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.
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How Utilization Impacts Your Credit Scores: My Real-Life Example
You may already know that Credit Utilization is the second-largest factor FICO considers when determining your credit score. Specifically, it makes up 30% of your score, topped only by Payment History at 35%. But what does that look like in practice? Well, I recently got the “opportunity” to see firsthand. In April, I elected to…
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This New Hardshell Carry-On Luggage Option Has My Attention
Welcome back to another Quick Tip — and the latest edition of our occasional, unofficial series Things Kyle Wants to Buy. When I returned from my most recent trip, for some reason, I had hardshell luggage on my mind. That’s strange because my current soft-sided luggage has served me well and, moreover, I’ve traditionally not…
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Would it Be Wrong to Try This Potential Free Checked Bag Trick?
I don’t remember the last time I paid for a checked bag on a plane. Granted. I’ve paid for carry-ons while flying Allegiant — but, in the cases where I have elected to check a bag in recent years, it’s been a free gate check since I occasionally volunteer to part with my bag early…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
