Smart Money Links 4U

Your first home purchase is more than a major investment. It’s a rite of passage, right up there with your first job. In addition to checking an adulting box, buying a house means taking on a slew of financial responsibilities that can last for literal decades. It’s a big decision in every sense of the word — and unfortunately, it’s one that many first-time buyers end up regretting.  No Regrets: What to Think (and Re-Think) When House Shopping Some things you really do have to learn the hard way — but ideally not the ones that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you’re in the market for your first home, here are some things to think twice about. Keep Maintenance in Mind Given that few of us ever spend six figures on any other single asset, the base cost of a home is probably already enough to make you woozy. But ask just about any new homeowner and they’ll tell you the mortgage payment is just the beginning.  When you’re an owner ( as opposed to a renter ), you no ...

I first discovered coconut oil several years ago when a health-focused grocery store opened in my neighborhood.  While I originally bought it for cooking, I quickly found many ways I could use it around the house. Now, I use so much that I invest in giant vats from Costco to save money; an 84-ounce tub costs $15.99 and typically lasts me four to six months. If you’re new to coconut oil, you’ll be surprised at just how adaptable this once-unknown ingredient can be. Ways to Use Coconut Oil That You Probably Haven’t Thought Of In the Kitchen The first use you probably think of for coconut oil is cooking. I most often find Indian recipes that call for this oil, but I’ve used it in a variety of dishes ranging from curries and stir-fries to granola and muffins. There’s some controversy surrounding the consumption of coconut oil because of its high saturated fat content. According to Harvard Medical School , coconut oil has more saturated fat than butter or lard — about 90%. Satu...

Dear Splitting Hairs, Wait, what does Dad think? Surely his vote matters more than mine. If you want to respect your father’s desire for independence, the worst thing you can do is make this decision on his behalf. Your offer of your spare bedroom no doubt came from a place of love. But think about this from his perspective: He’d be moving into a room that was formerly occupied by his grandkids. He probably doesn’t want to feel like a child living in an old man’s body. And I’m guessing he doesn’t want to feel like a child at the center of a custody dispute, either. As for your question about whether the RV purchase or home addition would be more financially sound: You don’t say how much either option would cost, so I’m going into this one blindfolded.  All I can say here is that an RV would be a depreciating asset, while real estate tends to appreciate in the long run. So the common wisdom is that you’re more likely to recoup your investment on a $50,000 home addition than you...

Ever wonder how people get invited to advance movie screenings? If you’re like me, you’ve assumed such events are reserved for VIPs and members of the media.  The truth is, anyone can get free tickets to early movie screenings. Film studios regularly give away tickets to create positive buzz and press before the official release of a film.  3 Ways to Get Tickets to Advance Movie Screenings Curious about how to get free passes to advance movie screenings? If you’re a big movie fan, the following tips could save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in admission prices. 1. Sign Up With Gofobo  Register for a free account with Gofobo , a site where movie studios and public relations firms offer advance movie screening passes directly to members of the general public.  Why are the studios giving these tickets away for free? They know that people who enjoy the film will provide free word-of-mouth advertising by talking to their friends and posting on social me...

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners . Here we are in a brand new decade. The 2020s! Doesn’t that sound like such a cool, rad, futuristic time? Where are our flying cars and robot butlers, anyway? Seriously, though: The future is now. Things are changing fast. So incredibly fast. Ask yourself this: Are you falling behind the times? Are you still handling your money the same old way? C’mon, c’mon, you gotta keep up. And, hey, making these moves could save you a whole lot of time — and even money. Here are five ways your finances are still stuck in the last decade: 1. You’re Still Wasting Money on Bank Fees There’s no law that requires you to bank the old-fashioned way — at a brick-and-mortar bank that gives you a crummy interest rate on your savings and requires you to pay overdraft fees at $35 a pop. Wake up! Get up to speed here. Get an ac...

Upwork, the largest freelance marketplace in the world, boasts more than 12 million freelancers across 180 countries. It also wields outsize power to affect the bottom line of those writers, designers and others who rely on it for their livelihoods.  Along the way of Upwork’s meteoric rise, the company started charging freelancers to bid on each job and increased the paid membership fees, further eating into freelancers’ earnings.. Such increases to Upwork’s fees and subscriptions have prompted some freelancers (and maybe you?) to search for alternatives. Here are four sites similar to Upwork and a bunch of other organizations and job boards where you can find legit freelance gigs. Sites Like Upwork In the budding stages of your freelance career? You may be most comfortable finding projects in freelance marketplaces as you build up a client portfolio. And Upwork isn’t the only one. The recommendations below are alternatives to Upwork that cater to all types of freelance work....

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners . When looking in the mirror, many of us would like to see straighter teeth. No, we’re not necessarily vain. We just want to feel more confident and make great first impressions. What can you really do about it, though? Braces, on average, cost about $5,000 and require countless trips to the orthodontist. And who really wants a mouth full of metal as an adult? Ugh. But before you spend the rest of your life scolding your high school self for not wearing your retainer, know there are more affordable teeth-straightening options out there — like Candid . Candid will fit you with clear aligners that cost $2,600 less than your average set of braces. Yup — plans start as low as $99 a month with a $399 down payment. For many, the process takes no more than about six months, and there’s no metal involved. The ...

When the last heavily discounted flat-screen TV is sold, when the final gift-wrapped package is gently placed on the stoop, and when the remaining tax returns are filed, you may wonder what happens to all those seasonal jobs. In most cases, the seasonal workers clock out and collect their last paycheck. Maybe they use the extra money to offset their holiday gift giving, or maybe they tuck that money away for college or some other financial goal. The positions often sunset until the next big hiring initiative. For Dan McMackin, a decades-long UPS worker, the opportunity didn’t fade away. And he says the opportunity doesn’t have to fade away for you either.  He started at UPS as a seasonal package handler in 1978. He worked his way into a permanent part-time role, then a full-time one. He moved into management, pivoted into HR as a seasonal employee recruiter and finally moved into his current corporate position as a public relations manager and spokesperson. McMackin shared advi...

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners . Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2017. Like everyone else, David Edwards has a cell phone. And like everyone else, his cell phone bill was bleeding him dry. He’d been with Verizon for years, but he was tired of paying $185 a month for three lines. “And I didn’t even have a smartphone,” adds the 55-year-old marine science technician, who lives in Seminole, Florida. Then his son told him about Twigby . The discount wireless carrier operates on the Sprint and Verizon networks and offers plans starting at $9 a month. It was worth a try, right? Is a $24/Month Cell Phone Bill Too Good to be True? At first, Edwards felt hesitant about ditching Verizon. After all, he’d tried a number of discount carriers in the past, and it hadn’t always worked out. But that nagging $185 monthly bill fin...

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2017. As a former Division I college basketball player, I never wanted to leave the game. So instead of keeping my expertise to myself, I decided to give back as a youth coach and dedicate myself to helping young people reach their potential. Youth coaching has its perks. Rather than traditional 9-to-5 hours, I work mornings and evenings, leaving plenty of room for leisure during the week.  I can also adjust my hourly rate depending on the child. My rate ranges from $40 to $60 an hour, and I work about 20 to 25 hours a week. Taking in an average of $1,000 a week while you’re wearing basketball shorts isn’t bad, especially when you factor in the great work-life balance. But the job isn’t perfect. The biggest problem with being a youth coach? There is only one of you and a million kids, who are waiting eagerly to learn everything you have to teach them in your limited time.  That was my dilemma when I overbooked for a ...

Every now and then, well-intentioned plans to save money simply fail. You think you’re following the frugality playbook only to have it backfire. It’s when trying to be cheap ends up being expensive. It happens to the best of us. Here are 10 situations where trying to pinch pennies has the potential to end up costing way too much. Avoid these frugality fails. 1. Letting Meal Prep Go to Waste Preparing meals in advance means you won’t be tempted to grab fast food or order takeout whenever you don’t feel like cooking. But there’s always the potential of wasting a week’s worth of chopped veggies or a tupperware full of chicken breasts, because they’ve gone bad or you just can’t stomach eating the same meal five days in a row. That’s just tossing money in the garbage. The same thing can happen when you try to be thrifty by buying in bulk — but end up throwing out half of what you bought because it’s too much. The remedy: Meal prep a few days out rather than for an entire week. St...