money

Go win these contests.

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I enter contests all the time, in real life and on the Internet. Sometimes I even win them.

Most recently it was for a prize I didn’t really need, but figured I could sell. The guy running the contest offered me the $250 cash equivalency. Right before the holidays, too. #christmasmiracle

Once you enter, you’re on their mailing lists for future contests. Lately I’ve been seeing a steady stream of gift cards for Amazon, Target, Walmart and other retailers.

A couple have been for computer and gaming items, from monitors to chairs. Again: Don’t need, but could gift (one of my nephews is a major gamer) or sell for a little extra cash.

Lately a lot of people could use a little extra cash. Thus I’ve decided to group together the contests I currently know about so that you can enter them, too. Even if you don’t shop at those retailers, you could sell the cards on the secondary market.

Here’s what I’ve currently got:

 

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Free financial planning for those hurt by coronavirus.

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If you’ve been laid off, had to take unpaid leave or otherwise been hammered work-wise by the coronavirus, some bonafide money experts want to help.

Members of the XY Planning Network stand willing to help with cash-flow troubles and other issues that many U.S. workers are facing. (Or are already feeling.)

You’ll be able to get this help virtually, from the comfort of your own home. That means no problem finding someone in your area, or having to leave your school-canceled kids by themselves.

These folks are the real deal. I regularly reach out to XY for interviews for personal finance articles, and they’re invariably excited about helping people get control of their cash. #fellowbudgetingnerds

As the network’s name indicates, they specialize in helping members of Gen X and Gen Y. But basic money smarts apply across the board, especially when it comes to dealing with tough times.

Did I mention that it’s free?

 

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Found money 2019: Not a banner year.

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As found-money totals go, it was pretty dismal. The take was two $1 bills, seven quarters, 20 dimes, 7 nickels and 75 pennies, for a total of 6.85.

Last year’s total wasn’t much better: just $8.80.

Maybe it’s because people are using credit or debit to pay for their purchases. We’re not a cashless society just yet, but more and more people are opting for plastic. (Some people no longer carry any cash at all, which astounds me.)

Could be that people are experiencing personal economic downturns and thus picking up anything they drop – and anything that other people drop, too.

Or maybe I’m just not going out as much. In the past year I rarely walked to the post office due to weather (read: icy paths), busy-ness (not wanting to give up 40 minutes of a work day) or the fact that DF is now retired and makes a trip to the P.O. one of his daily chores.

I’ve found a lot less in Coinstar machines, too. Perhaps folks have wised up and are checking the coin slots when they run their change through – or perhaps other people have caught on and are checking the machine as they walk by.

 

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5 money lessons from “Terminator: Dark Fate.”

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Sometimes I go to the movies to be intrigued, uplifted and educated. And sometimes I go just to watch a whole lot of stuff get blowed up real good.

You can guess into which category “Terminator: Dark Fate” falls.

This entry in the “Terminator” franchise picks up right after “Terminator: Judgment Day,” and posits that Sarah Connor (a deliciously well-aged Linda Hamilton) and her son were able to prevent Skynet from taking over the world.

However, things still go very badly indeed for a young Mexican auto factory worker named Dani Ramos (Natalie Reyes), who’s targeted for seemingly no reason by a sinister new brand of Terminator called a Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna).

But there’s always a reason, right? And there’s always a protector. In this film it’s Grace (Mackenzie Davis), a seriously buff and butt-kicking warrior from the future. Eventually Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up again, too, and he’s given a couple of funny bits along with the flash-bang stuff. (His deadpan descriptions of why he’s a perfect mate and the difference that the right blinds can make to décor are extremely amusing.)

“Terminator: Dark Fate” isn’t perfect. In particular, I wish that director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) had trimmed some of the fight scenes. We get it: The Rev-9 can be sliced and diced and shredded but he always comes back for more. Stahp with the CGI, already!

Still, I was absolutely entertained – and it’s nice to have a film in which three of the four badasses are women.

Now let’s talk about money.

 

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How to get free stuff at the dollar store.

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Editor’s note: Some readers ask me to post periodic “read me elsewhere” updates. It’s been a while (errr, three months) so here is some of the stuff* you missed.

What’s better than finding name-brand stuff at the dollar store? Not having to pay for it, that’s what. In an article for Money Talks News called “The secret to getting dollar store items for free,” I show how shopping/coupon bloggers do the legwork for you.

Specifically, they match virtual coupons – plus any available rebates – to items found at Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General. While the lineup varies from week to week, you can expect to find free stuff regularly (and almost-free stuff, too).

Some recent examples of completely free items: Excedrin, Purina Dentalife dog treats, Atkins frozen entrees, a three-bar pack of Zest soap, Airborne products, 3M Command Hooks, Splenda sweetener, Bounce or Downy dryer sheets, Keebler crackers, Theraflu, Advil PM, Super Pretzel Bites, Breathe Right strips, CeraVe diaper rash cream, Bic razors, Texas Pete hot sauce, Seeds of Change sauces, Suave Kids hair care products, A&D Ointment, Sucrets, Alka Seltzer Allergy, and Frigo string or shredded cheese.

The bloggers also spell out any rebate deals. Sites like Ibotta, SavingStar and Checkout 51 offer cash back on an ever-changing list of products. With coupons plus rebates you might even earn money on certain purchases.

Dollar store coupon policies vary, of course. For example, Dollar Tree lets you use a coupon with a face value of more than $1, but it will not return the difference to you in change. Family Dollar, on the other hand, will not accept a coupon with a face value greater than the price of the item. Know your store’s policies before you shop.

It’s unlikely you could take care of all your household’s needs this way. Your mileage may vary in other ways, too. Some dollar stores are smallish. Some don’t have frozen or refrigerated items. And if you live in Alaska, you don’t have personal access to dollar stores at all.

In other Money Talks News (see what I did there?):

 

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7 free financial resources.

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My buddy Cameron Huddleston’s new book, “Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances,” is a guide to negotiating that potentially awkward and/or painful subject of your parents’ finances as they age. (She recently sponsored a giveaway of two copies.)

In conjunction with the publication of her book, Huddleston has created a pair of great (and free!) financial resources.

The first is a document called the “In Case of Emergency Organizer: A Fill-in-the-Blank Financial Inventory to Give Your Loved Ones the Information They Need,” and it’s one-stop-shopping as far as financial information is concerned.

This PDF is write-able, i.e., you can type into it from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Then you can either print it out or send it as a document to your kids or whoever needs to have this info. Or you can print it out as a blank document and fill it in with a pen. #oldschool

Obviously you’ll need to lock it away safely, and make sure the person to whom you send it is careful with the document as well. After all, it will contain your Social Security number, bank account number(s) and other identifying information. But it sure beats your kids (or whoever) scrambling to find this stuff during a crisis.

Consider filling one of these out yourself as well, even if you’re young and hale. Suppose you became very ill, or were involved in some sort of accident: Would your relatives, or even your partner, be able to deal with things like temporarily paying your bills or finding your health insurance information?

 

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To (bleep) with the (bleeping) latte factor.

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The “latte factor” – the notion that if you don’t spend five bucks on coffee every workday you’ll have a million dollars 40 years from now – has gotten on my nerves since the moment I first heard it.

The basic idea is kinda-sorta accurate: If you spend $5 here and $5 there without paying attention, that’s a whole lotta opportunity cost. Think of what that whatever-it-is-per-week could do for you elsewhere.

So yes, that’s factual. But it’s also fictitious, as personal finance writer Jean Chatzky pointed out in a taut, blistering article called “Newsflash: The f***ing latte is a f***ing metaphor.”

“(Coffee) is just an example of something you don’t have to buy, but that you choose to buy. It’s a discretionary purchase that you make with your discretionary income,” Chatzky wrote.

“The real point here – the one I tell parents is the most important financial lesson to instill in their kids – is that money is a limited resource. And we all have to choose how we want to use it.” [emphasis added]

Hear, hear, Ms. Chatzky, and may I buy you a Grande misto an inch of 2% milk and two Sweet’n Lows at the Financial Blogger Conference next month?

 

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Saved Savings Challenge: How did you do?

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I decided to count my Saved Savings Challenge monies right up until July 1. The grand total was:

 

$286.02

 

That’s a lot more than I thought it would be. That’s because I figured since I don’t do much shopping, my saved savings wouldn’t be super-high.

Shows what I know.

Among the savings were some obvious ones: using coupons, cashing in Walgreens Balance Reward scrip to pay for needed purchases, getting a payment from the Mr. Rebates cash-back shopping site.

Also some that wouldn’t work for everyone: using a rewards credit card that gives 2 percent cash back for my purchases, picking up a package of Reynolds Oven Bags for $1 at the thrift store, ordering discounted gift cards on the secondary market (saving just over $51). Not everyone has access to thrift stores, or wants to deal with discounted gift cards, or can’t/won’t) get a rewards credit card.

Depending on whom you ask, at least two of my hacks might not be considered “saving” at all. For example, I included the money I didn’t spend after talking myself out of going for fast food* on several occasions. And I was tasked to review a local musical that I’d otherwise have paid to see, thereby “saving” on the $28 ticket. (Getting paid to go, too.)

 

 

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How much can you borrow in student loans?

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Trick question! As in, wrong question.

What the student in your life ought to be asking is, “How much should I borrow?”

The answer, of course, being “as little as you must – and, if possible, nothing at all.”

That was the topic for a recent piece I did for the Experian blog. Student loans are a personal bugaboo because it’s so easy to sign up for life-hobbling debt when you’re too young to understand the true consequences.

Understand: I don’t think student loans are evil in and of themselves. I just think that too often people borrow without thinking it through. Learn more by clicking the link above.

Some readers have asked me to continue these roundups, aka “where I’ve been lately.” It’s been a while since I did one (thanks a lot, summer messing with my head) so this one will take a while.

 

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Saved Savings Challenge, Week 2: It adds up.

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My BFF has found a way to make money from Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi. It involves absolutely no work and will earn her more than $1,000 within a year.

You guessed it: She stopped drinking the stuff.

Linda B. had already been inclined to cut down on soft drinks due to various reports of their horribleness. Recently she decided to go cold turkey, both at home and at restaurants – and to put $20 in an envelope every week. That’s how much she figured the habit was costing her.

Watching the savings grow is fun, and it couldn’t have come at a better time: She and her oldest friend (think: going on 70 years) are taking a European cruise next year. A thousand bucks will come in handy during shore leave.

It adds up. Some of the Saved Savings Challenge participants would agree.

 

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