Money Saving 101: Being a Wedding Guest

Today's blog was written by Lindsey.

As wedding season approached we talked about how to save money if you were having a wedding – but how do you save money if you are going to wedding? Have you ever had a moment of panic when looking at seven or eight wedding invites and wonder ‘how am I going to afford all of this?’ As bad as we might feel, sometimes weddings can get expensive for us as the guests as well (especially if you are in the bridal party)! Here are three practical ways you can save some money while still enjoying a wonderful day and giving the bride and groom all they deserve. 

First, if you have multiple invites really look at them and do some calculations. Are they in town or away? Obviously weddings that require travel, hotels and meals while traveling are going to be more expensive for you to attend than a wedding in town. Every bride and groom is going to understand if you simply cannot afford flight and hotel to come to their wedding! If you cannot, then send them a nice gift and card. If you do go, try going in on a hotel room with friends, staying at a relatives or friends house and of course, figure out the most cost efficient way to get there! 

If cash is a little tight and the only thing left on their registry is that $200 Kitchen Aid, get creative! Try doing something fun with their wedding invitation like getting it framed or embossed. Another idea would be to make a personalized gift using some cute photos of the couple. As a previous bride, some of my favorite gifts were the personalized ones people had made or made themselves that were not on our registry! You don’t have to be a crafty person either. Places like Wal-Mart have an amazing photo section were you can turn a photo into a blanket or any other number of cool gifts! 

And finally, as we all know, just because the bride and groom left doesn’t mean the night is ending! Chances are you are heading to local restaurant with friends and family for some late night appetizers and drinks. If you are on a budget, however, just be mindful of what you are ordering and how much you are spending! Cut back on the appetizers and maybe just get one. No one likes getting a $100 bill at the end of the night when they were planning on $30. 

As you attend weddings this summer, have a wonderful time and remember, everyone has a budget but you can still give great gifts and have a wonderful time without breaking the bank!

Money Saving 101: Store Loyalty Cards

(Welcome Derron, one of our Budget Counselors, back today!)

Loyalty reward cards, you’ve heard of them right?  Heck, I have 5 of them on my key chain right now and just about every gas station, supermarket or pharmacy offers them.  But do you know all the perks that you can receive by using these little wonders?  I’ve created a list of some of the most popular cards and some of the incentives they offer that will hopefully give you some ideas.  For example, did you know that you can get 3 cents off on a gallon of gas everyday at Sheetz by using their loyalty card?  I knew Sheetz had a loyalty card but what I didn’t know is that I could save a few cents on gas daily.  Here is the list of some of the ones that I thought about and I’m sure there are so many more out there, but hopefully this helps a little.

Giant Eagle Advantage Card-This one I think everyone in the Western Pennsylvania area has heard of.  The big perk-for every $50 dollars you spend at the store, you receive 10 cents off on a gallon of gas.  On special occasions, (holidays, summer picnic time) you can get that same 10 cents off on gas when you spend $25 dollars.  There are also a few different specials throughout the store where you can earn an extra few cents off on gas for purchases.  Keep an eye open for those.  On the flip side, for every 10 gallons of gas you purchase, you receive 1% off your next grocery bill.  This can build up until you can get 20% off a trip to the store.  Be careful though, if you don’t use these perks, you can lose them.  That’s right, they go away.  So be sure that if you use a Giant Eagle Advantage Card to check your receipts to see when some of your incentives expire.  Most grocery stores offer similar cards for their customers and are linked to a particular gas station.  Check the grocery stores in your area if you haven’t already.

Big Lots -This one isn’t as popular as the grocery store loyalty card but it offers some really good incentives.  This one is called the Buzz Club Rewards.  Once you sign up for this loyalty card, you then become eligible for their incentives.  At Big Lots, after you make a certain number of purchases of $20 or more, you can then redeem 20% off of a future purchase.  The one snag, you have to redeem your 20% off within sixty days of becoming eligible.  Also, not everything you purchase qualifies for the incentive, so when you are checking out, ask the cashier to make sure everything in your shopping cart is a qualifying purchase.  If you are a Big Lots shopper like me, this is one incentive that you can definitely use.

Rite Aid Wellness Card-The pharmacy Rite Aid offers a wellness card to their customers.  It works a lot like supermarket card as you receive instant discounts for items in the store if you have a card.  Just the other day, I wanted to buy a pack of gum.  It was regularly priced at 99 cents, with the wellness card, it was 79 cents.  Now I know that doesn’t seem to be a big deal, but they do offer perks to other items in the store.  Using your Wellness card at Rite Aid earns you points.  For every dollar you spend, you earn a wellness point.  For every prescription you purchase, you earn 25 wellness points.  These points can be exchanged for perks that the store offers.  The perks range from exclusive pharmacist access 24/7 to 10% off the entire store for a year.  The more you spend, the better your perks.  If you use this program, you can manage it online or with a smart phone.  You can also load coupons onto your card while you manage your account online.  Coupons always sound good to me.  And, as always, if you have questions about getting a wellness card, next time you stop into a Rite Aid, ask a sales associate for more details.

Petsmart-Last, but not least, the one store I visit just as much as any other, the dreaded pet store.  When you use a Petperks card at Petsmart, you are entitled to instant discounts on numerous items throughout the store.  This can come in really handy if you have a lot of pets or just one.  I frequently am buying food, toys, and other pet supplies, so for me, this one has been very helpful.  After you sign up, you also receive emails for coupons and private sales online and in the store.  They have also notified me when a sale was going to happen.  You can manage this account online and as a bonus, if you are a Petperk card holder, you can sign up so your pet will receive a birthday greeting from Petsmart.   How funny is that!!!

These are just a few of the places that utilize loyalty cards.  Some of the others include Babies R Us, Toys R Us, K Mart, Shop N Save, Sunoco, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy and Petco and many, many more.  If you are unaware if a store near you offers a Loyalty card, you can go online and search the store for their specific programs or you can ask a sales associate the next time you go shopping.

Good luck, best wishes and feel free to post replies and maybe you can give me some ideas to places I can get my next little key tag.

Everything You Need to Know About Financial Aid: For Profit Schools

(Lindsey is back for more information on Financial Aid)

What exactly is a for-profit school and are they indeed a good place to get your education? With the recent and continuous information coming about for-profit education schemes and government laws being passed to regulate these institutions, it is very easy to be skeptical and wonder if everything we are reading is actually true.

Having some firsthand experience in working with for-profit institutions, and again, thanks to some great reader suggestions, as part of our ‘financial aid topics’ we felt for-profit education should be a topic we tackle. 

For starters, for-profit schools are everywhere. From the University of Phoenix to The Art Institutes, marketing clearly is not a problem. We have all seen the ads, television commercials, even banners when we fill out job applications. 

The first thing to remember about a for-profit school is that they are there to do just that, make a profit. The Art Institutes, for example, are owned by Goldman and Sachs. Due to this, many of these schools are run as corporate companies, working hard to make money and unfortunately, the well being, honesty, and quality of the education and services you would be receiving at such a place can, and have, fallen by the way side in a quest to make money. 

While this is not true of some, I sadly have found the majority of for-profit schools have money, rather than quality, be their goal. Because of this, any for-profit school you are considering should be carefully researched. Find out whom their accreditation is through and if it is a reputable accrediting source. What are some of the things people are saying or has there been a lot of negative press on the school or owning company. Look at the curriculum, does it line up with comparable curricula at other schools. What are their retention, graduation and employment rates and most importantly, look at the cost! Some people feel because it is online it is going to be cheaper and that is not always the case! 

In closing, as online education becomes increasingly popular, many state and private intuitions are putting some of their programs online. I would suggest checking out some of the local state and private university online or combination programs before looking into what a for-profit school can offer. Not all for profit schools are bad. However, just like with any school, they all require careful research and at every institution you will find staff, advisors and employees who genuinely care about your success and education. This type of education is right for some people, but do not sign up for the first school that calls you without looking at all the factors!

My Spending Diet

After a month of ridiculous spending, I decided that I would try to see how long I can go without spending any money at all besides paying essential bills such as rent, groceries, car payment, etc. I’ve made it FOUR days so far. These four days have been fairly easy as I started on Sunday, Monday was a holiday and I work full time so I don’t have too much time to shop on the weekdays. Here are some tips about how I’ve saved money so far:

Pack Your Lunch: I pack my lunch to take to work 99% of the time. Occasionally I won’t pack if I know I’m going to be traveling around to meetings all day and my lunch will get left to get hot in my car. Hot lunch = salmonella, so no thanks to that.

Bring Your Own Drinks and Snacks to Work: By bringing pop, bottled water and snacks I already have at home, I can save a bunch of money. The pop machine here costs $1.25-$1.50 per bottle of pop or 60 cents or above for a snack.

Stay off Amazon.com and Other Websites: I LOVE Amazon. I buy most gifts and home items off their website. I also LOVE books. It’s way too easy to click “add to cart.” Solution: Just stay away.

Pay at the Pump: When getting gas, I don’t go into the convenient mart to pay. I use my debit card or credit card at the pump. That’s saves me the temptation of all those delicious goodies inside.

Drink Less Pop: I’ve made a point to try to drink less pop and more water at work. I have a metal bottle that I refill at our handy-dandy water cooler. Less pop = less money out of my pocket.

Think About It Before You Buy It: There’s a gift I would really like to get my boyfriend for our anniversary in October. When I originally saw it, I wanted to click “Buy” right away. Instead, I closed the internet browser and walked away from the computer. Why buy it then? It wasn’t on sale at the moment. I needed to research the gift more. I also needed to ensure he didn’t already have something like it. Instead, I’ve set up a savings plan for this gift AND done my research to ensure that it is a good gift. I haven’t decided whether or not to buy the gift for sure yet, but I’m glad I took the time to think about it before pressing the “Buy” button. Too often, we press that button before thinking clearly and end up buying something we don’t need. Wait a day, a week, a month before you buy something to ensure you actually will use something and you aren’t buying something just for the immediate gratification. Example: My boyfriend has been looking at the Dyson fan for a LONG time. Each time it has gone on sale on woot.com, he’s debated buying it. Yesterday, it was under $100 (that’s about 1/3 of the actual cost). He researched the cost on other websites and looked at reviews. He decided to buy the fan. I applaud him for searching for the best deal and waiting to buy something instead of buying immediately for the instant gratification a purchase can have for some people.

My challenge for my no spending challenge will be this weekend. My boyfriend and I love to go places on the weekends: Lowe’s, the local mall, Target, etc. to get out of the house and go somewhere. We will see how long I can make it. Even if I just make it to 7 days without spending, or 5, I’ll be happy. That’s 5-7 days that I didn’t waste my money on something I didn’t need. How long can you go without spending?

Everything You Need to Know About Student Loans: Private Loans

Thanks to some reader suggestions. We decided to cover a few more topics in the financial aid world. In my first blog on the topic, we talked about a lot of myths and facts about financial aid, its uses and how federal financial aid works. I wanted to take a look at the other side of loans, private ones you can get through your bank or other financial institution!

Private student loans can be obtained at almost any financial institution – your local bank, credit union or companies like Sallie Mae, Wells Fargo and Discover also offer different types of student loans. Traditionally, private student loans are thought to cost more than a government student loan. This is because many of these loans have a variable interest rate (meaning it can change) and they can be more difficult to qualify for as credit checks and co-signers are often needed. These private loans were and are often used by students to ‘fill in the gap’ between their government loans and any grants or scholarships they have received. However, many of the private lenders are starting to aggressively compete for your business! Fixed rate loans are not so uncommon anymore along with it being a lower interest rate. This is great news for current and soon to be students thinking about their financial aid choices.

When taking out a private student loan your number one priority should be shopping around for the best rate and plan that fits your budget and needs. Each lender is going to have its own loan program with different interest rates, repayment policies, plans and qualifications. Don’t go walking into the first place you see and take out a $50,000 loan! Go to various lenders armed with questions: what is the rate, what are your repayment options, how do you handle forbearance or deferment, is there a grace period, how long do you have until you must start making payments, do you qualify – just to name a few! Unlike government student loans where you have one amount, one interest rate, one deal - private student loans are going to need a little more foot work but with great reward! 

Some helpful websites:

https://www.discover.com/student-loans/index.html

https://www.wellsfargo.com/student/planning/steps/private

https://www.salliemae.com/

Other Great Community Partners Programs at FSWP

I wanted to let you all know about a few other services we provide here at Family Services of Western PA as part of our team.

ROCS

First off is ROCS, or Reaching Out to Create Success. This program is for youth who are transitioning out of foster care or have already aged out of the foster care system. It is a FREE resource program offered to youth between the ages of 16 and 24. Once in the program, youth design Goal Achievement Plans to help them identify short and long term goals.Some goals have included getting a GED, workforce development resources, financial education, and much more. ROCS staff work with youth in obtaining the right supports and resources for these goals.

For information on ROCS, email Shayla at sojourners@fswp.org.

Supported Employment

Are you looking for a job? Do you need assistance in finding a job? Supported Employment helps their consumers explore their interests and find their strengths in job hunting. SE staff can provide assistance with resume writing, meeting employers, and achieving employment goals. Our staff works with both our local community in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties as well as FSWP consumers.

For information on Supported Employment, email Megan at syputm@fswp.org or Curtis at terryc@fswp.org.

Supported Education

Are you looking to finish high school, get a GED or go to college? Need help? Supported Education staff can help you reach your education goals. We provide one on one help to assist you in finding resources to further your education. We can get you on the right track to getting that education you’ve always wanted.

For information on Supported Education, email Curtis at terryc@fswp.org.

Ways to Work

Ways to Work is a Transportation Loan Program that helps the community by giving low interest loans to working individuals that need transportation to get to work. These loans are for individuals that cannot get traditional loans due to poor/no credit.

For more information or to apply, please visit: http://www.pawaystowork.org.

Educational Assistance

The Educational Assistance Initiative provides financial assistance for post secondary education to economically disadvantaged youth who have been served by social service programs in Western Pennsylvania. This program helps students with the supplementary costs of attending college or vocational school, such as computers, transportation assistance, rent and living costs, and college or vocational training fees. Many students begin in their senior year of high school, and in some cases, students in their early 20s who have decided to pursue post-secondary education. Support to all students in this program is provided throughout their time in school.

To apply, click here.