Forbes Advisor has compiled a list of the best budgeting apps of 2023. This list includes 15 different apps that have been compared based on their features, ease of use, and user reviews. From these apps, users can find the best mobile app to manage their budgets, savings, and expenses. Additionally, Finder UK has also published a list of the best budgeting apps of 2023, which provides a detailed review of each app’s features, fees, and benefits.

Whether users are looking for hands-on budgeting or simple zero-based budgeting, there is an app that can meet their needs. With the help of budgeting apps, users can take control of their finances and achieve their financial goals. This article will explore the top budgeting apps of 2023 and provide a comprehensive review of their features, benefits, and drawbacks.

Top 6 Budgeting Apps

Managing personal finances can be a daunting task, but with the right budgeting app, it can become much easier. Here are the top 6 budgeting apps for 2023:

1. Mint

Mint is a free budgeting app that allows users to track their spending, set budgets, and view their credit score. With its user-friendly interface and automatic categorization of transactions, Mint makes it easy for users to stay on top of their finances. Mint also offers personalized financial advice and alerts to help users save money and avoid fees.

2. PocketGuard

PocketGuard is another free budgeting app that provides users with a snapshot of their finances. It tracks spending, bills, and income and alerts users when they are in danger of overspending. PocketGuard also offers a feature that helps users find better deals on their bills and subscriptions.

3. YNAB

You Need a Budget, or YNAB, is a popular budgeting app that uses a zero-based budgeting system. This means that every dollar is assigned a job, whether it’s for bills, savings, or spending. YNAB also offers personalized coaching and support to help users achieve their financial goals.

4. Empower

Empower (previously Personal Capital is a budgeting app that offers a comprehensive view of a user’s finances. It tracks investments, retirement accounts, and net worth in addition to spending and bills. Empower also offers financial planning services and investment advice.

5. EveryDollar

EveryDollar is a budgeting app created by financial expert Dave Ramsey. It uses a zero-based budgeting system and allows users to track their spending and savings goals. EveryDollar also offers a paid version that provides additional features and personalized coaching.

6. Simplifi Money

Simplifi Money is a budgeting app created by Quicken, a popular personal finance software. It offers a comprehensive view of a user’s finances, including spending, bills, and investments. Simplifi Money also offers personalized insights and alerts to help users save money and avoid fees.

Other Budgeting Apps Worth Mentioning

1. Goodbudget

Goodbudget is a great app for those who prefer the envelope budgeting method. With Goodbudget, users can create virtual envelopes for different spending categories and allocate funds accordingly. The app syncs across multiple devices, making it easy to track spending on-the-go. Goodbudget also offers a free version with limited features, as well as a paid version with more advanced features.

2. Honeydue

Honeydue is a budgeting app designed specifically for couples. It allows couples to link their accounts and track their spending and budgeting goals together. Honeydue also offers features such as bill reminders, shared savings goals, and the ability to split expenses. The app is free to use, but offers a premium version with additional features.

3. Wally

Wally is a budgeting app that offers a simple, user-friendly interface. It allows users to track their expenses and income, set savings goals, and monitor their spending habits. Wally also offers features such as receipt scanning and bill reminders. The app is free to use, but offers a premium version with additional features.

4. Marcus Insights

Marcus Insights is a budgeting app that offers a variety of features to help users manage their finances. It allows users to track their spending, set savings goals, and monitor their credit score. The app is free to use.

5. Albert

Albert is a budgeting app that offers a variety of features to help users save money and manage their finances. It allows users to track their spending, set savings goals, and monitor their credit score. Albert also offers features such as bill negotiation, savings account management, and the ability to invest spare change. The app is free to use, but offers a premium version with additional features.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Budgeting App

Choosing the right budgeting app can be a daunting task, especially with so many options available in the market. However, there are certain factors that one should consider before making a final decision. Here are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a budgeting app:

1. User Interface and Experience

The user interface and experience of a budgeting app play a crucial role in its usability. A good budgeting app should have a clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate. It should also have a well-designed user experience that makes it easy to input and track expenses.

Some budgeting apps offer customizable dashboards that allow users to view their financial data in a way that makes sense to them. This can be especially helpful for users who have specific financial goals or who want to track their spending in a particular way.

2. Features and Functionality

The features and functionality of a budgeting app are also important factors to consider. A good budgeting app should offer a range of features that help users track their expenses, set and achieve financial goals, and manage their finances effectively.

Some of the most important features to look for in a budgeting app include expense tracking, budget creation and management, bill reminders, and goal setting and tracking. Some apps also offer additional features such as investment tracking, credit score monitoring, and financial education resources.

3. Security and Privacy

When it comes to financial data, security and privacy are of utmost importance. A good budgeting app should have strong security measures in place to protect users’ personal and financial information.

Look for budgeting apps that use encryption to protect data in transit and at rest. Additionally, make sure the app has a clear privacy policy that outlines how user data is collected, stored, and shared.

4. Cost and Value

The cost and value of a budgeting app is another important factor to consider. While some budgeting apps are free, others require a monthly or annual subscription fee.

Consider the features and functionality offered by the app and whether they justify the cost. Additionally, look for apps that offer a free trial period or a money-back guarantee so you can try the app before committing to a subscription.

5. Customer Support

Finally, customer support is an important factor to consider when choosing a budgeting app. Look for apps that offer multiple channels of support, such as email, phone, and chat support.

Additionally, consider the quality of the app’s customer support. Are support representatives knowledgeable and responsive? Do they provide helpful and timely solutions to user issues?

The post Top 6 Best Budgeting Apps for 2023: Time to Get Your Finances In Check! appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

The secret to becoming wealthy is spending less than you earn, but what do you with that extra money? You can keep it under your mattress or a free checking account. However, you might not earn passive income with either of these two options so you can make money while sleep. Instead, you should consider parking your cash in an online savings account. There are so many great options for online savings accounts in 2023.

The best online savings accounts currently offer an annual interest rate of around 4.00% APY so you can expect to earn $40 in annual interest for every $1,000 you deposit. As savings account interest rates continue to increase, you will earn more each month.

You won’t be able to live off the savings account interest exclusively but keeping your extra cash in the bank is one of the necessary steps to become a millionaire.

Why You Need an Online Savings Account

Let’s be honest, savings accounts aren’t the most exciting things in life. Especially when interest rates are often very low for most savings accounts at big banks. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options. If you follow our rules to help you save more every month, then you should be focusing on stashing your cash in an online savings account. But really, you just need a savings account.

You need a savings account for the following reasons:

• Build an emergency fund
• Earn interest to grow your nest egg quicker
• Keep money outside your spending (checking) account

Earning a higher interest rate is one reason to keep a portion of your cash in a savings account, but you should also have a separate account so you don’t accidentally spend the money you need to save for the future. If it’s not in your checking account, you’re less likely to make as many purchases and this mental trick can help you get out of debt quicker.

How to Choose the Best Online Savings Account

There are dozens of online banks to choose from, but you should limit your search process to these two factors:

• Current annual percentage yield (APY)
• Minimum initial deposit requirement

You want to choose the bank that offers the highest interest rate on the lowest balance requirement possible. In many cases, you only need to keep $1 in your account to qualify for the highest interest rate.

After you find your banks of choice, you should see if they offer any additional benefits like mobile deposit or a high-quality checking account or money market account so you can keep all your cash at one bank.

If you keep your checking account at a different bank, that’s ok too.

When comparing the various online banks, remember that federal law only allows up to six savings account withdrawals each month. You might be able to make additional withdrawals, but you’ll have to pay a fee that’s almost always $10 to $15.

Image	Bank	Rates	Website
	CIT Bank	4.05%	Open Account
	Ally Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Live Oak Bank	3.50%	Open Account
	Synchrony Bank	3.75%	Open Account
	Discover Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Barclays Savings	3.40%	Open Account
	Marcus by Goldman Sachs	3.30%	Open Account
	Capital One 360	3.30%	Open Account

The Best Online Savings Accounts

Below are some of the best online savings accounts. All of them are FDIC-insured for your first $250,000 in deposits. If you currently bank with a local credit union or bank, your deposits are FDIC-insured there too, but you might only earn 0.10% on your deposit.

As you will quickly see, switching to an online-only bank can instantly help you earn 15 times more interest!

Live Oak Bank

Do you want to earn 3.50% APY on your cash? It’s possible with Live Oak Bank as long as you maintain at least $10.01 in your account.

Live Oak Bank has received a 5-star Safe & Sound rating from Bankrate.com, one of the most well-respected financial websites for researching and rating banks and credit unions.

There are no monthly maintenance fees to worry about. As long as you show some account activity at least once every two years by making a deposit, withdrawing cash, or logging into your account, you’ll never be charged an inactivity fee.

While some banks might “freeze” your withdrawals after you reach the six monthly withdrawals limit, you can make additional withdrawals from a Live Oak Bank savings account if you’re willing to pay a $10 transaction fee. Hey, it can still be cheaper than a late fee.

CIT Bank

CIT Bank is probably the best all-around option as you can earn 4.05% APY with a minimum $100 opening deposit; the $100 account minimum is still very reasonable!

If you prefer to earn a slightly lower yield, CIT’s money market account is also FDIC-insured and you can use People Pay—think PayPal or Venmo for your bank account—to send money directly to your friends and family without having to transfer the cash to your checking account first. Money market accounts also have the six monthly transactions cap but with a few extra benefits.

Bonus Tip: Find out six ways to save $100 a month to watch your nest egg grow!

Synchrony Bank

A Synchrony Bank high-yield savings account currently pays 3.75% APY with a $1 minimum account balance requirement. Synchrony will also issue an ATM card so you can make ATM withdrawals directly from your savings account, or you can always schedule a withdrawal online or over the phone.

If you accidentally make more than six withdrawals in a month, Synchrony won’t charge a fee for the additional transactions but they might close your account if it becomes a regular occurrence.

Discover Bank

Discover Bank pays 3.30% APY on all deposits and there is no minimum balance requirement.  You can also deposit a check using Discover’s mobile check deposit app.

If you have another Discover Bank account, like a checking account, you can link your accounts together for free overdraft protection. While you’ll hopefully never have to withdraw every penny from your savings account, this free protection benefit can prevent a $30 insufficient funds charge if you accidentally withdraw cash from the wrong bank account. Trust me, it happens ☹

Marcus by Goldman Sachs

You might associate Goldman Sachs with investing, but they now offer an online savings account called Marcus. Your Marcus savings account can earn 3.30% APY and you only need to deposit $1 within the first 60 days to begin earning the high-yield interest.

Although Marcus doesn’t offer checking accounts, you can also invest money you don’t need for the next 12 months into a certificate of deposit (CD) account to earn a slightly higher yield. A 12-month CD currently yields 2.10% APY, for example.

Barclays Savings

Barclays Savings offers 3.40% APY on all deposits and you only need to keep at least $0.01—that’s a single penny!—in your savings account to earn the highest APY possible. You might also appreciate the Barclays savings tool that can motivate you to save more for your money goals so you don’t have to borrow in the future.

Ally Bank

Ally Bank pays 3.30% APY on all deposits and it’s also a good option if you want an interest-bearing checking account too. If you invest with Ally Invest, you can truly have all of your nest egg with one bank. There are zero monthly maintenance or account fees and zero account minimums.

Ally Bank also provides 24/7 customer service and mobile check deposit via the Ally Bank app.

Capital One 360

Capital One 360 pays 3.30% APY which is comparable to others mentioned on this list, and you might like to open an online savings account if you have a Capital One credit card or checking account already.

Another reason to consider Capital One 360 is that you can have 25 sub-accounts inside your savings account. If you like the envelope budget system, Capital One probably does the best job of all the banks to help you categorize and save for your various savings goals including the next exciting vacation or the more mundane such as paying your property taxes.

Should You Switch To An Online Bank?

Do you still bank at your local brick-and-mortar branch? It’s still a good idea to maintain a no-fee account at your local bank or credit union when you need money in a pinch or have to make a cash deposit.

Since physical banks barely pay a fraction of the interest as the online banks mentioned above, keep the cash you don’t need to pay this month’s bills in your online savings account to earn the most interest possible.

By choosing one of the online banks listed above, you won’t have to worry about any hidden fees and they all have very lenient minimum account balances that can be very helpful if you’re fighting hard to get out of debt and don’t have a lot of spare cash at the end of the month.

Some Important Facts About Online Savings Accounts

The thought of earning 4.00% on every penny you have in your bank account sounds very appealing, but you’re still going to need a checking account to pay your monthly bills like rent, utilities, and anything you charge to your credit or debit card.

Online savings accounts are able to offer a significantly higher yield than brick-and-mortar banks and checking accounts is because you’re limited to six withdrawals per month from an online savings account; this is federal law that every online savings bank must adhere to. Even transferring money from your savings account to your checking account counts as one of the six monthly transactions.

On the flipside, you can make unlimited deposits and earn the highest savings account interest rate possible! Making a deposit is easier than ever as many banks now support mobile check deposit, direct deposit, and the ability to mail-in deposits. If you go with a bank with local branches, you can also make in-person deposits too!

What are you waiting for? Are you going to open an online savings account today?

Image	Bank	Rates	Website
	CIT Bank	4.05%	Open Account
	Ally Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Live Oak Bank	3.50%	Open Account
	Synchrony Bank	3.75%	Open Account
	Discover Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Barclays Savings	3.40%	Open Account
	Marcus by Goldman Sachs	3.30%	Open Account
	Capital One 360	3.30%	Open Account

The post The Best Online Savings Accounts in 2023 – Where to Stash Your Cash appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

There are some alternatives to using a coin-counting machine like Coinstar, but it takes some detective work or physical work. So let’s quickly discuss the alternatives to Coinstar and how you can use them to deposit your coins for cash!

Check Your Local Bank or Credit Union

If you have an account at a local bank, there are times when they will have a coin counting machine. Not all do, but some have them in their lobby. For members of the bank, this service is often free. If you are a non-member, they might charge you a service fee, but it’s often much less than Coinstar.

Credit unions most commonly have coin counting machines for their members and non-members. Unlike big banks, credit unions require you to be a member based on certain rules. If you can become a member in your local area, you often get really great service and much better interest rates than you would at a big bank.

You can use this button below to open a Google search looking for a credit union near you.

Roll Your Coins for Deposit or Cash

While we have seen banks not accept coins in the past, it seems with the coin shortage, they are happy to accept them now. Most banks will give you free coin rollers so you can roll your coins. If you ask nicely, they often will let you borrow their coin sorting machine to help.

Banks will allow you to deposit coins into your account if you are a member at the bank, but some will also let you exchange wrapped coins for cash. Chase bank allows this with a $200 limit. If you have more than $200 in rolled coins, you need to visit different Chase branches.

If you have rolled your coins, then call around to some banks in your area to see if they will exchange them for cash for free. If you have a bank account that isn’t online only, then go to a branch near you, ask for coin rollers, and deposit or exchange those coins for cash.

QuikTrip Gas Stations

There is a company called QuikTrip that has over 800 locations in 11 states that is providing free coin exchanges due to the national coin shortage. You can use their site to find a store/station near you and all you have to do is bring your coins into the store/gas station to get them exchanged. They are not currently charging a fee for this service. So if you are in one of the 11 states this company resides, this could be a good way to get your coins exchanged for cash for free.

The post Coinstar Alternatives to Cash Out Your Coins appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

Either way, we refinanced out from Wells Fargo to Rocket Mortgage. They made the process extremely simple and fast. Since I’m self-employed, I had all the documents they needed and could upload it right into their portal. It took less than 3 hours of total work on my end for the entire process. Smooth!

Loving Our Low Mortgage Rate

I do love our low 2.7% rate for our 30-year mortgage. I earn more than that in our high-interest savings account (if you don’t have one, get one), so I’m sticking with just paying the mortgage bi-weekly every month and earning more in my savings to hold some cash. This is how I like it and some might not agree.

It’s been over a year with this low rate and with the lower monthly payment, our mortgage is now our second largest bill, instead of our largest. Healthcare is our largest (boo).

But this low rate h as enticed Rocket Mortgage to call us ever so much to try to get us to do a cash-out refinance, but I just won’t do it.

What is a Cash-Out Refinance?

For those who don’t know, cash-out refinances are simple really. They take the equity in your home (how much your home is worth vs. how much you owe) and will loan you up to 80% of the value of your home. So for instance, if our home was worth $500,000 and we owed $200,000, then we have $300,000 in equity.

For these numbers, you could, in theory, get a cash-out refinance for $240,000 and the bank would cut you a check for that amount. But all you are doing is adding the $240,000 back onto the mortgage for 30 years or the length of time you pick for the refinance.

These refinances do come with fees and closing costs typically, but if you wanted to do a remodel or use this method to buy some real estate rentals (this is a good method for those who have discipline), then you could walk away with cash to use for those purposes. Some even use the lower interest cash out money to pay off higher interest debt like credit card balances or auto loans.

But your monthly payment will be higher due to the higher mortgage balance, so you have to pay attention to your numbers.

Rocket Mortgage Wants My Money

With a sub-3% rate, I don’t have any plans on doing a cash-out refinance and the main reason is due to the massive increase in mortgage rates (as the time of this writing). They are hovering around 7% currently.

If I were to do a cash-out refinance right now, I would be basically more than doubling our monthly costs to get the cash and paying a 7% rate for 30-years unless the rates drop substantially and I do another refinance (this just adds more costs and another 30-years).

Rocket mortgage now calls me every month to do an “account” checkup to see if we wanted to use the equity in our home to do any renovations. I don’t currently have any plans for this, but I also do not want to go crazy and jack up my rates and monthly payments.

If I was going to cash out refinance, I would have done it already Rocket Mortgage. You don’t have to call me asking. I like saving money, I don’t like giving the bank more than I need to.

But with the news of them struggling due to the effective “dry up” of refinances, I can see we will be getting a lot more calls in the future.

I will just keep telling them “no” and see if they get it.

The post Rocket Mortgage Is Trying to Get Us to Do a Cash-Out Refinance, But I Refuse appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

You will often read about so many different ways to save money each month. I find X ways here, Y ways there, and everything else in between. Who knew there are 50+ ways to save more money. Heck, we have written about these simple ways before as well.

But over the years, I have found the only one solution that works each and every month with out fail, so are you ready to know what it is?

Pay Your Savings Like a Bill

Oh yes, it’s that simple, yet the most effective tools I have found to keep funding savings in some way. Now, when I say savings, this could be an emergency fund, housing fund, college fund, or even investment fund.

No matter what you are saving for, if you force yourself to pay into your savings every month just like you pay a bill, it will change your mindset on the process.

Many push savings aside when they have some extra money, but if you believe you have to pay it just like a bill, it never gets forgotten.

Setup Automatic “Payments” into Savings

One simple trick to automate this is by just setting up an automatic payment into your savings account or whatever account you use for savings goals. Just like an automatic withdrawal from your checking account to pay your water bill or mortgage, you can do the same thing with your savings account.

This will feel weird for the few few times you do it, but it’s very effective and in my experience the only solution that works to save money every month. You can scrounge around for coupons, dig up old coins and push them through the Coinstar machine, find deals when online shopping, etc, but it will never match treating your savings like a bill.

When you “pay your savings bill” it forces your mindset to change to make sure you are paying it. Just like we never want to be late on our normal bills, this is a method I used to force my mind to basically pay myself first.

What do you think about treating your savings like a bill? Would it help you automate your savings more when you don’t want to miss the payment?

The post The One Solution to Save More Money Each Month that Actually Works appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

While it’s no match for the 8%+ inflation rate we are dealing with, I’d rather earn 3% on my cash than be losing 25%+ on my investments.

For a long time, especially during the Covid pandemic, it was dumb to save money. You earned next to nothing and the stock market was booming. Outside of your emergency fund, savings was viewed as silly.

Well, I was dumb!

Yep, while I did invest, I didn’t feel right about pushing so much into the market. It just didn’t give me the warm and fuzzies. So I stocked up on cash like a squirrel rounding up acorns for the winter. I had no idea what I was going to do with the cash, but it made me feel protected.

And let’s be honest, I sleep better at night when I feel protected. Earning crazy returns on the stock market is excellent, but now that we are in a bear market, my investments are taking a damn beating.

Saver’s Rejoice

Ever since I got out of my credit card debt debacle, I’ve become a saver. I liked the cushion it provided me and I didn’t want to walk back into thousands of debt again.

So I saved, and saved…and saved some more.

While I realize as I’ve grown older (it’s been 10 years since paying off that last credit card) that I should have been investing more, I’m correcting that now and have been for the last few years. While I know time and compounding interest wins the same, I knew I couldn’t even play that game until I got my money head right. And that is what saving my cash did for me.

Savings Rates Increase

As the Fed continues to push their rates higher and higher, this is kicking back to us savers who have high interest online savings accounts. If you are the crazy people who still save in a traditional bank, you need to wake up and move your money. Traditional banks still pay around 0.10% while online banks are paying around 3% (as of October 2022).

Image	Bank	Rates	Website
	CIT Bank	4.05%	Open Account
	Ally Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Live Oak Bank	3.50%	Open Account
	Synchrony Bank	3.75%	Open Account
	Discover Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Barclays Savings	3.40%	Open Account
	Marcus by Goldman Sachs	3.30%	Open Account
	Capital One 360	3.30%	Open Account

Over the past few months, I’ve been getting email after email from my savings accounts telling me their are increasing their rate. I don’t even have to do anything to earn more.

My accounts went from earning 0.50% back in March of this year to now 3% as of this post (October 2022). That is a massive increase all considering.

But I know there will be several people saying you are still losing out to inflation and they are correct. I am, but this is at least cutting my loss down to 6% or less instead of 20%+ with my investments in the stock market.

Am I stopping my automatic investments into the market though? Hell no! I will keep those going to keep up with my dollar cost averaging that tends to do so well over time. Plus, I have no desire to try to time the market. That’s a game I just won’t even play.

My plan for the end of 2022 and at least into 2023 is to continue stacking cash away in my various online savings accounts and still dollar cost averaging my stock market investments and hoping the latter finally pops back up.

What are you doing with your cash?

The post Cash is King Again and I’m Glad I Saved appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

TLDR – My Mint Mobile experience only lasted for 10 days and here is why…

What is Mint Mobile?

Mint mobile has been around for some time. I’m going to refer to it as just “Mint” going forward, but it’s a MVNO of T-Mobile. Basically they use T-Mobile’s cell towers and allow people to pre-pay for service per month. That’s what makes it much cheaper than normal T-Mobile plans.

Mint was made popular after Ryan Reynolds bought into it and is part owner now. You have probably seen several of their TV commercials such as one below.

It wasn’t until he got into the business that it really took off (this is my opinion at least).

They pride themselves on low costs, but one thing they don’t tell you in these commercials is you get the deals because you pay upfront for month blocks. 3, 6, or 12 month blocks. You get the cheapest rate when you are paying for 12 months upfront.

Here are their current rates (as of September 2022).

Why I Switched from Cricket

I really had no issues with Cricket at all. My wife and I both have plans and paid $80/month for unlimited data. We are usually around WiFi so having unlimited data was really unnecessary. In fact, even when we travel, we only use about 4-5GB of data. So I would have been able to drop my monthly payment in half if we both got on the $20/month plan with Mint for 10GB of data. I wouldn’t complain with saving 50%.

Since I like to test things out before I push my wife over to them, I bought the $20/month plan for 3 months. I paid $60 and got the Sim card for free. They have to ship it, so you will wait a few days.

Switching from Cricket to Mint was a pure money saving play. There was no other reason.

In order to save the most, I would have to commit to paying 12 months at a time. If it worked for the test, then I would be OK doing that. Here is how they break it down.

How Well Did Mint Mobile Perform?

This is going to be pretty subjective for anyone reading this and the main reason is coverage.

I checked how well the coverage would be where we live and I do have a 5G phone (Samsung A52 5G), so I knew I would get that. Where I live, the coverage looked to be excellent, so I was happy.

Make sure to check Mint’s coverage map here.

Getting the SIM card and then setting it up was pretty painless until I had to add all the carrier data in to get data service. That was a huge pain because Mint has outdated guidelines for Android phones.

My phone knew exactly what the correct settings where, but I was following the Mint setup and it just wouldn’t work. I finally jumped on Reddit and found that everyone was complaining about this. In about 5 minutes, I removed the original carrier settings and let my phone pick it. Then I was getting data!

But that’s where the fun stopped to be honest.

The Data Coverage Sucked!

Yep, the 5G data coverage in my area with T-Mobile was just plain horrible. It wouldn’t work in my house, so if I got off WiFi, I would be out of luck.

I do a lot of walking around my area and when I would be away from the house, it would take 10 minutes to connect to the cell network. So when I’m streaming Pandora on my phone, once I got away from my WiFi, it just couldn’t connect. I often had to restart my phone to kick it in.

That is not something I wanted to do.

Since the main reason I wanted to switch was cost savings, I wanted this to work. I stuck it out and tested different settings on my phone for 10 days, but even customer service at Mint couldn’t help.

So my Mint Mobile experience only lasted for 10 days. I ported my number back to Cricket Wireless and the 5G works so well on it and AT&T (who owns Cricket). The 5G is strong with Cricket where I live and did really well as I traveled down in Florida for a conference.

My Overall Mint Mobile Impression

They have a great pricing strategy, but remember you are paying upfront for at least 3 months. You get the best pricing when you pay for 12 months upfront. I did the shortest since it was a test.

Due to me trying the service for 10 days, I lost out on the opportunity to get a refund. They only refund your money if you leave or ask for a refund within 7 days. I didn’t have that choice because I was waiting for a new Cricket Wireless SIM to ship to me.

When I did contact customer service, they were extremely nice and their live chat feature is great. Their mobile app is pretty basic that just shows your data usage and you can pay for more months if you need to, but that’s about it.

The mobile app can be used to setup the service as well if you go that route.

All in all, I would give Mint Mobile a 2 out of 5 just because the 5G service was just so bad where I live. I can’t really blame Mint too much for that since they use T-Mobile towers, but that is their only option so that is what they get.

I downgraded them because of the refund decline I got (I asked anyway) and the poor connection to 5G.

Can they save you money though? That is a big yes. They certainly can and will save you money over most carriers when you pay for 12 months up front. They won’t save you much compared to Cricket when you just do 3 months at a time. Cricket gives bigger discounts when you have more than one phone on the plan.

The post My Mint Mobile Review – Does It Save You Money? appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

*Important Note: It’s up to each retailer who carries the machine to the rate they will charge. Please pay attention to the screen when you are counting your coins at your local Coinstar location. It could be less or up to the national fee. From what we have seen, this fee stays pretty close to the one Coinstar indicates.

On our quest to get people to realize they need to stop paying bank fees, we also wanted to share that with people who use the popular Coinstar coin counting machines. I’ve used them many times in the past, but always hated paying them to process the coins.

Well, after looking around, I was able to find a way to get them to process my coins for free and it’s not illegal. It’s actually part of their system. The caveat is you don’t get your coins back in cash, but in a different form. Read below to see how you can skip the Coinstar fee and save yourself some money in the long run.

When I would have a ton of coins, it used to be harder to find a machine to deposit them. There were only a few. Now when I look for Coinstar near me, I find them in so many places, including most Walmarts. This makes it easy to deposit coins, outside of paying that 12.5% processing fee.

One of my most popular posts on this blog was when I wrote about how it seems many banks don’t accept coin deposits anymore.  I get a lot of emails about the subject to this day and that post was over six years ago.  I still see a lot of chatter on forums about banks around some towns not accepting coins at all.

Some banks have coin counting machines in their lobby, but they might only be for account holders. There are others like TD Bank which charges a fee to use the machine.  I hate how it’s so much of a pain to deposit or exchange real legal tender.  It shouldn’t be this way.  I think we might have to blame our consumer culture of switching to plastic, the expense of keeping coins, and companies like Coinstar.

What is Coinstar?

I’m sure most of you are familiar with Coinstar, but for those who aren’t, this company produces coin counting systems that are placed in stores.  You can find a majority of them at grocery stores like Kroger and Walmart, but also are at some other smaller chains around the country.  These machines make it super easy for you to go in, dump your coins in their counting system, and then collect the cash.  It’s so easy, but they don’t do it for free. Coinstar’s fee is 11.9% of your total deposit.

Yes, when you use a Coinstar machine and want to get cash for your coins, they take nearly $12 for every $100 in coins you deposit. This number varies from store to store as they might subsidize the processing fee, but this is the standard fee as indicated by Coinstar.  You can even watch as the fee comes out when your coins are counted.  You can literally watch the convenience fee right in front of you. Ouch!  On the upside, you get to come in with a bag full of change and walk out with a fist full of cash.  How doesn’t love that?

How Do Their Counting Machines Work?

I get this question quite a bit, so I figured I would address it. Most don’t understand how you can put money in and then it give you money back. Coinstar doesn’t give you money from their machine. When you drop your coins in their counter, it takes some time to count each coin. It will even drop out a few in a little tray that it couldn’t figure out (sometimes those coins might not be accepted currency).

Once it counts the coins, it gives you a total. This is after the fees are taken out. You can choose to get paid with cash, get a gift card to certain store (see below), or donate to a charity. If you select cash, that’s when you get the highest fee taken out.

By selecting cash, you get a printed receipt from the machine. You then take this receipt up to the customer service counter of the store it’s located in. They are the ones responsible for providing you with cash. Coinstar then pays the store. So, Coinstar doesn’t pay you directly. Their machines just count the coins, then give you a receipt to collect that cash.

But, who wants to pay almost 12% on their money? Not this guy, so that’s why I’m showing you how to bypass it!

Find a Coinstar Kiosk Near You

If you are looking for a Coinstar kiosk near you, their own website makes it pretty easy. You just go to the Find a Kiosk page on their site and put in your address or zip code. The map is pretty good and kept updated by Coinstar themselves.

You can also use our handy form below to put in your address and it will go on the Coinstar site and search your location for you.

Below are some national store chains that provide access to Coinstar machines. Not all of them have the same fee structure, so make sure to check the kiosk when you get there.

• Walmart
• Harris Teeter
• Food Lion
• Albertsons
• CVS
• Kroger
• Meijer
• Ralph’s
• Winco

Bypass the Coinstar Fee

There is a simple way to not pay a fee when using Coinstar and they provide the options right to you. I hate having to pay money for convenience products, especially when the coin deposit market seems undeserved by those who should be serving it most. Banks!  If all we had were Coinstar machines, then the fee might be lower.  Either way, who wants to give up 12% of their money just to have it counted and exchanged for bills?  I don’t!

Note, you can’t bypass the $0.50 transaction fee.

Coinstar does give you the ability to bypass their fee.  Instead of getting cash for your coins, you can choose to get an e-gift card instead or you can choose to donate the balance to a charity (see below).  These are for many large and well-known companies.  If you need to get some shopping done, then you can just choose those instead.  Their list of retailers have dropped a bit, so I want to show you which ones you can choose to bypass the Coinstar fee!

Even Coinstar talks about it on their site (it’s under the Help Center).

Is there a charge to use a Coinstar kiosk?

Not always. Free coin counting is available at most locations in the United States if you cash in your coins for an eGift Card. We have more than 20 stores and restaurants to choose from. If you decide to turn your coins in for cash, there is an 11.9% coin processing fee. Fees may vary by location.

Not all Coinstar kiosks provide all of the gift cards listed in the table below. They often update the retailers here and some only provide one option like Amazon.

If you’re going to go the Amazon gift card route, make sure you check out our most popular post on how to save the most money on Amazon.

UPDATE: Coinstar has reinstated some e-cards back into the mix. This is the updated list.

As you can see, all of them require at least $5 to get an e-gift card.  If you don’t have enough coins to get a gift card, don’t use Coinstar.  You really should wait until you get more coins.  There are a wide variety of retailers which are available to get e-gift cards.  I think this is the best way to deposit your coins and not pay a fee.  If you shop places like Amazon.com, like I do, then this could be a good way to get rid of your coins and use your money for something you want.  Since I’m a Prime member, shopping at Amazon is easy for me and I don’t mind using e-gift cards from my coins, which are sitting around collecting dust.  No one likes dusty coins!

Here are the instructions from Coinstar about how to obtain an e-gift card from their kiosk.

Step 1 – At the kiosk, pick the eGift Card you want. The selection of eGift Cards varies depending on location of the kiosk.

Step 2 – Add coins to the tray, lift the handle, and guide coins into the slot. Some kiosks accept bills too.

Step 3 – When the kiosk is done counting, you’ll receive a printed voucher with a unique eGift Card code—ready to use online or in the store.

Donate Coins to Charity

Coinstar has also added some options on kiosk to donate your coins to charity. Their list is quite small, but at least there are some options there. This means you will not be charged a fee for using the machine and all your money can go to charity. This could be a great way to teach children about giving. Currently, Coinstar only has seven (7) charities on their list. They include:

• American Red Cross
• Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
• Feeding America
• The Humane Society of the United States
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Unicef
• United Way
• WWF (World Wildlife Foundation)

They indicate that not every charity is available on all kiosks. You can go to their charity page and click each foundation to see where that donation option is available.

Coinstar has decided to charge a processing fee for charities, so you really don’t get much anymore. They charge 10% processing fee for national charities and 7.5% for regional charities. So they are no longer completely fee-free to use your coins for a donation.

Now, I wish I didn’t have to write an article such as this.  Why do we need to find ways to use our coins without paying a fee?  Why do banks get to say they won’t accept coins, when they are perfectly legal tender and I’m sure it might be the law to accept them (not sure).  What do we tell our children who have piggy banks and want to deposit their coins?  Do we have to take them to the closest Coinstar and show them how capitalism works along with convenience fees?  I’m sure that won’t be a fun one to explain to your child when they see their hard saved coins shrinking to a processing fee.  That’s not something I want to show my son.

If you have coins and you need to deposit them, but your friendly bank won’t accept them, then take them to the closet Coinstar and use them to get an e-gift card.  Bypass the stupid Coinstar processing fee and keep all your coinage.  Why not treat yourself to your favorite retailer and use the coins for something for you.  There is nothing wrong with splurging on yourself every once in a while!

*Update – A kind reader took the time to comment regarding Coinstar and Walmart. You can use their coin counting machines and get a receipt to use toward your Walmart purchase. That’s a good way of doing it as well, if you like shopping at Walmart.

Roll Your Own Coins

If you don’t want to pay the fee for Coinstar and you don’t need a gift card, why not try to roll your coins and take them to the bank? Now, my bank doesn’t take coins much anymore (or they give me a really hard time), so this would work for me, but there are still many banks that have no issues with taking coins. This is especially true with credit unions. You can either go get rolling sleeves from the store, or hit up Amazon like I would and search for coin rollers. Right to your door with almost no work!

Get Better Savings Rates

If you’re interested in doing away with any high bank fees, check out these top banks for better savings rates. You can also read our selection for the best savings rates you can get from a savings account. Stop only getting 0.01% at big banks when online banks and credit unions are now providing you with 15X more at a minimum. Who wouldn’t want to earn 10X more on their money?

Image	Bank	Rates	Website
	CIT Bank	4.05%	Open Account
	Ally Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Live Oak Bank	3.50%	Open Account
	Synchrony Bank	3.75%	Open Account
	Discover Bank	3.30%	Open Account
	Barclays Savings	3.40%	Open Account
	Marcus by Goldman Sachs	3.30%	Open Account
	Capital One 360	3.30%	Open Account

Have you ever tried to use the Coinstar kiosk machines? Did you try this method to get past the fee?  Which retailer would you get a gift card to?

The post What is the Coinstar Fee and How to Find a Machine Near You appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

It’s that time of year again! Time for the kids to start begging for all of the newest and coolest bloody weapons of choice and princess costumes. Yep, it’s Halloween time again! I personally am not a huge fan of this holiday due to the fact that it can get ridiculously expensive.  All so that they can dress up for one night and get all the candy in the world to rot their teeth out and assist with the continuation of childhood obesity and diabetes. I know, that’s the frugal part of me as well as the holistic health advisor. So I have to rein that in and remember the amount of fun that I had as a child dressing up on Halloween to go Trick-or-Treating.

Once I have gotten into the proper state of mind, the begging to go to the Halloween Store and Target are easier to handle. So we took the plunge yesterday and took them all shopping to get some ideas.

Clearance

One of my favorite places to search for costumes first is the clearance section. Here is where you can find some of the more generic costumes or costumes that aren’t as popular this year. Finding something that the kids are interested in and that happens to be the right size is the challenge here. Although, I can tell you that 1 out of the 5 kids got a costume from that particular section yesterday and for under $10!

The older ones were not as easily persuaded on the costumes in this section though, and that could be where the battle comes in. Not all kids can be persuaded that they want to be the generic Ninjago or Medieval Princess.

Crafty

Something that we end up doing every year is heading over to one of the local craft stores to see what we can find to embellish or create a costume. Usually we are looking for things like fabric, glitter, glue, wings, face makeup, etc. More often than not, Michaels and Jo-Ann Stores have Halloween related items on sale and prominently located when you walk into the store. This is immensely helpful because it makes it easier to find what we need without scouring the store.

Not only are their Halloween themed items on sale, usually up to 50% off, but I have found that they usually also have coupons you can use also. Currently at Jo-Ann Stores  you can get a coupon on their website for 50% off one regular priced item or if you order online and have everything you need shipped you get 25% off every regular priced item on your order plus $2.99 shipping. That could end up being a pretty sweet deal depending on what you are looking for. Michaels has the same coupon for 50% off one regular priced item on their website too, so they are being equally competitive.

We had to go to Jo-Ann yesterday, after leaving the Halloween Store, to get the glue and glitter required by our own design for my daughter’s Fire Angel costume that she made up in her head. I do love this type of creativity! We bought a pair of white velvet wings that came with a white halo at the Halloween Store and then glittered them up to look like fire (spray adhesive is my new best friend when it comes to applications like this). She has a red dress that she is going to wear, so that didn’t cost any money. Between the wings, halo, glue and glitter the total cost for her costume was $19.36! I was happy that it ended up being under $20 and we still have a ton of glitter and glue left, so that is a big bonus.

Reuse

This is my favorite category to live in. I love to reuse and recycle anything and everything. This is where you have to put on your creativity hat sometimes. Take stock of what clothes and shoes you have in your closet, kids and parents alike. Is there anything that you can use for an entire costume, or even part of one, that may work for your needs without having to purchase anything new? If you can’t seem to find everything you need at your house then consider going to a local second hand store, like Goodwill, because there are a plethora of gems hiding in there and for so much cheaper than purchasing new. If you aren’t sure where to go near you, then definitely check out TheThriftShopper.com because they are the only national thrift store directory in the world.

We are using an existing dress for my daughter, so that is one done. One of the boys was a grim reaper last year and I kept the costume (of course!) so we are using that for one of the other boys this year. I only needed to purchase him a new scythe because the other one got inadvertently broken in half by horseplay. One of the other boys decided that he wanted to be wolverine, which was what one of the other kids had been in a past year also, so we are reusing the mask and weeding through clothes to come up with an outfit to match.

Overall, for our 5 kids, we have spent a total of $76.17. Now of course this is still more than I would like to spend because I am frugal. But we have 5 kids! That math equates to $15.23 per kid. I can’t really argue with spending less than $20 per kid on a Halloween costume. Next year maybe we can reuse even more of them!

What tricks or treats have you saved money on Halloween costumes for your children?

The post How to See Scary Savings on Halloween Costumes appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.

It’s back to school season my friends. If you have kids in school, then you know about this lovely time. The school lists are out and you need to head out to get supplies if you haven’t already. What happens if you don’t get a school list though? Do you know what school supplies you will need to purchase in order to be ready for the first day?

Since my son goes to school in a few weeks, I figured I would look around for a good guide based on the grades. I didn’t see one I liked, so that’s why I created a back to school supplies list. The best part is this breaks down by grade for you, so you only have to look for the grade your child is in. Let’s make back to school shopping a little easier!

With the help of school supply lists on Amazon, you can locate and understand what you need to bring for each grade. These lists do not include clothing or even backpacks. We know we need something to carry school supplies in, so make sure to get a backpack.

The two places doing the best deals are going to be Walmart and Amazon. These two are huge sites to score back to school deals each and every year. Also, don’t forget to sign up for Ebates in order to get cash back when you shop.

Without further ado, here are the suggested back to school shopping lists*. You can also click the grades below to go to the appropriate section.

Pre-K through 2nd Grades | 3rd Grade | 4th through 6th Grade | 7th and 8th Grade | 9th through 12th Grades

*If you need these to go shopping, here is an easy downloadable version.

Pre-K Through 2nd Grade

Since these four grades don’t require a different variety of supplies, so we are going to push them together. Depending on your school, you might not need to get many supplies, but here are what we suggest for these four grades. These back to school supplies are the basics to get any child through the year. You can probably get away with the bare essentials here. You can also use the links below to shop for all the supplies for each grade (the quality increases as the grades go up).

Pre-K  |  Kindergarten  |  1st Grade  |  2nd Grade

• Pencils
• Colored Pencils
• Erasers
• Pencil Sharpeners
• Crayons
• Washable Markers
• Dry Erase Markers
• Pencil Cases
• Notebooks
• Construction Paper
• Folders
• Kid’s Scissors
• Glue
• Watercolors
• Disinfecting Supplies
• Plastic Storage

3rd Grade

While some of the supplies are similar to the lower grades, here are a few more additions to the list to help you get prepared for the step up to 3rd grade. There are 21 suggested items for this grade, so hopefully these help. If your supplies from lower grades are still usable, then bring them with your child. No need to purchase stuff you really don’t need when the other works just fine.  Click here to shop for all these on one page.

• Pencils
• Colored Pencils
• Erasers
• Crayons
• Washable Markers
• Dry Erase Markers
• Highlighters
• Pencil Cases
• Notebooks
• Composition Books
• Paper & Related
• Folders
• Binders
• Dividers
• Report Covers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Calculators
• Rulers
• Disinfecting Supplies
• Plastic Storage

4th through 6th Grade

The kids are growing up so fast and now it’s time to get more supplies! While the basics are still the same as other grades, you will need to upgrade once you hit fourth grade to better and more durable supplies. The notable differences here are different styles of pens and more math geared supplies, such as protractors. The calculators might be a little fancier as well, but that depends entirely on the school and the teacher. If you can find a good deal on a calculator that can be used in multiple grades, then get it!

If you want to find products that match each grade closely, then use the links below. Otherwise, you can check out the products and choose what you need.

4th Grade  |  5th Grade  |  6th Grade

• Pencils
• Colored Pencils
• Erasers
• Crayons
• Ballpoint Pens
• Washable Markers
• Dry Erase Markers
• Highlighters
• Pencil Cases
• Notebooks
• Composition Books
• Paper & Related
• Folders
• Binders
• Dividers
• Protractors
• Report Covers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Calculators
• Rulers
• Disinfecting Supplies
• Plastic Storage

7th and 8th Grade

This is basically middle school for most public school systems. While they tend to start at 6th grade, the supplies and technology doesn’t change until they get near the end of middle and head off to high school. While your state may be slightly different, the supplies for these two grades are very similar. You can check out the links below for each individual grade as the quality and functions of the products may change depending on the grade.

7th Grade  |  8th Grade

• Pencils
• Lead Refills
• Ballpoint Pens
• Gel Pens
• Dry Erase Markers
• Highlighters
• Pencil Cases
• Notebooks
• Composition Books
• Paper & Related
• Folders
• Binders
• Dividers
• Calculators
• Rulers
• Protractors
• USB Drives
• Disinfecting Supplies

9th through 12th Grade (High School)

High school is not much different when it comes to supplies. Where this grade level differs in the types of materials you need. The calculators probably need to be graphing style (most likely a TI version) and the binders and notebooks bigger. You also might need to get other books for each class. If you do need to buy books, make sure you check out Chegg.com, which offers used and rental books for much cheaper than purchasing one.

9th Grade  |  10th Grade  |  11th Grade  |  12th Grade

• Pencils
• Lead Refills
• Ballpoint Pens
• Gel Pens
• Dry Erase Markers
• Highlighters
• Pencil Cases
• Notebooks
• Composition Books
• Paper & Related
• Folders
• Binders
• Dividers
• Calculators
• Rulers
• Protractors
• USB Drives
• Disinfecting Supplies

Obviously this isn’t an extensive back to school shopping guide, but we hoped to give you the necessities you would need for your child’s grade. We hope this helps you make that back to school shopping trip just a little easier.

If you’re like me, then you’ll be doing most of your shopping online. I’ll be hitting up Amazon to make my life a little easier. With Prime shipping, I’ll have my son’s school supplies at my door in two days. I can beat the rush at the store and just make life much easier.

I’ll call that a win!

The post Free Back to School Supplies Guide for Every Grade appeared first on Wealth Bytes, the content owner.