by Kari FaberStaff WriterYou love your friends and are so happy they’ve found The One.But there’s no shame in feeling a little relieved they all postponed their 2020 nuptials — it meant you weren’t shelling out hundreds or even thousands of dollars on flights, hotels, fancy dresses, tux rentals and gifts.More time for you to save and focus on your own debts!But now that the vaccine rollout is underway and
by Kathleen GarvinContributor Want to become a mystery shopper? If so, we’ve found the five best mystery shopper companies to work for. Mystery shoppers go by a couple different names – evaluators, secret shoppers — but, regardless of the name, the job’s the same: mystery shoppers document their experiences to help businesses who deal with the public a lot. Workers can score everything from free food to extra money when they
by Timothy MooreContributorWhen the last pine needles of Christmas have been vacuumed up and we’ve thrown in the towel a week into our New Year’s resolutions, many of us reach a horrifying realization: Tax Day is approaching.Another scary thought, what if you owe money and don’t have the funds to pay?After two years of extended filing deadlines because of the global pandemic, we are back to our more traditional April
by Catherine HilesContributorI first discovered coconut oil several years ago when a health-focused grocery store opened in my neighborhood.While I originally bought it for cooking, I quickly found many ways I could use it around the house. Now, I use so much that I invest in giant vats from Costco to save money; an 84-ounce tub costs $15.99 and typically lasts four to six months.If you’re new to coconut oil,
Real Answers for Life’s Money Challengesby Robin Hartill, CFP®Senior EditorMy husband and I have both worked full-time jobs our whole marriage. About 10 years ago, I started a side hustle. I worked on it nights, weekends and any free time I had because I wanted to eventually one day be my own boss. In June 2019, I was laid off from my job, along with many others in the company. I
by Rachel Christian, CEPF®Senior WriterYou’ve probably heard of health savings accounts, or HSAs. You can use these accounts to pay medical expenses if you have a specific type of health plan with high out-of-pocket costs. But with sweet tax advantages, HSAs can also be a smart way to save for future medical expenses in retirement. Think of it like a 401(k) for health care costs. We’ll dive into four specific ways you can
by Kari FaberStaff WriterWhen your salary finally tips over $100,000, all your worries about living paycheck-to-paycheck should be gone, right?Not necessarily. In fact, 16% of six-figure earners said they have difficulty covering basic expenses, such as food, rent or mortgage and car payments, according to a November 2020 survey by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.They’re living paycheck-to-paycheck.How is that possible? Here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter how much
by The Penny Hoarder Staff Meat has long been the most expensive item on our plates, but prices for chicken, beef and pork have jumped even higher as the pandemic moves into its third year. The sticker shock at the grocery store is real.At the end of 2021, beef was about 20% higher than the year before. Chicken prices had risen about 8.5% and pork was up nearly 17%, according
by Nicole DowSenior WriterWhen Nora Martin was expecting her first child, she wasn’t going to let all the many baby costs bring her down. She had a plan.“I pretty much wrote up everything that we needed … and then split up the total over six months to see how much we would have to save each month to get to our goal,” Martin said.This practice of splitting a large financial
by Lisa Rowan It’s that time of year again — tax season. Wondering where to start? Overwhelmed by advertising promises for tax prep help? Don’t dive in — or pay up — until you check out these options for filing your taxes for free. If you live in a state that collects income tax, you may have to pay a nominal fee to file through the services below. If you
