Beating Broke

How to Get Back on a Solid Financial Path

October 3, 2021 By Justin Weinger Leave a Comment

The last couple of years have been rough for many Americans. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns forced a lot of people to dip into their savings or completely wipe it out.

According to the Federal Reserve, 200,000 more businesses closed than the number that shut their doors in a normal year. Similar to the Great Recession, Americans are struggling to get back on their feet.

If you’re one of the millions of people who are struggling to recover from the pandemic, don’t stress. There are small steps you can take to get back on a solid financial path. So, take a deep breath, grab your coffee and make a plan.

Get Rid of Your Debt

Getting rid of your debt seems like a no-brainer, but it can feel like you’re drowning if you have a lot of it. Oftentimes, when people go through financial troubles, they’ll use their credit cards to survive. Many Americans only have the cards for emergencies.

The problem with using credit cards to survive is the fees quickly add up. The lender might charge you interest and then compound interest. If you’re trying to get your finances in order, speaking to a professional to get strategic debt solutions is one of the first steps you want to take. An expert will tell you where you stand and help you develop a strategy to pay it off quickly. To ensure you have money left at the end of the month to pay down your debt, you will want to create a budget.

Create a Budget

Budgets sound awful, but once you get the hang of documenting your spending, it starts to become second nature. Creating a budget can seem like a scary task, but it’s really quite easy. You can use free programs to help you do this, or you can create a spreadsheet using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Once you choose a program, list all of your expenses for the month. This is the most important part, so even if you spend $5 on a cup of coffee on Tuesday mornings, add that to your list. List some goals on your sheet as well. For example, if you want to start contributing to a vacation fund, put that on the list.

After you’ve listed all of your expenses, add up the total amount of money you spend. Then, on a separate line, place your monthly income on the sheet. Then subtract your expenses from your income. If your number is negative, meaning you owe more than you bring home, then it’s time to start cutting your expenses.

Start by eliminating unnecessary spending. If you haven’t used a subscription in more than a month, get rid of it. You want to at least break even.

Save for Retirement

One day you’re going to retire. When you do, you want to be in a comfortable position. Social Security is available to you, but remember, that should supplement your retirement savings. The earlier you start saving for your retirement, the better.

If you are in your early 20s and just getting your career off of the ground, that’s okay, you can save as little as $20 a week. Tuck it away in an interest-bearing account and forget it exists. That money should be completely separate from your regular savings account.

If your employer offers 401(k), join the plan and contribute to it every time you’re paid. Often employers will match what you contribute, basically giving you free money. Who doesn’t like that?

Once you take some steps toward financial freedom, you’ll feel so much better. Just remember, it can be difficult at first, but soon your changes will become second nature.

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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