Spring brings a flood of new savings, but not every deal is a good one. wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story comes from partner site DealNews.com. Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend. April may not seem like a big month for shopping, but plenty of categories boast good deals. Some of them are more practical, so if you’re looking for fun and…
Do any of these belong on your list?
Image source: Getty Images
There’s a reason so many people love shopping on Amazon, and are willing to endure a yearly charge on their credit card for a Prime membership. Amazon commonly offers a wide range of products at competitive prices. And as a Prime member, you’re eligible for free two-day shipping on orders of any amount.
Meanwhile, Amazon has a number of great deals running this month. Here are some discounted products you may want to scoop up sooner rather than later.
Some parents hate the idea of having their kids stare at a screen for what could be hours at a time. But let’s face it — sometimes, your kids need to be kept busy when they’re home sick or stuck indoors on a rainy Saturday. That’s where tablets come in. Right now, the Fire 7 is on sale for $59.99, which is a massive reduction from its regular $109.99 price point. Best of all, this device comes with parental controls so you can monitor your kids’ content and even set limits to minimize their screen time.
Whether you’re looking to monitor what goes on outside your home for security reasons or want the benefit of knowing when a package has arrived, a Ring doorbell can get the job done. This model normally retails for $249.99, but right now, it’s on sale at Amazon for $174.99. You can benefit from features like two-way talk and built-in Alexa greetings.
If you’ve been thinking about buying an e-reader, now’s a good time to make that purchase. This Kindle model normally sells for $139.99, but right now, you can scoop it up for $99.99. With summer on the horizon, you may want to consider buying an e-reader you bring along on vacation or stick in the corner of your beach bag. And as an added bonus, this Kindle is waterproof, so if you dunk it in the ocean by accident, you’re good.
Spring is a popular time to embark on home improvement projects. If you’re handy, or you have a handy person in your household, this screwdriver bit and drill set could be a good investment. It normally sells for $56, but right now, you can snag it for $44.99.
Given that it’s the season for spring cleaning, you may be ready to tackle your home office and the mountains of documents you’ve been storing there. Some of those documents might contain sensitive information, though, so it’s important to shred them thoroughly so they don’t get into the wrong hands. This Amazon shredder can tackle 15 sheets of paper at a time so you don’t need to spend too much time safely disposing of paperwork you no longer need. It’s on sale for $70.01, down from $94.98.
Amazon puts items on sale all the time, so if money has gotten tight recently or you’re really trying to boost your savings account balance, you may want to hold off on making purchases in the near term. But if you have the flexibility to do some spending and these buys fulfill a specific need of yours, then it could pay to scoop them up while they’re available at a lower price point than usual.
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 until 2024, 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.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.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
New price guarantees and attraction recommendations are among the latest search improvements. Ladanifer / Shutterstock.com
Last month, Google highlighted its efforts to make shopping simpler. Now, it wants you to know it’s doing the same for travel. In a new blog post, the search engine highlighted updates to “the trip planning experience on Google,” focusing on three particular areas: Google Flights, the search engine’s answer to other popular flight comparison websites, is rolling out a new “pilot program” — their…
Now, you can weigh in on the debate that is generating a lot of heat in the nation’s capital right now. ravipat / Shutterstock.com
The future of Social Security is cloudy, as balances in the program’s trust funds are running low. Fixing the problem requires an increase in funding, a reduction in benefits or some combination of both. While lawmakers in Washington remain at loggerheads over which fix to employ, the American Academy of Actuaries wants to know how you would put Social Security on the road to stability.
The quick answer? Absolutely.
Image source: Getty Images
At this point, many people are in the process of finalizing their tax returns. And for you, that might mean rounding up various 1099 forms, such as those issued by your brokerage account or bank.
The deadline for entities to issue 1099 forms is Jan. 31 each year. And banks and financial institutions are generally pretty good at sticking to that deadline.
Discover: Find the best tax software for your situation here
Save: We researched free tax software and put together a list of the best here
But in some cases, you might be within days of the tax-filing deadline with a missing 1099. If you did work for a company that paid you on a freelance basis in 2022, for example, and you don’t have a 1099 summarizing that income, you may be wondering if you have to report it on your upcoming tax return.
The answer is a resounding yes. And if you don’t report that income, the consequences could be quite unfavorable.
Let’s get one thing out of the way. It’s possible for a 1099 form to get lost in the mail, or get lost in your spam filter if sent to you electronically. So the fact that you don’t have a 1099 doesn’t mean one wasn’t issued.
You should also know that when entities issue 1099s, they send a copy to the person who received the income being reported and another copy to the IRS itself. So if you don’t report that income and the IRS has a record of it, you might easily land yourself on the agency’s audit list.
But even if a 1099 form hasn’t been issued for some income you’ve earned, you still have to report it. That’s the law.
Can you get away with not reporting it? Potentially. The IRS may not learn about a $500 payment you received as part of a side gig you did last year.
But chances are, your tax liability on that $500 isn’t so high. So is it really worth the risk of getting audited and facing a penalty for underreporting your income to save a touch of money? Probably not.
It may be that you earned, say, $1,000 from a freelance client last year that hasn’t issued you a 1099 and won’t do so in time for this year’s tax-filing deadline. In that case, you can rest assured that you won’t get in trouble for not having a 1099 itself to show the IRS.
The IRS doesn’t need the form — it needs you to report the income. So if you have a record of having earned $1,000 based on payments received in your checking account, you can simply report that and not stress.
In fact, it’s a really good idea to keep track of any money you earn on a freelance basis. That way, you won’t run into trouble when the time comes to report it.
You should also know that if you seem to be missing a copy of a 1099 from a bank or financial institution, chances are, it’s available by logging into your online account. Many banks and financial companies have done away with sending 1099s by mail, so don’t assume that form is missing just because a member of the U.S. Postal Service didn’t deliver it to your mailbox.
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 until 2024, 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.
Credit cards offer many conveniences and protections, but sometimes it’s simply smarter to keep the plastic tucked away. Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock.com
Many credit cards offer a slew of incentives to consumers who use them — from cash back and other rewards to zero liability in case of fraud. But credit cards are not always your best form of payment, especially if you aren’t great with debt. In many cases, you are better off keeping the plastic tucked away. For some readers, this advice comes too late. If you are already facing a mountain of debt…
© 2026 Madam Money®. All Rights Reserved. | Designed by SRJWebsites.com
