How you spend can be an big investment in your quality of life. M2020 / Shutterstock.com
They were wrong. The answer to the question does money buy happens is … yes! In fact, the research is overwhelming. And, there are actually multiple ways to spend to increase happiness. Here are ways to spend money to buy happiness. The following tips are valuable whether you are 75, 65, 55, 15 or somewhere in between!
Aldi prices are tough to beat. Here are five products one writer has found to be both affordable and delicious. [[{“value”:”
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As a recent Aldi convert, I’m just getting to know what I like (and don’t like) about the store. So far, I’ve been surprised by the quality of produce and the number of options. I assumed that Aldi never offered name-brand products for some reason, but nothing could be further from the truth. A fair number of name brands are on display at our local Aldi store, but each is surrounded by brands I’ve never heard of.
So it helps that I’ve been reading about highly recommended Aldi products and which items other shoppers can’t do without. Here are the five best buys I’ve found thus far at Aldi — items I’ll continue to buy because they’re truly superior to the competition.
Aldi price: $2.19Walmart price: $7.95
If you’re a chocolate lover, you may be as impressed with this German-made chocolate as I have been. The chocolate is rich but not sickly sweet, and manufactured using Fair Trade Certified South American cocoa.
Plus, there’s a Moser Roth chocolate bar for everyone. Our local Aldi offers 11 different flavors, ranging from dark orange and almond to toffee crunch. For purists like my husband, there’s extra creamy milk chocolate. The trick has been finding my favorite flavors in stock when the urge for chocolate strikes.
Aldi price: $2.59Walmart price: $4.38 (for Silk Dairy Free Almond Milk, 59 fl oz.)
Between morning smoothies and cereal, my husband and I consume a fair amount of almond milk. As someone who’s always been concerned about an unknown brand tasting “funny,” I was surprised to realize that I can’t tell the difference between Friendly Farms and Silk, the brand I’ve purchased for years. Better yet, it allows me to leave more money in our checking account each week.
Like most people, my tastes have evolved through the years, as have my cooking habits. However, I have always had three items in my refrigerator: One-half gallon of milk, butter, and half and half. Like the almond milk, I can’t tell the difference between the Aldi brand staples and the name brands I’m accustomed to buying.
Aldi price: $4.39Walmart price: $5.88
I remember thinking pistachios looked disgusting when I was a kid, although I can admit now how wrong I was. They’re actually delicious. Pistachios provide a subtle taste but a satisfying crunch. And when they’re roasted and salted, they’re pretty much one of the most delicious snacks on the planet.
The problem is that pistachios can be one expensive nut, which is why I was so thrilled to find them at Aldi. Whether you eat them from the bag or use them for baking, buying a bag doesn’t mean taking money out of savings.
Aldi price: $4.29Walmart price: $6.97 (for 6 oz.)
One thing I’d read about before shopping at Aldi was its amazing selection of cheeses, and I’ll admit, I’ll put cheese in just about anything, and Gruyere is one of my favorites. Our nearest full-fledged grocery store is Schnucks, and while I love some things about shopping there, it’s not where I go when I’m looking for low prices. In fact, an 8 oz. block of Gruyere at Schnucks is $7.89. I can’t justify paying $3.60 more for cheese when I can drive another block and save that money.
As someone who typically does not enjoy shopping, I find that I do enjoy snagging a bargain. Whether it’s accomplished by using a shopping app or pulling into Aldi, it feels like a win.
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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.Dana George has positions in Walmart. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Instead of throwing out stale bread, put it to tasty use with these recipes. Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock.com
You grabbed a loaf of bread the last time you were at the grocery store, but now it’s rock hard. So, what to do with stale bread? This common scenario is annoying when you’re hungry and craving a sandwich, but it’s also a huge waste of food and money if you throw the stale loaf away. The USDA estimates that 30% to 40% of the country’s food supply is wasted, with food waste occurring at every…
You may be inclined to chase the best CD rate you can find today. Read on to see why that might cost you. [[{“value”:”
Image source: The Motley Fool/Upsplash
When there’s an opportunity to snag free money, whether it’s cash back from your credit card or a rebate on an item you purchased, I say go for it. I mean, it’s free money. It doesn’t get much better than that.
If you ask me, CDs are easy money. That’s because you’re putting a certain amount into the bank and are getting a guaranteed interest rate on that cash. Since you’re not working for that interest, I think it’s more than fair to call it easy. And based on what CD rates look like today, the potential to earn a lot of easy money from your bank is huge.
You may be inclined to snag the highest CD rate you can get right now. For the most part, you’ll probably find that with a 12-month CD or shorter, whereas a longer-term CD might pay a little less. But a longer-term CD could be a smarter move.
It’s pretty typical for banks to offer their best rates on longer-term CDs because you’re committing to leaving your money in place for an extended period. But there’s a reason that’s not the case today.
CD rates are high right now because the Federal Reserve spent the past couple of years raising interest rates. But the Fed is expected to start cutting rates later this year.
Once that happens, CD rates are apt to start falling. So banks aren’t offering their best rates on longer-term CDs because that would mean taking a risk on their part.
But because of all of this, you actually may not want to chase the highest CD rate you can find today. That approach might cost you money in the long run.
You might assume that opening a 12-month CD is your best bet right now. But I’d argue that a longer-term CD is a better choice, because it might pay you more money all-in despite offering a lower rate now. Let’s run through an example so you can see what I mean based on the rates The bank in our example is offering: a 5.00% APY for a 12-month CD and a 4.00% APY for a 36-month CD.
With a $10,000 deposit, a 36-month CD will pay you $1,249 over three years, assuming you don’t withdraw your CD early and lose some of that interest to a penalty.
Meanwhile, all you know about a 12-month CD is that it will pay you $500 over the next year with a $10,000 deposit. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.
However, we do know that CD rates are expected to fall. So let’s say that after a year, the APY on a 12-month CD goes down to 3.00%. At that point, your initial CD’s value will be $10,500, so you’ll earn $315 in interest.
A year later, the APY on a 12-month CD might fall to 2.00%. At that point, your CD’s starting value will be $10,815, so you’ll earn $216 in interest.
So let’s add up the numbers: $500 + $315 + $216 = $1,031. All told, that’s $218 less than what you would’ve gotten by opening a 36-month CD at 4.00% to begin with.
And yes, these numbers are based on guesses/assumptions. I don’t know what 12-month CD rates will look like a year from now, or a year from then. Nobody does.
The point, however, is that you may earn a lot more money with a longer-term CD today, even if it doesn’t offer the best rate out there. So before you rush into a 12-month CD, think about how much you might gain by committing to a longer CD term.
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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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Planning to stay in a vacation rental? Read on for ways to spend less. [[{“value”:”
Image source: Getty Images
The cost of everything seems to be up these days. And that includes hotel rooms.
Pacaso says that the average cost of a double-occupancy hotel room is $259 per night. But if you have a larger family, a hotel may not meet your needs. You may find that you’re too cramped, or that a single room can’t accommodate your entire family because you have multiple children. So if that’s the case, an Airbnb may be a better choice.
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Now in the context of this discussion, we’re going to use Airbnb as another way of saying “vacation rental” because it’s less clunky. And you should also know that booking an Airbnb won’t necessarily save you money on a per-night basis. Pacaso puts the average nightly cost of a private rental at $314, though you might save a lot of money by virtue of having access to a kitchen and being able to prepare your own meals while you’re away from home.
Plus, there are other steps you can take to save money on your next Airbnb. Here are three tips to employ.
Managing an Airbnb can be a lot of work for a host. They have to make sure their home is cleared out — and cleaned thoroughly — in between guests. That’s why it pays to negotiate with your host if you’re booking a longer-term stay — say, 10 days or more.
To do this, simply send the host a message through Airbnb, explain your situation, and ask what they can do. If their normal nightly rate is $250 but you’re asking to stay for 20 days, they may agree to knock $10 or $20 off the cost per night for a couple of reasons.
First, they won’t have to deal with cleaning the home during that time. If their average guest stays only three or four nights, that’s a lot less work.
Secondly, they have guaranteed income for an extended period. If you’re booking for about three weeks straight, your host won’t have to worry about Tuesday or Wednesday night vacancies during that time — so they may be willing to cut you a break because of that.
Many Airbnb hosts provide towels and linens as a pretty standard amenity. But if you’re willing to bring your own, you might save money on your booking.
It can be a lot of work to provide clean bedding and towels to guests, especially in a home with a lot of turnover. So you may find that booking a home that doesn’t offer that perk results in a lower nightly fee.
The nice thing about staying at a hotel is that you can usually cancel pretty close to the time of your stay for a full refund. With an Airbnb, your credit card may be charged weeks ahead of your stay, and you may not have the option to cancel so easily.
Before you rent someone’s home, read the fine print. Find out your last day to cancel so you don’t risk losing money if you’re iffy on your travel dates, or if you think there’s a chance you won’t end up being able to go on your trip after all.
That said, if you do need to cancel at the last minute, it’s worth reaching out to the host rather than assuming your money is lost. Often, Airbnb hosts are willing to re-list their properties in this sort of situation and see if someone else books a stay. If they can fill the slots you were taking up, you may get your money back.
Staying at an Airbnb won’t necessarily be cheaper than a hotel under any circumstances. But it may be more comfortable and offer amenities a regular hotel won’t. And if you use these tips, you may find that your next Airbnb stay costs less than expected.
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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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If you didn’t shop around and compare rates, you could open the wrong CD. Find out about this and other signs you’re about to make an investing error. [[{“value”:”
Image source: Getty Images
So you’ve picked a CD and you’re ready to invest your money. But are you really ready to pull the trigger? You don’t want to make the wrong investment choice, and it’s easy to make mistakes that leave you regretting your decisions.
To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, watch out for these three red flags that the CD you’re about to open is the wrong one.
There’s a ton of variation in CD rates. If you check out The Ascent’s picks for the best 12-month CDs, you’ll see yields ranging from 4.50% to 5.25% right now. With such a wide range even on a single list, it’s clear that if you don’t shop around, you could leave money on the table.
That’s particularly true when you consider that the FDIC reports that the national average rate of a 12-month CD is just 1.80%. If you bought a CD paying the national average rate, your yield would be 3.45% below what you should be earning if you’d just opted for the bank willing to pay you 5.25% instead.
Dig into many different CD offers to see what rate is best and don’t forget to check out credit unions and online banks, as they tend to have the most competitive offers.
CDs have different terms. Term lengths typically range from three months to five years, although there are some 1-month CDs out there and some terms longer than five years as well. Whatever the time until your CD matures, you’ll want to be sure you’re OK with your money staying invested for that entire period. Otherwise, you might have to pull your money out and pay an early withdrawal penalty.
If you’re looking at buying a 5-year CD, but you haven’t confirmed that you definitely won’t need the money for the next half-decade, you could end up having to take the funds out early and potentially losing some of your initial investment if you haven’t yet earned enough interest to cover the fees.
Look carefully at the money you have available (as well as your goals for the money you’re investing) to be sure you’re making the best choice.
Finally, you are most likely making a bad decision to open a CD if you are struggling to afford the minimum amount you’re required to deposit.
Some CDs have minimum deposit requirements and you won’t be eligible to buy them unless you can come up with that minimum, be it $500 or $2,500 or whatever limit the bank sets. If a CD is offering good terms, you may be tempted to struggle to afford it — or even to take out money that should be in a savings account with the assumption you’ll put it back after the CD term is up.
The problem is, you can’t predict the future or know when life is going to throw you curveballs. If you chose a CD with a minimum investment requirement that wasn’t really comfortable for you, that just increases the chances you’ll have to pull that money out early if everything doesn’t go perfectly.
You don’t want to open the wrong CD, so try to avoid making these three errors. Take the time to research all your options to find a CD that’s really a great fit. You don’t want to regret the investment choices you’ve made.
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
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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