If you want to walk through life with a smile on your face, try these habits on for size. mavo / Shutterstock.com
C’mon, everybody, get happy! If that sounds too hard, maybe you’ve been going about it all wrong. It’s time to stop waiting to hit the jackpot, meet Mr. or Ms. Right, or land that sweet job. True happiness doesn’t come from external factors like those. Instead, take a cue from happy people. Embrace the following habits that help them feel great.
Have unused coupons for Bed Bath & Beyond? Read on to see how you can still put them to good use.
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If you spent years stockpiling Bed Bath & Beyond coupons, you’re no doubt in good company. So it may have come as a blow to learn that earlier this week, Bed Bath & Beyond announced it would stop accepting those iconic 20% off coupons as it winds down operations.
If you didn’t rush to throw those seemingly useless coupons in the trash, you’re in luck. A number of retailers have announced that they will now accept Bed Bath & Beyond coupons. But you may need to move quickly to benefit from that arrangement.
Many consumers were devastated to learn that Bed Bath & Beyond is closing its doors for good. But after years of financial woes, the retailer made the decision to shutter its stores and wind down operations.
If you still have some 20% off Bed Bath & Beyond coupons sitting around in your desk drawer, you may want to dust them off. Big Lots just announced that it will accept Bed Bath & Beyond coupons — expired ones included — until May 7. If you bring one of these coupons to Big Lots, you can receive 20% off a purchase of $50 or more for an in-store purchase.
The Container Store is going a similar route. It says it will accept Bed Bath & Beyond coupons through May 31 in its stores.
And department store chain Boscov’s is jumping on the bandwagon as well. It says it will exchange mailed Bed Bath & Beyond coupons for $10 off of purchases of $50 at its stores through May 31.
The window to use a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond has expired, but the defunct retailer is offering some deep discounts on products right now as it attempts to sell off its inventory. And those deals might allow you to save more than 20% on your purchases there. But you may also be eager to capitalize on the opportunity to snag a discount by redeeming your unused coupons elsewhere.
Taking those coupons to Big Lots or the Container Store isn’t a bad idea if you shop there normally, or if there are items on your shopping list these retailers can satisfy. But should you spend money at one of these stores for the express purpose of getting to use your Bed Bath & Beyond coupons? That’s probably not a good idea.
Money has been tight for a lot of people due to inflation. The last thing you want right now is a larger credit card bill for no good reason, so don’t just use those coupons for the sake of getting a bargain.
Boscov’s, as a department store, has a pretty wide range of products. So chances are, you can find things there that serve an essential need, whether it’s socks, work attire, or something for your household.
But again, don’t shop there so you can use your coupons if money is tight. And if your savings account balance needs work, you’re better off throwing your Bed Bath & Beyond coupons away and not spending extra money needlessly.
It’s sad to see Bed Bath & Beyond go away, and you may be bemoaning the fact that you didn’t get to use up your coupons while the retailer was in better shape. You can still potentially put those coupons to good use at other stores — but only if doing so makes sense financially.
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No one likes wasting money on low-quality products. Use these five tactics to help you spot fake reviews. szefei / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder. If you’ve come to rely on the convenience of one-click shopping, you probably rely on Amazon reviews to make a lot of purchasing decisions. The problem: How do you spot fake reviews on Amazon? Companies that promote their products with fake reviews have gotten a lot more sophisticated. They’re turning away from bot-generated…
Ready to cancel a credit card? Read on to see what might happen when you go this route.
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There may come a point when you decide that it’s time to cancel a credit card account of yours. Maybe you hardly use it, or you’re tired of paying an annual fee for a card you’re not getting much benefit from.
Canceling a credit card could have different consequences. So it’s important to know what to expect.
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One benefit of using credit cards is getting rewarded for your purchases, whether via points you redeem for gift cards or cash back. When you cancel a credit card, you may have to forfeit any rewards you’ve earned but haven’t redeemed. So you may want to first cash out your rewards and then cancel.
Canceling a credit card could impact your credit score in a couple of ways. First, one factor that goes into calculating your score is the length of your credit history, which comprises 15% of your score.
If you cancel a credit card account you’ve only had open for a short period of time, it may not have such an impact on your score. But if you cancel a credit card you’ve had open for a decade or longer, your credit score might drop, because canceling that card might eventually shorten the average length of your open accounts.
Another factor that goes into calculating your credit score is your credit utilization ratio, or the amount of revolving credit you’re using at once. Once that ratio starts to exceed 30%, it can damage your score. If you cancel a credit card, you’ll lower your total spending limit. So the spending you do on your various credit cards will take up a larger percentage of your total available credit and could cause an unfavorable credit utilization ratio.
You should also know that your credit utilization ratio comprises 30% of your total credit score, which means it carries double the weight of the length of your credit history. So before you cancel a credit card, you may want to see if you can get your spending limit raised on another one to keep your utilization in stable territory. Often, a credit card issuer will agree to raise your spending limit if your account is in good standing, has been open a while, and your income has gone up since you first applied for your account.
There’s little sense in paying an annual fee for a credit card you don’t use or need. But before you cancel a credit card that doesn’t have an annual fee, think about whether it pays to keep the account open and just make the occasional purchase on it. Doing so could help your credit score stay in good shape. And that could result in a lot of savings the next time you go to apply for a loan.
Plus, while you should aim to have cash in a savings account and not just fall back on your credit cards for emergency expenses, sometimes, the latter becomes necessary. So the higher your total spending limit, the more options you have in that type of scenario.
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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.
Before buying pet insurance, it’s a good idea to make sure it covers all the care you might want — including alternative medicine. Find out why.
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Pet insurance can pay for medical care for companion animals so owners don’t have to put vet bills on their credit cards. But there are lots of different pet insurance companies, and the types of treatment that is covered can differ from one insurer to another.
Because of this, it’s important to check if a pet insurance policy covers the types of care that individual owners would want to seek for their pets. And there’s one specific kind of treatment not all insurers cover that owners may want to confirm would be included.
When pet owners are signing up for a pet insurance policy, it’s worth considering whether the policy will provide coverage for alternative medical treatments, or whether alternative care is excluded from the types of treatment the insurance will pay for.
Alternative medicine can include a whole host of different protocols. For example, some common kinds of alternative medicine include acupuncture, chiropractic care, and laser treatment.
Many pet insurers offer payments for these types of care when the alternative treatments are performed by a licensed veterinary professional and when the treatments are necessary as a result of a covered condition, such as a degenerative spine issue. However, some pet insurers do not offer this added protection, instead requiring owners to use more traditional treatment methods only.
While not every pet owner will end up needing alternative medicine, it’s hard to predict when or if this kind of care will become necessary — especially as pets age and if they develop more chronic health issues that conventional medicines may not always be able to solve.
Owners who didn’t check to make sure this type of treatment is covered could be left paying out-of-pocket for it and carrying a credit card balance. Or they could find themselves in a situation where they have to pass up on procedures that could help improve their pet’s health or quality of life.
Fortunately, it’s easy to check with a given pet insurance carrier about whether alternative treatments will be covered. Pet insurers specify the kinds of things they do and do not cover when you’re shopping around for insurance.
Owners should check this before signing up for a policy, as it may be difficult or impossible to switch insurance carriers later on in a pet’s life when treatments become necessary. Other insurers could deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Alternative medicine is just one of many kinds of coverage a pet insurer could offer. It is important for anyone who is buying pet insurance to take a close look at the fine print to understand exactly what a policy will and won’t do when an animal develops health issues.
By taking the time to carefully read about exclusions and limitations, pet owners can make sure they are getting the best protection for their animal companions so any treatment their pets might need in the future will be within reach. When problems arise, owners will be glad they went to the extra trouble to make sure their coverage was comprehensive.
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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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I have a fixed-rate mortgage on my home and I’ve been paying down my loan for quite a long time. One of the benefits of buying a home using a fixed-rate home loan is that the rate doesn’t change, so principal and interest remain the same for the life of the loan. The stability of mortgage costs is actually one of the best reasons to buy a home as you don’t have to worry about rent going up. But, despite the fact that my mortgage costs don’t change year over year, my housing costs keep going up annually. Here’s why. Other costs go into your monthly housing paymentThere’s a simple reason why my housing costs keep increasing each year despite the fact that my mortgage payment stays the same. The issue is that my principal and interest on my home loan is not the only cost I absolutely must pay as a homeowner. I am also required to pay for property taxes, home insurance, and a homeowner’s association fee that is mandatory in my neighborhood. And, unlike my mortgage, these other costs were not set in stone at the time when I bought the house. My property tax bill has increased significantly over the years, sometimes going up thousands of dollars in a short period of time. My HOA has also raised the dues I owe on my property, and my home insurance has gone up as well during most years, although the insurance premium increases have been more modest since I haven’t made any claims.
More: Check out our picks for the best mortgage lenders
Each of these costs have to be factored into my monthly payments so that I can pay the insurance and property tax bill when they come due. In many cases, these costs are literally part of the required mortgage payment you have to make. This is because lenders generally require you to pay money toward these expenses each month, which the lender puts into an escrow account. As these costs have increased, I end up with a bigger housing bill even as the part of my mortgage payment going directly to paying the loan down stays stagnant. Don’t forget about property taxes and insurance when deciding how much you can affordThe fact that my housing costs have gone up each year due to these costs is annoying to me — but it has not put a big strain on my finances because I was well aware that this could happen when I purchased my house. I know my monthly costs go beyond just the mortgage alone and I prepared for the fact that these expenses could go up.Unfortunately, it’s easy to forget about the fact that property taxes, insurance costs, and HOA dues don’t come with guarantees they won’t change — and it’s much more likely that they will increase rather than stay stagnant. Anyone who is considering whether a given house is affordable for them or not should remember to take these additional expenses — and their likely future increases — into account when making their choice.
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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.
Image source: Getty Images
I have a fixed-rate mortgage on my home and I’ve been paying down my loan for quite a long time. One of the benefits of buying a home using a fixed-rate home loan is that the rate doesn’t change, so principal and interest remain the same for the life of the loan. The stability of mortgage costs is actually one of the best reasons to buy a home as you don’t have to worry about rent going up.
But, despite the fact that my mortgage costs don’t change year over year, my housing costs keep going up annually. Here’s why.
There’s a simple reason why my housing costs keep increasing each year despite the fact that my mortgage payment stays the same.
The issue is that my principal and interest on my home loan is not the only cost I absolutely must pay as a homeowner. I am also required to pay for property taxes, home insurance, and a homeowner’s association fee that is mandatory in my neighborhood. And, unlike my mortgage, these other costs were not set in stone at the time when I bought the house.
My property tax bill has increased significantly over the years, sometimes going up thousands of dollars in a short period of time. My HOA has also raised the dues I owe on my property, and my home insurance has gone up as well during most years, although the insurance premium increases have been more modest since I haven’t made any claims.
Each of these costs have to be factored into my monthly payments so that I can pay the insurance and property tax bill when they come due. In many cases, these costs are literally part of the required mortgage payment you have to make. This is because lenders generally require you to pay money toward these expenses each month, which the lender puts into an escrow account.
As these costs have increased, I end up with a bigger housing bill even as the part of my mortgage payment going directly to paying the loan down stays stagnant.
The fact that my housing costs have gone up each year due to these costs is annoying to me — but it has not put a big strain on my finances because I was well aware that this could happen when I purchased my house. I know my monthly costs go beyond just the mortgage alone and I prepared for the fact that these expenses could go up.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to forget about the fact that property taxes, insurance costs, and HOA dues don’t come with guarantees they won’t change — and it’s much more likely that they will increase rather than stay stagnant. Anyone who is considering whether a given house is affordable for them or not should remember to take these additional expenses — and their likely future increases — into account when making their choice.
Our experts vetted the most popular offers to land on the select picks that are worthy of a spot in your wallet. These best-in-class cards pack in rich perks, such as big sign-up bonuses, long 0% intro APR offers, and robust rewards. Get started today with our recommended credit cards.
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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