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April 6, 2021

Even 6-Figure Earners are Living Paycheck to Paycheck. How to Break the Cycle.

If you have credit card debt that you’re just paying the minimum on, chances are you’re paying a ton in interest. And why would your credit card company care? They’re getting rich by ripping you off with those high interest rates — some up to 36%.
If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, that last 20% likely isn’t getting the attention it needs from your bank account. And while the “wants” can easily get out of hand, it’s your “needs” that can be the biggest culprits.
When your salary finally tips over 0,000, all your worries about living paycheck-to-paycheck should be gone, right?
But speaking of emergency funds, many Americans don’t even have 0 saved in case their car breaks down or their kid ends up in the ER.
Credit card payments alone could keep you in the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle for years. That means it’s time to get rid of those payments for good. A website called AmOne wants to help.

Make a Budget and Stick to It

Not necessarily. In fact, 16% of six-figure earners said they have difficulty covering basic expenses, such as food, rent or mortgage and car payments, according to a November 2020 survey by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Ready to stop worrying about money?
Usually, your biggest monthly expense is your rent or mortgage payment. And unless you’re living the #vanlife or have a sweet month-to-month set up, chances are finding a cheaper place to live next month is out of the question.

50% of your monthly take-home goes to what you need. That includes rent, groceries, utilities, minimum debt payments, childcare, etc.
30% goes to your wants — like your Netflix subscription, dinners with friends and travel costs.
20% is earmarked for financial goals, like paying down debt, growing your savings and adding to your retirement fund.

Cut Costs and Bills Where You Can

Once you’ve cut down your monthly costs, make sure you’re prioritizing your savings. Whether that’s contributing to your retirement plan, investing in the stock market or building up an emergency fund — you did it! Congrats on breaking the cycle and cleaning up your spending habits.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com

Car Insurance: Shop around for new car insurance every six months, and you could save some serious cash. Compare car insurance prices on a website called Insure.com and you could save an average of $489 a year. All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and your age, and it’ll show you your options.

Homeowners Insurance: Homeowners insurance can be a huge waste of money if you get the wrong coverage. Luckily, an insurance company called Policygenius makes it easy to find out how much you’re overpaying. It finds you cheaper policies and special discounts in minutes. Plus, it saves users an average of $690 a year.

Eliminate Credit-Card-Debt Payments

No matter how much you earn, here’s how to break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.

Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Where should you start saving for one? A typical savings account won’t earn you much interest.
The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.49% APR), you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
If you owe your credit card companies ,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
How is that possible? Here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter how much money you make if your expenses outweigh (or are equal to) your income. That’s why it’s so important to have a solid plan for your budget. Otherwise, you could end up with no savings and in debt.

Create a Separate Account for Savings

That’s why we like a free account from Aspiration. Its Spend and Save account could earn you up to 16 times the national average interest on your money, plus up to 5% cash back, if you use Aspiration’s debit card. It’ll help grow your emergency savings fund that much faster.
Follow these secrets, and you’ll be well on your way to breaking the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.
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They’re living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Enter your email address here to get a free Aspiration Spend and Save account. After you confirm your email, securely link your bank account so they can start helping you get extra cash. Your money is FDIC insured and they use a military-grade encryption which is nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”
If you don’t know where to start, a simple and straightforward approach is a good way to begin your budget overhaul. We like the 50/30/20 method. You map out all your expenses like this:
Yet slowly rising wages can’t take all the blame for our Get the Penny Hoarder Daily AmOne keeps your information confidential and secure, which is probably why after 20 years in business, it still has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. But there are some necessary bills you can cut down significantly, without sacrificing the services you need.

It’s no question that the cost of living is going up at a rapid pace — not just in big, growing cities, but all around the country.

March 27, 2021

How the Discover itÂ® Cash Back Card Could Earn You a Free Month of Groceries

Grocery bills are eye-popping these days, and there’s no way around it. You have to buy food, right? And every time you go to the supermarket, you pay dearly when you swipe your card at checkout.
Anything you charge to your card during those months that doesn’t fall into those categories will still get you unlimited 1% cash back. Note: In the 5% cash-back categories, you’ll get 5% cash-back on up to ,500 in purchases each quarter. In-category purchases over ,500 will earn 1% cash-back.
If you earned 0 cash back in a year — after your match, you’d have 0. That could buy one person’s groceries for a month!
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Earn 5% Cash Back, Then Double Your Money
Ready to stop worrying about money?

January to March: Grocery stores, Walgreens and CVS (excludes Target and Walmart)
April to June: Gas stations, wholesale clubs and select streaming services
July to September: Restaurants and PayPal
October to December: Amazon, Walmart (online) and Target (online)

What if you could get a month’s worth of groceries — for free?
And here’s the best part: At the end of your first 12 billing cycles, the Discover it® Cash Back card will double your cash back. So say you earned 0 in cash back. That means you just automatically got 0. That’s some solid passive income.
If you use the Discover it® Cash Back card for your purchases, throughout the year, you’ll earn 5% cash back on your purchases from different places each quarter (up to ,500 per quarter) when you sign up. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. Plus, at the end of your first 12 months as a new cardholder, the Discover it® Cash Back card will match your cash back. That means you’ve just doubled your money.
After you sign up, each quarter, the Discover it® Cash Back card will reward you with 5% cash back on your purchases from various retailers. Here’s the quarter-by-quarter category breakdown for 2021:
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Plus, there’s no annual fee.

March 26, 2021

Whatâs Your Next Splurge? 5 Tips for Saving Up for It Faster

Need to buy groceries? Extra cash.
*Capital One Shopping compensates us when you get the extension using the links provided.
That’s exactly what this free service does.
Here are five tips for getting there faster:

Is it a new phone? A new car? A used car? A fancy dress? Expensive shoes? A laptop?

1. See if You Can Get More Money From This Company

You just have to answer honestly, and InboxDollars will continue to pay you every month. This might sound too good to be true, but it’s already paid its users more than million.
Ready to stop worrying about money?
AmOne keeps your information confidential and secure, which is probably why after 20 years in business, it still has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash. And you’re going to need extra cash for your splurge.
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The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.49% APR), you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.

2. Add $225 to Your Wallet Just for Watching the News

What’s your next big purchase? What’s that one thing you really want?
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Credit card debt is the most expensive kind of debt, and your credit card company is just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called AmOne can help you fight back.
Or, wait, let us guess: You’re planning a big trip, aren’t you? After a year of COVID, you’re thinking about your next big vacation.
A free app called Fetch Rewards will reward you with gift cards just for buying toilet paper and more than 250 other items at the grocery store.

3. Get Paid Every Time You Buy Groceries

Just add it to your browser for free, and before you check out, it’ll check other websites, including Walmart, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. Plus, you can get coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even see the item’s price history.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you got an alert when you’re shopping online at Target and are about to overpay?
And research companies want to pay you to keep watching. You could add up to 5 a month to your pocket by signing up for a free account with InboxDollars. They’ll present you with short news clips to choose from every day, then ask you a few questions about them.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. You better believe he’s thinking about his next big purchase.

4. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company

You were going to buy these things anyway — why not get this extra money in the process?
You can download the free Fetch Rewards app here to start getting free gift cards. Over a million people already have, so they must be onto something.
It’s been a historic time for news, and we’re all constantly refreshing for the latest updates. You probably know more than one news-junkie who fancies themselves an expert in respiratory illness or a political mastermind.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com
Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV, and you assume you’ve found the best price. Here’s when you’ll get a pop up letting you know if that exact TV is available elsewhere for cheaper. If there are any available coupon codes, they’ll also automatically be applied to your order.

5. Find Out If You’re Overpaying

It takes two minutes to see if you qualify for up to ,000 online. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but don’t worry — they won’t spam you with phone calls.
It takes about one minute to sign up, and start getting paid to watch the news.
In the last year, this has saved people 0 million.
If you owe your credit card companies ,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
Whatever your next major splurge is, you ought to start saving for it now. The more proactive you are about saving up for it, the sooner you’ll get what you want.
Try a debit card called Aspiration, which gives you up to 5% back every time you swipe.
Enter your email address here, and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”
Here’s another example of how every little bit helps get you closer to your goal. <!–

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You can get started in just a few clicks to see if you’re overpaying online.

March 25, 2021

This Cash-Back Credit Card Matches Your Earnings at the End of Your First Year

If you don’t want cash back, you can also redeem your rewards for gift cards and charity donations.
Get the Penny Hoarder Daily
And here’s the best part: At the end of your first 12 billing cycles, the Discover it® Cash Back card will double your cash back. So say you earned 0 in cash back. That means you just automatically got 0. That’s some solid passive income.
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Earn 5% Cash Back — and Get it Matched at the End of the Year

After you sign up, each quarter, the Discover it® Cash Back card will reward you with 5% cash back on your purchases from various retailers. Here’s the quarter-by-quarter category breakdown for 2021:

January to March: Grocery stores, Walgreens and CVS (excludes Target and Walmart)
April to June: Gas stations, wholesale clubs and select streaming services
July to September: Restaurants and PayPal
October to December: Amazon, Walmart (online) and Target (online)

Anything you charge to your card during those months that doesn’t fall into those categories will still get you unlimited 1% cash back. Note: In the 5% cash-back categories, you’ll get 5% cash-back on up to ,500 in purchases each quarter. In-category purchases over ,500 will earn 1% cash-back.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com
That’s why we like the Discover it® Cash Back card.
Finding a rewards credit card that maximizes your cash-back earnings can be difficult.

There are a ton of options available. Heck, your mailbox is probably full of those “You’ve been pre-qualified!” flyers. But your goal is simple: Pocket as much cash back as possible.

March 7, 2021

An interior designer shares 10 of the best home-decor items to get at Costco this month – Insider

In recent years, Costco has kicked its home-decor selection up a notch.

To find out which products are worth incorporating into your own home, Insider asked lead designer Carlos Coronado of Muretti about his favorites this month.

Read on to see his top picks for March.

Source: insider.com

March 7, 2021

5 Tips for At Home Entertaining

Entertaining at home is a great way to get together with friends and family. Going out to dinner or events is fun, but there is something special about hosting at home.

Here are five simple ways to set your home up for entertaining.

1. Put appetizers on the coffee table: When the party starts you’ll be busy greeting guests. Put appetizers like a cheese plate, crackers, and olives out on your coffee table so guests can munch and mingle.

2. Set up a buffet table: Serving people adds an extra task to your entertaining to-do list. Push a side table against a wall or use your kitchen island to set up a buffet table so people can serve themselves. People may enjoy being able to set their portion sizes and food choices, plus it will leave you with more time with your guests — and less time in the kitchen.

3. Set up a beverage bar: If you have a bar cart, set up all your beverages in one place. If you don’t have a bar cart, assemble everything on a large side table.

4. Rearrange the furniture: Rearrange your living room couches and chairs so they are conducive for chatting. If you’re short on furniture, bring chairs from the dining room or kitchen into the living room while people enjoy hors d’oeuvres.

5. Delight in the details: Little details like fresh flowers, candles, and place settings can make the evening even more special. Have fun designing the table aesthetic by curating your cutlery, china, serving ware, and napkin choices.

6. Take it outside: If it’s a beautiful day take the party outside! Clean off your patio furniture, set up an outdoor umbrella, and add some comfortable seating. For an added touch, incorporate flowers from your garden and lanterns or candles.

These tips may make entertaining at home more enjoyable! Call some friends and invite them over to your place.

Source: century21.com

March 7, 2021

Vastu Tips For Plants: List of Plants You Should Never keep Inside The House – India.com

Adding indoor plants to your home decor is a wonderful way to include some positivity in your life as it creates home more relaxing and restful ambience. Many houseplants have medicinal properties and can help purify the air. According to Vastu Shastra, there are certain plants that we all should not plant in our homes as it doesn’t detoxify the surroundings. Choosing the right plant for your home is very important as it needs to blossom in the right direction. Also Read – Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: The Right Way to Place Ganesha Idol as Per Vastu Shastra

Here is the list of plants you should never keep inside the house:

Tamarind tree: It is said that the tamarind tree is sour and if we plant this tree, the happiness in the house also turns sour. According to Vastu shastra, the tamarind tree planted in the house prevents the progress of the house and also affects the family’s health.

Cactus plant: Cactus plants should not be planted at home. Both Vastu and Feng Shui experts suggest that cactus can transmit bad energy at home. The plant brings misfortune at home and also cause stress and anxiety within the family with its sharp thorns.

Date palm tree: According to Vastu Shastra, palm trees should never be planted at home. It is been said that to avoid growing date palm tree so that poverty doesn’t come in the house. Also, people who grow this plant suffers from financial troubles. It has given a negative impact on health too.

Bamboo tree: Bamboos are more than an exotic and colourful plant. Many homeowners plant bamboo to create a fast-growing privacy screen around their home. But according to Vastu, it is advised not to grow bamboo trees at home. Troubles are brought by planting this plant at home. In Hinduism, the bamboo tree is used at the time of death which is a sign of obsolescence.

Peepal Tree: We have seen peepal tree in the temples and people think that planting a peepal tree at home can help us in giving positivity. However, as per Vastu Shastra, it is advised that t a peepal tree should never be planted in the house. If there is a peepal tree in your house, then flow it to a holy place or plant it in a temple. It is said that this can destroy your money.

You might be surprised to know but there are a few zodiac plants that are really lucky to keep at home as per your sun sign such as Money Plant, Tulsi, Neem Tree, Lucky bamboo plant (water-based), citrus plant, aloe vera, banana tree, lily plant, snake plant, lavender to name a few.

Source: india.com

March 7, 2021

How to Decorate Your Home for the Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Not only are the holidays arguably the most cheerful and fun days to experience with your loved ones, they’re also the best time of the year for decorating.

Whether you go all out or prefer minimal decorations these tips will get your home into the holiday spirit.

1. Decorate the door: Make a great first impression. Decorate your doorway with garland and hang a wreath from your front door.

2. Christmas lanterns: A lantern is a very elegant and sophisticated piece of decor that will instantly dress up any room. Add candles or flameless candles to brighten any room.

3. Centerpieces: A centerpiece is the focal point of your table. It transforms how guests view your dining room and can really get everyone into the Holiday spirit. Adorning your table with a bouquet of red roses mixed in with some garland, berry sprigs, and candles is a great way to bring the season into your home.

4. Hanging lights: Decorate any sort of hanging, pendant light with garland.

5. Staircases, columns, etc.: Take your love of detail into other parts of your home. Add bows, garland, and string lights to the handrails and columns inside and outside your house. These small decorations will help make your home cozy and give it a very Holiday feel.

6. Coffee Table: Fill glass bowls or cylinders with ornaments. If you’re feeling extra creative spray paint pinecones and add them.

7. Mantelpiece: Your mantelpiece is usually the focal point of your living room, and what better time to draw more attention to it than the holidays? Decorate the mantel with red berries, tree branches, Christmas stockings, and other small holiday touches.

8. The tree: For Christmas it’s all about the tree during the holidays. All families have their own traditions, but you may want to change things up a bit. Add some metallic shimmer, top the tree with bells instead of an angel, and cluster ornaments together. It’ll give a traditional tree a new look.

Decorating your home for the holidays is a fun family activity. Add some cheer to your home!

Source: century21.com

March 6, 2021

Home Decor – Housing is a luxury? Here’s what the K-shaped recovery means for real estate – Fintech Zoom

Home Decor – Housing is a luxury? Here’s what the K-shaped recovery means for real estate

So it may be fitting that a K-shaped recovery from the COVID-induced downturn would be accompanied by an increasingly unequal housing market. What’s less certain is what that will mean for the broader economy and markets.

“I definitely think the pandemic widened the gap between the haves and the have-nots,” said Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin
RDFN,
-5.75%.
“When I started in this business, there was a broad consensus around making the American dream accessible to middle- and lower-income people. After this year I now see housing as a luxury good.”

Read: Redfin CEO: Technology is finally ready to change how you buy and sell your house

One of the clearest signs of the new affluence is that people with means have been able to go anywhere they want to escape the pandemic’s risks, or even its doldrums, while have-nots have been stuck in place.

“The customers we serve are people in white-collar professional jobs with massive gains from the stock market who are free to work anywhere in the country,” Kelman said. “For them this hasn’t been a catastrophe, but a bonanza.”

To be sure, there’s a yin and yang to housing. When people with greater means settle in lower-priced areas, it can help boost property values. But it can also prompt difficult cultural reckonings. And Kelman worries that such migrations may simply pressure prices upward everywhere, making it harder for more people to access the housing market, and perhaps the ladder into the middle class that homeownership has long represented.

“I want to be mindful of the affordability problems this will create,” he said in an interview. “It creates political turmoil and anxiety. There isn’t a city yet that has dealt with it well — but there isn’t a city yet that wouldn’t want to have that problem. At the end of the day, you want more people moving to your city, especially people with good jobs.”

Steve Blitz, chief U.S. economist for TS Lombard, takes a somewhat different view of the shifts of the past year.

“It’s the unfortunate aspect of any economic disruption that the higher end always manages to work its way through with minimal disruption to their lives and the less fortunate bear the burden. There’s nothing new about that,” Blitz said.

What’s more, he thinks the COVID exodus may actually wind up being a good thing for the housing market and the economy.

Existing homeowners — largely baby boomers — have been holding tight to their homes for years, making it harder for younger Americans to crack into the market, Blitz pointed out.

“And now everything’s gotten shook up,” he said in an interview. “Now that the log jam has been broken, it’s going to keep going. In the last decade there was a noted lack of mobility in terms of people moving to other cities for employment. More mobility means a better workforce.”

Finally, Blitz points to the well-known boost to the economy from the multiplier effect from home-buying — shopping at Home Depot
HD,
+1.03%,
using credit cards
V,
+1.85%
more, hiring for well-paying construction jobs, and so on.

Kelman doesn’t dispute the economic impact, but he’s uneasy with the way financial markets have worked for some while others have been shut out.

“March 2020 was a calamity,” Kelman. “Credit markets were about to shut down and threaten the U.S. economy and a massive amount of stimulus was put into the system but only half of America could access it. It’s a huge windfall for the haves even as there’s been a sea change in the ability of working-class people to access credit. We’re looking at the rise of so many jobs where you’re paid in stock and many of our financial and economic metrics don’t even account for that. The people we sell houses to aren’t using their salary, they’re using their portfolios.”

It’s worth noting that the uneven recovery from the subprime bust a decade ago, and policymakers’ response to it, is considered by many analysts to have widened inequality and to have given rise to the populist tendencies that helped elect Donald Trump in 2016.

Related: This chart shows the haves and have-nots of the housing market, and it’s getting worse

“It used to be you could do just fine working hard to afford a home,” Kelman said. “I think that’s going to change. This is a profound transformation.”

Investors won’t get a look at housing data until later in the month, though next week’s economic calendar brings an update on consumer price inflation on Wednesday and an early look at March consumer sentiment on Friday.

Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
+1.85%
ended the week with a 1.8% gain, and the S&P 500
SPX,
+1.95%
closed 0.8% higher. The Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
+1.55%
was down 2.1% for the week, but managed to claw back into positive territory, if barely, for the year to date.

See: 16 million people just got laid off but U.S. stocks had their best week in 45 years

Home Decor – Housing is a luxury? Here’s what the K-shaped recovery means for real estate

Source: fintechzoom.com

March 6, 2021

From Chaos to Clean: How to Organize a Closet

It’s time to combat clutter for once and for all. Start by organizing your closets. It will make getting ready faster and more enjoyable. Plus, it’s finally time to swap sweaters for t-shirts.

Use these tips to organize your closets:

Completely declutter: Before you start coming up with new ways to organize, get yourself situated. Donate clothes that you don’t wear. (If you haven’t worn something in over a year, it may be time to let it go.) The Salvation Army or Red Cross are options for donating clothes, and check local charities too. Most cities have clothing donation bins, and many shelters, churches, synagogues, and sometimes schools accept appropriate donations.

Use shelves and cubbies: If your closet isn’t as big as you’d like, find unique ways to expand space. Add shelving, cubbies, and hanging organizers to store items that cannot be hung on the rod.

Store accordingly: Develop an organization system. Store your most used items at eye level, less used items on the bottom, and your least used items up high. Some people have a designated space for each category of clothing, and some people separate their closet by use. If you separate by use, you could have work clothes and formal clothes in one section, and less formal clothes in another.

Add lights: Some closets are so dark and dreary — we can understand why “monsters” like to reside there. To fix this problem, install lights to illuminate the space and make it easier to find the perfect outfit.

Color coordinate: Shop your closet the same way you’d shop in a store. Color coordinate items within each category. Organize your colors from light to dark or dark to light.

Turn on some music and get started! You may be amazed at all the outfit ideas you’ll come up with when everything is neat and tidy.

Source: century21.com