Save More Money in 2018!
With the holidays in our rear-view mirror, and lots of people resolving to save more money in the coming year, we thought a few tips from top finance gurus for banking cash in 2018 might be timely and worth your while!
Whether it’s to start saving for an emergency fund or to buy a new house – like one of the two NEW homes in Crystal Valley that D.R. Horton has marked down by $10,000 – here’s how to do it!
Save $10,000 on a Brand-New Home!
From now until February 23, you can purchase a Galen model from D.R. Horton at either 5738 or 5755 Echo Park Circle, for $10,000 less than the listing price. It’s the Season of New in Castle Rock, with home builder D.R. Horton planning additional incentives for several other homes in the premier master-planned community of Crystal Valley! Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to save on a move-in ready home with all the attractive features buyers are looking for in 2018!
Set Up an Automated Savings Draft
Most of us are not savers by nature and could use help allocating a small percentage of our earnings to a savings account with an automated savings plan. Some banks offer a service that transfers small amounts from your checking to your savings account every time you use your debit card.
Acorns’ Found Money® is an app that does the same thing only it automatically invests your money in $5 increments in one of five portfolio options, ranging from aggressive to conservative. It has 2.2 million customers who save an average of $921 a year, and with Acorns you can also set up automatic deposits with app partner retailers like Apple, Jet and Dollar Shave Club. When you buy something from those retailers, they add a percentage of the total back into your Acorns account. More apps and information about them are in this article by Bankrate.
Cash in Your Gift Cards
Quick, before you forget you have them, cash in gift cards at Gift Card Granny, a gift-card exchange, or an online marketplace like Cardpool or Raise.com. You can buy discounted gift cards on the website, too — up to 50 percent off their retail value.
The tradeoff in an online marketplace is that you’re selling your gift cards for a little less than their face value which is why other folks want to buy them. Each exchange has different guidelines for selling and paying out, so read the rules first.
Bank Your Rewards
To grow your savings faster, bank your cash rebates. This includes the cash back you earn using rewards credit cards or through a cash-back portal like Ebates, or TopCashback. You shop through the portal, patronizing retailers like Macy’s, Amazon, Old Navy, Kohl’s and Walgreens which offer from one percent to 16 percent cash back. Then the cash-back portal issues payment back to you in the form of quarterly checks or PayPal deposits.
Plan Ahead to Eat In
We all know that eating out can put a dent in your savings and the best way to save on food is to plan ahead and eat in. Don’t get us wrong – we’re all regulars at the Castle Café in Castle Rock, that amazing diner on Wilcox street with mouth-watering downhome cooking. The idea is to balance eating out with make-ahead freezer meals we can heat and eat like butternut squash rigatoni and healthy meatloaf from Good Housekeeping.
Get Free Tax Prep
If you make less than $54,000 per year, you qualify for free tax filing through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program with the IRS. Why pay a CPA when you don’t have to? More money to bank!
Homeownership in Crystal Valley
Where to buy your new home, which new home to buy – those are big decisions and the home builders at Crystal Valley want you to feel comfortable with your choice, once the construction dust has settled! D.R. Horton, Kauffman Homes and Richmond American Homes gave thoughtful consideration to the natural setting of this master-planned community, and to the design and build of these singular new homes! Consider Crystal Valley, just minutes from downtown Castle Rock, with both ranch and two-story models, priced from the high $300s.
