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Cheap Caribbean Vacations – The Ultimate Guide

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cheap-caribbean-vacations Consistently recognized as having some of the world’s finest beaches, the Caribbean is considered to be a bucket-list destination for many travelers around the globe.

Whether you prefer to be wholly tethered to white-sand beaches or experience an entirely different culture rich in history and tradition, the Caribbean islands have something glorious in store for you.

If you relish water sports in crystal clear seas, there are a plethora of options available almost year-round – from spectacular snorkeling to world-class diving, the Caribbean is always prepared to deliver.

Even though the beaches are the island’s main draw, there is an abundance of lush rainforests and picturesque peaks replete with various bird species and countless hiking trails. Plus, the islands’ colorful heritage and unique cuisine are both enigmatic and unforgettable.

But for the frugal tourist like myself, the expense associated with planning a trip to such a widely-popular destination like the Caribbean can be quite prohibitive. Above all, I do not advocate getting into debt just to make a dream vacation into reality. At the end of the day, you want your holiday to be filled with phenomenal memories instead of a sour “broke feeling” aftertaste.

In this post, I’ll explore several strategies to assist you in mapping out your future Caribbean odyssey so you will not inflict a significant dent in your savings accounts.

Finding Cheap Caribbean Vacations

COVID19 Considerations

Effective January 26, 2021, travelers returning from overseas will need to present proof of a negative test result taken within 72 hours or documentation that they had recently recovered from COVID19 before being allowed to board a US-bound flight.

Reaching out to your destination’s tourism department or hotel to inquire if testing sites are available is highly recommended. More importantly, it is critical to choose a test site that can generate results before your departure.

Case in point, since I am traveling to Aruba in the summer, I did my due diligence by emailing their tourism department, which responded promptly. Their response included a comprehensive list of test sites, respective fees, and the expected release of test results.

Though this article is travel-related, this is by no means a recommendation to travel at this very moment. Should you decide to proceed with your trip, please be mindful of the current health guidelines being enforced by foreign countries. Even though the risk of contracting COVID19 could not be completely eliminated unless you totally isolate yourself, traveling does substantially increase the likelihood of infection, so travel only when you are able to tolerate this risk. Moreover, quarantine requirements and travel restrictions are constantly changing, so make sure that your destination does permit you to enter without requiring you to stay indoors for longer than your entire vacation.

The Caribbean Islands and Their Highlights

Photo Credit: Nationsonline.org

Anguilla – Beaches

Antigua – Beaches, Cuisine

Aruba – Beaches, Nightlife

Bahamas – Beaches, Nightlife

Barbados – Cuisine, Golf

Bonaire – Diving, Hiking

British Virgin Islands – Beaches, Diving

Cayman Islands – Beaches, Shopping

Curacao – Beaches, Hiking, Diving

Dominica – Diving, Outdoor

Dominican Republic – Beaches, Golf

Grenada – Beaches, Outdoor

Guadeloupe – Beaches, Diving, Outdoor

Jamaica – Golf, Outdoor, Cuisine

Martinique – Beaches

Montserrat – Diving, Outdoor

Puerto Rico – Nightlife, Outdoor, Culture

Saba – Diving

St. Barthelemy – Beaches

St. Eustatius – Diving

St. Kitts & Nevis – History, Golf, Outdoor

St. Lucia – Outdoor, Beaches

St. Maarten – Beaches, Plane-Spotting

St. Vincent and the Grenadines – Beaches, Diving, Golf

Trinidad & Tobago – Beaches, Diving, Golf, Outdoors

Turks & Caicos – Beaches, Diving

US Virgin Islands – Beaches, Diving

(Source: Fodor’s Travel)

Where to Go?

Comprising over 20 island-nations and territories, figuring out where to go in the Caribbean can be incredibly daunting. Unless you have the luxury of time and money to island-hop every few days, I do not suggest visiting them all in one trip.

Selecting which paradise island to explore will primarily depend on the purpose of your holiday.

Would you like to intersperse lounging at the beach with hiking?

Do you plan to either do professional diving or recreational snorkeling?

Are you a foodie and love chronicling various international cuisines?

If you are a history buff, would you be interested in visiting Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace in Nevis?

Are you scouting the perfect romantic getaway for your honeymoon?

Other considerations that can influence your choices revolve around budget and time. Some islands, such as Anguilla, Barbados, St. Barthelemy, and the British Virgin Islands, strictly cater to the well-to-do crowd which makes bargain hunting practically impossible. I will skip those if you are on a shoestring budget.

Once you have narrowed down your potential options based on the factors above, start searching for cheap airfare and wallet-friendly accommodations. You might also want to consider embarking on a discounted cruise once it is safe to do so. The sections that follow will walk you through this process.

When to Go?

A few years back, I would strongly recommend avoiding hurricane season. But with climate change in full effect, it has become much more challenging to accurately predict when hurricanes are likely to form.

By and large, the Atlantic hurricane season starts at the beginning of June and lasts until November. Historically, powerful hurricanes have occurred between August and October. To minimize the risk of inclement weather impacting your vacation, I would avoid traveling during these months.

In the event that a hurricane has disrupted your travel plans, hotels and airlines normally offer refunds or rebooking without a fee. For added protection, I advise purchasing travel insurance.

If you would like to leverage flight deals during hurricane season, the southern islands of Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao have traditionally escaped the wrath of powerful hurricanes in the past.

How to Find Cheap Flights?

ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCIES (OTAs) VERSUS AIRLINES

If COVID19 has taught us a lesson, it is to book flights directly with airlines. Tickets booked with online travel agencies (OTA) such as Kayak and CheapOAir were difficult to modify or cancel without a fee during the pandemic.

However, the reality is that there are so many airlines that fly to the Caribbean that running individual searches in order to arrive at the cheapest airfare will surely take an enormous amount of time. Hence, I suggest taking the OTA route as they generally scan all airlines, including budget carriers, for the cheapest airfare.

First, run your searches through these three OTAs as they consistently yield the cheapest airfare possible: Momondo, Skyscanner, and Google Flights.

Next, take note of the exact details of the flights you found and initiate a similar search directly on the airline’s website. Compare both fares and pick the cheaper flight.

If it is a difference of a few dollars, I’d rather book with the airlines as their terms mainly offer more flexibility. In fact, almost all major U.S. carriers have started waiving their change fees for flights to the Caribbean, albeit temporarily. At any rate, it is good practice to always verify the terms and conditions of the ticket you are planning to purchase before hitting the buy button.

EXPLORE OPTION

Another fantastic feature of my recommended OTAs is their ability to perform an extensive search for the cheapest flight available in any region. This feature is commonly called the “Explore” option and is available on Momondo and Google Flights.

When searching, write down “Caribbean” in the destination search box. Enter your preferred dates, then jumpstart the search. Select the particular flight that aligns with your preferred travel time (i.e., number of stops, length of layovers) and budget.

This strategy works best if you do not have a specific island in mind and are willing to fly anywhere as long as the price is right.

MISTAKE FARES

Subscribing to travel websites that comb through the web for bargain flights and mistake fares is another avenue to find airfare deals to the Caribbean.

These websites have devoted employees who meticulously monitor various travel search engines for insanely cheap plane tickets. Subscribers immediately receive a newsletter once these deals get unearthed, so they don’t miss out on these valuable promotions.

If you are curious about error fares, they are usually the outcome of computer glitches that happen quite often. Since these flights are dirt cheap, you need to pounce the moment the deal enters your inbox as they tend to quickly vanish within a few hours.

Some of these platforms require paid subscriptions, but most offer free basic memberships, so I would recommend the latter. The most popular mistake fare websites are Airfare Watchdog, Secret Flying, The Flight Deal, Travel Pirates, Scott’s Cheap Flights, and The Thrifty Traveller.

TRAVEL HACKING

Anyone remotely interested in travel should be familiar with how travel hacking works as it has the potential of saving anyone a considerable amount of money.

Every major airline has its loyalty program, and loyalists naturally get rewarded with free flights. Free travel is attained after reaching a certain number of points, usually dependent on the cost of the redemption.

Previously, the only way to accumulate these “loyalty” or “frequent flier” points is by repeatedly flying with the same airline. But that is just now a thing of the past. Currently, anyone can earn these frequent flier points by travel hacking.

Simply put, travel hacking is the art of applying for specific travel credit cards in order to earn generous sign-up bonuses that can be ultimately redeemed for free flights. It is by far the best strategy to save money on airfare.

However, this approach is sadly not for everyone. If you currently hold a lot of consumer debt or have difficulties paying off your monthly credit card balance in full, then this strategy may not be suitable for you at this time. Nevertheless, once you are debt-free, you can undoubtedly take travel hacking for a test drive to find out if it can work for you, too.

Whether you are a novice or an expert traveler, I highly recommend dabbling in travel hacking. It has brought me to countless places I would never have imagined visiting in this lifetime for a fraction of the price.

OTHER STRATEGIES

Aside from the above tactics, there are also additional methods that you can utilize to ensure that you are getting the best bang for your buck.

In short, flexibility is the name of the game. The more fluid your plans are, the higher your likelihood of grabbing deeply discounted tickets. Besides flexibility, other recommended strategies when hunting for cheap airfare include using incognito mode while searching, booking one-way, multi-city, or round-trip and comparing costs, booking one person at a time, and paying with local currency, among others.

Where to Stay?

ONLINE HOTEL SEARCH ENGINES

The strategies in finding reasonably-priced lodging will mirror the techniques for airfare. Performing a search using various online hotel search engines is recommended.

Although frugal tourists tend to naturally gravitate towards inexpensive accommodations, I firmly advise reading customer reviews before finalizing your reservations.

You would want to ensure that the property is compatible with what you are looking for, taking into account the lodging’s safety and security as well as how comfortable and clean the accommodations are. Also, you would want to know whether the hotel offers refundable rates in case your plans get derailed.

  1. Hotels.com – One of my favorites as it gives a free stay after every 10 nights.
  2. Booking.com – Consistently features deeply discounted properties.
  3. Agoda.com – Terrific promotions year-round.
  4. Hostelworld.com – If you want to save and do not mind roughing it out, staying in a hostel might be an option.
  5. AirBNB.com – If you want a property with additional amenities such as a kitchen, parking, etc, then consider staying in an Airbnb.
  6. VRBO.com – Another wonderful option for long-term stays.

Mix and Match

Some search engines such as Kayak, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. allow travelers to lump airfare and hotels together in the same reservation resulting in hefty savings. Before booking, though, make sure you compare these rates with the fares you get when booking them separately.

Hotel Hacking

Identical to airfare hacking, it is possible to rack up a significant amount of hotel points when you sign up for hotel credit cards. These points can then be exchanged for free nights in virtually every major hotel chain possible.

Some of these credit cards also give out a free night certificate when you pay the annual fee. Whenever you book a night that is more expensive than the cost of the annual fee then you have come out ahead.

It bears repeating that in order to maximize these travel hacking offers, you need to have a stellar credit score and be inherently averse to debt. Despite how lucrative these credit card deals are, if you tend to encounter difficulties paying off your credit card balances when they are due, then banks might deny your application.

Once you are debt-free and have a substantial travel fund, you can consider the current offers available from these popular hotel chains: Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, and Intercontinental Hotels. Even though all of these hotel brands have a vast footprint in the Caribbean, they are not present in all of the territories. Verify that the hotel credit card you’re applying for actually has a property on the island you are planning to visit before signing up.

Package Tours for Island Hopping

Our final strategy is taking advantage of package tours, which are predominantly cruises that visit multiple ports. Despite their unsavory reputation as being virus Petri dishes, I will be remiss if I do not mention Caribbean cruises as a viable option to save a decent amount of cash.

Essentially, once we have successfully developed herd immunity and a large percentage of the population is vaccinated, joining cruises is a terrific way to visit several islands without breaking the bank.

Costco.com – routinely offers a wide range of low-cost Caribbean cruises.

Cheap Caribbean Cruises – scours the web for the cheapest available cruises.

Cruise Cheap – year-round discounts for cruises around the globe.

Travel Zoo – periodically releases deeply discounted tours.

Saving For Travel

FRONT LOADING

I save for my travels by mindfully setting aside a specific amount of money per month, so I could have almost all the funds available to withdraw while overseas or to pay my credit card bills upon my return. Since I love travel immensely, I typically save on virtually everything to guarantee that my travel fund is continually blossoming.

With rigorous discipline, it is not only possible to fund your future Caribbean vacation, but any remaining savings you have can be funneled towards other future bucket-list vacations on your drawing board. Just make sure that you keep your saved money in a high-interest savings account, so your travel fund continues to grow even in your sleep.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, navigating the countless options involved in booking your future Caribbean voyage can be extremely overwhelming. I hope that the frugal strategies I’ve outlined in this post can help you plan your trip confidently while staying within your budget.

The more money we save, the more money we can direct to our travel funds so we do not go broke when we return from our vacations. After all, traveling should never create a financial burden on anyone.

I hope that this post has also encouraged you to learn more about travel hacking so you can eventually accumulate travel reward points and redeem them for free flights and hotel stays on your forthcoming Caribbean adventure.

Lastly, I hope that this post has made you move closer to the vacation of your dreams. I can’t wait for you to embark on that journey!

This article originally appeared on Your Money Geek and has been republished with permission.

The 12 Best Places to Buy Shoes

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If you have a love-hate relationship with shoe shopping, you’re in luck. It’s easier than ever to buy shoes online and save money.

No one should sacrifice comfort and the health of their feet to save money. Instead, shop for shoes online and get the lowest prices and the highest quality all-in-one.

We’ve found the top 12 places to buy designer brands and the latest styles for you below.

Best Places to Buy Shoes Online

1. Amazon

If you haven’t discovered the shoe section on Amazon yet, it’s time. You’ll find top name brands as well as brands you haven’t heard of but will want to know about soon. Just head over and read the reviews on most of their shoes, and you’ll see that you’ve been missing out.

Amazon offers some of the lowest prices, and many orders qualify for free shipping, especially if you have Amazon Prime. Even if you don’t, though, most orders over $25 qualify for free shipping.

If you’re looking for the largest selection of styles, colors, and types of shoes, Amazon should be your go-to store.

2. Zappos

Zappos is the shoe-version of Amazon. In other words, if there’s a shoe you’re looking for, you’ll find it on Zappos. You may not see the lowest prices on Zappos, but you will find the highest quality and honest reviews.

Here’s a word of caution on their pricing. Don’t assume all colors and/or sizes are the same price. Zappos has unique ways of pricing their shoes. You may find some colors or styles significantly discounted, while others are higher priced. It depends on supply and demand, so pay close attention when you’re placing orders.

3. 6 PM

If you love the thrill of a good hunt, check out 6 PM. They are the outlet store of Zappos. In other words, if you find something you love at Zappos but don’t want to spend the money on, check again at 6 PM and see if you can snatch them for an even better deal.

Just be careful with the return policy. 6 PM has a short window of opportunity. On a good note, though, they not only have some of the lowest prices, but you can score free shipping on orders over $50, plus they offer coupons often too.

4. Zulily

If you’re looking for the most fantastic selection of discount shoes, look no further than Zulily. As their tagline says, Zulily is a ‘new store every day.’ That’s because they buy the excess stock when stores have the shoes on sale. Zulily runs a ‘flash sale’ for 24 – 72 hours to create a sense of urgency because once it’s over, it’s over.

There’s one downsize – don’t buy something from Zulily and expect it to ship fast. They run their sales approximately one week before they have the products in hand, which means it could be two weeks or longer before receiving your purchase.

5. Shoes.com

If you’ve ever wished for a shoe store with a great selection and low prices like Walmart, you’re in luck. Shoes.com is a subsidiary of Walmart, and they don’t disappoint. First, everything ships free; there’s no minimum purchase required.

As far as selection, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the great brands and options they have and at prices you’ll love. If you’re looking for even better deals, browse their sale section, and don’t forget to look at the top of the website, where they always advertise coupons and other savings. You could score an additional 25% off or more on already discounted prices.

6. DSW

With a name like Designer Shoe Warehouse, you know you’re in for a special treat at DSW. Whether you’re in the market for high heels, athletic shoes, or something in between, you’ll find it in the wide selection at DSW.

DSW has an incredible return policy (60 days), and you can always count on them to have the latest trendy shoes at prices you can afford. They only offer free shipping to VIP members, but it’s free to join, so join and don’t forget to check out their clearance section. That’s where you’ll find some of the most amazing deals on designer shoes.

7. Famous Footwear

Everyone knows Famous Footwear for their brick-and-mortar locations, but don’t forget they are a great option to buy ‘standard’ shoes online. You won’t find many designer shoe options, but if you’re looking for top-notch sneakers, boots, or sandals, they’ve got you covered.

Don’t forget to join the Famously You Rewards program (it’s free). You’ll not only enjoy free shipping, but you’ll earn a $5 cash reward for every $100 you spend, and you’ll get free shipping on any size order. Famous Footwear is known for its coupons and ‘buy one, get one half off’ deals that you can stack with coupons, leaving you with some fantastic deals on quality shoes.

8. Shoe Carnival

Shoe Carnival is just as fun as the carnivals you know and love if you’re a shoe fanatic. Shoe Carnival has some of the hottest deals on name brand shoes, and they almost always have extra coupons or special deals to take advantage of, including ‘buy one, get one half off’ deals throughout the year.

If you sign up for their Shoe Perks Rewards program, you earn $10 off a purchase of $59.98 right away, plus a $10 certificate for every $200 you spend. Shoe Carnival runs free shipping deals for members only throughout the year and plenty of member-only sales to save you even more money.

9. Nordstrom Rack

If you have Nordstrom taste, but don’t have a Nordstrom budget, check the Nordstrom Rack site. You’ll find the overstock and ‘older’ styles at Nordstrom Rack, the offshoot of its department store. By older styles, we’re talking maybe last month’s style.

You never know what you’ll find here, and it’s always in limited quantity, so don’t delay if you see something you like. These will surely help you dress for success.

10. Poshmark

If you don’t mind ‘second hand’ shoes, Poshmark is a great site to get designer shoes at a fraction of the price. Individual sellers open their ‘closets’ to buyers, often including high-end brand shoes, sometimes still with their tags.

You can view pictures, read reviews, and even counter-offer the price they’re asking if you want to pay a little less. You’ll find plenty of options on Poshmark, especially if you’re looking for a specific shoe or style that’s no longer sold in retail stores.

11. thredUP

thredUP is one of the largest online thrift stores where you can get designer shoes at a fraction of the retail price. With more than 50,000 shoes to choose from, you’re bound to find some fantastic deals on shoes you might otherwise not be able to afford (or want to pay for).

There’s something here for all types of income – and a ridiculous amount of options to choose from.

12. Overstock

You probably know Overstock for its low-cost home goods, but they have quite a selection of shoes too. Shop their regular inventory, look at the sales, and don’t forget to check back often for their flash deals, which usually offer the largest discount on the site. Like most stores that sell what didn’t sell elsewhere, quantities are limited, so if you see something you want, buy it right away.

Ways to Save When You Buy Shoes Online

Now that you know the best places to buy shoes online, it’s time to learn how to save even more money. While many sites have extra coupon codes or deals right on their home page, there are other ways to save on shoes too.

Regardless of whether or not you have a budget category defined for your shoe budget or not, you’re sure to save money by following our tips!

Search for a Promo Code

Search online for a coupon code for the store you’re shopping at to save the most money. You never know when there’re extra savings available. All it takes is finding the code and entering it at checkout.

Look for Shipping Deals

Many online shoe stores offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount. Always check the minimum. Sometimes all it takes is adding a pair of socks or other small accessories to your order to put you over the threshold to get free shipping.

Join Loyalty Programs

Many discount shoe stores offer loyalty programs, and they’re free to join. When you join, you often earn points for every purchase and have access to member-exclusive deals. You may receive birthday coupons, exclusive sales, or have access to exclusive promo codes.

Earn Cash Back When You Shop Online

If you do any shopping online, download a shopping rebate app to earn cash back on your order. Apps like Rakuten pay you cash back if you shop through the app at your favorite shoe stores. Any money you earn back is also the savings you earn when you buy discount shoes online.

Check out this comprehensive Rakuten review to learn more about how it can save you money.

Shop Around

The beauty of buying shoes online is you can shop around in your PJ’s while lying in bed. It takes just minutes to look at a handful of stores, especially when you’re after a specific shoe or brand. Take advantage of the ability to comparison shop and see who has the best deals before you buy those designer shoes.

Alternative Ways to Pay for Shoes

Sometimes, even when shopping at a discount, shoes can get really expensive. Find ways to earn free money to help offset the costs. You could always earn some extra money from your couch by watching ads for money or by getting paid to watch movies too.

Buy Shoes Online and Save Money

You could save hundreds of dollars a year if you buy shoes online. Even if you’re the type that likes to try shoes on in person, many of these stores have brick-and-mortar locations. You can purchase the shoes online, try them on and exchange or return the shoes in person if necessary.

Don’t forget there are plenty of odd jobs app opportunities to earn a few extra bucks if you want to help cover the bill for your new shoes.

When you shop for shoes online, you have a better chance of scoring amazing deals on designer shoes that might otherwise be outside your budget. Don’t be afraid to try stores with flash sales, overstock, or even secondhand (thrift) stores. Have some fun shopping for shoes and let your closet grow while staying within your budget.

This article originally appeared on Your Money Geek and has been republished with permission.

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How to Find Cheap Vets Near Me

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The last thing you ever want to be worrying about is, “where do I find cheap vets near me.”

Whether it’s for routine preventative care like wellness checks, vaccinations, spay-neuter, or emergencies and surgeries, everyone wants access to the best low-cost veterinary care they can get for their companion-animal.

When you are in the midst of an animal emergency, two things could happen. Either you’re not going to care about money and could find yourself with a whopping emergency veterinary care bill later, or you might delay care for your favorite furry, feathered, or scaly friend if worrying about the costs.

Planning for the health of your pet should be part of your overall preparedness considerations. So, let’s discuss some of the ways to keep your animal medical care bills low.

Many of these options are more appropriate for routine and preventative care.

It’s probably a good idea to have a monthly budget item for your pet’s health care. If you find affordable vet care for things you can control, you can have more money to add to a sinking fund when animal emergencies come up!

When You Get Your Pet

Whether you get your pet from a shelter, adopt from a friend, or purchase from a breeder, there are likely some initial medical expenses that you will need to take care of. You will also want to consider getting established with a veterinarian, much like you should have a primary care doctor for yourself!

how-to-find-cheap-vets-near-me

Free Vet Care With Adoption and Services for Pets From Shelters

We all know that adopting a pet is cheaper than purchasing one. But something you may not realize is that for cats and dogs, you may get some cheap veterinary care too.

First, a vet has likely already checked out your animal, so major health problems will probably have already been identified and perhaps treated. Shelter animals will likely be receiving canine and feline flea medication while in the shelter. Dogs and cats will almost always have been sterilized, treated for parasites, and received any of their needed vaccinations, such as a rabies shot, as part of standard shelter animal care. Chances are, you will not need to pay for animal vaccines for almost a year after adopting an animal.

Many shelters have relationships with local veterinarians so that your pet can receive some free or cheap vet care for 2-4 weeks after adoption. They may supply a voucher for one or more vet clinics near the shelter that they partner with. Some shelters are even offering free pet insurance for a short period after the adoption.

Don’t forget to ask your local shelter for recommendations for cheap vets near you, even if you didn’t adopt there. They will surely have some ideas of where to point you.

Spay and Neuter

Local animal welfare groups often work to set up free spaying or neutering for puppies and kittens. There are even more programs to help with female cats’ sterilization to reduce the populations of feral kitties running around. You can usually find a charity or animal welfare organization that will help with stray or feral cats’ spays to prevent overpopulation. The ASPCA often runs spaying and neutering clinics or may be able to point you towards one if you contact the closest local office.

If you’re not immediately aware of a free or cheap option to save on spay-neuter costs, which can run up to $200, try using a tool like PetSmart’s database of free and low-cost clinics around the country. Love That Cat also offers a list around the country specifically for cats and low or free spay-neuter programs.

These services may only be available on specific days or times, so plan ahead!

Vaccines

There are several vaccines that your pet will need; what vaccines depend on both local regulations and local safety risks. It would be best if you discussed this with your veterinarian to determine exactly what your pet needs.

Once you know what vaccines your animal needs, you can administer many vaccines to your cat or dog at home. There are resources online that show you how to safely do all of this, which may also offer the vaccines for sale. A local pet supply shop or animal feed store may also provide vaccines for purchase and home administration.

If you are not comfortable with the DIY approach, do not worry. As with spay and neuter, there are often various cheap vets providing low-cost or free vaccination care. Google “free pet vaccines” and your state to see options closest to you.

One-Stop Shops for Cheap Vets Near Me

For more comprehensive care in one place, you might be looking for a go-to location. Yes, your pets will need initial routine care, but they will also require ongoing check-ups, and you may have a health emergency involving your pet.

Veterinary Hospitals at Veterinary Colleges

Have you ever been to a beauty school for a cheap haircut? Seeking care for your pet at a local veterinary school provides much of the same benefit. But, with much more oversight from licensed, experienced vets who supervise these veterinarians in training. Since these places are training the next generation, they also have some of the most state-of-the-art medical care.

Since these future veterinarians are still training, you can often access affordable care for your animal here. However, these may only be intended for low-income individuals. It’s also possible; it may not be any cheaper than your local vet. So check prices!

You can look at the list of accredited veterinary colleges at the American Veterinary Medical Association website.

Keep in mind; this is only potentially cheaper if it works out geographically. If you are having to travel long distances or even overnight, the cost savings may not be there in the end!

Veterinary Healthcare Chains

The VCA Hospital network, over 1000 animal hospitals in most US states and even some in Canada, has some unique offerings. Though their name says veterinary hospital, they offer full-service care. For new clients, they also offer a free first exam. They also offer a membership option.

Starting at $25 a month, they offer unlimited regular exams during regular business hours (so, not after hours, not an emergency, and not specialty clinics). You can access free 24-hour chat with a vet on their app and bundled discounts on services like vaccine and lab work. They even have a program to earn money back on products you purchase for your pet.

If this works out to be a savings depends on your pet, needs, and level of care. But it’s worth checking out.

Knowing that you can take your pet in whenever you need it during regular office hours could prevent an expensive after-hours emergency care visit for your animal.

Your Local Vet may be the Cheapest Vet Near You.

Don’t write off your local veterinary clinics!

Veterinarians are, by large, pretty compassionate people. If you are an established client with your vet, feel free to ask them if there is any way to negotiate the cost of your animals’ care. You can also ask your vet if they know of someone else who may be able to do a procedure for cheaper. Additionally, your local vet knows you are more likely to be willing to offer payment plans to help you pay.

Some vets offer specials, so ask your vet if they have any deals. I checked out a vet office in my state and saw this list of weekly specials:

  • Monday: “Pet Microchips: $20.00 each.”
  • Tuesday: “Dog and Cat Nail Trims, $10 each.”
  • Wednesday: “10% off all X-Rays, Out-House Blood Work, and Most In-House Blood Work.”
  • Thursday: “Vaccine Value Day” with savings of $9-$19
  • Friday: “Savings on FELV/FIV Testing and Anal Gland Expression” (what a way to end the week, anal gland expression day!).
  • Saturday: “Want to take advantage of our daily specials, but you can only come on Saturdays? Ask us about our Gold Paw Membership! (This membership grants everyday special prices any day of the week).

Another office offered a one-time fee per pet for free vaccines for life (standard pet vaccines).

You never know what you might find by simply asking vets in your area! There is also something to be said about the level of service you are likely to get from your local private veterinarian. Are they going to pick up the phone after hours? Might they make a special trip into the office on the weekend for you? Though you can’t put a dollar value to these things, when you consider the whole package your local vet may offer, they may very well be the cheapest vet near you.

If You Cannot Afford Veterinary Care

There are some options available when it comes to ways to help afford veterinary care. As hard as it can be to admit when we need help, don’t let that stop you from getting your animals the care they need with available services. Sometimes you need to accept the help of charities for your family – animals are family too!

The American Humane Society offers this resource, which links to organizations that provide veterinary care assistance. Many of these are local organizations, such as FACE, which provides financial assistance to San Diego County, California.

FACE was started to avoid “economic euthanasia,” where animals are euthanized due to their owners’ inability to pay for lifesaving medical care. National organizations include The Shakespeare Fund, designed for the elderly, disabled, and those under the poverty line with emergency vet bills.

Another option is to look for local shelters and animal rescue groups. Some may provide low-income assistance with animal medical bills or care. A great way to find local shelters and rescues is via The Shelter Pet Project.

Pet Meds

Don’t forget how expensive pet medications can get. Given that pets can take both “people medicine” and animal use only medicine, you have many options to explore.

For most medications, you are likely to be paying a significant markup buying it directly from your veterinarian. Depending on the circumstances, this may be perfectly acceptable. If it’s a short-term med or one you need to start your animal on right away, this is probably the best bet.

However, if you can wait to get your animal’s prescription filled elsewhere and perhaps delivered, ask for a prescription and shop around. You can also ask your vet if they will price match from a vet pharmacy.

You can use a website such as GoodRx.com to get an idea of what (human) drugs cost without insurance (and using the GoodRx discount card). They even provide costs for some common pet meds via online veterinary pharmacies (but it’s not a comprehensive list).

Costco carries a wide variety of pet meds for a traditional pharmacy and allows the Costco Member Prescription Program for its available pet meds, which should provide additional cost savings.

You may not need to look far, though – many brick and mortar pharmacies do have ways of ordering some of the more common veterinary meds; make sure to price check with another couple of options.

You can do a web search for pet pharmacies or look for lists such as these. Just make sure you compare 3-4 options unless it’s cheap, to begin with!

Also, don’t forget to give your pet their meds according to schedule! Missed doses can add up and lead to longer-term health outcomes. If you need some help remembering what meds to give or coordinating with another caregiver, consider using a medication tracker like the one here, there’s even one for Fido!

General Pet Health, Your Ticket to Avoiding Vet Bills

Keep in mind, the best way to avoid costly medical bills is to make sure you’re keeping your pet happy and healthy. A good diet, exercise, and plenty of love and attention is the cheapest way to keep your pet in tip-top shape. Hopefully, you will never have to scramble to find the most affordable vet near you!

This article originally appeared on Your Money Geek and has been republished with permission.

The PBJ Theory, Please Quit Complaining About Food Budgets

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Looking to save money on monthly budget? Here is the Peanut Butter & Jelly Theory that is a quick thought on how you can save money on quick recipes for your family. #budget #savemoney #personalfinance

I’m about to save you thousands of dollars.

All the money you spend in your life, or even an average month. Chances are one of your largest expenses is food. It happens literally to everyone.

Eating Out Is The Worst For Your Wallet

So when people start to track their budgets, they always come to the same conclusion. “I need to quit eating out more”. The average person eats out 4.5 times per week costing them $12.14 per meal on a national average according to a 2016 survey conducted by Zagat. That doesn’t even include the additional cost of tipping.

That means the average person spends $54.63 eating out a week or $218.52 a month on just eating out. Unless you have a side-hustle that makes you lots of money. The obvious answer is to eat in!

What About Eating In?

Most people think they can easily quit dining out, and start cooking delicious meals. Here’s the thing with cooking for yourself, the movies get it wrong.

It’s not always a romantic and soothing experience.

Often times it’s a “Crap, I need to eat. What should I cook?” experience that you pray to the food gods you have the right ingredients in your fridge and clean dishes.

Let’s face it, we are busy in our lives and don’t have the time to visit the store every day buying fresh ingredients for a new recipe we found on the internet.

In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, researcher Eddie Yoon over two decades collected data as consultants for consumer packaged goods companies. He found that:

  • 15% of people say they LOVE to cook
  • 50% of people say they HATE to cook
  • 35% of people say they are ambivalent about cooking (mixed feelings)

If you’re one of the people that hate cooking, you should create a meal plan to make it as easy as possible.

Plan a week in advance what you’re going to eat for each meal and know how to cook it. This way you’ll have the ingredients and can plan accordingly for time.

However, not all plans work out.

Introduce The Peanut Butter and Jelly Theory

When meal plans fail, let me introduce Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, otherwise known as a PBJ.

Let me first admit that I have an addiction to commenting on Finance forums, Facebook Groups, and Blogs. The mechanics of building wealth are simple and I’m always happy to remind people that things are often more simple than they appear. Like how I responded to this comment and created “The Peanut Butter and Jelly Theory”.

I get it, you want to start saving money on food and you’re looking for suggestions from the personal finance community to help.

Answers ranged from getting a crockpot to make meals simple, cooking large meals on Sunday and eating leftovers throughout the week, to buying frozen meals that may not be great for you, but easy to prepare.

All of the responses skirted around the idea that a solid weekly meal plan is the best option to help you save money on food. However, sometimes these meals don’t work out for a number of reasons, and once you fall off the wagon, you can end up at the local McDonalds.

So I introduced the Peanut Butter and Jelly Theory. The cost-effective, quickest meal ever to keep your budget on track.

This is easily the most actionable thing you can do to start immediately saving on your food budget. In many cases when people eat out, it’s due to convenience because they don’t have anything at home to sound appealing. That’s when the Peanut Butter and Jelly Theory comes in handy.

“Stash emergency PBJ&J supplies in your kitchen. When hungry, but have nothing else. You can have a PBJ. If you’re not hungry for a PB&J, wait 2 hours until you’re hungry enough to eat a PB&J.”

Sometimes a PBJ isn’t exactly what you’re craving and your favorite restaurant sounds better, or your family would not be happy about that. Well suck it up, you’ll soon be out of debt and you can buy your family a jet ski. Everyone loves a jet ski.

Try the Peanut Butter and Jelly Theory

If you want to save THOUSANDS on food budgets, you should try the Peanut Butter and Jelly Theory! Meals cost less than $1 to make, you’ll save time and money. Most importantly, you’ll have a secret stash of PBJs to make and everyone is a stack of cash saved from eating out!

You’re welcome.

Disclaimer: Wallet Squirrel did not invent the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, just an advocate of saving money. Wallet Squirrel was not sponsored by big PBJ corporations to promote their superior and delicious product.

Oh My Goodness I Hate Tipping, It Ruins My Budget and Anxiety

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Let me preface that I used to be a waiter so I understand the value of tipping, but as a customer, tipping is the worst! It's psychological warfare at the end of every meal that results in either anxiety that you haven't paid enough or havoc on your wallet for paying too much. #opinion #personalfinance Let me preface that I used to be a waiter so I understand the value of tipping, but as a customer, tipping is the worst! It’s psychological warfare at the end of every meal that results in either anxiety that you haven’t paid enough or havoc on your wallet for paying too much.

Then exactly how much too much and too little for a tip? Common restaurant adequate says a tip should be 15%-20% pretax, but then why does every restaurant leave the anxiety for the customer to decide how much to tip?

Let’s face it, an extra 20% of a $60 check is still a lot on your budget. That’s $12 the menu doesn’t mention.

This History of Tipping is Murky

From what I found in the Business Insider and Washington Post (and it’s a murky origin story) tipping originated around 17th century England where the word T.I.P. meant “To Insure Promptitude”. The upper class provided extra “allowance” to servers (lower class) to be given faster service.

This practice made its way to America after the Civil War when wealthy Americans started traveling back and forth to Europe. So we can blame them, and I do.

Tipping Today Just Allows Restaurants to Pay it’s Servers Poorly

Because servers receive tips, the federal tipped minimum wage for tipped workers is as little as $2.13 an hour because they receive tips to supplement the difference (source).

That’s kind of ridiculous, right! Restaurants are allowed to only pay their servers $2.13 an hour and expect servers to get the rest of their income from tips. So when you pay your bill, you’re essentially paying for the food/environment with your bill and your tip pays the waiter’s salary.

If you’re a waiter, the customer is actually your boss since they’re the ones that pay you. So every day, every hour, you have a different boss. Yikes.

How Much Do You Pay Your Server Then?

According to Google, yes I googled “How Much Should I Tip”. You should be paying your server 15%-20% of your pre-tax bill.

This Is Where The Anxiety Starts

Which one is it? Do I tip 15% or 20%?

What If The Server Was Bad?

If my bill is $100, does the server get an extra $20 just because they took my order and walked food back from the kitchen?

What if they were awful? We’ve all had bad servers who ignored us. They took a long time or brought us the wrong items with a rude attitude. Is that when you tip them 15% instead of 20%?

What about if the food was awesome but the service was terrible? ugh

Should I feel both angry at my server for bad service but feel guilty since they’re paid so poorly? How should I feel?

I recall a study conducted found that bad servers still received 15%-20% regardless of how good the service was because people felt it was the socially acceptable thing to do. No one wants to be a bad tipper, but should I tip poorly to save a bit of money and prove a point to the server? Would a bad tip even make a difference?

What if the server was awesome?

You plan to spend a certain amount of money eating out and even account for a 20% tip. Do you exceed your budget further if your server was fantastic? Should your server’s awesomeness impact your planned budget? Should they be worthy of more than a 20% tip of that you’re still paying off student loans?

Damn it Janet, you were so great that now my tip for you exceeds my monthly food budget.

Are you a bad person if you don’t acknowledge their above and beyond service or will they quit trying harder if people don’t tip more for the great service?

What About Tipping During Group Meals?

Now imagine eating out with a group of friends, each pays their own bills and it always ends with everyone deciding the tip for themselves. All while each of you judges each other’s tips. If you only tipped 15%, does that make you a jerk if everyone else tipped 20% – 25%?

On the other hand, are you a jerk for tipping more than everyone? Are you considered flaunting your money because you can spend more money than everyone else or does it make you more generous or charitable?

This Is Why I Hate Tipping!

Why does a nice meal out with friends have to end with awkward silences while everyone calculates percentages in their heads while they secretly judge the performance of the server? Ending in silent comparison of who tipped more, who was more generous, and who felt more charitable than the rest of the group.

I Now Tip 20% Regardless of Service

Tipping makes me so anxious that I’m just starting to tip 20% regardless of service (paying with my credit card). The server can refill my drink at the perfect time or pour hot soup on my head. Creating a baseline 20% tip in every situation saves me from unnecessary anxiety at the cost of a few extra dollars from my budget. Sorry budget.

Except Subway “Sandwich Artists”, I still don’t understand why they now have a tip jar. They literally walk along with me placing ingredients I select onto bread. Is tipping at fast food restaurants now becoming a thing?

If you also tip 20% regularly, here is a chart to help you decide what 20% would be when you’re looking over a menu because they don’t list the extra tipping cost on the menu.

20% Tip Per Cost of your meal 

Check 20% Tip
$20 $4
$40 $8
$50 $10
$60 $12
$70 $14
$80 $16
$90 $18
$100 $20

If this seems like a lot of money to tip, you can always stay in and eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. Save eating out when you know you can spend extra money on a 20% tip.

What do you tip your servers? There is obviously no right answer otherwise they wouldn’t leave the tip field on every check blank. I REALLY want to know. Do you judge your waiter every service or, like me, give them a flat fee regardless?

7 Good Reasons I Still Carry Cash, Please Don’t Rob Me

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7 Good Reasons I Still Carry Cash - Please Don't Rob Me. #Wallet #Cash #Money #Prepared #Rob How much cash do you keep in your wallet?

We are regularly becoming a cashless society with credit cards and digital transactions becoming the primary forms of money transfer. Even mega-company Starbucks continues to play with the idea of a completely cashless store, only accepting credit cards and mobile apps.

More and more people don’t carry cash anymore. When going out, we take our phone, ID, and credit card. With those, you can pretty much pay for anything. Even then, credit cards are becoming obsolete as phones nowadays can handle most payments.

As people continue their unknowing war on cash. The biggest winners are the four major financial institutions MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and Square. I find myself regularly reminding friends to continue to at least keep some cash on them for the following reasons.

FYI – I keep about $100 in my wallet at all times for these reasons. Again, please don’t rob me. I usually have (3) Twenty Dollar Bills, (2) Ten Dollar Bills, (1) Five Dollar Bill and the rest One Dollar Bills. Always stacked in order so I can quickly grab what I need.

In a cashless society, here’s why you still need cash

1. A Minimum Purchase on Cards – This is probably one of the biggest reasons why everyone should keep some extra cash on them. Most stores require a “minimum credit card amount” usually set at $5 to $10. This is because stores are forced to pay a 1.6% + $0.10 fee to process your credit card. The lower the price, the more it cuts into their profit.

If your store doesn’t have a “minimum credit card amount” it likely means they’re afraid to scare you away and prefer to absorb those extra costs for the extra convenience of their customers. If you don’t have cash, you’ll be required to buy extra things to surpass their minimum $5 or $10 credit card amount, and that’s not frugal.

2. Parking – If you’re frugal, you’re likely willing to park miles away to avoid paying for a parking spot. However, there are times that’s not an option. You’ll need to pay for a spot or worse a valet. If you’re stuck in a situation where a valet is your best option, it’s always easier to have the cash to hand over quickly.

3. When in a rush – There have been a couple of times I’m at a restaurant with coworkers and the server is swamped. The server is trying their best, but everyone is attempting to fit lunch in a 1-hour period. Rather than waiting for the server to process your credit card and return. It’s easier to lay down the cash and return to the office.

4. Soda Machines – It’s impressive to see the number of soda machines that now accept credit cards. However, it’s not yet universal implemented and many machines still only accept cash. In these moments when you absolutely need caffeine, carrying cash is handy!

5. Tipping – I’ve shared my thoughts on tipping before, and I now tip 20% for everything I do. Yet there are many situations, other than restaurants, that tipping is standard and credit card payments may not be an option.

One example was a Bike Bar I recently celebrated with friends (photo below of our Bike Bar). We paid the $234 through their online portal weeks in advance but that didn’t include the tip for our host. After a great trip, we tipped our tour guide with $40 because he went above and beyond. No one had a credit card processing machine on hand, and we didn’t want the extra hassle of finding our host on Venmo or PayPal. So we handed over cash, it’s still the easiest way to transfer money in person.

6. Special Discounts – This relates to #1 with the “minimum credit card purchase”. Many stores offer special discounts to people who pay with cash. This saves the store from paying a credit card processing fee and eating into their profits. Plus you save a few dollars when those savings are passed onto you.

7. When Your Credit Card Breaks – This is a thing. I’ve been at the grocery store many times with my credit card, and the “Chip” unexpectantly fails. Sometimes the card is dirty, sometimes the processing machine doesn’t like the angle of the card. Either way, it’s an embarrassing feeling to hold up a line while a tiny machine angrily honks at you. At times like these, having cash is a quick lifesaver and contingency plan to failing technology. It’s bound to happen, so being prepared helps!

Can you think of any other examples of when you might use cash over a credit card?

4 Reasons You Don’t Really Own Digital Movies You Buy on Amazon

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Let’s face it, we are in the age of digital media. Companies like Amazon and iTunes have made it so convenient for us to buy movies off their digital marketplace. We no longer need to go to the store to buy a physical DVD or Blu-Ray anymore. We can just buy a movie online and stream it instantly. However, do you actually own the digital movies you buy?

Let’s look at the most popular movie this year. Avengers Endgame is now available to purchase. You have the choice to buy the “digital movie” or a physical DVD/Blu-Ray. In both cases you’re actually buying a personal “license” to watch the movie, the difference is the format.

Yet, as you’ll learn, there’s a big difference between digital movies and the physical movies you’re used to buying.

4 Reasons you don’t really own digital movies you buy on Amazon

1. You can’t access your movie whenever you want

Whenever you want to watch a digital movie, you have two barriers to overcome. First, you need to have internet access on the device you want to watch, or thought ahead and have the movie downloaded to that particular device.

Then you also need to have Amazon’s proprietary software on that device to play the movie. Think app. Once you have those, you just need to pray your movie won’t be interrupted by constant buffering or their servers fail.

2. You can’t sell your movies or let friends borrow them

Ever been to a yard sale? You can usually find some awesome movie titles for sale. For the seller, it’s one of the easy ways to make money and you get an awesome movie to take home. Later, you can make a few dollars back when decided to sell it in the future.

However digital movies are now stopping this practice.

Your digital movie is directly tied to your account. You are not allowed to let friends borrow them or sell your movies once you’re done. Your movie is directly tied to your account. If a friend wants to watch a movie, they have to watch it on your account or buy the movie themselves.

3. Amazon can lose the movie rights or cancel your account at any time, and lose all your movies

If you read the long, lengthy Amazon agreement when you buy movies. They state that you can watch your digital movies as much as you want (subject to the limitations described in the Amazon Instant Video Terms of Use)

Those limitations stated in their agreement include “Amazon will not be liable to you if Purchased Digital Content becomes unavailable for further download or streaming.”. Meaning that Amazon isn’t responsible if the movies you bought suddenly and unexpectantly disappear. Doesn’t it feel like buying a digital movie is more like renting it for a long time until an unknown deadline when Amazon loses the rights? Something that doesn’t happen with an old DVD.

This has actually already happened to people. Consumer Reports found one such individual who purchased the animated film “Puss In Boots” from Amazon for $14.99 later to be told that due to “licensing restrictions, videos can become temporarily unavailable”. A situation where the typical movie lover can feel powerless.

Amazon can also cancel your account at any time with no warning, they’ve done it before. In April 2018 Fortune Magazine found hundreds of Amazon Prime account users had their accounts deactivated by Amazon for no reason.

All of those people’s movies and music which they “bought” were gone. They no longer had access to anything and with no warning. Amazon later said they removed people’s accounts for violating their return policy (returning items is a negative thing now?) and if people were accidentally removed, they were “encouraged” to contact Amazon to clear the matter.

So Amazon removed a bunch of people from their accounts and movies then informed them it was their responsibility to fix it. Ouch.

4. If Amazon goes out of business, you’re screwed

Remember when Myspace was a big deal? Tech companies like Amazon seem so large that they’ll be here forever but the fact is, they won’t. At least not as the same company they are now.

If Amazon does go out of business, everything you ever bought digitally is lost. Movies, Kindle books, the works.

The fact is, everything digital you buy from Amazon, technically remains theirs. When they’re gone, so is everything digital you bought.

Conclusion

Amazon and iTunes make purchasing digital movies incredibly easy, and at times even cheaper than actual Blu-Rays and DVDs. However, by giving up the physicality of a movie you can hold, you lose a certain amount of control of when and how you can watch digital movies.

You can’t sell them, lend them to friends, watch them without internet access (unless pre-downloaded) and you’re constantly at the mercy of Amazon and iTunes hoping they won’t deactivate your account, lose their movie licenses, crash their servers or go out of business.

That may be fine for most people, but it’s important to know digital movies work and how much control you have.

Personally, I always buy physical copies of movies becasue they typically come with a free digital code anyways. It’s the best of both worlds.

7 Financial Apps That Are Taking Over the Personal Finance World

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This is a guest post by Clara Decker of CouponsMonk.com, a deals and discounts provider company. She is passionate about money savings, investment and finance industry. In addition, Clara also supports non-profit agencies that provide healthcare solutions to handicapped and disabled people.

Managing one’s finance, sticking to the budget, and handling investment decisions are easier than ever before now. All thanks go to the today’s crop of personal finance apps which are getting popular with each passing day.

They are effective enough to help you strategize and manage your finance in the best possible way. In fact, these apps are taking the world by storm. Especially, it is expected that millennials are going to get benefited with the largest amount of personal wealth of any generation through these apps.

Undoubtedly, there is happening an explosion of brand-new consumer finance brands which are certainly changing the way how people spend, save, and manage their money.

Howbeit, it is even true that not all such personal finance apps are worth downloading and using both. There is a myriad of options available out there which are not incorporated with enough smart technologies to help you plan your financial life in a better way. Hence it is always recommended to avoid them.

Which are the good ones then?

This piece of writing will actually help you out to get the right answer to this question.

Read on.

1. Mint

It can be considered as one of the best apps to manage your precious bucks. It comes as a powerful all-in-one resource which is perfect for curating a budget and tracking the same. All that you need to do is just connect all your bank and credit card accounts, monthly bills and so on. Hence, you can be assured of all your finances to be in a convenient place. You don’t have to access multiple sites to access your financial data. You may notice that even Wallet Squirrel’s own Andrew uses this daily.

With the amazing perks like letting you know the due time for your bills, how much you owe etc., Mint has become immensely popular nowadays. Also, this app is technically sound enough to give you specific advice on budgeting. This is not the end! You can even enjoy the exhilarating feature of free credit score.

2. Wally

If you’re someone who believes in tracking your finance to attain the best results, this app is definitely your cup of tea. If you use this it, you don’t have to manually log-in to your expenses at the end of the day. This free app is such a user-friendly one which can even take a snap of your receipts. Above that, if you are someone who is using geo-location on your smartphone, this app can further help you in saving that information. In the end, the process will end up being pretty fast for you while saving the time for several steps.

Hence, if you want to have a clear insight of where your bucks are going, you can simply trust on Wally.

3. Acorns

If you want to spend some money on trading, Acorns is the best way of doing that. It is such an interesting app that even if there is a spare change from any of your purchases, you can invest that into stocks and bonds. If you are new to the market and you want to figure out frugal ways to make an entry, this app can definitely help you out.

All that you need to do is just make a log-in to your bank account. You will be able to choose an account to make an investment. Next, it needs a little bit of more details like your employee status, net worth, annual income, and decision to invest. That’s it!

Acorns will automatically suggest you a portfolio of stocks and bonds which will match your investment goals rightly. With Acorns, you can choose to start at just $ 5 or in bulk, in the blink of an eye, you will become an investor.

4. Digit

If you want to excel in saving money, you can go for Digit. This app is able enough to analyze various information starting from your income to spending habits while syncing with your checking account. It smartly pulls out the money that seems to be extra in your bank account! Within a significant duration of time, you will end up saving huge. You can download Digit from both Android and iOS apps.

5. Rize

It’s true that we often earn enough but it doesn’t suffice our needs. There are many such big responsibilities like putting our kids through college or buying a house which seems to be quite scary! Isn’t it?

However, if you download the Rize app, it will create a specific roadmap for you to help you accomplish all the aforementioned objectives. You just have to enter your plans and the app will do the rest. It will help you to get ready for all such big plans while saving your bucks. Whether it is iOS or Android, you can download this app from anywhere.

6. Clarity

Clarity can let you have your own personal financial advisor always with you. This app effectively monitors and analyses your income and spending. Also, it keeps a track of all the transactions which happen in your bank account. Further, Clarity can even alert you if it figures out that you’re spending over the budget. It will also suggest you enough ways to reduce your spending.

Also, Clarity often does some more essential tasks for you like canceling subscriptions, looking for discounts and so on.

How thrilling is this?

Just try their little AI from any one of the Android stores now!

7. Fivver

Every one of you have some debt in some or other way. If you want to keep away some extra money for that but don’t have time to go for a part-time job, you can take help from Fivver. It is a global online marketplace based app which offers various tasks and services starting at the cost of $5 when you complete each gig.

Do you think the amount is too less?

Well, the upsell potency for each gig that you will deal with is really huge! There are even some of such expert Fivver sellers who charge almost $45 upcharge to deliver the gig within the duration of 24 hours. So, you can become one among them and earn huge to upgrade your personal finance.

Aren’t these personal finance apps seem to be worth enough? Don’t wait anymore! If you want to become financially stable in your personal life, try them soon. There can’t be any better way to manage your finance in the right way.

What I Learned About Life & Finance After A Legit Fire Alarm

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I live in an 8 story apartment building located in downtown Denver, Colorado. I choose to live here because it’s within walking distance to work and I always wanted to try downtown living with quick access to restaurants, bars and the plethora of city activities. However, I quickly learned that apartment buildings as an adult are very similar to college dorms as a freshman.

Yes, some apartments are nice, expensive and selective, but I don’t live there. I live in a regular apartment building where people are loud on the weekends and like to pull the fire alarm. Ugh!

Fire Alarm goes off

Literally the first weekend I moved into this apartment building, the fire alarm went off at 11:20 pm (that should have been a sign), I was still up and I freaked out, like nearly had a panic attack. I was in a new environment I wasn’t yet comfortable in, full of flammable boxes and everything I owned was moments away from going up in flames, literally.

Initially, I thought it was just a joke someone pulled the alarm because I’ve never been in a real fire before, but this building’s alarm was screeching. Deaf people down the street could hear it. So I popped my head into the hallway and sure enough, I saw smoke.

Fudgsicle (I don’t cuss a lot). This building is going to burn.

What’s important enough in my life to save

In this moment, the fire alarm is blaring, I see smoke and I’m covering my ears, trying to think what I should take with me. What do I save?

It’s funny to think about, everything I own is in a 582 square foot studio apartment. So I went from one end of the apartment immediately assessing the value of everything in a snap judgment.

  • Bookcase (Let it Burn) – It only has books, movies, and expensive art supplies. I can rebuy those later. Bye, bye first edition of the Harry Potter books.
  • Bed (Let it Burn) – Beds cost a ridiculous amount of money and I don’t want to pay for another one but it’s crazy to try to save a bed, no matter how comfy. Bye, bye bed.
  • TV & Gaming System (Let it Burn) – Funny how important buying a big tv is or how much time you spend watching Netflix, but in a moment like this, you’re so easy to leave it behind. These are replaceable, you can always get a new one. Bye, bye Xbox One.
  • Clothes (Took 2 Pairs of Clothes) – If everything was going to burn down, I would need a few sets of clothes to get through the next couple of days. I literally pictured myself going through the insurance claims over following weeks, so I wanted some clothing I could get by in. I grabbed some shirts, socks, pants, boxers and a jacket.
  • Kitchen (Let it Burn) – Who am I kidding, I barely cook. There is absolutely no food or kitchen appliance/utensils that I would want to save. Sorry Chef Ramsay, bye, bye kitchen.
  • Computer (Take the Computer) – I pretty much live my life through my computer for both personal and work stuff. While you can always buy a new computer, it was the documents on it that held the importance. Since it’s such a big part of my life, plus I imagined I would need it for any paperwork I needed to submit to the insurance. So the computer came with me.
  • Golf Clubs (Let it Burn) – I wouldn’t have time to play while drowning in my tears over my burnt apartment. Goodbye putters.
  • Hiking Bag (Let it Burn) – I actually considered taking the hiking bag with me. It already had all my hiking gear in it. Like my tent, sleeping bag, supplies and even some MREs. Everything I figured I would need to live in the street for a bit. However, I decided against it because I would probably crash with a friend. I was really iffy on this, but the bag can burn.
  • Firebox of important documents (Took with me) – All my important documents like my car title, social security card, passport and everything are kept in a fireproof lockbox, a very heavy lockbox. So while I figured it would likely survive a fire, I was paranoid and threw it in my duffle bag.
  • Wallet, Keys, Phone (Took with me) – These were probably the most important because they were the first thing I thought of. Especially the wallet (ID, credit cards, cash). Anything I didn’t have I could bye. So these came with.

Lastly, since I knew everything in my apartment would burn, I snapped a few photos from different angles on my phone so I could show my renter’s insurance everything they needed to reimburse me more.

So in a span of 3 minutes, while the fire alarm was blaring, I assessed the entirety of my life assets and deemed them worth saving or not. Isn’t that crazy to think about?

When I left my apartment, the most important things I owned was a set of legal documents, a computer, my phone, 2 set of clothes and my wallet. That’s it. It really makes you wonder what’s important enough in your life.

How the night ended

I grabbed my duffle bag full of the most important “things” in my life and took off down the hallway. Since I was still new, I had no idea where the stairs were. Luckily building codes require them to be posted around the elevators. So taking the stairs, I excited outside along the sidewalk with the rest of my 200 apartment residents. Then the fire trucks came.

Fireman charged through the doors and disappeared leaving everyone moseying around and chatting amongst ourselves. Conversations could be overheard of “dumb drunk people” to “did you see smoke, I saw smoke”.

We were left on the sidewalk with no information for 20 minutes before we heard the fire alarm go off and the firemen exit the building. We were given the all clear and started to walk in. As I passed, I could hear the building manager speak to some other tenants explaining that someone on my floor came home drunk and attempted to cook on the stove, filling the apartment and our floor with smoke.

Silly drunk people.

Seriously the fastest way to assess your life’s stuff

While I went back to my apartment a little angry for the whole ordeal. I was bewildered that I was currently holding everything important in my life.

Likewise I discovered what wasn’t important and how easily I thought “oh, I could always just buy another one”. All of my “stuff” had a price tag and was so easily replaced. It forced me to wonder what is actually important in my life. What can I get rid of and what do I actually need. Also what new stuff do I actually need to buy and would I actually save it in a fire? If not, do I really need it?

Of course, I don’t ever recommend you wait till your house/building is on fire to do a life assessment, but it is a challenging exercise to wonder what handful of your things you would save in a fire.

What would you save?

Summer Adventures Planned? Here is How You Can Save Money this All Summer Long!

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Have summer plans? Here is how you can save on your planned barbecues, traveling adventures, or celebrating the holidays. Don't let your fun weigh down your checking account. #traveling #summerfun #adventure #barbecue #savemoney #personalfinance

Happy Memorial Day everyone! This holiday is known for many different reasons, most importantly it is to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedoms we often take for granted.

Andrew and I would like to say thank you to those soldiers who did make that sacrifice, including their families. It is because of their sacrifice we are able to freely blog about our crazy ideas. Many people around the world do not have the freedom to express their thoughts like we do here in the United States. We are very appreciative of what they have given so we can express ourselves freely.

Often we celebrate the freedom we have been gifted by spending our summer at barbecues, time outside, and traveling. Today I want to help give you ideas on how you can make your summer adventures better by saving money on these traditional activities.

To be honest, a lot of these saving tips can be used all summer long! Memorial Day weekend is the start of the summer celebrations.

BBQ

There are millions of barbeques that happen throughout the summer.

The grocery stores want to make sure you shop at their store instead of at their competitor’s store. To entice you to shop at their store and nowhere else they put on some amazing weekly deals. Make sure you take advantage of these deals by planning your event’s menu around the sales.

Also, download the Ibotta application. They will have additional deals going on that can help you can stack on top of the deals you already got at the grocery store.

Yard Games

A barbecue cannot be great without some backyard games.

There are so many yard games you could make yourself to save money on. Last year I built my own bags boards and saved us $100! It was very easy to do. They only took me about an hour to construct.

This does take some planning so I recommend you read my more detailed article about DIY backyard games.

Traveling

This summer (2018) is forecasted to be a horrible summer for traveling as gas prices inch higher and higher. Thankfully there are several ways for you to save on your travels.

Loyalty cards. My wife and I use the King Soopers loyalty card to help us save money at the pump. They even increase the number of points you earn from purchasing groceries over the summer months. We usually save 10 to 20 cents while fueling up because of this program.

Airbnb can be a great way to save on your accommodations especially if you are traveling with a group of people. Renting a house or condo that sleeps 8-10 people helps bring down the bill very easily. Also, you can cook your meals at the rental, saving you tons more money on food.

Lastly, there is nothing wrong with car camping. You can save a boatload of money by camping out. Typically a camping spot will only cost you $10 to $20! That sure beats the price of a hotel room by a long shot.

Shopping

Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest sale weekends for retailers. If you are looking for a new mattress or outdoor clothing, this is the weekend to make your purchase.

I used to work at Dick’s Sporting Goods. They would put on some amazing sales over Memorial Day weekend. A lot of parents would take advantage of these sales to stock up on gear for the sports their kids are in.

If you miss out on this weekend’s sales, do not worry. The Fourth of July is right around the corner and there will be more great sales during that holiday as well.

Thinking Ahead

This is something I do for Christmas but really any holiday applies to this strategy.

Here is what you do. Go into the stores a day or two after the holiday has passed. All of the decorations will be on sale for you to use the following year.

I made a killing this past Christmas by going to Target a day or two afterward. I grabbed so many Christmas lights that were 50% off. Sure it sucks I couldn’t use them this year but I saved so much money by having some patience to wait.

Any Other Ideas?

These are just some of the ways on how you can save money this summer. They give you a wide variety of opportunities to keep money in your checking account.

What other ideas do you have to save money this summer?