A car drives through high water from the effects from Hurricane Ian, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in Charleston, S.C. Alex Brandon/AP Photo
Besides leaving a path of death and destruction in its wake, Hurricane Ian has another legacy: Catastrophic flooding potentially damaged more than 350,000 vehicles, according to new estimates from Carfax.
Car shoppers need to be aware that these waterlogged vehicles will soon be showing up — in disguise — all over the country. Some shady used car lots (imagine that!) will illegally try to hide these flood-damaged vehicles by obtaining new titles for them, passing them off as pristine.
“Cosmetically these cars might look great, but if you don’t know what to look for, it’s nearly impossible to tell they’re literally rotting from the inside out,” Carfax spokeswoman Emilie Voss said in a press release. “Flood water can cause mechanical, electrical, health and safety issues in a vehicle, even if it was submerged for only a short time.”
Inevitably, thousands and thousands of these cars will be resold to unsuspecting buyers, like the roughly 400,000 flood-damaged cars that Carfax estimates are currently on the road — mostly from other recent hurricanes.
How can you protect yourself if you’re buying a used car? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
Flood-Damaged Vehicles: Not Just a Southern Problem
This isn’t just a problem in southeastern states that typically get hit by hurricanes.
Texas and Florida — hurricane magnets — lead the nation when it comes to the number of flood-damaged cars on the road. But Carfax finds that these vehicles also show up in states where hurricane flooding isn’t exactly an issue.
Carfax’s data shows these 10 states have the most flood-damaged autos:
States With the Most Flood-Damaged Autos
State
Flood-Damaged Vehicles
Texas
67,000
Florida
33,500
Kentucky
26,000
Pennsylvania
21,500
New Jersey
18,800
North Carolina
15,600
New York
14,600
California
14,200
Illinois
13,300
Michigan
11,400
Many of these flooded cars are the legacy of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which hit Texas and Florida in 2017; and Hurricane Ida, which hit Louisiana in 2021 but also caused massive flash flooding throughout the Northeast.
After Ida passed through, New Jersey and New York saw the biggest one-year spikes in the number of flood-damaged cars, according to Carfax.
How to Avoid Buying a Flood-Damaged Used Car
We rounded up helpful tips from Carfax, the auto inventory website Edmunds and other experts to help you avoid purchasing a vehicle that’s been damaged by flood waters.
Buy From a Reputable Dealer
To avoid being swindled into purchasing a flood-damaged used car, your safest bet is to buy from a trusted dealership. These dealers have a reputation to uphold and will likely provide you with a detailed vehicle history report.
A vehicle history report will include tons of relevant information, like states in which the car has been registered. Edmunds also recommends a cheap ($7 or less) report from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, which will detail whether the car has been salvaged, among other key points.
At carfax.com/flood, Carmax has a free “Flood Check” tool where you can simply type in the car’s VIN. It also has a flood damage checklist and a national map that shows where flooded cars are washing up.
Trust Your Senses, but Also a Mechanic’s
When you’re inspecting a used car, watch out for these red flags:
Foul odors, particularly mold and mildew. These smells can signal that a car has been in standing water for a prolonged amount of time.
Discolored carpeting or rusted metal. Stains in carpeting or seat fabrics are also indicators of standing water. Rust on the body or the undercarriage is a sign of excessive water exposure, particularly in newer cars.
Inexplicable dirt build-up, like in the trunk or along the seat tracks. This is a sign that mud got into places where muddy feet typically do not travel.
Water build-up in headlights and taillights. Fogginess in the lighting can also be a sign of prolonged water exposure.
Mismatching parts, like seat materials compared to floor mats. A clever seller may replace a damaged floor mat, hoping you won’t notice that it isn’t a perfect match to the other mats or the seat fabric.
As an added precaution, have a trusted mechanic give the vehicle a once-over before you sign on the dotted line. Avoid any seller who’s uncomfortable with you taking the car to a mechanic.
If you do suspect a dealership or private seller of knowingly selling a flood-damaged vehicle, contact your local authorities or the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Follow These Tips Every Time
When it comes to used cars, all of this is actually good lifelong advice. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Ida and Ian have put hundreds of thousands of flood-damaged vehicles into our nation’s used car lots and onto our roads.
From the looks of things, they won’t be the last major hurricanes to threaten the U.S. this decade. Global warming and all that.
But especially if you’re buying a used vehicle in the next year or so, be on the alert for flooded-out cars.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Freelance writer Timothy Moore contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for a way to cut food costs and still eat well, going vegetarian could be the solution — especially if you know what to cook.
Fortunately, we’ve come up with some tasty budget-friendly meatless recipes that you can find by shopping at Trader Joe’s.
It’s not as if being a vegetarian is a new concept — or a fringe idea. Nearly one in four Americans reported eating less meat in the previous year, according to a 2019 Gallup Poll.
And with food prices steadily rising, cutting food costs could offer a major way to save. (Also check out this article on additional ways to save on food costs.)
By incorporating simple ingredients you can find at Trader Joe’s, these vegetarian recipes can help prevent you from getting bored with your food — or breaking the bank.
7 Trader Joe’s Vegetarian Recipes for the Budget Foodie
We’ve found some delicious ways to make simple meatless dishes, whether you’re a committed vegetarian or simply trying to eat less meat than you usually do.
Going vegetarian doesn’t have to mean going all-in organic (though you can check out these seven ways to save on organic food) or spending a bundle on fancy meat substitutes.
To make meals healthy but still delicious, simply include a protein-rich food and look for ways to incorporate vegetables or fruit in every meal.
Here are seven of our favorite meals to make after a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s.
1. Cauliflower Fried “Rice”
Trader Joe’s does the hard part for you — it sells cauliflower that is already “riced” in the frozen vegetable section. Cook the riced cauliflower with minced garlic, ginger, turmeric and salt and pepper. (Trader Joe’s even sells already-prepared frozen vegetable fried rice for $3.)
From there, add your favorite vegetables or whatever you have in your freezer or fridge — think: carrot, celery and onion. You can toss in a scrambled egg for extra protein.
Cauliflower fried rice is surprisingly filling, especially when served with tofu for a protein boost. You’ll get several servings of vegetables with this meal and lots of vitamin C from the cauliflower.
2. Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burgers With Fries
Although the Trader Joe’s Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burgers don’t pretend to taste like meat, they’re a pretty good substitute when you’re having a burger craving.
Inspired by cowboy caviar, the patties are filled with quinoa, black beans, peppers and roasted corn. Serve on a whole wheat bun for a boost of fiber, and skip the fries in favor of veggies (or veggie fries!) to make the meal healthier.
You can load up the burger with a tomato, sauteed onion, mayonnaise and cheese — or whatever toppings you’re craving.
This burger is lower in protein (it only has 5 grams on its own; the bun has 5 grams too), but it’s an easy, healthy vegetarian option.
3. Greek Yogurt Parfait
Greek yogurt has an unbelievable amount of protein. The nonfat version has 15 grams in one serving — that goes a long way toward your daily intake. Buy the unflavored Greek yogurt to avoid too much added sugar, then add honey to sweeten to taste. From there, add your favorite toppings; we recommended blueberries and granola.
This Greek yogurt parfait is perfect for breakfast, lunch, snacks — whenever. It resembles a dessert but is seriously protein-packed, and it even has a serving of fruit.
4. Kale and Chickpea Salad
Even if you’re a vegetarian, salads can get a bit boring — and some veggies get a bad rap, like kale. The key is in how you prepare it. Before dressing the salad, go through the kale leaves to remove hard stems.
After rinsing, add a small spoonful of olive oil and gently massage the kale to break it down and remove bitterness. Start with more kale than you want to end up with, because after you’re done massaging it, it shrinks to nearly half its size.
The ingredients for this kale and chickpea salad can be found at Trader Joe’s. The total is $11.26 for four servings. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
Now, the best part. Pour Trader Joe’s Goddess Dressing, a creamy Greek dressing, over the greens (not too much!). Stir to combine. Then top with chickpeas and shredded parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now, enjoy the best salad you’ve ever had.
5. Tofu and Vegetable Biryani
This is an easy meal to make, but it still packs protein and vegetable servings. It’s the ultimate lazy dinner meal — you can make it in the microwave in under four minutes.
If you’re wondering, “What’s biryani?” It’s a mixed rice dish from India that can have vegetables, meat, eggs or potatoes.
Combine it with Trader Joe’s Sriracha Baked Tofu for protein and to make it a full meal.
Beware of the high sodium content — especially if you’re adding a sauce. This meal will give you 20 grams of protein per serving.
6. Brussels Sprouts With Sweet Potato
For this recipe, pour maple syrup and soy sauce over the Brussels sprouts and then oven-bake until they’re crispy (about 25 minutes at 400 degrees).
Once they’re done, add a sprinkling of goat cheese. The creaminess of the cheese complements the crunchy, sweet flavor of the glazed Brussels sprouts perfectly.
This meal is surprisingly filling, so just add a baked sweet potato to enhance the sweet flavor and add some diversity — and a huge dose of vitamins — to your plate. If sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, cook these Brussels sprouts as a side and add to your other favorite meals.
Brussels sprouts
Goat cheese
Sweet potato
7. Honorable Mention: Tikka Vegetables and Naan Bread
OK, this isn’t the healthiest lunch in the world, but it is quite delicious. Whenever it’s cooking, someone is bound to note how good it smells.
Watch your sodium on days you make these — like most frozen foods, Trader Joe’s Tikka Vegetables contains an unhealthy amount, especially coupled with other processed food. But it’s a nice treat packed with health-benefiting spices, veggies and 4 grams of protein.
It heats up quickly in the microwave and is good to have on hand for emergency lunch situations. If the tikka veggies alone isn’t usually enough to keep you full through dinner, crisp up garlic naan bread in the oven (another 7 grams of protein, and a good source of fiber!) or add on some vegetable samosas (4 grams of protein). This meal is fast and comes in at a few bucks per serving.
Joline Buscemi is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder. Senior editor Johna Strickland contributed.
When someone posted a blood type test kit on a local Buy Nothing Facebook group in Queens, NY, they may have wondered if anybody would want it.
Someone did.
“I think it was leftover from one of those food diet things where you find out what’s best to eat for your blood type,” said Sheri Sayles, who responded to the post and picked up the test kit from her neighbor.
This transaction was part of the gift economy — a way to exchange random items you don’t want with your neighbors who might have a use for them. It’s all free.
Buy Nothing groups on Facebook, the Nextdoor website and app, and other online platforms exist in neighborhoods across the country, helping people get free stuff online — sometimes stuff they never knew they needed.
What is a Buy Nothing Group?
The first question you might have while reading all of this is a simple one: What exactly is a Buy Nothing group?
The initiative started from humble beginnings: Two friends in Bainbridge Island, Wash., began the Buy Nothing Project in July 2013, aiming to save people money and reduce waste. It has since grown to more than 7,500 communities and 6.5 million members, per the project’s website.
Their mission is all about community and gifting: neighbors in hyperlocal areas post what they have to offer and ask for what they need.
While the project initially ran everything through Facebook groups, the company transitioned in recent years to an in-house app, called the BuyNothing app. The platform comes with some distinct benefits: first, users can set their preferred geographic distance, from one mile to six miles. Unlike Facebook, there is no requirement to approve users, eliminating at least a few delays.
But fret not: if you’re a beloved user of Facebook groups, Buy Nothing still exists on the platform. In fact, the site maintains a directory of its groups based on country and state. You can easily find the group closest to you.
How Do They Work?
The basic idea is simple. Someone posts something they want to give away and another person responds if they want it. You can also post when you’re looking for something specific in hopes a neighbor might have it.
But in practice, it isn’t always so clear-cut, especially for high-quality items.
“When you post something, people will then say, ‘I’m interested, I want it, this is why I want it.’ Then you don’t necessarily select the first person who responds. You wait for people to respond in like a 24-hour period and then you select from that list,” said Robin Eiseman, a member of the Buy Nothing group in her Philadelphia neighborhood of Fairmount.
She uses a random number generator to pick who receives her items, but not everyone does.
“I wanted to be as fair and impartial as possible,” Eiseman said.
According to the rules of Buy Nothing, people can only be in one group based on the address where they physically live. The organization also operates under a strict set of community guidelines, found here. First and foremost, posts are separated into three different categories: gifts that must be given for free either to share, to loan or to completely give away. Second is an asking post that asks group members whether they have something to share, loan or give that you need. And third, a post of gratitude is allowed that simply offers gratitude for the community.
Other neighborhood platforms with similar services have seen the demand for free products skyrocket in recent years. Nextdoor, for example, reported that the number of free listings has almost doubled in 2020 since the beginning of the year, which may be a result of the decluttering spree the pandemic has wrought.
What Else is Available (Besides Free Blood Test Kits)?
The Buy Nothing project breaks down possible gifts into categories, and they’re not all items. Members can give gifts of self or talent, which includes things like cooking classes, tutoring or offering rides for an appointment or an evening of babysitting for free. They can also offer what you might expect: gifts of stuff, miscellaneous items that are no longer of use to their owner but might be of use to you.
Nextdoor reports that the most popular categories are usually furniture, garden, and baby and kids items. But 2020 brought with it some changes.
“Throughout 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve observed an increase in requests for items related to DIY projects as people are sheltering in place and taking care of their household projects to do list,” Angold said.
Eiesman has gotten rid of things like a water bottle holder for a kayak that was the wrong size, extras from a monthly subscription box she didn’t care for, a printer that didn’t work (though she told people it didn’t work) and more.
“I’ve picked up from other people some really random stuff like ginger beer, Girl Scout cookies and lots of different things” she said.
After her father died, Sayles gave away some of his things like two nice television sets and some healthcare items.
“I recently posted that I had some sort of adult underwear, and like 10 people wrote to me that they would like it. So here’s something I would think nobody would ever want … and there’s 10 people who need it, so it has been a very good thing.”Sayles said.
Using a Buy Nothing Group vs. Giving Items Away: The Pros and Cons
If you’re reading this and wondering why you shouldn’t just pack up all your stuff and give it away to the nearest nonprofit or thrift store, consider these pros and cons before taking your latest dump to the, well, dump.
Pro: Buy Nothing groups are limited to a local radius, so there’s a higher chance that someone nearby will want your things and get them quickly.
Con: Buy Nothing groups aren’t necessarily about the fastest bidder, so you may have to wait some time to make a decision on who gets your item if you’re in it to be fair.
Pro: Both Eiseman and Sayles say getting rid of items this way is often easier for them than donating them because of limited storage space and the fact people come to pick the items up.
“Many organizations receiving item donations are flooded right now and can’t accept more inventory,” Angold said. “[Nextdoor] For Sale & Free allows members gifting items to get the item in front of thousands of nearby neighbors instantly.”
Con: You’ll have to be responsive. Even if you’re giving your items away for free, people generally have a few questions. What condition is it in? What are its measurements? Be prepared to monitor your social media for a little while. This is a good deed that doesn’t quite go unpunished.
Pro: There’s a certain sense of safety associated with these groups.
“Nobody puts their address on the actual Facebook page [for Buy Nothing]. It’s all done through Messenger,” Sayles said. “I feel perfectly safe, and they’re neighbors generally so you know you see them on the neighborhood Facebook group.”
Nextdoor works to create a sense of security by requiring transparency.
“Since day one, Nextdoor has required people to use their real name and verified address, so members can trust that their Nextdoor neighborhood is made up of real people at real addresses,” Angold said. “Additionally, proximity is incredibly powerful given the current situation. While neighbors around the world are staying closer to home, it becomes increasingly important to have a trusted community to rely on.”
Pro Tip
There’s always the option of meeting someone in a public place to exchange items.
Con: There’s no guarantee someone will take your item. Yes, there’s technically a home out there for everything, but this is not a church thrift shop. It’s essentially an online marketplace—albeit a free one.
Free Exchanging Advice
Veterans of no-sell groups say there are some general do’s and don’ts to follow.
Do: Be creative. Your trash might be someone else’s treasure. “The interesting thing is people post and say, ‘I’m sure nobody wants this but’ and then 30 people say ‘I’ll take it,’” Sayles said.
Don’t: Give away junk. Make sure what you’re giving away is in working order. If it isn’t, let people know that. Giving away junk wastes everyone’s time. “Upload multiple photos with different angles to showcase all the features of your item,” Angold suggests.
Don’t: Offer or ask for anything illegal. Both platforms have lists of what can and cannot be given away. Anything illegal isn’t allowed.
Do: Respond quickly. Like good news, good stuff travels fast. So if it’s something you want, respond as soon as you see it.
Don’t: Take your sweet time picking up your items. People are posting items because they want it out of their houses. If you claim something, go get it as soon as you can.
Do: Be gracious. These are real people behind computer screens. “Not everybody’s going to get the item that they want, and that’s okay. It’s not personal when people decide to give it to one person over another. They’re your neighbors. Don’t do stuff that is going to anger your neighbors. You have to live next to them,” Eiseman advises. Be civil and do not discriminate.
Don’t: Post when no one is online. “Most transactions happen on the weekend, so posting around that time frame is best for visibility,” Angold advises.
Do: Respect the administrators—and everyone. These people are volunteers and neighbors. Treat them as if you will see them again.
Ultimately, the whole idea isn’t just to get things for free.
“[Many people would] rather reuse something instead of going out and buying something new,” Eiseman said. “It’s not a matter of being cheap, but it’s kind of like, well, if you’ve got this and you don’t want it anymore instead of throwing it out, I’m happy to take it.”
Sayles agreed. “I have too much stuff and everyone else has too much stuff and we’re sharing our stuff. It’s great. It’s a very good way to keep it out of the landfill.”
Tiffani Sherman is a Florida-based freelance reporter with more than 25 years of experience writing about finance, health, travel, real estate, and other topics.
Writer Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder, often writing about selling goods online through social platforms. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Smithsonian Magazine and the Tampa Bay Times.
The cost of living is going up and up thanks to inflation, which rose 8.2% in September compared to the previous year.
You’ve likely felt the financial pinch at the grocery store and when making other everyday purchases.
If you’re looking to stabilize your rising costs, you’re going to have to think a bit differently about the way you shop.
14 Savvy Ways to Fight Price Inflation
Here are savings tips to help you fight price inflation on everyday purchases.
1. Shop Your Pantry
Before you go grocery shopping, make a habit of checking the shelves of your pantry first. Canned goods, pasta and other pantry staples have a tendency to get forgotten in dark corners.
By taking inventory of what you already have at home, you’ll avoid mistakenly buying multiples of the same item. You might be able to shorten your grocery list (and spend less). You’ll also reduce the chance of food going bad before you remember to eat it.
Try a pantry challenge to use up what you’ve already got at home instead of going out and buying overpriced groceries. Don’t just limit your challenge to pantry items. Check what you’ve got in the freezer and what toiletries you already have before buying more of the same stuff.
2. Comparison Shop Before You Head to the Grocery Store
Prices for individual products can vary wildly between retailers, so you can save a lot by switching to the store that charges least for your staples.
After creating a list of your household’s needs, use one of these supermarket comparison spreadsheets or apps to get the most bang for your grocery budget buck — no matter what’s on your list.
3. Do Meal Prep
Planning out your meals and making grocery lists based on a meal plan means you’ll be less likely to waste money on something that looks good in the store but you never get around to eating.
This expert meal prep advice simply lays out how to get started planning your meals in advance.
4. Minimize Food Waste
When you’re paying more for food, the last thing you want is to let it go to waste. It’s like throwing your hard-earned cash in the trash.
Use these tips to reduce food waste so you’ll never have to toss out moldy cheese or stale bread again.
5. Choose Store Brands Over Name Brands
Name brand groceries are already priced higher than their store brand counterparts. And many times, you can barely tell the difference between the two.
With prices going up, switch to generic brands to lower your grocery spending. You may even discover a new favorite.
6. Buy in Bulk
While you’ll pay more money upfront for stuff in larger quantities, it’s actually a smart move to buy in bulk. Typically, you’ll pay less per item.
If you don’t need a three-box bundle of cereal or 10 pounds of macaroni noodles, you could always split your shopping haul with a friend or family member. Or you could just use this as an excuse to do less grocery shopping throughout the month.
7. Cut Back on Meat
Cutting back on meat will have a significant impact on your grocery bill, because beef and pork and chicken tend to be some of the more expensive items in the store — inflation or not.
Going meatless a day or two a week and turning to cheaper alternatives, like beans and lentils, can help you cut costs.
8. Save Money on Produce
Even with prices going up, you can still find ways to save on fruit and vegetables — without growing them in your backyard.
Which is better: Buying something for $5 that you use once and throw away, or purchasing something similar for $10 but that you can reuse over and over again?
Reusable products cost more upfront than their disposable counterparts, but they’re usually a better deal because they last much longer. Being better for the environment is an added plus.
The price at the pump has been on a bit of a roller coaster, whether it’s a production cutback or due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. And you still have places to go — which means gas is an essential.
Carpooling to the office can help you cut costs. So can signing up for fuel reward programs or using fuel comparison apps to find the lowest gas prices around. This article on how to save on gas has additional advice to lower your spending even as prices rise.
Looking for a credit card that earns you discounts on fuel and puts cash back in your pocket? We rounded up the best gas credit cards.
11. Share Tools and Equipment
Splitting the cost of something you’ll only use occasionally is a better deal than paying full price for something that’ll end up collecting dust most of the time.
Consider sharing pricy tools and equipment — like a stand mixer or a leaf blower — with a neighbor or nearby friend or family member.
12. Learn to Barter
You can also fight price inflation by choosing to barter with a friend or family member, rather than paying full price for goods and services.
Perhaps a friend has extra lumber from a home renovation that you can use in exchange for doing free graphic design work for their small business. Or maybe you can dog sit for a family member while they’re out of town in exchange for a few free meals.
13. Get Free Things from a Buy-Nothing Group
Getting free items from a local Buy Nothing Group, means you can bypass high prices at a store — and you don’t even have to offer up anything in exchange. These groups focus on donations rather than trading or bartering.
Join your local Buy Nothing Group on Facebook.
14. Fight Shrinkflation
“Shrinkflation” is a term coined to describe when companies reduce the size of a product but keep the price the same — it’s companies’ way of still carving out a profit when their production costs rise. You can beat shrinkflation by simply paying more attention while shopping and be willing to change up your habits to become a savvy shopper.
Nicole Dow is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Deputy editor Tiffany Wendeln Connors updated this post.
A Goodwill store sign is shown in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Goodwill Industries International Inc., the 120 year-old non-profit organization that operates 3,300 stores in the U.S., and Canada, has launched an online business as part of a newly incorporated recommerce venture called GoodwillFinds. Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
In big news for thrifters everywhere, Goodwill is going digital. It’s launching GoodwillFinds, a new website that allows you to browse through roughly 100,000 pieces of secondhand merchandise from the comfort of your couch.
Instead of making your way to one of Goodwill’s 3,300 stores, now you can just click on your favorite bargains and have them shipped to you. Because your purchases will come from Goodwill locations across the U.S. and Canada, the shipping costs for each item will vary — but they’ll never be a surprise. At checkout, you’ll be offered shipping options based on your address.
The goal is to list a million items on the site within a few years, said Matthew Kaness, the website’s CEO. Eventually, the plan is for GoodwillFinds to be personalized for shoppers based on each customer’s previous purchases on the site.
For now, there’s a search bar, and you can also browse by category. Do you need women’s clothing, men’s clothing or shoes? Cookware, jewelry or books? Home decor? Collector’s items? It’s all there.
When people donate their secondhand stuff to Goodwill stores, workers will decide which things to list online. They’ll inspect each item, and if it’s dirty or in bad shape, they won’t try to sell it.
Goodwill also says they’ll accept returns for purchases that arrive damaged, or if there’s an incorrect item in your order. GoodwillFinds takes major credit cards and PayPal, but not Apple Pay.
The new website is the brainchild of a coalition of Goodwill leaders from across the country who wanted to bring Goodwill fully into the digital age. It’s an improvement over Goodwill’s previous internet offering, an auction site called ShopGoodwill (which is still operating). You can’t just click-and-purchase on that site — you have to bid on items.
This new Goodwill shopping site comes just in time for the holiday shopping season, too.
And although we’re big fans of putting together affordable Halloween costumes, you’ll need to place your online order for spooky stuff by Oct. 20, according to the website. After that, you’ll need to go to Goodwill in person to throw together a cheap zombie or rocker costume.
Goodwill is a 120-year-old nonprofit organization, the granddaddy of thrift shops everywhere. When you buy from Goodwill — or from GoodwillFinds — the proceeds help fund Goodwill’s community-based social service programs across the U.S. and Canada, like youth mentorship, job placement and professional training.
Also, it’s a good way to save a buck or two.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
‘Tis the season for the pumpkin spice latte, or PSL, for short. Starbucks, Panera, Krispy Kreme and a slew of other chains and local coffee shops are serving up the fall favorite.
And it’s got a cult following.
Just how popular is the orange gourd? Pumpkin products — from muffins to pancakes to lattes — brought in $522 million last year, according to Nielsen research. That was a 4.7% increase from the year before.
While “skipping the Starbucks” and other seasonal splurges, are often touted as a way to save money, you can still enjoy this fall rite of passage without blowing your budget. Here’s how to save money on pumpkin spice lattes all autumn long.
How to Save Money on Pumpkin Spice Lattes
1. Join Starbucks Rewards
Join Starbucks Rewards to start getting free drinks — including PSLs. Earn one star per $1 you spend. When you have 150 stars, you can redeem them for a free PSL or any handcrafted drink of your choice.
While that may seem like a good chunk of change to spend to get a reward, remember that it’s pretty easy to rack up a bill at Starbucks without even realizing it. That extra shot of espresso, added flavor and morning bagel all come at a cost. You can even offer to pay for friends and let them Venmo you or pay you back with cash.
Plus there are other perks to the rewards program, such as free refills of brewed coffee or tea.
(And if you just can’t quit Starbucks, these Starbucks hacks can save you money on your habit.)
2. Buy Discounted Starbucks Gift Cards
Websites such as Raise or Gift Card Granny and others can stretch your coffee dollars further. Just buy a gift card for less than its face value, and you’ll get more for your money anywhere making PSLs.
3. Join My Panera
Panera has a perks program, too. Join My Panera to get discounts and other customer rewards such as a free PSL.
4. Join Krispy Kreme Rewards
At Krispy Kreme, dollars equal doughnuts, as well as custom coffees. You get a free doughnut when you join and after about a dozen purchases, you can score a free pumpkin spice latte.
5. Celebrate Your Fall Birthday
If you’re a member of Starbucks Rewards, you’ll enjoy a free drink on your birthday. Why not make it a pumpkin spice latte?
Dunkin Donuts also offers free birthday drinks through its DD Perks Rewards program and has an extensive pumpkin spice menu.
Many other cafes also offer free birthday drinks, so if you find yourself at a coffee shop with pumpkiny concoctions on your birthday, be sure to ask!
Getty Images
6. Make a DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte
Indulge in a pumpkin spice latte anytime with this great do-it-yourself recipe from Farmgirl Gourmet. This recipe makes two 10-ounce lattes, so you can share one with a friend.
Stir the milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together in a pan over medium-high heat. Bring it almost to a boil, but avoid boiling (that will make it too thick). Stir constantly, and it should start to froth in about a minute.
Pour the concoction into two mugs, then slowly add the strong coffee or espresso, pouring it in by the edge of the cup so that the milk stays frothy. Add whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice on top, and indulge in your homemade creation.
7. Make DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
This simple recipe from Delish requires just five ingredients and produces 1-3/4 cups of pumpkin spice creamer to add to your coffee.
You’ll Need:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
Directions:
Whisk together the heavy cream or half-and-half, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice in a small pan over medium heat. Add a cinnamon stick or two and turn the heat up a bit until it boils, whisking occasionally.
After a minute, take it off the heat and let it cool for about five minutes before you add it to your coffee.
According to Delish, the leftover creamer will keep in your refrigerator for a week, but be sure to give it a good shake before using.
Kristen Pope is a former contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
Contributor Katherine Snow Smith is a veteran newspaper reporter and editor who covers lifestyle topics, workplace issues and ways to make money for The Penny Hoarder. She is the author of “Rules for the Southern Rulebreaker: Missteps and Lessons Learned.”
With food costs surging, groceries can quickly eat up your monthly budget. But we all need to eat in the end. So, what can we do?
There are quite a few ways to save money on groceries, but you’ll need to take some time to plan your shopping trips. Coupons can help, but they are no substitute for shopping at the right stores.
We’ll show you how you can save money each month on grocery shopping, as long as you don’t mind putting on your detective hat.
Save Money on Groceries — Every Single Time
Since prices can vary wildly between retailers, you can save a lot by switching to the store that charges least for your staples.
Everyone’s grocery list is different, so we created a supermarket comparison template for you to print out and complete yourself. This way, you’ll automatically get the most bang for your grocery budget buck — no matter what’s on your list.
Click for a larger version you can print out.
How to Use the Grocery Comparison Worksheet
So, here’s the thing.
Comparing grocery stores is going to take some time and effort upfront. You’ll need to travel to several stores in your area, locate your staples, record their prices and compare costs.
But while doing your supermarket comparison may seem like a chore, it can actually be a lot of fun.
You’ll feel a little bit like a private investigator. And once you’re done, you’ll save money every time you shop — no further thought or effort required.
Automated savings? Yes, please.
It’s super simple! Here’s what to do.
1. List Your Staples
First things first: Make a list of your most commonly purchased items — those things you absolutely always have in the house.
You still want the best price on your one-off treats or occasional buys, of course.
But if the cookies or candy you buy every once in a while are a lot cheaper at a certain store and all your staples are more expensive, you might not see the true winner. So to best automate your savings, stick with the stuff you always have on hand.
We’ve created some suggested categories in our sheet to help get you thinking, but if you don’t eat meat, for instance, no worries — just use those spaces for more veggies, or whatever else you buy.
If you purchase some of your items in bulk, like toilet paper, don’t include them — you’re almost definitely getting a better deal at your warehouse club store.
2. Choose Your Stores
Now that you’ve got your list, it’s time to choose which stores you want to compare.
If some shop 50 miles away has awesome deals, great — but you’ll be cutting into some of your savings by driving so far, to say nothing of the opportunity cost of spending so much time on a weekly necessity.
Plus, when it comes down to a busy Tuesday night when you need to swing by the store because you’re out of milk or toilet paper or insert-essential-here, you’re not going to want to drag yourself all the way across town.
Do yourself a favor and survey only stores within a reasonable distance. Fill in their names along the top of the list — and get ready to figure out which one you’ll start seeing a lot more of!
3. Go Find the Prices
Here comes the time-intensive part.
You have to find time to head to each of your chosen stores, track down those items and write down their prices.
You don’t have to do it all at once, so take your time. Fit it in by doing your normal weekly grocery shopping at each store as needed — just remember to actually write down the prices when you go!
An important note: Remember to write down the amounts of the items, as well.
In some cases, stores won’t carry the same item in the same size. Even if the total sticker price is cheaper, you’re not getting a better deal if you’re getting less product.
By recording the actual amount of each item, you’ll be able to calculate the cost per unit or ounce, so you’ll know exactly how it’s priced.
4. Compare Prices
Once you have all the prices and amounts listed for each of your stores, start comparing those prices and figuring out which store has the best deal.
If it’s a one-for-one comparison (say $3.49 vs. $3.09 for a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast), it’s easy: Just record whichever store has it cheaper in the column on the right-hand side.
But in some cases, you’ll have to do some math if two stores don’t package the item in the same amounts. For example, check out our sample math to figure out which deal for bacon is best.
Since Publix had 16-ounce packages marked at 2-for-$8, it technically won at 25 cents per ounce.
But if that sale wasn’t going on, Walmart would be the winner — so it’s not always an easy race to judge.
Which brings me to another caveat: Quality matters! Feel free to factor in cases in which you’d rather spend a little bit more per ounce for a product you like better, or for fair trade, organic or humanely raised food items.
5. Name a Victor — and Start Shopping Smarter!
Now look at the right-hand column and count how many times each store’s name appears. Record the total number in the bottom of the store’s column (see the example above).
Whichever store’s name appears the most is where you should shop to save the most money on the bulk of your grocery purchases.
Congrats, you’ve just automated your grocery savings! You can rest assured you’re saving money every time you shop, even if you never clip another coupon.
Of course, markets and prices change, so you’ll want to revisit your comparison fairly regularly.
And besides — just try to tell me you didn’t have fun sneaking around the stores, recording their prices.
And if you really didn’t? I bet your kids would. So next time, recruit some help.
Consider a Grocery Comparison App
If you feel more high-tech, you might consider a grocery store price comparison app. We tested a few offerings in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store and found Basket to be our favorite choice for shoppers.
The Basket app is free and enables you to compare product pricing at different grocery stores (and even grocery delivery services). You can see the best prices for individual items or your overall cart, if you want one-stop shopping.
You can scan any product with a barcode quickly if you don’t feel like typing. You can also put together separate carts for different shopping trips or plan ahead for a big dinner or party you may be throwing.
Basket also surfaces some of the best savings from local grocery stores, displaying current sales and available coupons.
When filling up your shopping cart, stay aware of exactly what you’re taking home. When shopping for perishables, never buy more than you can use before they might expire (no matter how good the deal may be). If possible, purchase nonperishables in bulk.
How Much Should a Single Person Spend on Groceries?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average moderate-cost monthly food plan for an adult (aged 19-50) is $367 for men and $310 for women. More aggressive savings when shopping can bring the price as low as $238.
Is It Cheaper to Eat Out or Buy Groceries?
Due to the additional overhead costs you need to support when dining at a restaurant or grabbing takeout, it is generally always cheaper to buy groceries. Additionally, eating at home will allow you to keep a closer eye on nutrition and what actually goes into your food.
Jamie Cattanach is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Michael Archambault is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder specializing in technology.
New over-the-counter hearing aids are now available without a prescription or medical exam, following a final ruling from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August.
These devices will be available online, at pharmacies and in retail stores. Big names like Walgreens, Walmart and Best Buy have already announced plans to carry a selection of products this fall.
The new class of OTC devices — available for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss — will be equipped with the same basic technology as traditional hearing aids but at a fraction of the cost.
Hearing aid devices can cost anywhere from $900 to $4,000 per ear. Many health insurance providers — including traditional Medicare — don’t cover the devices or hearing tests.
The new rule also cuts the red tape plaguing many consumers. Hearing aids are currently only available with a prescription from an audiologist or a hearing health specialist. Multiple appointments are usually required, from consultations to fitting adjustments.
So how are over-the-counter hearing aids different?
Here’s what you need to know.
How Much Will Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Cost?
Over-the-counter hearing aids are just starting to hit store shelves, so it’s hard to say how much they’ll cost. The White House said it anticipates OTC devices will save Americans as much as $3,000 per pair.
Walgreens announced plans recently to start carrying Lexie Lumen hearing aids in stores nationwide after Oct. 17 for $799.
Consumers will also be able to purchase these hearing aids online through Walgreens Find Care for $39 per month for 24 months ($936 total).
Each pair of hearing aids at Walgreens will also include batteries and accessories as well as a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Walmart also told Reuters it will begin offering over-the-counter hearing aids to adults with mild to moderate hearing impairments without a medical exam after Oct. 17 — but the major retailer declined to say how much they will cost.
Competition from manufacturers is expected to drive prices down on OTC hearing aids. But by how much or how quickly is still anyone’s guess.
Will OTC Hearing Aids Be HSA and FSA Eligible?
You can use a health savings account (HSA) or a flexible spending account (FSA) to purchase OTC hearing aids.
The new category of over-the-counter hearing aids is also expected to qualify.
A health savings account is a tax-advantaged account you and your employer can contribute to that can pay for a long list of eligible medical expenses. An FSA offers similar tax-saving benefits but with different contribution limits and other rules.
Pro Tip
What’s the difference between an HSA and FSA? Learn the pros and cons of both.
Are Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Right For You?
OTC hearing aids are intended for people 18 or older with mild to moderate hearing loss.
They’re not meant for everyone or every situation, kind of like drugstore reading glasses.
Struggling to understand speech in a phone call, on the television, or when you can’t see who is talking.
Difficulty hearing in noisy environments.
Trouble hearing loud sounds.
Regularly asking others to speak more slowly or clearly, to talk louder, or to repeat themselves.
Getting regular complaints from family or friends that you’ve turned the sound up too loud or aren’t hearing them properly.
If you have severe hearing loss or a specific hearing issue — such as deafness in only one ear — you should consult an audiologist.
Likewise, you should see a doctor right away if you experience dizziness, sudden hearing loss, pain or discomfort in your ear canal as these can be signs of a more serious medical condition.
Visiting a hearing care professional can also be beneficial if you want advice on how to choose the right hearing aid or need help adjusting or repairing your OTC device.
The Hearing Loss Association of America offers this tip sheet to help you decide if OTC hearing aids are right for you. It also includes questions to ask yourself when shopping around for a new device.
How Do You Buy OTC Hearing Aids?
Over-the-counter hearing aids will be advertised and sold in pharmacies, big-box stores, online and through the mail. You won’t need a prescription from a hearing specialist to buy them.
You fit the devices yourself, and you might be able to control and adjust the settings in ways that people with prescription hearing aids cannot.
An automated hearing test may be offered through a smartphone app so you can test your hearing at home.
You’ll probably use a smartphone or computer to install and customize your hearing devices as well.
Companies like Audicus, Bose, Eargo, Jabra, Lexie and Lively are all expected to be big players in the OTC market. Additional manufacturers and devices will also emerge over the next few years.
More consumer guidance on how to buy and use OTC hearing aids is expected in the coming weeks.
The Fight For Affordable Hearing Aids
Lawmakers and advocacy groups like AARP have fought for years to lower the cost of hearing aids and make them more accessible.
Under the current system, audiologists usually buy hearing aids wholesale from manufacturers and then set their own prices.
Five manufacturers control about 90% of the hearing aid market, according to a Senate investigative report released in June. Many policy makers say this lack of competition among prescription devices contributes to higher retail prices.
The actual devices usually account for just a fraction of the total cost. Hearing aids are typically bundled with multiple services, including a hearing exam, fittings, programming and repairs.
The added expense of these professional audiology services is what really drives up the cost for many people, especially older Americans.
Medicare beneficiaries spent an average of $914 out of pocket on hearing services in 2018, according to a report from the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
Approval for OTC hearing aids has been years in the making.
In 2017, Congress ordered the FDA to craft regulations for over-the-counter devices and the proposal was signed by former president Donald Trump.
Little progress was made after that. In July 2021, President Joe Biden called on the FDA to take action “to promote the wide availability of low-cost hearing aids.”
The FDA reviewed more than 1,000 public comments and tweaked the proposal before approving its final rule Aug. 16, 2022.
Wait, Haven’t OTC Hearing Aids Been Around For a While?
Devices known as personal sound amplification products, or PSAPs, have been on the market for years. The same goes for TV amplifiers, hearing assistive devices and hearing protection devices.
These products help people with normal hearing amplify sounds in specific situations — but they’ve never been approved to help treat hearing loss.
The quality of these consumer electronics also varies widely. Attorneys general in New York, California and Texas have warned consumers about low-quality amplifiers falsely marketed as over-the-counter hearing aids in recent years.
The FDA said it is clamping down on this deceptive advertising.
OTC hearing aids will be regulated as medical devices by the FDA, and must adhere to strict specifications and labeling guidelines.
Rachel Christian is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder.
You may have Champagne tastes on a boxed wine budget, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a bottle of wine that tastes like maroon vinegar. Or just plain vinegar.
Wine can run the gamut from Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck all the way to vintages that can cost more than our homes. However, most people who can afford incredibly expensive bottles – like this 2005 Petrus Pomerol that goes for $8,997 at some Total Wine locations – probably aren’t too worried about the cost of their homes.
Total Wine explains the tasting notes, which may be delightful or offensive depending on your appreciation of the words chewy and supercaressing mouthfeel: “Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a supercaressing mouthfeel. Coffee, dark chocolate and berry. Chewy yet balanced. Very long in the mouth.”
But there is something to all of this wine knowledge (chewy just refers to a thicker textured wine) and we’re here to help you find some of the best cheap wines on the market. And by inexpensive we mean less than $15.
We offer suggestions but also ways for you to separate the expensive wines from the best cheap wines when you’re cruising the liquor store aisles. We spoke with some sommeliers to get the tricks of selection and point us to the affordable wine.
The six cheap wines they recommend come from:
But First, a Word on How Wine Is Priced
It’s common that buyers equate quality with cost. Surely, a $35 cabernet is better than one that comes in under $15, right? Not necessarily. Wine is priced using several variables.
Pricing reflects the cost of materials and labor, and also volume. A large vintner like Kendall Jackson produces millions of cases of chardonnay annually. Patz & Hall, another Sonoma County, California, winemaker produces considerably less.
Depending on the year and style, a Kendall Jackson chardonnay can be had for less than $15, sometimes as low as $8 on sale at big-box retailers. Plan to spend at least $30 for a bottle of Patz & Hall chardonnay. The boutique winery releases about 15,000 cases of chardonnay a year. Size does matter when it comes to pricing.
Is the 2017 Patz & Hall chardonnay better than the same vintage of Kendall Jackson? Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes the pricing can be chalked up to perceived value. But the only perception we are concerned with here is where to get the best cheap wine.
Don’t Let a Cute Label or Familiar Name Lead You Astray
A large grocery store stocks hundreds of bottles of wine and the prices are usually reasonable. For many of us, this is our wine store. There are plenty of brands that you recognize: Yellow Tail from Australia; Robert Mondavi out of California and even La Marca from Spain that makes a popular $15 bottle of prosecco perfect for Sunday brunch mimosas.
(Bubbly lesson: The sparkling wine of France is called Champagne. In Italy that’s prosecco, and in Spain it’s cava. Bring on trivia night!)
Rather than recognizing brands, you might believe that France turns out the best red wines and California the best white wine. Again, our perceptions on what’s fancy and what’s not helps set the prices.
Then there are just a lot of cool labels, and that’s how some of us pick wine. Honestly, how can you resist Michael David’s Petite Petit with its circus-themed label and fun name? The mostly sirah blend can be had for $13 or less on sale.
Inexpensive wine is a given at grocery stores and the wine section of Costco, Sam’s Club or Target, but good wine can be harder to pick out among the vast selection.
4 Tips for Scoring Good Cheap Wine
You’ll get more selection guidance at a local wine shop or even a big-box booze store than you at the average grocery store or Costco, but our tips will help you bust out on your own and find plenty of good cheap wine priced below $15 — heck, even around $10.
1. Buy International Wines
The United States — and specifically California — produces a ton of amazing affordable wines, says Vincent Anter, founder and host of the V is for Vino wine show that’s streamed for free on YouTube and various other places.
Because California produces so much wine, he says, it’s more difficult to figure out the good stuff.
However, South American wines tend to be less expensive due to lower labor and land costs with overall good quality. Or, look to Europe, specifically Italy, where costs may be kept lower through several factors, including:
Government assistance for wine producers, which is available in many wine-growing regions.
Regulations that control everything from grape yields to where the grapes come from to the use of additives.
A distribution model that doesn’t vary from state to state and doesn’t include three tiers, with each tier marking up the wines each step of the way.
The production of more entry-level wine, because most Europeans see wine as part of the meal instead of a luxury item.
2. Stay Away From Trendy Wines
Wine, like all things, goes through trends, according to Matt Woodburn-Simmonds, a sommelier who runs The Plate Unknown, a website celebrating world food and drinks.
To pick up a bargain, he suggests avoiding the trends.
“Rather than a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or Argentinian malbec, look for an Argentinian cabernet franc or New Zealand pinot gris,” he says. They will be the same price, but a higher quality, because popularity isn’t driving the price higher. Yes, you can find an Argentinian malbec for $15 but it’s likely that the $15 cabernet franc will be better.
The same applies to lesser-known Eastern European wine-growing countries like Greece, Slovenia and Hungary, all of which are currently turning out great quality wine at pocket-friendly prices, Woodburn-Simmonds said.
3. Don’t Be Afraid of Unusual Wines
Instead of reaching for a California cabernet sauvignon — because the best cabernet grapes grown there go into the more expensive bottles — look for a cabernet from Argentina.
Argentinian wine producers are known for their malbec, not their cabernet, so better quality grapes will likely be in that bottle of cabernet, according to Kathleen Bershad, author of The Wine Lover’s Apprentice and owner of Fine Wine Concierge in New York.
“Along those lines, look for the grape you’ve never heard of,” she said. “While you might love chardonnay, a torrontes can offer a similar feel and flavor, but because it’s not well known, the quality is likely to be better for the price.”
You can easily snag a decent bottle of torrontes for about $5 to $10. Try the Mendoza Station Torrontes ($7 at Totalwine.com).
4. Pay Attention to Where the Wine Comes From
Much of what goes into the cost of a bottle has to do with where the wine is grown and produced, says Melissa Smith, founder of Enotrias Elite Sommelier Service in Oakland, California.
“Have you seen the cost of an acre of land in Napa Valley?” she says. “Between that, French oak barrels starting at $800 a piece and a celebrity winemaker, you can see why a bottle of cabernet might cost $100 per bottle.”
She has suggestions on finding quality wines at a lower price, based on their region:
Watch for regions that don’t typically use fertilizer or pesticides in vineyards. Smith says Europe (look for Bordeaux or Chianti), North Africa (cabernet sauvignon or merlot) and the Middle East (chardonnay and sauvignon blanc) fit this description.
Look for countries where wine is part of daily life. Such is the case in Greece, Spain, Italy and France. A lot of wine in those countries is made in co-ops, where the grapes have passed certain standards and vineyard practices, and in large quantities, keeping the prices low. In other words, classic table wines.
Understand where wine is more labor intensive. For example, machinery can’t be used in vineyards with steep hills or narrow terraces, so those grapes need to be harvested by hand. You’ll know if this was the case if the label says “hand-picked grapes” or “hand harvested.” That wine may not necessarily taste better, but it will increase production costs. As a result, the price of the wine will be higher, according to sommelier Woodburn-Simmonds.
Some of the steepest vineyards in the world are in the Mosel region of Germany. Riesling is the star grape there and it’s not uncommon to see prices of more than $25 a bottle. The Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley riesling out of Washington State can be had for under $10.
Try These 6 Cheap Wines From Different Regions
This is a starter list of the best cheap wines for wine lovers. Get a taste of them and then start to branch out to other wines from these areas, keeping your wallet in mind all of the time.
Israel
Try this wine — Recanati yasmin red
Taste — This is a bold and complex wine from the grape-growing region around the Sea of Galilee in Israel, says Sneha Saigal, a sommelier in New York who has lived in India and Spain. It is a blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
“It pairs really well with meats and BBQs, and plus, it’s kosher,” Saigal says.
Taste — Chenin blanc grapes have been grown in South Africa since the mid 1600s, and the varietal originated in France, says Gary Schueller, a New York wine buyer. It’s a versatile grape that can make wines of all styles and price points, including sparkling wine.
At the lower price points, chenin blanc is typically a medium-bodied crisp, refreshing wine that’s food friendly, but can easily be enjoyed on its own. It’s noted for flavors of stone fruit, pear, apple and yellow citrus, Schueller says.
“Having tasted hundreds of wines at this price point, it certainly is at the top of the pack,” Schueller says.
Taste — Alicia Ortiz, the strategic communications manager at Sippd, a wine app that matches wine to your budget, recommends this bottle from delle Venezie, Italy. The price is right and its fruit is sourced from some of the top growers in northeast Italy.
You’ll taste hints of apple and mineral in this light-bodied wine. Pair it with grilled fish or a light meal.
Taste — The land-locked Beaujolais region of France produces this deeply flavored gamay. Tasters note hints of raspberries and strawberries in the fruity red. It has low tannin levels and is delicious when slightly chilled and is best served with poultry and mild cheeses.
Taste — California has plenty of delicious summer wines priced at less than $10, says Shana Bull, a wine writer in Sonoma County. This refreshing bottle in particular is great with spring vegetables such as asparagus with grated parmesan cheese or fish tacos.
They also make a canned Bonterra Rose that’s priced under $10 that pairs well with creamy brie cheese and strawberries or melons. Think picnic or beach wine, Bull says.
Taste — Boasting some of the oldest vines in the world, Chile is putting out wines at incredible values that are crowd-pleasing for novices and experienced wine drinkers alike. This specific wine is a $12 bottle made from 35-plus-year-old vines, Schueller says.
Random cool fact: This grape was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in Chile in the mid-1990s.
“So this is a grape with a lot of history, but really just in recent years is getting its due and is surging in popularity,” Schueller says.
Danielle Braff is a Chicago writer who specializes in consumer goods and shopping on a budget. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Real Simple and more. Senior staff writer Robert Bruce contributed.
Note: This article doesn’t contain any depiction of physical or sexual violence, but does detail financial and emotional abuse in relationships.
Lisa Orban was married to her abuser for three years. In 1990, she left after he threatened to kill her and their two young children.
She was 20 years old.
Her financial situation in the marriage? “Bad, in a nutshell,” she recalled.
Her husband was the main breadwinner, and he managed the family’s finances.
“Whenever there was a chance that I might make enough money or make more money than him or do anything to upset his financial apple cart, so to speak, he would come in and sabotage it,” she said.
She lost multiple jobs because of his meddling.
Orban moved with him from her hometown in Illinois to Arizona for college, where she’d won a four-year scholarship to study psychology. Before she could start, he contacted the university and told them she’d decided to drop out.
“Imagine my surprise when I go to registration day and find out that my scholarship is gone,” she said.
He even had control of the mailbox. He took her key, though she thought she’d just lost it, and put off replacing it. That had major, unexpected financial ramifications.
“It wasn’t until after we were divorced that I found out that I had not paid off my student loan,” she said. The $4,000 loan ultimately cost her $38,000 to repay.
The checks Orban thought were going into the mail were not, and the missed payment notices from her loan providers weren’t getting to her.
He kept control of the checking account.
He wouldn’t let her use the car alone.
He knew how much money she earned, and he would accompany her to the bank to deposit her paychecks.
He signed up for credit cards in her name.
By the time Orban left and filed for divorce, she was $80,000 in debt and didn’t even know it.
Domestic violence and abuse comes in many forms, whether it’s physical, emotional, psychological or sexual — but it can also be financial. Likely, it’s some mix of these, but not always all of them.
“Like all abuse, financial abuse takes a lot of forms, but it’s all controlling behavior — power and control,” said Casey Harden, General Secretary of World YWCA. “Imagine tightening the reins on the financial condition of the home, so that there’s limited options.”
Abusers may leave their partner out of major decisions and purchase a home that’s well out of the family’s budget, for example. They may run up credit card debt without their partner’s knowledge or input, lie about paying bills or damage valuable property.
“More often than not, the abuser has made the victim feel as if they are dependent upon the abuser — that without the help of the abuser, the victim could not survive financially in the world, and it is only by the grace of the abuser that the victim has a roof over their head and food on the table,” said Michelle Kuehner, a survivor of domestic violence who is now a financial adviser and author of The Money Diet blog.
If you’re in a bad situation, consider this advice from financial, legal and domestic violence experts on how to leave an abusive relationship when you don’t have any money.
6 Steps to Prepare Your Finances Before Leaving
“The largest hurdle you face in an abusive relationship is getting back your independence,” Kuehner said.
That’s easier said than done.
In addition to the financial hurdles, the most dangerous time for an abused partner is the moment he or she decides to leave.
That’s why before you do anything, we recommend this step:
1. Connect With a Victim Advocate
These people are trained and experienced, so they know how to help you plan to leave safely and quietly. They can point out potential pitfalls and let you know what major financial hurdles to expect.
How to get in touch with local advocates:
You’re the best at assessing your own safety, so listen to your own instincts, work with an advocate and only consider these steps when you feel it’s safe.
2. Save Money
“Be sure you have liquid funds held in an account in your name only,” said Allison Alexander, a financial adviser at Savant Capital Management. She also recommends having credit cards in your name alone.
If you can’t get a loan, see if there are other ways to secure money for yourself that your partner doesn’t have access to.
Here are some creative ways to make extra money:
Keep an eye out for influxes of cash your partner doesn’t know about or have access to.
“A lot of survivors… wait until that tax return comes, and that’s a nice little chunk to get started on,” said Kim Pentico, director of the Economic Justice Program at the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
A bonus at work may be a similar lifeline.
You may be able to work with the human resources department at work to automatically deposit part of your paycheck into a separate bank account.
Catherine Scrivano, a Phoenix–based financial planner, says HR may also be able to help you make an adjustment to your tax withholding to help you receive more money with each paycheck that you can save or invest throughout the year.
3. Make Copies of Important Documents
This includes tax returns, bank statements, investment statements, mortgage or loan information, car titles and pay stubs.
You can simply snap a picture of these documents with your phone and email it to a friend. Or store them in a cloud drive that you — and only you — can access from anywhere, like Google Drive.
4. Cut Ties and Open a New Bank Account
Before opening your own account, Harden recommends obtaining a new mailing address, such as a post office box, and an email address your partner doesn’t know about.
Harden also suggests you contact your bank to update your account’s security questions if your partner has access to an account in your name.
“Your husband of 10, 15 years probably knows the answers to most of your security questions,” she said, “especially if he’s been actively working to know them.”
You can tell your bank the question you want to use. You don’t have to stick with a default question your partner might know the answer to.
If you can, set up separate accounts your partner doesn’t know about, or at least can’t access.
Also, “remove your personal items from a safe deposit box if it is held jointly,” Alexander said. “Establish your own safe deposit box at another bank and place your financial documents and sentimental items, including jewelry, pictures (or) valuables there.”
5. Find a Financial Adviser
If you have the resources to hire a professional financial adviser — who works for you alone, not you and your partner together — great.
If you can’t afford to work with a professional, utilize your local library or domestic abuse support organization. It may have financial literacy classes, support groups and literature to help you.
Even financially savvy friends and family can offer advice.
Pentico often tells survivors, “There’s somebody in your life, more than likely, that seems to know what’s going on when it comes to money and finances, whether it’s a coworker or a family member. Reach out to them.”
6. Find an Attorney
If you are planning to file for divorce, or if you think your partner is planning to file, seek out the help of a lawyer as soon as possible.
If you don’t have money to hire a lawyer or don’t feel safe, a victim advocate can help you find resources.
Getty Images
6 Steps to Rebuild Your Finances After Leaving
Orban didn’t make a plan to leave her abuser. She did what many survivors do: run blindly for their lives.
“They look for a moment — a credit card left unattended, a check that unexpectedly arrives that you somehow got access to, a Christmas bonus from your work that your spouse doesn’t know about,” she says. “These are things you look at, and you go, ‘This is it. This is my chance.’”
And then what?
Once you’ve left and you’re safe, your greatest financial hurdle may be not knowing what you’re working with.
Start by figuring that out.
1. Get a Copy of Your Credit Report
If you haven’t had control of your finances for years, you may have no idea what state they’re in. To create a rebuilding plan, you have to first know what you’re dealing with by reviewing your credit report.
Your credit report will give you this information.
Here’s how to get a free copy of your credit report:
Contact the three major credit reporting bureaus to get a free copy from each. They’re legally required to give you a free credit report once every 12 months, but since the pandemic, all three are offering free weekly credit reports.
To check out your free reports, start at annualcreditreport.com. A banner, front and center, tells you about the new policy with a “request your free credit reports” button.
Your credit history can affect a lot of what you do from now on.
Someone will likely pull it when you apply for an apartment, mortgage, vehicle loan or credit cards, before hiring you for a job or opening a new bank account. It will affect how much you pay to rent a car or get a new cell phone. It could even affect your car insurance rates.
Once you know what’s in your credit history, you can figure out how to fix it.
2. Identify and Work to Pay Off on Lingering Debts
Your credit report will show you all the creditors you owe. Reach out to them directly and ask what you need to do to eliminate those debts.
Scrivano pointed out that a divorce agreement isn’t enough to get you out of debts you shared with your partner. For example, even if the agreement says credit card debt is your ex’s responsibility, the creditor doesn’t know — or care.
Contact your creditors to determine exactly what needs to be done — and what, in the end, is your responsibility.
To prevent your ex from building new debt in your name, you can place a 90-day fraud alert with the major credit bureaus. That way, businesses must verify your identity before issuing credit in your name.
Here’s how to initiate a fraud alert with one of the bureaus:
Pro Tip
You only have to place an initial fraud alert with one bureau. It will contact the others, according to the FTC. You can renew the alert after 90 days, as often as you need.
3. Create a New Budget
Next, Harden said, spend time “learning to budget in the new reality, whatever that new reality is.”
You can set up new savings and investing plans to “become proactive about having full ownership over (your) finances,” not just reactive to your situation.
Orban learned to manage her budget through trial and error. She always kept a detailed budget.
“I ended up itemizing my life on a day-to-day basis and seeing how much I had coming in and how much, realistically, I had to pay out to function in a normal way,” she said.
Read our tips on how to budget if you’ve never done it before:
4. Rebuild Your Credit
Even if you have damaged credit, you’re not doomed.
“Since my credit had been damaged a bit, I wanted to rebuild that as well,” Kuehner says. “Taking out secured loans… was the easiest way I knew. Within a year-and- a-half my credit had been repaired.”
It’s similar to a debit card: You put down a cash deposit and can use that amount in credit.
Unlike a debit card, secured cards report your payments and balance to credit bureaus. So it’s a way to establish a credit history if yours is shot or nonexistent.
Read more tips for rebuilding your credit:
5. If You Need to, Find a New Job and Housing
If your abuser didn’t allow you to keep a job, the effect can ripple beyond your lack of control in the relationship.
“It could interrupt a work history,” Harden said.
If you’ve lost your job or you’ve been out of work for a while, you have options.
Find a bridge job or seasonal job, or pick up a side gig. These may not become your long-term career, but they’ll get some money coming in.
“Your local domestic-violence program has relationships with community resources, so while they may not provide (job placement) themselves, they certainly have built partnerships and relationships with those who do, so reach out to them,” Pentico said.
The final step is refocusing on financial vitality, Harden said.
What does a thriving, successful life look like for you? Is there a business you need to reclaim, a career you need to start over or education you need to finish?
Healing emotionally and financially took a lot of time and work. But a small epiphany late one night made her realize she could do it.
“(I realized) I didn’t have to wait for time to heal all wounds. I could make steps and go forward and go, ‘I am in control of my life now — me — and I can make these changes.’”
If you or anyone you know needs help, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline to speak with an advocate or be connected with someone in your area: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) / TTY: 1-800-787-3224.
Contributor Dana Miranda is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance® who has written about work and money for publications including Forbes, The New York Times, CNBC, Insider, NextAdvisor and Inc. Magazine.
Deputy editor Tiffany Wendeln Connors updated this post.
Fewer people are sending items by mail these days opting instead for online bill pay, email and social media. But some prefer the traditional feel of mailing cards, bills or letters, or trust the postal service more than the internet with their correspondence.
If you use a lot of stamps, the cost can quickly add up. As of July 2022, U.S. Forever stamps cost 60 cents each — a 3.4% increase from the previous year. The great thing about Forever stamps is that they don’t list a value on the stamps themselves, so you can stock up and still use them even if the cost of a Forever stamp increases.
But you can get postage stamps for cheaper than face value if you know where to look. Here are a few options to get you started.
Best Places to Buy Stamps at Discounted Prices
Before you start shopping for discounted stamps, it’s important to think critically about the deal you’re getting. According to the United States Postal Inspection Service, the sale of counterfeit stamps is up.
“Is a substantial discount of up to 50% off an order of United States Forever Stamps too good to pass up?” the article asks. Yes, keep scrolling.
USPIS reports that counterfeit Forever stamps are typically sold in bulk with a hefty discount, such as 20-50% off. If you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it probably is. That’s why buying stamps from a random seller on eBay might not be the best decision.
But despite the presence of counterfeit stamps out there, it’s still possible to get a discount on postage stamps; you just need to be vigilant and do your research on the seller to make sure they’re legit before parting with your money.
It’s your birthday and you deserve a gift or two. Check our list of 101 birthday freebies and get your fair share.
Check Stamp Dealers for Discounted Postage
Stamp collecting is a big business. Dealers make a lot of their money buying and selling stamps from collectors, but they also make money selling mint stamps at a lower cost than their worth.
Stamp collectors often buy unique stamps when they come out, thinking they may become valuable someday. But often, they don’t grow in value, and the collector may sell stamps to a dealer at a discount. The dealer then sells these stamps to you, the consumer, at a low cost.
Buying stamps this way might mean you have to use several stamps of random value in order to get to the 60 cents required for regular postage, but it can save you money (and make for a unique envelope to the recipient of your mail).
Look for Deals on Amazon
At first glance, postage stamps on Amazon seem to sell for the same price as at USPS, and in some cases they are more expensive. But if you have patience, you can find good deals on stamps on Amazon.
For example, I stumbled upon a listing selling a roll of 100 stamps for $55.99 on sale, which works out at just under 56 cents per stamp, or an 7.1% discount.
You’re not guaranteed to find cheap stamps on Amazon, but if you can find them it might be worthwhile — especially if, like me, you have an Amazon credit card that earns you points on your purchases.
One caveat about buying stamps on Amazon: Make sure you only buy directly from Amazon or from a legitimate seller, as there may be some third-party sellers that list counterfeit stamps for super-cheap. In general, if the listing looks suspicious or too good to be true, there’s probably a good reason for that.
Sign Up for a Stamps.com Account
If you listen to podcasts at all, chances are you’ve heard of Stamps.com in an ad. They usually offer a free trial period that includes freebies like postage, so you can try out the service before paying for a subscription.
Stamps.com is currently offering First Class (i.e. Forever) stamps for 51 cents each, saving you 9 cents per stamp, or 17.6%.
Membership is $17.99 per month (plus applicable taxes), but that includes a free digital postal scale when you sign up, plus the four-week trial that includes $5 in free postage. Upon completing the trial period, you will be eligible for an additional $20 in postage. You can cancel anytime, as there are no long-term contracts. If you do a lot of mailing and shipping, a subscription should pay off in the long run.
Check Out BuyDiscountStamps.com
Another online option is BuyDiscountStamps.com. You can get a roll of 100 stamps for $54, which works out at 54 cents per stamp, or 11.1% off retail price.
In addition to rolls, you can also buy sheets of 20 stamps for cheaper than at USPS. At the time of writing, you could buy a sheet of 20 2022 Forever stamps for $10.80, which is 11.1% off retail price.
BuyDiscountStamps.com advertises no taxes and free shipping on all orders. However, there is a $500 minimum order, which helps the site keep its prices low. That’s a bit much if you’re just stocking up on stamps for yourself, but you can always see if some friends want to go in with you to reach the minimum and likely never need to buy stamps again!
Buy Stamps Directly From the Post Office
For smaller orders of stamps, buying directly from the United States Postal Service can be a good option. USPS also offers a wide variety of stamp designs, whereas buying them elsewhere usually limits you to the traditional American flag design.
USPS makes stamps in many different designs to celebrate holidays, public figures, seasons and more.
Buying postage stamps directly from the post office means you will pay the going rate for a Forever stamp, but it does give you more options than any other seller, as well as supporting the government enterprise.
How Much Is a Book of Stamps?
A full-cost book of 20 Forever stamps costs $11.60 (58 cents each). The cost will rise to $12 a book (60 cents each) July 10. However, a Forever stamp will always cover a standard first-class letter even after the cost rises. Resellers offer lower prices, but beware of counterfeits.
Buy Stamps at Other Retailers
The post office is the most obvious place to buy stamps, but it can be inconvenient. You can find postage stamps at full retail price at several different types of retailers that you probably frequent often, which can save you the additional trip even if it doesn’t save you money. Generally, anywhere that sells mailing supplies will also sell stamps.
Office retail suppliers such as OfficeMax and Staples usually sell stamps at retail price. In addition to office supply stores, you can buy stamps at the gas station, the UPS store, chain stores like Target and Walmart, pharmacies and grocery stores. Another good option is a wholesale store like Costco or Sam’s Club. In October 2022, Costco was selling a roll of 100 Forever stamps for $59.75, which works out at just less than the 60-cent retail price.
From coffee to coconut oil to diapers, here’s the ultimate list of our favorite free stuff online.
How to Save Even More
Rebates and rewards are two more ways to save money on postage stamps.
Check Rebate Sites
For additional savings, check Cashbackholic to find the best cash back deal when buying discount stamps. Those amounts vary from day to day.
Once you find the best rebate site, search for Forever Stamps on your chosen site (such as Amazon or Walmart) to earn your rewards.
At 5% cashback on a $56 roll of stamps from Amazon, you’ll save 12.8% on a coil of 100 Forever stamps.
Use a Rewards Credit Card
This is one of the best deal-stacking tips. With a cash back credit card, you get money just for purchasing things you would buy anyway.
If your card offers 1% cash back, you’ll save an extra .56 cents per stamp on that coil of 100 Forever stamps being sold for $56, bringing your cost down to just 53.2 cents per stamp, or $53.20 for the coil.
That’s almost 7 cents savings per stamp — or, around the cost of a stamp in 2019..
You might not think to look for rewards and discounts on items like this, but think about the money — and hassle — you can save! How much first-class mail do you send each month?
One hundred stamps could go pretty far — you could be set up for months for about $56.
Ohio-based Catherine Hiles is a British writer and editor living and working in the U.S. She has a degree in communications from the University of Chester in the U.K. and writes about finance, cars, pet ownership and parenting.
Once an item falls out of use, public organizations — from state colleges to law enforcement — auction it off to the public.
Back in the day, many agencies placed ads in the local newspaper when they wanted to sell off old equipment or seized property.
GovDeals, along with a handful of other websites, lets governments list items for auction online instead, where they can reach a bigger audience. All of the money generated by the sale is returned to the agency.
You can find just about anything on GovDeals, including exercise equipment, school projectors, laptops, food storage items, kitchen equipment, trucks, trading cards, RVs, Ralph Lauren wallets and hunting knives.
GovDeals has generated over $2.5 billion in sales since it was founded more than 20 years ago, according to the company’s website.
How Does GovDeals Work?
Like eBay, you can bid on items listed on GovDeals and there may be a reserve, even if the starting bid is really low. The user with the highest bid when the auction ends gets the item if the reserve has been met. You’ll need to create an account to get started.
You almost always need to pick up the item in person. Rarely, an agency will ship you the item for a fee.
You can search for items by location or product type. Each listing contains information about the item, including payment and pickup instructions. Read over these details carefully.
Some sellers require you to pay them directly, for example, while others let you pay through GovDeals’ online platform.
13 Crazy Affordable and Weird Things We Found On GovDeals
It’s hard to fully appreciate the randomness of GovDeals until you start scrolling through listings.
Once you start, it’s hard to stop.
Wait, they’re really selling that?
Here are 13 strange things we found on GovDeals. Trust us, there’s plenty more to go around.
1. Yamaha Baby Grand Piano — $875
Starting bid: $1
Winning bid: $875
Sold by: University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas
Delivery available: No.
Yes, you read that right: A baby grand for $875, instead of thousands. This Yamaha piano plays well and has been disassembled in preparation for a move. The only drawbacks include some scratches, a possibly stuck sustain pedal and a missing bench. But, as the ad says, “Upright pianos are for rookies — now’s your shot at a baby grand!”
You can browse more instruments and musical equipment here.
2. Milk Cooler — $50
Starting bid: $50
Winning bid: $50
Sold by: Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina
Delivery available: No
Need a new cooler? This 115-volt Delfield milk cooler with an air curtain is in good working condition — and cost thousands new. Think of all the extra milk you can store in that thing.
Sold by: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts – Unclaimed Property Division in Austin, Texas
Delivery available: Yes, included
Fine jewelry is a popular category on GovDeals — especially gold jewelry. This lot from the Texas Department of Unclaimed Properties includes seven 14k bracelets totaling 11.1 grams of gold. There’s some scratches and signs of surface wear, but it sold for $370 after 30 bids.
That’s a rough profit of $215 just based on the price of gold after you pay sales tax and fees.
There’s more where that came from. To see all the jewelry deals, click here.
4. Three Fitbits — $20
Starting bid: $5
Winning bid: $20
Sold by: Denver City and County Government in Colorado
Delivery available: Yes, for an additional $20
Three Fitbits of unknown condition with no warranties or guarantees? If you don’t mind taking a shot in the dark, you can try your luck. Maybe one of them even works!
GovDeals offers an array of personal electronics, including AirPods, iPhones, computers, tablets, printers, radios, desk phones — you can even pick up a cassette player.
5. Set of 12 Birthday Bear Beanie Babies — $22.25
Starting bid: $10
Winning bid: $22.25
Sold by: City of Bowling Green, Kentucky
Delivery available: No
We’re not sure why Bowling Green’s city government has a dozen birthday Beanie Babies (which sell for about $10 each) — but we’re here for it. And look, they even come in this stylish glass display case.
The collectibles category on GovDeals will raise more questions than it answers. Why is a city selling a megalodon shark tooth? How did 300 comic books end up in a police evidence room? Why is an airport listing sports cards?
6. Hundreds of Books — $5
Starting bid: $5
Winning bid: $5
Sold by: Berkeley County Government in South Carolina
Delivery available: No.
Want to fill up your bookshelves or start a library? This lot includes 619 books, 12 CDs, 35 DVDs and one puzzle. Biggest drawback? Authors, titles and subject matters aren’t listed in the post, so it’s hard to know what you’re getting.
There’s a lot more than books under the educational heading. You could take home an animatron, microscope, furniture, a smartboard, calculators. There’s also a book category with textbooks, manuals and old library books.
7. 2005 Pierce Enforcer Fire Truck — $7,300
Starting bid: $500
Winning bid: $7,300
Sold by: Indian River County Government in Vero Beach, Florida
Delivery available: No
Yes, for less than $8,000, you too can own a fire truck. Obviously, it’s not perfect: It has 178,201 miles on it, and the pump has a leaky mechanical seal that needs to be overhauled. But hey, if you’re in the market for a fire truck …
Sold by: University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama
Delivery available: No
It’s crazy that all this office furniture sold for just $1 — well, technically $1.23 after tax and fees. The lot includes 25 chairs, three metal bookcases, 12 office desks and tables, three filing cabinets and one double seat.
Furniture abounds on GovDeals and there are some good deals to be had.
9. Kiln — $1,325
Starting bid: $100
Winning bid: $1,325
Sold by: Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland Delivery available: No
Want to fire up your own pottery side hustle? This kiln could help get you started — and it sold for thousands less than a similar new one. The seller says it’s in good condition “but needs some TLC.”
The arts and crafts section isn’t all kilns and pottery wheels. It’s also stickers, bowling pins, baskets and framed art.
10. 2005 Ford Crown Victoria — $1,125
Starting bid: $300
Winning bid: $1,125
Sold by: Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office in Thibodaux, Louisiana
Delivery available: No
With used car prices so high, we won’t judge if you bid on this Crown Vic with a V8 engine. It might be 17 years old with 199,277 miles, but hey, it still runs. Plus the body and paint are in good condition. One pretty notable drawback: The powertrain control module “needs to be replaced at some point.”
You can click through hundreds of cars on GovDeals, even classic ones.
11. Over 1,600 Bricks — $50
Starting bid: $50
Winning bid: $50
Sold by: Ashtabula County Technical & Career Center in Jefferson, Ohio
Delivery available: No
Construction materials aren’t cheap these days, so this lot of 1,680 bricks is a steal. The bricks were used as part of an educational program. They’re in good condition even if they look a little wonky. Considering the average cost for 1,000 bricks runs about $350 to $900, you can probably overlook those superficial blemishes.
Netflix has steadily raised the prices of its streaming service over the past few years, with subscribers paying up to $20 a month for its premium tier.
However, you soon will have a way to decrease your monthly subscription price with a new ad-supported tier.
Introducing Netflix’s Basic With Ads Tier
Starting in November, Netflix will begin experimenting with a new subscription model offering its basic tier with advertisements. Those who opt in will pay only $6.99 a month in the United States and gain access to a selection of Netflix content at 720p HD.
Pro Tip
Want the best picture quality? Most TVs today have a resolution of 1080p Full-HD or 4K Ultra HD, so 720p HD is outdated by current standards.
Subscribers who choose Netflix’s lowest-priced tier will gain access to most of its catalog, but some content may be unavailable. Netflix has said this is due to licensing restrictions and it is working on the issue.
Netflix Basic with Ads will launch at 9 a.m. PT on Nov. 3. In addition to the United States, the new tier will launch in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain and the U.K.
The Basic with Ads tier will place ads before and during movies and TV shows, with each ad lasting up to 30 seconds. Netflix says subscribers will be subjected to four minutes of ads per hour, substantially less than traditional cable television.
Netflix has noted that the Basic with Ads tier will not show ads on Kids profiles for subscribers with children. But before you think of setting all your accounts up with Kids profiles, know that such profiles are limited to age-appropriate content.
If you’re looking to cut how much you spend each month on streaming services, check out our guide on the best free TV apps you can download.
Is the New Basic With Ads Tier Worth It for Your Home?
The current Netflix Basic plan runs consumers $9.99 a month, so the new ad-supported tier will save you $3 a month. Remember that the Basic tiers provide only 720p HD video (that isn’t even full HD), so that may leave something to be desired.
Consumers on the existing Basic and Standard tiers may find the switch worth it, but those looking for a 4K experience will still need to shell out $20 a month. In the end, you need to ask yourself if the price reduction is enough to sit through ads in an outdated TV resolution.
Netflix Plans Compared
Netflix Plan
Video Resolution
Simultaneous Devices Streaming
Access to Entire Catalog
Price
Basic with Ads
720p HD
1
No
$6.99/mo.
Basic
720p HD
1
Yes
$9.99/mo.
Standard
1080p HD
2
Yes
$15.49/mo.
Premium
4K UHD
4
Yes
$19.99/mo.
If you wish to switch to Netflix’s Basic with Ads plan, head to the Netflix website starting at 9 a.m. PT on Nov. 3 and visit your account settings. From there, you can switch over to the cheaper plan.
If you need help managing your ongoing subscriptions, including Netflix, check out our article on the best apps to help you manage subscriptions. You never know how much money you might save with a bit of weeding.
Michael Archambault is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder specializing in technology.
The great Christmas tree shortage of 2021 taught us it’s never too soon to start thinking about where to find a Christmas tree. Last year’s holiday shoppers dug deeper into their pocketbooks to afford a sparse field of trees cut down by shortages.
This year’s crop of Christmas trees promises to be more abundant, but experts still advise shopping early. Supply chain chaos and shipping concerns complicated by a looming transportation snarl in California could affect supplies of real and artificial Christmas trees.
With those factors in mind, we’ll walk you through how much live Christmas trees cost, if you save money with an artificial tree and how to save money on a Christmas tree period, regardless of your pick.
How Much Do Real Christmas Trees Cost?
The price of Christmas trees has been steadily rising in recent years, driven mainly by the drought impacting large parts of the Western United States and a dwindling number of tree farms across the nation.
In the 2021 holiday season, the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA) says a live Christmas tree averaged $78 in 2021. However, a recent CNN survey of 55 Christmas tree farms indicates Christmas tree wholesalers plan to charge retailers anywhere from 5-15% more this year due to rising transportation, operation and labor costs.
The Cost of Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees
The rising cost of a classic Christmas tree might persuade you it’s finally time to ditch the fragrant boughs and go artificial. However, an artificial Christmas tree costs significantly more than a fresh Christmas tree.
For instance, at Home Depot, you might pay around $80 for a 5-foot fresh Christmas tree delivered to your doorstep. Taller unlit Christmas trees inch up toward $100 or more.
A cheaper artificial Christmas tree costs just over $100, but trendy ones like those featured in the West Elm catalog start at $350. Even small tabletop versions of fiber optic Christmas trees run upwards of $50.
Back of the napkin math estimates it would take three years to get the same value out of a high-end, full-size artificial tree as the cost of a real one. However, since most artificial Christmas trees last several years, this is an investment that’s better for your budget in the long term.
It really comes down to what you prefer and how you want to spend your Christmas tree money.
When Is the Best Time to Buy a Christmas Tree?
For artificial Christmas trees, buying early is imperative. Artificial Christmas trees are in limited stock and usually imported from overseas, so early sales are your best bet to find savings.
Most retailers shove their holiday stock out on the floor by October, but you might find a discounted artificial tree when holiday sale prices kick in at Thanksgiving.
If you want a bargain basement price on a real Christmas tree, you may see significant savings a few days before the holiday as farms try to clear their lots of unattractive stragglers. Unfortunately, this doesn’t give you much time to enjoy your fresh tree at home.
Instead, shop for real Christmas trees right before Thanksgiving. You’ll pay premium prices for real Christmas trees from Black Friday until the week before Christmas.
6 Ways to Save Money on a Christmas Tree
It’s early but figuring out your Christmas tree plans now means more money in your pocket later. Here are six ways to save money on a Christmas tree.
Order your tree early
Buy from a local Christmas tree farm
Cut your own Christmas tree
Wait until later in the season
Choose a smaller or different variety of Christmas tree
Make your own Christmas tree
1. Order Your Tree Early
Many online options have sprung up in recent years, allowing you to order a fresh Christmas tree and schedule delivery for the holidays.
This option can be slightly more expensive than the Christmas tree lot at your local grocery store, but it guarantees you the tree you want when you want it. If time is money, you’ll be saving a bundle when that Christmas cheer lands on your doorstep the day after Thanksgiving.
Pre-ordering for Christmas trees tends to open in early October. That means you can cross that purchase off your to-do list long before the bustle of the holiday season. Just remember to calculate shipping costs into the price.
Some options to buy a real, 5-foot Christmas tree online include:
2. Buy From a Local Christmas Tree Farm
Much of the recent inflation for real Christmas trees is due to operational and transportation costs. Buying from a local Christmas tree farm should ease those concerns and get you a slightly less expensive holiday tree.
Not sure where to find the local Christmas tree farm near you? Use this tree locator to find real Christmas tree farms across the country.
3. Cut Your Own Christmas Tree
A popular holiday tradition is to cut down your own Christmas tree. And certainly, a wild tree will be the best for your budget because it’s free.
However, it’s not as simple as rolling up on a national or state forest in your SUV and sawing down a 10-footer. You’ll need to secure a permit first from the US Forest Service or the appropriate state or local agency.
Pro Tip
Be aware that cutting down a tree might be more work than you bargained for. Bring extra hands to help, the right tools for the job and dress warmly.
4. Wait Until Later in the Season
If you’re not the type to do much holiday planning or entertaining, waiting to buy a Christmas tree is your best bet. The week before Christmas, tree farm stock will have dwindled, but the pricing may be much easier on your pocketbook.
Just be sure that the tree you pick is still healthy, especially if it’s been hanging around the lot for a few weeks and is starting to drop needles.
5. Choose a Smaller or Different Variety of Christmas Tree
Charlie Brown Christmas trees deserve love, too. If the tree is spindly or oddly shaped, chances are you can score some savings compared to fuller trees.Find tree types that balance what you want with what costs less per foot.
And if you don’t need a towering behemoth for your vaulted ceilings, stick with a live Christmas tree on the shorter side or consider artificial, pre-lit tabletop trees. Taller isn’t always better when it comes to trees. Gotta leave room for the tree topper!
6. Make Your Own DIY Christmas Tree
If a real or artificial Christmas tree isn’t in your holiday budget this year, don’t stress. You can make beautiful holiday displays that double as trees from a plethora of cheap household goods like books, balloons and even cacti.
String your DIY tree with ornaments, a Christmas tree topper and more to create a festive look for any living space.
How Long Do Christmas Trees Last?
If your holiday spirit kicks in just after Halloween and keeps going strong until Christmas, there’s good news. A healthy, fresh Christmas tree should last anywhere from 5-6 weeks in your home if you take care of it properly.
Tree care experts advise the following to lengthen the life of your real Christmas tree.
Trim the trunk at the time of purchase
Trim it again so there’s a fresh cut before putting it in the stand
Use a tree stand that holds at least a gallon of water
Keep the tree away from heating vents and fireplaces
Lower the temperature in the room
Place a humidifier near the tree if you live in a dry climate
Water it daily
Pro Tip
When you get the trunk trimmed, build in extra value by asking to keep the boughs so you can make Christmas wreaths and other decorations.
And last but not least, take your Christmas tree down before it starts to drop needles everywhere. Dry trees are a significant fire hazard. The last thing you want is to start the new year in hot water with your home insurance company.
Kaz Weida is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Capsule wardrobes may sound like a new-age concept, but budgeting experts and fashionistas alike have been promoting this approach to thinning out closets for decades.
A capsule wardrobe isn’t just an effort to buy and wear a specific number of coordinated outfits. It’s a minimalist approach to fashion that anchors your daily decision about what to wear with timeless pieces.
From a great pair of wide-leg trousers to a slip dress, these clothing staples are the building blocks for a more versatile wardrobe and an intentional approach to personal style.
April Grow, the founder of Stunning Style, encourages her followers to embrace capsule wardrobes not only to save money but to reduce stress and impulse shopping.
“It may seem like narrowing down the pieces in your closet would make it harder to find something to wear — but it actually has the opposite effect,” insists Grow. “When you fill your closet with only pieces you love, (that) fit you well and go with everything else, getting dressed in the morning is a breeze.”
What Is a Capsule Wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is a limited, curated collection of clothing, shoes and accessories that can help you live simply while reducing decision fatigue — à la Barack Obama and Steve Jobs.
A capsule wardrobe generally consists of 30 to 50 pieces that you can mix and match to create outfits. Most of the clothing in a capsule wardrobe will be classic pieces like tailored trousers or a trench coat.
Grow says the goal is to create an effortlessly styled look that you can layer with statement pieces or accessories.
“Always start with your wardrobe basics. I call them the unsung heroes of the closet, and they are the foundation of every wardrobe and outfit,” she says. “Just like a house needs a foundation to support the walls, windows and other beautiful architectural features, so does your wardrobe. Wardrobe basics are neutral, classic items that go with anything.”
How the Capsule Wardrobe Got Started
According to internet fashion folklore, the term “capsule wardrobe” was coined by a London boutique owner named Susie Faux.
In the ’70s, she made it her mission to help women find their personal style by honing and focusing their wardrobes. And she found a magic formula that just seemed to work.
Faux instructed her clients to:
Start with classic, neutral basics to mix, match and reuse.
Throw in a few statement pieces to inject some personality.
Leave a little wiggle room to bring in seasonal or on-trend items once in a while.
And just like that, the capsule wardrobe was born.
Can You Save Money With a Capsule Wardrobe?
Building a capsule wardrobe doesn’t mean you need to go on a shopping spree. In fact, a good capsule wardrobe should save you money each season by leveraging the same timeless pieces mixed and layered in different outfits.
You may buy a few new pieces to fill out your capsules but you’ll likely spend less than the $1,434 a year the average consumer puts into clothes and shoes. At least some of that money could go toward another financial goal when you take a more intentional approach to shopping.
Photo courtesy of Meach Zavodny/ More by Meach
Time Is Money When it Comes to Capsule Wardrobes
Lifestyle blogger and content creator Meach Zavodny of More by Meach advises that capsule wardrobes do far more than save money.
“The best part about a capsule wardrobe is that it eliminates so much unnecessary work,” Zavodny says. “With it, I have fewer clothes, and that means less laundry to manage and things to store and organize. It also makes it easier to get dressed in the morning!”
Minimalists, busy professionals and budget-minded folks alike embrace the capsule wardrobe approach because it does more than clear closet clutter. It saves precious time. And If done correctly, you’ll get more value out of pieces because you’ll wear them longer.
How Do I Start a Capsule Wardrobe?
Fashion experts have thrown out plenty of arbitrary rules over the years as the concept has evolved, but there are no hard and fast boundaries when creating your capsule wardrobe.
Here are some general guidelines from personal stylists on how to build a capsule wardrobe of high-quality pieces.
Step 1: Weed Out Your Closet
Before you can put your capsule wardrobe together, you have to level your current closet. But remember, starting a capsule wardrobe doesn’t mean starting from scratch, Zavodny says.
“First, start with what you have! I actually created a free, downloadable capsule wardrobe checklist that helps people audit their closet and uncover gaps. When using it, a lot of people find that they already own plenty of pieces that can be integrated into their capsule wardrobe,” she says.
Start by pulling literally everything you own out of your closet and piling it some place where you have space to work, like on the bed. Clothes, shoes, accessories — everything. Then, separate everything into four piles:
When you sort everything into these piles, take time to try things on and notice how they make you feel. Be honest with yourself about if you’ll ever really wear it again. If you haven’t worn something in more than six months or you wouldn’t be willing to wear it in public tomorrow because of how it fits, it’s probably time to let go.
Once you’ve got everything sorted, bag up the donate and trash piles and move them to the trunk of your car or garage. Don’t let them languish in your closet.
Photo courtesy of Meach Zavodny/ More by Meach
Step 3: Take Stock and Sort Capsule Wardrobes Seasonally
First things first: Your capsule wardrobe should consist of only clothing you like and that you like on your body, and generally includes neutral colors and styles that you can mix and match frequently.
Think more about what makes sense for you instead of limiting yourself to a set number of pieces in a capsule, says Grow of Stunning Style.
“I don’t believe one number of items in a capsule wardrobe is perfect for every woman. It’s really up to her,” Grow says. “For some women, it’s more, and for others, it’s fewer.”
Each “capsule” should last for three months. Focus on putting together seasonal capsules until you get the hang of it. And make sure your capsules have enough outfits for going out on the town as well as more casual moments.
Creating a capsule wardrobe is a marathon, not a sprint. Prioritize. Add what you can, when you can. And make sure everything you invest in will help you to reach that end goal.
Step 4: Build a Foundation With the Basics
Now that you’re left with your “like” and “love” piles, sorted by season, it’s time to create your first capsule.
Pick your top one or two favorites from each of the following categories. We’ve also included some specific clothing suggestions to make a great capsule wardrobe.
Tailored trousers or pants
Jeans (skinny jeans, relaxed jeans — you choose)
Skirts (denim skirt, pencil skirt)
Dresses (Sweater dresses, slip dresses, little black dress)
T-shirts (white T-shirt, tank top)
Nice tops (white shirt)
Sweaters
Jackets (black blazer, denim jacket)
Swim/outerwear (depending on the season)
Shoes
Jewelry
Accessories (sunglasses, bags, etc.)
Once you have a couple of good basics in each category, start filling in the gaps. Opt for versatile pieces that can do double duty. A sweater that works equally well on a slouchy Sunday and in a meeting on Monday. Or a pair of flats you can dress up for a night out or down for running errands on a busy afternoon.
Zavodny relies on clothing staples many people already have in their closet.
“Some of my favorite pieces to include in a capsule wardrobe are ‘coatigans,’ neutral T-shirts in a flattering cut and dainty gold jewelry — earrings, necklaces and bracelets,” she says. “These items can be dressed up and down all year long.”
Step 5: Sprinkle Outfits With Your Personal Style
Have you heard the phrase, wear the outfit but don’t let it wear you?
Once you have a template, start thinking about how to add layers of style to make your own capsule wardrobe. Whether it’s a brightly patterned maxi skirt or a distinctive trench coat, the details are what make fashionistas pop off the pages of social media sites.
As Zavodny suggests, capsule wardrobes don’t have to put a damper on your style.
“My method for creating a capsule wardrobe encourages people to integrate colors that look good on them and timeless prints they love, so individual style is not lost,” she says. “If anything, I think creating a capsule wardrobe forces people to dig deep and truly develop their own signature style. It’s extra exciting to get dressed when you know that everything in your closet fully reflects you.”
Photo courtesy of Meach Zavodny/ More by Meach
Step 6: Perfect Your Capsule Wardrobe
The capsule wardrobe is a learning process.
Treat the first couple of capsules as practice. You’re not going to make perfect picks every time, and you may end up swapping out a piece or two here and there. Give yourself some flexibility as you build a curated wardrobe.
During your first season, you’ll notice what’s working — and what definitely is not. Think about those notes while you’re building your next capsule, and try to adjust to create a perfect capsule wardrobe for you.
As you expand your capsule wardrobe, Grow says to be on the lookout for old habits that might creep in.
“Your local thrift stores can be a treasure trove but do not buy anything. just because it’s a ‘good deal.’ That is the No. 1 money waster. If you wouldn’t pay full price for it, don’t pay $3 for it,” she says.
Step 7: Sell or Donate Clothing You Don’t Need
Trimming your closet seasonally and storing clothes may encourage you to downsize your wardrobe significantly. Eventually, you might find you don’t need the extra options stored away in bins, and you might be ready to sell those clothes for a little extra cash.
If you live with your capsule for a few months and realize there’s a need your current wardrobe just can’t fill (like a white button-down or a classic pair of jeans), it’s OK to invest in a high-quality piece that will last.
Capsule wardrobes are a process that helps evolve your wardrobe slowly and cost effectively, Zavodny reminds us.
“Creating a capsule wardrobe is a marathon, not a sprint,” Zavodny says. “Prioritize. Add what you can, when you can. And make sure everything you invest in will help you to reach that end goal.”
Build a Capsule Wardrobe That Lasts
A capsule wardrobe is a good opportunity to hone your style and figure out how to express yourself — without going on a major shopping spree every few months.
The bottom line: As long as you’re focusing on eliminating decision fatigue and curbing your spending, there’s no wrong way to do a capsule wardrobe. And those classic pieces you invest in will live on to become the foundation for a new fashion trend next year.
Kaz Weida is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder.
TV spokespeople are quick to tell you why the credit card they’re shilling is better than the rest.
Double points! No blackout dates! No annual fee!
They make it seem so easy to rack up points and trade them in for free flights and top-shelf resort stays.
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch — even if you’re earning points on it.
That’s not to say there aren’t benefits to using reward credit cards. You can earn free travel and other perks — but you have to be strategic to make them work for you.
What Are Credit Card Rewards?
Credit card rewards are perks that credit card companies offer on some cards as an incentive for cardholders to use the card. The rewards can come in the form of travel miles, points, or cash back.
Cash back is pretty straightforward — it’s a direct cash reward. Travel miles can be redeemed for things like airline tickets for a distance equal to the amount of miles you’ve accrued. Points can be redeemed for items like gift cards or other purchases, so they’re like a more limited version of cash back.
Before you apply for that hip new card you’re seeing in commercials, ask yourself these five questions first.
Aileen Perilla/ The Penny Hoarder
1. What Does That Credit Card Agreement Actually Say?
Be sure to read through all the details of a credit card agreement before signing up. It’s important for two key reasons.
First, you want to have a clear view of interest rates, annual fees, late fees, expiration dates, foregin transaction fees and other conditions of use.
Second, you want to make sure the benefits of the card are worth it.
For example, it would be a waste of time to use a card to earn flight rewards if you can’t actually use the points or miles on your favorite airline.
2. Does the Credit Card Offer Cash Back or Reward Points?
Some credit cards offer cash back rewards, while others award you points redeemable for things like flights and hotels.
Cash-back cards are often a better option. They hold their value better than points, provide greater flexibility and your rewards are easier to use. On some cards, you can set up an automatic transfer to an account — even that credit card — when you accrue a certain amount.
There’s also several good cash-back rewards cards without an annual fee, which is another big plus.
How Does the Point System Work?
If you opt for a rewards card that accumulates points on purchases, make sure you understand:
How many points you earn for certain purchases.
The cash value of each point.
What you can redeem your points for.
Each credit card company operates its point system a little differently, so certain purchases can help you earn rewards faster than others.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card, for example, offers five points for every dollar spent on travel booked directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, along with three points per $1 on dining and two points per $1 on all other travel expenses.
Meanwhile, the Citi Premier card offers three points per $1 spent at restaurants, supermarkets, air travel and gas stations, as well as one point per $1 on all other purchases.
Most credit card programs let you directly redeem their points via an online portal.
Many programs also allow you to transfer your points to partners and then redeem them for flights or hotel stays, which is another smart way to get more bang for your points.
Aileen Perilla/ The Penny Hoarder
3. Are the Rewards Redeemed Automatically?
Many, if not most, rewards cards require you to log into your account, access a portal, and go through a process to redeem your points or cash back rewards. This is obviously not ideal — especially if the rewards have a time limit or expiration date. Companies do this in the hope that you’ll forget about the rewards, which would save them money.
On the other hand, some cards let you set up a schedule to automatically redeem your rewards. This is a major perk — depending on how likely you are to remember, it could be the most important perk of all, since it guarantees you’ll redeem your rewards.
4. Is There an Annual Fee?
Some reward credit cards require a yearly fee for the right to access their benefits.
Annual fees usually start around $50 and can jump to $600 or more for premium-level cards. However, the exact fee varies, depending on the credit card company and the level of perks and rewards offered.
But credit card writer Beverly Harzog says annual fees aren’t all bad.
“Be sure the rewards you earn are far going to outweigh their fee,” she said.
Many cards waive the annual fee for your first year, and you can always call to ask them if they’ll waive it a second time.
Not all reward cards charge an annual fee. If you’re just starting out, focus on those offers when shopping for a new card.
Some popular rewards credit cards without annual fees include:
Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder
5. Is Your Normal Spending Enough to Earn the Sign-up Bonus?
The real value in miles and points comes from welcome offers, which earn you far more than the typical 1% or 2% reward.
If you’re just using your card for your usual expenses, it may be difficult to get enough points or miles for substantial rewards. Here’s a trick to get around having to be a big spender to get rewards without drowning in debt.
Use your rewards credit card to pay for nearly everything you buy. Then log into your account each day, or every other day, and pay off the balance in full.
This helps keep your credit card balance small and manageable. You’re also less likely to splurge on things you can’t afford. After all, you’ll have to pay for whatever you just purchased within the next couple days.
If you’re constantly aware of your credit card balance and you pay it off several times a week, you can still take advantage of those sweet rewards points without racking up debt and interest.
Before you sign up for a rewards credit card, look at your budget and see how much you normally spend in a month.
If you usually spend about $1,000 a month on all your expenses, you can easily hit a sign-up bonus that requires you to spend $1,000 in the first three months.
But if the sign-up bonus requires you to spend $5,000 in the first three months, well, you should probably go with a different card that offers a more attainable bonus.
Some bills, like utilities and rent payments, often charge a fee if you pay with a credit card instead of a checking account. Use your debit card to cover these expenses and use your rewards credit card for everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Credit Card Rewards
There are plenty of questions about credit card rewards and we’ve gathered the answers to those most commonly asked.
Are Credit Card Rewards Worth It?
Rewards credit cards are worth it if you are a disciplined user. Sure, they offer nice perks, including travel points and cash back. But if you’re not careful, you’ll easily negate the rewards with interest. To make the rewards worthwhile, you need to pay the card off completely on a regular basis.
How Much Are Credit Card Rewards Fees?
Rewards credit cards can have annual fees ranging from $50 per year for basic cards to $600 per year for premium cards. The exact fees vary from provider to provider and card to card. To save this money, look for cards with no annual fees.
What Credit Score Do I Need For Rewards Credit Cards?
Rewards cards tend to be premium cards, and so you typically need good credit (or better) to be approved for them. A FICO score of 670 or higher is considered “good credit.”
What Is the Cash Value of Rewards Points?
The cash value of your points varies from card to card, but the most common cash value is 1 cent per point. Note that when redeeming them through the credit card provider for approved rewards, they may be valued higher — the value of 1 cent is only if you want to cash them out.
Rachel Christian is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder. Lisa Rowan is a former senior writer for The Penny Hoarder and contributor Dave Schafer updated this report.
The risk of becoming a scam victim or falling prey to fraud is more common than you may believe. The Federal Trade Commission received over 2.8 million fraud reports from consumers in 2021.
If you’ve been affected by a scam, we are here to help you through the process, from ensuring your accounts are locked down to contacting the three credit reporting agencies.
5 Steps to Take If You’re a Scam Victim
Getting scammed is lousy, but if you are, it’s important to act swiftly to limit the damage criminals can inflict. A simple scam can evolve into full-on identity theft if swift preemptive measures aren’t taken.
Here’s a step-by-step guide for what to do if you’ve been scammed.
1. Don’t Be Embarrassed
Unless you’re walking around with your credit card number and all your sensitive information taped to your forehead, you have nothing to be ashamed about if you get scammed.
With so many victims each year, the odds are high that you (and I) will be one, too. Just look at this long list of scams involving:
I mean, really. Is there anything out there that can’t be turned into a scam? I guess maybe kite flying or goldfish breeding, but who knows? Maybe that can also lead to identity theft in the end.
If you get scammed, take a deep breath and get to work on fixing the situation by securing your bank account and other financial accounts.
2. Lock Down Your Bank Accounts and Credit Cards
Contact all the financial institutions associated with your bank accounts and credit cards.
Call the credit card company using the number on the back of your card or a recent monthly statement. Let them know what happened and they’ll walk you through how to secure your account.
The sooner you make the calls, the sooner your money and credit will be protected from an additional fraud scheme that may be lurking around the corner.
As a bonus, if bogus charges show up on your account later it’s easier to get the issue resolved because you’ve already alerted the company you’re the victim of a scam.
3. Contact the 3 Major Credit Bureaus
Next, get hold of the three major credit reporting agencies to let them know what happened and to help prevent identity theft.
Ask to have a fraud alert placed on your account. A fraud alert makes it more difficult for thieves to open new accounts in your name or increase your credit lines on existing accounts; creditors will be required to verify your identity before taking any action.
Fortunately, when you place an alert on one credit report, that bureau is obligated to notify the other two agencies, so that will save you some time. This is an excellent way to be alerted of suspicious activity.
4. Change Your Passwords
If you were scammed online, be sure to change your passwords right away. This seems obvious, but it’s an easy step to overlook when you’re in the middle of a slight panic. You need to take action before your information starts appearing on the dark web.
It’s important to report the scam to the proper authorities. Though it may be difficult to catch the thieves, reporting the crime to the United States government helps agencies that fight fraud understand what scammers say and do to catch their victims.
In addition to filing a police report with your local police department, you should also report the crime to state regulators, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
According to the Official Guide to Government Information and Services, “While federal agencies are rarely able to act on behalf of individuals, they use complaints to record patterns of abuse which allow an agency to take action against a company or industry.”
Use this database to find the Consumer Protection Office in your state. The OGGIS also has a comprehensive list of which federal agencies to contact based on the nature of the scam.
The FTC recommends victims of international scams or fraudulent activity that originates outside the U.S. file a complaint with econsumer.gov. Just remember to do this all after you have first filed a police report.
If you need additional guidance on what organizations you should contact after you’ve been scammed and how to avoid identity theft, reach out to the Federal Trade Commission by phone at 1-877-382-4357.
Michael Archambault is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder specializing in technology.
Lisa McGreevy is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
If you’ve ever baked a cake, cupcakes or even muffins, chances are you’ve got a container of sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda, in your pantry. For the most part it stays hidden in the pantry, waiting for the next time you break out the baking equipment.
Rather than saving it for special baking occasions, consider some new baking soda uses around your house. It’s one of those versatile ingredients that can replace numerous other products, so you can save your hard-earned cash for what really matters. Honestly, after reading this, you will never have too much baking soda at home.
For cleaning and health, baking soda can be your best friend. It’s hardworking, safe, good for the environment and cheap. A 5-pound bag of baking soda is less than $4 and, as you will see, it can save you a ton of money.
What Is Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)?
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, also called bicarbonate of soda. It is a salt that occurs naturally in a mineral called nahcolite. Often baking soda and baking powder are thought to be interchangeable in baking, but they are not. Baking powder has cream of tartar in it, so it is more acidic. You really can’t use baking powder for cleaning or health purposes. The acid in baking powder would throw the formulas off.
Baking soda reacts with an acid (like vinegar) and the chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide. Think of fifth grade volcano experiments. That same bubbling reaction is helpful in cleaning and acts as a leavening agent in baking. Don’t confuse it with soda ash, which is sodium carbonate.
There is no expiration date on baking soda containers because it generally doesn’t go bad even after it’s opened. However, it starts to lose some of its leavening powers after it’s been open for six months. This means baked goods won’t rise as much, though it won’t affect the taste.
30 Uses for Baking Soda Beyond Baking
From brushing teeth to treating diaper rash, this miracle product is a workhorse around the house and in the garden.
One of the best-known uses for baking soda around the house is cleaning. It can boost laundry detergent, deodorize garbage disposals, help dissolve grease stains and remove tough stains, all without using harsh chemicals.
Whether used alone or mixed with other ingredients, baking soda is a cheap alternative to many of the more expensive (and chemical-laden) products on the market.
Getting Rid of Stains
Make plastic food storage containers like new.The List recommends removing stubborn stains from plastic food storage containers by making a thick paste of 2 tablespoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon water and a squirt of dish detergent. Wipe it on the stain and let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes, then rinse out.
Clean grout. Baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of liquid dish soap will clean those shower or kitchen tiles easily.
Get crayon marks off walls. Technically, we would never call your child’s artwork a stain. But you can also use baking soda to erase your kids’ crayon designs from walls. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge or cloth and wipe down the walls to remove the masterpiece without removing the paint.
Remove coffee cup stains. You love your coffee and your favorite coffee cup. But too much java can stain the cup, and repeated cycles in the dishwasher don’t always do the trick. Sprinkle in some baking soda and scrub with a sponge. It should be as good as new.
For the Laundry Room
Brighten fabrics in the wash. Keep a big box of baking soda by your washing machine. There are so many uses for baking soda: remove stains, neutralize odors and boost your laundry detergent’s strength. Putting it in the rinse cycle helps soften clothes. Generally a few tablespoons of baking soda at the beginning of the wash and then again in the rinse cycle will brighten your laundry.
Remove tough stains. To get rid of wine, coffee, blood and other stains, make a solution of 1 or 2 tablespoons of baking soda and just enough warm water to have a thick paste. Rub it into the stain (both sides of the fabric if possible), let dry, then wash.
In the Kitchen
Make fluffier omelets. You can make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda or baking powder for every three eggs used. Add it in just after you whisk the eggs. The same quality — carbon dioxide — that makes dough rise will make your omelets fluffier.
Tame spicy foods. You might love spicy foods, but sometimes you might have added too much hot sauce. The Pepperscale site suggests that you add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda then taste, and repeat until some of the burn is diminished in the cooking process. The sodium bicarbonate helps neutralize the vinegar in the hot sauce.
Extend the life of cut flowers. You can keep cut flowers fresh longer by mixing a teaspoon of baking soda and water together and adding it to the vase, along with a little sugar. It keeps the water neutral, and the sugar feeds the flowers.
Put out small grease fires. An important use of baking soda is that it can put out small grease fires. It smothers the fire by producing carbon dioxide.
Getty Images
Baking Soda for Tough Jobs
Unclog a drain. A clogged drain can also benefit from baking soda. The Family Handyman site tells us how to unclog the drain correctly. First, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain to loosen the clog. Next, throw a cup of baking soda and pour 1 cup of vinegar mixed with 1 cup of very warm water down the drain and cover with a cloth or drain plug. You’ll notice a lot of satisfying fizzing when the vinegar meets the baking soda. Let this mixture do its job for five to 10 minutes before flushing one final time with boiling water. Your drain will run clear in no time!
Restore a scorched pot. Have you ever thought a favorite pot or pan was ruined? You can restore a scorched pot with a baking soda solution made with vinegar and sodium bicarbonate. In general, you shouldn’t use baking soda on stainless steel. But according to Arm & Hammer, there are a few ways to do this that won’t cause harm. Loosen as much burnt food from the pan as possible. Then put a thin layer of vinegar or lemon juice to cover the bottom. Heat it up a little and sprinkle a cup of baking soda over it. You can let the mixture sit overnight, then gently scrub the bottom. If it is super scorched you might have to repeat a few times. But it is better than buying a whole new pot.
You may have read that cleaning a coffee maker with baking soda is a good idea, but it is tricky to do without harming the machine. It’s easiest and cheapest to just use vinegar.
Sprinkle Baking Soda to Combat Odors
Neutralize fridge smells. Baking soda is a great way to neutralize odors. One of the best-known uses for baking soda is putting an open box of it in your fridge to keep it smelling fresh. But baking soda’s use as an odor killer extends way beyond that.
Make shoes smell better. Sprinkle baking soda on your slippers, boots, shoes and socks to remove odors. If the shoes are extra stinky, make a little baking soda paste (baking soda and water) and rub it on the inside, and let them sit overnight. Wipe it out and the smell should be gone.
Remove garbage can stink. Sprinkle a little baking soda on the bottom of your garbage cans to absorb smells.
Yoga mat renewal. If you are doing downward dog on your yoga mat and it smells worse than your actual dog, don’t worry. Yoga mats can be cleaned with a damp sponge and a spray bottle with your baking soda solution. Mix together 2 tablespoons of baking soda and a cup of water, then thin with lemon juice. Spray the mat lightly and wipe it down.
Fresh-smelling hands. Ever been cooking or working on something and get a whiff of your hands smelling WAY too strong? Mix baking soda with a little water and rub on your hands, then rinse clean.
De-stink kitchen sponges. For foul-smelling kitchen sponges that aren’t quite trash-worthy yet, Best Home Scents advises soaking them in a mixture of baking soda and water to freshen them up. If they smell really bad, you can pour a little white vinegar in the mix, too.
Deodorize litter boxes. Litter box deodorizers already have baking soda in them, so skip buying something more expensive. Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the litter box before putting fresh litter in.
Freshen pet beds. Use baking soda around the house to remove dog stink from pet beds, blankets and carpet. Sprinkling baking soda on the offending surface and vacuuming after waiting about 10 minutes works wonderfully.
Getty Images
As a Beauty and Health Aid
Make natural deodorant. There’s a reason baking soda is an ingredient in deodorants. Make natural deodorant with baking soda and get rid of body odor. This recipe at the Mommypotamus site has easy-to-find ingredients. It has baking soda, arrowroot or cornstarch, shea butter and essential oil.
Mix up a face scrub. Baking soda can also replace your store-bought face scrub. Make a paste from baking soda and a few drops of lemon juice. Gently massage it into your face for 10-20 seconds, then rinse off with a moist cloth. It’s best to use this mixture as an occasional exfoliator rather than a daily one because its alkaline properties can have an adverse effect on your skin if used too frequently.
Make your own toothpaste. Making toothpaste is one of the best baking soda uses. A baking soda solution is good for your teeth because it neutralizes the acid in your mouth. Wikihow has a simple baking soda toothpaste recipe: 2/3 cup of baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, add a few drops of your favorite essential oils or peppermint extract, and a filtered water — enough until it makes a paste. Some sites also recommend using a few drops of coconut oil in your toothpaste, too.
Wellness Benefits of Baking Soda
Like many ingredients you can find around the house, baking soda has numerous health benefits. Dietitian Ryan Raman lists out a number in an article for Healthline.
Internal Baking Soda Benefits
Neutralizing stomach acid. Baking soda can provide you with much-needed relief from stomach acid. Raman recommends drinking 1 teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a glass of cold water. While this might not replace medication for extremely bad cases of acid reflux, it’s a good remedy to remember if your ailment unexpectedly strikes. This is not recommended for frequent use because of the high sodium content, especially if you have high blood pressure.
Freshen your breath. Baking soda can also help freshen your breath and improve your dental health thanks to its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Raman suggests replacing your usual mouthwash with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda mixed with a glass of warm water. Swish it around your mouth, as you would mouthwash, before spitting it out.
Muscle relief after exercise. Many sources, such as Very Well Fit, explain that you can use baking soda to absorb the lactic acid in your muscles after exercising. This allows you to recover more quickly so you can get back to your routine with minimal soreness. The site recommends drinking a mixture of 1 teaspoon baking soda in a glass of water to maximize the benefits.
External Baking Soda Benefits
Sunburn relief. If you have a sunburn or need to relieve skin irritations, take a baking soda bath. Run a cool bath, which will feel good anyway, and add in a few tablespoons of baking soda. Stir to dissolve it, then soak in it for 20 or 30 minutes.
Help with diaper rash. When a baby’s bottom is raw from diaper rash, baking soda can ease the pain. Seattle Children’s Hospital recommends that you relieve diaper rash by putting 2 tablespoons of baking soda in warm bath water and let the child soak (or splash) in it for 10 minutes. Then put some anti-yeast ointment on them. Do this three times a day.
Soothe bug bites. Treat insect bites with a paste made from 2 tablespoons of baking soda and enough water that it makes a paste. Put it on the bug bite and let it dry. It should take the sting out. Brush it off with a damp cloth once it is dried up. If there are a lot of bug bites, you can take the same bath that relieves sunburn.
Baking Soda in the Garden
Natural weed killer. Weeds sprout up through cracks in patios, driveways and sidewalks. Rather than bruise your knuckles trying to pull them out, sprinkle a handful of baking soda on them. The sodium will kill the weeds and you can easily pick them out. Be careful using baking soda in your flower beds because it will kill the good with the bad.
Caution When Using Baking Soda on Some Things
Yes, baking soda is incredibly versatile, but there are some things that you should avoid using it on. It can be either too abrasive or acidic, especially if it’s not diluted with water. It is thankfully a short list, but be careful using baking soda on:
Aluminum: Any type of aluminum will get oxidized by it if you leave it on for long. So be careful if you are using it to clean pots and pans.
Glass, stainless steel and hardwood floors: It will scratch them if used without diluting and dissolving.
Marble: You might see baking soda recommended for getting out stains, but it will also remove the sealant.
Vintage or antique silver: Baking soda can remove tarnish, but in its pure form is too harsh and may scratch.
Otherwise, plan to use baking soda on a wide variety of things at home and for your health.
The Penny Hoarder contributor JoEllen Schilke writes on lifestyle and culture topics. She is the former owner of a coffee shop in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has hosted an arts show on WMNF community radio for nearly 30 years.
That’s why we’re willing to pay for fast and reliable delivery.
For over a decade, Amazon Prime has dominated the online shopping space, but retail giant Walmart introduced a competing service — Walmart Plus — in 2020.
With both offering similar online shopping experiences and free shipping options, it can be difficult to decide which subscription service to join.
In this article, we lay out the costs, benefits and drawbacks of Amazon Prime and Walmart Plus, so you can make an informed decision about which is best for you.
Walmart Plus vs. Amazon Prime: Comparison at a Glance
Features
Walmart Plus
Amazon Prime
Annual Cost
$98
$139
Monthly Cost
$12.95
$14.99
Free Trial Period
30 days
30 days
Shipping
Free next day or two-day
Free next day
Free Grocery Delivery
Yes, with $35 minimum
Yes, order minimums vary
Streaming Service
No
Yes
Fuel Discounts
Yes
No
What Walmart Plus Offers
Walmart Plus may be the new kid on the block, but for $98 a year or $12.95 per month, it offers many services that rival Amazon Prime.
Free Next-Day or Two-Day Shipping
A Walmart Plus membership gives you free next-day or two-day shipping on eligible items shipped by Walmart without any minimum purchase amount.
For instance, if you’re running low on toothpaste or shaving cream, you could put in an order for just that item without having to add more to your cart to get free shipping.
Up to 180,000 items are available for free delivery — and not just groceries either. Eligible delivery items include select tech products, toys, clothing and more.
Grocery Delivery
With Walmart Plus, you can get unlimited free same-day grocery delivery if you spend at least $35. (Or if you’re willing to fork over $5.99, you can get same-day delivery for grocery orders under $35.)
Grocery delivery service is based upon availability. With nearly 5,000 Walmart stores in the U.S., it’s likely that the service is available in your area, but you can check availability for your address during the sign-up process.
Free same-day grocery delivery is also based upon demand in your area. Delivery time slots are limited, and once they fill up, you’ll have to schedule your grocery delivery for the following day. For an additional fee, you can opt for express delivery to get your order within two hours.
There’s no mark-up on items with Walmart Plus grocery delivery. You’re getting the same low prices you’d see shopping in-person at Walmart stores.
Fuel Discounts and Other Perks
Walmart Plus members get discounts on fuel. Save up to 10 cents per gallon when you fill up at a Walmart, Exxon, Mobile or Murphy USA gas stations. You’ll also get member prices at Sam’s Club fuel stations without needing a Sam’s Club membership.
If you like visiting brick and mortar stores, you can scan items with the Walmart app and check out on your phone using the Walmart Pay feature. It’s a streamlined, contact-free experience — no cashier required.
Other perks of Walmart Plus include early access to upcoming sales promotions, exclusive deals, game-console releases and prescription discounts.
What Amazon Prime Offers
Amazon Prime has been around for more than 15 years and has acquired 200 million subscribers worldwide, so chances are you already know a thing or two about this service.
Amazon Prime costs $139 per year or $14.99 a month. It’s pricier than Walmart Plus, but you get a great deal of benefits with this membership.
Pro Tip
Thinking about ditching your Amazon Prime membership after Prime Day? Here’s how.
One-Day Delivery
Prime members can enjoy free one-day delivery on millions of eligible items without any minimum purchase amount.
You can even get free same-day delivery services on certain items depending on when you place your order and where you’re located — although you’ll need to purchase at least $25 worth of eligible items.
Depending on availability, you can have your packages delivered directly into your garage. You can also schedule your deliveries so they all arrive on a particular day of the week that you choose.
Grocery Delivery
While Amazon’s grocery footprint isn’t as massive as Walmart’s, you can get unlimited free delivery on groceries with an Amazon Prime membership in select cities.
Groceries are delivered via Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods Market, which is owned by Amazon, and can arrive at your doorstep in as fast as two hours. The minimum purchase amount required for free two-hour delivery varies based on location, but is usually either $35 or $50.
It’s notable to mention that Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh groceries tend to be more expensive than buying food from Walmart.
Prime Streaming and Entertainment
Beyond shipping and delivery, Amazon Prime really stands apart from Walmart Plus in that it offers access to streaming services and other entertainment options.
Watch TV and movies free with Prime Video and listen to over two million songs via Amazon Music.
An Amazon Prime membership also gives subscribers access to free gaming and a library of audiobooks via Prime Reading. Members get unlimited photo storage, too, and another 5GB of video storage with Amazon Photos.
Pro Tip
When you shop on Amazon, use these tips to sort out the fake reviews from the real ones.
Other Amazon Prime Perks
With Prime Try Before You Buy (previously Prime Wardrobe), you can have clothing shipped to you for free. You return what you don’t want and are only charged for what you keep.
Similar to Walmart’s membership program, Amazon Prime members can also benefit from prescription savings.
Students and low-income individuals receiving government assistance can get a discounted Amazon Prime subscription. A student membership costs $69 a year or $7.49 a month. Individuals on government assistance can get a Prime membership for $6.99 a month.
Pro Tip
Whether you have Prime or not, did you know that there are several ways to get free stuff on Amazon?
Walmart Plus vs. Amazon Prime: What’s the Better Deal?
Now that we’ve laid out the benefits and drawbacks of each service, you can make a more informed decision about whether Walmart Plus or Amazon Prime is better for you.
If you’re making the call based on price alone, Walmart Plus will save you about $40 a year if you pay annually or $2 each month if you pay monthly.
However, if you’re looking to get entertainment value out of your membership, Amazon offers the most bang for your buck by letting members stream TV shows, movies and music along with free access to audiobooks and gaming platforms.
Amazon Prime members can also get faster and more secure delivery options with same-day shipping and the ability to leave packages in the garage.
However, if you’re on the road a lot, you might really benefit from the gas discounts from Walmart Plus. And frequent Walmart shoppers can save time at checkout with the Scan and Go option at their local store.
The right subscription service for you will ultimately come down to your individual preferences and needs. Location could also play a role in your choice if you live in an area where free grocery delivery isn’t available through Amazon Prime but is available from Walmart Plus.
Fortunately, both Amazon Prime and Walmart Plus offer 30-day free trials. Test out each service for yourself to determine which membership program is right for you.
Nicole Dow is a former senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Rachel Christian, a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, contributed to this story.
You see, the pandemic made lots of us too scared to celebrate the Spooky Season. The past couple of years, participation in Halloween plummeted as COVID roamed the land. Fewer adults got decked out for costume parties, while fewer children went door-to-door shouting, “Trick or treat!”
But this year, participation in Halloween-ish activities is expected to rise to pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. Not only that, but Halloween-related spending is expected to reach a record $10.6 billion.
That’s a lot of pumpkins.
Consumers are planning to spend an average of $100 — or more — on Halloween candy, decorations and costumes. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend a bundle.
It’s easy to get swept up in overspending on Halloween. With some creative thinking, you can avoid the festive money traps.
5 Ways to Celebrate Halloween on a Budget
Keep spending under control this year with these money-saving suggestions.
1. Skip the Store-Bought Costume
Save a trip to the store and search the corners of your closet for something you can turn into a last-minute Halloween costume.
Throw on a brightly colored shirt and add shorts, sandals, shades and a sunscreened nose for a tourist look. Or go as a new-age witch with some drapey, black layers along with dark jewelry and goth makeup.
Speaking of makeup, check beauty stores and drug stores instead of party stores for better quality, selection and prices.
2. Shop at Dollar Stores for Decor
Sure, those motion-sensored decorations that make all the kids jump are neat. But we’ll pass on those prices.
Discount stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Five Below sell seasonal decor for just a few bucks. And don’t forget the ones you can make yourself.
3. Bring the Kids to a Free Event
Haunted hayrides, ghost tours and trips to amusement parks can cost you some inflated admission fees. Entertain the kids with free Halloween events instead.
Local fall festivals, costume parades, trunk-or-treat events and outdoor movie screenings are great options to get in the Halloween spirit without spending a dime. Check your city’s events calendar or your local newspaper for free Halloween events.
Nationally, Michaels will host a number of free Halloween events in all their stores, including a Halloween decoration-making session on Oct. 16; a demo of last-minute DYI costume ideas on Oct. 22; and making spooky painted rocks with glow paint on Oct. 23.
Amazon is giving away a free kids ebook, Gnome More Pumpkins: A Halloween Story for Kids. Target is giving away a free Halloween activity booklet you can print out.
Or let the kids invite their friends over for pumpkin carving, a Halloween-themed arts-and-crafts session or a spooky movie marathon at home.
4. Nix the Candy
You don’t have to be a Scrooge (wrong holiday, we know) and ignore the knocks from trick-or-treaters come Oct. 31. But you don’t have to waste money buying what you hope is enough bags of fun-sized chocolate either.
Swap the sweets out for Halloween candy alternatives like stickers, spider rings or glow-in-the-dark bracelets. The cost of those trinkets may be comparable to candy, but the advantage is you can save leftovers for next year.
We’re not doubting you couldn’t eat your way through half a bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups, but who wants all those extra calories — or the guilt trip from the dentist.
5. Make the Most Out of Your Pumpkin
There’s so much more you can do with that orange gourd than propping it in a window for decor.
You can add pumpkin puree to a pasta dish, roast pumpkin seeds, make a planter or whip up a pumpkin face mask.
