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.

Robinhood logo with a tree
Robinhood is Living Up To Its Name As It Adds Free Tax Filing
Throughout this tax season, I've observed a major trend. First, I saw that PayPal was partnering with a service called April to deliver a free tax filing option to users. Mere days later, OnePay announced a similar initiative with the same provider. And now, Robinhood is jumping on the bandwagon, launching its own offer with...
Pawp logo with app and a conversion with a vet on a phone
My Initial Experience with Pawp Tele-Vet (Included with Walmart+)
This morning, while I was hanging out with my dog Rigby, she started acting a bit... weird. First, she seemed a bit dazed, and then, when she tried to stand, she couldn't. Thankfully, after a couple of minutes, she was completely back to normal — but I was obviously worried about what had just happened....
Solis Tag
Solis is Launching Yet Another New Global WiFi Hotspot Model
Back in 2019, I purchased my first Solis (then known as Skyroam Solis) international hotspot device. Since then, though, the company has rolled out a number of new models — and that pace has really hastened over the past couple of years. That continued this month as preorders for their new Solis Tag device opened....
woman holding a Starbucks coffee and cell phone
Starbucks is About to De-Simplify Its Rewards Program
Back in my day, Starbucks had a program where, after a certain number of purchases, you'd earn Starbucks Gold status and get a fancy card to flaunt. When I worked at a movie theatre that had a Starbucks across the parking lot, I was among the first of our team to collect my Gold Card...
unboxing a Manta Sleep White Noise Machine
My Hands-On Experience with Manta Sleep White Noise Machine
If you're a frequent traveler, you've probably seen ads on Instagram of YouTube videos for Manta's sleep masks. These high-end and creative sleep masks certainly look appealing — but it was another one of their products that, ironically, caught my eye: their white noise machine. As I've written about before, I've come to love my Bose...
Bilt Blue Card
My Experience Applying for Bilt 2.0 (And Did I Choose Correctly?)
Just like many other places online these days, Reddit is simultaneously an incredibly useful tool and an absolute cesspool. Earlier this week, when Bilt revealed its official 2.0 card details (which I won't detail in writing right now, but you can watch my video below), that dichotomy was on full display as the r/BiltRewards subreddit...
Blackjack table with 3:2 payout with two kings showing
Another Rant About Vegas Table Games - Avoid the Nasty Middle
I've spent the last few days going up and down the Las Vegas Strip during CES 2026. Not only have I come to this show for several years now but have also been visiting Vegas for far longer. In that time, I've seen a ton of changes — some good, but mostly bad. Most recently,...
JustBid logo on a warehouse
JustBid.com Review: Is It Legit?
A few weeks ago, my wife was telling me a story about how her boss got a good deal on an under-desk elliptical by using a site called JustBid. When I first heard the name, what came to mind was the likes of DealDash, which boast big savings but charge you a per-bid fee. That's...
American Express Platinum Card and a room at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas
Use Your Amex Platinum Credits Even If You're Not Traveling Yet
With Christmas now past, we are dangerously close to the end of 2025. That also means that your days are numbered if you want to use up your American Express Platinum card's credits — including the monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual ones. And while claiming your Lululemon, Resy, and Digital Entertainment credits may be straightforward...
American Express Green Card with a chat history
My First Retention Bonus Offer — And Why I Turned It Down
When I downgraded from the American Express Gold card to the Green card last year, I had a feeling I might be canceling the card altogether once renewal time came around. Sure enough, this past week, I went ahead and closed the card. But, before I officially did so, I achieved a credit card enthusiast...
Starbucks For Life Merrython
It's That Time Again: Starbucks for Life is Back — Enter for Free
It's the most wonderful time of the year. That's right — it's Starbucks for Life time (what did you think I was talking about?). I'm aware that I've already overhyped this, but this annual promotion does mean that there's an easy way to potentially win some free coffee or other prizes, which is pretty exciting.
screenshot of Bilt Travel Portal with direct bookings
Bilt Just Debuted a Double-Dipping Opportunity for Flight Bookings
For years, credit card issuers and others have put a heavy emphasis on their own travel booking portals. From increased rewards for those who book using those sites to offering credits that can only be redeemed on them, the likes of Chase, Capital One, Amex, and others have been pushing them hard. This leads to...
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,...