9 Simple Money Moves to Make This Month

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Money.

Sometimes, it just feels overwhelming, right?

Don’t worry! By breaking things down into bite-sized chunks, you can improve your financial footing quickly. Here are nine simple things you can do to improve your money situation right away!

1) Get Organized with a Separate Bank Account

Keeping all of your money in one bank account is a recipe for disaster. Things are bound to get confusing, and – before you know it – you’re spending what you should be saving.

Stop bleeding cash, and get organized with this simple trick: Open a second bank account with a specific purpose in mind.

Maybe you want to save for a vacation. Perhaps you need to start an emergency fund. Or, maybe you’re just looking to save some fun money. A second account can help.

A high-yield savings account is perfect for this, and CIT Bank’s High-Yield Savings Account is one of the best. All you need is a $100 deposit to get started, and there are no fees to open or maintain the account.

But getting organized isn’t the only thing this account can do. You’ll also earn more money in interest – 22x more than the national average, to be exact!

When you open a CIT Bank high-yield savings account, you will:

  • Have a clear picture of how much you’re saving toward your goals.
  • Only need $100 to get started.
  • Earn a rate that’s 22x the national average and over 100x more than some rates offered by national competitors.

Enough said.

2) Take a Deep Breath and Check Your Credit Score

Look, I’m not a huge fan of credit scores either. But, this stuff is really important.

By now, you’ve heard about the gigantic data breach at a certain credit reporting agency. Identity theft could become an even bigger problem now, so it’s more important than ever to stay on top of your credit.

But monitoring your credit score isn’t just for fending off fraudsters and thieves. Credit scores can impact your insurance rates, rental applications, and – in some cases – your chances of landing a job!

I monitor my credit for FREE with Credit Sesame. I got my free score almost instantly, plus it updates each month. They even help protect me from identity theft by sending alerts about any changes to my credit report.

So take a deep breath, exhale, and start monitoring your score today.

3) Eliminate Budget Busters

Want to get on track quickly? It’s time to trim the financial fat.

One of the best money moves you can make is eliminating unnecessary bills. Better yet, just cut out the bills you no longer use or need.

Trim is a free app that automatically finds and cancels subscriptions you no longer use. It can also negotiate your cable bill and find cash back you didn’t know was out there. On average, people save $30 per bill with Trim!

I love this app, and I think you will too. Simply create an account, connect the service, and let Trim do the hard work. With very little effort, you’ll save a boatload of cash and tons of headaches. Plus, you can get started for free!

4) Earn Some Passive Income

There’s not an easier way to make extra money than by taking surveys for cash. Heck, you can even do it while binge-watching your favorite Netflix series! Here are a few places to get started:

  • Survey Junkie – This popular survey site is a great way to make extra money from home. Just take surveys and get paid cash through Paypal. It’s that easy! Read our complete Survey Junkie review here.
  • Swagbucks – Swagbucks gives you a $5 bonus just for signing up. Then, you can earn money for taking surveys, surfing the net, and more!
  • EarningStation – At EarningStation, you can get paid to take surveys, play games, watch videos, and more. How easy is that, right?!?

5) Consolidate Your Student Loan or Credit Card Debt

If you have student loan or credit card debt, refinancing is something you CAN NOT afford to ignore. Refinancing can lower your monthly payments, help you get caught up, and save you big money in interest.

Credible is a great place to refinance both credit card and student loan debt – even if your credit score isn’t perfect!

You can compare multiple rates and offers by competing lenders in less than 5 minutes. Here are a couple other things to note about Credible:

  • The average user saves $18,668 when refinancing a student loan through their partners.
  • Personal loan rates start at just 4.60% APR (with autopay)*, which is significantly lower than most credit card rates.
  • It take just 2 minutes to apply.

Once you’re approved, you’re even eligible for a signup bonus of up to $200 on student loans or $100 on a personal loan!

*Credible rates and terms

6) Start a Simple Side Hustle

If you want more money, starting a simple side job is the best way to do it.

Driving for Lyft is an easy way to make extra money quickly. You can work on your own schedule, quit when you want, and earn some serious cash in your spare time just for driving people around.

Right now, you can even earn a whopping $300 signup bonus! How sweet is that?!?

7) Compare Insurance Rates

Speaking of cars, have you checked your insurance rates lately?

Shopping for cheaper car insurance is something you should do at least once a year. Just by keeping an eye on your rates, you may be able to save a few hundred bucks a year.

Check out Esurance to start comparing rates now. It takes just a few minutes, it’s free, and might save you money. Just be sure you’re comparing apples to apples!

8) Get a Free Retirement Checkup

Your employer may offer a 401(k) through work, but – chances are – they aren’t managing that money for you. If so, your retirement money could be in danger of falling short.

Blooom is a nifty app that automatically manages the 401(k) you already have.

Answer a few questions, connect the program, and let Blooom find the right investment mix for your personal situation. They’ll even start you with a free retirement account analysis.

9) Consider Refinancing Your Mortgage

If you haven’t taken advantage of the low mortgage interest rates, what are you waiting for?

Rates have been low for years, and there is no guarantee that they’ll stay this low forever. In fact, refinancing to a lower rate could save you tens of thousands over the life of your loan. Compare rates from up to 5 lenders here!

Getting ahead can feel overwhelming, but the hardest part is getting started. Take a deep breath and simplify the process with these painless money moves.

 

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7 Comments

  1. I’d also add that you should call your insurer for discounts! In fact, I plan to call mine today and ask about a rate reduction since I don’t drive my car much any more. 🙂

  2. We also organize our budget using no-fee bank accounts. Between my wife and I we have 10 no-fee accounts. We use these as “virtual envelopes” to help manage our monthly budget. Money gets allocated every month automatically using the auto-transfer feature. As we spend money it comes out of specific accounts depending on what we’re buying. Makes it super easy to track our spending vs budget.

  3. Yes to all of these, especially life insurance! My husband and I believe that everyone and anyone can have it, and SHOULD have it. Also, thanks for reminding me about the unused subscriptions! I’m sure I can find one or two that I can cancel.

  4. My wife and I got term life insurance last year. The payments are very reasonable for the next 20 years. We can’t predict the future so life insurance is something to consider through work or your own individual policy.

  5. These are effective tips explained using the simplest terms. If you can be money-wise as early as now, you get to avoid making huge financial mistakes later on.

  6. Some good advice that some new people starting out are likely to need. I’ve personally found the passive income from survey sites etc not to be worth my time. they take time for very minimal reward. I would rather spend my time doing the other options you listed like freelancing, etc.

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