Poor credit costs you both money and opportunities — even during your golden years. Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock.com
It would be nice to think you could let things slide. But, no, you do need to maintain good credit in retirement. It will save you money or hassles in more situations than you may realize. And bad credit can cost you in retirement just as it can cost you during your working years. Consider these reasons that it pays to keep a stellar credit score in retirement.
Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? You can plan a lovely feast without going broke. Find out which shopping hacks could help you save the most money.
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We’re approaching the end of 2023, and Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. For those hosting Thanksgiving gatherings with loved ones, now is the time to start planning what you’ll serve and what essentials you’ll need to pick up at the store.
If you’re working hard to reach your financial goals, it can be beneficial to keep your spending in check. As long as you’re strategic as you shop, you can stay on budget. Here are a few shopping hacks to help you gobble up extra savings this Thanksgiving.
Shopping at your local grocery store chain can get expensive fast. While it may be convenient to go to the store just down the road, you could overspend on food essentials. If you want to keep your spending in check this Thanksgiving, consider shopping at discount retailers like Aldi.
You can save up to 50% on select holiday essentials at Aldi. The retailer has Thanksgiving must-haves heavily discounted through the end of December. You can gobble up the most savings by shopping at a more affordable grocery store.
It’s easy to spend more than you plan when you walk into a store without a plan. While it takes extra time to plan what you’ll buy before you shop, doing so can help you keep more cash in your bank account. Make sure you decide what you’ll be making and what ingredients you need before you walk into the store.
By creating a shopping list, you can avoid overspending and eliminate unnecessary impulse purchases. Your grocery store likely has a mobile app that you can use to review prices so you can stay on budget as you make your list. It pays to be prepared.
If you’re cooking for many people or plan to serve up another big holiday meal in December, it may be worthwhile to buy in bulk. If you have the space to store extra essentials, this is one way to save money on holiday food costs. You can load up on bulk items by joining a warehouse club, like Costco. But make sure you can afford the yearly membership cost.
Before you go to the store, check to see what you already have at home. When life gets busy, it’s easy to forget about the canned foods and other nonperishable items that are taking up space in your cupboards. You may have some essentials that you need already, which could help you to make your upcoming holiday grocery trip less costly.
No rule says you must prepare a turkey or ham for your holiday meal. You may want to consider going meatless this year. Doing this could make your grocery bill more affordable and result in a more creative dining experience for you and your guests. Opting for meat-free dishes like vegetable lasagna, roasted butternut squash, and broccoli and cheese casserole could save you money this holiday season.
If you wait until the last minute to do your holiday shopping, it can quickly become overwhelming. You might also discover that it’s challenging to find everything you need, and sales may be less plentiful than earlier in the season.
You can maximize your savings by getting some of your shopping done earlier in the month. Plus, this strategy allows you to spread out the total cost of your Thanksgiving meal so you’re not stuck with an expensive credit card bill.
If you’re stressed about the upcoming holiday, take a few deep breaths. There’s plenty of time left to get your shopping done. With a plan in place and a few strategic shopping decisions made, you can serve a delicious meal without going broke.
When buying your holiday meal essentials, consider using one of the best cash back credit cards so you can get rewarded for your credit card spending. If you’re looking for other ways to save money and earn rewards, check out our free personal finance resources.
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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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Walmart is offering a deep discount on its Walmart+ program. Read on to see whether it pays for you to sign up.
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It used to be that retailers would specifically wait for events like Black Friday to release their biggest sales of the year. But in recent years, retailers have been moving away from that model. Instead, they’ve taken to releasing deals throughout the month of November.
Walmart is jumping on that bandwagon this year. In fact, beginning at 3 p.m. EST on Nov. 8, it will start releasing its holiday deals early, giving shoppers a big opportunity to spend less this holiday season and free up more money to add to their savings accounts.
If you join Walmart+, though, you’ll get access to those Black Friday deals a few hours early — starting at 12 p.m. EST on Nov. 8. And believe it or not, those three extra hours of shopping could make a huge difference, since popular deals have the potential to sell out quickly.
But does it make sense to join Walmart+? It depends on your situation.
A Walmart+ membership normally costs $98 a year. But if you sign up for a membership before 3 p.m. EST on Nov. 8, you can snag an annual membership for 50% off, bringing your total cost to just $49. Not only will that give you early access to Walmart’s Black Friday deals that are about to drop, but you’ll also get to enjoy the different benefits that come with a Walmart+ membership.
One major perk of Walmart+ is that you’ll get access to free grocery delivery with a $35 order minimum. And to be clear, you won’t face costly markups on your orders — you’ll get to enjoy the same low prices you’ll find in stores.
A Walmart+ membership also gives you free shipping on all Walmart.com orders without a minimum. It’s similar to Amazon Prime in that regard. Plus, Walmart+ members can save $0.10 per gallon of gas at select stations nationwide.
You’ll also get a free Paramount+ subscription with Walmart+, which gives you access to additional streaming content. And if you plan to do a lot of traveling in the coming year, you should know that your Walmart+ membership might reward you with 5% Walmart Cash for qualifying trips you book. Earning that on top of any rewards you might get from a travel credit card has the potential to defray the cost of your trips.
If you’ve been waiting for a good opportunity to sign up for Walmart+ and you think you’ll get use out of the benefits mentioned above, then you might as well put your membership in place when it’s available for 50% off its usual price. But you may not have to commit to that $49 fee if all you’re really looking for is access to early Black Friday deals.
The reason? If you’re new to Walmart+, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. If you do that right away, you’ll get early access to those Black Friday specials without having to rack up an extra charge. You can also take those 30 days to see if a Walmart+ membership is actually right for you.
For better or worse, retailers have effectively turned the entire month of November into one giant sales event. But if you have a long holiday list to tackle, you might as well capitalize on those early deals as they become available.
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.
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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. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
These are among the most common numbers of known scams, according to a new report. Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com
Congratulations! You’ve won the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. Not really — but if you’ve heard that one recently, you did win a more dubious lottery: You were contacted by one of the most active scammers in the country. Public records search site BeenVerified recently analyzed nearly 160,000 call complaints over a two-year period and turned up the numbers used most frequently for…
Costco is known for its great deals. Read on to see what’s in store for the weekend of Black Friday.
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At this point, we still have a couple more weeks to go until Black Friday arrives. But as you’re probably aware, some of the best sales of the year tend to arrive on and around Black Friday. So if you’re eager to save money, you may want to capitalize on those deals.
If you’re a Costco member, you may be eager to take advantage of the ultra-low prices the warehouse club giant is apt to offer for Black Friday. And the good news is that while you’ll need to wait a little longer to benefit from those deals, you can get a preview right now to see what they entail. Here are some big bargains you can look at snagging from Nov. 24 through Nov. 27.
Finding the perfect gift for those picky people in your life isn’t easy. So sometimes, the best gift to give is that of the food variety.
Costco is offering $10 off a Ghirardelli Treats Tower that’s loaded with goodies. Surprise your boss or make your child’s teacher day with boxes of chocolate, cookies, and more.
If you’ve been looking to upgrade your laptop, or if you want to treat your college student or spouse to a better model, then you may want to check out the ASUS UX3402 14″ OLED Zenbook Laptop when Costco has it on special. It features a 14-inch display and 16 GB of memory, and it will soon be on sale for $300 off.
Plus, when you buy electronics at Costco, you get the benefit of free tech support. You also get a second-year warranty at no extra cost.
Looking for something extra special for your mom, wife, or sister? There’s nothing like a gorgeous pair of earrings to make the holidays even more magical. And getting to save $100 on that purchase could make your credit card bill more magical, too.
Also, when you buy jewelry at Costco, you don’t have to worry about stressful returns. The only time you’ll need to go through some extra steps when bringing back jewelry is when you’re returning a diamond that’s 1.00ct or larger. In that case, a Costco gemologist will need to inspect your return for authenticity.
The Costco sale items above are specific to Black Friday weekend. But Costco is also running a host of other specials throughout the month of November, so it pays to see what’s on sale to eke out the most savings.
You may also want to consider upgrading your basic Costco membership to an Executive membership if you plan to take advantage of a lot of these November/holiday deals. A Costco Executive membership costs $60 more than a basic membership, or $120 in total. But in exchange, you get 2% cash back on all Costco purchases.
So let’s say you’ve been saving to upgrade some electronics in your home, and you also plan to do the bulk of your holiday shopping at Costco this year (keeping in mind that you can buy everything from gifts to food to Christmas trees). It’s conceivable that you could end up spending more than $3,000 in the month of November alone.
But once you spend more than $3,000 with an Executive membership, that $60 upgrade pays for itself (since 2% back on $3,000 equals $60). So you may want to make that change to your membership sooner rather than later, before your holiday spending starts piling up.
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 Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to host a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. You can stay on budget. Find out how to save money on Thanksgiving food costs.
Image source: Getty Images
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it’s time to get your holiday plans in order. If you’re hosting the annual holiday meal with friends and family, you may be starting to shop for essentials.
It’s understandable if you’re stressed about food costs this year. But it’s possible to prepare a delicious spread without ignoring your budget. I’ll share a few suggestions to help you plan a memorable gathering while maximizing your savings.
It takes time to plan a trip to the grocery store. But by taking a few extra moments out of your day to check what’s on sale and make a shopping list, you can keep more money in your bank account. Before heading to the store, review sales fliers for the stores in your area. During the holiday season, many retailers have necessary meal essentials on sale.
Shopping sale items could help you keep your spending in check. If you have an Aldi nearby, you may want to stop there. Aldi has select holiday essentials on sale for up to 50% through the end of the year. This sale could help you prepare the perfect meal without going broke.
If you only stick to name-brand items while shopping, you’ll have a more costly grocery bill. Consider choosing the generic alternative to stay on budget. Essentials like cranberry sauce and canned veggies are sold in generic versions for a fraction of the cost. No one will know the difference and you can get what you need while keeping more money in your pocket.
Depending on how many guests you’ll be hosting this holiday, it can be costly to serve traditional Thanksgiving favorites like turkey and all the fixings. But you can serve whatever you’d like to make — it doesn’t need to be a traditional spread. Consider cooking other family favorites for your Thanksgiving meal this year to keep food costs reasonable.
Shopping sale items is an excellent way to avoid racking up a costly credit card bill when buying holiday food essentials. But that’s not the only way to save money at the grocery store. Many grocery retailers have mobile apps with additional discount opportunities available to shoppers. Clipping in-app virtual coupons, for example, can help you maximize your savings.
You can also use one of the best cash back apps to earn cash back on your spending. You won’t get an immediate discount on your grocery bill, but once you have enough earnings, you can get your cash back deposited in the bank. These apps make for an easy way to get rewarded for shopping, and all you have to do is buy what you usually do.
With food costs as high as they are, it may be cheaper to get your entire Thanksgiving meal catered. Another option is to pick up a few prepared dishes and cook some items at home to stay on budget. Many grocery stores and restaurants offer fully prepared meals for a set price. You may want to price out the cost of buying everything yourself and decide if it’s worthwhile to get professional help to save money and reduce stress.
As you make your Thanksgiving holiday plans, keep your finances in check. Don’t feel pressured to overspend beyond your means, and don’t feel like you need to plan an elaborate, expensive meal to impress your guests. Sharing a meal and enjoying each other’s company is the primary goal. Whatever meal you serve will be appreciated by all. If you’re looking for more ways to save money, check out our free personal finance resources.
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.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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