Beating Broke

Should You Buy a Preowned Republic Wireless Phone?

October 11, 2021 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Republic Wireless can be an excellent cell phone provider if you have basic needs and don’t want to pay a lot for a monthly cell phone bill. Even better, you can buy a preowned Republic Wireless phone to save even more.

Benefits of Choosing Republic Wireless

Republic Wireless is an excellent provider that can be frugal if you have limited cell phone use.

Republic Wireless’ most popular plan is $20 per month for Unlimited Talk and Text plus 1GB of data. Each additional GB of data costs $5. So, if you mainly use your phone for talking and texting, Republic Wireless can be an excellent company to use. However, if you use your phone mainly for data, you’ll end up owing quite a bit at the end of the month.

As an added bonus, you can pay $200 for cell phone service for the year, which gives you $40 off paying month to month.

There are three other plans to choose from, too.

First, though, you’ll want to make sure that Republic Wireless offers coverage in your area. Luckily, they offer coverage across most of the United States; there are only a few locales where coverage might be spotty.

Should You Buy a Preowned Republic Wireless Phone?

The answer to that question is an emphatic yes. Preowned Republic Wireless phones have a number of advantages.

Very Lightly Used

Republic Wireless certified preowned phones are very lightly used. Frequently, they are phones that customers bought but then returned within the 14-day return window, or they may have been used for testing.

Vetted Through Testing

Each preowned phone undergoes a rigorous 50-point inspection. That means for each phone to be certified, it must be in like-new condition.

Discounted Pricing

Buying a cell phone can cost several hundred dollars or more. When you buy a certified, pre-owned phone, you get the same quality phone at a much lower price.

Words of Caution

If you choose to buy a certified pre-owned Republic Wireless phone, be aware of these two caveats:

No Manufacturer’s Warranty

When you buy a certified pre-owned phone, you can no longer get the manufacturer’s warranty. However, Republic Wireless does offer a 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee. Simply return the phone in its original packaging within 14 days of receipt, and you will get your money back. (You will be responsible for paying the initial shipping.)

The Original Accessories May Be Missing

When you buy a certified pre-owned phone, you are guaranteed to receive a compatible charger, SIM card, and a getting started guide, in addition to the phone. You are not guaranteed to receive the original accessories from the manufacturer.

Final Thoughts

If you want to save money, you may want to buy a preowned Republic Wireless phone. Buying preowned rather than brand new and using Republic Wireless’ affordable plan is guaranteed to give you the convenience of a cell phone at an affordable price.

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Creative Dating Tips When Broke

September 27, 2021 By MelissaB 1 Comment

When my now husband and I first started dating, I was a graduate student, and he was an undergraduate. We were both broke, but we didn’t let that stop us. We spent nine months mostly going on free dates before we became engaged. If you’re short on cash, don’t let that interfere with your dating life. Instead, follow these creative dating tips when broke and go out and enjoy life. Who said dating has to be expensive?

Free Date Ideas

You may be under the misconception that dating is expensive, and it can be—if you let it. But there are still fabulous ways to spend time together that are free or cost very little and are fun.

Scenic Drive

Why not take a scenic drive and explore the area around you? We enjoy this most when the leaves are changing in the fall, and the scenery is gorgeous. But a scenic drive can be fun no matter the season.

Free Performances

If you live near a college town, see if they have any free performances. Colleges frequently have free music concerts. Some towns also have free plays in the summer or free movie viewings outdoors in the park.

One of our regular summer dates was a music concert the college held every Wednesday night. We got to spend time together, listen to good music, and, best of all, not spend any money!

Trip to the Beach

You can hit the beach for some daytime relaxation and fun. Or, for a more romantic date, try going to the beach an hour before sunset. There’s nothing better on a summer night than walking the beach, feeling the cool breeze, and watching the sunset.

Hike

Hiking can give you a chance to see how adventurous the other person is and to see how he or she handles difficulty if you take a more challenging trail. Or, you can opt to take an easier trail and have fun seeing the scenery and spending time together in nature.

Geocaching

Take your sweetie on an adventure. Geocaching is a free treasure hunt about which some people are almost cultish. Using GPS, find the nearby coordinates and the treasure that someone else has hidden.

Cook Together

You both have to eat, so why not cook together? This activity gives you a chance to see how you work together as a team and delegate responsibility, plus you get to eat something that’s (hopefully) tasty after all of your hard work. If you have a good few hours to spend on preparation, you could even turn it into a little romantic restaurant-style dinner at home. You can get dressed up, perhaps with your favorite perfume (plus some extra True Pheromones to make yourself even more appealing), set a beautiful table with candles, flowers, etc., and recreate a special meal that the two of you have had in the past.

If you have a bit of money to spend, you can make cooking together more of an adventure by buying a meal kit like HelloFresh. If you can’t afford that, Blue Apron has all of its recipes online for free. Just buy the ingredients you need.

Eat2Explore has boxes that include recipes for three meals from another country. Each box has directions, the sauces and spices you need, and a little bit of information about the country. You supply the ingredient. We’ve used several of these boxes and enjoyed trying foods from other countries.

My husband and I cooked together at least two or three times a week when we were dating. We both still like to cook, but now we take shifts—one cooks, one does the dishes. We figure when the kids are grown, we’ll have more time to cook together like we did when we were dating.

Star Gaze

If you live in the country, there’s something so romantic about putting down a blanket, lying together on your backs, and watching the stars. Of course, it’s fun to find constellations, but many times, if you stay there long enough, you can even see a shooting star or two. Plus, the stillness and the beauty of the night sky make for a very memorable date.

Go to a Museum

Many museums have one or two days a month when admission is free. Just be prepared that if you go during this time, the museum will likely be packed.

Some libraries also offer culture passes. These can be checked out and used for free admission to museums in your area. If you use these, you can go for free without dealing with the overcrowding that the one free day a month usually brings.

Low-Cost Dates

While the free dating tips when broke can supply you with many great dating ideas, there may be times when you want to go out and spend a little money. These fun date ideas don’t cost much money.

Go Out for Dessert

While getting an entire meal together at a restaurant might be a bit pricey if you’re broke, you can share a dessert for a fraction of the cost. For example, a Caramel Apple Blondie from Applebee’s is only $6.99. Or, their Brownie Bite is just $1.99. Plus, many of these desserts are so large, they’re like a meal in themselves.

Coffee Shop

Going to a coffee shop can be the perfect, intimate date. You can chat and focus on one another while sipping a beverage.

If you’re bookworms, you could get your drink at a bookstore coffee shop and spend an hour or two perusing good books and discussing them. My husband and I loved this type of date. We frequently went to coffee shops from the start of our relationship until after our first child was born.

Paint Together

Though you’ll have to pay for the supplies, that will likely be the only expense when painting together. If you’re both artistic, you could try to paint on your own with no direction. However, if one or both of you are artistically challenged, there’s no shortage of YouTube tutorials to watch. For instance, you can now find many of the PBS Bob Ross tutorials on YouTube.

Final Thoughts

Being short on cash doesn’t has to kill your love life. If you use some of these creative dating tips when broke, you can continue to enjoy spending time with your romantic interest in a way that doesn’t leave you with even less money. The most important aspect is being together. Doing that doesn’t have to be expensive or boring.

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Is BJ’s Membership Worth It?

September 13, 2021 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

BJ’s is a lesser-known warehouse store that competes directly with Costco and Sam’s Club. However, while the latter stores have many more locations throughout the United States, BJ’s has just 216 stores in 17 states, primarily located on the East Coast. If you have access to a BJ’s, you may be wondering, is a BJ’s membership worth it?

BJ’s Membership Costs

BJ’s has a tiered level of membership.

Inner Circle Membership

An Inner Circle membership is an individual membership and costs $55 a year. With this membership, one person in your household gets a complimentary membership, and you will receive warehouse coupons. You can add up to three additional household members for $30 a year.

Perks Rewards Membership

At $110, a Perks Rewards Membership gives you all the Inner Circle membership benefits plus 2% back on almost all of your purchases. In addition, you receive BJ’s travel benefits and double or triple back during certain special events.

Business Save

As a Business Save member, you can choose between an Inner Circle or Perks Rewards membership. You’ll also receive tax-exempt and resale privileges.

Note: Veterans and active military personnel and their families will receive 25% off the membership price. They can also receive a $10 coupon on their first shopping trip.

Get an Insurance Discount

BJ’s has partnered with Geico to offer all of their joint customers an 8% insurance discount. If you’re already a Geico customer or you are interested in switching to Geico, this discount, especially if it is applied to all of your insurance policies, could make a BJ’s membership more than pay for itself.

Try It Out for a Day

BJ’s offers a one-day shopping pass for non-members. Using this pass, you can shop BJ’s online for club member prices and have your goods shipped to you.

Can Use Manufacturer Coupons

Unlike other warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco, at BJ’s, you can stack manufacturer coupons with BJ’s coupons, resulting in even more savings.

Is a BJ’s Membership Worth It?

The answer is, it depends. If you’re just using BJ’s to buy your groceries, you may find competitors Costco and Sam’s Club cheaper. This is assuming you also have one of those warehouse stores nearby.

However, if you plan to use BJ’s more extensively and don’t have a competing warehouse store nearby, a BJ’s membership can be worthwhile. With a BJ’s membership, you can get discounts on gas as well as insurance. You can also stack coupons leading to larger savings. These benefits are in addition to the already lower prices that warehouse stores offer.

If you plan to use BJ’s for booking a rental car or a vacation, the savings continue to add up. Don’t forget BJ’s also has its own optical and tire centers to save you even more.

Final Thoughts

Is a BJ’s membership worth it? That will depend on why you’re getting the membership and if you are located near any competing warehouse stores like Costco or Sam’s Club. If you’re not sure, consider getting a one-day membership so you can compare prices with your other local grocery stores to see who has the better prices.

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