Jill Russo Foster

Before you head out for your summer vacation…

Take these precautions so you can enjoy a safe and worry-free trip.

Call your credit card companies to let them know where you will be. Your credit card company will know it’s you making the charges and will let them go through.

Put a hold on postal mail, newspapers, and any other regular deliveries before you go. You don’t want mail piling up advertising a vacant house.

Clean out your wallet. Remove all items that will not be necessary (that includes your checkbook). Carry two credit cards, and if you are traveling with someone, have different credit cards in case one wallet is stolen.

If you need to use an ATM, use one at a bank (preferably in a lobby). They are less likely to be tampered with.

Be careful when using hotel computers and Wi-Fi networks. Do not access your financial accounts as identity theft can be right around the corner.

Beware of fake calls from the “front desk”. If you receive a call from the hotel front desk telling you your credit card didn’t go through, it could be a scam. Thank the caller, and then go to the front desk in person to straighten this out. Never give your personal information over the phone to someone who calls you.

Taking a few precautions before, and during, your vacation may save you from financial troubles when you get back.

Airline Tip: Fly Smart with Fewer Fees

If you’re a long-time reader of Quick Tips, you know that we like to travel. We’ve become expert at getting the most out of our vacations while keeping our travel costs low. In the last few years, the airlines have been adding so many fees… they kind of remind me of the banking industry.

But, there ARE ways to avoid or reduce those airline fees! Let me help you.

When I first started to travel, you paid for your airfare and all the little perks were included – checked luggage, beverage and a meal, the seat of your choice, and a movie. Those were the good old days.

Now back to today’s reality. All those little extras come with fees that can make even the most reasonable airfare seem expensive.

Baggage Fees

There is a real advantage to traveling light. Don’t over-pack. Choose clothing that you can mix and match. I personally pick three color themes for the trip so that all my clothes can be interchanged. Because I pack fewer clothes, I can bring my luggage as a carry-on to avoid the baggage fees and save time at the airport. If you try this, just remember to pack 3 ounces or less of toiletries because you won’t be checking your luggage.

Airline Food

If healthy eating is as important to you as your wallet, you will bring your food with you. Buying food on the plane, or in the airport, can be unhealthy and expensive. Pack what you like to eat, and you will be all set. Remember to bring an EMPTY water bottle. That can go through security, and you can refill before boarding the plane. Or, just purchase a beverage after the security check point.

In-flight Entertainment

Entertainment can be costly on the plane, but you can avoid it. Are you carrying your own electronics on the flight? If so, you can save money. Most mp3 player ear buds will work to watch the movie – you don’t need to rent or buy headphones from the airlines. Maybe you’d rather watch your own entertainment – bring it with you. While you can’t use Wi-Fi for free, you can watch what you already have downloaded to your laptop or tablet. This will save you even more money.

Choosing Your Airline (and your seating arrangement)

When you book your flight, there are so many options to choose from and all at a cost to you. Where do you want to sit? When do you want to board? All of your choices can cost money. Only you can decide if being one of the first to board the plane, and sitting up front, are worth the added fees. Personally, we fly one airline (and its partners), so we have frequent-flyer status with the airline, and get some seating benefits without paying additional fees.

If you’re a frequent flyer, you can do this too. If you’re not, you can participate with a credit card rewards program that can offer some of these perks without the fee. Beware: the types of credit cards that offer travel perks are usually the kinds that have an annual fee and/or a higher interest rate.

Look closely at how you travel, and consciously choose the perks you want to pay for.

Do you like to travel? How do you avoid added airline fees? Join the discussion.

Spring Cleaning with the Town’s Help

In our house, Spring is a time for cleanup. We start indoors and then finish outside. This year was different for us. The weather was warmer sooner, so the outdoors was tackled first. We groomed overgrown plants and shrubs, trimmed trees, weeded and mulched the flower beds, and more. Now it feels like it’s time to enjoy the year with family and friends.

Not quite…

Because Spring came early, our annual ritual was thrown off. We skipped the indoor clutter cleaning. Now we’re left with random deadlines that we are trying to follow.

For example:

There was our town’s Sneaker Recycling Day…

…That happened to be the same day as our town’s Paper Shredding Day.

We have an old/unused/outdated medication drop-off (to help us clean out our medicine cabinets without poisoning the ground or groundwater).

And then there was Hazardous Waste Day. We got rid of the last of the chemicals! We’re making great strides towards using all natural products.

That’s in our town. Does your town have programs to help you set clutter-clearing goals?

We are still left with many indoor projects that don’t coincide with a specific date, and those can get pushed off. Little by little, they will get done. We have been tackling scanning and tossing paperwork. No matter how hard we try, paper builds up.

To help you get your life simplified, check out the resources page on our website. We’ve added some new links to help you get rid of that extra stuff.

One resource we mention is Craigslist.org. We used Craigslist to give away an old TV. Just because we didn’t need it, didn’t mean that someone else couldn’t make good use of it. It’s better than having it go to a landfill.

If you try one of the resources on our list, or use another one we haven’t listed, let us know. I love hearing success stories and learning about new resources for getting rid of unwanted items.

Clean out your wallet before you take a vacation

While you’re packing your suitcase, don’t forget to properly pack your wallet. You want to bring only those items necessary for your trip.

This is one of those little tasks many people forget before leaving home on a vacation, a long weekend, or any other trip.

For example, you might want to carry only one or two credit cards. If you’re traveling with a spouse, don’t carry the same credit cards. If one of you loses his wallet and has to cancel the VISA card, you could still have your MasterCard or American Express.

What about the cards you leave at home? They should be locked up in a safe place (not left in a drawer). It’s impossible to keep your travels secret. The wrong people might know that your house will be empty for the next week.

But, back to your missing wallet. How did that happen? Did you forget it somewhere, or did you leave it unattended in the wrong place?

You may feel paranoid about leaving your wallet back at the hotel, but it’s much worse to keep your valuables in a beach bag while you’re in the water. Most hotels have safes which allow you to lock up you valuables before you head to the beach.

What if you’re just at the beach for the day? Leaving your wallet in the car is not a great choice, either. Parking lots near tourist destinations are popular targets. If you have to leave it in the car, keep it in a not-so-obvious place so it’s not easy to find in a smash-and-grab.

Taking a few simple steps to protect your wallet, and your identity, ahead of time can save your vacation, and hours of your valuable time. You don’t want to have to clean up an identity-theft mess after your vacation.

When you co-sign, you’re responsible for payments

When you co-sign a friend’s loan, you are taking out a loan. Yes, you read that right!

You are agreeing to make the payments if the borrower does not. But, the borrower is your friend and he would never do that to you, right…?

… Maybe. Not on purpose, but if he’s not very good with money, or has money troubles, it could “just happen.”

A lender only asks for a co-signer if the borrower isn’t creditworthy on his own. The lender could have good reason if your friend has a poor credit history, or doesn’t make enough money for a loan of that size. Or, it could simply be that the lender has no proof that your friend is good with money, because your friend has never taken out a loan or had a credit card before.

Because they are unsure about your friend, they’re counting on you to step up and take responsibility if things go badly.

Remember, if your friend doesn’t make the payments in a timely manner, or doesn’t make them at all, it will show up on YOUR credit history as well as his, and hurt your credit score.

If your friend is too embarrassed, or too disorganized, to tell you that he hasn’t been paying the loan, you might have to make a really big payment to get the loan current again.

And by then, the damage to your credit score will already be done. It will take years for the late payment history to drop off your report.

I know you want to help your friends, but, think carefully before you make a decision that could change your finances for the worse.

Make Your Dream Vacation Affordable

Last issue we talked about vacationing locally and all the things you can do close to home. But, what if you really want to get away? How will you save money, then?

We travel often and are able to save in a variety of ways. Here are some of them:

Travel during shoulder season (that’s somewhere between peak and off-season). We’re going to Aruba in the Fall. The Caribbean is off season at that time because of the hurricane season, but Aruba is usually too far south to be affected by hurricanes.

Comparison shop to get the best deals – there are so many websites that will do this for you. I like Kayak for airfares.

Reward Programs – if you find yourself using a particular airline or hotel, join their program. I know you’ve heard that you may not be able to use your miles for flights. I can tell you that I haven’t found that to be an issue. You do need to plan ahead to get the reward you want. We have used airline miles for many trips, including a flight to Alaska in August.

For rental cars, we make our reservation early, but don’t prepay. Then we check back regularly to see if the price has dropped. You will be amazed at how much the price can drop closer to your trip!

Discounts and coupons – don’t forget about those. We recently went to an aquarium because our water company sent a buy-one-get-one-free coupon with your bill. Coupons and offers can come from a variety of sources. If you have a membership with a service like AAA or a store like Costco, check their mailings or website. Once you reach your travel destination, the visitors guides typically have clip-out coupons (make sure you pick them up when you arrive).

Stay at a place with a kitchen (or at least a fridge) to help your budget. You can shop when you get there for meals and snacks.

Bring your own food on the airplane. Take carry-on food versus buying in the airport or on the plane. You can’t bring drinks, but you can buy a beverage in the waiting area, or get a free drink after boarding. Your own food will undoubtedly be healthier and more satisfying than anything they have to offer.

We’ve had trips in the past where we’ve traveled for next to nothing. Our airfare was paid for with miles and our lodging with hotel points. We only had to pay for food, local transportation, and entertainment.

What do you do to save money on vacation? Join the discussion.

Wise Comments from Readers

We had some great comments from readers in April.

What Don’t You Do with Your Money

Cheryl emailed:

“This one really hit home…we think the same way as you…we are frugal in some areas so we can do other things that we like to do. We recycle a lot of things; save them and then reuse; like door knobs, drawer pulls, mini blinds etc. We reuse what our parents and grandparents used…no need to buy new; ie: garden tools, kitchen appliances and kitchen utensils. My husband uses old tools, (old but well made and efficient); He will put a new handle on, sharpen blades and so on. Our wood curtain rods with decorative end caps were also my grandmother’s that had been saved by my parents. Thank heavens they had a large attic!!

Today I pulled my grandmothers wooden wheelbarrow out to work in the garden!!!”

I love it, Cheryl. If the old tool still works and is in good shape, why replace it! I can understand replacing prominent appliances if they don’t match this decade’s styles, but most tools pop in and out of the closet as needed. And, you’re lucky to have access to grandma’s attic for those lovely curtain rods!

“What systems do you use to organize your finances, so that your bills are paid on time?” (Facebook)

On Facebook, Vicki Heise wrote:

Hi Jill! I use a single sheet of paper that lists bills in due date order to make sure I don’t miss anything. It has columns for accounts, amount due, bill received, due date, amount due, how to pay, and online usernames and passwords. Most of the info is pre-filled so it’s easy to check if any bills are missing and see if the info is correct. Recently I added incoming monies to the list so I can see the cash flow too. It’s made paying bills and handling the $$$ so much easier!

I love it, Vicki! Whether you use paper or a software spreadsheet, there’s something to be said for seeing your payment and income schedule all on one page!

And Amy J. R. wrote:

I pay bills once a month through bill pay directly from checking account. It works great because I can see everything so nothing is missed and it’s quick and easy. Some bills are withdrawn automatically every month. I save the bills as they come in the mail throughout the month and check them before I pay just to be sure I have the amount correct.

You’re brilliant, Amy! Not only are you keeping track but you’re double checking to make sure you’re being charged the right amount.

“How do you find extra money to put into savings each month?” (Facebook)

On Facebook, Amy J.R. wrote:

We use ING savings accounts where a set amount is automatically withdrawn each month from our checking and put into various individual accounts.

Automatic withdrawals are the way to go! I love that you have individual savings accounts for different purposes.

Which bills or services have you eliminated in an effort to balance your household budget?

On Facebook, Whitney B. wrote:

Unused memberships, subscriptions and cut back on cell phones and cable services.

And Jennifer C. wrote:

Have not eliminated but renegotiated fees etc.

Renegotiating what you do use and cutting back on what you don’t use. These are great ways to save money without giving anything up!

Thank you for your sharing your wisdom in April everyone!

Save Money – Stay Local this Summer

Share Your Vacation Story!

Planning a great money-saving vacation? Share your tips! You can post your story in the comments below or on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Or, you can email me at book @ jillrussofoster.com. I can’t wait to be inspired by your summer plans!

Here are my suggestions!

Now that it’s Spring, you’re probably thinking about summer travel plans. I know I am. But, with the price of gas going up, you might be thinking, “Can I afford to do something this summer?” You can if you stay local. Here are some free or low-cost suggestions:

Local museums – Museums can be pricey, especially if you’re bringing the whole family. But most museums have free days or discount days. Check the website or call the museum to see when their next discount day is, then plan a vacation day around that.

City parks for movies, concerts, or theater – Many Parks and Recreation Departments host events. These might be free, or low cost, and all you need to do is pack a picnic. In our area, we have movies in the park, many music concerts and Shakespeare on the Sound. Check out your town’s website to see what they offer.

Libraries – Check your library’s event listings (we use our library all year long). Many libraries host interesting talks, movies, and even musical events.

Holiday Celebrations including parades and fireworks – What is your town doing? Check out nearby towns, too.

State Parks – You’ll get a change of scenery and a day outside.

Tourist activities – Be a tourist or visitor in your town (or nearby) and check out the sites. Try to see your town with new eyes and check out the funny little restaurants, art stores, outdoor art, and important town landmarks.

Get together with family and friends – Plan a get together to reconnect. We have one planned for July already.

Go to the Beach – This is one of my favorite places to relax.

Street Fairs and Festivals – Many areas have multiple festivals throughout the summer. There are arts and crafts fairs, ethnic celebration festivals, and antique car shows. You can buy pottery one weekend, and dance the polka the next. Use the internet to see what’s happening in your area.

What do you have planned? Join the discussion.

It’s May! Relax this summer knowing you’ve checked your credit!

It’s time to order your next credit report
This month use Equifax

Hello everyone! This is your quarterly reminder from me.
Order your free credit report from www.AnnualCreditReport.com.

AnnualCreditReport.com is the ONLY authorized source for a truly FREE annual credit report that’s yours by law. You have the right to know. Exercise your rights! Learn more.

When ordering online:

Select your state, then click Request Report.
Fill out your information, then click Continue.
When it asks you to select a service, select Equifax.

Not comfortable ordering online? There are three ways you can order your report:

Order online at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. By ordering online you can have your report back in minutes!
Mail your postal order by downloading the form at www.AnnualCreditReport.com
Call in your order at 1-877-322-8228

It doesn’t matter how you get your report, the most important thing is that you do! Then…

Review it for accuracy!
Follow the instructions with the report to correct any errors.
And, always remember to keep copies for your records.

Do you want to know your credit score? Use CreditKarma.com. Credit Karma will give you a close approximation of your FICO score, and it’s free.

May you have a sunny and profitable summer!

P.S. You will receive another reminder in September, allowing you to stay up-to-date on your credit throughout the year.

What Don’t You Do with Your Money?

I’ve shared two ways we save money in our household – careful food shopping and credit monitoring. Now I’ll tell you what we don’t do that saves us money.

We don’t have a data plan with our cell service

We have cell phones, but that’s it – just cell phones. We don’t have text messaging or a data plan. We lowered our minutes to the lowest plan available and we regularly come in way below our limit.

We don’t have HBO.

Only in the last month have we upgraded to an HDTV and that’s because one of our two TV’s needed to be replaced. We still have one older TV and we don’t plan on replacing it unless it stops working. We have a basic cable package and get our movies free – either from the library or the free on-demand selection our cable company provides. We gave up our paid movie channels a while back. We don’t have a DVR either – still using the VCR.

We don’t hire home contractors (often).

We do a lot of home maintenance and repairs ourselves. Last year, we painted the garage. This year we painted the bathrooms ourselves. We don’t have a landscaping service to take care of our yard. (It helps that we don’t have a big yard to take care of.) I really enjoy gardening. There is nothing better than picking fresh vegetables and eating them within minutes while they’re still super fresh.

We don’t buy new cars.

We drive older cars. Mine is a 1995 with 167,000 miles and it runs fine. I just had a tune up and the mechanic says the car is in great shape. Having older cars works perfectly for us, because we don’t like making payments. I’m not into fancy cars – all I need is reliable transportation.

You might be thinking that we lead lives of deprivation, but I can assure you that we are not missing out on anything. We only spend money on things that are important to us. If we spent money on things that we didn’t enjoy (but made us look good to other people), that would mean having less money for things we do enjoy – like nice vacations.

What don’t you do with your money? Join the discussion.