Credit and money advice tips can be found all over the net these days. Everyone has their own personal story or pathway to heavenly credit and saving money. This post is a bit different.
1|Make your bills work for you.
Find out the grace period for your necessary bills. Water, electric, phone, internet etc. Once you know how late you can be on paying, try catching up on your bills and only pay within your late grace period. This won’t negatively affect your non-traditional credit.
2|Trust auto pay for 1 small bill.
Paying bills on time is called non-traditional credit. Choose at least one bill that you can afford to put on auto-pay. Of course it’ll be the one you know won’t change each month. This on-time payment will increase your credit score by 20-30 points in one year.
3|Get Credit Karma.
It’s not only free but you’ll be able to see which credit card you can actually get approved for right now. It’s how I started building my credit. Tip: Do not speak to any debt collectors about your debt.
4|Keep Assurion phone insurance always.
Get insurance on your phone and keep it. Hang onto your phone for 2-3 years, then file a claim when you’re ready for a new phone. The claim will only be $150. That means a new phone for $150 bucks and no more monthly payments. Do this every year until they automatically upgrade your phone to the next model.
5|Prolong the life of your electronics.
If you’re a parent, protect your kids’ electronics with good cases so they don’t break. Kids grow out of electronics and games, just like shoes. When they do, sell them easily on FB marketplace.
6|Call insurance companies every year to check for discounts.
Don’t just let your bill creep up on ya. Ask for retention department. If that doesn’t work, cancel your service and re-start it in 24 hours. Majority of companies will let you do this with no questions asked. Excuse is: “I changed my mind.”
7|Amazon isn’t always the cheapest.
I know many of us are at home shopping on Amazon right now but WalMart still has the best deals for TV’s and other electronics. Don’t get too into Amazon that you forget to shop around.
8|Save money with your cherished brands.
What beauty product brand do you spend the most money on? Find out if they have an affiliate program. If so, you’ll most likely be able to get a discount just trying out new, fun product. You pay less + get commission. IPSY has one of the best rewards programs for free beauty products in my opinion.
9|Get on with a credit union.
If you have access to a credit union through a military family or friend, take advantage. Banks have a million hidden fees. Credit unions are the best to finance a car or home with. Start trying to get some history with one right away.
10| Save money with iced coffee.
Do you love coffee? I recently found out that McDonald’s sells iced coffee for $1.79 + tax. I don’t waste my time anymore on Frappes. This Florida living has turned me into an iced coffee girl so I had to learn how to brew my own iced coffee.
11| Use 401K as savings account.
Even if you don’t have much money, sign up for the 401K at your job if they have it available. This savings plan typically matches what you invest every pay period. Learn more about 401K for other uses as well. Whenever you’re in a bind, you can withdraw that money and use it for emergencies. After 2 years with my company, I have over 7K I can withdraw from anytime.
12| Request a credit increase every time you can.
Do you have a few credit cards? If you’ve been responsible about paying on time, ask for a credit increase. (Just don’t go anywhere near it) At one time I had over 30K in available credit on all of my credit cards. I cut most of them up except one but that “credit available” helped improve my credit score by 150 points in one year.
13| Influencers really do get paid.
Are you big into fashion, accessories, or sunglasses? Search the hashtag #influencerwanted on Instagram. Search through for new companies looking for people to advertise their brands. You’ll grab some new sunglasses, jeans, or a trendy top for next to nothing just by posting and using their brand name in the hashtag. (Your page must be public, of course)
14|Design your own tshirts.
Use Canva to make your own tshirts! I started doing this last year for my family and friends. On Canva, design your own tshirt with pre-made templates and they’ll ship it for you.
15|Grocery delivery saves you from impulse buying.
Start using the grocery delivery service from Instacart for your local grocery delivery. I believe I pay $9.99/mo and all of my deliveries are free. Let me tell you how it saves me money, I only end up getting what I order and there’s no possibility of picking up random things off the shelf. The in-store prices are a few cents higher but it’s worth it for the convenience. Instacart shoppers leave the groceries at my door even when I place last minute orders. By the way, you can get $10 off grocery with Instacart for first sign ups.
16|Paper towels are a needed but unnecessary expense.
I happen to use a lot of paper towels. This year I bought a new house and decided I was done wasting money on them. Instead, I searched Amazon for those huge industrial paper towel rolls. They come in white/brown and a case of 6 lasts over a year. The spin & click dispenser is the best for those. You can tear off a sheet with one hand.
17|Plant a garden and not just succulents.
Depending on where you live, try growing a vegetable that your family eats a lot. Sustainability is a huge market right now when we have more time to grow and be outside with the home schooled kids.The amount of info online for growing your own veggies and spices is huge. Checkout The Nakid Gardeners on YouTube for some great ideas.
18|Call the insurance company and get your bills lowered.
Contact your car insurance company every year to scale down your costs. If they can’t lower your bill, get another estimate and switch over. Unfortunately loyalty discounts aren’t as great as first time buyer ones.
19|Use rewards programs for whoever has one.
Use reward programs wherever you shop. For me, every 3rd time I visit Starbucks, my order is free. I’ve heard the Walmart rewards program is awesome too. A friend of mine has all of us send her our Walmart receipts regularly and she saves big time.
20|Put savings on autopilot.
Get an automatic pilot savings plan. I use Digit to save money while I sleep. I automate how much I want saved and it does all of the work for me.
Nicole Mae Blog 