For those needing to get to Dulles Airport for the holidays, save yourself the cab fair and take the 5A from L'Enfant Plaza or Rosslyn Metro to Dulles. This express service is only $3 each way. The bus comes every 30-50 minutes. Go to wmata.com to plan your trip. If you get back too late the bus will stop running so check the bus schedule before booking your flight.
For those needing to get to BWI, take metro to Union Station and buy a MARC train ticket to the Baltimore Airport Station for $12. There are free shuttles to the airport terminals.
Safe Travels & Bon Voyage!
Thursday, January 8
Wednesday, January 7
Trash the Gym Membership
If you live in Washington DC, there are so many ways to get a free workout around the city that leaves no excuse for paying for gym membership. Try these alternatives:
- Go to your nearest metro and run up and down the escalators.
- Truth be told, there are plenty of super long escalators in the Washington Metro System. Stop standing on them and start walking up them to burn the calories.
- Buy a bike and use it! DC and the surrounding areas have incredible bike trails. Save a ton of money by biking to work (my bike ride from Rosslyn to Farragut West area is only 20 minutes). Or else just bike on weekends on the trails around town.
- Want an arm workout too? Declare yourself the official water cooler replacer at work and make friends at the same time.
Tuesday, January 6
Free CVS Extra Bucks!
CVS has an online advisory panel to give them tips about their policies and products throughout the year. As a thank you for taking part in some of these surveys, you will be rewarded with free extra bucks ranging from $5-$15. Click here to become a CVS Advisor.
Remember, once you have extra bucks, only spend them on products that give you the same amount of extra bucks back. This will lead to many free products throughout the year! Just watch out for the expiration dates.
Remember, once you have extra bucks, only spend them on products that give you the same amount of extra bucks back. This will lead to many free products throughout the year! Just watch out for the expiration dates.
Monday, January 5
"This is Nordstrom's, My Dear"
So the holidays are over and you have gifts you love... and gifts you don't.
If you are thinking of returning gifts when you don't have the receipt, make sure you know the store's return policy.
For example, if your receipt-less gift is from Target or Macys, don't waste your gas- you're fu*ked.
If it's from Nordstrom's, be prepared to get cash back (upon request).
If you are thinking of returning gifts when you don't have the receipt, make sure you know the store's return policy.
For example, if your receipt-less gift is from Target or Macys, don't waste your gas- you're fu*ked.
If it's from Nordstrom's, be prepared to get cash back (upon request).
Sunday, January 4
Trash Diving!
First to clarify from the title- there is no actual diving involved here. I did engage somewhat with actual trash diving in my college days (it was worth it- I went to Georgetown-- good expensive trash) but now days it's more like trash walking. As you know, I live in an apartment complex where people throw away really nice furniture and electronics all the time. The two places I look for such items are 1) the outside trash area where people place such items in front of the trash bins and 2) in the recycling/trash rooms on each floor.
My husband and I keep some of the things we find and sell other items on craigslist. The 27 inch bedroom television we use is a 2005 Sony that we found in the trash (so we sold our 2003 bedroom television for $100), and my beautiful Ethan Allen desk is from our trash area. We've taken in, cleaned up and sold other items including carpets, bed frames, lamps, desks, etc.
The best part isn't even the money that we're making- it's that we're helping the environment and helping someone get something they need at a discounted price.
My husband and I keep some of the things we find and sell other items on craigslist. The 27 inch bedroom television we use is a 2005 Sony that we found in the trash (so we sold our 2003 bedroom television for $100), and my beautiful Ethan Allen desk is from our trash area. We've taken in, cleaned up and sold other items including carpets, bed frames, lamps, desks, etc.
The best part isn't even the money that we're making- it's that we're helping the environment and helping someone get something they need at a discounted price.
Saturday, January 3
Marry in Financial Harmony
I cannot stress how important it is to marry someone who agrees with your financial values and priorities. If you are very careful about how you spend money and marry someone who loves to shop we're looking at many fights and years of frustration.
At the same time it's healthy to marry someone not quite as frugal as you may be. Instead of getting frustrated the two people can learn from each other. One can learn the value of saving, compound interest, and delayed gratification and the other can learn to have more fun and relax a little when it comes to money.
There are degrees of saving and spending so I would never recommend an extreme saver to marry an extreme spender. Money is one of the main reasons for divorce!
If you are on the same page financially, it will also make it much easier to share bank accounts and credit cards, if you are so inclined!
At the same time it's healthy to marry someone not quite as frugal as you may be. Instead of getting frustrated the two people can learn from each other. One can learn the value of saving, compound interest, and delayed gratification and the other can learn to have more fun and relax a little when it comes to money.
There are degrees of saving and spending so I would never recommend an extreme saver to marry an extreme spender. Money is one of the main reasons for divorce!
If you are on the same page financially, it will also make it much easier to share bank accounts and credit cards, if you are so inclined!
Friday, January 2
Save on your Energy Bills with a Small Investment
If you live in a house or apartment where you need to pay for your energy bills, it makes sense to purchase a programmable thermostat. These nifty devices allow you to set the thermostat so that your house is automatically set 8 degrees cooler/warmer (depending on the season) during working hours. This feature can save you hundreds of dollars a year while helping the environment.
If you decide to purchase a programmable thermostat at a place like Home Depot, make your purchase through your ebates.com account so you can receive 6% of your purchase back in cash!
If you decide to purchase a programmable thermostat at a place like Home Depot, make your purchase through your ebates.com account so you can receive 6% of your purchase back in cash!
Thursday, January 1
Autopay
I was at my friend's the other day when she sat down to pay a few credit card bills. I watched in disbelief as she took out her check book and stamps!
We are in our 20s. We are internet savvy. There is no reason any of us should be paying our bills with checks and $.42 stamps- unless you are trying to keep USPS alive and well out of principle.
Credit cards all have autopay features. All of my credit credit payments are automatically deducted in full from my bank account the last day it is due. This means that I am able to collect interest on my money until the last possible second and all I need to do is make sure I remember to transfer enough funds from money market accounts (ie paypal or emigrant direct) back to my bank account in time for the autopay deduction.
To set up autopay on your credit cards, go to your credit card website and link your account to your bank. Then call the credit card company to tell them you want to pay in full via autopay each month and they may send you paperwork to sign and send back in. This can take a month but it's worth it in the long run.
Also, if you are still getting credit card statements in the mail, tell your company you only want to receive electronic statements- you'll help the environment and I received a $5 statement credit as a thank you after my first year of receiving only online statements from Citibank.
We are in our 20s. We are internet savvy. There is no reason any of us should be paying our bills with checks and $.42 stamps- unless you are trying to keep USPS alive and well out of principle.
Credit cards all have autopay features. All of my credit credit payments are automatically deducted in full from my bank account the last day it is due. This means that I am able to collect interest on my money until the last possible second and all I need to do is make sure I remember to transfer enough funds from money market accounts (ie paypal or emigrant direct) back to my bank account in time for the autopay deduction.
To set up autopay on your credit cards, go to your credit card website and link your account to your bank. Then call the credit card company to tell them you want to pay in full via autopay each month and they may send you paperwork to sign and send back in. This can take a month but it's worth it in the long run.
Also, if you are still getting credit card statements in the mail, tell your company you only want to receive electronic statements- you'll help the environment and I received a $5 statement credit as a thank you after my first year of receiving only online statements from Citibank.
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