in the general populace? In America, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and even among those who don’t, many households don’t have a whole lot of financial breathing room. How can the benefits of frugality be so obviously positive, yet the vast majority of people don’t practice frugality?

One plausible explanation, offered by Nietzsche, is that philosophers – and other people invested in avenues of life that involve a great deal of self-reflection – tend to value frugality more than the mainstream. Philosophy and self-reflection tend to nudge people toward frugality over time, in other words. Think about career paths that are oriented toward self-reflection and philosophical thinking – careers like social work and education and the humanities. They tend to have a tradition of frugal living embedded in them.

Still, that doesn’t answer the question related to those who don’t dedicate large portions of their life to self-reflection. Why doesn’t frugality appeal to most people beyond merely an ideal that they don’t actually follow? Why do most lifestyles in the West run contrary to frugal ideals?

Westacott breaks the reasons for why frugality isn’t widely practiced into three main groups: frugality itself is challenging and dangerous, wealth and affluence have a great deal of appeal, and there are benefits to being acquisitive.

The Challenges and Dangers of Frugality

Frugality may have incredible benefits, but it is not without its dangers and flaws, many of which are exposed when people commit to intense levels of frugality. Westacott focuses on four dangers of frugality that are always present, but are particularly exposed when people commit to intense frugal living. These four points offer an explanation, to an extent, of why “cheapness” is considered a bad thing and many people in the West who adopt intense frugality eventually dial it back.

First, a mercenary-like attitude centered around an obsessive focus on saving can unbalance one’s life. A miserly attitude can cause one to miss out on many of life’s joys because it absorbs all of the focus in one’s life. This can create damage to one’s personal relationships and social life and lead to a sense that life is all about minimizing spending and maximizing one’s savings rate, which can squeeze the joy out of many areas of life.

Second, an overconcern with avoiding loss leads to poor decisions. This is otherwise known as the “sunk cost fallacy,” when a person believes that they must utilize something that they’ve invested money in regardless of the other options on the table. For example, let’s say you bought tickets to a baseball game but then an old friend comes to town, but you turn down spending time with that friend because you can’t stand the thought of losing the money you put into those tickets. The thing to remember here is that the tickets are a sunk cost – regardless of what you might choose to do, that money is gone. Those tickets merely represent another option you can choose from within that timeframe – the money is gone regardless of what you choose, so you should always choose the best option available in that moment regardless of what you might have invested prior to that point.

Third, frugality can lead to ungenerosity, because a focus on “bang for the buck” argues against charity because there is no real tangible return on charitable giving. If you’re focused intensely on minimizing your spending, it’s hard to make a case for charitable giving and generosity because the return on that giving isn’t obviously apparent and giving reduces one’s financial state. Thus, a strong focus on frugality nudges a person gradually toward being less generous and less helpful toward others.

Finally, a strong frugal mindset can led to stagnation and a lack of motivation to improve. A big part of a successful frugal mindset is pushing back the idea of “more” in terms of one’s possessions and, to an extent, personal experiences. However, personal progress in social, artistic, physical, mental, and intellectual goals are often centered around “more” – more relationships, more knowledge, more skills, and so on. Frugality often argues against trying new experiences and encourages stagnation in many aspects of life, which can hinder self-improvement.

A frugal person owes it to themselves to be aware of these dangers and to work around them. Miserliness, loss avoidance, ungenerosity, and general life stagnation are all things that can be avoided, but are easy traps to fall into if you subscribe too intensely to a frugal perspective on life.

The Appeal of Wealth and Affluence

Another reason that frugality is a hard sell is the persistent view in American life that wealth and affluence is the key to a happy life. This notion has a strange tension with the idea of frugality, primarily because one of the most efficient ways to have some semblance of an affluent life is to not be frugal at all and spend every dime that you make. This is the route that many Americans follow – they perceive a more affluent life with marginally better items and marginally better experiences as a “better” life and thus are willing to spend every dime they make to achieve it.

Some people take this notion to the next logical step and realize that accumulation of wealth is a great way to ensure a sustainably affluent life or a higher degree of affluence and thus chase wealth as a life goal. Frugality can be a tool in this ambition, but the more common tool used is simply earning more money and accumulating that money.

It’s worth pointing out here that wealth in and of itself isn’t a bad thing to have; in fact, if paired with a strong vision of the life you wish to have, it can be an extremely good thing. Wealth can provide life security and offers the opportunity for leisure, freedom, pleasure, and generosity, all of which are things associated with happiness. Wealth also increases one’s power and (often) one’s social status, and it can also theoretically alleviate the temptation of wrongdoing (most petty crimes lose their appeal if you’re wealthy).

However, that doesn’t mean that wealth accumulation is unquestionably a net positive in life. An intense focus on wealth accumulation comes with many of the dangers of frugality mentioned above: miserliness, loss avoidance, ungenerosity, and general life stagnation are all risks that come with a strong focus on wealth accumulation, among other risks, of which there are many.

First, wealth provides more choices in life, but more choices aren’t necessarily a net positive. This is referred to as the paradox of choice, in which more options tend to result in far more decision stress. I like to think of it in terms of my childhood – when there were only three channels on television, there was always something to watch, but now when there are infinite options, there’s nothing worth watching. That’s true in many aspects of life – the more options you have, the more challenging and stressful it can become to actually make a decision and stick with it.

Second, wealth inequality can cause social and familial problems. This is why many people are loathe to let their family members or even some of their friends know about their financial success, because they know they’ll be asked for money and be expected to shoulder more of the financial burden of shared costs. Many social and familial relationships fall apart if one person finds a much higher level of financial success than the other.

Third, there exists a surprisingly low saturation point above which additional money does not bring additional happiness. Different estimates of this exist, but in general, incomes above somewhere in the $70,000 to $100,000 a year range (depending on your location in America) does not bring any increase in personal happiness. The perks above that income level are counterbalanced by the paradox of choice, the social stress, and other complications.

Finally, additional wealth is often used to fuel a “collector” mindset, which often produces overkill. Once you have a certain amount of anything, having more doesn’t produce a net additional happiness and often produces unhappiness as you’re trying to figure out how to even deal with more. Owning five books is fine – owning 500 can be a problem of inventory. Going on a trip once a year is fine – going on a trip once a week disrupts all kinds of life patterns and makes planning very difficult.

Perhaps, in the end, Aristotle’s recommendation of what to do with money is the right road to follow. He suggests treating money solely as a means to an end, and that end is building a good life. What is the good life, in Aristotle’s eyes? Well, that’s an entirely different subject, one best suited for an article on its own, but the principle still holds true: money and wealth can be treated solely as a means to an end when that end is building a good life for which you have a clear vision.

Part of the difficulty with capturing that sense of the “good life” is that popular culture often portrays the “good life” as being one with exorbitant wealth and lots of consumer goods, which is out of alignment with most philosophical visions of what the “good life” is. If nothing else, The Wisdom of Frugality makes a powerful case as to why there is incredible value in figuring out what your own personal sense of the “good life” really is outside of the messaging in popular culture.

The Benefits of Consumption and Acquisitiveness

The reality is that most people are naturally acquisitive about at least some things in their life. Most of us want more of something than what we currently have – and, again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, though it flies in the face of general advice on frugality.

Since money can be used to buy most things, it’s not surprising that acquisitiveness can easily be transferred over to money. If money can buy something that you want, then the desire to have that thing is easily translated into the desire to have more money. Thus, it makes inherent sense within human nature for people to want more money than they have, because money can buy most of the things that people want.

It’s natural for people to want money, in other words, and when that level of desire is reasonable and held in check by other values, it can drive us to incredible achievements and a wonderful life.

As with many things in life, however, acquisitiveness and consumption, when taken to excess, becomes problematic.

For some, it becomes a game. How much money can I accumulate? When you treat it as a “game” in which you keep “score,” how exactly do you “win”? You don’t. You just keep accumulating, and if you let the game become too all encompassing, you begin to sacrifice other values to it.

What is excessive, though? Who decides when the acquisition of wealth and possessions has gone from reasonable to excessive? There is no standard – it’s in the eye of the beholder.

Having said that, wealth is often used in positive ways, and even greed can be a powerful tool for good.

For example, greed and acquisitiveness drive economic activity, and economic activity raises the overall level of prosperity in a nation.

Many people who simply wish to accumulate wealth invest that wealth into new enterprises, which in some cases develop new products that benefit people and also employ people to develop and manufacture those products.

Many people use their accumulated wealth to do good. The examples of Andrew Carnegie (who founded countless libraries with his wealth) and Bill Gates (whose Gates Foundation has done tremendous good in the world) are shining examples of how wealth accumulation can be turned around to provide great things for the world’s people.

In the end, it’s not so much wealth itself that leaves a bad taste in people’s mouth, it’s the unethical behavior that sometimes comes along with excessive focus on acquisitiveness and accumulation of wealth. Most people find robber barons and unethical traders to be awful people; the Gordon Gekkos of the world are not well loved.

Final Thoughts

When you consider these factors all together – the acquisitiveness of human nature, the appeal of wealth itself, the challenges of frugality, and the nature of our current culture in highlighting wealth – it’s not surprising that frugality is a very hard sell for most people. While frugality may be one of the keys to a good life, the pathway to that good life isn’t as clear as the appeal of a life of luxury.

What happens if you take mere wealth accumulation and acquisitiveness a step further and it becomes extravagance? That’s what we’ll look at in the next entry in this series, which covers the pros and cons of extravagance.

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Free Resources and Financial Help for Cancer Patients

I will forever remember the phone call.

The stranger on the other end of the telephone line saying, “I have some bad news.”

The news was that I had invasive ductile cancer. Whatever that meant, I thought to myself, as I sat listening, numb and in a daze.

Two tumors. One quite large. Soon I would be hearing from a surgeon to discuss my options, which would most likely include some combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, she said. The woman mentioned some statistics. I tried to write things down. It was a lot to digest, particularly as a single mom with a new baby.

As I hung up the phone, I suddenly felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. How would I raise my son, pay my bills, keep food on the table and fight for my life – all on my own?

The good news is that it’s been four years (and counting) since that day and that phone call. And the reality is that few people make it through any sort of battle with cancer entirely on their own, as I would learn over and over again during my treatment.

A fiercely independent person, receiving assistance of any kind from strangers was something I had always rejected in life — and the same held true when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

However, there were several turning points during my journey with the disease, and one that opened my mind tremendously involved a telephone conversation with the executive director of a national nonprofit developed specifically to assist women fighting cancer.

As I expressed my reservations, the executive director stopped me in my tracks and said bluntly, but compassionately: “Mia, letting others help you is a blessing for them. And when you are better, you will pass on the favor and help others and you will understand what I mean.”

Were it not for the assistance I received all along the way, from friends, family members, and yes, from strangers, I likely would not be here today.

I was shocked as I grew to learn just how many organizations exist to help individuals who have cancer. It can almost be overwhelming to sort through them all.

There are organizations that provide assistance buying food, paying bills, purchasing wigs when chemotherapy robs you of your hair, and some of the same groups even make sure there are presents under the Christmas tree when the battle against cancer not only strips you of every last ounce of energy, but drains your financial resources as well. Christmas came every year for three years at my house for my son and me while I made my way through nearly a dozen surgical procedures, eight weeks of radiation, and an emergency trip to the Intensive Care Unit with a life-threatening case of sepsis and a staff infection.

On some days now, it can almost seem like a distant nightmare, one I often wish I could forget entirely. But the reality is that once you’ve experienced cancer, it’s never far from your mind, not even for a moment. It forever changes you, profoundly impacting how you view life, your loved ones, and your priorities. For the remainder of your life, it is part of the new you, the person who faced a life ending disease and survived and is here to pass on the lessons learned.

So as that executive director said years ago, it’s time to pass on the favor and share what I learned. Here are some of the organizations around the country that provide assistance to cancer patients and their families. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a starting point for those in search of help and more information.

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer, only about 3,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. As a result, specialists are few and finding effective treatment typically means traveling far from home and lengthy stays to recover from surgical procedures, chemo and radiation.

To help with expenses, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation offers travel grants to those who qualify. The foundation also has extensive knowledge and relationships with the top mesothelioma doctors and centers throughout the U.S. and internationally and can help connect you with clinical trials that may be beneficial.

The Gift of Hope

The Gift of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to providing financial support to low-income women with breast cancer during their course of treatment.

Many women often take a leave of absence from work while undergoing treatment, and some have little or no other income during that time. The Gift of Hope believes that no woman should have to worry about how her bills are going to be paid and should be free to concentrate on getting well. With that in mind, the organization helps cancer patients pay monthly bills such as electric, gas, phone, and even groceries.

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Pancreatic cancer surpassed breast cancer in 2016 becoming the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. And it is expected to become the second (surpassing colorectal cancer) by 2020.

Though its Patient Central program, PanCAN offers free, personalized resources to patients fighting the disease – including specialist information, clinical trials, financial assistance programs, personalized medicine, and information regarding diet and nutrition.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The world’s largest voluntary agency dedicated to fighting blood cancers, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides a variety of support to those dealing with leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma. LLS will connect patients with clinical trials, and provide financial support including co-pay assistance for prescription drugs and health insurance premiums and funding for travel-related expenses such as airfare and lodging.

LLS also operates a peer-to-peer support program to help patients and caregivers cope with the disease by matching them with volunteers who have also been impacted by a blood cancer.

Ann’s Place

A nonprofit serving Connecticut and New York’s Hudson Valley, Ann’s Place offers professional counseling, support groups and even wellness activities, all at no charge. Among the wellness programs available are yoga, Tai Chi, nutrition programs, horticulture therapy, Reiki, and creative arts such as writing, dance and music.

Dandelion Foundation

Created by a cervical cancer survivor, the Dandelion Foundation supports women who are dealing with gynecologic cancer by “leveraging the power of two,” says founder Dawnia Bell.

After being diagnosed in 2017, Bell found few resources and non-profits dedicated to gynecologic cancer. The Dandelion Foundation matches newly diagnosed women with a survivor mentor who can walk with them from the time a diagnosis is suspected through treatment, and into survivorship.

The organization also provides vouchers and Target gift cards for qualified participants to help cover prescription costs or help meet insurance deductibles, as well as post operative, chemotherapy and radiation treatment-related expenses.

The Red Devils

More than 4,000 families in Maryland deal with cancer each year, according to The Red Devils, a Baltimore-based non-profit whose mission is to fund services that improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients and their families.

Since 2002, The Red Devils has invested nearly $3 million in that effort, supporting more than than 5,500 breast cancer families. The Red Devils assists with treatment transportation including taxi vouchers, gasoline cards, bridge tolls, metro passes and sedan and van services.

It also provides support with meals, groceries, house cleaning, utilities, rent and mortgage expenses, and even childcare and respite care. There is also assistance available for such things as medical co-payments and insurance premiums and medical equipment and prostheses.

CancerCare

A leading national organization, CancerCare provides free, professional support services and information to help people manage the emotional, practical and financial challenges of cancer.

CancerCare services include counseling and support groups (over the phone, online and in-person), educational workshops, publications, and financial and co-payment assistance.

The American Cancer Society

Likely one of the most well-known names in the world of cancer, the American Cancer Society provides a wealth of assistance and resources, including information about treatment options, advice regarding coping with side effects, or guidance with health insurance.

In addition, the organization provides assistance with transportation to and from treatment for those who do not have a ride or are unable to drive themselves. And because treatment can also often involve traveling away from home, which is an additional financial burden on patients and their caregivers, the American Cancer Society offers a lodging program as well.

United Cancer Support Foundation

A non-profit dedicated to the prevention and eradication of all types of cancer, the United Cancer Support Foundation also offers “Just 4 U” support packages for cancer patients and free recliners for those in East Tennessee.

Support packages are designed to reduce patient stress both physically and emotionally with gifts that provide relaxation and distraction. The recliner program, meanwhile, is available to patients who are located in the same region as the organization’s Knoxville, Tenn., offices.

LIVESTRONG

An organization famously started by cyclist Lance Armstrong, LIVESTRONG provides assistance to cancer patients through its Navigation program, which offers help with managing medical expenses and insurance challenges, fertility preservation, and understanding treatment programs, as well as accessing emotional support.

Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition

As the name implies, this is a group of organizations that have joined forces to help cancer patients by limiting the financial challenges they face during treatment. The website however, does not respond to individual requests for financial assistance, but rather provides a database where patients can find out if assistance is available for their specific need.

This Is Living With Cancer

Knowing when and how to help a cancer patient can be one of the most significant challenges for friends or loved ones of those fighting the disease. This Is Living With Cancer was designed to address that very issue. A free app, This Is Living With Cancer was designed to help patients to connect with loved ones and friends and to allow patients to ask for help when needed, as well as improve communication with doctors.

App features such as My Circle allow for creating group communication with the people who matter most. Through the Requests feature, patients can ask for support with such things as food, transportation, childcare, housework, and more.

Related Articles:

• Using Meditation or Prayer to Help Achieve Financial and Personal Goals
• The Power of Good Relationships and Thoughts on Building and Maintaining Them
• Personal Finance and Pride

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We Don’t Talk Much About Debt and Depression. This Blogger Is Changing That

Why This Woman Created an App to Finally Get Child Support From Her Ex

How much would you pay to never talk to your ex again?

If you’re like many parents dealing with child support, your answer would probably be “a lot.”

For Sheri Atwood, it certainly was. She got so sick of chasing her ex to collect child support that, at one point, she simply gave up.

For three years.

“They say the top two reasons for divorce are money and communication,” she explains. “When you divorce with children, you have to communicate about money. So it doesn't get better, it gets worse.”

Desperate for a solution that removed the hassle from child support — but still ensured she got paid — Atwood decided to take matters into her own hands.

Why She Started SupportPay

“When parents separate, there are all these professionals involved in the process,” she says. “And then they get that child-support order, everybody leaves, and it’s up to the parents to manage.”

Usually, the order includes a set monthly amount (known as base support), plus instructions to share additional expenses like education and extracurriculars.

For Atwood, though her divorce was amicable, managing child support quickly became exhausting. Every time she saw her ex to exchange their daughter, she found herself rattling off a list of requests for money.

He’d make excuses, and rarely believed the items cost as much as they did, Atwood says.

“So I started talking to a lot of other dads, who are usually the ones reimbursing,” she explains. “They said, ‘I have no problem paying if I know the money’s going to my kid — but I don't want to support my ex and their lifestyle.’”

She realized parents needed an easy way to track (and prove) expenses and request payments — essentially, a tool that provided expense reports for the business of raising a child.

She searched online, and was shocked to discover it didn’t exist yet.

Seeing a need she could fill, Atwood quit her corporate tech job, taught herself to code, and released the beta version of SupportPay in 2011.

Seven years later, it has 40,000 users.

How SupportPay Works

SupportPay allows you to track expenses, upload receipts, and send payments directly between bank accounts (without revealing your financial information to your ex).

For recurring expenses, you can set up automatic payments, and for expenses you don’t agree with, you can dispute them.

The app can be used for both extras and base support — an option that, according to Atwood, many parents don’t realize they have.

“When you get a child support order, you can choose to make the payment directly,” she says.
“You don’t have to have your child support garnished if you prove you make your payments on time.”

And since SupportPay provides a third-party record of expenses and payments, many parents use it in court, too.

“The product helps both sides,” says Atwood. “The parent who’s getting reimbursed is 90% more likely to get paid — and the person who’s paying has records in one central place.”

Soon, the app will roll out additional features including direct payment of third parties (like your child’s daycare), photo and video sharing, and a SupportPay debit card, calendar and chat function.

Could SupportPay Help You?

SupportPay is available for Apple or Android, or as a web platform.

Though the older reviews are very positive, several newer reviews complain about technical issues. Atwood says the most recent version fixed these bugs.

The free version of the app allows you to track two expenses per month, maintain six months of records and use PayPal for payments.

For the full features, including direct deposit and unlimited expenses and record keeping, you’ll need to pay $14.99 per month, or $9.99 per month billed annually.

That being said, Atwood doesn’t want money to stand in the way of someone using her app.

“If there's someone who can't afford the $9.99 a month, they should contact us,” she says. “Pay us what you feel the value is.”

Depending on your relationship with your ex, that could be less than $10 a month… or it could be pretty close to priceless.

Susan Shain is a freelance writer and digital nomad. She covers travel, food and personal finance (basically, how to save money so you can travel more and eat more). Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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