When you hear the term âcoaching,â itâs easy to think of the whistle-blowing leader of your childâs little league team or a motivational life coach who pens self-help books.
Yet a stream of young professionals are now giving that term new meaning. They are spinning off parts of their businesses â and even creating whole new businesses â on the idea of coaching a specific skill, tool or industry.
How did they get started? Where did they find clients? And, perhaps the most perplexing question in the work-for-yourself world, how did they decide what to charge?
We talked to three pioneers in the career coaching world about how they got to where they are and what they want to do next.
Coaching the Business of Freelance Writing
Jenni Gritters and Wudan Yan, The Writersâ Co-op
Freelance writers Jenni Gritters and Wudan Yan both got into coaching after a continued flurry of requests for advice. Both have a presence on social media and had written viral articles about their professional experiences.
For Gritters, it was a piece she wrote on Medium in June 2019 with an eminently clickable headline: âHow I made $120,000 in my first year as a freelance writer.â For Yan, it was a piece published around the same time about her saga of successfully extracting late fees from publications that were late paying her. In both cases, Yan and Gritters found themselves inundated with requests from people who wanted to âpick their brainsâ and ask for career advice.
At some point, they both decided that offering their time for free was not financially sustainable.
To streamline their advice in one place, Yan and Gritters decided to start a podcast, The Writersâ Co-op, which has since become a guidebook for freelancers with worksheets, webinars and even coaching. They also started their own individual coaching businesses, offering one-hour sessions with prospective and experienced freelancers.
Finding clients was never too much of an issue. Yanâs and Grittersâ relative internet fame assured some level of success. But deciding what to focus on and how much to charge posed bigger problems. Both Yan and Gritters lowballed their rates at first â Yan was charging $35 a session while Gritters was charging $50. Both have since raised their fees: Gritters is at $150 while Yan is at $200.
They advise being realistic about how much work coaching will take and charge accordingly. Remember that a one-hour coaching session does not just take one hour: It takes time to schedule the session, prepare for it and send a follow-up email with tangible guidance, as Yan and Gritters do.
Remember, also, to be thoughtful about what topics you choose to coach. Although Gritters was a longtime editor and once taught high school journalism, she knew she did not want to teach the creative elements of writing. She wanted to save her creative energy for her own work. Instead, she focuses her coaching on the business of freelancing.
Coaching Social Media for Nonprofits
Dana Snyder, Positive Equation
When Dana Snyder initially started her own social media marketing business for nonprofits four years ago, she wanted to emulate an agency. Her plan was to be on monthly retainers with nonprofits managing their social media.
But once those contracts ended, she quickly saw that her clients went back to their previous practices. She wanted to help them long-term.
Much like Gritters and Yan, it was a sort of serendipity that pushed Snyder into coaching. In the first year of her business, a nonprofit reached out asking if she would be willing to work with an internal employee. The leaders knew enough to know what they didnât know â and that was social media and the digital world.
The coaching paid off. At the end of the year, the nonprofitâs CEO reached out to Snyder to tell her that they had had unprecedented success on social media channels.
Since then, Snyder has made the pivot from the agency model to business coaching and speaking engagements. In a twist of fate, 2020 was the first year Snyder decided to focus 100 percent of her business on online courses, coaching and speaking engagements.When COVID-19 hit, she saw a rush of demand for virtual professional development sessions and planning virtual events.
She offers pre-recorded online courses for purchase on topics like Facebook and Instagram, planning a virtual event and reaching ideal donors. Those range from about $39 to $70 per course. She also offers social media audits to nonprofits, which function as a one-time coaching session. Snyder asks about an organizationâs business goals, researches their competitors and the nonprofitâs own content before presenting them with digital strategies for the future. Those start at $1,000.
But in the age of COVID-19, Snyder has found real success in webinars. She offers professional development series for nonprofits that can book her as a speaker. She also received the unique opportunity to become an approved speaker through CharityHowTo, a site that connects nonprofits with relevant webinars. That has both increased her presence in the community and taught her more about how to make an engaging presentation.
Snyder is an example of the power of having a diversified revenue stream â audits, online courses and speaking engagements â at a variety of price ranges.
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Coaching How to Pitch to News Outlets and Brands
Austen Tosone, Keep Calm and Chiffon
Austen Tosone did not initially become a full-time freelancer by choice. After getting laid off from two different magazine jobs, Tosone decided to pursue her blog, Keep Calm and Chiffon, and while writing freelance full-time.
As her work was getting published in publications like Refinery29, Teen Vogue, Bustle and The Zoe Report, she started receiving messages from people wondering how she got there.
âI really want to get into pitching magazines,â they would say, âand I would love any advice.â
But Tosone didnât have the time to answer every one-off message. She decided to compile a resource that she could hand off to anyone with questions â for a price. Thatâs how she created her e-book, âRight On Pitch.â
The e-book focuses on the making of a successful pitch and looks at pitching brands and publications. She also has a section on negotiating rates. The book is priced at $9, which Tosone reasoned would be the cost of an actual coffee date, if each person who messaged her were actually able to take her out for coffee.
Tosone also learned the power of sharing your work with a small group before releasing it out into the world. Before launching her e-book, she shared it with about 12 beta-testers of freelance writers and influencers to get feedback. That helped her tweak the product to be ready to go.
The bulk of Tosoneâs marketing for the e-book occurs on her own social media platforms, but she has paid to advertise in freelance writer Sonia Weiserâs Opportunities of the Week newsletter. She continues to do that, because sheâs seen a good return from that $25 investment.
On top of her freelance writing career, Tosone now works full-time as a beauty content director at Jumprope, a company that helps users create how-to videos. But sheâs still managed to find time to grow her e-book sales. In 2019, the e-book made up nine percent of her total freelance income. In 2020, it grew to 16 percent.
Tosone found success by compiling all of her advice in one place and marketing it as a low-cost product. Her decision to use beta-testers shows how fine-tuning a product with potential clients can help identify issues on the front end.
Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
If the free version of Calm isnât enough, users can upgrade to a premium subscription for .99/year and get access to even more mindful content.
Simple Habitâs goal is in its name â make daily meditation a simple, easy habit. This free app offers five-minute meditations, progress trackers and downloadable meditations for situations like air travel or remote adventures.
1. MyLife Meditation: Mindfulness
To access even more mindfulness content, Simple Habit has a premium subscription for .99/month.
This free meditation app promotes community by offering numerous discussion groups and ways to connect with other Insight Timer users.
It has programs guided by top mindfulness experts from Google, former monks and leading mental health experts. Whether you need a quick decompression before heading into work or a longer, pre-sleep session, Simple Habit makes meditation easy.
2. Simple Habit Sleep, Meditation
Ten Percent Happier opens by asking users a series of questions about their life and lifestyle, then curating a plan specific to each person. You can select goals such as fostering daily calm, lowering anxiety levels and more. You are also invited to choose the way you learn best, whether thatâs through audio, reading, videos or hands-on experiences.
For those who are ready to kick things up a notch, the meditation app has a premium membership for .99/month or .99/year that unlocks 400+ activities, guided journaling prompts, yoga and soundscapes.
The Ten Percent Happier app was Appleâs best of 2018 award winner and was the top app in the Wirecutterâs list of âBest Meditation Appsâ .
This app lets you track the number of days youâve meditated, helping to make using Calm a rewarding habit.
3. Ten Percent Happier
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Headspace is changing the meditation app space by offering mindful workouts, too. Led by Olympians Kim Glass and Leon Taylor, Headspace workouts combine mental grounding with body-pumping training sessions to promote holistic wellness.
With 71,000 ratings totalling 4.8/5 stars on the Apple App Store, Simple Habit Sleep, Meditation is one of the top free mindfulness apps available today.
The app is free to download. But to access its features, you can join the Breethe membership community for .99/month or .99/year.
4. Headspace
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Another heavy hitter in the free meditation app space is Insight Timer, which was named App of the Year by TIME Magazine and Womenâs Health.
With more than 10 million downloads, Breethe: Meditation & Sleep is one of the best meditation apps in the mindfulness market.
According to the app, users were 82% more likely to be less anxious with consistent use of MyLife Meditation: Mindfulness. Sign us up! This free meditation app also offers breathing exercises to catalyze calm and groundedness, tracking mental health with a daily feelings log, and guided meditations recommended just for you.
5. Insight Timer
Hereâs the catch: the Ten Percent Happier program isnât free , though you can start with a 14-day free trial before paying .99 for a one-year subscription.
One of Headspaceâs more unique offerings is its Weathering the Storm collection, a series of guided meditations, prompts, body scans and stories geared toward helping folks navigate the challenges presented by the past year. Kristin Jenny is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
Selected as the Apple App Storeâs âApp of the Dayâ in 2020, MyLife Meditation: Mindfulness is a free meditation app that is personalized to how you feel and only asks for a few minutes of your day.
Whether youâre looking to sleep better, move through an addiction, improve leadership at work, or work on your meditation practice, Insight Timer has a guided meditation for you.
With its free version, users get access to loads of guided meditations, sleep stories, ambient sounds and breath timers that all seek to promote a more tranquil, fulfilling life. Calm is one of the original mindfulness programs for smart devices. It boasts 40 million downloads worldwide and 1.1 million reviews on the Apple App Store.
This affordable (but not free) meditation app has a free 14-day trial before charging .99/month or .99/year (which brings the monthly total down to .99/month).
Calm offers a wide variety of meditations, from flight anxiety to SOS panic sessions designed to ground users in the present. Some of its meditations and bedtime stories are led by famous voices like Bindi Irwin, Matthew McConaughey and Stephen Fry, to name a few.
7. Breethe: Meditation & Sleep
Best of all, thanks to modern technology, meditation has never been so accessible. You need no equipment, and there are hundreds of free meditation apps and mindfulness apps to assist you in finding your zen.
Headspace is one of the best-known mental health apps. Its nearly five-star rating and 65 million downloadsshow Headspace is on it for meditation practice.
Wellness experts like mindfulness coach Lynne Goldberg walk you through practices to help you achieve a smiling mind and a calm body. Breethe seeks to help all users find peace with their emotions, physical sensations and current events through deliberate mental health practices.
Breethe has over 1,000 tracks of nature sounds, guided meditations, bedtime stories, five-minute and three-minute meditations and more.
This easy-to-use app is led by Emmy-award winning journalist Dan Harris, who works with some of the best meditation teachers in the world to bring you sessions focused on meditation practices like self-compassion, emotional balance and navigating crises.
Insight Timer is a must-have for those who want a wide variety of meditation practices, as the app offers thousands of guided meditations and is constantly adding more. It also has no-cost music and ambient soundtracks to promote better sleep and focus. Stress is something we all deal with in varying forms. The past 12 months have tested everyoneâs ability to cope with unprecedented stressors, and well, itâs tiring having to adapt to a constantly changing landscape. Meditation is scientifically proven to lower stress levels and help soothe the hamster wheel of thoughts racing through our minds.
Pandemic-related layoffs and income loss have driven many people to community food pantries for the first time in their lives.
According to Feeding America, about four out of every 10 people who visited a food bank from March through June of last year were first-time visitors. As the winter holidays approached, more than 80% of food pantries were serving more people than the year prior.
Economic concerns have caused countless others to become more conscious of their spending â resorting to cheap staples rather than more expensive options at the grocery store.
Getting groceries from a food pantry and reducing food spending can be great on the wallet, but you may also need to adjust to cooking and preparing meals differently. We spoke to registered dietitian and nutritionist Wendy Wesley for advice on how to make nutritious, tasty meals using ingredients from food pantries.
How to Turn Cheap Pantry Staples Into Delicious Meals
Canned goods should not be overlooked when it comes to creating great meals, Wesley said.
âI keep an arsenal of canned beans in my pantry at all times,â she said.
The key to making satisfying dishes from cheap ingredients is to incorporate kitchen staples like onion, garlic, peppers, spices, dried herbs, butter and eggs.
âYou get rice and beans from a food pantry and then you doctor that up with your onion, your green pepper and your garlic and you use chili powder, garlic powder [and] onion powder,â Wesley said.
One of her favorite cheap meals to make is black bean soup, using a can of black beans along with onion, garlic and green pepper.
âThere is something magical about black beans,â Wesley said. âFor maybe a dollar or two in ingredients, you have this meal that is very hearty, very filling, full of fiber and is going to stay with you for a long time.â
Another of her inexpensive meal ideas: Crack some eggs you pick up from your neighborhood food bank into a pan with onions, peppers and maybe tomatoes and mushrooms. You can make a big scramble for less than a dollar.
Pro Tip
Think food pantries only give out non-perishable canned foods? Think again. Many also distribute a good share of perishable ingredients like eggs, dairy products, bread, fresh produce and more.
When it comes to keeping your kitchen stocked with those supplementary meal-enhancing ingredients, Wesley recommends picking up a few items here and there when you grocery shop.
âIf you went to the store and tried to buy it all in one day or one shopping trip it would be quite expensive,â she said.
Spices, in particular, can be pretty pricey, so look for less expensive brands.
Pro Tip
Wesley saves money by buying Badia brand spices. You can also try your storeâs generic option or shop at an ethnic grocery store.
âWe donât need very expensive ingredients to have delightful and tasty meals at home,â she said.
How to Stretch Your Ingredients and Your Dollars
Whether youâve got a family to feed or youâre just trying to make food last longer for yourself, making your ingredients stretch means more bang for your buck.
Add beans and veggies to stretch meat dishes.
âIâll bulk up taco meat with onions and green peppers and tomatoes, so itâs a little bit of meat and a lot of vegetables,â Wesley said, as an example. âOr Iâll bulk it up with beans, so itâs a little bit of meat and a lot of beans.â
Those extra ingredients also add fiber â something every American needs more of, she said.
Adding a grain â like rice, quinoa or barley â to a meal can also help make a dish stretch. Wesley likes cooking a bunch of one grain over the weekend so she has it ready to add to meals throughout the week.
Preparing servings in advance can also save you time on busy weekdays â and saving time can be so valuable. No more grabbing fast food on those days when you have no energy to cook. The food is already ready.
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Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Since the start of the pandemic, mass unemployment has rocked the nation. To help mitigate the damage, two economic stimulus packages allotted unprecedented sums of money to create new benefits programs that assist people who are out of work.
Millions of newly eligible folks now have access to benefits. But the new programs put state unemployment agencies in a tricky position. They are receiving record-breaking surges in applications at the same time that they are tasked with creating and paying out brand new benefits. The result: overburdened websites, unclear instructions and lots of jargon.
Take, for example, this update to applicants on Arkansasâ unemployment website after the second stimulus package passed:
âSome extensions and changes to federal UI programs will include the reinstatement of the FPUC program, extension of PUA program and PEUC program for those who qualify,â the notice states.
After reading that sentence, you may have a couple choice acronyms yourself. Maybe, âOMG â WTH does that mean?â
âUnderstanding the difference with all these programs and acronyms is going to be confusing,â said Michele Evermore, an unemployment benefits policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project.
Our plain English guide will help you make sense of it all. Consider bookmarking this page and referencing it as you trudge through the process of getting your benefits.
The 2 Unemployment Programs You Definitely Need to Know
The overwhelming majority of people relying on unemployment benefits are receiving aid from two key programs. According to figures from the Department of Labor, more than 13 million people are collecting Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits.
These two foundational programs provide the bulk of unemployment aid through weekly payments. Once you understand the difference between them, a lot of the other programs will start to make sense.
Unemployment Insurance (UI)
Also referred to as Unemployment Compensation, UI is the longstanding benefits program run by each individual state. Itâs for people who are out of work at no fault of their own. To qualify for UI, you have to have made a certain amount of money in the recent past â typically from a W-2 job with an employer that paid into the unemployment system through payroll taxes. Specifics like previous employment duration or earnings vary.
Depending on your state, average UI payments are between $180 and $490 per week, according to the latest data from the Department of Labor. The duration of UI programs also depends on your state. They last between 12 and 30 weeks (without any extensions). The most common duration is 26 weeks.
Additionally, to collect UI, you have to be able to work, available to work and actively seeking work. Some states have waived the âactively seeking workâ requirement during the pandemic.
Pro Tip
Use this tool from the Department of Labor to find your stateâs unemployment website and start a UI claim.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is a new federal unemployment program. Itâs up and running in all 50 states. The first stimulus package created PUA in March 2020. Throughout the pandemic, PUA has been a lifeline for tens of millions of jobless people who donât qualify for regular UI benefits.
For the first time nationally, gig workers and freelancers, who are considered 1099 independent contractors, have been able to receive unemployment benefits through PUA.
Beyond helping those who were laid off, PUA offers benefits to people who canât go to work or lost income due to a variety of coronavirus-related reasons. Some examples include contracting COVID-19, caregiving for someone who has COVID-19 or staying home to take care of your kids whose school closed due to COVID-19 lockdown rules.
Because PUA is a federal program, all states must offer it for a maximum of 50 weeks. The minimum weekly payments vary by state, however, because theyâre calculated as half your stateâs average UI payment. With average state UI payments between $180 and $490, you can expect minimum weekly PUA payments between $90 and $245 depending on your state.
Our guide to filing for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance includes an interactive map to help you find your stateâs application rules.
7 Quick Definitions to Important Unemployment Terms and Programs
Now that you have a better understanding of the two major unemployment benefits programs, letâs look at extensions, payment enhancements and other important programs that you may be eligible for.
Hereâs a primer on seven key terms that youâre sure to come across as you apply for benefits.
CARES Act: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was the first coronavirus relief package passed in March 2020. It expanded unemployment assistance, authorized $1,200 stimulus checks and provided relief for small businesses, among several other things. Under this law, those who are partially or fully unemployed as a direct result of the coronavirus may receive up to 39 weeks of federal unemployment benefits.
CAA: The Continued Assistance Act, aka Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers, is part of the $900 billion stimulus package that became law on Dec. 27, 2020. It extends many of the unemployment programs created by the CARES Act.
DOL: The federal Department of Labor oversees all statesâ unemployment systems. Your state may have its own agency named the Department of Labor that administers its unemployment benefits. Generally speaking, DOL refers to the federal agency.
DUA: Disaster Unemployment Assistance is not Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. You may come across this long-standing natural disaster assistance program on your stateâs unemployment website. Do not apply. Despite their similar names, they are very different.
EB: Extended Benefits are available in every state except South Dakota. EB is a state-level benefit that extends Unemployment Insurance by six to 20 weeks â depending on your state and your local unemployment rate. To qualify during the pandemic, you may have to exhaust a federal unemployment extension first. (See PEUC below.)
FPUC: Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation boosts unemployment benefits by $300 a week for up to 11 weeks between Dec. 27, 2020, and March 14, 2021. Anyone who is approved for at least $1 of unemployment benefits will automatically receive this bonus. No separate application or action is needed. This program previously paid out $600 per week under the CARES Act, but that version expired in July 2020.
PEUC: Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation extends the length of Unemployment Insurance aid for a maximum of 24 weeks. The first stimulus deal extended UI benefits for 13 weeks, and the second stimulus package added an additional 11 weeks. New applicants (after Dec. 27, 2020) are only eligible for the 11-week extension. This program does not extend Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
Adam Hardy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. He covers the gig economy, remote work and other unique ways to make money. Read his âlatest articles here, or say hi on Twitter @hardyjournalism.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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Weâre big on investing. Itâs an important way to grow your money and set yourself up for retirement someday.
But is it dangerous to be too obsessed with the stock market?
You bet it is. Our financial advice columnist, Dear Penny, recently heard from a reader whose husband stopped funding his 401(k) so he can bet on the stock market, instead.
Is it OK that heâs stopped contributing to his 401(k) so he can trade stocks? the reader asked. How do I ask him what heâs actually investing in? Iâm worried that heâs gambling money that we need for our retirement.
Thatâs not the way to go. Here are five safer ways to invest and grow your money.
1. Just Steadily Invest Like a Normal Person
Instead of betting all your money on the stock market, just steadily invest in it. Take the long view. The stock market is unpredictable, which means that sometimes stock prices go up, and sometimes they go down â but over time, they tend to go up.
If you havenât started investing and have some money to spare, you can start small. Investing doesnât require you throwing thousands of dollars at full shares of stocks. In fact, you can get started with as little as $1.*
We like Stash, because it lets you choose from hundreds of stocks and funds to build your own investment portfolio. But it makes it simple by breaking them down into categories based on your personal goals. Want to invest conservatively right now? Totally get it! Want to dip in with moderate or aggressive risk? Do what you feel.
Plus, with Stash, youâre able to invest in fractions of shares, which means you can invest in funds you wouldnât normally be able to afford.
If you sign up now (it takes two minutes), Stash will give you $5 after you add $5 to your invest account. Subscription plans start at $1 a month.**
2. Grow Your Money 16x Faster â Without Risking Any of It
Save some of your money in a safer place than the stock market â but where youâll still earn money on it.
Under your mattress or in a safe will get you nothing. And a typical savings account wonât do you much better. (Ahem, 0.06% is nothing these days.)
But a debit card called Aspiration lets you earn up to 5% cash back and up to 16 times the average interest on the money in your account.
Not too shabby!
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 âthis is totally safe.â
3. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company
One way to make sure you have more money is to stop wasting money on credit card interest. Your credit card company is getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called AmOne wants to help.
If you owe your credit card companies $50,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
The benefit? Youâll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.49% APR), youâll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
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.
It takes two minutes to see if you qualify for up to $50,000 online. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but donât worry â they wonât spam you with phone calls.
4. Cut Your Bills by $540/Year
Another way to grow your money: Stop overpaying on your bills.
For example, whenâs the last time you checked car insurance prices? You should shop your options every six months or so â it could save you some serious money. Letâs be real, though. Itâs probably not the first thing you think about when you wake up. But it doesnât have to be.
A website called Insure makes it super easy to compare car insurance prices. All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and your age, and itâll show you your options â and even discounts in your area.
Using Insure, people have saved an average of $540 a year.
Yup. That could be $500 back in your pocket just for taking a few minutes to look at your options.
5. Add $225 to Your Wallet Just for Watching the News
Hereâs a safe way to earn a little cash on the side.
Weâre living in historic times, and weâre all constantly refreshing for the latest news updates. You probably know more than one news-junkie who fancies themselves an expert in respiratory illness or a political mastermind.
And research companies want to pay you to keep watching. You could add up to $225 a month to your pocket by signing up for a free account with InboxDollars. Theyâll present you with short news clips to choose from every day, then ask you a few questions about them.
You just have to answer honestly, and InboxDollars will continue to pay you every month. This might sound too good to be true, but itâs already paid its users more than $56 million.
It takes about one minute to sign up, and start getting paid to watch the news.
Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He tries not to be obsessed with the stock market.
*For Securities priced over $1,000, purchase of fractional shares starts at $0.05.
**Youâll also bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the ETFs in your account, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash and the custodian.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Become a Flathead and receive a free dessert for your birthday. Youâll also get a free Tijuana Trio when you sign up.
Kendra Scott offers a 50% birthday discount on one fashion jewelry or color bar item. It also offers a 25% discount on fine jewelry, sterling silver jewelry or gold vermeil jewelry. You can also get 25% off a home goods item. Find out more information here.
Members of the Kohlâs Rewards program get a âspecial birthday gift.â
Join the Wiener Loversâ Club, and get a free coupon each year on your birthday, plus a free chili dog for joining.
As a member of the Anthro Loyalty program, you will get a âspecial treat to celebrate your birthday.â
Auntie Anneâs
Join Fudgie Fanatics to receive a free treat for your birthday. You can get a small soft serve birthday cone, take off any cake (except for a small square) or take off any sheet cake.
Aveda
Receive a free cupcake (make that a bakerâs dozen if youâre a Red Velvet tier member) for your birthday when you join Sprinkles Perks.
Get a BOGO breakfast, brunch or lunch for your birthday as a member of the Sun EClub.
Bojanglesâ
Sign up for a Pinkcard or download the app, and receive a free yogurt on your birthday.
Brueggerâs Bagels
Join the eClub, and get off the purchase of two entrees, plus two free slices of pie, the choice of a free âMarieâs Magnificent Sixâ or a free slice of pie with the purchase of an entree on your birthday. Youâll also get a special dine-in offer for signing up. The company also sends special offers for your wedding anniversary and allows you to add family members so they can get birthday rewards.
Buca di Beppo
You need to spend to join Avedaâs loyalty rewards program, but youâll receive a birthday gift valued at , as well as double points for your next Aveda purchase.
If youâre a Raving Fan eClub member, you can enjoy a regular-size premium shake for your birthday, plus youâll get two free grilled chicken tacos when you sign up.
Chiliâs
Krispy Kreme Rewards members receive a free Original Glazed Dozen. Youâll also get a free doughnut when you sign up.
Chipotle
Receive a birthday gift when you sign up for JCPenney Rewards. If you are not a JCPenney credit card member, you must have earned points within the last 21 months.
Cinnabon
Get a birthday beverage or food item as a member of Starbucks Rewards.
Cold Stone Creamery
Join the YOMO Club, and get free yogurt on your birthday.
Columbia
Make sure youâre a member of the Waffle House Regulars Club to receive a free waffle on your birthday. Youâll also get free hashbrowns when you sign up.
Container Store
Sign up for My Harkins Rewards and receive a birthday coupon to use at the concessions.
Culverâs
Get a free Italian ice on your birthday when you download Ritaâs Ice App.
As a member of the Godiva Rewards Club, youâll get a free birthday chocolate offer every year.
Dippinâ Dots
These restaurants and retailers will provide you with free treats for your birthday. Be sure to sign up in advance.
Dunkinâ Donuts
Most of these places require you to sign up for their email list or join their rewards club at least seven days before your birthday.
Edible Arrangements
Join Premier Rewards Plus and get a free Pizookie for your birthday. Whatâs that? Itâs a big, warm cookie smothered in ice cream⦠yum. Whatâs even better is you donât have to wait for your birthday â youâll also get a free Pizookie just for signing up.
Einstein Bros. Bagels
Become an AMC Stubs Insider to get a free large popcorn during your birthday month. If youâre a Premiere or A-List member, youâll also get a free large fountain drink.
Famous Daveâs
When you become a BFF Club member, youâll receive a free birthday sundae.
Famous Footwear
Sign up for TCBY emails, and receive your first 3 ounces free on your birthday.
Firehouse Subs
Register for the Chefâs Table, and youâll get a birthday certificate.
First Watch
Create an account, join the Birthday Club, and get a free scoop of ice cream on your birthday.
Friendlyâs
Opt into the Birthday Club when you subscribe to Old Navyâs emails to get a âfree birthday gift.â
Godiva
As a member of So Connected, youâll get a choice of a free burger or a free garden bar entree on your birthday. Youâll also get a free appetizer for signing up.
Sign up for Dennyâs Rewards program online or via the mobile app. Youâll get 20% off your next visit, plus a free stack of buttermilk pancakes on your birthday when you order online at Dennys.com.
Hard Rock
Get a free dessert for your birthday when you join My Chiliâs Rewards Club, plus get free chips and salsa or a non-alcoholic beverage with every visit!
Hooters
Email club members get a free birthday entree, plus off just for joining.
Sign up for My Wei Rewards and choose from these birthday freebies: crab wontons, traditional edamame, vegetable spring rolls or pork egg roll. The reward will automatically appear in your app seven days prior to your birthday.
Members of the MyPerkins Club receive a free Magnificent Seven meal on their birthdays. The meal includes two eggs, any way you like, plus two smoked bacon strips and three buttermilk pancakes. Plus youâll get a 20% off coupon for signing up. You will also be able to add your children ages 12 and under so they can get birthday rewards, too.
Krispy Kreme
As a member of the ExtraCare Beauty Club, youâll get âbirthday gifts with beauty surprises,â as well as 10% off for joining.
Enjoy a free sundae on your birthday when you sign up for MyCulverâs. Youâll also get a BOGO value basket when you sign up.
Red Lobster
Download the Tropical Smoothie Cafe app to be eligible for a birthday reward. What you get depends on your loyalty tier, but it ranges from a reward to a free menu item.
Red Robin
Join the free DSW VIP Club to get a birthday reward. Youâll also get on your birthday if you spend 0 annually as a VIP Gold member, and youâll get if you spend 0 annually as a VIP Elite member.
Sign up for Arbyâs emails and get a free milkshake and curly fries on your birthday when you buy any sandwich. Youâll also get a free small fries and small soft drink when you sign up.
Ruby Tuesday
Get a complimentary dessert on your birthday by signing up for the eClub. Youâll get a free dessert or appetizer when you sign up.
Sephora
Members of Club Fondue will get a âbirthday voucher.â
Sbarro
Members of the Brueggerâs Bagels eClub will enjoy a âfree treatâ on their birthday, as well as a free bagel and cream cheese just for signing up.
Sign up for the email club, and get off when you spend at least . Youâll also get a free appetizer when you sign up.
Starbucks
Join Edible Rewards and receive a free 12-count chocolate dipped fruit box (valued at .99) during your birthday month. Youâll also get a coupon for signing up (valid for 30 days).
Subway
Become a member of the Slice Society to get a birthday surprise. Youâll also get a free New York slice when you buy a beverage after signing up.
Swagbucks
Join the Chipotle rewards program to get free chips and guacamole on your birthday when you make a purchase of or more. When you sign up and make your first purchase, youâll also get free chips and a choice of guacamole, queso blanco or salsa.
Pro Tip
Get a free birthday sub when you sign up for the email club.
TCBY
Sign up for Redbox Perks and receive a free birthday rental (it must be used within 60 days). Youâll also get a free one-night rental for signing up (that offer is valid for two weeks).
Texas Roadhouse
As an Ultamate Rewards member, youâll get an offer for extra bonus points on all purchases during your birthday month.
Sign up for the email club, and get a free dessert on your birthday.
The Spaghetti Warehouse
Subscribe to Club Cinnabon to get a free iced coffee on your birthday and a free order of BonBites for signing up.
Tijuana Flats
Get a free egg sandwich with a purchase on your birthday when you join the Shmear Society â not totally free, but hey, youâll need something to help wash that sandwich down. Youâll have 14 days to claim your reward.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
When you sign up for Factory First, youâll get an extra 20% off and free shipping on your birthday. Youâll also get an extra 15% off your first purchase after signing up.
Ulta Beauty
Members of the Pandora Club get a 15% discount during their birthday month. This offer can only be used one time and is valid on regular-priced jewelry only.
Uniqlo
Youâll receive a free pasta after signing up, as well as a birthday gift for joining the eClub.
Uno Pizzeria & Grill
Join Club Cantina and get free queso on your birthday, and just for signing up.
Waffle House
Download the Uniqlo app to get a birthday coupon during your birthday month.
Wienerschnitzel
Join the Warehouse Club, and get a free meal on your birthday, plus a free appetizer with an entree purchase for becoming a member of the club.
World Market
Get a free Bo-Berry Biscuit with a purchase on your birthday as a member of the Bojanglesâ eClub.
Yogurt Mountain
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Who doesn’t love getting something for nothing? Visit The Penny Hoarder Shop to see what freebies are available.
Sign up for the email club and youâll get a free appetizer or a sidekick of ribs on your birthday. As a member of the Longhorn Steakhouseâs eClub, youâll get âspecial offers and couponsâ on your birthday. Youâll also get a free appetizer when you sign up.
Itâs pretty hard to argue against having more money in the bank.
But what are you saving for? If you donât have solid financial goals, all those hoarded pennies might end up in limbo when they could be put to good use.
Figuring out where your money should go might seem daunting, but itâs actually a lot of fun.
You get to analyze your own priorities and decide exactly what to do with your hard-earned cash.
But to make the most of your money, follow a few best practices while setting your goals.
After all, even if something seems like exactly what you want right now, it might not be in future-youâs best interest. And youâre playing the long game⦠thatâs why theyâre called goals!
What to Do Before You Start Writing Your Financial Goals
To help keep you from financial goals like âbuy the coolest toys and cars,â which could easily get you deeply into debt while you watch your credit score plummet, weâve compiled this guide.
Itâll help you set goals and create smart priorities for your money. That way, however you decide to spend your truly discretionary income, you wonât leave the 10-years-from-now version of you in the lurch.
First Thingâs First: How Much Money Do You Have?
You canât decide on your short- or long-term financial goals if you donât know how much money you have or where itâs going.
And if youâre operating without a budget, it can be easy to run out of money well before you run out of expenses â even if you know exactly how much is in your paycheck.
So sit down and take a good, hard look at all of your financial info.
A ton of great digital apps can help you do this â here are our favorite budgeting apps â but it can be as simple as a spreadsheet or even a good, old-fashioned piece of paper. It just takes two steps:
Figure out how much money you have. It might be in checking or savings accounts, including long-term accounts like IRAs. Or, it might be wrapped up in investments or physical assets, like your paid-off car.
Assess any debts you have. Do you keep a revolving credit card balance? Do you pay a mortgage each month? Are your student loans still hanging around?
Take the full amount of money you owe and subtract it from the total amount you have, which you discovered in step one. The difference between the two is your net worth. Thatâs the total amount of money you have to your name.
If it seems like a lot, cool. Hang tight and donât let it burn a hole in your pocket. Weâre not done yet.
If it seems like⦠not a lot, well, you can fix that. Keep reading.
Create a Budget
Once youâve learned your net worth, you need to start thinking about a working budget.
This will essentially be a document with your total monthly income at the top and a list of all the expenses you need to pay for every month.
And I do mean all of the expenses â even that $4.99 recurring monthly payment for your student-discounted Spotify account definitely counts.
Your expenses probably include rent, electricity, cable or internet, a cell phone plan, various insurance policies, groceries, gas and transportation. It also includes categories like charitable giving, entertainment and travel.
Pro Tip
Print out the last two or three months of statements from your credit and debit cards and categorize every expense. You can often find ways to save by discovering patterns in your spending habits.
Itâll depend on your individual case â for instance, I totally have âwineâ as a budget line item.
See? Itâs all about priorities.
Need to go back to basics? Hereâs our guide on how to budget.
Start by listing how much you actually spent in each category last month. Subtract your total expenses from your total income. The difference should be equal to the amount of money left sitting in your bank account at monthâs end.
Itâs also the money you can use toward your long-term financial goals.
Want the number to be bigger? Go back through your budget and figure out where you can afford to make cuts. Maybe you can ditch the cable bill and decide between Netflix or Hulu, or replace a takeout lunch with a packed one.
You donât need to abandon the idea of having a life (and enjoying it), but there are ways to make budgetary adjustments that work for you.
Set the numbers youâre willing to spend in each category, and stick to them.
Congratulations. Youâre in control of your money.
Now you can figure out exactly what you want to do with it.
Setting Financial Goals
Before you run off to the cool-expensive-stuff store, hold on a second.
Your financial goals should be (mostly) in this order:
Build an emergency fund.
Pay down debt.
Plan for retirement.
Set short-term and long-term financial goals.
We say âmostlyâ because itâs ultimately up to you to decide in which order you want to accomplish them.
Many experts suggest making sure you have an emergency fund in place before aggressively going after your debt.
But if youâre hemorrhaging money on sky-high interest charges, you might not have much expendable cash to put toward savings.
That means youâll pay the interest for a lot longer â and pay a lot more of it â if you wait to pay it down until you have a solid emergency fund saved up.
1. Build an Emergency Fund
Finding money to sock away each month can be tough, but just starting with $10 or $25 of each paycheck can help.
You can make the process a lot easier by automating your savings. Or you can have money from each paycheck automatically sent to a separate account you wonât touch.
You also get to decide the size of your emergency fund, but a good rule of thumb is to accumulate three to six times the total of your monthly living expenses. Good thing your budget is already set up so you know exactly what that number is, right?
You might try to get away with a smaller emergency fund â even $1,000 is a better cushion than nothing. But if you lose your job, you still need to be able to eat and make rent.
2. Pay Down Debt
Now, letâs move on to repaying debt. Whyâs it so important, anyway?
Because youâre wasting money on interest charges you could be applying toward your goals instead.
So even though becoming debt-free seems like a big sacrifice right now, youâre doing yourself a huge financial favor in the long run.
Thereâs lots of great information out there about how to pay off debt, but itâs really a pretty simple operation: You need to put every single penny you can spare toward your debts until they disappear.
One method is known as the debt avalanche method, which involves paying off debt with the highest interest rates first, thereby reducing the overall amount youâll shell out for interest.
For example, if you have a $1,500 revolving balance on a credit card with a 20% APR, it gets priority over your $14,000, 5%-interest car loan â even though the second number is so much bigger.
Pro Tip
If youâre motivated by quick wins, the debt snowball method may be a good fit for you. It involves paying off one loan balance at a time, starting with the smallest balance first.
Make a list of your debts and (ideally) donât spend any of your spare money on anything but paying them off until the number after every account reads â$0.â Trust me, the day when you become debt-free will be well worth the effort.
As a bonus, if your credit score could be better, repaying revolving debt will also help you repair it â just in case some of your goals (like buying a home) depend upon your credit report not sucking.
3. Plan for Retirement
All right, youâre all set in case of an emergency and youâre living debt-free.
Congratulations! Weâre almost done with the hard part, I promise.
But thereâs one more very important long-term financial goal you most definitely want to keep in mind: retirement.
Did you know almost half of Americans have absolutely nothing saved so they can one day clock out for the very last time?
And the trouble isnât brand-new: Weâve been bad enough at saving for retirement over the past few decades that millions of todayâs seniors canât afford to retire.
If you ever want to stop working, you need to save up the money youâll use for your living expenses.
And you need to start now, while compound interest is still on your side. The younger you are, the more time you have to watch those pennies grow, but donât fret if you got a late start â hereâs how to save for retirement in your 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
If your job offers a 401(k) plan, take advantage of it â especially if your employer will match your contributions! Trust me, the sting of losing a percentage of your paycheck will hurt way less than having to work into your golden years.
Ideally, youâll want to find other ways to save for retirement, too. Look into individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) and figure out how much you need to contribute to meet your retirement goals.
Future you will thank you. Heartily. From a hammock.
FROM THE BUDGETING FORUM
Starting a budget
S
A reminder NOT to spend.
Grocery Shopping – How far away is your usual store?
F
Budgeting 101
See more in Budgeting or ask a money question
4. Set Short-Term and Long-Term Financial Goals (the Fun Part!)
Is everything in order? Amazing!
Youâre in awesome financial shape â and youâve made it to the fun part of this post.
Consider the funds you have left â and those youâll continue to earn â after taking care of all the financial goals above. Now think: What do you want to do with your money?
What experiences or things can your money buy to significantly increase your quality of life and happiness?
You might plan to travel more, take time off work to spend with family or drive the hottest new Porsche.
Maybe you want to have a six-course meal at the finest restaurant in the world or work your way through an extensive list of exotic and expensive wines. (OK, Iâll stop projecting.)
No matter your goals, itâs helpful to categorize them by how long theyâll take to save for.
Make a list of the goals you want to achieve with your money and which category they fall into. Then you can figure out how to prioritize your savings for each objective.
For example, some of my goals have included:
Short-term financial goal: Save spending money for a trip overseas.
Medium-term financial goal: Pay off my car within a year, or sell it â and its onerous loan â and buy an older car I can own free and clear.
Long-term financial goal: Buy a house I can use as a home base and increase my income by renting it out while I travel. This will probably take me through the rest of my 20s.
By writing down my short- and long-term financial goals and approximately how long I expect it will take to achieve each, I can figure out what to research and how aggressively I need to plan for each goal.
It also offers me the opportunity to see what I prioritize â and to revise those priorities if I see fit.
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Setting up a budget is challenging. Doing it forces you to face your spending habits and then work to change them.
But when you decide to make a budget, it means youâre serious about your money. Maybe you even have some financial goals in mind.
The end result will bring you peace of mind. But if youâre creating a budget for the first time, remember that budgets will vary by individual and family. Itâs important to set up a budget thatâs a fit for YOU.
Budgeting for Beginners in 5 Painless Steps
Follow these basic steps and tailor them to your needs to create a monthly budget that will set you up for financial success.
Step 1: Set a Financial Goal
First thingâs first: Why do you want a budget?
Your reason will be your anchor and incentive as you create a budget, and it will help you stick to it.
Set a short-term or long-term goal. It can be to pay off debts like student loans, credit cards or a mortgage, or to save for retirement, an emergency fund, a new car, a home down payment or a vacation.
For example, creating a budget is a must for many people trying to buy their first home. But it shouldnât stop there. Once youâve bought a home, keep sticking to a budget in order to pay off debt and give yourself some wiggle room for unexpected expenses.
Once one goal is complete, you can move on to another and personalize your budget to fit whatever your needs are.
Step 2: Log Your Income, Expenses and Savings
Youâll want to use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or another budget template to track all of your monthly expenses and spending. List out each expense line by line. This list is the foundation for your monthly budget.
Tally Your Monthly Income
Review your pay stubs and determine how much money you and anyone else in your household take home every month. Include any passive income, rental income, child support payments or side gigs.
If your income varies, estimate as best as you can, or use the average of your income for the past three months.
Make a List of Your Mandatory Monthly Expenses
Start with:
Rent or mortgage payment.
Living expenses like utilities (electric, gas and water bills), internet and phone.
Car payment and transportation costs.
Insurance (car, life, health).
Child care.
Groceries.
Debt repayments for things like credit cards, student loans, medical debt, etc.
Anything that will result in a late fee for not paying goes in this category.
List Non-Essential Monthly and Irregular Expenses
Non-essential expenses include entertainment, coffee, subscription and streaming services, memberships, cable TV, gifts, dining out and miscellaneous items.
Donât forget to account for expenses you donât incur every month, such as annual fees, taxes, car registration, oil changes and one-time charges. Add them to the month in which they usually occur OR tally up all of your irregular expenses for the year and divide by 12 so you can work them into your monthly budget.
Pro Tip
Review all of your bank account statements for the past 12 months to make sure you donât miss periodic expenses like quarterly insurance premiums.
Donât Forget Your Savings
Be sure to include a line item for savings in your monthly budget. Use it for those short- or long-term savings goals, building up an emergency fund or investments.
Figure out how much you can afford â no matter how big or small. If you get direct deposit, saving can be simplified with an automated paycheck deduction. Something as little as $10 a week adds up to over $500 in a year.
Step 3: Adjust Your Expenses to Match Your Income
Now, what does your monthly budget look like so far?
Are you living within your income, or spending more money than you make? Either way, itâs time to make some adjustments to meet your goals.
How to Cut Your Expenses
If you are overspending each month, donât panic. This is a great opportunity to evaluate areas to save money now that you have itemized your spending. Truthfully, this is the exact reason you created a budget!
Here are some ways you can save money each month:
Cut optional outings like happy hours and eating out. Even cutting a $4 daily purchase on weekdays will add up to over $1,000 a year.
Consider pulling the plug on cable TV or a subscription service. The average cost of cable is $1,284 a year, so if you cut the cord and switch to a streaming service, you could save at least $50 a month.
Fine-tune your grocery bill and practice meal prepping. Youâll save money by planning and prepping recipes for the week that use many of the same ingredients. Use the circulars to see whatâs on sale, and plan your meals around those sales.
Make homemade gifts for family and friends. Special occasions and holidays happen constantly and can get expensive. Honing in on thoughtful and homemade gifts like framed pictures, magnets and ornaments costs more time and less money.
Consolidate credit cards or transfer high-interest balances. You can consolidate multiple credit card payments into one and lower the amount of interest youâre paying every month by applying for a debt consolidation loan or by taking advantage of a 0% balance-transfer credit card offer. The sooner you pay off that principal balance, the sooner youâll be out of debt.
Refinance loans. Refinancing your mortgage, student loan or car loan can lower your interest rates and cut your monthly payments. You could save significantly if youâve improved your credit since you got the original loan.
Get a new quote for car insurance to lower monthly payments. Use a free online service to shop around for new quotes based on your needs. A $20 savings every month is $20 that can go toward savings or debt repayments.
Start small and see how big of a wave it makes.
Oh, and donât forget to remind yourself of your financial goal when youâre craving Starbucks at 3 p.m. But remember that itâs OK to treat yourself â occasionally.
What to Do With Your Extra Cash
If you have money left over after paying for your monthly expenses, prioritize building an emergency fund if you donât have one.
Having an emergency fund is often what makes it possible to stick to a budget. Because when an unexpected expense crops up, like a broken appliance or a big car repair, you wonât have to borrow money to cover it.
When you do dip into that emergency fund, immediately start building it up again.
Otherwise, you can use any extra money outside your expenses to reach your financial goals.
Here are four questions to ask yourself before dipping into your emergency fund..
Step 4: Choose a Budgeting Method
You have your income, expenses and spending spelled out in a monthly budget, but how do you act on it? Trying out a budgeting method helps manage your money and accommodates your lifestyle.
Living on a budget doesnât mean you canât have fun or splurges, and fortunately many budgeting methods account for those things. Here are a few to consider:
The Envelope System is a cash-based budgeting system that works well for overspenders. It curbs excess spending on debit and credit cards because youâre forced to withdraw cash and place it into pre-labeled envelopes for your variable expenses (like groceries and clothing) instead of pulling out that plastic.Â
The 50/20/30 Method is for those with more financial flexibility and who can pay all their bills with 50% of their income. You apply 50% of your income to living expenses, 20% toward savings and/or debt reduction, and 30% to personal spending (vacations, coffee, entertainment). This way, you can have fun and save at the same time. Because your basic needs can only account for 50% of your income, itâs typically not a good fit for those living paycheck to paycheck.
The 60/20/20 Budget uses the same concept as the 50/20/30, except you apply 60% of your income to living expenses, 20% toward savings and/or debt reduction, and 20% to personal spending. Itâs a good fit for fans of the 50/20/30 Method who need to devote more of their incomes to living costs.
The Zero-Based Budget makes you account for all of your income. You budget for your expenses and bills, and then assign any extra money toward your goals. The strict system is good for people trying to pay off debt as fast as possible. Itâs also beneficial for those living to paycheck to paycheck.
Budgeting Apps
Another money management option is to use a budgeting app. Apps can help you organize and access your personal finances on the go and can alert you of finance charges, late fees and bill payment due dates. Many also offer free credit score monitoring.
FROM THE BUDGETING FORUM
Starting a budget
S
A reminder NOT to spend.
Grocery Shopping – How far away is your usual store?
F
Budgeting 101
See more in Budgeting or ask a money question
Step 5: Follow Through
Budgeting becomes super easy once you get in the groove, but you canât set it and forget it. You should review your budget monthly to monitor your expenses and spending and adjust accordingly. Review checking and savings account statements for any irregularities even if you set bills to autopay.
Even if your income increases, try to prioritize saving the extra money. That will help you avoid lifestyle inflation, which happens when your spending increases as your income rises.
The thrill of being debt-free or finally having enough money to travel might even inspire you to seek out other financial opportunities or advice. For example, if youâre looking for professional help, set up a consultation with a certified financial planner who can assist you with long-term goals like retirement and savings plans.
Related: How to Budget: The Ultimate Guide
Stephanie Bolling is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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Take a moment. Think about being your best self â living your best life.
What do you really want to do with your life? Raise a happy family? Travel the world? Buy a nice house? Start your own business?
Reality check: To accomplish any of those things, youâre going to need to know how to save money.
Unfortunately, Americans are bad at saving money, and weâre getting worse. Thanks to rising costs, stagnant salaries and student loan debt, weâre saving less than ever.
Table of ContentsÂ
Step 1: Develop Savings Goals and Strategies
Step 2: Pick Budgeting and Debt Repayment Methods
Step 3: Choose a Financial Institution and Accounts
Step 4: Automate Your Finances
Step 5: Establish a Budget-Conscious Lifestyle
Step 6: Make More Money
Here Are Our Best Tips to Save Money
Are you ready to actually start saving money? What youâre reading is a step-by-step guide on how to do it â how to come up with savings strategies, choose a budgeting method, pick the right financial institution, automate your finances and live a budget-conscious lifestyle.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and buckle up. Itâs time to get serious about this.
Step 1: Develop Savings Goals and Strategies
Youâre probably asking yourself, âHow much should I save?â
Your first move is to set specific savings goals for yourself â emphasis on specific. Naming your goals will make them more real to you. Itâll help you resist the temptation to spend your money on other stuff.
Think Long Term and Short Term
What exactly do you want to save money for? How much will you need to save? And what do you need to save for first? Think short- and long-term:
Short-term: Save for a real vacation or nice holiday gifts. But first, save enough to have a decent emergency fund â three to six monthsâ worth of living expenses, in case you run into an unexpected car-repair bill or lose your job, for example.
Long-term: This involves big-picture thinking. Here, youâre saving money for things like your childrenâs college fund or for your retirement plan.
Analyze Your Income
How much can you realistically save for these goals, now that youâre making them a priority?
Write down your income and expenses â all of your expenses, from utility bills to your Netflix subscription. There are probably more ways to save money than you realize. Donât forget your student loans or credit card debt. Make sure you know what youâre spending in every budget category. Pay special attention to what youâre spending on non-essentials, such as eating out.
An easy way to automate this process is to use Trim, a little bot thatâll keep track of all your transactions.
Connect your checking account, credit card and savings account for a big-picture look at your spending habits. Then, take a closer look by checking out each of your transactions. Set alerts thatâll let you know when bills are due, when youâve hit a spending cap or when youâve (hopefully not) overdrafted. This will help you stick with your savings plan.
Check in on Your Credit
Do your own credit check. Keeping tabs on your credit score and your credit reports can help guide you to a financially healthier life â especially if you use a free credit-monitoring service like Credit Sesame. It gives you personalized suggestions for improving your credit.
The better your credit, the better off youâll be when youâre getting a home or car loan. Credit Sesame can estimate how big a mortgage you might qualify for, for example.
Hereâs our ultimate guide to using Credit Sesame.
Step 2: Pick Budgeting and Debt Repayment Methods
Itâs time to start making a monthly budget and sticking to it â especially if you have debt.
This way, you can put savings right into your budget. Itâs never an afterthought.
Here are five different budgeting methods. We canât tell you which one to choose. Be honest with yourself, and choose the one you think is most likely to work for you. This is how to save money on a tight budget.
The 50/30/20 Rule
This one was popularized by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a bankruptcy expert, and her business-executive daughter Amelia Warren Tyagi.
Split your income into three spending categories: 50% goes to essential bills and monthly expenses, 20% toward financial goals and 30% to personal spending (all the stuff you like to spend money on but donât really need). Put the money earmarked for your financial goals into a separate savings account.
Good for: People who worry they wonât have a life if theyâre on a budget. Hereâs our complete guide to 50/30/20 budgeting.
Envelope Budgeting
So-called envelope budgeting is traditionally a cash-only budget. Every month, you use cash for different categories of spending, and you keep that cash for each category in separate envelopes â labeled for groceries, housing, phone, etc.
Prefer plastic? Hereâs our review of Mvelopes, an app that lets you digitize this method.
Good for: People who know they need help with self-control. If thereâs nothing left in one envelope toward the end of the month, thereâs no more money to spend on that category, period.
Zero-Based Budget
Hereâs how you draw up this budget: Your income minus your expenses (including savings) equals zero. This way, you have to justify every expense.
Good for: People who need a simple, straightforward method that accounts for every dollar. Hereâs our guide to the zero-based budget.
Debt Avalanche
This debt-repayment method helps you budget when you have debt. Pay off your debts with the highest interest rates first â most likely your credit cards. Doing that can save you a lot of money over time.
Good for: People with a lot of credit card debt. Credit cards generally charge you higher interest than other lenders do. Learn more about the debt avalanche method here.
Debt Snowball
Money management guru Dave Ramsey champions the debt snowball method of debt repayment. Pay off your debts with the smallest balances first. This allows you to eliminate debts from your list faster, which can motivate you to keep going.
Good for: People who owe a lot of different kinds of debts â credit cards, student loans, etc. â and who need motivation. Hereâs how to use the debt snowball method to eliminate debt.
FROM THE DEBT FORUM
Eviction on credit report
Helping Covid-19 Victims
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Step 3: Choose a Financial Institution and Accounts
You might be thinking, I already have a bank. And of course you do. If youâre like most of us, youâve had the same bank for years.
Most people donât give this a second thought. They figure itâs too inconvenient to switch. But itâs worth shopping around for a better option, because where you bank can make a real difference in how much you save.
What to Look for in a Bank Account
Does your checking account pay you interest? What are the fees like? What other perks does it offer?
Did you know the biggest U.S. banks are collecting more than $6 billion a year in overdraft and ATM fees?
Maybe itâs time to try another financial institution. Weâve found some great online bank accounts to help you avoid fees and get features you wonât find with the brick-and-mortar banks.
Hereâs one example: Thereâs a mobile baking app called Varo Money.
The FDIC reports that the average savings account pays a paltry .08% APY*, but when you open an online checking and savings account with Varo, it will pay you more than 20 times that amount on your savings account.Â
We know opening a new bank account isnât exactly everyoneâs idea of fun, but Varo makes it easy. You can open an account with just a penny, and more than 750,000 people have already signed up.
Oh, and there are no monthly fees.Â
Want more options? Hereâs our ultimate guide to help you choose the right account.
To free up more money for savings, try to spend less paying interest on your debts â especially if you have high-interest credit card debt.
These days, credit card interest rates often climb north of 20%. How can you avoid paying all that interest? Your best bet is to cut back on your expenses and pay off your balance as soon as you realistically can.
Start by using the right credit card for you, based on your situation and needs. Would you prefer a card that gives you cash back or travel incentives, a balance-transfer card, or a card thatâll help you build credit?
Also consider paying off your high-interest debt with a low-interest personal loan. Itâs easier than you might think. Go window-shopping at an online marketplace for personal loans. Here are some weâve test-driven for you:
AmOne allows you to compare rates side-by-side from multiple lenders who are competing against each other for your business. Itâs best for borrowers who have good credit scores and just want to consolidate their debt.
Fiona is also a marketplace but allows you to borrow more money and borrow it for a longer period of time â if thatâs what you want to do.
Upstart tends to be helpful for recent grads, who have a young credit history and a mound of student debt. It can help you find a loan without relying on only your conventional credit score.
Step 4: Automate Your Finances
Thatâs right. Weâre deep into the 21st century, here, so make technology do the work for you.
The best ways to save include automation. Youâll save time, and time is money. Here are a few money-management steps you can take today to ensure you wonât have to think about money for more than a few minutes every month.Â
Automate Bill Pay
Most bills are paid online now, reports the Credit Union Times. But you can take it a step further. Set it up so youâll receive and pay all of your bills online through your bank. That simplifies things so youâll never miss a payment.
Hereâs how: Go to your bankâs online bill-pay feature. Enter all the companies that bill you, and the account numbers for each. Arrange to receive e-bills from whichever billers will do that.
You can also have your bank send digital payments to individuals (like a landlord).
Automate Savings
Whatever you need done financially, thereâs an app for that. Weâve put several to the test.
Digit is an automated savings platform that calculates how much money you can save. Hereâs our review of Digit.
Long Game Savings combines online games and saving money.
Also, see whether your bank offers automatic savings transfers that will move money from your checking account to your savings account each month.
Automate Investing
You donât have to be Warren Buffett to be an investor. You donât even have to follow the stock market, read The Wall Street Journal or watch CNBC.
You can take advantage of these apps offering easy, automatic ways to start investing â the âset it and forget itâ method. Theyâre useful for tricking your brain into saving more. Youâll do it without even realizing youâre doing it.
Stash lets you start investing with as little as $5 and for just a $1 monthly fee for balances under $5,000. Bonus: Penny Hoarders get $5 just for signing up!
Acorns connects to your checking account, credit and debit cards to save your digital change. It automatically rounds up purchases with your connected cards and invests the digital change into your chosen portfolio. Bonus: Penny Hoarders get $5 just for signing up! Read our full review of Acorns here.
Blooom is a company that offers a free âhealth check-upâ for your 401(k). Then, for only $10 a month (Penny Hoarders get the first month free!), itâll optimize and manage your retirement savings for you. See how Blooom helped one Penny Hoarder make the most of her 401(k).
Automate Budgeting
You can automate your budget, too. Thereâs an app for that. Actually, weâve found several.
Charlie is a money-saving penguin who lives in your SMS text messages or Facebook Messenger (your choice, though Charlie is more fun and reliable on Messenger). He helps you save money through things like making sure youâre getting the best deals around (ahem, overpaying $24 a month on that cell phone bill?).
Mint lets you see all your accounts, cards, bills and investments in one place.
Medean for iOS ranks your finances based on how they stack up to those of people of similar age, income, location and gender. It calls itself a âhealth index for your finances,â and helps assess your situation and find ways to save money.
MoneyLion offers rewards to help you develop healthy financial habits and will literally pay you for logging onto the app. You can earn points in the rewards program by paying bills on time, connecting your bank account or downloading the mobile app.
Step 5: Establish a Budget-Conscious Lifestyle
Hereâs the harsh reality: To save more money, youâll need to spend less money. (Or make more money, but weâll get to that next.)
That doesnât mean you have to live like a monk. Nor do you have to survive on ramen noodles and the dollar menu, wear scuffed shoes and patchy clothes, or cut your own hair with hedge clippers.
You just have to be smart and strategic. Here are some of our best tips to help you spend less:
Save Money Around the House
Your home is your castle. But castles are so, like, expensive. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to save money around the house.
Your priciest purchases â like appliances and furniture â are a natural place to look for savings. Try repairing your appliances instead of replacing them. And hereâs a good list of other tricks for saving on furniture and appliances.
The cost of cooling, heating and lighting your home is massive. Try installing thermal curtains and a programmable thermostat. Or check out these creative, energy-saving ways to slash your utility bills.
Find Free Entertainment
Entertainment can cost an arm and a leg. But hey, we have to live, right? So do it for free! Next time youâre planning a night out, take advantage of one of these free date nights or group outings.
If youâre going to stay in, cut the cord. More and more people are doing this, because their cable bill has gotten so expensive.
If youâre thinking of switching to an online streaming service and youâre wondering which would be best, weâve got you covered with our comparison of Netflix, Prime Video and Hulu. We compared costs, type of content, number of available titles and more.
You also should reconsider that gym membership if youâre not really using it.
Cut Your Food Budget
Groceries are a huge part of everyoneâs budget, so theyâre a big target for savings. Next time youâre putting together your shopping list, make sure to check out our favorite tricks to save money at the grocery store:
Look for free printable coupons.
Compare your local grocery prices using this worksheet.
Ibotta pays you cash back on purchases if you take pictures of your grocery store receipts. Plus, youâll get a $10 bonus for signing up!
Scan grocery storesâ websites for deals and hit more than one store.
Not loving the supermarket? Nearly 70% of us say we spend too much on take-out or going out to eat. Hereâs how to save money at restaurants, too.
Find out If Youâre Wasting Money on Insurance
Buying insurance can be confusing and overwhelming, because there are so many options.
Hereâs how to find affordable insurance:
For Your Car: Auto Insurance
Here are the blunt facts about how to get lower car insurance premiums: Have fewer accidents, get fewer traffic tickets and boost your credit score.
Automotive experts also gave us the following tips:
Buy a used car.
Participate in your insurerâs safe-driving program.
Shop around for better rates. One easy way is The Zebra, a car insurance search engine that compares your options from more than 200 providers in less than 60 seconds. Hereâs how one guy is saving $360 this year on car insurance because of The Zebra.
For Yourself: Health Insurance
Letâs face it: Health insurance can be confusing and intimidating.
If youâre buying insurance for yourself, start with the federal health insurance marketplace at Healthcare.gov to see whether you qualify for any discounts or assistance.
Finding affordable health care coverage is a huge challenge for freelancers. Hereâs how to get covered if youâre self-employed.
For Your Family: Life Insurance
Life insurance pays your dependents a set amount of money if you die. Whether to buy it is a judgment call.
Life insurance is considered more important if youâre married or have children. You might also want a basic policy that would pay off your funeral, mortgage or other debt.
Youâll probably be asked to choose between two options: term or universal life insurance. If youâre like most of us, youâll choose term â the simplest, cheapest and most popular kind of life insurance policy.
To help you save money and navigate this complicated industry, modern companies are updating the old model:
Policygenius is an online-only platform that offers instant quotes from top carriers to help you make a quicker decision. Once you choose a life insurance company, you can apply right online, and a Policygenius rep will give you a quick call to ask a few follow-up questions.
Haven Life can insure you quickly based just on the health information you provide online.
Ethos can get you term life insurance in less than 10 minutes â with no medical exam â for coverage up to $1 million. Ethos offers a digital application, and customer service is available if you have questions.
Step 6: Make More Money
How can you increase your income? Itâs easier to save money if youâre bringing in more money to begin with.
Here are a couple of simple ways to make extra cash at home:
Share Your Opinion
You wonât get rich taking surveys, but if youâre just vegging out on the couch, why not click a couple buttons and earn a few bucks? Weâve tried a lot of paid survey sites, and two of the best weâve found are My Points and InboxDollars.
Clear Your Closets
Sell your old stuff! Use the Decluttr app to get paid for your old DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs, video games, gaming consoles and phones.
You can also sell nearly anything through the Letgo app. Just snap a photo of your item and set up a listing in about 30 seconds. If you have more free time, try selling items on Craigslist or eBay.
Find a Side Gig
For our best ideas to boost your bottom line, check out the following:
Unique ways to make money at home.
How to make extra money online.
How to earn passive income.
The Penny Hoarderâs continually updated page on open work-from-home jobs.
Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Heâs slowly getting better about saving money.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Youâll get the simplicity of a single payment, plus youâll typically pay less interest since loan interest rates tend to be lower. (If you canât get a loan that lowers your interest rate, this probably isnât a good option.)
Through April 2021, you can get one free credit report per week from each bureau. (Typically, youâre only entitled to one free credit report per year from each bureau.) Make sure you access your reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, rather than one of the many websites that offer âfreeâ credit scores but will make you put down your credit card number to sign up for a trial. File a dispute with the bureaus if you find anything you think is inaccurate or any accounts you donât recognize.
But if youâre in the market for a mortgage or loan, donât worry about multiple inquiries. As long as you limit your shopping to a 45-day window, credit bureaus will treat it as a single inquiry, so the impact on your score will be minimal.
How to Build Good Credit in 10 Steps
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior editor at The Penny Hoarder. She writes the Dear Penny personal finance advice column. Send your tricky money questions to DearPenny@thepennyhoarder.com.
1. Stay on Top of Your Credit Reports
The downside of a higher credit limit: Youâll have more money to spend that isnât really yours. To get the biggest credit score boost from a limit increase and avoid paying more in interest, make sure you donât add to your balance.
By using a loan to pay off your credit cards, youâll also free up credit and lower your credit utilization ratio.
Ready to make 2021 the year you finally prove your creditworthiness? Or are you looking to recover from a 2020 setback? Hereâs how to build good credit in 10 steps.
Pro Tip
This resolution is different. No extreme measures are required. But there arenât any shortcuts. Building good credit is a goal you need to commit to 12 months a year.
2. Pay Your Bills. On Time. Every Single Month
Opening a secured credit card is one of our favorite ways to build a positive history when you canât get approved for a regular credit card or loan. You put down a refundable deposit, and that becomes your line of credit.
A lot of New Yearâs resolutions fail because theyâre so extreme. Think of all the bonkers weight-loss and money-saving goals that surface at the start of every year.
Focus on your overall financial picture, and youâll probably see your credit score improve, too. Remember, though, that while credit scores matter, you matter more.
3. Establish Credit, Even if Youâve Made Mistakes
After about a year of making your payments on time, youâll typically qualify for an unsecured line of credit. Just make sure the card issuer you choose reports your payments to the credit bureaus. Look for a card with an annual fee of no more than . Some secured card options we like (and no, weâre not getting paid to say this):
Bonus: Paying off credit card debt first will typically save you money, because credit cards tend to have higher interest rates than other types of debt.
4. Open a Secured Card if You Donât Qualify for a Regular Card
Tackling credit card debt helps your credit score a lot more than paying down other debts, like a student loan or mortgage. The reason? Your credit utilization ratio is determined exclusively by your lines of credit. Source: thepennyhoarder.com
Discover it Secured
OpenSky Secured Visa Card
Secured Mastercard from Capital One
5. Ask for a Limit Increase. Pretend You Never Got It
Donât believe the myth that carrying a small credit card balance helps your credit score. Paying off your balance in full each month is best for your score, plus it saves you money on interest.
If you want to whip your finances into shape, hereâs a good New Yearâs resolution: improving your credit score.
Yeah, you knew we were going to say this: Paying your bills on time is the No. 1 thing you can do to build good credit. Your payment history determines 35% of your score, more than any other credit factor.
Pro Tip
If the bureaus agree to remove information from your credit reports, expect to wait about 30 days until your reports are updated.
6. Prioritize Credit Card Debt Over Loans
Provided you arenât paying ridiculous fees, keep your credit card accounts open once youâve paid off the balance. Credit scoring methods reward you for having a long credit history.
You typically need a credit card or loan to build a credit history. (Sorry, but all those on-time rent and utility payments are rarely reported to the credit bureaus, so they wonât help your score.)
7. Keep Your Old Accounts Active
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
If youâre struggling with credit card debt, consolidating your credit card debt with a loan could be a good option. In a nutshell, you take out a loan to wipe out your credit card balances.
8. Apply for New Credit Selectively
Many debt consolidation loans require a credit score of about 620. If your score falls below this threshold, work on improving your score for a few months before you apply for one.
When you apply for credit, it results in a hard inquiry, which usually drops your score by a few points. So avoid applying frequently for new credit cards, as this can signal financial distress.
9. Still Overwhelmed? A Debt Consolidation Loan Could Help
If you have open credit, ask your current creditors for an increase, rather than applying for new credit. That way, youâll avoid lowering your length of credit, which could ding your score.
But if you have bad credit or youâre a credit newbie, getting approved for a credit card or loan is tough. Look for cards that are specifically marketed to help people start or rebuild credit. Store credit cards, which only let you make purchases at a specific retailer, can also be a good option.
Set whatever bills you can to autopay for at least the minimums to avoid missing payments. You can always pay extra if you can afford it.
Make a purchase at least once every three months on the account, as credit card companies often close inactive accounts. Then pay it off in full.
10. Keep Your Credit Score in Perspective
All the credit-monitoring tools out there make it easy to obsess about your credit score. While itâs important to build good credit, look at the bigger picture. A few final thoughts:
Lenders look at more than your credit score. Having a low debt-to-income ratio, decent down payment and steady paycheck all increase your odds of approval when youâre making a big purchase, even if your credit score is lackluster.
Donât focus on your score if you canât pay for necessities. If youâre struggling and you have to choose between paying your credit card vs. paying your rent, keeping food on the table or getting medical care, paying your credit card is always the lower priority. Of course, talk to your creditors if you canât afford to pay them, as they may have options.
Itâs essential to monitor your credit reports, especially if you received a hardship agreement from a lender due to COVID-19. Under the CARES Act rules, lenders are supposed to report your account as paid in full while the agreement is in effect, as long as you werenât already delinquent. But mistakes happen. Even in normal times, about 1 in 5 credit reports contained inaccurate information.
A strong payment history takes time to build. If youâve made late payments, theyâll stay on your credit reports for seven years. The good news is, they do the most damage to your score in the first two years. After that, the impact starts to fade.
Your credit reports wonât show you your credit score, but you can use a free credit-monitoring service to check your score. (No, checking your own credit doesnât hurt your score.) Many banks and credit card companies also give you your credit scores for free.
Increasing your credit limits helps your score because it decreases your credit utilization ratio. Thatâs credit score speak for the percentage of credit youâre using. The standard recommendation is to keep this number below 30%, but really, the closer to zero the better. Now go crush those goals in 2021 and beyond.
