Cleveland — Plane Ridiculous
As you know, I recently took a trip to Florida and flew Spirit for the first time because they were the only direct flight to Ft. Lauderdale. I cracked up when the flight attendant said 'we know you're flying with us because you can't afford Delta and you're scared of flying United'...which is not only hysterical…but true for many people.
I try to avoid budget airlines...not only because of all the problems we've reported, but because they nickel and dime you for everything.
But in an attempt to compete with them, American, Delta and United seem to be doing the same...with their "basic economy" fares. The prices are great...until you read the fine print.
For example, there are no advance seat assignment, no ticket changes or upgrades, and you're the last to board.
Then there's the baggage fees.
On American and United, you can't use the overhead bins, you only get one personal item that fits under the seat.
And if you take a full-sized carry-on bag to the gate, you'll have to pay the regular checked bag fee which is $25 plus another $25 gate handling charge.
So when booking a ticket, don't just look at the price that shows up in a search engine, check all the extra fees. I say, if price is an issue, go Southwest...and you get two checked bags for free.
Basic Economy Comparison
https://clark.com/travel/basic-economy-delta-united-american/
Budget Building
Now, if you have unlimited resources…obviously this isn't an issue. But truth is nearly eight out of ten people are living paycheck to paycheck. And a lot of those people make a decent living. For many, it’s because they don't make budgets, because it's scary...and hard.
But let's fix that now...all of us.
There are actually apps that will do the budgeting for you…like Mint. https://www.mint.com/
It syncs to bank, credit card and investment accounts. It shows all your transactions, and it creates a budget, by showing how much you spent on, say, groceries that month and how much should be spent.
So now that we've got our budget...how do we figure out who to pay first and how much? I like Debt Tracker Pro for that.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/debttracker-pro/id303497125?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stellar.debts&hl=en
You input your financial information, then the the app automatically shows a recommended payment amount for each account. It will also show the total interest paid.
It costs $1.99, which sounds counter intuitive to people trying to save. But it’s a small price to pay to get your finances on track with only a little effort.
Avoiding the Debt Cycle
https://clark.com/commoncents/budgeting-101-step-step-guide-take-control-money/