Category: Quick Tips

Every Friday I post a new Quick Tip covering a wide range of topics, including ways to save money, travel tips, personal products/services I find interesting, and more.

Screenshots of two trivia games
4 Daily Games I Play That Somehow Make Me Feel Smart
Remember a few years ago when Wordle took the world by storm? Well, after that, it seemed that several other daily games popped up as well. Over time, the lineup of games I actually bother to play daily has evolved — but there are a few that I keep returning to. That's probably because, even...
adult male shaving his face with a razor and shaving cream
I'm 40 and Finally Figured Out How to Properly Shave My Face
For a good portion of my mid to late 20s, I made my living pretending to be in high school for television. As it turns out, part of the reason why I could pass for younger is that I can't grow a beard to save my life. Unfortunately, this lack of growth also means that,...
American Express Charles Schwab Platinum Card
First Impressions of My New Charles Schwab Amex Platinum Card
Well, I did it. When I was sharing my 2026 credit card strategy, I noted that I was mulling over the idea of adding the Charles Schwab version of the American Express Platinum Card to my wallet, with the intent of then phasing out the "vanilla" version. With that plan stuck in my brain for...
hand holding a tablet with a $ cloud over it
Problems Aside, Here's Where FinTech Still Shines
Admittedly, I've been a bit down on FinTech in recent years. That's mostly thanks to the Yotta/Synapse/Evolve debacle, which brought to light some major issues and misconceptions about neobanking services. In turn, while I still use plenty of financial technology apps and a few neobanks, these days, the vast majority of my money is held...
Cash App Taxes on phone
I Tried Three Tax Prep Options This Year and Liked This One Best
Well, I survived another tax year. While this year wasn't as bad as last time, it still came with some unwelcome surprises and complications. Plus, along the way, I ended up spending time using three different DIY tax prep services. In doing so, I learned that there's one I enjoyed using more than the others....
Capital One Venture Card
It's Last Call for This Stellar Capital One Venture Welcome Bonus
Capital One is about to remove an outstanding offer for its versatile Venture Card — but there's still time to claim it. Right now, new Venture Rewards cardholders can not only earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on the card within their first three months but can also score a $250 credit to be...
YouTube Premium logo
YouTube Just Made Its Premium Lite Product an Even Better Deal
UPDATE (4/10/26): Welp. YouTube just revealed that it's raising the price of Premium Lite to $8.99 (up $1). Still a good deal but really hurts my whole argument here, huh? Anyway, here's my original post: Just over one year ago, YouTube brought a new tier of its Premium offering to the U.S.: Premium Lite. Priced...
Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Console
PlayStation Prices Are Going Up — So What's Next?
Even as inflation pushes up prices on a number of household items, when you zoom out, we usually see electronics get more affordable. For example, can you believe that you can now get an HD, flat-screen 60" television for a few hundred dollars? Similarly, when it comes to video gaming consoles, after a few years,...
collage of food illustrations
Earning Bonus Uber Cash Just for Photographing Your Food Order
Thanks to our Amex Platinum card's Uber Cash credits, once a month, my wife and I enjoy getting ourselves some Uber Eats. These days, that often means picking up some delicious Cold Stone Creamery (Cake Batter Ice Cream, brownies, caramel, Golden Oreos, and cinnamon. Thank me later), but we do order real food from time...
dufflle bag with Starbucks logos and a grande coffee
Buy Your Way to Starbucks Gold Status with Marriott Bonvoy Points
The day has some. This week, Starbucks rolled out the previously announced updates to its Rewards program. When I updated my app on Tuesday, I was disappointed to see that Starbucks had placed me in the Green status tier. While I wasn't sure I'd qualify for Gold, I thought I'd at least be close. Instead,...
Athletic Brewing beers and a basketball on a court
Dry January Meets March Madness with a New Offer from Athletic
It's now been a few years since I got really into non-alcoholic beer. As someone who doesn't drink, having the experience of trying different styles of beer, discovering various breweries, and getting to do both of these alongside my wife has been a lot of fun. And while I've now sampled several NA brews from...
Resy Napa Valley guide screenshot
It's Happening: Amex is Merging Tock into Resy This Summer
Back in 2024, American Express announced that it was purchasing the restaurant reservation service Tock from Squarespace. However, while that deal closed in October of that year, the Tock platform has remained on its own. Well, that's about the change as Amex has revealed plans for Tock to merge into Resy (which Amex bought in...
Featured Articles
Travel Tuesday: The Club ATL Grab & Go Pantry Lounge Review
Last week, I set off for San Francisco from my home in Springfield, Missouri. But, since I was flying Delta, I of course needed to make a stop in Atlanta before my flight back in the correct direction. Over the years, I've spent plenty of time at ATL, so when something new pops up, I...
4 Daily Games I Play That Somehow Make Me Feel Smart
Remember a few years ago when Wordle took the world by storm? Well, after that, it seemed that several other daily games popped up as well. Over time, the lineup of games I actually bother to play daily has evolved — but there are a few that I keep returning to. That's probably because, even...
Hotel Vandivort Review: Springfield, Missouri's Four Diamond Boutique Hotel
When it comes to my Travel Tuesday hotel review series, I often wonder what travels might be featured in my latest installment. That's when it hit me that: instead of looking to other cities for adventure, I could feature a property found right here in Springfield, Missouri.  Hotel Vandivort is a unique boutique hotel we’d...
I'm 40 and Finally Figured Out How to Properly Shave My Face
For a good portion of my mid to late 20s, I made my living pretending to be in high school for television. As it turns out, part of the reason why I could pass for younger is that I can't grow a beard to save my life. Unfortunately, this lack of growth also means that,...