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Find the Best Interest Rates on Savings Accounts
Are you looking for a place to park your savings that will earn a respectable rate of interest, such as 6 or 7 percent? You can stop looking. Nothing close to that exists in this economy. Readily available are savings accounts with 0.5 annual …Read more.
Pet Health Insurance? Get Real!
If you have pets, you know that animals come with unavoidable expenses. But the day-to-day expenses to own a healthy pet are a drop in the food dish compared with what you'll spend if you decide your pets deserve the latest and greatest medical …Read more.
This Desperate Situation Requires Drastic Measures
Dear Mary: I've been reading your Debt-Proof Living newsletter and blog for some time now. The problem I continually run into is where to begin. I don't have enough money to pay all my bills each month. So how do I begin to save money? My bills come …Read more.
How To Trick Yourself Into a Big Savings Account
Now and then, a great reader tip washes up on my desk that causes me to wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?" It makes so much sense: Think of your paycheck as 100 percent savings. Then, as you must, transfer into your checking account …Read more.
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Club Membership Has Its Privileges
Every fall, my husband and I sneak away for a vacation in New England. We fly into the same airport, drive the same routes, and stay at the same inns. It's become quite a tradition, a romantic getaway that we look forward to every year. Here's the remarkable thing: We pay for our fall trip almost completely with reward miles and loyalty points that we've earned throughout the year. How do we do that? We collect free points, rewards and miles wherever and whenever we can. Then we hoard them.
If you think we can do this because we are big spenders throughout the year, you're wrong. We're quite frugal. What makes the difference is that we capitalize on and fully exploit every possible opportunity to collect points and miles. You can, too. You just have to know what clubs to join and then remember to use these loyalty programs to their fullest potential. Even if you do not travel often, take the time to join airline clubs. There is no charge, and it takes only a few minutes at each company's Web site. While you're signing up, make note of the basic club rules. Some have limits on how long you can hold miles and points before they expire. These days, most retailers, restaurant chains, fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, drugstores, airlines, hotels and car rental companies offer some kind of program to encourage customer loyalty. As long as it's free to join, do it. Join all the birthday clubs, too. You can go to www.FreeBirthdayTreats.com to find all the retailers in your area that offer free stuff on your birthday. T.G.I. Friday's gives you a free appetizer after you join its E-Club. At Pick Up Stix, you'll get a free Wok Combo just for signing up. Red Lobster has this deal: Purchase two entrees and get a free appetizer or dessert after joining "The Club." Member perks change frequently, so check your favorite restaurant's Web site to learn about its current e-club offerings. One club you need to know about is Priority Club Rewards (www.PriorityClub.com), with which you can earn points toward free stays at InterContinental Hotels Group hotels. PCR also offers points toward everything from air miles to cruises to electronics and thousands of other items and services. The best thing about Priority Club Rewards is that, unlike other clubs and programs, PCR points never expire. Joining these clubs is going to generate a lot of e-mail. Sign up for a free Yahoo or Hotmail e-mail account to use only for your e-club accounts. Then it will be a cinch to manage your e-mail and keep the junk out of your regular inbox. After that, join Points.com, where you can track and manage your reward programs in one convenient location. Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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