This is your complete guide for making money through the e-commerce giant. bluedog studio / Shutterstock.com
The average American spends $92 per month on Amazon. U.S. consumers received nearly 6 billion packages from those ubiquitous Amazon vans in 2023. With all the spending, have you ever considered making money with the e-commerce behemoth? Here’s your guide on how to make money with Amazon in 2024. Use this guide to find an approach that fits your skills, time and money goals.
The huge array of products at Costco make it easy to overlook great deals. Take a look at a few you may have missed. [[{“value”:”
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Some of Costco’s great deals are already quite well known. The rotisserie chicken is certainly no secret. And the $1.50 hot dog combo is particularly famous, thanks to passionate defense of its price from a former CEO.
However, many of the best deals at Costco aren’t quite as well-publicized as these celebrated meats. Wandering the many aisles, you can find lots of hidden gems worth exploring. Here are a few stand-out picks.
It’s not unusual for a single game night to obliterate a bag (or two) of these crunchy snacks — and that’s saying something, considering its size! You get a massive 40-ounce bag for less than $8 (they’re currently $7.64 on Instacart).
The same volume of Tostitos would be $13 from Costco, and I’d be out more than $15 if I shopped at my local grocery store.
Baby wipes are one of those things that I would wager are often not used for the intended purpose. Sure, lots of people use them for wiping babies — but people wipe tons of other stuff with ’em, too.
Whatever you’re wiping, it may be worth giving the Kirkland Signature baby wipes a try. They’re a great price at just $22 per 900-ct pack (that’s around $0.02 per wipe). While I haven’t personally tried these, more than 9,000 shoppers on costco.com have, and they’ve given the Kirkland Signature baby wipes 4.8 out of 5 stars.
As any butter snob (myself included) will tell you, grass-fed butter tastes better. (There’s also an argument that it may be more nutritious.) That’s why there’s always Kerrygold in my fridge.
Unfortunately, $7.50 per pound for butter (and that’s buying it at Costco!) is a bit steep when I just want to throw together some baked goods. And if you’re not as much of a snob as I am, you may not even consider it worth paying for your morning toast schmear.
Kirkland Signature grass-fed butter is a great solution. It’s practically a bargain at around $5.50 per pound. That’s a savings of $1 per stick over Kerrygold.
You won’t hear this one in most Costco forums, but these are surprisingly well-priced and well-rated golf balls. And if you have a golfer in your life — or are one yourself — you know how quickly a dozen golf balls can essentially disappear.
Since name-brand golf balls are $20 a dozen ($1.67 per ball!) even on Amazon, it’s easy to see why golf is such an expensive hobby. You can cut some of that cost with a Costco membership, however.
The Kirkland Signature golf balls go for about $31 for two dozen, or just $1.29 per ball. While nothing makes bumbling a shot feel better, at least this way it’ll hurt your bank account a little less.
Alright, this may actually be one of the most popular Kirkland Signature products at Costco, but it’s still a gem regardless of its “hidden” status.
As much as I want to reduce my use of disposables, my household still manages to go through a fair amount of paper towels. (I can’t get used to the idea of patting chicken dry with a reusable cloth…ew.) At around $21 for a pack of 12 rolls ($0.01 per sheet), I can at least not feel like I’m literally throwing (as much) money away.
The Kirkland Signature paper towels are thick and sturdy (2-ply), and they feel nice in your hand. My only criticism is the size. The individual sheets are a bit wider than other brands, which I don’t prefer, and the roll is a little too big to fit nicely on my paper towel holder (at least until we’ve used it a few days).
The sheer volume of products in a Costco store means we’re bound to overlook some potentially great deals for your personal finances. So it can be worth taking a few extra minutes each trip to take a look at what may be new. You never know when you’ll stumble upon that next must-have find.
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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Brittney Myers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Getting money back from the IRS? Read on to see what mistake you don’t want to make. [[{“value”:”
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As of Feb. 16, the IRS had issued more than 20 million tax refunds. And the average refund amount that went out as of that date was $3,207.
Since the 2024 tax-filing season is far from over, it’s fair to assume that number will change in the coming weeks. But in reality, you may not care what refund the average taxpayer receives. The most important thing is the amount of money you receive.
You may be inclined to spend your tax refund on something fun, no matter what it amounts to. But that’s a move you might sorely regret.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your tax refund is treating that money like a gift from the IRS. A tax refund isn’t free money. It’s money you earned the previous year but didn’t collect right away, so the IRS is giving it back to you.
People who are inclined to treat their tax refunds as free money may also be inclined to use that money to splurge. But that line of thinking could hinder you from making savvier financial choices.
Remember, your tax refund is part of last year’s earnings you didn’t bring home. But let’s say you get a $1,200 refund this year and are inclined to spend it on a new TV. Well, think about it this way: Had your monthly paychecks been $100 larger last year, would you have spent that extra money the same way? Or, would you have used it for important things, like fixing your car or boosting your savings account balance?
You may be someone who is, in fact, in a position to spend their tax refund on something fun. But before you go that route, ask yourself:
How am I doing on emergency savings? If you don’t have enough money in the bank to cover three months of essential expenses, you should put your refund — all of it — into savings.Do I have high-interest debt I’m carrying? If so, you should use your refund to pay down your credit card balances.Have I made any progress with retirement savings? If you’ve already been working for several years and have yet to save a dime for the future, your tax refund might serve you well if it were to go into an IRA.Do I have big expenses looming, or ones I’ve been putting off? If you’ve been warned that your heating system at home is on its way out, you should probably earmark your refund for getting it fixed or replaced.
You may be excited to finish up your taxes and see that a nice refund is coming your way. But remember, that refund isn’t the IRS being generous. Rather, it’s the IRS giving you your own money back. The sooner you adopt that mindset, the more inclined you may be to put that refund to good use.
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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Shopping for a house needs to be about more than finding a place that looks pretty. Watch out for these three danger signals to avoid disaster. [[{“value”:”
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When you’re buying a home, it’s really important to keep a level head. It’s easy to fall in love with a property and decide that it must be yours, since a home is an emotional purchase. After all, you’ll be setting down roots there, and it will become your place.
But you want to find the right property that’s not going to cause you headaches for years to come. So be sure to watch out for these three red flags that could be a sign that buying the house will leave you full of regrets.
There’s one feature of a house you absolutely cannot change: its location. That’s why a bad location is one red flag that suggests you absolutely need to walk away.
No matter how perfect the property seems in terms of looks and size, you’ll regret it every day if you buy a place where you have a bad commute or bad neighbors. No kitchen is large enough and no bathroom is spa-like enough to make up for having to sit in stressful traffic for hours just to get to work or see your loved ones. You also don’t want to put up with a bunch of partying college students next door.
To make sure you don’t end up regretting your house purchase, drive from the property to work, school, and other places you go frequently. Do it at the times of day when you’d normally be traveling so you can make sure there’s nothing unexpected like a school bus that stops at every other house — and check Google maps to see typical drive times and routes and make sure they’re pleasant.
Likewise, visit the property at random times to make sure there’s no loud disturbances, loose dogs running around, or other issues that could prevent you from enjoying the place.
Liens are claims filed against the property because of debts of the owner. A homeowner could end up with liens if they didn’t pay their mortgage and got foreclosed on. A homeowner could also have a lien on the property due to unpaid court judgments, unpaid child support, tax debt, or homeowners association (HOA) fines.
You usually cannot buy a property with liens unless they’re removed because the buyer can’t give you clean title (a 100% ownership claim to the house). Mortgage lenders won’t let you close on a house with liens. And the debt would come with the property in most cases, even if you decided to pay cash for the home.
You can ask a title company to perform a lien search for you, which would have to happen before you closed on the home anyway. You can also check public records to see what claims are there. Check with your local county to do a records search. If there are liens, ask the buyer when and how they’ll come off.
If you’re buying a house with liens, that could also mean the property owner was having financial problems and may not have maintained the home well. So even if they have a plan to pay back the debt and get the liens released, you still may want to consider whether moving forward with the purchase is a good idea.
Restrictive HOA rules are another major red flag. Homeowners associations have some benefits — they can help maintain property values and provide amenities for residents. But if you want to do whatever you want with your home, you need to make sure that HOA rules won’t prevent it.
Some neighborhoods are much stricter than others. My neighborhood, for example, limits you to two yard decorations for which you need pre-approval. Plus, you can’t make any changes at all to a home (including changing your doorbell) without permission from an architectural review committee. If you couldn’t live with conditions like this, don’t buy in an HOA home or you’ll end
up facing fines and a lot of hassle.
The sellers should provide a copy of HOA rules, so be sure to read them carefully. You can usually also call the HOA and ask questions about any specific conditions you’re concerned about.
The good news is, these are easy red flags to spot — and if you do identify them, you’ll know that the house you’re considering may not be right for you. There are plenty of other properties out there, and you’ll eventually find your perfect spot.
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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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When rates are high, CDs can be great places for growth. Check out a few things to consider for maximizing that growth. [[{“value”:”
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The whole point of a certificate of deposit (CD) is to grow your money. You agree to let the bank keep your money for a set period of time, and the bank agrees to pay you lots of interest. The bank gets to use the money to make other investments, and you get to generate some income without any fuss.
Well, ideally, anyway. To make the most of a CD, you need to make sure you’re picking the right one in the first place. Here’s what to consider.
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The interest rate on a CD will determine how much money it makes. So, at the most fundamental level: To maximize your return, you need the highest interest rate you can get.
Most often, the highest rates will be from short-term CDs, those with maturities in the six-month to 12-month range. And I say “range,” because though six-month and 12-month maturities are standard, many places offer promotional CDs with odd terms (seven, nine, or 11 months).
If your financial institution offers promotional CDs, they’re usually worth checking out. Some of the absolute best CDs rates I’ve seen are promotional offers with an odd term.
The one thing to remember with promotional CDs is that the intro rate won’t apply when the CD rolls over. (Typically, if you don’t withdraw your funds when a CD matures, the money automatically rolls over into a new CD.)
You’ll want to read the terms of the promotional CD carefully to figure out what rate and term will apply to the new CD.
Another benefit to dealing with short-term CDs is that your money isn’t tied up for years. For example, if you get a 5-year CD but have an emergency in the second year, you’re going to forfeit a lot of interest income to pull that money out early.
However, the downside to a short-term CD is that you don’t get to lock in your rate for as long. If you get a 12-month CD and rates go down during that year, you’ll get a lower rate when your CD rolls over (or you reinvest) after the term ends.
There have been a lot of predictions about the Federal Reserve lowering rates in 2024. If this happens, yes, CD rates will likely go down as well. The question becomes: Will rates drop enough to make locking in your money worth it? That’s harder to answer for anyone but yourself.
One popular method of managing CDs is called laddering. This is where you get multiple CDs with different maturity dates. You can set them up so that you have some portion of your funds maturing each month, quarter, or year, giving you year-round access to some amount of your savings.
As an example, suppose you have $10,000 to put into CDs. You could put it all into one 5-year CD, locking in your rate — and your cash — for a full five years. Alternatively, you could ladder the money by putting it into five different CDs:
$2,000 into a 1-year CD$2,000 into a 2-year CD$2,000 into a 3-year CD$2,000 into a 4-year CD$2,000 into a 5-year CD
With the ladder, some of your money will mature every year over the next five years. As each CD matures, you can decide if you need the money for something else, or roll it over into a new CD.
If the idea of tying up your money for even six months seems too long, don’t open a CD. Find a competitive high-yield savings account instead. You can get nearly the same rates right now, and you’ll have constant access to your money.
When managed wisely, CDs can be a safe, reliable way to grow your savings. They aren’t without potential pitfalls, however, so be sure to do a bit of research before diving in.
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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Do you tend to overspend at Costco? These four tips can help you avoid busting your budget. Learn what they are. [[{“value”:”
Image source: Getty Images
Benjamin Franklin once said there are only two things in life that are inevitable: death and taxes. But now, for many people, there’s a third thing: overspending at Costco.
The warehouse club makes it too easy to empty your bank account when you just went in for a simple rotisserie chicken. It does this by doing things like putting top deals (including that chicken) in the back of the store and offering enticing free samples throughout.
These techniques work, with Redditors reporting a whole host of wild impulse buys ranging from buying a whole greenhouse while shopping for lettuce to purchasing a boat while shopping for strawberries (there must be something about the produce aisle)!
The good news is, there are clever ways to spend less. Here are four tips that can help you avoid a big credit card bill (and avoid getting stuck with a boat in your garage!)
Shopping with a list — and sticking to it — is one of the best ways to ensure you don’t give in to the temptation to overspend. If you go with a list, you can have a pretty clear idea of how much you’ll spend and won’t buy things you don’t need.
Costco will probably try to tempt you not to stick to your list by offering a host of limited-time deals. But, just because something is on sale does not mean you have to purchase it. If it wasn’t something you were already planning on getting but you really want it, you can promise yourself you’ll put it on the list for your next trip.
Usually, the item will still be there if you still want it — although if there’s an asterisk on the price tag, that often means it won’t be restocked. And, if it isn’t there anymore, it wasn’t meant to be. Or you may change your mind before you go back, which means you didn’t really want the item after all.
Most Costco members go once or twice monthly to the warehouse club, but 5% of shoppers admit to visiting daily and 9% say they go multiple times weekly. However, the more you visit, the more chances you have to overspend.
Since many items sold at Costco are bulk buys, it should be pretty easy to stock up on stuff you’re purchasing so you don’t have to visit as often. If you cut back and go only twice a month, filling up on gas each time you do, the savings on fuel alone should justify the cost of your membership. And you should be able to buy a large enough supply of most items to get you through to your next visit.
Shopping with cash is another great way to limit what you’re spending. You can use Instacart (selecting your local store) to estimate the cost of what you’re planning to buy — and then bring only enough money to pick up those items. Items are marked up on Instacart compared to the club, so you’ll have a little leeway if you do this, but you won’t have enough extra cash to buy a bunch of things you don’t need.
Finally, if you’re just going for one or two items, don’t pick up a cart when you go. This forces you to buy only what you can carry, which probably won’t be too much given that so many large-scale Costco items are pretty heavy.
By following these four tips, you can hopefully avoid overspending at your local warehouse club and can have more money left over for other important personal finance objectives.
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a lengthy 0% intro APR period, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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