Fed’s Powell Predicts Solid but Slower Growth in 2019

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Congress on Tuesday the U.S. economy should keep expanding at a solid, though somewhat slower pace this year. But he warned of growing risks, including a global slowdown, volatile financial markets and uncertainty about U.S. trade policy.

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This 2-Minute Step Could Get You $1 Million in Life Insurance for Just $44/Month

Know you should have life insurance but not sure where to start?

We get it.

First you’re wondering: How much does life insurance cost?

Second, you already get approximately 193 robo-calls a day. You don’t want more from insurance salespeople.

Third… um… what do you even Google?

Don’t panic. We recommend you start by comparing policies and rates through Policygenius, a free online marketplace. Think of it like Kayak or Expedia — but for life insurance.

We’re Here to Hold Your Hand: Here’s How to Get Started

Trust me when I say: Policygenius is simple to use.

Perhaps the most appealing part? You don’t need to enter your email address or phone number to start searching — only your ZIP code and some information about your health. That means no annoying phone calls or emails after the fact.

This takes about two minutes, so even if you’re on your morning commute, eating lunch or, ahem, using the bathroom, you can do it right now.

Once you enter your information, you’ll be asked to choose your coverage amount — anywhere between $50,000 to $10 million. If you’re not sure how much you should get, Policygenius offers a calculator that’ll ask you to input basic information, and it’ll suggest coverage amount and length for you.

Don’t get too hung up on this step — you can always adjust your coverage and terms later.

How to Effortlessly Compare Life Insurance Rates

Now Policygenius will aggregate your options and show you your quotes.

To get an idea of what types of prices you’ll see, here’s an example: When I run my information through Policygenius and ask for $1 million in coverage, I’m presented 20-year term-life policies starting at $44 a month.

That’s way less than my cell phone bill.

Now this is the fun part (just for me?). Add checkmarks to the policies most appealing to you, then compare. Side by side, you’ll compare cost, coverage amount, term and policy type. Policygenius also grades each company on financial strength, customer service and total number of customers.

If you’re worried about the fine print, don’t be. Policygenius presents the fine print in a nice, readable font and lets you know if the policies require a medical exam, any reason it wouldn’t pay out and cancelation or change fees.

Still not sure? You can chat with a Policygenius life insurance advocate. These folks aren’t paid on any sort of commission, so you’ll get unbiased, low-pressure, just-the-facts advice to help.

Once you make your decision, you can enter your information and secure the policy right then and there.

Yup. You can finally check this task off your perpetual to-do list.

You’re welcome!

Carson Kohler (carson@thepennyhoarder.com) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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.

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What You Should Do With Your Tax Refund

Casey adds backing to $15 minimum wage bill in US Senate

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania said Tuesday that he is adding his support to legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, joining the party's growing chorus at the state and federal level ahead of the 2020 presidential election.The bill Casey is joining is already backed by 30 fellow Democrats. It is written by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and backed by five other Democratic senators who, like the politically independent [...]

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How Much Do You Need to Save for Retirement? Here’s How to Find Out

Best Membership Plugins for WordPress – (Review Updated for Winter of 2019)

Are you thinking about building a membership website? Great idea.

Membership websites generate recurring revenue by offering premium content and features to members. It’s also a great way for you to establish your value within your niche. By offering memberships, you’re telling people that your content is so valuable you don’t have to offer it for free.

In order for your membership business model to function properly, you need to install a membership plugin that adds this feature to your website to manage memberships, payments, and other user information.

If you have a WordPress site, there are tons of membership plugins to choose from. I found 746 in my search. Luckily, you don’t have to do too much in-depth research — I’ve done all of the heavy lifting for you and narrowed down the top seven membership plugins. You can use this list as a reference, instead of to trying to find all of the pros and cons on your own.

1. LearnDash

LearnDash is for websites that create and sell online courses. It gives you the option to control the enrollment for all of your courses. You’ll set the pricing, and determine if the course is available to the public or exclusive to members.

There are a few different ways to set this up. In addition to a membership that offers access to all of your content, you can add one-time pricing to give users the opportunity to buy individual courses.

This plugin also lets you use automation to your advantage. You can schedule content delivery. That way you can create all of your courses at once, but distribute them at later dates automatically. This is more much efficient than approaching this manually. If a user doesn’t have automatic renewal enabled for their membership, you can set up automatic renewal notifications to encourage them to renew.

With LearnDash, you can also create a system of points, badges, and certificates to reward users based on their progress. There are also engagement triggers that users can interact with as they are going through your courses.

Support and resources are exceptional too. There are helpful video tutorials and an active community forum to discuss ideas or potential problems with other site owners. If you still need help, you can always contact the LearnDash customer support team.

It’s tough to find another plugin that outperforms LearnDash when it comes to managing a membership site for online courses.

2. MemberPress

MemberPress allows you to switch your existing site into a fully-functioning membership website with ease. A seamless transformation isn’t necessarily the case with every other plugin out there, but it’s an important feature to consider for those of you who already have a website that’s up and running.

With MemberPress, it’s as simple as installing the plugin, adding the details of your payment gateway, setting up your products, and inviting people to join.

It’s very easy for you to manage your content with this plugin. You can restrict access to specific posts, pages, or files. You can do this for content that was already published before you installed the plugin.

This plugin also comes with pricing page templates, which is another top feature. This will help you generate more profit by focusing on your pricing strategy. In addition to the pricing templates, MemberPress supports payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net and more. MemberPress integrates with some of the most popular email marketing platforms as well.

At the end of the day, your membership website will only be successful if people actually join and pay for content. So you need to treat this like any other product or service. Installing a plugin alone won’t necessarily generate sales for you. With that said, MemberPress makes your job much easier.

3. WooCommerce Memberships

WooCommerce Memberships is another plugin that’s ideal for integrating with your website’s existing content. Like we’ve seen before, this plugin allows you to drip content, so you can automatically schedule when members will have access to premium features.

I’d recommend WooCommerce Memberships to those of you who want to add a membership site to your ecommerce platform. The plugin allows you to sell memberships along with product purchases.

From the user end, memberships can be purchased as a standalone product, or as a bundle. For example, let’s say you have a fitness brand. If a customer purchases diet supplements, you could give them access to the training programs section of your website for free. So, if you want complete customization and fewer restrictions for your memberships and products, the WooCommerce Memberships plugin might be your best bet.

Here is a look at some of the custom functionality offered from the plugin dashboard:

WooCommerce Memberships makes it easy for you to import or export your members. So if you want to combine these memberships with existing services or subscriptions you offer, you’ll be able to do so without having to go through everything manually.

With that said, there are times when you might want to go the extra mile to please one of your customers. For example, let’s say someone has a problem with one of their orders purchased from your site. This customer also pays for a membership to access exclusive content. To rectify the situation, you could easily change their membership to complementary for a specified time. You won’t get this type of flexibility and customization with some of the other membership plugins on the market.

WooCommerce also has an option for selling memberships to groups, teams, or corporations. But that’s a different extension that would have to be purchased and installed separately.

4. aMember Professional

I should preface by letting you know that aMember Professional isn’t a native plugin for WordPress. It’s software that’s built with PHP, making it possible for you to integrate it with WordPress.

However, since it’s not native and specifically designed for WordPress, there could potentially be some compatibility problems with other plugins you’re using.

I like it because it’s another all-in-one option for membership websites. There are unlimited membership levels and items for you to add to your site. They also have more than 200 payment systems that you can use to manage memberships.

From the administrative dashboard, aMember Professional lets you run customized reports about your members. You can also manage your email lists, set up autoresponders, and contact users who aren’t set up for auto renewals with reminder messages.

I really like the access control features for aMember Professional. In addition to controlling who can access different types of content, this software has features to prevent access sharing between users. It tracks the number of IP addresses being used to access content, so if a limit is reached, that user will get locked out of the system and be reported to the admin.

Unlike other membership plugin options, aMember Professional is just a one-time purchase, as opposed to a recurring subscription, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to set up your membership sit.

5. Restrict Content Pro

Restrict Content Pro also offers a cost-effective pricing option. Their plans range from $99 to $249 annually, but you can spend $499 one-time for lifetime access. It may seem like a lot initially, but this pays for itself in two to five years, depending on the plan you were considering. It’s definitely worth it if you’re planning to have a membership site for an extended period of time.

Cost aside, Restricted Content Pro is extremely easy for to use if you’re going to manage basic content and membership levels on your website. You can create and share an unlimited number of discount codes to entice your website visitors to make purchases based on the best value. Restrict Content Pro also has built-in payment integrations so that you can accept credit cards, alternative payment options, or multiple payment methods at the same time.

What really separates this plugin from the crowd is the way you can analyze performance by generating custom reports to view the latest month, or specified date ranges to see how well your memberships are doing. This information is extremely helpful when it comes to assessing your pricing, promotions, and things of that nature.

6. MemberMouse

With MemberMouse, you can easily sell memberships along with subscriptions and products on your website. This versatility definitely makes it a standout membership plugin. It’s great for websites that want to add memberships for content restriction, as well as for ecommerce sites that want to add membership features.

The reason why I love this plugin is because it’s designed for website owners who aren’t too tech-savvy. It’s easy for anyone to use, regardless of your technical expertise. Simply restrict content on your website with password protection for members. When you create content, you can customize how it’s delivered based on things like membership levels, length of memberships, or the referring affiliate.

MemberMouse lets you set up free memberships as well. This is a great opportunity for you to get users to join your site, without having to pay first. Once they join and see your free features, they may be more inclined to upgrade to a paid membership.

The plugin is also designed to help you grow your email list.

You’ll also be very pleased with the data provided with the MemberMouse analytics and reports. You can track and measure things like:

• Sales
• Customer retention
• Customer lifetime value
• Refund rates
• Activity logs
• Affiliate tracking

Some of these made my list of the top metrics every marketing manager needs to track. So the ability to get these reports directly from the plugin will make your life much easier.

7. Paid Member Subscriptions

Paid Member Subscriptions is another versatile plugin that I couldn’t leave off of my list.

While it doesn’t necessarily offer anything different from the other plugins we’ve covered so far, it does have a free option. So for those of you who are new to this and don’t want to spend much money setting up your membership site, you won’t have to pay a dime to use Paid Membership Services. But, you won’t have access to premium features, such as content dripping, unless you upgrade to a paid plan.

Another reason why Paid Member Subscriptions made my list is because the interface is user-friendly and extremely straightforward. If you get intimidated by new software or technology that’s out of your comfort zone, you shouldn’t have a problem using this plugin.

Conclusion

Building a membership website is an effective way to improve your content strategy, establish brand authority, and generate recurring revenue. In order to create a membership site with WordPress, you’ll need to install a plugin.

So what’s the best membership plugin for WordPress?

It depends on what you’re looking for. I created this list to give a wide range of options based on specific features. Some plugins are designed for managing memberships with online courses, while others are better for ecommerce websites that need to integrate memberships with product purchases. There are plugins on this list that are all-in-one solutions, and options that are cost-effective as well. Since there is so much variety in this guide, I’m sure you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for to meet the needs of your website.

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The 7 Best Mortgage Lenders

A lot of moving parts help set your monthly mortgage payment, like interest rates, loan terms, downpayments, insurance premiums, escrow, federal subsidies, lender fees, principal, and so on.

And this list doesn’t include the biggest variable of all — the selling price of your property. Understanding how those pieces work (and how they interact with each other) will give you more control over your loan.

Control, of course, is a very good thing, especially when you’re already taking a risk by going into debt for decades on your new house.

The Importance of Loan Shopping

Every mortgage loan is different. Yours should be customized to your home, your budget, and your plans for the property:

• Payments: If you need a lower monthly payment, for example, you’ll do better with a longer-term loan.
• Interest: Someone who wants to pay less mortgage interest should opt for a shorter-term loan and a larger down payment.
• Credit Score: A borrower with a lower credit score or who has trouble making a big down payment should consider federally subsidized loan programs.
• Veterans Loans: A military veteran can access great loan programs through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
• Property: Someone hoping to start a bed and breakfast or buy a fixer-upper may need to stick with conventional loans.

With so many variables to think about, though, many borrowers forget to ask one of the most basic questions: Who should be my mortgage lender?

Instead of asking that question, a lot of borrowers apply for a loan (or for pre-approval) at only one place. Maybe it’s at their neighborhood bank or on a lending website their sister-in-law recommended.

Sometimes this works out OK. After all, current mortgage rates do not vary that widely between different lenders the way savings rates or CD rates can vary among banks.

Still, even a small increase in your mortgage interest rate can be costly when spread across decades. And not all lenders offer the same options for borrowers.

In your neighborhood, I bet you know which grocery store has the best seafood and which one has the best produce. A third store may have the kind of ice cream you like.

When you’re shopping for a mortgage loan, it helps to have a similar inside knowledge about the lenders you’re considering.

First: Know What You’re Shopping For

Until you know the kind of loan you need, it’s too soon to decide about your lender.

So before applying for a mortgage loan, or even for pre-approval, let’s learn more about the components of your mortgage payment:

How Mortgage Rates Work

Except for temporary promotions when you’re financing a refrigerator or some furniture, borrowing money means paying interest.

Your mortgage lender charges interest as a percentage of the amount you borrow paid over the life of your loan. The higher your interest rate and the longer it takes to repay the loan, the more you’ll pay in interest.

Younger adults in their 20s and 30s have lived in a time of historically low-interest rates. We’d consider a 6-percent mortgage interest rate astronomical.

People in their 50s and 60s can remember buying houses at 8 or 10 percent interest and thinking nothing of it.

So why the change, and will things change again?

Since mortgage interest rates are more a function of the broader economy, especially the secondary mortgage market and its investors, we can’t easily predict future mortgage interest rates.

A borrower can, however, access more competitive rates by maintaining a good credit score. It’s not too early to start improving your score, even if you may not buy a house for a few more years.

I like apps such as Credit Karma and Credit Sesame which give you constant access to your credit score and offer suggestions for improving it.

Just a half-point difference in your mortgage interest rate can grow into some noticeable savings as your loan plays out.

Say your dream house costs $275,000. You’re putting $25,000 down and borrowing $250,000:

• At 4 percent interest over 30 years (re-paid on schedule) you’d pay $429,000 to settle the loan.
• At 4.5 percent interest, also 30-years on schedule, you’d pay $456,000 by the end of the loan.

In this case a half-point in interest equals about $27,000! That’s almost $1,000 a year more for the same house. Keeping a good credit score and finding a lower rate by shopping around is worth the time.

What about ARMs? Loan scenarios in this post will describe fixed rate loans. Many banks also offer adjustable rate mortgages, or ARMs.

With these loans, you can get a low initial interest rate for the first few years of the loan. After that, your interest rate changes with the market.

If you’re planning to sell the property quickly, or if you expect to have more financial flexibility in a few years, the low introductory interest rate of an ARM may be attractive. If you’re planning to stay on schedule with your mortgage, a fixed rate loan tends to be more appropriate.

Why the Length of Your Loan Matters

The example above included only 30-year mortgages, which are common especially among first-time home buyers. You can save a lot of interest with a shorter-term loan.

With that same $250,000 mortgage at 4 percent interest, for example:

• You’d pay $429,000 over 30 years.
• You’d pay $364,000 over 20 years.
• You’d pay $333,000 over 15 years.
• You’d pay $304,000 over 10 years.

With such huge savings available from a shorter loan, why would anyone get a 30-year mortgage? Well, to unlock the savings a short-term loan offers, you’d have to pay more each month.

To borrow $250,000 at 4 percent interest, you’d pay about:

• 30-year loan: $1,200 a month.
• 20-year loan: $1,500 a month.
• 15-year loan: $1,850 a month.
• 10-year loan: $2,500 a month.

These payments do not include homeowners insurance or property taxes, but you get the idea: to save more long term, you’ll pay more each month.

So decide what you can afford each month and balance it with how much you could save with a shorter-term loan. Before choosing a lender, make sure it offers the terms you need. Some lenders even offer 40-year loans now.

How Much You Can Put Down

Actions speak louder than words.

Making a down payment on your new house tells your lender (and your realtor and the home’s seller) you’re serious about buying the property.

You’re so serious that you’re willing to put your own cash on the line. Some lenders require a down payment of 3, 5, or 10 percent, for example. Certain federally subsidized loans do not require a down payment at all.

Aside from meeting loan requirements and sending a strong message, there are some really good reasons to make a big down payment:

• Putting down, say, $25,000 means you own $25,000 worth of your house the day you close on it. Starting out on the plus side has some advantages, especially if you need to sell within a few years of closing.
• Putting down 20 percent of the home’s value means you’ll never have to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). You pay PMI premiums only while you still owe more than 80 percent of the home’s value. PMI protects your lender, not you, if you default.
• A bigger down payment means a smaller loan, and a smaller loan saves money on interest and, of course, principal each month.

If putting together $25,000 or $50,000 for a down payment just isn’t something you’ll ever be able to do, don’t sweat it, and don’t let it prevent you from buying a house.

Instead, save what you can as you prepare for homeownership. You can find some good loans which require only 3 or 3.5 percent down.

With a small down payment, it’ll take longer to pay off your loan and you’ll pay more in interest, but at least you’re investing in your own future and not your landlord’s by continuing to pay rent.

How the Federal Government Can Help

Uncle Sam has a stake in the mortgage industry, and it could help you get the best mortgage to meet your needs.

For example, if you expect saving up a 10-percent down payment would be too high a hurdle for your family, a federally subsidized loan can probably help.

Also, if your credit’s not so great, which has the potential to disqualify you for a conventional loan, a subsidized loan can help.

Let’s take a look at some of the leading federal loan programs:

• Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loans: You can get financed with just 3.5 percent down with this kind of loan.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Loans: This program has been designed specifically for homeowners in rural areas, and it offers up to 100 percent financing in some cases, meaning you can get a loan with no money down.
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Loans: Also offers 100 percent financing to avoid down payments and extends loans to applicants with lower credit scores.
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Loans: For military veterans and their spouses, a VA mortgage lender can make borrowing easier like an FHA or USDA loan. It can also help borrowers after closing by negotiating lower payments. VA loans also do not require borrowers to pay for Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).

Borrowers should also be aware there are a few limitations with federally subsidized mortgages:

• Some federal loans (not VA) require borrowers to pay Private Mortgage Insurance premiums (or similar annual fees) throughout the life of the loan. Conventional loans allow you to cancel PMI when you’ve paid off at least 20 percent of the loan.
• Federal financing can limit how you use your property. An FHA loan, for example, will finance only an owner-occupied home. If you’re buying a home to rent or for someone else in your family to live in, you may need a conventional loan.
• For safety reasons, federal lenders often balk at older homes that may have lead-based paint or other dangerous living conditions. If you’re buying a fixer-upper or planning to restore the architectural marvel at the end of the block, go with a conventional loan.

Not all lenders have the authorization to sell federally subsidized loans, so check first before starting the pre-approval process with a lender.

Property Taxes and Home Insurance: Add Them In

Owning a home includes some new responsibilities.

If a pipe bursts and floods your basement, it’s your job to repair the damage. If a sinkhole swallows up the backyard, that’s likely on you, too.

Your new responsibilities will also include insuring your property and paying property taxes (in most states). Taxes and insurance can cost thousands of dollars each year, so many new homeowners spread out the expense using an escrow account.

Your mortgage lender should be able to open and manage an escrow account for you.

Each month your mortgage payment will include your interest, your principal, and a payment for your escrow account.

As the months pass, your money in escrow adds up. When your city or county tax bill or your homeowner’s insurance bill comes due, your lender will pay it using your funds in escrow.

You don’t have to use an escrow account. If you’d rather save the money for taxes and insurance in your own savings account, that’s fine. Just be sure to consider these costs when deciding how much money you can spend on a house.

And if you’d like the convenience of an escrow account, check with potential mortgage lenders before applying to make sure they offer this service.

Your realtor or the seller can fill you in on property taxes. Depending on your address, you may need to pay municipal and county taxes, which could be billed separately.

Property taxes help fund police and fire protection, roads and bridges, public schools, EMS, and local parks. They’re an investment in your community.

Closing Costs: Knowing What You’re Paying

Real estate closings can freak out new homeowners, and for good reason. You’re sitting at a conference table signing document after document, committing yourself to a huge amount of debt for a long time.

Then the fees start to pile up, as if a couple hundred thousand dollars in debt wasn’t enough.

Common mortgage-associated fees include:

• A loan origination fee: of 1 percent of the loan amount, charged by your lender.
• An appraisal fee: usually a few hundred dollars, because your lender wants to make sure they’re not financing more than the home’s value.
• Title search fees: also a few hundred dollars, to make sure your new home’s title is clean. You don’t want to learn later that the seller wasn’t actually the owner.
• Flood certification fees: to make sure your home isn’t in a flood zone. If it is, you’ll need flood insurance since your homeowners policy won’t cover flood damage.
• Attorney’s fees: for handling all these details. These can run up to $1,500 or so.

Collectively, we call these expenses — and others depending on your lender and your locale — closing costs. Ideally, you can negotiate with the seller to help pay some of these costs. In some markets, you could ask the seller to pay all the costs.

Most likely, though, you’ll be paying some or all of your closing costs. You may want to add them into your mortgage loan if you don’t have enough cash to pay up front.

Given a choice, I’d avoid financing closing costs, though. Why add to your debt, your interest, and your monthly payments unless you have to?

Payments You Don’t Have to Make

We looked at some loan scenarios above for a $250,000 mortgage. We said you’d pay about $429,000 over 30 years to pay off the debt (not including property taxes, insurance, and fees).

This schedule includes $179,000 in interest charges over 30 years. However, you can pay less by getting ahead of schedule.

By paying extra money each month directly onto your principal, which is the actual money you borrowed to pay for the house (not the interest), you can pay off the loan more quickly, giving your lender less time to collect interest.

Paying an extra $100 a month on principal on our 30-year, $250,000 mortgage example, you could save almost $28,000 in interest charges and pay off the loan about four years early.

Check with your lender before applying for a mortgage to find out how to make extra payments. Some lenders offer obvious ways to make extra payments to principal; others have more elaborate rules and schedules to know about.

And don’t stress! I’ve known a few people who got so focused on paying off their homes, they didn’t contribute money to their 401(k) or IRAs. Pay extra if you can and when you can, but there are worse things than owing money on your house.

7 Best Mortgage Lenders You Should Explore

You know your budget. You know the kind of house you need. You know some neighborhoods you like. You may already have a particular house in mind.

And now you also know the elements of a mortgage and how they can work more in your favor. So it’s time to apply this knowledge and find the best mortgage lender for your specific needs.

The following list of best mortgage lenders contains my opinions, which are based partly on the experiences of clients I’ve worked with. Feel free to leave a comment if your experience with a lender has been different.

Lending Tree

You’ve seen their ads about banks competing with each other to get your mortgage business. Lending Tree has been connecting home buyers with lenders online since 1996, when the Internet was just a baby.

And it’s gotten pretty good at it. Lending Tree does not originate loans, but it can help analyze your application and connect you with some really good lenders.

Along with this valuable service, Lending Tree’s tools for borrowers offer a lot of guidance in one place. You can check current mortgage rates, check your debt-to-income ratio, and get a good sense for how much house you can afford.

Best for: Conventional loans from borrowers who are shopping for the best terms.

Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans also has garnered some pretty good name recognition through advertising. Founded in 1985, Quicken Loans has grown into one of the biggest mortgage lenders in the nation.

The company offers a wide variety of loans of all sizes. They’re authorized for VA mortgage lending and other federal loan programs, jumbo mortgages, and adjustable or fixed rate plans.

Quicken Loans’ website makes it easy to find out what kind of loan fits your needs, even if you’re not quite sure going in.

Best for: Shoppers who need guidance finding a loan program to meet their needs.

Guide to Lenders

Like Lending Tree, Guide to Lenders can connect you with a loan but will not originate a mortgage.

The strength of Guide to Lenders lies in its massive list of connections. You can fill out one, simple application online and let Guide to Lenders can connect your application with a wide variety of leading lenders in minutes.

Best for: Homebuyers who aren’t sure what kind of loan they need but who want to shop for competitive rates.

Rocket Mortgage

Quicken Loans, which I’ve already listed, launched Rocket Mortgage in 2016 to streamline the mortgage-lending process. With Rocket Mortgage you can go through the entire lending process completely online.

Some of the company’s early ads said you could complete the process within eight minutes. I’d set aside at least an hour, though, just to make sure you’re entering your information correctly.

Still, it’s hard to find a more streamlined approach to lending online, especially considering the wide variety of loan programs Rocket Mortgage offers. If you’re refinancing, I’d start here.

Best for: Consumers who are somewhat familiar with mortgages, though the site is intuitive enough for anyone who’s comfortable online.

North American Savings Bank

You won’t see as many ads for North American Savings Bank, but they’ve caught my attention over the years because of their customer service.

The bank allows you to easily apply for pre-qualification, which gives you a great idea how much you can borrow (assuming you enter correct information about your income and expenses).

A pre-qualification helps when you’re home shopping because you already know about how much you can spend.

Then, when it’s time to officially apply, North American Savings Bank has personalized counseling available to help guide you through the process.

Best for: First-time homeowners who need a 15 or 30-year mortgage and some personalized help available.

AmeriValue Mortgage Refinance

Here’s another aggregator, like Guide to Lenders and Lending Tree, except AmeriValue focuses exclusively on refinances.

If you’ve been in your house a while and need to tap into the equity, or if you can now qualify for a lower interest rate than when you first got your mortgage, AmeriValue can help.

I like their simple online application that does not require all of your personal and financial details before it starts matching you with potential lenders. The site doesn’t include many bells and whistles such as mortgage calculators. It assumes you know what you’re after.

Best for: Experienced loan shoppers looking for a good deal on a mortgage refinance.

NBKC Bank

NBKC, formerly known as National Bank of Kansas City, started back in 1999 to serve online customers’ mortgage needs.

The bank specializes in subsidized loans, especially VA loans for veterans and their families, and in customer service.

Applicants can get a personal loan officer like you would at a neighborhood bank or savings and loan. While actual, in-person customer service is available only in Kansas and Missouri, the bank’s phone support makes the process easier for customers in all 50 states.

Best for: First-time buyers who need subsidized loans and in-person guidance.

Your Home, Your Loan, Your Future

Mortgages are common. Banks, credit unions and other lenders originate 6 to 8 million of them a year.

So what makes yours different? That’s a question only you can answer because your loan should match your individual needs.

It’s also a question you should answer.

Yes, your payment must fit your current monthly budget, but you need an eye on the future, too. A mortgage is an investment, after all.

You can make this happen by understanding how to find:

• The right length for your loan: You can save a lot with a shorter-term loan so long as you can make the payments.
• The best interest rate you can qualify for: Start working on your credit score now. Refinance your home if you’ve improved your score a lot since purchasing.
• The best use of your own money for a down payment: Get more house with less debt by spending some of your own money.
• The right amount of help from government subsidies: If you need help with credit or down payments, Uncle Sam can offer it.
• The right balance between paying off your loan early and staying on schedule: The faster you pay off your loan, the more control you’ll have.

When you build a mortgage to match your needs, you’re getting more than just a loan. You’re getting a tool to help build a more stable financial future.

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Things

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been moving my office to another room in the house. That’s involved setting up a desk and installing shelves in the new room and then gradually moving all of the stuff from my old office into the new office space (which is actually a corner in a multi-use room). The old office also served as storage for a bunch of other things.

The process of moving isn’t urgent, as the room I’m leaving is going to be turned into a bedroom for our youngest child and there’s no deep urgency in that changeover. So, I’m taking my time with this move and actually considering all of the items as I move them.

Do I really need to keep this book? Do I really need to keep these pens? Do I really need to keep these old notebooks full of journal entries and Simple Dollar notes? Do I need to keep these seven cords I’ve had stowed away in these drawers? What about these calligraphy pens that I picked up for my daughter as a potential gift last year when she was really into calligraphy, a phase that has decidedly cooled off?

All of these questions have helped bring me to some realizations about the things that I possess, the money and time invested in them, and my relationship with them.

The Traits of Things

Virtually all of the things you have in your home have a few things in common.

First of all, they cost money. Almost everything in your home cost some amount of money. Most of the items directly cost money. Even things that were free often involved a transportation cost or other cost.

Thus, all of those items represent a choice to take money away from other things you might have had in life; instead, you chose this thing. Was it worth it?

Second, all of those things take up space. They fill up your cupboards and shelves and closets and floor space. Part of the cost of your home is spent solely to store all of your stuff.

I’d estimate that if we got rid of half of our stuff, we’d probably be able to easily live in a home a third smaller than the one we live in. That home would come with lower property taxes, lower insurance rates, lower utilities, lower maintenance costs, and so on.

These things require maintenance. I don’t just mean things that require actual upkeep – I simply mean the time and energy required to keep things in your house.

For example, the effort and time I’m investing in moving the contents of my old office to my new office area and other parts of our home is more than I’d like. If we ever move, it’s going to take a lot of effort to do so, mostly because of our possessions.

Another issue is that it takes effort to get rid of stuff once you have it. If you just throw it away, you’re not only getting nothing in return for the item, it’s filling up a landfill, and you’re still investing time and energy. To sell something, you’re investing even more energy and time and likely just getting a small partial return on your initial money investment in the item.

There are many other minor issues, too: Items can degrade while they’re just sitting there, they can be stolen, and they can encourage you to buy more things (upgrading, supplies, and so on).

There’s also a psychic weight, too. If you own something, you feel like you should be using it, so stuff that just sits there can make you feel guilty about it. As I go through this stuff, I’m constantly finding things I feel like I should be using but am not for some reason or another.

Lessons Learned

What can I take from all of this? First, there is a lot of hidden cost in everything you bring into your home that goes beyond the initial financial cost.

For example, I buy a board game for $20 and bring it home, sure, but then it’s taking up space in my home – and having space for my collections has a real cost. I have to move it around whenever I reorganize or clean up my games. It becomes yet another thing vying for my attention, and I feel bad if I don’t give it that attention. If I actually do give it time, that’s time I’m not giving to something else I already own. If I decide I’m not going to play it enough to keep it around, I have to figure out what to do with it. If I just toss it, that’s $20 lost and space taken up in a landfill and even that takes a little time and energy. If I give it away, that takes some more time and energy. If I sell it, that probably takes even more time and energy and has only a small return on that $20.

Is the upside of that game worth not only the initial $20, but all of that extra stuff, too? Those very real financial and psychological and time and energy costs? Possibly, but the item has to have a lot of value for me to purchase it.

Second, the value of an item varies a lot from person to person. I’m not talking about the financial cost of an item, but the value it provides in your life. Does it entertain you regularly, or does it sit on a shelf? Does it perform a task for you that you need to do frequently, or does it gather dust in the garage? Does it really improve your life, or does it just provide distraction?

Those are very personal questions, and they connect directly to the actual value that an item has in your life. You can’t simply judge those things based on a sticker price. You don’t want to add an item to your home unless it’s going to provide enough of that value to overcome the financial price and the other costs related to an item that were discussed earlier.

A good example of this would be a Stradivarius violin. It would have tremendous value in the hands of a trained violinist, but it would have very little value in my home outside of aesthetic value. However, it has a very high cost and also provides a lot of cash if I were to sell it, which is what I’d almost immediately do if I had one. A Stradivarius has a lot of value to a lot of people, which means that it merits a high price, but it has little value as an object just sitting in my home. I’m not going to play it. I might mildly appreciate it aesthetically. However, it’s not going to have anywhere near the value for me that it would have for others. It wouldn’t make sense for me to buy it, nor should I hold onto it if I have it (unless it’s an investment in a bank vault somewhere).

Most items aren’t that extreme, but the principle still holds. Is that $20 board game really going to contribute $20 in joy to my life, considering the additional costs of storing it, dealing with moving it around if I have to move or my board game collection moves, and the fact that time spent playing it is time taken away from other things? If I can’t immediately say yes, then I shouldn’t spend the $20. However, for someone else, the answer might be an unquestionable yes.

Thus, the third lesson here is that you really have to know how important things are to you, and you have to really not worry about what other people think. You don’t have to covet an item someone else covets. If it’s not something you’ll use, then you don’t need it. Just because someone else might use or value an item doesn’t mean you’ll use or value that item. It’s about you, your life, and the life you want to live.

Quite often, people buy items to make themselves appear in a certain way to others. People want to appear fashionable or smart or attractive or whatever it is that they want to convey. The thing is most people barely notice these things. You’re going to be remembered as being friendly or standoffish, being a good conversationalist, being funny, and so on. Most of the time, people don’t notice minor details unless you’re doing something exceptional – if you dress in clean clothes that aren’t falling apart and practice good hygiene, most people are going to be fine with you, pay little attention to the stuff you have, and remember a thing or two about your personality.

Again, it comes back to not worrying about what other people think. Instead, focus on what’s meaningful to you.

Finally, if I have something I want to use and feel like I don’t have time for, that’s a strong sign that I need to have fewer possessions, not more. If I start finding books that I haven’t read (or haven’t read recently) and I’m feeling, “Wow, I want to read this!” then that’s a sign that I don’t need more books. If anything, I need fewer books. It means that there are books on my shelf that are not exciting me.

This realization ends up brushing against Marie Kondo’s downsizing philosophy, where she encourages people to keep only things that spark joy, and I agree. If something doesn’t either excite you or seem extremely useful to you, why are you keeping it around? At the same time, if you have a bunch of stuff that excites you that’s just sitting there unused, why are you buying more things?

Next Steps

As I’m cleaning out my office, these thoughts are coursing through my head. What do they mean in a practical sense?

The realization that I have so many things that I’m excited about using and spending time with is a clear indication that I really don’t need more possessions in my life. I just simply don’t need more stuff. Because of that, I’ve decided to put a moratorium on all purchases that aren’t necessities for a while, until I’ve actually had time to use the things that I have.

What does that mean practically, for you? Go through your closets and see how much stuff in there is just sitting there unused that makes you go, “Aw, man, why haven’t I used this?” Take that stuff out, put it front and center in your life, and actually use it! Engage with all of that stuff! Read those books! Play those games! Use those art supplies! Watch those DVDs! Listen to those box sets!

Furthermore, while you have things that excite you that are just sitting there, don’t buy more things! Instead, go home and use those things you have that are exciting to you! Engage with all of that stuff! Read those books, don’t buy more! Play those games, don’t buy more! Use those art supplies, don’t buy more! Watch those DVDs, don’t buy more!

On the other hand, if you’re not excited by your possessions, then get rid of a lot of them! Clean out your closet and your shelves and just get rid of all of that unexciting stuff. If you look at that shelf of books and feel nothing, put those books in the hands of people who would be excited to read them.

If you like to collect things, put a strong cap on the number of things in that collection or the space they take up. Assign a particular space to a collection or a certain number of items in that collection, and if something is going to exceed that space or number, you have to get rid of something to make space for it.

If you decide that you have stuff you want to get rid of, set all of it aside and make it an ongoing project to get rid of that stuff. Literally make a pile in your living room or your bedroom of things to get rid of and work through it. Have a big old yard sale this spring and sell off all of that stuff that just doesn’t excite you any more, or take a big list of that stuff to Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or donate it to the library or to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Try to avoid simply throwing it away if it might have value to someone else – donating it is better than just throwing it away.

It’s worth noting that if you take your time with this downsizing and handle just a few items at a time, you can probably make a solid return on the downsizing.

Finally, try on a practice of not buying something if one of your main criteria is what other people might think of it. If you’re buying something to impress a friend or to make it appear like you’re smart or to impress a potential date, don’t. Put it back on the shelf. You already have everything you need to impress that person, and if you don’t, then a purchase isn’t going to make a difference.

Instead, if you want to make a good first impression, get a good night of sleep, wear decent clothes you already have in public, practice good hygiene, and be natural in conversation by asking questions and not being awkwardly silent or rambling. Those steps are going to create a stronger positive impression on most people than anything you might buy.

The simple truth is this: If an item doesn’t make you feel genuinely excited or joyful (and doesn’t meet a basic need), it’s not worth having in your life. You don’t need things that don’t bring you joy and excitement. You don’t need things to impress others, either. Things come with a great deal of extra cost and baggage to deal with beyond that sticker price, and you don’t need them in your life without a really good reason for having them.

As I empty out my office, I find that I’m selling or giving away more stuff than I’m keeping. And it feels great.

Good luck!

Read more:

• The Closet Lesson: What the Stuff in Your Closet Can Teach You About Personal Finance
• Some Reflections on ‘My Year of No Shopping’
• Elves in the Attic: Making Old Toys New Again
• Some Thoughts on Marie Kondo

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Car Insurance Rates Are Up – Here Are Eight Ways to Get Yours Back Down

It’s not your imagination: Auto insurance premiums are jumping higher each year. On average nationwide, car insurance rates rose 23 percent between 2011 and 2018.

State-by-state, the numbers look even worse. In 15 states, the increase was anywhere from 40 percent to 78 percent, according a 2019 study from TheZebra.com.

That’s the bad news. The good news? You can often get a better deal, if you’re willing to look. Buying vehicle coverage is not a one-and-done thing.

“A lot of consumers experience inertia. They stay with what they know,” says study author Alyssa Connolly.

The average annual cost to insure a car is $1,470, according to the study, which analyzed 61 million car insurance rates from 408 companies to discern factors that cause rates to go up or down.

Between 2017 and 2018, rates went down in only 10 states and up in the rest. Sometimes that was way up: In Colorado, the average cost to insure a car rose by 19 percent. (By contrast, rates dropped by 21 percent in Montana.)

Eight Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance

You don’t have to move to Montana to save on your car insurance. Nor should you ever skimp on coverage. Carrying only the state minimum required coverage is a gamble that will save money in the short term, but could leave you up the creek in the case of a bad accident.

But there’s no reason to pay more than you must. Use some (or all!) of the following tactics to ensure that you’re getting the right protection at the best price.

1. Buy a used car, not new.

Public transit isn’t always available. In some places you do need a car for work transportation, shopping, church, and anything else you need/want to do.

But why break the bank? A perfectly good used car costs less upfront and still gets you where you have to go. And according to the study, you’ll save 12 percent on your car insurance.

2. Improve your credit score.

Studies indicate that motorists with low credit scores are more likely to file claims than higher-scoring drivers – and when they do, the claims are for more money. That’s why drivers with poor credit pay twice as much for coverage as those with exceptional credit, the study reports. (However, credit scores can’t be used to determine insurance rates in Hawaii, California, or Massachusetts.)

While it’s tough to vault from poor to perfect credit overnight, raising your score by just one category (from average to good credit, for example) can lower your insurance premium by 17 percent overall. There are a couple of steps you can take to raise your credit score in a hurry, but a bigger boost will require a sustained effort.

Bonus: Improving your credit score has a positive effect on other aspects of your finances, too, including the interest rates you’ll pay for mortgages and auto loans.

3. Raise your deductible.

When you raise your deductible from $500 to $1,000, it lowers the risk for the insurer, since your policy won’t kick in as early or as often. That will come back to you in the form of an 11 percent savings.

Before you do this, however, make sure you could cover the extra $500 it would cost you in the event of an accident. Just one more reason you need a healthy emergency fund. (Pro tip: Find out what you’ll save by raising your deductible, and put that extra money into your e-fund, every year.)

4. Buy online, and pay for a full year upfront.

Purchasing your auto insurance policy online and paying for 12 months upfront will also save you 11 percent, according to the study. Even if you can afford to pay the entire bill upfront, not everyone is comfortable doing this online – some prefer to deal with an agent in person – but it’s likely the wave of the future.

“A lot of millennials are interested in buying products and services online,” Connolly notes – and it’s unlikely that future generations will want to do things much differently.

Getting a rate quote from multiple companies online just makes sense, the study author says: “You would never book a flight and not compare costs from different airlines.”

5. Maintain continuous coverage.

Insurance companies look askance at people who let their auto insurance policies lapse – so much so, in fact, that even a single day’s lack of coverage can affect your rate going forward. According to the study, you’ll save 6 percent by maintaining continuous coverage.

If you plan to change companies, make sure your new policy is in place before you cancel the old one. Paying for a year’s worth, as noted above, will save you some money; while you’re at it, either set up alerts to remind yourself to pay it next year, or set up an automatic payment. (This advice holds for those who pay twice a year, too.)

6. Bundle your policy.

An insurance company wants all your business, and will often provide discounts if you buy more than one product — for example, combining your auto coverage with life or homeowners insurance. According to the study, you’ll save an average of 8 percent by doing so.

But not always! Due diligence is necessary. Run the numbers to make sure the deal your agent offers really is worth it.

7. Drive safely.

We should be doing this anyway! But sometimes it seems that everyone else on the freeway is speeding. Or that maybe you tried to stop but wet roads made you slide partway through that red light. Or that you didn’t know it was illegal to make that kind of turn.

Your insurer won’t care. And depending on the infraction, your rates could go up from 3.4 percent (driving without lights) to a whopping 82 percent (hit and run). Insurance companies can legally factor this into your rates for up to three years.

Do us all a favor and pay attention when you drive. Besides, your own life may quite literally depend on it.

• Read more: Here’s How Much Your Insurance Goes Up After an Accident

8. Get married.

To be clear: Saving money on insurance is not the only reason to get hitched! We bring this one up only because some newlyweds may not know that being married can mean a price break of at least 6 percent (and up to 15 percent in some states).

If you haven’t updated your marital status, give your insurer a call.

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.”

Read more: 

• The Best Car Insurance Companies
• The Simple Dollar’s Complete Guide to Car Insurance
• What You Don’t Know About Insurance Is Costing You

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Sit back and enjoy the latest movies for less

With the awards season well under way and big blockbusters including Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: Episode IX on the horizon, here’s how to enjoy the latest releases at discount prices

It has never been easier to pick up a cheap deal at the cinema. Most cinemas will have their lowest prices at off-peak times. This means you can normally save by going early in the afternoon rather than in the evening, or mid-week rather than the weekend. Some cinemas will also have one day with even lower prices – at Vue this is across the whole chain on its ‘Super Monday’ offer. It is worth comparing the prices at different cinemas, even within the same chain. You might find one is considerably cheaper simply because it is in a less fashionable area.

Many cinemas try to boost ticket receipts by adding reclining seats and premium rows, which come at a cost yet don’t add much to the overall cinema experience. Avoid these if you want to save money. 3D screenings will also cost you more, but see if there is a discount for bringing along the special specs you picked up on a previous visit. It is also worth smuggling in your own snacks if you want to avoid the eye-watering mark-up applied to popcorn.

If you are willing to hunt for special offers, it is possible to get cut-price tickets even at the weekend. Groupon and LivingSocial regularly run promotions where tickets are heavily discounted. Schemes, such as Tastecard and Kids Pass, promise up to 40% off at cinemas alongside savings elsewhere. These discounts are off a set ticket price, no matter where you live, so you might find your local cinema is cheaper already. You can usually find free trials to give these services a go. Other loyalty schemes also have cinema incentives – including insurers, mobile phone networks and banks. And there are ways to get these offers without moving your custom.

Fancy going for free? Well, check in your newspaper or sign up for services such as ShowFilmFirst for free preview screenings across the country. Cinema-goers can also save with annual memberships, offering free tickets or even unlimited entry. Yet the value for money will depend on how often you go, as our investigation reveals.

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Are cinema memberships worth it?

We’ve taken a look at the schemes offered by the major cinema chains. All have a 12-month minimum term. In the table opposite we’ve broken down the membership options, cost and price per ticket based on 52 visits and 24 visits. The key to an annual membership is how often you visit the cinema. All the schemes will save you money if you are an avid filmgoer. The price per ticket works out at just over £4 at both Odeon and Cineworld if you’re seeing a film every week outside London. But the fewer films you see, the more the price creeps up. Memberships become less competitive even if you go twice a month, with a seat working out at £9 or more with most chains.

Cinema annual membership fees and how much you can save on tickets

Chain	Annual cost	Membership includes	Cost per ticket if you go once a week (52 times)	Cost per ticket if you go twice a month (24 times)
Odeon Limitless	£215.88 (£239.88 to include five central London locations) 5% discount if whole year is paid upfront	Unlimited 2D screenings, including at 'luxe' screens Free previews 10% off food and drink	£4.15 (£4.61 in London)	£8.99 (£9.99 in London)
Cineworld Unlimited	£214.80 (£244.80 to include two central London locations)	Unlimited 2D screenings 3D also free after one year Free previews 10% off food and drink	£4.13 (£4.70 in London)	£8.95 (£10.20 in London)
Everyman 'Everyman'	£95	Seven tickets included Bring guest for free on Mondays	£13.57 for the first seven tickets, then full price
Everyman 'EveryIcon'	£300	24 tickets included Bring guest for free on Mondays 10% off food and drink	£12.50 for the first 24 tickets, then full price
Everyman 'Everywhere'	£600	Unlimited tickets for two Bring guest for free on Mondays 10% off food and drink	£5.77 if two people go to each screening	£12.50 if two people go to each screening
Curzon 'Classic'	£50 (£65 to include London)	Four tickets included Money off further tickets 15% off food and drink	£12.50 for the first four tickets then discount on full price (£16.25 in London)
Curzon 'Cult'	£200 (£350 to include London)	Entry to all films Money off guest tickets 15% off food and drink	£3.85 (£6.73 in London)	£8.33 (£14.58 in London)
Curzon 'Complete'	£600 (£950 to include London)	Entry to all films for you and a guest, including opera and theatre screenings 15% off food and drink	£5.77 if two people go to every screening (£9.13 in London if two people go to every screening)	£12 if two people go to every screening (£19.79 in London if two people go to every screening)
Picturehouse	£52 (£65 to include most London locations or £90 to include the Picturehouse Central)	Four 2D tickets + free previews £2 discount on further tickets (£3 discount with Picturehouse Central membership) 10% off food and drink	£13 for the first four tickets, then £2 off each ticket (£16.25 in London/£22.50 including Picturehouse Central)

Note: Some cinemas offer cheaper concession memberships for students and seniors. Source: Moneywise.co.uk, 13 February 2019

You also need to be loyal to one chain. Not all cinemas show the films you want to see or screen them at times to suit you, which means you will pay for a ticket at a rival location. Another factor to consider is competition. Big cities will have multiple cinemas in close proximity, and that means you’re likely to be able to use a special offer or even find a cut-price fleapit (though hopefully without any fleas). There are a few ways to add some value to these memberships. Cineworld’s Unlimited membership has the most. It can be combined with Meerkat Movies, allowing you to bring a friend for free on Tuesday or Wednesday. You can exchange Tesco Clubcard points for triple value or if a friend refers you, then you both get an extra month for free. Meanwhile, Curzon lets members bring a friend for free on Monday. And if you can avoid central London screens, you can also bring down the annual membership cost at Odeon, Cineworld, Picturehouse and Curzon.

Watch at home

Thanks to streaming technology, it has never been easier or cheaper to watch films from your sofa. For a start, you may be able to ditch your pricey Sky Cinema subscription. Unless you have haggled for a discount, you will be paying around £10 a month to add movies to your TV package, and likely be tied in for 18 months. A huge £180. Yet you can get exactly the same channels and films on demand via the internet streaming service NOW TV. Owned by Sky, it costs the same each month, but differs in two key ways. First, you rarely need to pay full price. Introductory offers regularly start you off with 50% off, while customers are often offered further discounts when they go to cancel. Second, you only have to commit to 30 days. So you can pick and choose when you watch and sign back up when you’ve spotted a decent deal. 

Elsewhere, Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers also have access to a huge back catalogue of movies. Both offer 30-day free trials. Classic and arthouse services BFI Player and Mubu have a 14-day and seven-day trial respectively. Don’t forget iPlayer has a library of films recently broadcast on the BBC – all for free. If you choose to rent on a film-by-film basis, there are ways to save here too. Sky Store and iTunes tend to charge £5.49 a go for new releases. Yet the same titles are often available for £3.49 from Google Play, Amazon and Rakuten.

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Movies in the mail

Finally, for those of you who yearn for the days of Blockbuster Video or don’t have decent enough broadband to handle streaming, you can still rent physical DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. Your local library is a good place to start if you’re an occasional viewer. It is likely only to cost you a few pounds. If there is a title you really want, you can pay a little extra to reserve it or order it from another library. Alternatively, Cinema Paradiso will deliver films to you by post. Packages start from £5.18 for two discs a month. At the top end, you can pay £12.98 for two discs at once and an unlimited number a month. As with the streaming services, you can sign up on a month-by-month basis.

Find a deal via a loyalty scheme

Six free tickets with Lloyds Bank

If you open up a Club Lloyds current account, you will be able to choose six free tickets every year at either Vue or Cineworld. You don’t need to switch to get this freebie, though you do need to transfer in £1,500 every month to avoid a £3 monthly fee. Simply set up a standing order to move the money in from your existing bank account and then another to move it back. 

2-4-1 tickets buying cover via Compare the Market

If you buy an eligible insurance policy via Compare the Market, you will get access to the Meerkat Movies app. This provides a code that  gives you two-for-one tickets at cinemas including Odeon, Cineworld and Vue. You get one code a week, and it can be used on either Tuesday or Wednesday. And you can get this by spending just £1. The trick is to search for a UK travel insurance policy for one night and for one person. Don’t worry about any extras as you won't actually use the policy. This should come in at around £1 and your Meerkat Movies membership will be valid for a year.

Two Odeon tickets for £7 with MyVodafone

A weekly offer on Vodafone’s loyalty app is two Odeon tickets for £7, bringing them in at a bargain £3.50 each. If you’re not with the network but you live near a pricey Odeon, it could be worth picking up a free Vodafone pay-as-you-go SIM. You need to top it up by £10 every six weeks and you will need an unlocked handset. Yet go twice in that timeframe and tickets will still work out at £6 each.

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