Money Management

Trader Joe’s is a great place to shop anytime, but especially this month. Read on for some holiday items you don’t want to miss. 

While I love the city I call home, one of its drawbacks is the distinct lack of a Trader Joe’s store. If I want a Trader Joe’s fix, I’ve got to hop in my car and drive — and the closest location to me is 50 miles away. Having this distance might be a blessing in disguise, though. If I had a store closer (despite the deals available at Trader Joe’s), I’d end up with a higher credit card tab.

Right now is a particularly great time to stop into your local store, though, because you can scope out all the Christmas goodies. Here are a few in particular to watch for this month — and when they’re gone, they’re gone!

1. Jingle Jangle

What a silly name for such a delicious product. This mix of various delicious items (including chocolate-covered mini pretzels, chocolate-covered caramel popcorn, and mini peanut butter cups) comes in a 22.7-ounce tin and is perfect for breaking out at your holiday party, giving as a gift, or even just keeping for yourself. And you can pick it up for just $9.99.

2. Taste Test of Caramels

I swear, this list won’t just be candy and candy-like items, but if you’ve never browsed the candy section at a Trader Joe’s, you are absolutely missing out. The Taste of Caramels is a regular holiday offering, and for $6.99, you’re buying a dozen luxe caramels of different (and occasionally exotic) flavors. You can use the tasting map on the package to know what you’re eating, or you can leave it up to fate. Either way, you’re guaranteed a good time — and a sugar rush.

3. Peppermint Flavored Baking Chips

Some people like to spend the holidays baking delicious treats, and I am definitely one of them. Trader Joe’s Peppermint Flavored Baking Chips can help you make even more festive and tasty cookies, brownies, and more. You could even melt them to drizzle over store-bought baked goods — or ice cream. The sky’s the limit with these, and they can be yours for $2.99.

4. Figgy Cheddar

Figs and cheese: Two great tastes that are even better together. Trader Joe’s is always rolling out exciting new cheeses, and this one makes my dairy-loving heart flutter. For $10.99 a pound, you can bring home an authentic English cheddar, made even more special with the addition of marinated figs. Pair with my next pick for the perfect cheese plate.

5. Scalloped Cracker Trio

I take my pantry seriously, and one thing it always must contain is fancy crackers. You never know when the urge to make a charcuterie plate will arise, and I’m not strong enough to resist that urge. Enter Trader Joe’s Scalloped Cracker Trio. I have a box of these in my pantry right now, and I’m irrationally excited to enjoy garlic, rosemary, and chili flavors alongside some summer sausage and fancy cheese. Get these crackers for $3.99.

6. Uncured Bacon Wrapped Porchetta Pork Roast

What’s a holiday without a fancy dinner (or maybe two)? Trader Joe’s Uncured Bacon Porchetta Pork Roast is beautiful to look at, and could make a tasty showpiece for your holiday table. It’s wrapped in bacon, and coated with an herb rub. You roast it at home, and enjoy the accolades of your dinner guests. It’s going for $9.99 per pound.

7. Stepping It Up Spicy Snack Bar Mix

While I have much-anticipated plans with some loved ones before and after Christmas, I will be flying solo for the actual holiday. I have a can of this snack mix in my pantry, specially reserved for Christmas weekend. At $5.99 for 11.5 ounces, this spicy mix contains jalapeño pretzel pieces, spicy cheese corn sticks, spiced chile almonds, and crispy chile lemon corn nuggets. It’s going to be perfect, and I can’t promise not to consume the whole can over the Christmas weekend.

The food is easily one of the best parts of Christmas, and if you’re looking for some unique and delicious items to add to your pantry and refrigerator in advance of the holiday, head over to Trader Joe’s right now. And when you go, I recommend using one of the best credit cards for groceries, because getting cash back for food purchases is always in season.

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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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Struggling to cover the cost of car insurance? Read on for ways to save in the new year. 

If you’ve been struggling to cover the cost of auto insurance, you’re not alone. A May survey by Policygenius found that 43% of insured drivers were paying more for car insurance during the spring of 2023 than they were a year prior.

If you’re tired of having to cut back on other bills to keep up with your auto insurance premiums, don’t just resign yourself to the high costs you’re facing today. Instead, look into options for lowering your costs. Here are some tactics that might work well in the new year.

1. Shop around

There’s absolutely no rule stating that you must use the same auto insurance company year after year. You’re also not guaranteed to get the best car insurance rates by virtue of sticking with the same insurer.

If you’re tired of paying a fortune for car insurance, spend some time shopping around for a new policy. Talk to different insurers and compare costs, keeping factors like your deductible in mind (generally speaking, the higher it is, the less you’ll pay in premium form).

2. Bundle with your homeowners policy

Own a home as well as a car? You need to insure them both. And using the same company for both an auto and homeowners insurance policy could result in a nice amount of savings.

That said, bundling won’t always be your best bet. And if you’re bundling now and aren’t seeing the savings you want, it could pay to start seeking out quotes on both policies from different insurance providers.

3. See if it makes sense to pay per mile

Many people are continuing to work from home these days. Or maybe your job has always been remote and you barely do any driving in the absence of a commute.

In that case, it pays to explore your options for car insurance that has you paying for every mile you drive. These policies generally don’t value out well for drivers who spend thousands of miles a year on the road. But it may be that you typically only drive about 10 miles a week to run errands. If so, a pay-per-mile policy could help trim your costs.

4. Let your insurer know you’ve secured parking

Generally speaking, the cost of auto insurance for drivers in a big city tends to be higher than the cost of auto insurance in a quiet suburb. With the former, the likelihood of damage or theft may be greater.

Having a car in a big city can also be a hassle parking-wise. After all, when you’re driving home after a day of work, do you really want to spend another 20 minutes circling the neighborhood for an open parking spot?

If you’re tired of that game, you may have decided to start paying for a monthly parking garage spot in 2024. And if so, you should definitely let your insurer know. They may consider that a more secure means of housing your car overnight — and give you a reduced premium rate because of it.

Auto insurance may be an unavoidable expense for vehicle owners. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do your part to lower your insurance costs.

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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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You don’t need to overspend to afford a business class flight — you can book a deal. Find out how to score cheap business class tickets for your next trip. 

If you’ve ever gone to your favorite airline’s website and compared pricing for an economy class ticket versus a business class ticket, you may have almost fallen out of your chair. That’s because the standard business class ticket can be shockingly expensive. For the average flier, spending several thousand dollars on one ticket is out of the question. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find cheap business class flights. Scoring a deal may be easier than you expect. Here’s how.

Pay attention to flight deals announced in email newsletters

Many airlines promote sales via email to subscribers, and it’s not uncommon for business class deals to be advertised. If you’re a member of airline loyalty programs, you likely already get access to such emails, so don’t rush to throw them in the trash. It pays to open these emails.

Discounted flight offers may be limited to select destinations or available only during specific travel dates. If you have a less-flexible schedule or set destination in mind, these deals may not be ideal for you. But you can benefit if you’re an adventurous traveler with flexibility.

Use online search tools to save big

Another way to score cheap business class seats is by using online flight search and pricing tools. Google Flights is one popular option that makes searching for business class airfare a breeze. You can use the provided search filters to narrow your options for premium seats.

Another can’t-miss feature is the ability to track airfare prices. Google will email you when prices change for your preferred travel dates, so you don’t miss out if prices drop significantly. Being able to time when to buy your tickets to get the best deal can benefit your personal finances.

One final tip: Flexible travelers can get a better deal. You can play around with dates to find the lowest prices as you search for airfare. If you have a flexible schedule, you may save more. You can search “Anywhere” instead of a set destination to find the cheapest destinations with affordable business class flight options. Let the deals decide where you go!

Invest in a flight deals membership

You don’t have to do all the work yourself. If you’re short on extra time but want to land cheap business class flights, you can pay someone else to do the work. Flight deal subscriptions like Going, Dollar Flight Club, and Thrifty Traveler can help you find the best premium class flight deals. You can plan your travels around deals like this to keep more money in the bank.

You must pay an annual fee for these services, but they can offer savings of hundreds or thousands a year for frequent travelers. Membership pricing for the flight deal subscriptions highlighted above range from $90 to $199 per year to access business class deals. I’ve used services like this to book affordable business class tickets, so I know they’re the real deal.

Redeem your credit card rewards for airfare

Thanks to credit card rewards, a business class flight may be more within reach than you think. If you have travel rewards earned from travel credit cards, use them up. You may be able to transfer your rewards to an airline partner and redeem them to help cover the cost of a business class ticket.

Why pay thousands of dollars to fly in style if you can use your credit card rewards to save money? If you’re new to earning travel rewards, check out the best travel rewards credit cards to learn how to earn rewards on your spending and access valuable card perks.

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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. Natasha Gabrielle 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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Getting a little cash from your employer for the holidays is sweet indeed. Learn how to use that extra money to improve your life. 

Some companies show their appreciation for staff members at the end of the year in the form of real money. If you’re fortunate enough to work for such a company, you might be gearing up to receive that holiday bonus. Here are a few ideas for the best places to put that money, to make your personal finances in the new year (and beyond) even better.

Pay down debt

If you want to give future you a gift, it’s worth using at least some of your holiday bonus as a means to pay down current debt. If you’re carrying a credit card balance, for example, you’re likely coping with interest that is both high and variable. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the average credit card interest rate was 21.19% in August 2023 — a rate that high can keep you in debt longer. So paying down that debt will result in money saved on interest payments.

Even if the balance is on a card with a still-active 0% intro APR offer, putting some of your bonus toward it means you’re more likely to pay it off entirely before you incur interest charges. It’s generally not worth putting your holiday bonus toward your mortgage or another relatively low-interest debt, as you can probably get more out of the money by investing it instead (more on that option below).

Boost your emergency fund

Your emergency fund probably isn’t the sexiest part of your financial picture, but it could be the one that helps you sleep at night. Having money in the bank to help you handle an unplanned expense (like a surprise car or home repair) can be good for your mental health. If you’ve ever lived without emergency savings, then you’ve likely experienced that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you have to put a big bill on a credit card and know it’ll be ages before you can pay it off. Consider putting a chunk of your bonus into your savings account to bolster your emergency fund.

Invest it

Want to turn your holiday bonus into more money over time? The stock market’s annual average return over the last five decades is 10%, and if you’re willing to put part of your bonus cash into a brokerage account of some kind and leave it alone for a long period, you could end up with more money than you started with.

Investing this money doesn’t have to be a complicated prospect. You could open a taxable investment account with one of the best brokers for ETF investing, and be able to easily diversify your portfolio by buying ETF shares across different market sectors. Or, if you’re looking ahead to retirement, take that cash and open an IRA to benefit from the tax savings now.

Buy yourself a little something

You didn’t honestly think I’d tell you that you’re not allowed to have any fun with this money, did you? If your employer gave you a holiday bonus, that’s a gift, and it indicates that you’re appreciated. So you should spend some of it on something you deserve. That cash could help you cover the cost of a winter vacation, or it might buy you a new piece of technology to make your life easier (or more fun). Even spending some of it on a nice dinner out with a special person can be a great way to make the holiday season better. It’s your money and you earned it.

If you get a holiday bonus this year, it’s worth taking a little time to see where it could be put to the best use. If your emergency fund is a bit lacking, or you have some lingering credit card debt, that’s a good start. Round it out by investing some of the cash, and don’t forget to treat yourself too — at least a little.

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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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It’s a great time of year to be shady, as gifts sit on porches around the country. Keep reading to see how to keep your presents safe from thieves. 

The holiday shopping season is officially in full swing. It’s a busy time for retail employees, mail carriers and other delivery drivers, and unfortunately, package thieves. According to research from Security.org, 44% of Americans have had a package stolen, and more than $8 billion worth of merchandise has been filched in the last year.

When a package goes missing, it costs you in time and hassle — even if the retailer replaces the item free of charge and saves you an additional credit card charge, you still have to wait for the replacement and worry about whether it, too, will be stolen.

Luckily, there are a few techniques you can lean on to keep your holiday gift packages safe and out of the hands of these “porch pirates.”

1. Track your packages

These days, just about every package can be tracked via a string of numbers plugged into the carrier’s website. I do a lot of my shopping online, and as soon as I receive notification that something’s been shipped, I immediately sign up to receive text message alerts to keep me abreast of the package’s progress. I work from home, so as soon as something shows up, I can go get it off my porch.

If you know the day an item is supposed to arrive, you can plan around that. And if you happen to be at home and are notified when it arrives, you can bring it inside right away.

2. Use a P.O. box or pick-up location

In many cases, you can have items delivered to a third-party location, like a P.O. box at your local post office or a mailbox at a place like The UPS Store. Your package will be held there, and you’ll be notified that it’s arrived and you can go pick it up.

This isn’t the most convenient system (as you’ll have to go get the packages), but if you’re rarely home to receive packages and don’t have a free way to secure them, it could keep items safe. That could be worth the small amount you’ll pay out of your checking account for this service.

3. Set your delivery location to your office

Here’s another free option, if you work from an office with public access. I worked for museums for years before becoming a writer and editor, and when I lived in rentals that didn’t have spaces for packages to be left, I set my delivery address to work, because museums have public access and often a front desk assistant to sign for packages.

It’s worth double-checking with your employer before you do this, and if your office has a security presence, there may be no access for delivery people anyway.

4. Consider installing security features

This is the most expensive method on this list, but having additional security features at home could be a good move for you anyway. Plus, home security cameras and related tech often go on sale during Prime Day and similar shopping events, so wait a bit and you could save money.

Having a doorbell camera means you can see when a package is being delivered, and if it goes missing, you’ll have video footage of who stole it. (This probably will not help you with its recovery, but it might, especially if you or the police recognize the thief.) You can also consider motion sensor lights, because if someone is messing around on your porch after dark, a light coming on could scare them off.

5. Lean on your neighbors

Getting to know your neighbors is a fine thing to do anyway, but having a friendly relationship is especially handy for receiving packages. My current downstairs neighbors have been kind enough to retrieve items from our shared porch on the few occasions when I’m not home and something is delivered.

Offer to bring in boxes for your neighbor in exchange for them doing the same, and enjoy a sense of community that can save you both money and a headache.

What should you do if you lose a package to thieves?

It’s a terrible feeling when you’ve got tracking that says something was delivered, but it has vanished without a trace. Here’s what to do:

Contact the shipper: You can file a claim for the lost item and may qualify to be reimbursed for its cost.Contact the seller: If you bought from a big retailer like Amazon, there are procedures in place to handle lost or stolen packages. You may get the item replaced free of charge. But if you ordered something from a third-party seller on a big site like eBay, you might be out of luck if the shipper won’t reimburse you.Look into purchase protections: Some credit cards offer purchase protection, so you can be reimbursed for the cost of an item that is stolen or damaged soon after you buy it.File a police report: I hate to say it, but odds are, your item is gone for good and the police will not be able to recover it for you. But you might need a police report to file a claim with your credit card company, the shipper, or the retailer.

The holiday shopping season is a field day for thieves. Make the above moves to avoid being a victim of “porch pirates.”

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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. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Canceling credit cards may not be the solution to your financial problems you’d expect. Read on to learn why. 

As of the third quarter of 2023, U.S. credit card borrowers owed a whopping $995 billion, according to TransUnion. Ideally, your balance accounts for just a minute percentage of that total.

But if you have been carrying a credit card balance for longer than you’d like to admit, you may be at the point where you’re beyond frustrated by it. And if you’re just about done paying it off, you may be inclined to avoid a repeat scenario by canceling your credit cards once the new year arrives.

It’s easy to see why you’d think a move like that would be the answer to your financial woes. But before you rush to cancel your credit cards, you may want to try employing other strategies to keep your spending and balances more manageable.

The problem with canceling credit cards

It’s easy to blame credit cards for the fact that many consumers get in over their heads balance-wise. But actually, when managed in a savvy way, credit cards offer a lot of financial benefits.

For one thing, many credit cards give you the opportunity to earn reward points or cash back on purchases. So that could actually make your shopping less expensive in an indirect manner.

Also, having a credit card in your wallet could come in handy if you happen to encounter a surprise expense on the fly. Let’s say you’re driving along when your car starts making strange noises, so you manage to pull into a nearby auto shop to see what’s what. You might come out an hour later with an answer and a $250 bill. And in the absence of having the cash, you might need a credit card to cover that expense.

Plus, canceling credit card accounts could actually cause damage to your credit score. One factor that goes into calculating that number is the length of your credit history. If you close a credit card you’ve had open for many years, your score could drop, making it harder to get approved to rent an apartment or take out a personal loan. Closing a credit card can also affect other scoring factors, such as your credit utilization ratio and your credit mix.

Strategies for managing your spending

Before you decide that canceling your credit cards is the right move in 2024, first, try following a budget so you’re spending more carefully across your various expense categories. And if you don’t like the idea of poring over spreadsheets every week, find a budgeting app that’s easy to use.

Even if you don’t want to budget in any way, shape, or form, you might manage to steer clear of debt while continuing to use credit cards by simply pledging to check your balances every week. If you see, for example, that you’ve already spent more than expected by the mid-month point, you’ll know to cut back for the remainder of the month so that your balance will hopefully be payable in full.

Of course, if these tactics don’t work and you find that you can’t stop charging impulse buys on your credit cards, then canceling them may be your best bet. But before you resort to that, give yourself a chance to see if you’re able to rein in your spending.

Credit cards really do offer a lot of financial benefits. So if you’re able to use them without landing in debt month after month, it’s worth hanging onto them.

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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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