Good morning, HTM Family!

This is your reminder that you only have one life, so keep things simple.

Miss someone? ….Call
Wanna meet up? ….Invite
Have questions? ….Ask
Wanna be understood? ….Explain
Like something? ….Share it
Don’t like something? ….Change it!
Want something? ….Earn it
Love someone? ….Tell them

“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication” — Leonardo da Vinci

OK let’s get to the money stuff… 👇👇👇

TO DO

Get a Price Protection Refund 💸

Did you buy something substantial over Black Friday or Cyber Monday?…

Many retailers offer a “price guarantee”… Which basically means that if they drop the price shortly after you buy something (within 30-60 days), they’ll refund you the difference between what you paid and the new lower sales price.

It happens more often than you think!

This week: Go back and check the current price of any items you’ve recently purchased. If you already got the lowest price, congrats! But if it’s available now at a cheaper price, see if the retailer has a price guarantee and snag that refund! 💪

SAVING

Favorite Cash Back Apps 📲

Fair warning — cash back apps won’t make you rich!

But, if you like scoring a few bucks here and there while shopping, these apps and browser extensions can put dollars back into your pocket with little effort.

Here’s a rundown of some of the top apps to check out and how they work:

Honey: Owned by PayPal, this is a free browser extension and mobile app that searches for potential coupon codes and discounts while you shop online. Discounts are applied immediately at checkout.

Rakuten: Acts like a shopping portal where you use their website or mobile app to shop like normal (they partner with 3,500+ retailers). They earn commissions for you shopping with them, then they share that money with you as cashback.

Fetch Rewards: Scan receipts from grocery purchases and earn points that can be redeemed for Amazon gift cards. Fetch is best for casual shoppers who want an easy way to earn rewards without tracking specific offers.

BrandClub: Connect your existing retailer accounts (Amazon, Costco, Target, Walmart, Albertsons, etc) and then do your shopping as normal at these places. Afterward, sync your accounts and your purchases will show up with cash-back rewards on anything eligible you bought.

Upside: Great for gas stations, but also works at groceries and restaurants. Simply open the app, find a nearby offer, make your purchase, and scan your receipt to claim your cash back.

Ibotta: Awesome for Sams and Walmart shoppers, but works with pretty much every retailer out there. You search for and add offers before shopping, then submit your receipt afterward for cash back. You can also link loyalty cards for instant cash back without needing to upload receipts. 😎

Cashback credit cards: Here’s a list of the top cashback credit cards of 2024. No apps are needed, just spend as normal using the right card and accumulate cash back or statement credits. These are more lucrative than the aforementioned apps.

Again, cash-back apps won’t make you a millionaire. But they can put hundreds of dollars back into your pocket each year if you use them right.

Just remember, don’t get tricked into buying crap you don’t need! The best rewards come from purchases and spending you already regularly do (groceries, gas, etc).

Related stuff:

• 💻 Deal Sites: 11 Best Sites for finding clearance, sales items and coupons

• 🐪 Price Checker: CamelCamelCamel is a free Amazon price tracker. Tells you when the best time to buy is! They also have a browser extension so you don’t have to leave your tab while shopping.

TOGETHER WITH BETTERMENT*

Save for retirement

Betterment wants to help fund your future! Invest in a Betterment Roth or traditional IRA, and they’ll match 1% of your eligible contributions at the end of this year. Terms Apply. Get started today.

SAVING

2025 Finance Challenges 🕹️

Money is more fun when it’s gamified.

So why not try a little savings challenge next year?

Whether you’re going big on investments (like maxing out a 401k) or starting small (just saving a few hundred bucks) here are some challenges to consider…

1-Month Pantry Challenge: A pantry challenge is when you stop eating out and buying groceries for a month. Instead, you use up all of those rainy-day cans you’ve been storing in your pantry and empty your freezer too. January is the perfect time to clear it all out!

Max out Roth IRA: Our fave investing account!!! Just maxing out your Roth IRA will make you a millionaire in under 33 years. The contribution limit for 2025 is $7,000. So that’s either ~$134 a week or $583 a month to get you there. Here’s a 52-week Roth tracking sheet you can print and stick on your fridge.

Cancel ALL your subscriptions: One of our favorites… Spend an afternoon and cancel every subscription you have. Try living without them for as long as possible. If you really really miss any of them, you can always resubscribe.

Ask for a discount: Ask for a fee to be waived, new customer promo pricing, a price match, or even just a ”good guy discount”. Asking for discounts can be nerve-wracking, but I promise it gets easier the more you flex that muscle! 💪

Trash —> Cash: Starting in 2025, find one thing around your house each week that you never really use. Post it for sale online. Selling 52 things next year means a decluttered home, less waste, and putting cash to better use! Here’s a printable chart to keep tabs on your earnings.

Sooooooo….. See anything you like? Which challenge are you going to try?

Better yet, what are you going to do with all your saved money!?!? 🤔

Related stuff:

• 🏷️ Online Selling: How and where to sell your stuff online

• 👨‍💻 More Games: 14 Other Money Challenges to Try

ICYMI

In other news…

Porch Pirates 📦
Tis the season where packages get stolen from your porch :(… Here are some tips via NPR to protect your packages and deliveries from theft.

Re-Gifting is OK! 🎁
The people have spoken… Nearly 3 in 4 shoppers (74%) believe that giving secondhand presents is completely acceptable. Better yet, 83% said they themselves would welcome a secondhand item as a gift!

Blowing Millions 🤦‍♂️
A great post by our buddy Leif at PoF: Shirtsleeves to Shirtless. “within three generations, family wealth is often squandered“

FAFSA 👩‍🎓
2025-26 Financial Aid applications are now open for families and students. Let’s hope the website isn’t a big screw-up again like last year lol.

AI Granny 👵
OK this is hilarious… A UK company built an “AI Grandma” to fight against phone scammers. Using a slow and polite grandma voice, the goal is to “talk with fraudsters and waste as much of their time as possible with human-like rambling chat to keep them away from real people.”

Market Predictions 🔮
Brace yourself, it’s that time of year when all the big banks and Wall St. firms make predictions for the S&P 500 in 2025. Here is a round-up of outlooks, with most firms believing we’ll see a 10% - 17% market increase next year. (Also, check the financial Horoscope readings for 2025, which have an equal chance of becoming true 🤣).

ASK HTM

“Should I still save for retirement if I have a pension?” 🤷‍♂️

The short answer is: Yes, probably. Pensions are awesome if you have one, but they were built with the intention of retirement being a 3-legged stool (pension, social security, and personal investment nest egg).

Not to mention, pension funds can change unexpectedly in the future.

So, it’s always better to play it safe and have more savings and options vs. relying solely on one stream of retirement income.

Here’s the long answer!

Welp, that’s it for this week! Wishing you a good one, and remember: A simple life = a good life 💪

Best friends out 🍻