Money Tips Network

A little less than two years ago, Sarah and I made the decision to get rid of cable television in our home. We canceled our cable service, which was costing us about $100 a month, and moved to a mixture of services. When I wrote an update about our experience after a year without cable, I noted that we had migrated to an over-the-air antenna coupled with a rotating selection of streaming services.

After about a year of trying out different streaming services and combinations, I wanted to offer a summary of the options we’ve tried, how they worked for us, and what we’re going to do going forward. The pricing listed is current as of this writing, though it may have changed a bit for each service when you read this article.

We’ve all been there. You have a container of something and it’s almost used up. There’s just a little bit left in the container, but that little bit is hard to access. How far should you go to access that little bit? How much effort is worth it? Even better, is there anything creative you can do in that situation that minimizes effort and time and maximizes return?

Over the last year or so, I’ve been trying different techniques to figure out how to get the last little bit out of different containers, and I’ve figured out a few things that work well and quite a few things that don’t.

Let’s dig into that last little bit left behind in the containers in our lives.

It’s probably not worth it to put in significant effort to get out the last little bit.

In general, the value you get from extracting the small amount of remaining… stuff in the container isn’t worth it if it requires a lot more effort than the normal ways in which you use the product.

Online education has dramatically changed the way older adults and young people alike pursue an education. And with National Higher Education Day approaching on June 6th, there’s never been a better time to think about going back to school.

As an older adult, you now have the opportunity to go back to school on your own terms and at your own pace, by taking classes online — often at a significantly reduced cost, or even free. Whether you’d like to advance professionally, pursue a second career or just keep your mind sharp, there are many online education programs available to you.

Online learning has become especially important during the coronavirus pandemic, enabling students to keep up with their studies, and offering people of all ages the opportunity to pursue an education.

Here’s everything you need to know about taking college classes online so you can achieve your goals.

You may have heard the “rule” that you have to put 20% as a down payment when buying a house. In reality, most home buyers — especially most first-time home buyers — are putting down much less than this. While you can now get into a new home for as little as 3% down, you may end up paying private mortgage insurance (PMI).

If you’re planning to purchase a home in the near future, it’s important that you understand what PMI is and how much it could cost you when budgeting for a house purchase.

What is private mortgage insurance?

What is PMI? Private mortgage insurance (PMI) refers to an insurance policy designed to protect the lender in the event you default on your home loan. Most lenders require PMI when your loan-to-value ratio is 20% or lower. In other words, if you put down less than 20% as a down payment, most lenders will require PMI.

During the last few months of social distancing, many people found themselves living a far more frugal lifestyle than they had done before.

Many of us leaned into that frugality, doing things like baking bread, cooking meals at home, using up things that were in the pantry and doing all sorts of money-saving projects. People have stayed at home and watched movies they already had and played games they already had instead of going out to movies and to live events. Many of us engaged in all kinds of little frugal projects, from pulling out the sewing machine to fix some clothes, make face masks, fixing things and doing maintenance around the house. We’re saving containers that we might have previously tossed, repurposing a pickle jar to save some leftover soup.

Two months in, however, and many people are discovering one of the hidden truths about frugal living, particularly when you’re new to it: frugal burnout.

Navient is one of the nation’s largest federal student loan servicers that helps borrowers navigate the long-term process of student loan repayment. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, Navient was established in 2014 when Sallie Mae was split into two separate corporations — Sallie Mae stayed in charge of handling private student loan debts and Navient services federal student loans.

It’s important to point out that in January of 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued Navient, claiming it had cut corners to save on operating costs. It states Navient did an overall poor job of helping borrowers pay off their loans.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you’re going to the store to buy a new washing machine because your old one died. The store has a ton of options available, and as you’re looking on your phone at reviews, it’s pretty clear that there are a couple of mid-priced models with some good reviews and a couple of more expensive models with great reviews. Which one do you choose?

On the other hand, let’s imagine that you’re moving into your first apartment and you need some items for your kitchen. You have a reasonable budget to work with. Do you buy a small number of really high-quality items that will last for a long time, or do you buy a lot of inexpensive items that will work for now but will need to be replaced when they break?

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Student loans and interest accumulation
2. Thoughts on air fryers
3. Consequences of unpaid credit cards
4. Make leftovers into a casserole
5. Spending wakeup call
6. Obligation to support local businesses?
7. Evernote versus Notion
8. Can we afford the house?

Getting behind the wheel of a new car can be an exciting moment, and it’s even better if you are secure in the knowledge that you’ve got the best car insurance for your situation. You want to protect your new car from any damage and to know that if the worst happens, you’ll be able to cover any repairs or replace the car with a similar model if it’s totaled.

Car insurance is mandatory in all but one state (New Hampshire) in the U.S., but you still have a lot of flexibility in tailoring your coverage to work for your circumstances. Once you’ve met your state’s minimums, you’re free to purchase additional coverage as you wish.