Watch out for your wallet in 2022. Here are five ways 2022 will try to rip you off, and five ways you can fight back. This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide...
So, 2021 was a really terrible year, am I right? This pandemic has stolen all kinds of things from us. It took millions of jobs, hundreds of thousands of American lives, and countless hours of in-classroom school instruction. It emptied our bank accounts and shredded our peace of mind.
How about 2022? Is it coming for us, too?
When it comes to money, we’re firm believers that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Here are five ways 2022 will try to rip you off — and five ways to fight back.
1. Make Sure You Don’t Leave Your Family a Huge Bill When You Die
You love your family. The last thing you’d want to do is leave them to foot a huge expensive bill after you die. Did you know it can cost $7,000 to $15,000 just to cover funeral costs? And that doesn’t include other final expenses, such as leftover credit card debt or medical bills. Yikes. Your loved ones shouldn’t be stuck paying thousands out of their own pockets to cover outstanding credit card debt, medical bills and memorial services.
If you’re between the ages of 50 and 85, there’s an answer for this: a final expense life insurance policy through a company called EverQuote. And it’s probably cheaper than you think — you can get $10,000 in coverage for as little as $26.08 per month.*
This process used to be a pain. But with EverQuote, you can get started in just a few minutes. They’ll show you all your options at once so you can pick the plan that’s right for you. Final expense policies range from $5,000 to $30,000, and you don’t even need a medical exam.
Click here to get started — then never worry about this again. Your family will thank you.
*Rate is for a 50-year-old non-smoking woman.
2. Don’t Get Ripped Off While Shopping Online
The pandemic has changed how we shop, and that’s expected to carry over into 2022. More of us are shopping online now — including nearly 70% of Americans, according to a new NPR poll. Of those, more than 90% have bought something from Amazon.
Sure, it’ll be convenient to have boxes of stuff appear on your doorstep all through 2022. But no matter what you’re buying online, you may be paying too much for it. In many cases, there might be a better deal somewhere else. It just feels like a pain to look for it.
Wouldn’t it be useful to get an alert when you’re about to overpay? A polite little alert, not an obnoxious one. That’s exactly what this free service does. These free alerts can be added to your browser.
Before you check out on Amazon, Target or Best Buy, it’ll check other websites, including eBay, Walmart and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. It’ll even apply any available coupon codes to your order automatically.
So far, this free tool has saved users more than $160 million in the last year. You can get started in just a few minutes and see if you’re overpaying online.
3. Watch Out for Rising Food Prices
Some purchases are optional, but food isn’t one of them. Unfortunately, the price of food is expected to rise in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA predicts that grocery prices will rise by at least 1% to 2%, and restaurant prices will rise by 2% to 3%. That may not seem like a lot. But over a whole year, that’s really going to add up.
We’ve got a way for you to get some of the money back. A free app called Fetch Rewards will reward you with gift cards just for any of hundreds of items at the grocery store. Right now, it’s even offering shoppers a $10 gift card when they spend $30 on dozens of Unilever products at the grocery store. You can do this five times, or up to $50.
Here’s how it works: After you’ve downloaded the app, just look for products branded with the Unilever “U.” Then take a picture of your receipt showing you purchased an item from one of the participating brands. For your efforts, you’ll earn gift cards to places like Amazon or Walmart.
You can download the free Fetch Rewards app here to start getting free gift cards. Over a million people already have, so they must be onto something.
4. Ask This Website to Help Pay Your Credit Card Bill This Month
No, like… the whole bill. All of it.
While you’re stressing out over your debt, your credit card company is getting rich off those insane interest rates. But a website called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow.
Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.
If your credit score is at least 620, Fiona can help you borrow up to $250,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 2.49% and terms from 6 to 144 months.
Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.
All that credit card debt — and the anxiety that comes with it — could be gone by tomorrow.
Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He’s scared of 2022.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.