There are hundreds of credit card options out there, so how does someone go about choosing their first credit card?

“What credit card should I get?” is a question I hear often. Many who are picking out their very first credit card are overwhelmed by the options.

Not all credit cards are available to those who have never opened one. Many require good or excellent credit scores. But if you haven’t opened a credit card you haven’t had time to build a solid credit history that would qualify you for a wide range of cards.

There’s a few things I think people should keep in mind when opening their first card, such as opening one with no annual fee, using only a small percentage of your available credit, and more. We’ll get into all of that, but first let’s get to what I recommend for a first credit card.

The Best First Credit Card

 

The card I recommend for a first credit card is the Discover it® Cash Back card.

Discover was my first credit card. I opened my Discover card about a decade ago and have been using it ever since.

Special Offer: When you use our link to sign up (any link on this page), you will get a $100 statement credit when you record your first purchase within three months.

Here’s some reasons I think the Discover it® Cash Back card is the ideal first credit card:

1) No Annual Fee

 
When it comes to a first credit card, having no annual fee is the most important feature I look for. If a card has an annual fee, it’s simply not a good first credit card.

Your credit score is, in part, based on your credit history. If you open a card with no annual fee you can keep it open forever even if you decide to stop using it and move on to a different card. If you open a card with an annual fee you will likely end up closing it, perhaps even within a year or two of opening it.

The Discover it® Cash Back card does not have an annual fee, so it fits the bill.

2) Solid Rewards

 
While it’s true that there is no huge sign-up bonus for the Discover it card, it does have solid rewards you will be able to take advantage of.

• 1% Cash Back on Every Purchase
   
  The Discover it® Cash Back card has always offered 1% cash back, regardless of where the purchase was made, what was purchased, etc. No matter what you will always get 1% cash back on every purchase.

• 5% Revolving Quarterly Cash Back Categories
   
  Each quarter of the year Discover offers a new 5% cash back offer. For example, this quarter it may be 5% cash back on restaurants, up to a certain amount (i.e. $1,500). Next quarter it could be Amazon purchases. There is a new category every quarter.
   
  This is a great perk if you take advantage of it. 5% cash back is not something you will find on many other cards.

• Partner Gift Cards
   
  One of my favorite benefits of the Discover it® Cash Back card is the partner gift card program. My wife and I have used this for years and it’s always nice to get a “free” gift card.
   
  It’s a really simple program. If you use your cash back rewards to redeem a gift card, you will get the gift card at a discounted rate. For example my two personal favorite gift cards to get are $50 Starbucks and Chipotle gift cards. You can get either of these for just $45 of your cash back, which means you get another free $5 on top of the $45 you already accumulated through cash back rewards.
   
  There are currently 100+ participating stores/brands and some have even better deals than what I described for Chipotle and Starbucks. For example, a $50 Gap gift card can be had for just $40 in cash back rewards. A $50 AMC gift card can be had for $45 in cash back rewards, and so on.

3) Free FICO Credit Score

 
If you get a Discover it® Cash Back card you have complimentary access to your FICO credit score. This perk is no longer unique, as many if not most credit cards now offer a free credit score. With that being said, I like how the Discover FICO credit score shows your total number of accounts, length of credit history, number of credit inquiries the past 12 months, and what your credit utilization is.

 
Special Offer: When you use our link to sign up (any link on this page), you will get a $100 statement credit when you record your first purchase within three months.

Tips for People Getting their First Credit Card

 
It’s important to use your first credit card responsibly. It can be a great tool to build your credit history, but only if you use it right. It’s best to be disciplined from the get-go so you don’t fall into the trap and habit of maxing out your credit cards.

Here’s 3 tips for people getting their first credit card:

• Treat your credit card like cash
   
  The fact that you are getting your first credit card means that you are not in credit card debt. You have an opportunity to never get into credit card debt, but it requires you to immediately get in the mindset of treating your card like cash.
   
  If you don’t have the money, don’t charge it, and make sure you pay off your credit card in full each month.

• Only use 1/3 of your available credit at any one time
   
  Using only 1/3 of your available credit may not seem like common sense, but your credit score is impacted by how much credit you utilize. So if you were approved for $1,000 in credit you should keep the balance on your card below $333, or less, at any given time.
   
  There is no penalty for making multiple payments towards your credit card throughout the month, so consider taking that approach if you are worried you will go above the 1/3 credit utilization threshold.
   
  This can be difficult with your first credit card. There is a good chance you will only be approved for a small amount, such as $500. 1/3 of that is not much, so you’ll need to limit what you charge to your card as well as pay it off diligently.

  That brings us to our next tip of requesting an increase in your credit after 6-12 months.

• Request a credit increase after 6-12 months
   
  Along the same lines of only using 1/3 of your available credit, you will also want to consider requesting a credit increase after 6-12 months. If you have been consistently paying off your card you are likely in a good position to have your request approved.
   
  How do you request a credit increase? With Discover it’s an option within their online dashboard. If you aren’t approved, don’t sweat it. You can wait another few months and submit the request again.

 
To summarize, I recommend the Discover it® Cash Back card as a first credit card. It has no annual fee, solid rewards, and a free FICO credit score.

When you apply through our link, you get a $100 statement credit when you make your first purchase within 3 months.

 
To be clear, this isn’t the only option for a first credit card. There are other good cash back and rewards credit cards that you may want to consider for your first credit card. You can browse the other options here.
 
 

If you’re like me, a lot of ideas are swimming around in your head. It can be hard to nail down what areas of your life you want to focus on.

That’s where this list of 100 goals to focus on for a successful year comes in handy!

100 goals is a lot of goals, but this list is meant to give you a bunch of ideas that you can pick and choose from. We have ideas for money goals, career goals, personal development goals, and finally health & fitness goals.

You’ll find inspiration and things you can take action on below.

1. Create an emergency fund
2. Automate your savings
3. Create a budget
4. Track your income and expenses
5. Save for a down payment on a house, a wedding, a baby fund, a car, etc.
6. Create a student loan repayment strategy.
7. Travel more, but spend less by travel hacking using credit card rewards to get free flights and hotel stays
8. Make a plan to give a percentage of your income to charity
9. Identify your spending triggers and create a plan to cut temptation out
10. Make a plan for paying off your debt
11. Commit to not getting further into debt
12. Learn more about investing
13. Open an IRA and start saving for retirement
14. Contribute more toward your 401(k) – enough to get matching contributions from your employer (if it’s offered)
15. Learn how to invest in rental property
16. Read some awesome personal finance books
17. Spend in a way that reflects your values
18. Save a certain percentage of your income each month
19. Start a side hustle
20. Review your insurance coverage to make sure your needs are met
21. Consider refinancing your student loans and learn about income-driven repayment plans
22. Try calling creditors to get your interest rates lowered if you have credit card debt
23. Cut cable (if you haven’t already!)
24. Take a “no-spend” challenge or a ban on buying certain things
25. Calculate and track your net worth
26. Learn how to optimize your taxes and take advantage of tax savings
27. Create a will and an estate plan if you have a family

1. Ask for a raise, or work toward getting one
2. Work toward a promotion (and a raise)
3. Update your resume
4. Go to networking events in your area
5. Go to a conference in your industry (yes, even if you are a huge introvert!)
6. Try learning one new skill each quarter that you can apply directly to your job
7. Create a “pat on the back” folder in your inbox and fill it with praise you receive from coworkers and managers
8. Distance yourself from office politics as much as possible
9. Start a side business to diversify your income
10. Look for a better paying job with more opportunities for growth if you feel stagnant at your current job
11. Find a mentor in your field
12. Work toward receiving recognition for something you’ve done – does your employer offer awards?
13. Work more hours or less hours depending on your personal and financial goals
14. Get comfortable with negotiating
15. Take a public speaking class, join Toastmasters, or seek out opportunities for public speaking
16. Explore other interests you have to gear up for a career change
17. Do regular salary research to make sure you are getting paid what you should be
18. Consider going back to school for an advanced degree
19. Take a course to get certified in something related to your industry
20. If you’re still in college, research internship opportunities
21. Raise your rates with clients if you’re a freelancer and/or business owner
22. Get comfortable with the idea of outsourcing and think of how it can benefit your career instead of hurt it
23. Learn how to manage your time better
24. Set expectations and boundaries with clients/customers
25. Find a way to showcase your creativity in your job

1. Find things to be grateful for
2. Control your thoughts and emotions and choose to react better to negative situations
3. Give meditation a try
4. Learn the art of having patience – good for those with a short fuse
5. If you’re Type A, try going with the flow and being spontaneous more often
6. If you’re Type B, try embracing organization and planning more
7. Think of a few habits you want to develop (like not checking your phone/social media as often) and mindfully incorporate them into your life
8. Consider enlisting professional help in the form of a coach or psychologist
9. Read inspirational stories from others
10. Make more time for yourself; stop focusing on others as much
11. Live more intentionally and mindfully each day
12. Volunteer at an organization close to your heart
13. Become more confident in yourself; have faith you can accomplish new things
14. Get out of your comfort zone and do something completely out of character (but still legal, of course)
15. Learn a new language
16. Travel to a different country and live like a local to immerse yourself in a different culture
17. Write something, whether that means starting a blog or going all in and writing a book
18. Put yourself in the shoes of others more often
19. Get rid of your tendency to procrastinate and get ahead on a few projects
20. Pick up a book like How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie (a classic) or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
21. Learn a new language using software like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone
22. Wake up earlier to get a head start on the day (or work through the night ;))
23. Cut out or decrease the time you spend in front of the TV
24. Consume more information – there’s tons of free content out there in the form of books, blogs, podcasts, video courses, etc.
25. Keep a daily journal or blog

1. Try cutting out sugar from your diet
2. Eat smaller meals frequently throughout the day
3. Cut out all fast food
4. De-stress and relax more often
5. Be proactive and get an annual checkup
6. Set aside 10-15 minutes each day, search YouTube for a exercise video, and do it!
7. Get into exercising at home with light weights or kettlebells
8. Go to your apartment complex’s gym or your town’s community fitness center for free
9. Become vegan or vegetarian
10. Have vegetables with every meal, or at least two out of three meals per day
11. Drink more water (a Contigo water bottle can help)
12. Choose to walk to places within a mile or two of your house instead of driving
13. Start a couch to 5k program to work your way up to running
14. Make it a point to try a new, healthy meal at least once per month
15. Join a community sports team or find a Meetup group where people play sports
16. Improve your posture by being mindful of how you sit at work, or…
17. Get a standing desk (you can build your own)
18. Increase your flexibility
19. Commit to working out at least three times a week, every week
20. Visit a nutritionist to optimize your diet
21. Get more sleep
22. Decrease or cut out any unhealthy vices you have, like smoking, drinking, or eating frozen meals all the time
23. Pick a workout or diet program and stick with it consistently for a month or two
24. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamins from your diet and if not, choose appropriate supplements
25. Try a new fitness class to get more excited about getting in shape (Groupon always has deals)

 
If you’re looking to make next year your best year yet, then these 100 goals focused on money, career, personal development, and health and fitness should help make it happen!

Luckily, you have control over one of the most notoriously expensive parts of Christmas – gift giving. Here are 14 creative and cheap alternatives to traditional Christmas gifts.

1) Donations

 
Giving a donation in someone’s name in lieu of gifts can be even more meaningful, and can really help those who are truly in need during this time of year. Making a donation in the name of your family or friend is something nearly everyone would like or at least appreciate.

If you aren’t sure what organization your friend or family member supports, just ask. They will appreciate the thought, and it’s always better to ask to ensure money in their name is going to a cause they really care about.

DC here – I’ve given a donation as a gift and received one as a gift in the past and it was awesome. Especially as an adult, so often we already have so much “stuff” that it can be refreshing to receive a gift that is actually a donation helping a good cause. Highly recommend it! My go-to is the World Wildlife Foundation, which has a great gift option where you can give a stuffed animal or other gifts as a physical representation of the donation you gave.

2) Secret Santa

 
If you can’t bear the idea of a gift-free Christmas, why not consider a Secret Santa gift exchange? Before Christmas day, everyone randomly draws another family member’s name and purchase a gift for that specific person. During the gift exchange, everyone gets one gift.

You can even put a price limit on how much everyone can spend. This not only make a Secret Santa an incredibly budget-friendly option, but it also forces participants to get creative with their gifts.

3) Potluck Dinner

 
Hosting a big potluck dinner can be celebration enough. At a potluck, everyone can bring their own dish to share, which can be considered a gift in itself. In addition, a potluck takes some of the stress and financial responsibility off the host.

To make it even more fun, you can consider a theme meal, where everyone brings a dish and dresses up according to the theme.

4) Make Memories

 
Instead of gifts, think of something you and your family or friends can all do together. It doesn’t have to cost much, but chances are, experiences you’ve had together are going to be more memorable than a gift.

This could really be anything – a trip to the movies, a weekend getaway, a fancy meal out. You may even find that this becomes tradition.

5) Create a “Need” List

 
It’s never easy to guess what people want for Christmas. Instead, ask everyone what they really need.

If you’re going to be spending money on them, they would probably appreciate something they really needed versus a gift that they might not even use.

6) Give Your Time

 
The gift of time is not only one of the most meaningful gifts, but it can be one of the most helpful. Everyone could use additional help in some area of their life – whether it’s a house cleaning, organizing, cleaning up the lawn, or a special project.

Helping them for an afternoon might not even feel like much work to you, but the recipient will surely appreciate your help.

It’s also worth pointing out that actually scheduling this is much preferable to giving a coupon for future use. Many people who receive coupons as gifts rarely redeem them. Offering to help with landscaping or watching someone’s kids so they can go on a date night should be put on the calendar so it actually happens.

7) Start a Savings Account

 
For anyone with children in your family, consider starting a savings account. Instead of spending money on gifts, put a few dollars into a savings account to give them when they graduate high school.

Okay, maybe a FEW gifts. But you can still get the savings account rolling as well.

Though it might not save you lot of money right now, it does re-purpose that money into something more meaningful than the latest gift. If you are unsure whether this would be appropriate, talk with the child’s parents.

8) Go Homemade

 
Whether or not you consider yourself crafty, you can make a variety or relatively simple homemade items to give as gifts. Everyone appreciates a creative homemade gift, and the possibilities are endless.

You can make anything from woodworking projects, scarves, body scrubs, food items, and more. Making items homemade can be much more cost effective versus buying a gift for everyone. They might just take a little more time since you have to actually make the gift, so be sure to start plenty of time in advance.

9) Give Household Staple Items

 
Giving household staple items might not be the most meaningful gift, but they rank high in usefulness and simplicity. If you’re unsure of what to give, household items like nice hand soaps, bath items, cleaning supplies, or even laundry detergent can make great gifts.

I like this gift because I’m practical. It’s something that will never go unused, and allows me to save more money in my budget by not having to buy such household items for a few months. To make it seem a little more special, you can wrap it up into a gift basket to give to the recipient.

10) Don’t Exchange Gifts at All

 
Though it may seem taboo to some, it is possible to forgo gifts entirely and without guilt.

The important step is to ensure everyone is on board with a no-gift Christmas. If you are proposing a no-gift Christmas, you’ll also want to stress that this truly means no gifts. Inevitably, one family member will give small gifts, causing everyone else to feel slightly guilty. When you all talk about it beforehand, it allows everyone to be on the same page.

11) Celebrate Christmas in the Off-Season

 
Though it is possible to find sale items during the holiday season, the sales are far less significant than other times of the year. Add that to the already hectic holiday season, and you’re spending much more money than you would be during another time of year.

One way to elevate some of these costs is to hold the holiday celebration during another time of year. Many people find a “Christmas in July” is more affordable than celebrating in December.

12) Limit the Number of Gifts

 
It can be easy for gift-giving to get out of hand. You may feel inclined to buy endless gifts for everyone. One way to combat this is to limit the number of gifts you buy for each person.

The key is communicate your ideas with everyone you are celebrating with. This ensures that no one feels slighted or upset after Christmas.

13) Host a White Elephant Exchange

 
For a fun and informal Christmas gift exchange, you can declare it white elephant. That means everyone buys or finds one funny gag gift. It truly can be anything. Then you go about exchanging the gifts by drawing out of a hat.

This may not be for everyone, but it is a fun and very affordable way to celebrate a family Christmas.

14) Split Meaningful Family Gifts

 
What gifts could your family all benefit from or enjoy? Why not go in and purchase a group gift?

This could be something such as family portraits, a new household item if you all live together, a trip you take together, or even purchasing the research to create a family tree.

We basically have unlimited access to a ton of information right at our fingertips, thanks to the internet.

What’s even better is that the majority of this information is free.

So if you want to get resourceful, finding free alternatives to products and services that would otherwise cost money is pretty easy.

It’s even easier with this list of free things on the internet you should be using!

Everything is broken down into categories so you can easily find what you need.

1) Free Education Sites

 
These are first on the list because they’re truly valuable resources. If you love to learn, you don’t necessarily need to go back to college and take classes. Instead, there are MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses. The list below contains both learning platforms and sites that have curated free courses offered on a certain subject.

The list doesn’t end here at all, either. If you’re interested in learning about a specific industry or skill, I recommend searching for a learning platform dedicated to it!

• Coursera
• Khan Academy
• Open Culture
• edX
• Open Education Database
• Academic Earth
• MIT Open Courseware

2) Free Trials for Memberships

 
Almost every subscription based service or product has a free trial. The best part is you can usually get something for free in exchange for referrals.

The one caveat with this is to remember to set a reminder for yourself to cancel if the free trial requires a credit or debit card upon sign up.

Hulu+: There’s a standard one week free trial to Hulu+, but if you search for specials, you might find ones that last a month or longer. Get the most out of your free trial by binge-watching a few shows.

Netflix: Can’t decide between Hulu+ and Netflix? You might want to start with Netflix first as it offers a more generous one month free trial period.

Hello Fresh: Want to give a food delivery service a try? Hello Fresh gives you recipes and all the ingredients you need to make great meals for dinner, and they offer 3 meals for free.

You Need a Budget: This is a super popular budgeting software that normally has a monthly fee, but you can try it free for 34 days.

Lynda.com: You get a 10 day free trial with Lynda.com, and it has just over 4,600 courses available if you’re interested in learning about photography, programming, video editing, etc. There’s not much it doesn’t offer!

3) Free Music Services

 
I can’t even remember the last time I bought a CD. Can you? These days, it’s just so much easier to stream a wide variety of songs right from your phone or computer.

Besides curating your own playlists, you can also listen to a huge amount of radios for free as well.

Pandora: One of the first services to offer music streaming for free, Pandora allows you to discover tons of music you otherwise might not have heard. You search for music you like, and it plays music it thinks you’d like based on that. You can tell Pandora if you like a song or not by giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down.

Spotify: I prefer Spotify to Pandora only because I can be a little picky about music recommendations. I prefer to create my own playlists and search for specific songs that I can save. That’s not to say you can’t discover new music, though. Spotify also offers recommendations and it has plenty of playlists to look through depending on the day, time, and your mood.

Slacker: At first glance, Slacker looks very similar to Pandora. The difference is that you can create and share your playlists with Slacker, and it promotes playlists curated by experts. Pandora uses algorithms to determine if songs are similar. Slacker further enforces its “human-powered” concept by allowing celebrities of all sorts to take over the station.

Radio station streaming: Lastly, your favorite radio most likely has an online streaming service so you can listen to it on your computer at work.

4) Free Entertainment

 
YouTube: Where would we be without it? From cat videos to tutorials to troubleshooting and learning, you can find pretty much anything you want to keep yourself entertained. YouTube could even go under the music section as it’s incredibly easy to create playlists, and it often has singles and remixes that might not be available elsewhere. There are even content creators who have formatted shows.

Crunchyroll: If you like anime and manga, then you’ll find most everything you need by tuning into Crunchyroll. The free version is a bit limited, but at least it’s offered!

Twitch.tv: Twitch originally started as a platform to watch game play, but it has evolved over its short lifespan to include board games and artistic hobbies as well. If you’re into crafts, cosplaying, or watching people have fun while playing games, you can tune into any stream for free.

5) Podcasts

 
What’s not to love about podcasts? Most of the time they’re commercial free, and plugs for sponsors don’t last nearly as long as radio commercials do.

You can download a variety of podcasts, so if you’re looking for comedy, education, or actual scripted shows, you’ll find it here. I personally enjoy listening to music podcasts because I get an hour or two of non-stop mixes of the latest tracks.

6) Free Open Software

 
There are free alternatives to popular software out there if you know where to look. If you’ve built your own PC before, you know how annoying it can be to buy all the programs you need.

A great example of open software is one you’ve probably heard of: Open Office.

We can’t mention free tools without mentioning Google’s suite of products. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more all have great functionality for basic users, and the fact that everything is saved in the cloud means you can access it from anywhere.

Want to take it a step further? If, for some reason, you find yourself without an operating system on a PC of yours, or you want to dual boot, Linux can be a great option. It’s a completely free OS, and it’s pretty and very functional. You can use it as you would regularly use Windows, and for the nerds out there, it has a separate distribution that offers an interface for command-line prompts. It also comes with its own suite of programs, so you’ll have a word processor and graphic design software.

Speaking of, while I love Photoshop, I realize some people would rather not pay the monthly fee to have access to it. In that case, GIMP, Canva, PicMonkey, and InkScape (alternative for Illustrator) are worth looking at.

7) Free ebooks

 
I don’t know about you, but I love to read. I practically grew up in a library. While you can get books for free by borrowing them, sometimes finishing them by the due date can be a challenge (especially if you’re busy). However, if you’re not the type of person who reads books multiple times, buying can sometimes be a waste.

Instead, look for free eBooks! There are plenty of sites that offer selections, and even though some exclusively offer classics, you could decide your life needs a little Pride & Prejudice.

Project Gutenberg: There’s over 50,000 ebooks on this site, and you can search by most popular and most recent. Be aware that many are older because the copyright has expired on most of them.

SpringerOpen Books: Springer provides access to scientific documents and journals, so if you’re looking for something a bit more academic, you’ll find it here. All research is peer-reviewed.

OpenLibrary: The purpose of this project is literally in the name. OpenLibrary’s model is similar to Wikipedia – they want to catalogue every book ever published. That means you can create pages for your favorite books and share them with the world. You can also download free, out-of-copyright books, and borrow books that are in copyright.

Smashwords: This site has a selection of books you can buy along with its free books. Most of what you’ll find in the free section are books published by indie authors. There’s every genre you can think of along with essays, poetry, and screenplays.

8) Actual Freebies

 
What would a list about free things to use on the internet be without mentioning the fact you can score a bunch of freebies online?

There are many websites that will send you free samples of things to try, and these products may even be full-size samples:

• Reddit’s Freebies Subreddit
• Freebies.org
• I Crave Freebies
• A great list of birthday freebies to sign up for
• Don’t forget to check the “free” section of Craigslist!

9) Free Money Management Tools

 
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention money management tools in this article being that this is a personal finance website! Thankfully there are quite a few free ones to choose from.

Personal Capital: Personal Capital is a one-stop-shop for all your finance needs. You can review your spending, the performance of your portfolio, and see if your retirement savings are on track.

Mint: I’m sure you’ve heard of Mint by now, but it automatically tracks and categorizes your spending, you can set up spending goals/limits for a budget, and receive alerts when you’re nearing your limits.

Digit: This is a great, free tool to use if you’re not a natural saver. Digit analyzes your spending patterns, takes a look at your bank account, and figures out how much you can afford to save. It then transfers that amount to a separate savings account. Digit promises to never overdraw your account and offers a guarantee on it.

Penny: This app is a relative newcomer to the personal finance scene, but it’s great for people who are on the go or need a little encouragement. Penny might be an app, but it functions as a coach, as it will have actual text conversations with you about the state of your money.

10) Free Cash Back Sites

 
Last, but not least, we’ll round out this list of free things you should use with a few places where you can earn free money. Well, it’s not totally free – you do technically pay with your time – but it beats getting nothing!

Swagbucks: This is a great site to use in your spare time or while you’re watching TV. You can earn Swagbucks by performing a variety of tasks on the website, such as taking surveys, watching videos, and using its search engine. You can redeem your Swagbucks for gift cards. A lot of people use this strategy around the holidays to reduce the cost of gifts.

Ebates: If you’re going to be shopping for something, you might as well try to earn as much for your purchase as possible, right? You can do that by shopping through Ebates. There’s a huge selection of popular retailers to choose from, and when you shop using Ebates, you earn cash back for your purchases. You can redeem the cash back once you reach a certain threshold.

Credit Card Portals: Do you have a rewards credit card? Then chances are, you can earn even more cash back with your card by shopping through a rewards portal. It functions essentially the same way as Ebates.

Bonus Free Stuff

 
Because who doesn’t want more free stuff? Here are just a few things to look into if you’re a little bored:

• Cards Against Humanity Online
• Free-to-play games on Steam (PC games)
• A list of productivity tools, many of which are free
• Duolingo
• Coloring pages for kids (or adults, who’s judging?)
• Hemingway Editor
• Justin Guitar – Free Lessons
• Font Squirrel

Who ever said there wasn’t anything free in life? Blogs are a great example of free information, too. ;) As anyone who goes online knows, there’s a ton of free stuff to be found if you’re willing to look for it. Hopefully some of these resources are useful for you.

 
 
What are some of your favorite free things you use on the internet? Are any from this list? 
 
 

Ten or so years ago it wasn’t common to have home or apartment security cameras.

They were either cost prohibitive, overly complex, or both.

Ring is one of the companies that changed that.

Most people are familiar with Ring because of the Ring Video Doorbell, but they also offer a wide range of other products including home security cameras.

If you are considering adding Ring Cameras, this post will help you decide whether to get POE Ring cameras or WiFi Ring cameras.

What are the Different Ring Camera Options?

 
As you can tell from the title, one regret I have is setting up a bunch of WiFi Ring cameras instead of POE Ring cameras.

The problem is that most people don’t know what “POE” means. It wasn’t until after I set up many cameras that I learned more about POE, or power over ethernet, and why POE Ring camears are better than WiFi Ring cameras.

To be clear, I think that WiFi Ring cameras are better than no cameras at all. It was a game-changer the first time I traveled to be able to log in and check my cameras, and even get alerts of motion. Since then I can’t imagine not having some sort of camera system and broader home security system in place.

When it comes to power source, there are three major types of Ring Cameras:

• Wired

• Battery

• POE

The Ring Stick up cam is an example of a wired Ring camera. This camera can also be powered by solar, which is actually quite affordable for Ring cameras.

Regardless of the power source, these Ring cameras are going to need to connect to your home network, and that’s accomplished by connecting to WiFi.

The same can be said about battery-powered Ring camera options. It still needs to connect via WiFi.

This brings us to POE Ring cameras, or power over ethernet. The unique thing about POE is that it provides both power and network via one cord. An example of a Ring POE camera is the Ring Stick Up Cam Elite.

Why POE Ring Cameras are Better than WiFi Ring Cameras

 
As I already mentioned, there is nothing inherently wrong with a WiFi security camera. In fact, the nice thing about them is how easy it is to connect to your network.

But WiFi Ring cameras come with their disadvantages.

In general, WiFi is less reliable than wired devices. This is true not just for Ring cameras but any device you are connecting to your network. WiFi signals can get jammed up or face interference, which is an issue for something meant to provide security.

Another thing to think about is placement of cameras. A lot of times you’ll want to place cameras around the exterior of your house, with soffit being the most likely thing you mount your cameras to. With wired Ring cameras you are going to need to have an outlet nearby, or you’ll have to run extension wires such as these to the closest outlet.

This may not seem like a problem at first, but when you really think about how many outlets you have in places like your garage and how accessible they are, you can run into issues once you start adding multiple cameras to your house.

Since you are already running wires, why not run POE wires (which are essentially cat6 ethernet cable and connect to a POE camera? From a wiring perspective it’s the same or less work, and you end up with a more secure and stable network connection.

How Does POE – Power Over Ethernet – Work?

 
Most people aren’t familiar with POE. And even when you first hear about it, it can be difficult to wrap your head around it.

If you can get past the initial “new-ness” of the concept, you can get comfortable with using it as your power and network source for your cameras. Perhaps more importantly, you can avoid the mistake I made of going with WiFi cameras. Because like me, you can avoid first buying WiFi cameras and then later swapping everything out to POE.

A graph can be helpful. Below is how POE works for Ring cameras.

Most home networks consist of a cable modem, a router, and that’s it. Using POE just takes one extra step: a POE switch.

The way a POE switch works is you run ethernet cable from the router to the switch, and then you run ethernet cord from the switch to the cameras.

And that’s it – you’ll have a wired network connection and power to your cameras.

Below is an example of a POE switch:

Once you start comparing the process of running wire for wired Ring cameras to running cat6 ethernet wire for POE ring cameras, running ethernet is more flexible. You only need an outlet for the switch, not for each camera.

There is one advantage wired Ring cameras have over POE Ring cameras: price.

If you compare the Ring Stick Up Cam, which is the wired option, to the Ring Stick Up Cam Elite, which is the POE option, the Stick Up Cam is about $100 while the Stick Up Cam Elite is about $200. So essentially with each camera you purchase you are paying double for POE.

With all that being said…POE is the future for security cameras. You are better off setting up POE cameras now instead of WiFi cameras which you likely will eventually upgrade to POE.

If you are ready to set up your Ring home security network, here’s a list of supplies:

• POE+ Switch (we didn’t get into POE vs. POE+ vs. POE++ in this post, but I recommend getting at minimum a POE+ Switch)

• Cat6 Ethernet cable

• POE Ring cameras

I did not include a modem or router since most people have it, but you can of course shop for these on Amazon as well.

I know I have. Minutes, days, and months all seem to fly by lately.

Before we know it, half the year is gone, and we’ve barely scratched the surface on accomplishing our goals.

Sometimes, this is simply the result of not using our time wisely.

Sure, dinner comes and goes, and it’s bedtime before we know it, but what were we doing to pass the time? Watching TV? Surfing social media feeds? Watching cat videos on YouTube?

Instead, why not try dedicating one or two hours of your nights and weekends to improving your life just a little bit?

Here are 12 productive things you can do on your laptop in your spare time.

1) Organize Your Files

 
Okay, maybe I’m an organizational weirdo (my closet is color coded), but I love having all my files on my computers organized. It makes it ten times easier to find whatever it is I’m looking for. (This is really helpful when you’re a freelancer with 10+ clients, too.)

For example, I have a folder for pictures which is separated into locations and years, images for my site, images for my clients’ sites, music (with separate folders for artists), articles (divided by client), tax documents…and that’s barely scratching the surface.

You can do the same if you use Dropbox or Google Drive, which I also do. The podcast I’m part of has a shared folder in Google Drive, and we have each podcast episode broken down by folder, so it’s easy to see which files go with which episode.

Getting your files organized and keeping them organized can save you a ton of time down the road. While you’re going through the process, delete files you no longer need to free up space!

2) Start a Side Hustle

 
We’ll leave off with the most obvious one: start a side hustle in your spare time on your laptop!

Yes, you can run a small business right from your laptop and become location independent, if that’s something you’re interested in. Or you can earn a few extra hundred dollars a month by using skills you already possess and offering the service to others.

Or you can start a blog and monetize it down the road. One guarantee if you start a blog – you will learn a lot in the process and you truly never know where it will take you. While it’s not always the case, many people who start a blog have turned it into a full-time income.

Earning more helps you advance toward your financial goals more than pinching pennies, and you’re bound to pick up valuable skills you can either take back to your workplace, or use to launch your own business full time.

3) Learn a New Language

 
Want to travel or ramp up your resume? Then learning a new language might be a great idea.

There is paid software out there that you can use, but why take the chance if you’re not sure you can commit to it?

Instead, try Duolingo. There’s both a free version and a paid version, and it’s also an app (so you can study on your phone). It offers a ton of different languages to learn. Babbel is similar, but only the first course in each language is free, so try each before paying for a subscription.

4) Study For a Certification

 
What’s more productive than studying for something that will potentially increase your salary? Whether you want to go into a new field or advance in your current field, try to search around for free courses that will prepare you to take exams for certifications.

You can do this even if you’re a freelancer looking to edge out competition. As an example, Google offers a free analytics course that helps you prepare for the Analytics Individual Qualification exam. Knowing how to track how effective an ad or social media campaign is can be pretty useful depending on the services you offer.

5) Learn a New Skill

 
Alternatively, you can choose to learn a new skill that doesn’t necessarily correspond with a certification, but will still boost your income.

Lynda.com is one of the best places to start as it has a crazy amount of courses on subjects ranging from video production to photography to web development.

Here’s a tip: check your library to see if it offers a free subscription to Lynda. If not, there are still plenty of free sites like Codeacademy that will teach you valuable skills, not to mention the plethora of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) that can give you a great education without the hefty price tag.

If you’ve been meaning to learn something new for the challenge or because it interests you, you’ll likely find something on YouTube or a site that teaches the concepts for free.

6) Make Extra Money through Sharing your Opinion and Cashback Rewards

 
Along the same lines, if you like to unwind while watching TV, or if you spend a decent amount of time on the bus or train for your commute, why not take the time to earn extra money?

Sharing your opinion for cash is one of the easiest ways to lazily make money from home while binging on the latest Netflix show. Check out our big list of survey websites to get started.

Besides making extra money, there are also opportunities to get cashback on purchases you make. Sites like Rakuten offer cashback on purchases you make. Here’s a list of more than ten cashback sites you can sign up for. Some of these websites have sign-up bonuses when you use our link.

Finally, if you aren’t getting cashback through your credit card it’s time for a new one. Browse and compare the options available here.

7) Enter Giveaways

 
DC used to enter giveaways as a side hustle, and it has the potential to be fairly lucrative if you keep up with it. He even won a trip to Hawaii!

There are plenty of free giveaways to enter on your laptop during your spare time. If you’ve got nothing else going on, why not try? The more you enter, the more you increase your chances of winning.

Just as a bit of a warning, you might need various social media accounts to enter into these giveaways, as some require a like, follow, or tweet, so create a few specifically for entering giveaways before going on an entry spree.

8) Check in With Your Spending

 
You didn’t think we’d forget about money management, did you? Time spent managing your money is time well spent. Set a reminder for yourself to sit down with your laptop and have a budget check-in once a week to make sure you’re on track for the month.

You can use our free automated budget spreadsheet to help you stay on top of all your transactions each month. This spreadsheet uses Tiller to automatically pull in your transactions from all your bank and credit card accounts. It can be a huge time saver.

9) Watch Educational Videos

 
If you’re not a podcast person, Ted Talks might be up your alley. They tend to be on the shorter side, and they’re usually focused on one subject.

Experts talk about interesting discoveries they’ve made and explain how their findings can be applied to the real world. Others present a radically different perspective on subjects you might have learned in school that will make you think differently about them. You’re bound to find a few lifehacks here as well.

Maybe watching someone give a talk on a stage isn’t your thing, or you’re looking for material more in the realm of traditional education. Check out the following informational YouTube channels that also have animations to keep your attention: CrashCourse, AsapSCIENCE, MinutePhysics, and SciShow.

If you love picking up “useless knowledge,” give Mental Floss and Because Science (lots of “nerdy” topics) a watch.

Lastly, How to Adult is filled with useful knowledge on, well, something I’m sure we could all find useful as young adults.

10) Read a Book

 
I know, I know. Why read a book on your laptop when you might have a tablet or phone that can do the job?

Well, everyone has different reading preferences, and some people can’t stand holding an actual book or reading on a tiny screen. A laptop provides a middle ground. Check your library for ebooks or borrow a classic for free online.

You don’t necessarily need to read a book book, either. Maybe there’s a short ebook freebie you got when you signed up to a newsletter that you’ve been meaning to check out. PDFs longer than 20 pages count as long as you’re learning something, right?

11) Watch Tutorials

 
Are you awful at cooking? Always wanted to learn how to sew, draw, or play guitar? Maybe you want to pick up knitting or cosplaying? Is there a DIY project on your mind that you don’t know how to start?

There’s a ton of tutorials out there on each, and most of them are entertaining as well as informational. Try and find a series for beginners out there that can guide you step-by-step through a certain process.

12) Write in a Journal

 
Admittedly, I love journaling with pen and paper, but there are some pretty great online journals out there.

No, I’m not talking about LiveJournal (if anyone remembers those), but there’s one I’ve used called Penzu that allows you to customize the look of your journal, and allows you to password protect it.

You can have multiple journals if you want, which is great if you’re trying to track health or financial goals.

What are your favorite things to do to stay productive while on your laptop or computer? Have you already used any of these ideas? Share in the comments!

This isn’t surprising. We are inundated with Instagram pics of people visiting cool locations all over the world.

In Minnesota where we have brutal winters, a pic from a beach can instantly cause wanderlust (and jealousy).

The main thing keeping people from traveling is money.

I can relate: my wife and I graduated undergrad with $100k in student loan debt.

Even if you have little or no debt there is a never-ending list of things you need money for: rent, a down payment on a house, health care, retirement, pets, emergency fund…the list goes on.

Travel is something we wanted to prioritize after college. But we also wanted to hit other personal finance goals, including building an emergency fund which is no small feat.

One of the benefits of being a personal finance blogger is that I am exposed to many different ways to save money. The more I learned about credit card rewards, the more I realized that they could help make our travel goals possible.

Travel rewards credit cards oftentimes come with a “welcome” bonus, such as “get 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on your credit card within the first three months of signing up.” Those welcome bonuses can really pay off because they translate to hundreds of dollars of savings through a statement credit or through free flights.

 
A quick note: If you are currently in credit card debt I recommend not signing up for these cards. The amount you pay in interest will outweigh any potential benefits. Instead, read my post about what to do if you are in credit card debt.

OUR TOP CHOICE: Chase Sapphire Preferred

 
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has been one of the top credit cards on the market for some time now.

One positive of this card is the fact that there are so many partner programs that you can transfer your 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® to. The points transfer 1:1 to the following programs:

• United MileagePlus®
• British Airways Executive Club
• Aer Lingus, AerClub
• Emirates Skywards®
• Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
• Iberia Plus
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• IHG® Rewards Club
• Marriott Bonvoy
• World of Hyatt®

Both my wife and I have signed up for this card and we transferred the points to our United MileagePlus® account. You don’t have to transfer your points to get value out of this card, though: the 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® bonus points are redeemable for $750 on the Chase portal.

Bonus: 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® bonus points

How to Unlock the Bonus: Spend $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening

What the Bonus can be Used for: Redeemable for $750 through Chase Ultimate Rewards® or transfer 1:1 with partner travel rewards programs

Annual Fee: $95 (NOT waived the first year)

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

 
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is one of the best travel rewards credit cards because of how flexible its rewards are.

This card offers $500 towards any travel-related cost after you spend $3,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

This card is great because of its simplicity. You know exactly what you are getting with this card and you don’t have to limit yourself to specific companies or brands when redeeming your rewards.

An extra perk with this card is that you will receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre®.

Bonus: 50,000 bonus miles

How to Unlock the Bonus: Spend $3,000 within the first 3 months

What the Bonus can be Used for: Redeemable for $500 in travel-related expenses

Annual Fee: $95 (waived for the first year)

Chase Sapphire Reserve

 
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a popular credit card, but it does come with a hefty price tag: a $550 annual fee.

Typically a card with a $550 annual fee wouldn’t be worth getting for anyone other than those who travel frequently. But one nice thing that comes with this card is a $300 annual travel expense credit. Assuming you will for sure have at least $300 in travel-related costs each year, the effective cost of the card is $150. Some of the other benefits of the card, such as lounge access and built-in trip insurance, can make the card annual fee worth the cost.

Similar to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Ultimate Rewards® points transfer 1:1 to the following programs:

• United MileagePlus®
• British Airways Executive Club
• Aer Lingus, AerClub
• Emirates Skywards®
• Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
• Iberia Plus
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• IHG® Rewards Club
• Marriott Bonvoy
• World of Hyatt®

There are a couple additional perks worth pointing out. Chase will reimburse your expense for a TSA pre-check or global entry account up to $100, and they also provide you with one-year complimentary access to a network of over 900 airport lounges.

I signed up for global entry, which includes TSA Pre-Check, and it was so worth it. The first time I used it was a trip to NYC. I checked in online from home so I didn’t have to wait to print a boarding pass. Even with checking a bag it was under 10 minutes from stepping out of the car to being past security. I highly recommend it even for casual travelers.

Bonus: 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® bonus points; $300 annual travel credit; Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check application

How to Unlock the Bonus: Spend $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening

What the Bonus can be Used for: Redeemable for $750 through Chase Ultimate Rewards® or transfer 1:1 with partner travel rewards programs

Annual Fee: $550 (NOT waived the first year)

United Explorer Card

 
The United Explorer Card is a great card to have if you plan on flying United or if you either already signed up or plan on signing up for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

This has been my airline of choice the past few years because of how many miles you can rack up when you transfer Chase Rewards points 1:1. My wife and I have amassed over 300,000 miles and have used it to travel to Florida, St. Martin, and New York City. United is an ideal airline to have miles for because of the sheer number of locations they fly to.

Like most airline cards you will get free checked bags, but unlike other airline cards you will also get a pair of passes each year to the United lounge. I’ve taken full advantage of this perk over the past few years and it can make a layover at the airport a bit more tolerable.

Bonus: 40,000 United MileagePlus® Miles

How to Unlock the Bonus: Spend $2,000 within the first 3 months

What the Bonus can be Used for: Flights on United Airlines

Annual Fee: $95 (waived the first year)

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

 
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has standard rewards you should expect from an airline credit card: first bag checked free (for everyone in your reservation) and priority boarding.

While there are other benefits such as no foreign transaction fees, the real draw of this credit card is the welcome offer.

Earn up to 70,000 bonus miles. Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Plus, earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary of Card Membership.

When you apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and spend $2,000 within the first 3 months of account opening, you earn 60,000 Bonus Miles. You can also earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary of Card Membership.

Welcome Offer: 60,000 Bonus Miles

How to Unlock the Welcome Offer: Spend $2,000 within the first 3 months; also earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary of Card Membership.

What the Welcome Offer can be Used for: Delta SkyMiles

Annual Fee: $99 (waived for the first year)

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus

 
The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus card is an airline card, and airline cards typically come with free checked bags. This card is no different, with first and second checked bags flying free.

But the main draw of this card is the 40,000 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points, along with the potential of gaining their coveted Companion Pass. The Companion Pass allows you to book a designated companion’s flight for free, regardless of whether you pay with points or cash.

To get the Companion Pass you have to earn 110,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year. This card will get you 40,000 (or 41,000 if you include the 1,000 you will get when you spend your $1,000 to get the bonus). If you get the Chase Sapphire Preferred and transfer over those 50,000 points you are even closer. Note: as of January 2020 you will need to earn 125,000 qualifying points to earn the companion pass.

Bonus: 40,000 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® points

How to Unlock the Bonus: Spend $1,000 within the first 3 months of account opening

What the Bonus can be Used for: Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

Annual Fee: $69 (NOT waived the first year)

_________________________________________

There are a ton of travel reward credit cards with great bonuses. Using these cards alone could potentially save you thousands of dollars on travel.

Other Posts that Will Help You Save Money on Travel:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards: Our Simple Guide to Maximizing Your Points

• Tips for Making Travel More Affordable: Save Thousands on Travel

• What to Expect When Using AirBnB for the First Time