Do you work-from-home but feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? I hear you! Like a lot of mamas, I decided I wanted to work-from-home when my first baby was born. It was tough, but I took it slow and made it work somehow. Now, though, I have two kids at home, and […]
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You know your finances could use some serious TLC, but you’ve been putting it off… and off… and off.
When you finally do sit down to think about it, you immediately become overwhelmed. Which goal do you attack first? You need a budget, a savings plan, a debt-repayment strategy, a better credit score, a plan for retirement and… oh, you’re running away again, aren’t you?
Let’s face it — after taxes, that salary goes pretty quickly.
Calm down and come back. To tackle big goals, you have to start small. Here are seven simple steps to help you manage your family budget.
Operating everything out of one checking account can make your finances muddy and contribute undue stress to your money management.
To simplify, open a second account for a dedicated purpose. One of our favorites is the Aspiration Account — there are no monthly fees, and you’ll earn up to 100 times the interest rate of other banks.
This online-only account comes with a debit card and free ATMs, so you can easily access your money when you need it.
After you open your Aspiration Account, use it to split your income:
Let’s face it — you’re probably overpaying for everything. We bet you’re especially overpaying for car insurance. And how would you know, really?
Have you shopped around lately? Have you compared rates from the 20 largest auto insurers that do business in your area? That sounds kind of difficult and time-consuming, doesn’t it?
Fortunately, a service called Gabi will do it for you, and you don’t even have to fill out any forms. Simply link your insurance account and provide your driver’s license number, and Gabi will go to work.
Once you link your insurance account to Gabi, it will:
Gabi says it finds an average savings of $720 per year for its customers.
It is a true apples-to-apples comparison at the same coverage levels and deductibles you currently have. Once you sign up, you never have to shop again. Gabi’s software has your policy on file and keeps on monitoring for savings as your life changes.
Your family rocks. They make you laugh. They drive you to do more. That’s why you know you need life insurance. It’s to help them.
But you’d rather spend your time hanging out with your fantastic fam than waiting for a doctor to give you yet another exam.
If you want to get a fast life insurance quote without the medical exam, pushy sales calls or even getting up from the couch, check out Bestow. The company is built around one concept — helping you get the term life insurance policy you want, simply and fast.
It just takes five minutes to answer some basic lifestyle questions, and you can get quotes for up to $1 million in coverage without a medical exam. If you’re approved, you can personalize your coverage to fit your budget. You can change or cancel your plan at any time.
Shopping for life insurance isn’t fun to think about, right? Get it done fast, and find something that fits your budget, even if it’s just a few dollars per month. You can get coverage terms as low as two years, and your rates will never go up.
Bestow is available in 48 states (excludes New York and Georgia) and expanding quickly around the U.S.
Sign up for a quote with Bestow and save your time for doing the things you love with your family.
Did you know that around 20% of consumers have an error on their credit report that is likely bringing down their score? And those poor scores can hinder every part of your financial wellness.
A lower credit score can cause you to pay more in credit card interest each month. And it could increase the amount you pay in deposits for a new apartment, rental car or new phone.
That’s why we always suggest starting with a peek at your credit score — specifically from somewhere that can let you know if there’s anything to be concerned about.
Even better if it’s free.
The credit report card from Credit Sesame does all that, and it’s free. The report lays out all your unpaid debts and any delinquencies. Plus, it’ll recommend ways to better manage your credit score.
worse, taking a payday loan — and making it through the week.
Want to give investing a try today? Come on! It’s time to try something new.
Start small, and download Acorns, an investing app that’ll round up your debit and credit card purchases and, once it accumulates $5, it’ll invest the spare change for you.
That means if you spend $10.23 at the grocery store, 77 cents gets dropped into your Acorns account. Then, the app does the whole investing thing for you.
The app is $1 a month for balances under $1 million, and you’ll get a $5 bonus when you sign up.
If you’ve got a $50 bill burning a hole in your wallet, then look into Swell Investing, an SEC-registered investment adviser committed to supporting sustainable companies.
Its Impact 400 portfolio features companies whose products and services align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It considers everything from gender equality to ending poverty to clean energy.
You’ll get a $50 bonus with the code PENNY after making your initial investment.
Swell doesn’t have any trading fees, price tiers or expense ratios. It charges a 0.75% annual fee — that’s about the cost of one coffee ($3.75) per year if you invest $500.
Disclosure: We have a financial relationship with Swell Investing LLC and will be compensated if consumers apply for an account and/or fund an account with Swell through links in our content. However, the analysis and opinions expressed here are our own.
One of our favorite ways to save is with Ebates, a cash-back site that rewards you nearly every time you buy something online. For example, Ebates gives you 10% cash -back on online purchases at Walmart.
Plus, you’ll get a free $10 gift card to Walmart for giving the site a try.
To earn your gift card:
It turns out deleting your emails could be costing you money. Intrigued?
One of our secret weapons is called Paribus — a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund when there’s a price drop.
Plus, if your guaranteed shipment shows up late, Paribus will help you get compensated.
Your home is probably your largest, most valuable asset, so you’ll want to protect it with homeowners insurance.
If you don’t have homeowners insurance (or don’t love the insane rates you’re paying), you can save up to 10% for switching to Allstate.
Here’s how it works:
Despite what most people think, renters, it’s just as important for you to protect your belongings, too.
If you’ve never looked into it, start by getting a free quote. We recommend the online insurance company Lemonade, through which renters insurance starts at $5 a month and homeowners insurance starts at $25 a month.
Lemonade is available in Arizona, California, Connecticut Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C.
You can use your energy bill to support renewable energy — no matter where you live.
With renewable energy company Arcadia Power, you can offset your monthly energy consumption with 100% renewable sources in about two minutes.
Arcadia Power matches each kilowatt-hour of power you use with a kilowatt-hour of wind energy. Basically the company purchases certified renewable energy certificates in your name, so others can take advantage of clean energy in their area.
When you sign up your home or apartment (yup, renters are eligible, too!) with Arcadia, you’ll get a free $20 Amazon gift card.
The price of internet — and cable, if you’re still into that kind of thing — certainly isn’t decreasing. If anything, prices are steadily climbing.
And if you’ve had to chat with a representative from your internet/cable company recently, you know how long you can sit on hold.
That’s why it’s time to call in a robot. The negotiation bot Trim will negotiate your cable or internet bills down for you.
It works with Comcast, Time Warner, Charter and other major providers.
You can sign up simply with Facebook or your email address. Then, upload a PDF of your most recent bill, and Trim’s AI-powered system gets to work. If at first it doesn’t succeed, it’ll keep negotiating until it can save you some money.
Also, if you have any outages, Trim believes you deserve a credit, and it’ll handle that for you. Trim takes 25% of the savings tab, and you get the rest.
If you’re a savvy saver, you probably already use GasBuddy to help you find the cheapest gas station in town. It’s an easy — and free — way to avoid overpaying.
But once you pull up to the pump, here’s something else you can do: Swipe your Pay with GasBuddy card to automatically save 10 cents per gallon on your first purchase (and 5 cents per gallon after that).
The free discount card is tied directly to your checking account. It works at 95% of gas stations throughout the country, so you don’t have to drive around town just to find “your†station. Plus, you don’t have to wait for a rebate — it’s immediate savings.
Simply and securely sign up through GasBuddy. Connect your bank account, enter your address, and GasBuddy will put a card in the mail.
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If you’re looking for a flexible, independent way to earn money — and you love hanging out with dogs — Rover might be your perfect gig.
The online network connects dog walkers and sitters to local dog owners through its 4.9-star-rated app, so you don’t have to staple flyers on every utility pole across town.
Rover says sitters can earn as much as $1,000 a month.
Rover dog-sitter requirements vary by location. In general, you must:
Here’s how it works: You’ll create an online sitter profile where you’ll answer questions about your experience with puppers and your schedule availability.
You can choose to offer a variety of services, including dog walking, overnight boarding at your home or theirs, and daycare. Boarding is the app’s most popular service, so offering it can get you more gigs. You set your own rates. (Rover keeps a small percentage as a service fee.)
Dog owners will reach out to you. Accept which gigs you want, then start snugglin’ pups. As soon as you complete a service, you’ll be paid within two days.
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.
The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.
I recently made a huge move — from Wisconsin to Florida — but it’s not my first. Before that, I had stints in Seattle, Salt Lake City and San Francisco.
Plus there was a period where I didn’t have any residence at all. I bounced from city to city for about eight months via hotel rooms, couches and lots of goodwill.
To say this lifestyle makes banking a challenge would be an understatement.
I need an easy way to access my cash and an account I can manage from anywhere — but beyond that, my banking needs are pretty simple.
Plenty of institutions offer online banking or brick and mortar branches around the country, but many also come with fees or requirements I don’t want to be bothered with.
I don’t need much from my bank. I’m not applying for loans, traveling internationally or even writing checks, so I don’t want to pay extra for services I won’t use.
That’s why I was happy to discover Aspiration.
The Aspiration Account is an online-only bank account with no fees*, no minimum balance and no minimum monthly deposit.
It yields up to 1% interest, which is 100 times more than my existing checking account!
That makes this checking account the perfect place for me to save extra money for things like holiday shopping and travel.
A debit card and free ATMs anywhere in the world make it more accessible than a typical savings account, and the high yield makes it far more lucrative.
I’m sold.
On top of the benefits of the Aspiration Account, I’m actually impressed with Aspiration as a company. This isn’t a traditional bank; it’s a California startup with a jovial personality that’s sorely lacking in the financial space.
The Aspiration Account has been named a “Best Checking Account in America†by Money magazine (an Aspiration bank review I have to agree with).
The modern interface of the website makes banking intuitive (can you imagine?!). And the company is not only good at what it does; it’s also fun and socially responsible.
My favorite part of the sign-up process was the little extras that popped up as I navigated the website. I entered my March birth date, and instead of a plain confirmation, I was surprised by the message, “You’re a Pisces! Do you like the ocean?â€
I do, in fact, love the ocean! I appreciated the personal touch, something you don’t find from many banks.
Plus, the company’s commitment to “do well and do good†means it donates 10% of its revenue to charity.
Where does that revenue come from if the services are free? All of Aspiration’s services work on a “pay what is fair†model. You choose your price and pay as a “tip.â€
When you create an account, you’ll be prompted to choose your tip — a recurring payment up to $10 per month — and you can choose as little as $0.
If this sounds good to you, too, you can get started with an Aspiration Account here.
Start by entering your email to secure your spot. Within seven to 14 days, you’ll get an invitation via email to set up your account.
Once you receive your invitation, the whole sign-up process takes about 20 minutes.
You’ll need your Social Security Number (you must be a U.S. citizen to open this account), a state-issued I.D. or passport, and your online login information for an existing bank account.
To open the account, you’ll need to make a one-time deposit of at least $10.
At the end of the sign-up process, you’ll e-sign and receive a PDF of the account agreement. I loved that I didn’t have to print or scan anything — I haven’t owned a printer in years.
You’ll answer some questions to verify your identity online, and if that works, you’ll be set. Based on my answers, the system was unable to verify my identity, so I had to complete an additional step.
I received an email the following day asking for primary and secondary I.D. I took a picture of my driver’s license and obtained a PDF of a check stub. I resubmitted the application, and my account was approved and open within three days.
The Aspiration Account might not replace your existing bank account, but it can augment your financial benefits. Here are the cool ways I’ve found to use it:
My favorite perk of the Aspiration Account is the free ATMs! Users who travel, especially abroad, can transfer money into the account, so it’s available when you need it at no extra charge.
This seems like a great account to save for holiday shopping — but I prefer to use it as a travel fund.
I like to deposit payments from my freelance side gigs into my Aspiration Account. It’s helped me save for my flights home for the holidays!
The Aspiration Account offers 1.00% APY. Compare that to an average savings account with an interest rate of about 0.06%.
With no monthly fee and no minimum, this is an attractive option for saving small amounts.
In addition to saving for special events, this account can be a good place to keep an emergency fund. You can make payments as needed with an Aspiration debit card, via Apple Pay or through Venmo.
Best of all, you can give to your favorite causes directly from your Aspiration Account. Just enter an amount you want to give, and select one or more causes — poverty, water, education, etc.
This should make it easy to start contributing to causes that fight poverty. It’s something I’ve been trying to get around to since college…
Plus, when you refer a friend who opens a Aspiration Account, Aspiration will donate $25 to your favorite charity and to your friend’s, too. That’s all on top of the 10% the company already donates!
In addition to the free, high-yield account, Aspiration offers two investment funds for middle-class investors. They are:
These funds require only a $100 minimum investment, which opens up financial services that were traditionally only available to elite investors.
I’ve been really impressed so far. The Aspiration Account is a solid complement to my existing bank account, and one that helps me give back to a charity I care about.
I get the benefits of setting aside money into a high-yield account without paying a fee or worrying about keeping a minimum balance. And I get access to my cash anywhere I go without wasting money on ATM fees.
*Aspiration Partners, Inc. and its affiliates are committed to “All Extra Services Provided at Cost,†meaning that it’ll only charge you what it costs us to provide the extra service (such as a wire transfer), and not a penny more. Besides these atâ€cost service charges, the only account fee you pay is the fee you choose, even if it’s $0, which is why it’s called Pay What Is Fair.
Dana Sitar is a writer and editor at The Penny Hoarder. Say hi and tell her a good joke on Twitter @danasitar.
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.
The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.
Snowstorms, ice storms, freezing rain, or even just 43-degrees-and-drizzling days in Seattle. Iced-up windshields, slick-as-tofu roadways, drafts that stubbornly resist whatever the furnace throws at them. Week after week of leaving for work in the dark and coming home in the dark.
Winter can be pretty, but it isn’t always pleasant.
Even those who ski, snowshoe or skate can get fed up with some of the seasonal side effects. And those who don’t like walking in a winter wonderland often struggle to get through the coldest, darkest months of the year.
An obvious solution is to move to a warmer place. But if you can’t afford to do that, or if you’re place-bound for family- or job-related reasons, there’s no reason to dread four (or more) months of challenging weather. Instead, find ways to make your life more comfortable and nurturing.
You may already have some of the things you need. Others don’t cost much or can be obtained inexpensively thanks to frugal workarounds.
I live in Alaska, and I approve of these tactics.
Fill a sock or small cloth bag with uncooked rice, and heat in the microwave for a warmth that keeps on giving. Trent Hamm, who founded The Simple Dollar, makes small ones to put in his family’s coat pockets. It beats throwing away those disposable hand-warmers.
For a sybaritic end to the evening, heat a rice sock and run it up and down the bedsheets so they’ll be toasty. Then put the rice sock where your feet can touch it. Ahhhhh.
Frugal workaround: If you don’t already have a big sack of rice from the warehouse club, go buy a bag at the dollar store. The cheap grain works just fine.
Warm yourself up from the inside! Coffee, tea, cocoa, broth, cider, a cup of hot water with a slice of lemon, a mug of hot Tang – all can do the trick.
Keep a thermos of hot beverage nearby while you read, work, or watch television. Or go on a cup-by-cup basis, exulting in the comfort of wrapping chilly hands around a nicely warmed porcelain mug.
Frugal workaround: Buy on sale, of course. Avoid the prefab frou-frou flavors (which can be expensive) and dress up drinks on your own, such as adding a chocolate-covered peppermint to cocoa or stirring spices and a bit of maple syrup into black tea. Search for “flavored hot beverages” and you’ll get a slew of recipes.
A builder once told me, “When your feet are warm, your head is warm.” Walking around the house in wool socks (plus slippers or slip-ons, if you have them) means you’re less likely to nudge the thermostat upward. Outdoors on a cold day, you’ll be grateful for warm toes. (Pro tip: Rather than throwing the socks in the laundry, hand-wash them – it takes only a minute – and hang them to dry. They’ll last longer.)
Frugal workaround: Cash in some rewards points from a program like Swagbucks or MyPoints and buy the socks that way. (This workaround applies to a bunch of other tactics, too.)
Keep your feet off that cold, cold bathroom floor by putting a throw rug in the spot where you stand to brush your teeth, comb your hair, or apply makeup.
Put a rug or mat where you do most of your meal prep, too. Again: If your feet are warm, then the rest of you has a fighting chance at comfort.
Frugal workaround: Make your own rag rug from strips of old sheets and/or clothes, or with sheets/clothes from the thrift store (preferably bought on half-price day) or from yard sales. Plenty of tutorials exist, some of which promise “no-sew” rugcraft. This could be a family project; if the first one turns out well, it could also be a good holiday gift.
Do you dread diving into a pool of icy percale every night? Get flannel sheets: These things are gold when it’s cold.
And if you’re one of those folks who tends to sleep a little hot? Try jersey sheets, aka “T-shirt sheets.” They’re softer and much cozier than typical bed linens.
Frugal workaround: Right after Christmas, the holiday-themed flannel sheets will go on sale for 50 percent off. True story: I bought a set of these lovelies for $3.98 last year, thanks to a combination of the after-Christmas sale and a $10 Target gift card I got for free from Coke Rewards.
Ours is light and velour-like, and it’s a lovely thing to drape across my legs on particularly chilly evenings. It came from Costco, but they’re available lots of places.
My 12-year-old nephew tried it while visiting – and promptly asked his mom to take him to Costco, where he spent $30 he’d saved on a blue heated throw. Now he drifts off to sleep each night with a warm torso. (The throw shuts itself off after a few hours.)
Frugal workaround: A rice sock on your feet or your lap, plus an afghan or blanket you already own.
Both appliances have their ardent fans. The former is cheaper than the latter, but both produce the same result: delicious (and often frugal) meals with relatively little effort.
The aroma of hearty stews, roasts, casseroles,and other comfort foods will greatly improve a gray winter day or a cold, dark night. This is especially true if you come home to a place that smells like dinner. You’ll get the comforting feeling that someone has been cooking for you all day long.
These appliances are not limited to one-pot meals made with cream of mushroom soup. Look online for recipes for international dishes, yogurt, bread, desserts and more.
Note: “Instant Pot” is a brand name, but as with names like “Band-Aid” or “Xerox,” it’s come to represent the product in general. The appliance is actually a programmable pressure cooker.
Frugal workaround: Thrift stores are full of slow cookers; plug it in before you buy it, though, to make sure it works. Programmable pressure cookers are likely on sale right now, for the holidays – and they might end up in thrift stores later, too.
We have both! The dawn simulator gradually brings up the light in the bedroom; the sleepers, in turn, gradually wake up. Much more pleasant than a blaring alarm clock.
I’ve owned a full spectrum light box for a couple of decades and can attest to their usefulness. In as few as 20 minutes, you’ll feel more focused and energized.
It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor if you have symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder and ask if light therapy would help. The dawn simulator, however, is simply a kinder, gentler way to wake up every morning.
Frugal workaround: The Mayo Clinic notes that being outdoors for 30 to 120 minutes can make a big difference, mood-wise. Since not everyone can do that, research the costs of a light box and, if possible, cash in some rewards toward the purchase price. The Mayo Clinic also offers tips on choosing the right equipment.
It’s so tempting to hole up with a bag of cookies and binge-watch until bedtime. Put down the remote, hide the sweets, and look for something you’ve always wanted to do but never tried: model-building, learning a foreign language, knitting, genealogy, breadmaking, or whatever sounds good to you.
Get your partner, kids, or roommates involved as well. Do an online search for projects you can share, whether that’s “furniture made from pallets” or “how to grow sprouts at home.” Such projects have a way of getting us out of our own heads and into a creative mindset. Best-case scenario: You wind up with something to eat, wear, sit on, or nurture.
Frugal workarounds: Look for free courses online. Use coupons at places like Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michael’s to get discounted crafts supplies. Secondhand stores may have the embroidery hoop or knitting needles of your dreams. I’ve found skeins of yarn at the dollar store.
Yet another way to get off the couch, and maybe to make new friends. Join a club, a service group, a political organization, the PTSA, the local historical society.
Community theaters are always looking for new members, even those with stage fright. You’ll be welcomed with open arms if you have experience in construction, sewing, or makeup/hairstyling.
Not sure where to start? Check out sites and apps like Meetup, Smacktive and NextDoor. You’ll likely find group options you’d never considered, from board games to snowball fights.
Frugal workaround: A lot of this stuff is free or nearly so. If a group or organization wants a bunch of money to join, keep looking.
Sounds counterintuitive, right? You’re trying to escape winter, after all.
Do it anyway. Being indoors all the time isn’t good for our heads. Bundle up well and take a walk. Look for the beauty that’s surely there: bright snow on dark evergreens, bird tracks, the frost that coats each individual twig of the front hedge. Enjoy the, uh, bracing fresh air, too; if you’re wrapped warmly enough, the cold air could actually invigorate you.
Take your kids skating if there’s a pond or a rink in your area. Or take them sledding. (Pro tip: A flattened cardboard box will do if you don’t have a sliding saucer or Flexible Flyer.) Have them help you put birdseed into a feeder and hang it in your yard. Make snow angels – they’ll find it hysterically funny to see grownups flat on their backs, flapping their “wings.”
Don’t let winter scare you. Embrace it! Besides, going back indoors afterward feels really great – especially if the slow cooker is full of something that smells delicious.
Do relatives and friends ever complain that you’re hard to buy for? Maybe you’ve resisted making a gift list because you don’t really want more Stuff in your life.
But these items are great things to have – and they don’t become clutter. The heated throw stays folded over a chair, the wool socks ball up neatly in a dresser drawer, the flannel sheets go right back on the bed after being washed.
So now you know what to say when your significant other or BFF asks what you want for the holidays (or your birthday, even). Sure, they might look askance when you chirp, “wool socks, please!” or when you ask earnestly for a set of full-sized flannel sheets. But who cares? Some gifts aren’t frou-frou or funny or fabulous. They’re utilitarian, which means they’ll get used – and appreciated! – long after the gag gift or ugly Christmas sweater has been donated to the thrift store.
Award-winning journalist and veteran personal finance writer Donna Freedman is the author of “Your Playbook for Tough Times: Living Large on Small Change, for the Short Term or the Long Haul” and “Your Playbook for Tough Times, Vol. 2: Needs AND Wants Edition.”
More by Donna Freedman:
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