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True confession: I have a weird obsession with personal finance. Can you relate? II’m always looking for finance information and new money saving recommendations from clients, friends, and other lawyers. I love passing on the tips that I learn to my clients, particularly those that may not have been responsible for the finances during their marriage.
While I discuss some of these resources in my blog posts and on my Pinterest page, I thought it would be helpful to have them all on one page so you can refer back to it as needed. This way you won’t have to remember exactly which article you found it in.
I’ll be updating this page as I find new products and information to recommend so make sure you come back often to check them out!
Money Managers
Mint.com
If you’ve read any of my Divorce and Your Money articles, then you know how much I love Mint.com. Mint.com is a free site (as well as an app) which you can use to organize your finances. You link all of your bank accounts, credit cards, savings, account, loans, etc. and Mint automatically updates them every time you open the app. From there, you can create savings goals, prepare a budget, categorize expenses, and even pay bills. It is an essential tool for anyone who is serious about getting their finances in order.
Credit Karma
Credit is so important to our financial health, particularly after a divorce. Many divorcing parties have little to no credit in their own names. Establishing a credit history is essential in order to be able to buy a car, rent an apartment, and get a credit card. Credit Karma is a great way to keep track of your credit score. Credit Karma performs a soft inquiry on your credit so that you can review your score without damaging it in the process. The site will also show you how your score was calculated and give you recommendations for loans and credit cards based on your profile.
Acorns
The best way to save money is to make it automatic. Acorns lets you do just that. With Acorns, you can link your bank account and every time you spend money, Acorns will round up your change. Then when you have at least $5.00 that money will be deposited into your Acorns account. Acorns will then invest those monies based on your risk profile. Want some money to start an account? Acorns is offering $5.00 for anyone who opens an Acorns account. What are you waiting for?
Tally
Tally is an excellent way to pay down your debt faster. When you first sign up for Tally, you link all of your credit accounts (some are not eligible for Tally, like store cards). Then, based on your credit score, Tally will offer you a credit line to pay off one (or part of one) of your credit cards at a lower interest rate than that card. This way, you pay off your debt a lot faster and for less.
As you pay down your credit line, Tally will use any additional monies on the line to pay off other cards. Tally will also pay the minimum balance on any cards that you link. You then pay Tally for all payments made at the end of the month. By lowering your interest rate you can become debt-free a whole lot faster than just paying the minimum balance. Interested in signing up? If you do so now, you can get a $20 Amazon Gift Card using my referral code.
How I’m Saving Money
Ibotta
Similar to Rakuten (formerly Ebates), Ibotta is an app that gives you cash back for purchases at thousands of stores. The amount of the rebates vary. While it offers cash back to a lot of different stores, I mainly use it for rebates on grocery store purchases. It’s really easy to use. I’ve even used it to get cash back on wine! You just select the offers that apply to you, scan the barcode of the item, and then upload your receipt. Once you have $20.00 in your account you can transfer the money to your bank. Interested? Click here for my referral code.
Pet Insurance
I tell everyone that I know that has a pet to get pet insurance as soon as possible. I have it for both of my dogs and got it immediately after I adopted them. Even if you’ve had your pet for a few years you should get it. While pet insurance doesn’t cover wellness visits or vaccinations, it does cover when your dog gets sick, injured, or wants to chew his tail. As any pet parent knows, the veterinary costs for such emergencies can be in the thousands. Having pet insurance allows you to make decisions based on what’s best for your pet without having to worry about your wallet. Most companies offer several types of plans and the cost is pretty minimal.
I’ve already made my money back in premiums on Atticus. His tail had no nerve feeling (I think he was injured at some point and his previous owner didn’t treat him) and so he thought it was a toy that he could chew. I know, super gross. So, I had to have his tail amputated and it cost me about $2,000.00. Who thought I’d have to do that? He was also about 3 when it happened. But I had pet insurance so the only cost that I had to pay was my deductible of $200.00, plus 80% of the remaining costs.
I use PetPlan Pet Insurance. It is super easy to make a claim online and I’ve generally been reimbursed within 10 days. You can also have claims pre-approved before the work is done on your pet. The only draw back is that they don’t cover behavioral issues. So Atticus’ anxiety medication isn’t covered. However, the benefits of having pet insurance far outweigh the drawbacks. Seriously, I can’t stress enough how happy I am to have pet insurance. Interested? Use my referral code to start a quote.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a do it all site. Have some free time? Head over to Swagbucks and you will find surveys, searches, and links for cash back when you buy certain products. They all will earn you points which you can turn into gift cards. It’s an easy way to make free money. Interested? Use my referral code to sign up.
Amazon Prime
Even if you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely heard of Amazon Prime. But do you know all the great stuff that you get with a Prime Membership? Free videos, free music, free shipping, additional discounts at Whole Foods and more. I think it is well worth the membership fee. Don’t have a membership? Amazon is offering a free 30 day trial for new members. Amazon even offers a discounted membership for people in certain government assistance programs.
Achievement
Have a Fitbit? Like free money? Achievement is a fitness app that you can sync with your Fitbit, as well as a few other fitness apps. You receive points for steps, exercise, and even sleeping. You can also earn extra points for reading health articles and taking short surveys. Once you reach 10,000 points, Achievement will give you 10 bucks. Just for doing what you would already do anyways! Sign up with my referral code.
Rakuten (formerly Ebates)
Another website that gives you free money! Can you sense a pattern? Rakuten is a clearinghouse for promo codes for websites that you do everyday. Also, if you go to the website and purchase something you will receive cash back, anywhere from 2% to 10%, depending on the site. Then you get paid out for your rebates on a quarterly basis. If you join now, Rakuten will give you $10 bucks after you make your first qualifying purchase.
What about you?
Have a money saving tip that you want to share? Something that you think I should try? I’m always looking for new ideas for personal finance, budgeting and saving money. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments!
Did you just separate from your spouse and not sure what to do next? Or, have you been in the divorce process for awhile and need help wrapping up your case? Check out my free downloadable checklists that can help you, no matter where you are in the divorce process!
