With a few simple tips and tweaks, you can maximize your Uber earnings. aslysun / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder. With the high cost of gasoline and the skyrocketing cost of cars, making money as an Uber driver isn’t necessarily simple. You need to think strategically. Your earnings are based on how much you can work and how you manage your time. It’s also easier to make bank in a big city than in the suburbs or a small town.
Save a bundle of money by making your own lunch to take to work. PeopleImages.com – Yuri A / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Living on the Cheap. Eating out for your workday lunch is a quick way to bust your budget. If your daily lunch costs $10 (and it will, including a drink and taxes), a five-day workweek will use up $2,600 of your hard-earned money annually. But many claim there just isn’t time to pack a sack before leaving for work — or that they have no…
It’s hard to say no to holiday expenses, but you don’t want to end the season in debt. Read on to learn how to strike a balance.
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The holiday season is now in full swing. Many consumers are deep in the throes of tackling their shopping lists. But if that’s becoming an increasingly stressful thing by the day, you’re not alone.
Almost 60% of Americans say they feel pressured to spend more than they’re comfortable with on holiday items, according to a recent survey by CouponFollow. And it’s easy to see why. The holidays only roll around once a year, so you don’t want to feel like you’re disappointing your children or friends by skimping on certain purchases. At the same time, you don’t want to close out the holiday season with a mountain of credit card debt.
Not only can credit card balances be costly to pay off, but too large a balance could cause damage to your credit score. Either way, racking up a large pile of credit card debt is not a great way to start a new year.
If you’re feeling pressured to overspend on the holidays, here are a few approaches to shopping you may want to take.
Maybe your kids really want extra lights outside your house this year, new electronics, and a blowout Christmas dinner with desserts galore from their favorite bakery. That’s understandable. Kids are kids, and the holidays are special.
But if you can’t swing all of those things, figure out which items are apt to have the most meaning. Your kids may be willing to forgo the extra holiday decor if it means getting the items at the top of their wishlists. And if you can’t swing a dessert spread, ask your kids to narrow down their absolute favorite item from their preferred bakery and go with that.
You may want to check every item off of your kids’ gift lists. But if that’s just not doable, think of things you can do as a family that will still allow everyone to enjoy a festive December.
Instead of five or six gifts per child, stick to two. Then, take the several hundred dollars you’re saving and use a fraction of it to plan a family outing, like tickets to a play at a community theater or ice skating.
It’s one thing to get fewer gifts for the people you love. It’s another thing to skip out on gifts altogether for certain people because it’s just not in your budget.
If that’s the case, fall back on homemade gifts, which might cost way less than store-bought items. A batch of home-baked cookies, for example, might go a long way with your aunt or grandmother if money is tight.
Another option? Go to your local dollar store and buy some low-cost picture frames. Then, search through your archives, find a few great family photos, and throw them in those frames. It’s an extremely inexpensive gift from the heart.
If you’re feeling pressured to overspend this holiday season, try not to succumb to it. You don’t want to start the new year in a tough financial spot, and a few tweaks might help you celebrate the holidays without landing in debt.
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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.
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Whether you’re thinking of taking a last-minute vacation, or already have a trip planned, you may be able to score a cheap business class seat. Find out how.
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Many travelers book economy class airfare because these tickets are the most affordable option. Having to pay the standard price for a business class ticket could result in an expensive credit card bill. But there are ways to book business class flights without draining your bank account. A business class deal can allow you to enjoy a more comfortable travel experience without going broke. Here are a few ways to score last-minute business class deals.
I regularly use airfare search tools like Google Flights. Resources like this make it easier for me to get pricing information across multiple carriers and compare rates and flight offerings so I’m more informed before booking a flight. You can also use tools like this to find airfare deals.
One of my favorite ways to use Google Flights is to go into my search with no destination in mind. I enter my departing airport and search “Anywhere” for my arrival destination. By doing this, I can find the most affordable destinations to travel to based on my preferred dates.
Google Flights allows you to search by ticket type, including business class. The results will be displayed with prices for each destination around the globe. This tool could help you find cheaper business class flights for your last-minute travel needs. Plus, it could encourage you to visit a destination that wasn’t originally on your radar.
Another way to find last-minute business class deals is to take advantage of seat upgrade offers on flights you’ve already booked. Have a flight coming up within the next two to three weeks? Download your airline’s mobile app and review the in-app upgrade offers daily. You may be able to upgrade your existing ticket to a business class seat for a reasonable price.
Let’s imagine you paid $1,000 roundtrip to fly on an economy class ticket to Paris. What if you could score a one-way upgrade for $600? It may be worthwhile to upgrade your seat, and it would be a lot cheaper than paying for a business class ticket outright.
Here’s something to consider before you upgrade your ticket: If you originally booked a roundtrip ticket, the upgrade offer usually only applies to a portion of your trip. So you’d be paying to upgrade one way, not the entire trip. Consider this when deciding if the cost is worth it.
Upgrade costs can and do change, so it pays to check back. The price could be $1,800 one day and $950 the next. So don’t give up hope if the prices you see are high. But always review your personal finances before upgrading. Don’t be tempted to overspend beyond your means.
Travel is a big passion of mine, but that doesn’t mean I want to spend a lot of money on airfare. For this reason, I’ve continued to subscribe to flight deal services. With these subscriptions, you receive email alerts for flight deals. You can continue prioritizing your love of travel but keep your spending in check by using flight deal services.
One of the services I’m currently using sends business class flight deals. Some flight deals are for dates well in advance, but I’ve also seen deals advertised for travel dates that are soon approaching, like within the next few weeks or a month or two. If you have a flexible schedule and love a good deal, services like this could help you land last-minute business class tickets.
Yes, flying in business class can be extremely costly. For a long-haul international flight, it’s not unusual to pay several thousand dollars. That’s a lot of money to spend for added comfort.
But there are opportunities to score business class flight deals. Now that you know some of my favorite hacks, you’ll be better prepared to seek out cheaper premium flight tickets.
When paying for airfare, whether you’re flying economy or business class, consider using a travel credit card. You could earn rewards on your spending and redeem them for travel. Check out our best travel rewards credit cards list to learn more about the benefits of these cards.
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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.
There’s no perfect rule when it comes to tipping. But here’s a guide to get you started.
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How much should you tip when you go out to eat? What about when you sit down at a bar and order a round of drinks? Or, what about if you call in and pick up a to-go order from your favorite restaurant?
Tipping is a bit of a hot-button issue these days, as it seems like Americans are being asked to tip in more day-to-day situations that have historically been untipped, such as ordering food at a quick-service establishment.
First, a bit of a disclaimer. In the interest of full disclosure, years before I was a Certified Financial Planner, I worked in and ran restaurants for a stretch of time. I waited tables and tended bar throughout college and managed restaurants for several years in a gap between undergraduate and graduate school, and then returned to bartending while pursuing my master’s degree.
In all, I spent about eight years in positions where I (or my employees) depended on tips to make a living. So, although I’m a financial professional today, I’m hoping to offer somewhat of an insider’s perspective as well.
While I won’t offer an opinion on all of the situations you’re likely to be asked to tip these days, and I’m not looking to address many of the controversial aspects of tip culture in 2023, here’s a quick guide when it comes to tipping in various food service situations.
This is the easy one. The generally accepted guideline is that you should tip at least 15% for acceptable service and 20% for good service. Higher tips are certainly fine, but I generally don’t suggest tipping less than 15% unless you have a good reason to do so. My informal rule of thumb is that if the server makes me say “wow, they didn’t have to do that” at least once, they are getting more than 20%.
One thing many people who haven’t worked in restaurants don’t understand is that the tip isn’t generally all for your server. They typically must “tip out” various other people, meaning they are required to give a certain amount to the bartenders, food runners, and other members of the team. It isn’t uncommon for tipping out to eat up 5% of a server’s sales or more, so keep this in mind before leaving little or no tip.
When you sit down at a bar and order drinks, a good general rule is to tip 20% of the bar tab (more for exceptional service) or $1 per drink, whichever is more. The reason for the latter part is that it takes the bartender just as much time to retrieve and deliver a $3 can of beer as one that costs $10, so the $1 tipping floor is a good practice.
We’ll cover delivery orders next, but what if you call in a to-go order from your favorite restaurant and physically go pick it up? As a restaurant veteran, I can tell you firsthand that most to-go customers don’t leave a tip at all.
While you don’t need to leave the standard 20% credit card tip on a to-go order, even just a few dollars can be a nice way to acknowledge the people who put your order together. If the food is correct and hot and there are appropriate condiments and napkins in the bag, it’s worth something. Plus, at many establishments, to-go orders are handled by the bartenders, who are paid a tipped employee’s wage. My typical tip on a to-go order is about 10% if I have a good experience.
If I’m having food delivered, my general guideline is the same as in sit-down restaurants. I’ll tip 15% for adequate service (meaning that the order is correct and arrived in a decent time frame), but usually 20% if the service is good.
Of course, when it comes to delivery orders, I always suggest taking the specific situation into account and tipping more if it is warranted. For example, if I order two coffees and pastries from Starbucks and have them delivered through DoorDash, and I know the driver spent about 45 minutes of their time driving there and back, 20% of a $20 order might not cut it (assuming the order is correct). Unlike the first three categories, there are more variables at play when you have food delivered.
Here’s where I run into some gray areas. Being asked to tip for food that you walk up to a counter, order, and are handed your meal is a relatively new concept and was simply not a thing when I was in the service industry. (It’s especially perplexing when you’ll see a screen with tipping options like 25%, 35%, and 45%!)
My general rule is that I’ll give a modest tip for counter service if I was provided with exceptionally friendly and welcoming service, or if the restaurant actually serves me in one way or another (for example, if someone is walking around and refilling drinks). And even in these cases, I’ll rarely give more than 10% — if there’s a tip jar, I’ll throw in a couple dollars. But counter service employees generally make significantly more than the average full-service restaurant employee who relies on tips, so keep this in mind.
Service industry professionals rely on tips to make a living, and good service should definitely be rewarded. Hopefully this guide gave you a good idea of what’s appropriate and what to keep in mind next time you go out to eat or order food.
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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.Matthew Frankel, CFP® has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Starbucks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Are you still grappling with credit card debt from last year’s holidays? You’re not alone. Read on to see how you can pay it off.
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The holidays are a popular time to rack up credit card debt. And this season, you may be resigned to closing out December with a credit card balance that will carry into 2024.
But what if your 2023 holiday credit card balance is coming on top of an existing balance from last year’s holiday season? According to a recent survey by CouponFollow, 25% of Americans said last year’s holiday shopping led to credit card debt. And of consumers in that boat, 35% have yet to pay that debt off in full.
The problem, though, is that the longer you carry a balance on your credit cards, the more interest you rack up. Also, too large a credit card balance relative to your total spending limit could actually drag down your credit score. This holds true even if you manage to make your minimum payments each month.
If you’re still hanging onto debt from the 2022 holidays, it’s imperative that you shake it as quickly as you can. And with these two tactics, you may find that you’re able to become debt-free well before the end of 2024.
The reason credit card debt can be so tricky to pay off is that for each day you continue to carry a balance, more interest gets tacked onto your total. So if you can get out of accruing credit card interest for a period, that might help you get ahead of your debt.
To that end, look at doing a balance transfer to a 0% introductory APR credit card. Now, you’ll only get that 0% APR for a limited period. But it might last for a year or longer, which gives you an opportunity to chip away at your debt without interest continuing to add up.
The advice above really only works if you’re able to capitalize on that 0% introductory APR period by generating extra cash to pay off your debt. You may be able to cut back on spending significantly enough to make good progress in paying off your balance. But for some people, it’s not feasible to cut back on spending to that large a degree.
So instead, look to the gig economy. If you’re willing to hustle at a second job for a good part of 2024, you may be able to earn enough money to knock out your credit card balance in full and save up for the 2024 holidays. That way, you can approach the next holiday season without debt, and you’ll be more likely to avoid debt you carry into 2025.
As far as finding the ideal side gig goes, that’s going to hinge on your schedule and skills. If you’re great at something like web design, you can try getting hired to create or update websites for different businesses. That’s something you can likely do from the comfort of home.
Or, you may decide to sign up to drive for a service like Uber and see how it goes. The benefit there is that you can haul passengers around when it works for you. If there’s a month when life is just too busy, you scale back.
It’s one thing to carry credit card debt from this year’s holiday season into 2024. But if you’re looking at carrying a balance from last year’s holidays into the new year, then consider these tips for shedding that debt once and for all.
If you’re using the wrong credit or debit card, it could be costing you serious money. Our experts love this top pick, which features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, an insane cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee.
In fact, this card is so good that our experts even use it personally. 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.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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