Happy Tuesday, my friends! 

If you think you suck at money, congratulations! 🥳🎉🎊

I have some good news for you. The first step to getting really good at something is to suck at it. 

You don’t just wake up and run a marathon without wheezing your way through a 5k. You don’t become a pastry chef without blowing up a couple of soufflés in the oven! 🤷‍♀️ 

Everyone starts somewhere. What matters is where you go from there. 

Now let’s do some learning together! 😤 Puuulllll the lever Kronk! 💪💰

TO DO

Christmas in July 🎄

Not to kill your Summery vibes, but the holidays are closer than you think! 😬

While tons of folks wait until the last minute to configure a Holiday budget (and rack up an average of $1,181 of debt in the process), you’re not like most people. You have How to Money in your corner. 😉

This week: Make a holiday spending plan and start saving for it! Analyze your spending from last year to come up with a realistic goal. Then, set up automatic transfers to your holiday sinking fund. Think how zen December will be. 😎

LIFESTYLE

HOW TO BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN CITY 🏙️

When my dad travels, we lovingly nickname him the “super tourist.” Between rocking the classic American dad getup (cargo shorts, t-shirt, and baseball cap), reading every single word displayed at museums, and taking pictures of everything and everyone (including our Uber drivers 😭), he’s proud to stick out like a sore thumb in foreign countries. 

But if you’re skipping out on extensive travel this Summer, it doesn’t mean that you can’t also embrace your inner tourist! I’d wager a bet that most of us haven’t fully explored the area we call home. Sometimes, we overlook the epic sites around us because we’re so used to driving past them. In a way, they become part of the background of our daily lives. Why not unearth them? 

You can have tons of adventures this summer without the high cost of hotels and flights. Here’s how to be a tourist in your own city without sacrificing fun! 

🚶Free walking tour - Sure, you could pay to take a tour of the closest city to you. However, the most savvy individuals know that there are numerous free walking tours available. Just Google “free walking tour of (insert city name)” to see what’s available nearby. Remember to thoroughly vet the company before booking and to tip your guide!

🥟Try the newest trendy viral food - We’ve all seen a new tasty treat shop pop up on Instagram that grabs our attention, but is juuuustttt a little too far away to make a special trip to try. But when you’re a tourist in your own city, no sweet treat is beyond your grasp! Consider saving all of these treats for a special day, then taking yourself on a DIY food tour of your county or city.

🎨 Self-guided street art tour - You don’t need to go to a museum to behold grandiose works of art. There are tons of street art out there just waiting to be discovered! You can use Street Art Cities to map out a street art walking tour through your city. In fact, it’s one of our favorite frugal date night ideas! 

🎤 Follow local social media pages to find events - One of the best ways to discover fun cultural events in your town or city is to follow social media accounts that share them. There are tons of Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook pages that share events like concerts, local festivals, and street fairs.

🚴Walk or bike everywhere - Ditching your car for some wheels or your good old-fashioned legs isn’t just for saving money. Walking and biking to some of your daily activities can help you discover more places in your town or city that you’d normally ignore as you drive right past. You’ll find new restaurants, new hangs, and feel more connected to your community. 

⛓️‍💥Break out of your daily routine - Super tourists don’t go to work, so neither should you! Okay, maybe you should go to work most days. But if you want to get the most out of touring your own city, it can be a great idea to take a few days off to break out of your daily routine and truly explore outside of your comfort zone. 

🛶 Try a new activity - one of the best ways to feel like you’re on a vacation is to try new activities. News flash, you don’t need to go to Italy to take a pasta-making class. Get creative and try something you’ve never done before. Personally, I want to try river tubing this summer! 

🧖 Spa day - If you’re more of a “relax on vacation” kind of guy or gal, try hitting up your local spa. Pro tip: You can usually find some seriously good spa deals on Groupon! 

While a traditional vacation may not be in the cards for you this Summer, a staycation can be just as exciting and restorative. What’s important is that you remember to take time for yourself, try something new, and put in for those PTO days! 

TOGETHER WITH CIT**

Break Up With Your Bank ✌️

It’s no secret that your traditional bank isn’t good enough for you. Between useless fees, stagnant interest rates, and crappy customer service, it’s time you break up with your bank.

CIT Bank knows that you deserve better. That’s why they offer 4.00% APY on balances of over $5,000 in their platinum savings account, with no monthly service fees. Plus, their mobile app makes account management a total breeze.

So, if you’d like to start earning over 10x the national average on your savings, check out CIT Bank!

ICYMI

Here’s the scoop…

DIY Home Renovation Reduction ⬇️
After the pandemic-era surge of DIY home renovation projects, consumers are spending less on remodels. Because of this dip, Home Depot plans to shift its attention to the “pro market,” targeting contractors and other home professionals.

Out of This World Streaming 🚀
This summer, you can catch live-streamed rocket launches from NASA on Netflix! If you’re obsessed with all things space, this could be a good way to get more use out of your Netflix subscription (+ a reminder to cancel any services you aren’t using often!)

Paywall Pushback ✌️
A recent survey from PEW finds that when most folks are hit with a paywall on news websites, they instead try to find the information they were looking for elsewhere. In fact, 83% of Americans report that they have not paid for news in the past year.

Citi ThankYou Points Reminder ‼️
If you’ve got Citi ThankYou points stashed away and are planning on redeeming them for cash back, here is your reminder to cash out by the end of the month before their value is reduced by 25%!

Well, that’s all we have to offer you on this summer day! Don’t forget to…

• Keep your money goals in mind as you make decisions this week.

• Tell the people around you how much you appreciate them.

• Wear your sunscreen! 🧴

Best friends out 🍻