But there are some things you can do to make sure that doesn’t happen.

I’m going to lay out free (or cheap) ways to prepare your house for the market.

Here are some things you can do to help sell your house fast (and for more money).

Read also: First-time home buyer’s guide

Getting started

You first need to get a good idea of what you’re working with. Changing things for the sake of changing things isn’t very smart. For all you know, you might only need to trim a tree and add a patio bench.

To get a good look at your house, look at it from half a block away as objectively as you can. Get another set of eyes to assist you, like the real estate agent, to offer you suggestions to boost your curb appeal.

Get Inspired

Go on Pinterest or Houzz and browse other people’s ideas. Once you find a style you like you can attempt to duplicate it yourself.

It can be easy to get carried away when looking at other people’s creations, so don’t bite off more than you can chew. The point here is to improve your homes’ curb appeal on the cheap, not tear everything down and start from scratch.

Browse Similar Homes Nearby

Take a walk around your neighborhood and note what’s working and what isn’t working for other houses nearby.

Make sure your style fits in with the neighborhood and make note of anything you’d like to incorporate into your design.

Start with curb appeal

Whether you plan to sell soon or sometime later, now is the time to begin investing in your home because it will add value to your property.

The goal is to make your property more worth it than it was when you bought it, but at the same time, not to go too far on the improvements since you do want to see some return on your investment.  

Take time to research real estate prices in your area and to plan some strategic makeover, but make sure to focus on main issues.

If you’ve decided to sell your house, there is a whole variety of things to be taken care of before you bring any potential buyers inside.

Having your house in top shape will impress them more and enable it to become more likely to be sold at a higher price. All you have to do is to implement a few alluring details and make it look well-maintained.

If you’re selling during season, it is very important to make your house stand out among dozens of others many people are going to look at. So, here are a few tips on how to make your home ready to sell.

• Give your house a bath

Get out the water hose, your house is getting a bath!

Make sure the exterior of your home, as well as the lawn and landscaping, are immaculate.

This means water-hosing the roof, gutters, windows, walls, driveway and any other nook and cranny you can find.

• Landscaping is next

Trim the bushes and mow the lawn for goodness sakes. If your grass isn’t green, you better start watering.

Oh and you know that huge overgrown plant by the front window? 

Get rid of it.

I don’t care how old the plant is or how much it means to you. The only thing that matters is this: will this plant (that covers the window) help sell the house for more money?

If the answer is no, get rid of it.

Start from the outside, same as a potential buyer will while approaching your property. Front and back yards are the outdoor extension of the interior. Therefore, they can well indicate the state of the household in general.

It doesn’t take much to clean the yard and spruce it a bit, simply because the appealing landscape will give away a better impression and will easily sell the property.

Remember to set up some yard lighting for the buyers who will inspect your place at evening hours.

• The lawn

If you don’t want to deal with huge amounts of landscaping, you’re not alone. Most homebuyers today are looking for low-maintenance living.

You can reduce the maintenance requirements of your lawn along with your water bill by removing the lawn and replacing it with drought-tolerant plants.

• Get rid of the junk outside

Sometimes we’ve lived in a place so long we see objects as part of the landscape, such as an old bike or a ladder.

Clutter distracts the eyes, so get rid of anything that doesn’t belong there.

This includes skateboards, toys, trash cans, stray garden tools and a tangled water hose across the front lawn.

Look at your exterior with the perspective of a new buyer and see these things for what they are: junk.

• Sidewalk, driveway, and garage repairs

Make repairs to get rid of unsightly cracks or uneven pavement. It doesn’t cost a lot of money and makes a real difference.

• Freshen Up Your Front Door

Buying a new front door is far too expensive, so clean and paint it if necessary. Replace the trim, make sure your storm door is in good working order and give the area a good cleaning.

Consider changing to a high-end knob, as it will instantly increase the value of your home.

• Replace Your Entry Light

If your entry light is old and outdated, replace it with a new one with a modern design. You’ll be amazed how something so simple (and cheap) can completely change the look of your entry area.

• Make it show-off worthy

When someone buys a house, the first thing they do is go on Facebook or Instagram and show off.

That picture of the front of your house is the first impression and what will help sell the house the most.

• External makeover and repair

Look out for signs of damage on the external walls and make sure to take care of it because it will most definitely catch the buyer’s eye.

After fixing the sidings, take the time to think about the colors you can use to repaint the walls. If you are not certain about the right choice of the color, do some research on a trendy and tasteful color palette commonly used in contemporary architecture.

You have to check your home in and out for any damage that could potentially be harmful to your house’s value. Make sure everything is functional, from fixing loose knobs and handles to taking care of more serious damage, like leakage or mold.

Pay special attention to wood rot around windows and door frames – especially outside. They can deteriorate over time when exposed to rain and moisture.

Check for leaks around toilets or sinks, and if you have hardwood, check for any bulges to determine if you have a problem with flooding.

• Invest in doors and windows

Doors and windows are an important investment and valuable addition to the overall worth of the property.

Redesigning the windows or changing the doors can add some elegance to the front side of your house. 

Consider window tinting since the windows improved that way can stand as a special feature of your real estate, implying that this is an energy-efficient household.

Declutter the inside of your house

Now that the outside is poppin’, let’s work on the inside.

Does your house look like it belongs on an episode of Hoarders?

If so, you have some work to do.

Your aim is to enable potential buyers to visualize themselves living in the property. Therefore, you can create an illusion of a bigger space and enable them to really think about what they would do to the place if they lived there.

Keep away from decorating your house too much because it can be a distraction. Put away all family photos and art pieces you like because not all people share your taste.

As for the abundance of space, you can make the ceiling look higher by adding extra-long curtains to the windows or buying striped carpets or rugs that give the illusion of bigger space.

• Throw away the junk. 99% of what you have is JUNK

One easy way to make your home look nicer is to clean it up a bit and throw away anything you haven’t used in years.

If the inner-hoarder in you is freaking out, don’t freak. You don’t have to throw everything out, you just have to organize it better. 

• Use storage bins

Buy large plastic storage bins, fill them up, stack them up and store them in the corner of the garage.

• Work on that closet

The closet is another area that could definitely use some decluttering. There are countless products to help organize your clothing.

The days of a horizontal bar and clothes hangers are over. You can find some great ideas on Pinterest and products at the Container Store.

• Make it squeaky clean

Nothing feels better than entering a clean home filled with pleasant smells. Take care of your windows, wash them thoroughly. Buyers will always notice a smudgy window.

It’s important to take care of it because the view through the window is also an important aspect of your house’s aesthetic. 

Clean windows will also let more light into the rooms. If you have carpets, rugs, or leather furniture, it could take you ages to get them in top shape for selling.

Professionals advise that clean-looking carpets, rugs, and leather furniture significantly boost the chances of impressing any potential buyers.

• Pets

Being welcoming to your viewers is desirable, but your dog’s enthusiastic greeting may not be to everyone’s liking.

Some people who visit might be allergic to dogs or cat’s hair, so make sure that they’re all comfortable with visiting your property.

Ask a neighbor to look after your pets during viewings if possible, or if not, you can always take them to a pet day care.

Give your kitchen an upgrade

One of the most important rooms of a home in regards to its selling price is the kitchen.

People today are mostly looking to buy a house that already has a reasonably polished kitchen.

You can solve that problem with simple updates, like installing new cabinet doors, worktops, handles and other minor adjustments.

If you’re feeling bold, you can replace tiles and floorings too. Just make sure to not stick to any DIY unless you’re completely confident in your skills – there’s no shame in hiring professionals to finish the job, and the expenses are sure to be worthwhile.

• Add a kitchen island

According to USA Today, 48 percent of homebuyers surveyed are willing to pay extra for a home with a kitchen island.

If you don’t have one, consider installing one and doing other updates to your kitchen to bring it up to the standards for features and aesthetics home shoppers expect these days.

It could increase the selling price of your home significantly.

• Change the countertops

Granite countertops are especially sought after. With just a few hundred dollars you can modernize the look of your kitchen.

• Change the microwave

Make sure your kitchen appliances are as new-looking as possible. Since we’re trying to save money, we’ll stay away from buying a new fridge.

But you can, however, buy a new microwave that matches the color of your refrigerator. Ideally, you’ll want all of your appliances to match, but the microwave is the cheapest of them to replace.

• Change the faucet and the sink

Give your kitchen a modern look and replace that old scratched up sink. A stainless steel sink will do wonders for the look of your kitchen.

• Change the handles on your kitchen cabinets

Finally, you can change the handles on your kitchen cabinets which shouldn’t cost you more than $50.

Repaint your walls

An easy home upgrade that can increase its selling price gives your walls a new coat of paint. Paint, like nearly everything, ages and begins to deteriorate over time. It can chip, stain and dull in color.

If that is the case, the aged paint on your home’s walls can negatively affect the home’s aesthetics and the entire atmosphere of individual rooms.

Repainting those walls gives you an opportunity to breathe new life into your home’s rooms.

• Choose the right colors

However, be strategic about the colors you choose. Certain colors can add up to $5,000 in a home’s selling price. However, unattractive color patterns can do the opposite.

Stick to neutral colors to brighten up the room and not turn off any potential buyers.

• Do-It-Yourself

This is an easy DIY job, as all it requires is a few gallons of paint, paint rollers, painter’s tape, and a drop cloth. Use a glossy finish on bathrooms and kitchens and matte for the bedrooms and the living room.

Get rid of popcorn ceiling

You can call it an acoustic ceiling, a popcorn ceiling or a cottage cheese ceiling, but most new homeowners call it FUGLY.

Back in the 80’s popcorn ceiling was all the rage. But now, it’s not exactly the look new homeowners want – especially millennial homeowners.

While this project is a messy one, it’s possible to do on your own as it requires no technical knowledge.

Here’s a very basic guide on how to remove the ceiling on your own.

• 1. Move the furniture out of the room and lay a plastic covering on the floor
• 2. Next, spray the ceiling with water.
• 3. Use a knife to scrape off that outdated ceiling.
• 4. After letting the ceiling dry off overnight, sand the ceiling and paint it white.

You can find more in-depth step by step tutorials on YouTube.

Spruce up your bedroom

One of the most important rooms in your home is the master bedroom.

Buyers want to see that the room is spacious and will fit everything that they need, but also that it is a comfortable and cosy space that they can retreat to at the end of a hard day.

So it’s a great idea to take the time to clean and organize your bedroom, from the flooring to the dressers and everything in between.

Revamp the look of your bed quickly and easily by simply shopping for a new set of bed sheets.

Showcase a sparkling bathroom

Another room that can certainly impact the value of a home is the bathroom. If your bathrooms have been seriously neglected over the years, you better start giving them more attention.

Every bathroom in your home should be clean and pristine whenever you have homebuyers coming by to check out your property.

Make sure that you clean all of the tiles, as well as your tub, and make sure that the floors are also completely clean.

If your fixtures are dated, you can replace them easily and affordably, just as you did in your kitchen.

And you can add a little something extra to your bathroom by incorporating some cute decorative elements that make it feel like a spa retreat.

Install new flooring

This last one is going to hurt, I know. When you want to sell your house fast, you probably don’t have time (or money) to change the floor.

But if you want to sell your house for the maximum price possible (and sell it quickly), this one is a biggie.

When you can say in your listing that the house has new flooring, it eases new homeowners from the burden of having to replace it soon.

This can give your home the competitive edge it needs to sell faster than the competition.

As with the exterior, make sure to remove any signs of the damage, if there is some.

Start from the bottom since many people pay special attention to the floors. The floors are expected to be shiny, easy to clean and stylish.

Get rid of the old carpets and cover them with some tasty rugs. The kitchen and bathroom may need some work, but providing they are in good shape, make just a few changes like upgrading the appliances or repainting the walls.

Also, repaint the walls in living area and again choose the colors carefully.

Common mistakes first-time home-sellers make

Suppose you’re planning on selling your house. In that case, it goes without saying that you want to ensure the experience is rewarding instead of regrettable — especially since there are hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. You don’t get to rewind and do it again if you make an error.

To help you navigate this major transaction, here are 7 costly mistakes that many first-time home sellers make — but that you can wisely avoid:

Not properly pricing your home.

If the listing price of your home is too low, you’ll leave thousands of dollars on the table.

If the price is too high, then your home will remain on the market while comparable homes (“comps”) sell — which makes prospective buyers nervous and reluctant to make an offer.

Spending a lot of money on low-impact renovations.

Obviously, you want to boost your home’s appeal and overall value. But spending $50,000 on a new kitchen or renovating the basement might be a mistake — because you won’t get your money back when you sell.

If necessary, focus on relatively low-cost, high-impact renovations that help your home sell quickly and for a competitive price.

Not staging your home.

No, you don’t have to transform your home into a spa-like oasis. But you do need to make sure that your home shows well — both inside and out.

That means getting rid of clutter and junk, and making sure that your home’s “curb appeal” is very appealing indeed.

Using the same Realtor to buy and sell your home.

If you choose to use a Realtor (or another real estate professional), then make sure that he or she is not representing both you and a prospective buyer.

This creates a conflict of interest.

You want a Realtor who exclusively focuses on helping you sell your home for as much money as possible and within your desired timeframe if possible.

Not disclosing critical information.

You don’t have to tell prospective buyers that the den is where you broke down and started crying like a baby when your favorite team lost in the World Series.

But if you know for a fact that there is a family of raccoons living in your attic, or if your home’s foundation is sagging, then you must disclose this and other major issues.

Otherwise, you could end up in court and liable for costs plus damages.

Not have a great online profile.

You can assume that every prospective buyer out there — whether they’re a gadget-loving millennial or senior citizen — is going to spend considerable time looking at your property online before they consider attending an open house or booking a private showing.

If your profile is sub-standard — e.g., if the photos are blurry, if the video is amateur (or non-existent), and if you don’t showcase the benefits of the neighborhood and local amenities — then your house won’t make anyone’s shortlist.

Being around for the open house.

If you believe that prospective buyers appreciate you being in the next room when they tour your home, then, unfortunately, you’re wrong. They won’t be able to talk freely or candidly, which isn’t what you want.

Besides, hearing them criticize certain things about your house is likely to get your blood boiling, and you don’t need the added stress!

Wrapping it up

Selling your property might seem like an awful and time-consuming task, but if you invest in it the right way, you can go through that process stress-free.

Prepare yourself for providing information about your house and the local area, and keep an ear out to any feedback about your house you receive during the viewing or afterward from your estate agent – it may be helpful for future viewings.

Even though the house sale with all the required preparation may seem overwhelming, if you plan the project ahead and act timely, you will manage to go through the whole process smoothly and achieve your goal.

No need to wait for the market to improve when you can add value yourself, simply by taking into consideration these useful tips.

In the end, don’t hesitate to consult a qualified Realtor in your area since they can point you in the right direction concerning home improvements that will fit the market.

Before putting your house on the open market, give yourself some time to perform some basic renovations and home improvement projects.

Just taking the time to make these changes will make a real difference that will increase the value and sale price of your home.

And it’s entirely possible.

In this article, I’m going to lay out how to turn the dream of early retirement into reality.

Sit back and take notes because I’m going to lay out the blueprint to how to retire early as a millionaire.

Read also: Best money-saving apps to help you with your budget

What does it mean to retire early?

But first, what is early retirement? It’s important to define this so we can set the goal of retiring at 40, for example.

Whenever you think of someone that’s of retirement age, you probably picture them as being in their 60’s.

While the 60’s are the typical retirement age, some end up retiring much later. Some people don’t ever retire at all.

The Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement is all about achieving your financial goals sooner – so you can retire early.

This concept of early retirement applies to almost anyone.

• You can retire a millionaire.
• You can retire in your 40’s.
• You can retire early with kids.
• You can even retire in 10 years!

You just need a plan. Let’s get started.

Set an early retirement goal.

Retirement means different things to different people. 

One person may be fine retiring and living in the same one-bedroom apartment, while another person’s idea of retirement involves a big house for future grandkids and 3 exotic vacations per year.

Everybody has a different set of end goals.

The first major step to achieving financial independence is to figure out what you hope to achieve in early retirement.

It takes a tremendous amount of foresight, planning, and discipline to achieve financial independence and to retire early.

This is going to be a huge goal, so you need to clearly define what you want your early retirement to look like.

 Find your “why” (your motivation).

In order to achieve anything worth achieving in life, you need to set a goal and you need to find your “why”.

Figuring out why you want to retire early is an important step in achieving financial independence.

Sure, answering the question of ‘Why?’ has nothing to do with how to invest or what steps to take to achieve financial independence. It does, however, help you stay motivated.

Discovering the exact reason why you want to achieve financial independence and retire early is what will motivate you — it will be your driving cause — to stay focused and never stray far off track.

How much do you need to retire early?

Next, you need to find that magical number you need your nest egg to get to before you can retire.

This retirement number is the amount of money you need to live off of for the rest of your life.

Calculating your retirement number is based around figuring out how much money you need to set aside where you can count on the interest, dividends, and passive income payments to fully support your ideal early retiree lifestyle.

How can you calculate how much you need to have saved up before you can retire?

A few of the major players in the game of retirement and investments have created some easy-to-use calculators to help you come up with your retirement number.

• AARP Retirement Calculator
• Vanguard Retirement Calculator
• Charles Schwab Retirement Calculator

While these retirement calculators do take inflation into consideration, it doesn’t hurt to overestimate how much you think you’ll need to live off of.

For example, if you can achieve your ideal retirement lifestyle with $50,000 per year, try plugging $60,000 or $70,000 into the retirement calculator to see how much more you can get by putting a little more effort into your retirement nest egg.

How to find your retirement number.

Another popular way to figure your retirement number is by using the 4% rule.

You simply take your desired annual retirement income and divide it by 4%. So, if you can live your ideal retiree lifestyle on $60,000 per yea, youu divide 60,000 by 0.04 and come up with $1,5000,000.

In this example, in order to retire and live off of about $60,000 per year, you need to have a portfolio of at least $1.5 million.

Now try doing the same calculations with 3%. Because the average human lifespan is increasing with modern advancements in medicine, a growing number of financial planners are now recommending you follow the 3% rule in order to be super cautious should you live longer than expected.

The 3% rule for the same example of $60,000 per year would suggest you have a $2 million portfolio before officially retiring.

These 3% and 4% rates are simply your withdrawal rates. If you had a $2 million portfolio and withdrew 3% of it, you would have withdrawn $60,000.

Withdrawing $60,000 from your $2 million portfolio every year would give you an annual income of $60,000 per year for over 33 years. 

Now, this is an investment portfolio you’re withdrawing from (or, at least it should be!), so it should realize market gains and earn a yield that lets you account for inflation over time.

An ideal portfolio would almost act like an endowment fund where your yearly withdrawals never deplete the original principal invested.

Key points to remember when figuring out your retirement number.

• 1. Do you have children that will depend on you after you retire?

If so, you need to consider the cost of taking care of somebody. Even when they’re grown up, will you want to send them to college? Buy them a car? Will they ask to borrow money?

• 2. Evaluate you and your spouse’s health.

Insurance and medicare cover a good chunk of health costs, sometimes. Other times you’re stuck with high deductibles, monthly premiums, and out of pocket costs.

Unforeseen health expenses are often a huge reason a retiree’s nest egg gets depleted too soon.

• 3. Do you have any debt?

Credit cards, old student loans and car loans need to be factored in to your current/future expenses.

• 4. Will the mortgage be paid off by the time you retire?

If not, you need to factor in a monthly house payment.

• 5. How much are your other house-related annual payments?

Don’t forget property taxes and homeowners insurance. These have to be paid even when you don’t have a mortgage anymore.

• 6. Do you have other people who depend on you?

Perhaps it is (or will be) an elderly mother or a disabled sister in law.

• 7. Amortize major one-time expenses you may have.

You should also be amortizing one-time expenses into your retirement budget.

If you want to spend $20,000 on your daughter’s wedding, then you should assume that your annual retirement income will be $2,000 higher.

This helps you come up with a conservative estimate, and, worst-case scenario, you’re left with more money to live off of in the long run.

Now that you have a goal (an age and an amount), it’s time to set the plan in motion for you to retire early as a millionaire.

Step 1. Start with your budget.

The desire to retire early is a great motivating factor behind creating a budget or evaluating your current budget. Most people who retire early have one thing in common: they are amazing at creating a detailed budget, and sticking to it!

If most of your purchases are made with debit and/or credit, trackingcking your spending is incredibly easy by using some amazing budget-trackingthere.

One of the most popular apps for this is the Mint app. Personal Capital and You Need A Budget are also great choices for budgeting apps.

These apps are important bectoer to set a budget properly, you able to track exactly where your money is going.

Tracking your spending lets you take a detailed look at what’s going on in your life. Are you living well within your means? Are you eating out too much? Does your car note eat into your paycheck every month?

Now is a good time for us to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a nice house, driving a new car, or going out to eat. However, if you’re planning on retiring early then these wonderful amenities may be holding you back.

If your mortgage payment is so high that you’re often one paycheck away from foreclosure, or if your $500 car note eats into a big chunk of your paycheck, then it might be time to consider downsizing your new home and heading out to the used car lot.

When you’re planning to retire early from financial independence then you need to not just live well within your means, you need to live below your means. Save more, spend less, it’s that simple.

Step 2. Avoid inflating your lifestyle. When trying to achieve financial independence, thee last thing on your mind should be what other people think of you.

Who cares if the dad across the street got a new riding lawn mower. Who cares if your little sister got a new designer handbag. Who cares if your coworker’s engagement ring is bigger and more flashy.

Comparing yourself to other people is a great way to ruin your future finances. Now might be a good time to also rethink how you use social media.

Lifestyle inflation comes naturally as people want to spend more money when their income increases. You get a raise at work so now you can afford a bigger house. You got a nice end-of-year bonus so maybe a new car has caught your eye.

That’s completely natural human behavior. You need to retrain the way your brain processes increased income.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with having or wanting nice things. That’s perfectly fine. However, if you’re reading this article, then you are likely trying to retire early. It’s hard to retire early if you’re caught up in unnecessary spending.

Even if you are able to afford a nice treat for yourself and still have money left over, is it worth it in the long run? How much closer would you be to financial independence if you had invested that money instead?

Step 3. Be smart with your investments.

I’m sure many of you saw the title of this article and thought that we were going to give you some get-rich-quick investing tips that would let you play the markets in your favor and walk away rich enough to retire.

Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy.

Being financially independent enough to retire early is a process, and every step is just as important as the others. While investing is just one piece of the pie, doing it the right way can make a huge difference.

There are so many different types of investments that it would be impossible to give a one-size-fits-all answer of how to invest your money.

You may know someone who is “retired” because they own a dozen rental properties. Or maybe your uncle built a business 20 years ago and sold it for $3 million.

Mopeople whohat retire comfortably do so by living below their means, saving and investing more than they spend, aby following a strict budget.

Just about any financial advisor you talk to will try to discourage you from putting your money only into stocks and trying to play the market.

Instead, it’s recommended that you keep a bulk of your money in low-risk, low-cost index funds. Despite the low risks, index funds regularly realize 8% or higher returns in the long run.

That’s way more than any savings account or certificates of deposit, and it is much safer than playing with traditional stocks.

With that being said, it’s still good to diversify. It doesn’t hurt to take 10% or less of your nest egg and invest it a little more aggressively into higher risk higher reward areas.

Diversification could also mean you have a mixture of index funds, bonds, stocks, and even private equity or real estate holdings.

If you’re going to be risky with your investments then it’s best to do so early on. The closer you get to retirement age, the more conservative you want to be with your investments.

Step 4. Millionaires love compound interest. You should too.

A millionaire’s best friend is compound interest. Whenever you hear a wealthy person on TV say that their money works for them and not the other way around, compound interest is usually involved.

Compound interest investments will take the interest that’s earned throughout the year, and reinvest it into the next year.

Using the magical number of 72, you should find out how often your money should double. Divide your projected interest rate by 72 to get this number.

For example, if someone inherited $100,000 when they turned 18 and they were able to realize a return rate of 9%, they can divide that by 72 and get 8 years. This means every 8 years their money should double.

At age 18, they’ve got $100,000. At age 26 it’s now $200,000, at age 34 it’s $400,000, and by the time they’re in their 40’s they would have almost $1 million.

This is all from compound interest and assumes that this person does not invest a single penny more.

Imagine if you had an investment fund earning compound interest that you put money into every single month. Over time the exponential growth would have you nice and set for retirement whenever the time came.

Step 5. Pay off your debt now.

Just about any debt, you likely have a higher APR% than the average APY% you would see from an investment.

Your money, in the beginning, is better spent paying off any high-interest, unsecured, or revolving debt. Maybe you’ve got credit card debt sitting there with a 29% interest rate. Or maybe you were young and signed a car loan at 12.75% interest.

This high-interest debt needs to be paid off before anything else.

Low-interest debt is another story. Obviously you’re not going to just wake up and decide to pay your mortgage off in 6 months. Your mortgage also is going to have the same 29% interest rate as your credit cards might have.

You can’t achieve financial freedom from under a mountain of debt, and paying that debt off early on is the best possible solution. You can then roll these debt payments into your investment portfolio.

If you’ve got a credit card with a minimum monthly payment of $300 per month, wouldn’t it be nice to pay that off now so that this same $300 per month could be tossed into an index fund and earning money for you?

Step 6. Invest every single extra dollar you earn.

You cannot realize returns, take advantage of compound interest, and keep your money safe from spending if you don’t properly invest it.

Another key trait among those that retire early as millionaires is that they invest every single extra dollar they earn. Regardless of how much or how little that amount may be.

Even if you aren’t earning extra money, you can still work hard to find extra money.

Remember how we said earlier in the article you should be budgeting? What if you found a way to spend $100 less per month on groceries for your family? That’s an extra $1,200 per year that can be invested!

What if you drove a cheaper car and saved $300 per month? That’s $3,600 per month extra to invest!

“Finding” this extra money may come with some pretty big lifestyle changes. If you aren’t able to earn extra money, then a lifestyle change will help you find some.

Do you trust your spouse to cut your hair from now on? Is anyone at your office carpooling?

Many people swallow their pride and end up taking on a second job or finding side gigs. Mowing lawns in the summer might net you an extra $1,200-$1,500 per month to invest.

If you’re a white-collar professional, then possible consulting on the side would be great for extra income. I’ve seen people sell their soul on places like UpWork and Fiverr just to make sure they have more money to invest into retiring early.

Step 7. Plan ahead for inevitable failures.

There are ups and downs in everyone’s lives. You will probably fail along the way.

The only thing you can do to ensure your failure isn’t a total loss is to try to learn from it.

Every single multi-millionaire out there has failed somewhere along the way. They’ve learned from these failures and used them to strengthen and bolster their next move.

The best possible thing you can do for yourself is to stay educated. You can learn as much as you can about investing and take a hands-on approach. Or you can meet with a financial advisor and use their guidance as a roadmap.

Learn about different ways to invest: stocks and bonds, index funds, private equity, retirement accounts, and learn the taxes, fees, and potential penalties that come along with these different investment mediums.

How to save a million dollars before retirement

For many of us, making our first $1 million is the ultimate financial goal. While this has become much more attainable in recent times, many people still never hit this mark.

Many people fail to realize that saving $1 million by retirement is not out of reach. In fact, with careful, calculated planning, one can be practically sure to retire with the much-coveted millionaire status.

There are a few essential guidelines for achieving this goal. Ultimately, when it comes to saving, starting early is key. Very few have ever made $1 million overnight.

On the contrary, it requires consistency, perseverance, and – most importantly – time. While it would be optimal to start saving in your 20s, the best time to start is now – no matter your age.

In your 20s

During your 20s, retirement can seem distant and unreal. But the years go by quickly; anyone nearing retirement can attest to the old saying “time flies”.?

In addition, reaching the intended amount of savings becomes increasingly difficult the later it is started due to accrued expenses such as mortgage and childcare payments.

The primary reason to start early with retirement planning is compound interest.

Simply put, compound interest is the process by which a sum of money grows due to interest building upon itself over time.

Logically, the more time you have, the more you can benefit from compounding, which is why investors in their 20s should take heed.

Here are some of the basics of compounding interest:

If you invest $1,000 in a safe long-term bond that will earn a 3% interest per year, the investment will grow by $30 (3% of $1000 after the end of the first year). This gives a total of $1,030.

The following year there will be a 3% gain on $1,030, this means that the investment will grow by $30.90.

Using this same model and projection, by age 40, the investment would reach $3,262.04.

At this stage, to dramatically increase earnings, the proper thing to do would be to invest in a higher earning instrument, such as a stock market fund.

Let’s say you start investing in the market at $100 a month, and you average a return of 1% a month (or 12% a year, compounded monthly) over 40 years.

Your retirement account will be a little over $1.17 million after a 40 year period. If the investor was lucky enough to start at age 20, he could retire at 60 years old with upwards of a million in retirement funds.

In your 30s

As mentioned above, the sooner you begin investing, the better. But what if you missed the opportunity to begin investing in your 20s?

Your 30s are your next best bet. After consulting with your financial advisor, make a small initial investment in the stock market to gain an understanding of the market and learn what equity investing is all about.

Pick a company that has a product or service that is familiar to you or that you personally like. Pick companies that are well known and relatively stable. Play it safe.

Let us assume that you are 30, earning $50,000 a year, and want to retire at 65 with $1 million in savings. Once again, we will assume that you are beginning with zero in savings.

In this case, the easiest way to accomplish this would be to save around $2,317.00 a year. On a monthly basis, that equates to $193. This amount should then be invested in a financial instrument that earns 12% annually.

In another scenario let’s imagine that at age 30, you have $50,000 a year in earnings and zero savings, and you want to live on 85 percent of your pre-retirement, pre-tax income when you retire (which is $42,500 per year).

To achieve this goal, you’ll need to amass $2 million ($2.06 million, to be exact) by the time you retire. In order to achieve this, you would need to save $600 per month.

The correct way to invest the aforementioned amount would be to spread the investments out. One option would be to put 70 percent into stocks, 25 percent into bonds, and keep five percent in cash.

The prognosis of $2 million is based on the assumption that the markets are performing on average.

In your 40s and beyond

They say life begins at 40; so can investing. A 40-year-old who wants $1 million when he or she is 67, for example, must save $10,000 annually and earn nine percent a year to reach that goal.

The best pieces of advice for those 40 and over would be to maximize savings and to invest independently. You should fund your 401(k) to the maximum limit.

With regard to investing independently, consider an individual retirement account (IRA).

Many people in their 40s and 50s place money into these accounts, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a Washington DC-based research institute.

These provide an opportunity to maximize savings by making use of the tax advantages that come with IRAs. For example, with a Roth IRA, you’ll never pay taxes on earnings.

Traditional IRA contributions have no salary caps, unlike a Roth IRA. This means that anyone with an earned income is eligible to invest.

Nonetheless, there are Traditional IRA contribution limits to how much you can put in. The maximum total annual contribution for all of your combined IRAs (Both Traditional and Roth) is $6,000 for those under 50 and $6,500 for those aged 50 and over.

No matter your age, healthy savings are within your reach. It bears noting, however, that every investor’s situation is unique. The ideas listed above are just a few examples of steps you can take.

Before investing your own money, you are encouraged to consult with a reputable financial advisor who can tailor your path based on your age, income level, and goals.

With this in mind, if you would like to learn more about some of the key differences between an IRA and a 401(k) you can find some helpful resources on the SoFi website. 

Open a Roth IRA if you haven’t already

Millennials live in the here and now, but there are those who understand the importance of saving for the future. And for millennials, there is no better retirement account than a Roth IRA.

Roth IRAs are the best retirement vehicle for millennials who want to make their money grow tax-free.

Let me explain why.

The money you contribute into a Roth IRA account will not be taxed when you withdraw it (source). Not only that but even the interest you earn will never be taxed! It’s the only retirement account that will truly grow your money tax-free.

With a 401k retirement account, you will be taxed when you make a withdrawal. Do you really want to pay taxes on your savings when you’re retired? I thought so.

Opening a Roth IRA is super easy and can be done online. Another reason I like Roth IRA’s is that you can put money in your account up until April 15th and have it count for the previous year. With a 401k, you only have until December 31st of the current year to make a deposit.

Don’t get me wrong here; it’s not that I hate 401k’s. I just think that if you have an employer-sponsored 401k, don’t think you’re done. Millennials should consider opening up a Roth IRA in addition to their 401k.

I do like 401k’s because the money you put in is deductible on your tax return and I especially like it if your employer offers to match a percentage of your deposit.

I also like 401k’s because you can deposit up to $18,500 per year, while the max on a Roth IRA is $6,000 ($6,500 if over 60). (Numbers are current as of 2021).

But if I only had a limited amount to invest into retirement, I’d drop the first $6,000 into the Roth IRA and the rest in a 401k.

With that said, I believe Roth IRAs are superior, and here are the 6 main reasons why I prefer Roth IRAs for Millennials.

You Don’t Have a 401k Plan

If your employer offers a 401k plan with a match, definitely take advantage of it. That’s free money.

But a lot of companies either don’t offer it or many millennials don’t even work for a company, but rather are freelancers or working as independent contractors. For those millennials who don’t have access to a 401k plan, a Roth IRA is an ideal retirement vehicle.

Your 401k Plan Sucks

Just because your employer has a 401k plan doesn’t mean you should be pouring all your money into it. If your employer offers a 3% match, put in your 3% so you can get the full benefit of the match.

But if your 401k plan sucks, stop putting extra money in it and instead open and deposit money into a Roth IRA.

Some 401k plans have high fees associated with them, and your employer might not have a wide variety of investment options. When you choose a Roth IRA the power is in your hands and the fees are often times lower.

A Roth IRA Offers Unique Tax Advantages

With a Roth IRA, you can withdraw your money without any tax penalty after the age of 59. It will be completely tax-free.

When you earn income as a millennial in your 20s or 30s, it will be taxed. You can’t escape that tax. But when you’re young you typically aren’t making that much money so your income is taxed at a low tax bracket.

When you are over 60 years old, odds are you are making more money and belong in a higher tax bracket.

This is a major benefit of a Roth IRA. You will be taxed when you are young at a lower tax rate compared to a 401k, where you will be taxed at a higher tax rate when you’re in your 60’s.

Use Your Retirement Money To Pay For College

If you want to withdraw your money from your Roth IRA before the age of 59, you will incur a 10% penalty. However, if you plan to withdraw money and use it to pay for college expenses, you will not incur any fees nor pay any taxes!

This is useful to millennials interested in pursuing a master’s degree or considering going back to college to further their education.

You can also withdraw your money penalty-free and tax-free to pay for your future children’s college education.

Use Your Roth IRA As An Emergency Account

I would never recommend using a retirement account as your emergency savings account. You should really have a separate account for that.

With that said, you can use the contributions you’ve made into a Roth IRA without any penalty any time you want. The only thing you can’t withdraw penalty-free is the interest you’ve earned.

If you’re trying to build a nest egg for retirement, however, you really shouldn’t be dipping into your Roth IRA funds though.

Contribute To A Roth IRA For As Long As You Want

With a traditional IRA or a 401k account, there are mandatory withdrawals that you must make when you turn 70½ years old. This is not the case with a Roth IRA.

You can keep your money earning interest for as long as you want. You can even continue to make contributions for as long as you want.

This makes a Roth IRA ideal for those who don’t see themselves retiring at a young age because this lets you grow your money longer.

Wrapping it up

What it all boils down to is that this is your future. You are in control, so stay educated and make smart decisions along the way.

Set goals and then achieve those goals.

Set a budget and stick to it.

It is entirely possible to retire early and achieve financial independence using nothing but a solid game plan and a great work ethic.

And if you happen to get lucky along the way and get a bonus at work or fall into some money, then invest that too!

Because of the advent of micro-investing platforms like FundRise, you can now invest in real estate without the need of a gazillion dollars.

Read also: How to buy a house (step-by-step guide)

5 reasons to invest in real estate

Investing in real estate for the very first time can seem scary.

One reason you might be scared to invest in real estate is that it may be the largest amount of money you have ever invested in any one single thing.

If you need to finance your real estate investment, you might also feel nervous about your ability to pay off your debt and still earn a return on your investment.

I’m not going to tell you there aren’t valid reasons to be nervous, but I am going to tell you that sometimes the rewards are worth the risk.

Here are 5 reasons you should invest in real estate.

• 1. You Don’t Have To Be A Landlord

Just because you are considering investing in real estate, it doesn’t mean you have to become a landlord. You could instead hire a property manager, so you don’t have to deal with the headaches renters would otherwise bring to you.

Or you could go about investing in real estate even differently by purchasing a fixer upper and “flipping it” for a profit when you resell it.

• 2. Interest Rates Are Low

While interest rates are still low on real estate mortgages, it’s a better time to borrow for your investment if you need to.

You don’t want to wait until the rates climb again because it will cost you more to borrow the same amount for your real estate investment.

• 3. You Can Find Good Deals

Lower interest rates mean an increase in demand which, in turn, can cause real estate prices to increase. However, if you look carefully, you will find there are still good deals to be had.

One way to find good deals is by networking with other investors. You will likely learn a lot, and you may also come up with some good deals in the process.

Another is by working with your favorite realtor. Your realtor can be on the lookout for investment properties for you and can then contact you right away when a new property hits the market.

You could also invest in another town or even out of state, where the demand, and thus prices, may be lower. Do a little research first to ensure you are making a sound investment, then look for deals.

• 4. You Don’t Necessarily Need A Lot Of Money

If you are wondering how you can invest in real estate without a lot of money, check out a Real Estate Investment Trust, or REIT.

By investing in real estate in this way, you put your money with other people’s investment money and everyone shares in the profits.

An REIT has a team of real estate investment experts who chose the properties to invest in which increases everyone’s chances to gain on their investment.

They also reduce risk by placing your money in more than one real estate investment to increase the likelihood of growth on your investment.

You can invest in many REITs with an initial investment of only $1,000 instead of the many thousands you would have to come up with on your own for a down payment on a piece of property. It’s a great way to get started on real estate investing.

• 5. Diversification

By doing any amount of investment research, you will learn that the experts agree you should diversify your investments to reduce your risk of loss and increase your profitability.

Investing in stocks or mutual funds is great, but diversifying into real estate helps you increase your chances of growth for your investment dollars.

If one of your investments isn’t doing well, the other might be doing better so that you can withstand some losses without panic.

5 beginner mistakes to avoid

Here are 5 of the worst mistakes made by real estate investors:

• 1. Failing To Plan Ahead

A lot of people make the mistake of buying a property before they know all about it.

Sure, a grand home that’s priced to sell may seem like a good idea at the time, but if you don’t have a plan in mind before you buy, you could wind up with a headache instead of a great investment.

A good real estate investor sees problems before they arise and learns to avoid those minefields.

• 2. Inadequate Or Improper Financing

Proper financing is crucial for the modern real estate investor. An exotic or an out-of-the-ordinary mortgage is probably not your best option as far as real estate financing is concerned.

Investors who opt for non-conventional or adjustable rate home loans often find themselves in financial trouble when rates go up.

• 3. A Get Rich Quick Attitude

Don’t make the all-too-common mistake of looking at real estate as a way to make a bundle of money in a hurry. This is especially true for investors who expect to easily “flip” a property without doing any hard work.

Experts say to avoid late-night televised ads and seminars that promise to make you rich with real estate. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it.

• 4. Going It Alone

You may be a fully independent adult, but that doesn’t mean you should try to buy a property without the assistance of an experienced Realtor or other real estate professional.

In addition to a real estate agent, you’ll also need the help of an appraiser, a home inspector, a great attorney, and an insurance agent who understands the ins and outs of real estate investment.

A local real estate agency can show you homes that you might not otherwise know about. Consult with a local real estate broker who can show you great homes and help you to network with all the professionals you’ll need to perform a brilliant transaction.

• 5. Underestimating Costs

If you think that buying a house means all you have to do is move in and enjoy your new residence, please think again.

Underestimating the true costs of home ownership is one of the worst mistakes made by modern real estate investors.

Maintenance, repair and upgrades are costs that one needs to anticipate prior to making a real estate purchase.

I certainly don’t intend to make you shy about investing in real estate.

If you are careful to plan ahead, know how much mortgage you can afford, and go into the deal fully prepared to pay future maintenance costs, you can make a transaction that eventually rewards you handsomely.

Wrapping it up

Real estate can be a savvy investment, but you’ve got to do it wisely. A well-defined strategy can be a solid foundation that supports your portfolio and helps you to build wealth.

Do it right, and you may realize amazing profit potential. Do it wrong, and you could lose your house and everything in it.

Oh yeah, he’s doing it!

Best personal finance apps to manage your money

• Truebill

Truebill helps people gain awareness about their spending habits and helps them manage their money better. 

You can easily optimize your spending, lower your bills, manage subscriptions, and stay on top of your finances.

Get started with Truebill here.

• Billshark

?Billshark, backed by Mark Cuban, is a bill reduction platform that works on behalf of our customers to save them time and money.

They work to lower what you pay for cable, internet, and your cell phone bill.

If they don’t lower your bill, you don’t pay – so it’s a risk-free, no-brainer service to try.

Get started with Billshark here.

• Tally

Tally offers a line of credit to help you pay down high-interest credit card debt.

Tally makes it super simple to save money, manage your credit cards, and helps you pay down your balances faster. Users of the Tally app have an average lifetime savings of $5,300.

Get started with Tally here.

• Acorns

Acorns helps by investing your pocket change in low-cost ETF or exchange-traded funds.

Connect your checking and credit card accounts, and when you make purchases, the price is rounded to the nearest dollar, and the difference between the rounded cost and the total cost is invested.

Sign up for Acorns here.

• WalletHub

Credit score improvement is the ticket to more savings and less stress.

With WalletHub, you can track your progress toward top financial fitness with free credit monitoring and daily credit-score updates.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Mint

The Mint app offers a real-time look at all of your finances from one centralized location.

It tracks spending, categorizes your finances, and alerts you when you’re approaching your budget limit. 

iOS app | Google Play store

• Digit

Digit helps you save money without even realizing it. Here’s how it works.

Your income and saving patterns are scanned, and then small amounts of cash are moved to a savings account managed by Digit. 

iOS app | Google Play store

• Credit Karma

Not only does Credit Karma offer free credit scores and credit reports, but it also monitors your spending habits when linked to your credit card and bank accounts.

Then, recommendations for better credit cards or loan offers are shown that improve your finances.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Goodbudget

Goodbudget creates envelopes for categories and predetermines how much money should be put into each category. It’s not a sophisticated app, but it does what it needs to.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Wally

Wally is an expense-tracking app that can see daily, weekly, and monthly spending habits and divides your expenses into separate categories. It can also conveniently scan receipts for you.

iOS app | Google Play store

• PocketGuard

PocketGuard connects to your bank account and always has access to current transactions and balances.

This app also analyzes your spending habits to know recurring payments to plan for and tracks your cash flow.

iOS app | Google Play store

• You Need A Budget

The You Need A Budget app makes sure that every dollar is spent wisely, plans for infrequent expenses, and can also develop a quick plan for when you overspend.

A neat feature included is classes offered to watch online to get familiar with the app for free.

iOS app | Google Play store

Best cash-back apps for making money

• Rakuten

Rakuten may very well be the best-known cashback site. New users will get a $10 welcome bonus and can get their payment as soon as they reach $5.

With Rakuten, you can earn up to 25% cash back at over 2,000 online stores such as Kohl’s, Macy’s, and Walmart. The site also offers the most current promo codes and coupons, allowing you to save money on your purchases.

When you want to compare store prices, Rakuten is the way to go. All you have to do is scan the product’s barcode, and the app shows you the best prices.

Sign up for Rakuten here.

• BeFrugal

Anytime you make a purchase through the BeFrugal app, you can earn a maximum of 30% cashback.

They also have a 125% cash-back rate guarantee. If you find another cashback site that has a higher rate than them, they’ll match it and add an additional 25%.

By shopping here, you can stack your savings by using the coupon codes they offer and then receive cashback on top of that. If you find a coupon that doesn’t work, they’ll give you $5 for your troubles.

Payments are made on a monthly basis via PayPal. However, you can also get your money through a check or an Amazon gift card.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Receipt Hog

Turn those receipts into rewards by using the Receipt Hog app. The way the app works is simple – you snap a picture of your receipts and earn coins within the app.

You can also play games and take surveys to earn more coins. You can then trade those coins for a Paypal payment or an Amazon gift card.

So how does Receipt Hog make any money? They are a market research company that takes the info on the receipts and anonymously sells that data to companies.

This data is compiled into market research reports that are valuable to big companies who want to learn more about Americans’ spending habits and tendencies.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Shopkick

If you’re more about shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, you’ll definitely want to use the Shopkick app.

There are 3 ways to earn points.

You can earn rewards when you walk into a store; then you can earn additional rewards for scanning products, and finally, you can earn points again when you make a purchase.

That’s right, you earn rewards just for visiting stores, even if you don’t make a purchase.

iOS app | Google Play store

Best shopping and coupon apps

• Target app

If you’re a Target shopper, you need this app. The app lets you see the latest deals in the store and add special offers to your account.

Then, you can use all of the coupons you’ve selected at the register with just a simple scan of a barcode off your phone.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Walgreens app

If you shop at Walgreens, you’re probably familiar with the coupon books they put out each month.

Instead of clipping coupons from the book, why not snag them on your phone? You’ll never forget your coupons, and you won’t waste paper tossing out the ones you don’t want.

You can clip the coupons electronically, and them scanned at the register. As a bonus, you can also manage your prescriptions through the app.

iOS app | Google Play store

• CVS App

Similar to the Walgreens App, the CVS App allows you to view and use coupons over your phone. It also allows you to order products through an online store.

The downside is that you need a CVS card to use the app, but if you’re a frequent shopper, it shouldn’t be a problem.

iOS app | Google Play store

• SnipSnap

SnipSnap operates like a coupon binder. It allows you to search stores for coupons and then download them to the app, where you can access them later.

It’ll even sort by expiration date and let you search your coupons later for easy access. When you get to the checkout counter, just scan the coupons from your phone, and you’ll see the savings automatically come off your total.

Best of all, the app is free, which really appeals to savvy shoppers.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Dealnews

If you’re the type of shopper that prefers working with a list, Dealnews offers the top 300 deals in your area so you can browse and discover great savings near you. The products span a range of varieties, and the list is updated daily.

iOS app | Google Play store

• SavingStar

If you use in-store savings cards, SavingStar can let you load coupons right onto those cards. It is a coupon app that works specifically with grocery stores, letting you clip and save coupons from the app.

iOS app | Google Play store

• RetailMeNot

If you’re a restaurant and store shopper, RetailMeNot has your back. You can browse deals from your favorite retailers and bookmark anything you’d like to use in the future.

This is a great app for people that shop in a variety of stores and are always on the lookout for coupon codes.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Groupon

Groupon is an app that offers local items and services at reduced costs. You can use the app to participate in giveaways and to redeem your Groupon vouchers.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Yowza

Yowza operates by allowing retailers rather than users to upload coupons to share. That results in better savings and more accurate coupon codes.

You can search the app based on your location or the retailer. You can even search for your favorite stores, even if they’re not in your immediate area. 

Over 70,000 retailers participate with Yowza, making it a great way to get exclusive coupons for your favorite stores. The app is free and works with iPhone or Android devices.

iOS app | Google Play app

• Express Checkout

Express Checkout is part savings app and part sanity saver. Instead of fumbling with your keyring to find your savings cards, Express Checkout keeps all of your loyalty cards in one convenient location.

You can scan your loyalty card directly from your phone, eliminating the need to weigh down your keyring with excessive clutter.

iOS app | Google Play app

• Coupon Sherpa

Coupon Sherpa offers a virtual wallet that you can save your coupons into. It offers a variety of savings options by retailer, brand, or other distinguishing characteristics.

You can scan the coupons from your phone, or you can print them off. The app is free and works on all operating systems.

iOS app | Google Play app

• Checkout51

Checkout51 is an effortless app that’s great for people who don’t really like to coupon.

You access the savings by scanning receipts, meaning you’ll never have to clip coupons or take them to the store. 

Once you reach a specific threshold, you can have a check mailed to you.

iOS app | Google Play app

Other smartphone apps that help you save money

Slickdeals

If you are looking to score a deal and save money by not paying the full retail price, look no farther, the Slickdeals app is the way to go. The engine behind this app is Slickdeals.net, an website with a very active community dedicated to hunting the web for great deals.

If you are struggling to make ends meet this month, there’s hope available! Title loans can help when you are short on funds.

The app has the option to customize instant alerts to be sent to you so you will not miss a good deal on a specific item. You’ll find deals on a multitude of items from travel and electronics to groceries; you name it.

Here you can also find coupons, secrete discount codes, and as a bonus, the community is providing detailed product reviews.

GasBuddy

This app is exactly what it says it is, a tool to help when searching for the best gas prices in a specific area in North America or Australia.

Who doesn’t want a quick app to save a couple of bucks when vacation is coming? If traveling by car, the app can instantly make you a connoisseur of an area without having to hunt for secret local deals. 

Moreover, it is easy to use: the search engine by city and zip code matches the most familiar search setups, and the app is pretty clean and direct.

If in need of more help, you can refine your search and redirect the site to pay for gas or to plan a trip with a pretty accurate price estimation. 

An avid traveler myself, I often prized my search skills when looking for the best prices online, and I can tell that this is a tool that checks my list: how to find the best price, for the best quality, fast.

Like it or not, we live in a world where time matters, so having a helpful tool like GasBuddy will win you some precious time and pocket money. With more time on your hands, you can enjoy a new site seeing when traveling or buy ice cream for the kids with the extra money saved on gas.

Robinhood

It offers real-time market data for investors in stocks, options, cryptocurrency, and ETFs. The app got big really fast, with millions of users looking to invest in the stock market.

With just a few thumbs moves, you can buy shares to your favorite company or even discover an investment opportunity in the next new Apple.

Everybody loves to check on their investments, but few people are willing to deal with the complicated graphics and the avalanche of data that other sites tend to post for accuracy.

Well, we are not all trained economists! I prefer to get a clear image of what is going on with my finances without all the guilt of not understanding complicated trade metalanguage.

Dreamstime Companion

Since the camera has been attached to our phones and encouraged by the social media explosion, we all became overnight photographers.

Everybody likes to take a selfie, snap a few pictures of some fancy dish, take photos while traveling, or even become a self-declared journalist.

Most of the time, we upload these images to social media sites or leave them stored in our phones, cluttering our memory. 

But what if there is an opportunity to make money on those photos?

Dreamstime Companion app will help you to do exactly that. First sign in for an account joining a community of over half a million photographers.

Next, start uploading your pictures straight from your phone, adding a title, a short description, and at least five keywords. The app will notify you when the image is online and ready. 

Once you upload your images with the Dreamstime Companion app, they will soon be available for people to purchase on the Dreamstime Buyer’s App.

Now a few useful tips: users can sell their images as editorial (with logos and faces visible) or as commercial content, which means no logos or people unless there is a signed model release.

One more thing, if you are witnessing an event that is newsworthy, you can snap a few pictures, upload them to this app, and your best images will be rewarded with a five dollars bonus.

The app will notify you when you have a sale and also provide you with real-time stats, sales reports, and revenue details.

Hotel Tonight

Hotel Tonight is what we are all looking for when traveling and having to book a room last minute.

This app will make daddy happy to save money because it books last minute hot deals, it will make mommy happy because it avoids fights over forgetting to book the hotel, it will make kids happy because it offers good quality hotels with many amenities for the entire family through the site’s digital concierge. 

This is to prove that last-minute deals could offer more for your buck than tedious long-time planning.

So, stop feeling guilty for having a busy daily schedule and not having time and patience to plan in advance. There is an app for this, and it works for so many people all around the globe.

Best Parking

Best Parking is the dream for any American in domestic traveling. Out in a big city with legendary parking issues such as New York, Chicago, or San Francisco, no need to worry.

This app will save you time and nerves. Gone for a conference, an emergency airplane trip, or a last-minute sport event?

No problem, the app will guide you fast to the best deals near airports, train stations, or stadiums. 

The plus: it saves time, and it offers great deals; you can even use the app to prepay your spot, basically ensuring that you will have parking anywhere, anytime.

The minus for its services: it is not made for international travel, and it may redirect your search for domestic destinations or Canada while targeting big cities.

The last detail, it shows real-life pictures of the parking places offered for a certain location which may seem unimportant, but it actually helps a lot when looking for a safe location in an unknown big city.

Groupon

If you did not hear about Groupon until now, I urge you to go and check them out immediately.

It saved my family and me a lot in almost any service or product, from booking hotels and travel to buying discounted tickets to shows and getting offers to my local gym. Let’s not even talk about the tones of free stuff that is daily given away by different brands. 

The downside of having an app to continuously show you amazing deals is that it may trigger unnecessary shopping just because it shows deals that you cannot miss.

Another detail is the abundance of items offered on a simple local search, although it definitely saves money there where it matters, such as store memberships. This could be good for those who like to indulge in browsing and window shopping.

Hopper

Finally, an app to predict the future! Hopper is designed for booking from hotel rooms and airplane tickets, the very foundation for a great vacation, to the smallest detail, such as predicting the prices at least four months in advance.

This answers to the ever-growing needs of consumers who instinctively check prices, read comments and star online reviews from previous customers.

The app promises a 95% price accuracy in booking flights, hotels while offering the possibility to pay online securely. The payment is carefully detailed, showing a tiny commission that can go up to $6 for a $400 value of buy. 

Besides the easy-going layout, the app offers the advantage of being popular with millions of users and potential recent reviews, which is the ultimate purpose when consulting a review for services and discounts.

Tip Yourself

Tip Yourself is an app that found a clever way to reward people for sustaining a personal challenge.

Leading a healthier lifestyle, saving for a life event, and for travel, or simply building a psychological incentive for accomplishing difficult tasks, the app aims to reach our dreams of who we want to be.

Consumers all around liked this claim and used the app for its professional data collection and detailed, up-to-date reports on personal performance.

Dragging to organize your life savings or your daily billing information because, well, we never find time for tedious spreadsheets and financial accountability?

Tip Yourself is here to help and make it not only easy to see how you improve directly on your phone but also to plan and organize your life goals.

It’s hard to budget for things like gas when the price per gallon keeps going up. Keeping to a budget is difficult when certain bills, like water, gas, and electricity, change every month. Then there are those pesky unexpected expenses that always seem to pop up.

Like with any other skill, staying on budget is something that takes time and practice to master.

Here are 7 tips for sticking to your monthly budget.

Read also: Best apps to help you save money

Give Yourself An Allowance

Giving yourself a cash-only allowance for all of the “extra” things you want is a great way to eliminate excess spending. Remember that once the money is gone, it’s gone, so that means no more lattes or other splurge items.

It’s easy to get a coffee or go out for lunch when you’re just swiping a card and not thinking about it. Instead of paying with plastic, take out a cash allowance each month to keep your spending under control.

Have the other members of your family participate in this exercise, too, by giving each person a monthly cash allowance.

Pay Your Savings Bill First

Treat your savings account as a bill and pay it first. Having an emergency savings account is important for all those expenses you don’t expect, like an auto accident or an injury.

If you have direct deposit through your job, have a portion of your paycheck put directly into your savings account, so you’re never tempted to use it rather than saving it.

Plan Your Meals And Shop Ahead

Eating out and buying groceries are two of the largest spending categories in most families’ budgets. Many people grab a pizza or fast food when they forget to eat something for dinner or can’t think of anything to cook.

Instead of eating out frequently, plan your meals and shop weekly. This will help you avoid running out of food so you won’t have to do extra shopping mid-week.

Another advantage of shopping ahead is that if you use the sales flyer to plan your meals, you can save a bundle by shopping. Using these deals and coupons can help keep your food budget in check.

Know The Prices Of Your Groceries

Please make a list (a mental list is fine) of the items you regularly buy and their price. Fruits and vegetables are seasonal, so if you notice that mangoes, apples, or avocados cost $0.50 in one season and $1.50 in another, plan accordingly.

Other items are seasonal too. TVs are always cheaper right before the Super Bowl or after Black Friday. Grills are cheaper in the summer. Shop for clothing during Labor Day sales or during back-to-school-specials.

Many stores lower prices on items seasonally or weekly, so knowing when something will be at the rock bottom price will help you plan your purchases better.

Adjust Your Tax Withholding

If your budget is too big for the amount of money you’re bringing in, take a look at your tax withholding to ease that burden a bit. Sure, having a huge tax refund in April is fun, but at the same time, you’ve essentially given the government an interest-free loan all year.

Instead of lending the government the money, please keep it for your monthly needs or put it in your own savings account to at least earn interest on it.

Identify And Eliminate Expensive Habits

Whether it’s smoking, drinking, or even a Netflix subscription that isn’t being used, eliminating your most expensive habits can help you lead a better life while putting more cash into your monthly budget.

Addicted to coffee? Switch from Starbucks to McDonald’s McCafe. Love watching TV? Cancel cable and get a Hulu subscription. Look at your lifestyle and identify places where you can cut back on spending to help with your finances.

Utilize Smartphone Apps

Use software or apps to help you keep track of your monthly budget. Numerous free apps and online software packages can help you track all of your spending and accounts. There’s Mint, Level Money, and You Need A Budget.

These smartphone apps will give you an overview of where you’re spending money and help you identify places you can save. Some also alert you when your budget for a particular category is almost exhausted.

Cars are a part of life. Without a car, it’s hard to do little things like buy groceries and commute to work.

Unfortunately, cars are also expensive, and there is a lot that goes into the purchasing process. It can be challenging for millennials who have never purchased a car before you know what to do.

Read also: Best money-saving apps

5 new car buying mistakes to avoid

If you’re in the market for a new set of wheels, make sure to avoid these costly mistakes at all costs.

Only Shopping At One Dealership

Before you buy a refrigerator, don’t you shop around first? You probably hit up Sears, Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and even Amazon, looking for the best deals.

 You do this because it’s a big purchase. Well, other than a house, purchases don’t get much bigger than buying a car.

So it stands to reason that you should also comparison shop for your car as well. By going to different dealerships, you’ll get a better idea of what type of deal the salesperson can offer you.

Keep in mind that the salesperson is there for one reason, to make a commission. They get paid based on a percentage of the profit made on the sale.

So it is in their best interest to charge you as much as possible. But if you decide to get up and leave, they get zero, zip, nada. This is why you will notice that the price suddenly drops a bit more each time you’re about to leave.

This is how you can assure yourself that you’re truly getting their best offer. So opt to leave the dealer and wait for them to lower the price one final time.?

If they have your contact information, you will get their absolute lowest price on the phone later in the day or the next morning.

Shopping At The Wrong Time Of Year

Dealerships get new inventory at the beginning of the year and start over with the sales goals simultaneously. That means they will be less likely to cut prices or make a deal at this time.

But at the end of the year, the emphasis is on clearing out old inventory and making the final push to reach their sales goals. So if you’re in the market for a new car, shop in the late summer or early fall, right before the next year’s models come out.

You will still drive away in a new vehicle, but it will cost you thousands of dollars less than had you bought it just a few months earlier.

Believing The Sale Is Valid Today Only

Don’t be fooled by grand opening specials and test-drive incentives. It’s all a façade to lure you in. Don’t be so blinded by all the bells and whistles the dealership has, such as free hot dogs or crazy promotions that are, of course, valid that day only.

The salesperson will invariably tell you that this crazy insane sale is only valid today. This common sales tactic is used to get people to seal the deal without going to another dealership or taking time to think about the purchase.

Even if you’re happy with the price you have negotiated, take time to shop around a little bit to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Resist the urge to succumb to high=pressure sales tactics, and don’t sign on the dotted line until you’re completely comfortable with the purchase.

There is usually no return period on new cars, so once you sign and drive away, you’re stuck with it.

Focusing Too Much On The Monthly Payment

One of the first things a salesperson will ask is what your budget is. But they don’t want to know how much you want to pay for a car; they want to know what kind of monthly payments you can afford.

They ask you how much you make every two weeks with the goal of seeing how much money they can squeeze out of you every month.

Auto dealers are experts at making that fancy new car of your dreams look affordable by finding ways to lower the monthly payment. Do not fall for these tricks.

They will tell you that you can drive off with this $16,000 car for only $350 a month and no money down. It sounds amazing, but what if you have to agree to a high-interest loan for the next 60 months?

That $350 monthly payment translates to a whopping $21,000 over the length of the loan. You have essentially overpaid by $5,000.

This sucks, especially because a few years down the line, you’ll still be paying top dollar for a car that surely isn’t worth anywhere near the $16k sticker price and most definitely not anywhere near the $21k you will ultimately shell out for it.

Always ask the salesperson this question: what’s the total? No, not the monthly total, but the total amount you will pay for the car, including interest.

This is the number that is most important, and it’s the number you need to feel comfortable paying.

Not Doing Enough Research On Your Trade-In

When you’re buying a new car, odds are you’re going to be replacing your current car. The easiest way of doing that is to take it to the dealer and trade it in.

The value of your trade-in will be deducted from the price of your new car. Sounds good, right? Well, the problem with this is that you’re going to get peanuts for your car from the dealership.

You can always get a better deal by selling the car yourself. Your current car may only fetch $6,000 as a trade-in, but you might get $8,500 if sold privately. Is that extra $2,500 worth the hassle of selling the car?

That’s for you to decide, but keep in mind you could take a few pictures and list the car on eBay.

If you don’t want to bother with selling your car on your own, there is another option. You can take your car to CarMax, and they will make you an offer on your car that may beat the dealerships’ offer.

You don’t even have to buy your new car from CarMax; you can just sell them your old one and then shop around for a good deal on a new car elsewhere.

Shopping around for the best deal on a new car is great, but you should shop around for the best offer on your trade-in as well.

Dealers want to pay as little as possible for trade-ins, so it’s important to come armed with information from the Kelley Blue Book app.

Before going to trade in your vehicle, do some homework on the current trade-in price for your car. With this information in hand, you’ll have a lot more negotiating power because you’ll come prepared with an idea of what your trade-in is really worth.

5 ways to save money buying your first car

Buying a car is one of the biggest purchases you will make, but it is also important to think about how much it is going to cost in the long run.

That’s why it can be very beneficial to save money where you can when purchasing, so you don’t have to worry too much about future costs.?

Here are 5 tips on how you can save money so that you can buy your first car stress-free.

First things first, work out your budget.

It is crucial that you outline a budget for yourself to determine whether you can buy new or used and how much you can afford in running costs. You have to be realistic about it.

Otherwise, you could run into problems later on, particularly if you little or no savings and your income drop unexpectedly. Consider using a budget planner, and that way, you’ll have a clear idea of how much you can spend.

Don’t be afraid to buy used.

If buying a new car doesn’t work for your budget, buying second-hand is still just as good. You may be able to negotiate a lower price for a car that has been pre-loved, so be on the lookout for minor damage that may help you lower the cost.

Time the market

It is well-known that cars become cheaper towards the end of the year, from September through to December. If that doesn’t suit your schedule, however, you can sometimes get a better deal at the end of the month if the sales staff are trying to meet their quota.

Pit dealers against each other

The aim of the game here is to start a bidding war for your custom. Once you’ve decided the make and model you’d like, contact a handful of dealers via the web, tell them what you want and when you want to buy.

Ask them for their best price, but let them know that you’re speaking to other dealers and plan to give the sale to whoever gives you the best deal.

 Try to make it a true comparison, so be very clear about what you want and what the price includes to avoid any fees added on later.

Everything is negotiable

Add-on fees are often pre-printed on auto sales contracts, giving the message to buyers that it’s a fixed cost and non-negotiable. This isn’t the case, and smart buyers know it.

With enough negotiating, pre-printed numbers can be crossed out, or an equal amount can be subtracted from another point on the same form. Just be smart and recognize where you can haggle the cost.

9 things to do before buying your first car

Create A Budget Before Buying Your First Car

Before you even think about buying a used car, figure out how much you can realistically afford. Most financial planners recommend spending less than 15% of your total budget on a car payment.

Don’t have a budget? You can read my guide on how to start a budget you can follow here.

Once you’ve got your budget created, see how much money you have left to spend on a car. Oh, and you can figure out your estimated car payment by using this calculator.

Note: Don’t forget to include the cost of insurance in your budget, either.

Yeah, I know, it really adds up!

Research More Than One Model

I know you’re already saying that special car of your dreams. But before you make up your mind, open your eyes and look at other makes and models first.

Every make and model is different. Specific years even have their own pros and cons.

Before you make a purchase, research at least three different makes and models, pay special attention to each vehicle’s weak points, repair costs, and resale value.

When you’re done, compare and contrast these statistics to help you make your purchase.

If you’re unsure where to start, two of the most popular vehicles for first-time car buyers are the Honda Accord and Toyota Corolla. Both vehicles are affordable, good with gas mileage, and have low repair costs.

Find Vehicles For Sale Everywhere

There are a number of places you can find used cars. Each has its pros and cons. Do you want to save a lot of money? Then buy a car off eBay or Craigslist. Do you want it to be easy? Then go to a dealership instead.

New car dealerships offer a range of new and used vehicles, while independent dealerships tend to offer a selection of used vehicles of different makes and models.

You’ll want to check all the hot spots first: cars.com, autotrader.com, and truecar.com. Next, try Craigslist and eBay. Finally, head over to a local dealer once you are knowledgeable about what prices cars are going for.

Understand Certified Pre-Owned

Some dealerships sell certified pre-owned vehicles at a higher price point. While these vehicles often come with an additional warranty, they may not be worth the markup. For example, while Honda and Toyota have extensive certification programs, other certified vehicles are nothing more than retired rental cars.

A certified pre-owned vehicle will cost you roughly $1,500 more. An alternative option for you is to buy an extended warranty instead, which should be cheaper.

Check The Vehicle’s History

Always get a vehicle history report before you purchase a used vehicle. These reports will tell you if the vehicle has ever been totaled or had the odometer rolled back.

If you’re dealing with a friend or loved one, it can be tempting to skip this step. Don’t. You may learn information that the seller didn’t even know.

Autocheck and Carfax are two services that can help you acquire a complete vehicle history report.

Contact The Seller

If you’re buying a car from an individual seller, a preliminary phone call will help you gather information about the vehicle and build a relationship with the seller.

During the conversation, ask the seller about the car’s history, present condition, and reason for selling. These questions may reveal information that was not listed online.

This conversation also offers an opportunity to size up the seller. Do they sound shifty or honest? Are they willing to answer your questions, or are they giving you the runaround?

Remember that when you buy a car from an individual, you are taking a huge risk. Cars are sold as-is, so there are no returns or refunds, even if the car breaks down on your way home.

Inspect The Vehicle

When you’ve narrowed the search to one vehicle, arrange a test drive. This is the best way to determine if the vehicle is right for you.

During the drive, pay attention to the vehicle’s brakes, acceleration, transmission, and power steering.

If the drive goes as expected, you should arrange for an official inspection. Just because the car drives well doesn’t mean there aren’t issues you can’t notice.

Most mechanics will offer a pre-purchase inspection for around $100. You shouldn’t buy a used car without an inspection.

Negotiate A Fair Price

Never settle on the sticker price. Most sellers expect to haggle with their buyers, so they list the car for a few thousand dollars more than their minimum price.

When ready, make an offer that’s lower than the average resale price for the vehicle. The first number you throw out there will be the starting point of the negotiation, so you don’t want to start too high.

The seller will make a counter-offer, and you will go on from there until you arrive at a price you’re both comfortable with.

Don’t Be Afraid To Finance.

Many how-to guides will encourage first-time car buyers to avoid financing their vehicle at all costs. Obviously, it’s best to save up your money and buy a car without a loan.

But we also have to be realistic. Typical first-time car buyers are recent grads who are saddled with student loan debt and will need to start putting their degrees to good use right away.

If you will use your car to go to work, your car is crucial to making money.

If you have above-average credit, it is entirely possible for you to qualify for a loan with a decent interest rate.

Do you have any tips you can share with millennials about buying your first car?

What many don’t know, though, is that shopping is one of the biggest everyday opportunities you have to actually save money. Furthermore, the savings from shopping add up quickly and can make a difference to your financial security or overall lifestyle within just a few months if you follow these three important money-saving methods.

Read also: Best apps to help you save money

1. Set specific goals.

This is a twofold tip: you should set specific goals for saving money while shopping in general and also set specific goals for each individual shopping trip.

Setting Specific Goals for Saving Money while Shopping in General

How much money do you want to save? It’s important to be ambitious yet realistic here. It’s also important to start out armed with information. Look at your receipts from your last grocery store trip and the last time you bought clothing, luggage, or a similar necessity.

Let’s say your last weekly grocery bill was $140. Saying that you’ll cut it to $40 next week is probably a little unrealistic—and even if you do manage it, your health or your tastebuds are sure to take a hit. However, dropping to $100 or $110 each week is ambitious yet realistic. This will also save you close to $4,000 a year!

It’s easy to save $30-50 a week on your grocery bill without making drastic changes. Try one of the following methods:

Eliminate one unhealthy, guilty-pleasure snack from your shopping regimen. This will save you money and make you healthier!

Buy dry and frozen goods, as well as items like medicines and vitamins, in bulk. The bigger packages will obviously cost you more upfront, but the per-unit price is generally much lower. Because these items last a very long time, you can buy several months’ worth at once!

Consider switching from the big name brands to store brands in a few food areas. Breakfast cereals, for example, are pretty much the same quality across the board, but a store brand can be $1-3 cheaper per box.

Even something as small as $30 a week adds up to a good chunk of change over the course of a year.

You should also look at ways to save money on other necessary, fairly regular purchases, such as clothing. It’s a little-known but important fact that spending a bit more money on clothing (I’m not talking Armani suits here, but something better than what’s on the clearance rack at Wal-Mart) can actually save you a ton of money. That’s because quality clothing lasts longer, meaning you won’t have to shell out cash for replacements very often. A $50 dress shirt is worth more than five $10 dress shirts.

Bonus Tip: The idea of buying quality goods as opposed to the cheapest available holds up for other products as well. Unless you can’t possibly afford it, it’s better to buy high-quality non-consumable products such as clothing, electronics, and other items that you’ll use often and where there is a discernable difference in quality between the cheapest products and better versions of the same products. This saves you money because a truly quality product will not need replacing as quickly as a cheaply made one.

Setting Specific Goals for Saving Money on Each Shopping Trip

Setting out on each shopping trip—especially at the grocery store— with specific goals is a good way to save money. Create a detailed list, with brands and prices, and other important information already written down, and only buy what is on your list.

Bonus Tip: If you’re an impulse spender, try paying for groceries with cash and only take enough cash into the store to cover what’s on your list. This involves a bit more work, yes, but it can also save you a ton of money. Remember, a penny saved is a penny earned.

2. Set aside the money you save while shopping.

The biggest mistake ordinary people make when saving a lot of money using a specific method like this is spending it all in another area.

Buying higher-quality clothes and an off-brand breakfast cereal might save you a few hundred dollars, yes, but that doesn’t mean you should go and spend a few hundred dollars in another area.

Set aside all of the money you save while shopping. The easiest way to do this is a traditional savings account, which you probably already have. However, savings accounts don’t pay out huge amounts of interest and leave your money easily accessible—a problem if you’re an impulsive spender.

If you’re interested in saving a great deal, try a certificate of deposit (CD) from your local bank or a low-risk investment like a mutual fund that tracks an index. These aren’t get-rich-quick schemes, but they are easy and low-to-no-risk ways for your money to grow while you’re not using it.

Remember: Don’t put all of your money into an account that you can’t easily access, such as a CD or mutual fund. Leave some in your checking account and some in a traditional savings account so that you can access it in case of an emergency. Even if you’re an impulsive spender, having quick access to a contingency fund can save you a lot of money because in the case of an emergency, you won’t have to use credit or suffer overdraft fees.

Generally speaking, the more quickly you can get the money you’ve saved into some kind of investment or savings account, the better. That way, you’ll prevent yourself from spending it unnecessarily.

The one exception to this is paying off debts. As long as you’re sure to leave yourself enough cash to cover all your regular expenses, putting a huge percentage of your disposable income toward paying off debt is as good as or better than saving.

If you have outstanding credit card debt, try putting a third or a half of all the money you save with better shopping habits next month towards that debt. You’d be surprised how quickly you can pay it off by doing this—and how much more money you’ll save in the long run by paying on loans and credit cards before they accrue more interest.

3. Don’t buy anything as soon as it hits the market.

This goes for everything from the latest iPhone to a new shirt from your favorite designer to a movie that just came out on Blu-Ray this week.

There are a few good reasons never to buy anything as soon as it hits the market. First and most important, you don’t likely need it very much. The companies that create and sell these products—especially phones and other electronics—know how much of a factor an item’s newness is in how well it does in the market. This is one of the central tenets of American consumerism.

That means that every time they release a new product, they expect to make a ton of money off of people like you—people who’ve been doing just fine without the product but want it just because it’s new.

Furthermore, when they stop raking in the cash, they’ll reduce the price. That means an intrepid consumer can get the exact same product much cheaper simply by waiting a month or two.

If you wait just a few months for the new phone from Apple or Samsung, you could save hundreds of dollars. Considering those companies release a phone annually at least, that means you could easily save over a thousand over the next five years.

Picture that – a thousand extra dollars in cash sitting on your coffee table right now.

On top of these savings, you’ll likely save even more money because you won’t be utilizing credit or signing up for expensive new cell phone service contracts. Credit and service contracts eat at your cash faster than anything short of addiction or being robbed.

Even for smaller items, such as a new shirt or a recreational item like a golf club or Blu-Ray, waiting at least a few weeks will drive the price down and give you a chance to read reviews, assuring you of the actual quality of the product.

When you buy something as soon as it hits the market, you’re essentially purchasing something that hasn’t been tested with the general public yet, and that can be a risk. On top of that, you’re paying much more than you need to.

But with careful planning, you can make your dream vacation a reality. Use these travel hacks to save big money on your next vacation.

And read till the end for the best apps to help you save money on your next trip.

Read also: Top 25 personal finance apps to save money

Use daily deal sites

This one is my favorite travel hack. Take advantage of Groupon and Living Social deals in cities you plan to travel to.

This way you’ll avoid paying the high tourist fees and get the deals the locals do.

Look up the city you’re traveling to before you head out and grab some cheap deals. Not only will you score a bargain, you’ll also get a better idea of what there is to do in the area you’re headed to.

If you want to avoid the crowds (and the high cost), skip the main tourist attractions and visit the smaller, lesser known places listed on the daily deal sites for an adventure minus the crowds and big bills.

Look into your dining options.

Research any specific local restaurants you want to visit on your trip first. Sometimes you can find a coupon on their website or a discount for joining their email list.

Then check restaurant.com for discount gift certificates. Just type in the zip code of the area you’re headed to and you’ll see a list of local eateries offering great deals.

Research transportation first

You can plan all you want but if you don’t plan how you’re going to get around, you’ll end up going over budget.

Here’s how to make sure your transportation costs don’t eat into your travel budget.

• If you’re planning on going to visit the typical tourist hot spots, look into staying at a hotel with free shuttles to and from these areas.
• If you’re going to stay for a while, it might be best to look into renting a car for the week.
• Plan your trip to minimize travel, grouping nearby places for the same day.
• Look into whether there’s a direct bus route to your destinations if you don’t want to pay for an Uber.

Look into any membership perks.

Check out your member perks for any services you belong to.

If you’re a member of AAA, Bank of America or any other organization that gives discounts and perks, check out what’s available at your destination. 

For example, Bank of America offers free admission to partner museums on the first weekend of every month. That can really add up if you happen to be traveling at the right time.

Consider dining in

Often, you go on a vacation for sightseeing, yet the biggest expense is the food.

If the purpose of your trip isn’t to visit restaurants, skip them altogether and go grocery shopping.

If your accommodations have a small fridge and a microwave, you can pick up some ready-to-eat meals.

Things like milk, cereal, sandwiches are all great small meals for a quick breakfast or lunch and can cut your food budget in half.

Search for budget locations

A vacation in Poland will cost a whole lot cheaper than a trip to France. So try to evaluate what you really want to get out of your trip before you plan it.

Do you want a beach escapade, a historical adventure, or a cultural experience? Once you have defined what you really want, pick the destination that can hand you that experience in the cheapest package.

Plan (way) ahead of time

Much like the early bird gets the worm, those who plan their trip early get the best rates.

Low-cost seats on an airline, off-season hotel room rates and free attraction tickets aren’t available year-round either. So plan your trip at the right time and reserve your spot early.

Your chances of getting the best deals in town are much higher if you book months ahead of schedule. When seats, rooms, or tickets begin selling out, the remaining tickets’ price always goes up.

Set a travel budget (and stick to it)

Before planning your trip to determine how much money you want to spend on it. Look at your savings and your monthly income to determine how much of a trip you can afford.

Once you come up with a dollar amount be sure not to exceed this amount. Take into account transportation costs, hotel stay, food, souvenirs and attractions. Then factor in a couple hundred dollars more for “miscellaneous”.

When you say budget travel, you have to learn how to let go of some of the frills and perks that you’re used to. So instead of booking a car rental service, use public transportation instead. Instead of a guided tour, try a do-it-yourself sightseeing trip.

Travel in groups

There’s nothing more affordable than a bill split four ways. So instead of traveling as a couple, find a set of friends with whom you can share the experience (all the expenses) with.

If you book with the travel agent, they can give you a better discount by ordering more tickets. You can also join an existing group to qualify for even better rates.

8 best apps to save money on travel

• Foursquare City Guide

Foursquare city guide is an app with helpful tips on the best spots, written by locals and visitors just like you.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Kayak

Kayak is a website that helps you compare airfare and hotel prices.

While that alone doesn’t sound like anything special, it actually goes a step farther and gathers prices from multiple booking sites so you can easily find the lowest price without the hassle. 

There are several ways to filter your results, giving you the ability to customize your search results and find exactly what you’re looking for.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Triposo

Triposo is your virtual vacation guide in a convenient app format. Just put in where you want to go and the types of things you like to do then let the app do all the work.

It’ll take into account your budget and the weather to help you make the most of your vacation.

Triposo is really good at finding local entertainment, making it a must-have for travelers.

iOS app | Google Play store

• TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor connects you with other people who have gone to the destination you’re interested in so you can read real reviews about the places you’re planning to visit.

You can see what other travelers thought about the activities you plan to do, the restaurants you plan to eat at and the services you plan to use.

The app can help you choose the best available options to have a vacation that’s worth remembering.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Zomato

Zomato (formerly UrbanSpoon) is an app that you can use at home or while you travel. It looks for restaurants in your general area, gives you menus and gathers reviews.

It also tells you a general price range, so pick a restaurant’s within your price range.

iOS app | Google Play store

• GasBuddy

GasBuddy is another app you can use all the time whether you’re at home or on the go.

The app helps you find the best gas prices around so you can fill up for the least amount of money. If you’re road-tripping, GasBuddy is a must-have app.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Waze

Waze is part map app and part social-networking app for drivers.

Not only will you enjoy turn-by-turn directions to your destination, but you’ll also get helpful tips from other drivers about construction, accidents and speed traps. 

The app is notorious for draining batteries quickly, so make sure your phone is plugged into a charger when you use it.

iOS app | Google Play store

• Wi-Fi Finder

If you don’t have unlimited data, you’ll want to have wi-fi finder on your phone. The app finds locations that have free or for-free wi-fi services.

It’s a great way to save your data by simply logging into a wi-fi connection instead.

iOS app | Google Play store