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    People Are Sharing Tips For Making Money And Saving Money, And I'm Writing These Down

    I didn't know this at all, but apparently you can rent out stuff like garden tools and sewing machines from your local library.

    Recently, while scrolling through Reddit, I kept seeing super helpful posts from the people in the r/YouShouldKnow community. Basically, the subreddit is a place where people just share incredibly useful advice about all kinds of things.

    Since money is on a lot of people's minds right now, with high inflation and the potential for an upcoming recession, I decided to go through and find posts about jobs and finances. Here's some of the most-upvoted advice:

    (Note: Some of these laws and offerings are location-specific, so be sure to check your state's laws and individual companies' policies.)

    1. "You can request a refund, or 'credit' from Spectrum for internet outages lasting longer than four hours."

    "After another Spectrum outage in my area, I decided to message Spectrum to see if I could be compensated for time spent without wifi (that I have paid for). To my surprise, Spectrum was easily able to look through my previous year of service and credit me for all the previous outages. However, you must ask for the credit every time there is an outage."

    u/brenconnnn

    2. "If you have a minimum wage job, the employer cannot deduct money from checks for uniforms, missing cash, stolen meals, wrong deliveries, damaged products, etc. You absolutely have to get paid a minimum wage."

    "It's extremely common for employers to deduct losses from employee's checks if they believe the employee had some responsibility for that loss. In some states, this is illegal as well, but overall the employer cannot do this if it means you will earn less than minimum wage.

    Some states enacted laws that force employers to pay out triple damages for violations of several wage laws. Most states will fine the company $1,000."

    u/adimwit

    3. "Harvard offers a free certificate for its Intro to Computer Science & Programming."

    "I can't overstate how good the course is. The professor is super engaging. The lectures are recorded annually, so the curriculum is always up to date. And it's very interactive, with weekly assignments that you complete through an in-browser code editor.

    To top it all off, once you complete the course, you get a free certificate of completion from Harvard. Very few online courses offer free certificates nowadays, especially from top universities.

    You can take the course for free on Harvard OpenCourseWare.

    (Note that you can also take it through edX, but there, the certificate costs $150. On Harvard OpenCourseWare, the course is exactly the same, but the certificate is entirely free.)"

    u/manocormen

    4. "You can get internet in the USA under 30 bucks or free if you make less than $18,647 per year by going to www.getinternet.gov."

    —u/deleted

    "There are two programs, Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program. If you're approved for the Lifeline application, you'll automatically be approved for ACP (ACP would just need a quick consent form e-signed). Both of those benefits combined can get you up to $39 off per month, free equipment rental, and free installation. Checklifeline.org.

    Depending on your provider and their pricing, that could even get your internet bill to $0. Your internet provider can also apply additional new/existing customer offers in tandem with those offers, which can bring down prices significantly as well."

    —u/bbqchickpea


    5. "A for-profit company will always try to minimize your salary. It is your duty to maximize it and there is no shame in it."

    "There is a mindset, especially with younger adults, that it is taboo to ask for more money. For example, during a job interview, a company will state your wage structure. Now, if you respectfully treat this as a business negotiation, there is nothing wrong with simply discussing it. Don't be rude but ask at least. You're not 'begging' and you're not 'being selfish'. You are putting a price on your time and labor. It is your right to ask if you feel it is appropriate, it is their right to decline if they want to. Again, don't be rude about it if you're in either position."

    u/mynameismulan

    hand holding up a wad of cash

    6. "Buy your own modem to save $10 a month."

    "Your ISP gives you the option of renting a modem from them or using your own. If you rent, [most providers] add about $10 a month to your bill. A decent-quality modem will cost you about $100 at your local big-box electronic store. This means that after ten months of renting a modem from your ISP, you are throwing your money away."

    u/Insecurity-Guard

    7. "US banks are required to allow you to opt out of overdraft fees."

    "The $35 overdraft fee can be absolutely brutal, especially for people in college or who just got their first job. Keeping a close watch on your bank balances is a skill most people seem to learn the hard way.

    If you opt out, debit card charges that would send you into the red are declined instead. Anyone living paycheck to paycheck should seriously consider opting out.

    The flip side is that important bills may not go through. Missing a mortgage payment is a lot more expensive than an overdraft fee. It may be worth setting up a different account for important bills."

    u/Ajreil

    8. "American workers lose billions each year because employers steal the earnings they are entitled to. Wage theft is a crime, and is punishable by law."

    "There are many different forms [of wage theft]. For example:

    —Failing to pay overtime
    —Failing to pay the agreed-upon salary
    —Requiring workers to work off the clock
    —Requiring workers to work during lunch or break times without additional compensation
    —Forcing workers to pay for a uniform instead of taking uniform costs out of wages
    —Failing to pay a final paycheck to a worker who has left

    Wage theft affects millions of people every year, and results in billions in wages kept from workers who earned it, and much of it goes unreported."

    u/ButtholeBanquets

    For more information on how to deal with and report wage theft, check out the full post.

    9. "You can borrow hundreds of items such as tools, gardening equipment, appliances, musical instruments, electronics, and hobby supplies for free from libraries affiliated with the Library of Things program. You just need to be a cardholder of the library to take advantage."

    "More info, and locations. This is NOT a complete list. Do an online search for Library of Things in your state/country to find more. There’s no central database of them."

    u/flightylady

    10. "The best way to get a raise is to switch jobs."

    "If you want to earn more money, relying on your current employer to give you a raise is not the most effective way. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, wage increases for people who stay at their job have trailed wage increases for people who switched jobs for more than a decade.

    In other words, relying on company loyalty (i.e., your company rewarding your work with more money) is the least effective way of earning a higher income. If you need a raise, get your resume ready and start looking for jobs."

    u/ButtholeBanquets

    11. "PayPal offers free return shipping if you pay with PayPal and have to pay for a return."

    "I believe it’s up to $30, 15 times a year or something. You have to activate the service first. Then once you have a return, go to your shipping carrier and ship it and take a pic of the receipt. Go to your PayPal, click the payment and then click 'get return shipping on us.' Then upload a pic of the receipt. PayPal will reimburse you."

    u/notyourmom111

    12. "In the US, [most] hospitals are required to help pay for your medical bills if you make under a certain amount of money (typically 200–300% of the Federal Poverty Level). This could potentially cover the entirety of your hospital bill."

    "A provision of the Affordable Care Act mandates hospitals must provide a 'financial assistance policy' that 'must apply to all emergency and other medically necessary care provided by the hospital facility in order for the hospital to maintain its tax-exempt status as a nonprofit. Seeing as 57% of all hospitals are non-profit, this policy applies to majority of hospitals. If you are uninsured, these policies are most likely to apply to you. However, even insured people can qualify in many situations.

    Simply search '[name of hospital] financial assistance' and go to the hospital's financial assistance page. Somewhere on that page, there should be a document called 'Financial Assistance Policy,' and inside of that, it will tell you the qualifying income for total coverage, as well as qualifying income for partial coverage. Please read it thoroughly to understand what you may or may not qualify for. For the most part, this only applies to emergency, non-elective, and catastrophic care... otherwise known as 'medically necessary care.'

    As an example, the hospital closest to me covers my entire hospital bill if I make under 200% of the FPL, which would mean I have to make less than $25,760 if I was a one-person household, or $53,000 for my family of four. In addition they will offer partial coverage if I make under 600% of the FPL."

    u/Bovinius__Cudd

    13. "If you live in the US and make less than $73,000/year you qualify for the IRS Free File Program which allows you to use a variety of tax prep software to file your taxes completely for free."

    "Here's the link to the IRS Free File Program."

    u/APennyPinchersGuide

    14. "Under US Labor Law, 100% of tips have to be paid to workers. It's illegal for employers to take your tips."

    "There are state laws still in existence that say the employer can confiscate tips if they pay you a direct minimum wage. The federal law prohibiting this went into effect in April 2021. So these state laws are obsolete and unenforceable.

    The employer is totally prohibited from confiscating or dipping into tip money. They can deduct card fees used to send tips, or if they operate a tip pool they can pool all tips and pay them out later, but overall 100% of tips have to be paid to workers.

    It's illegal for employers, managers, supervisors, HR, to take any tip money or use tip money to pay for property damage, stolen meals, uniforms, PPE, missing cash from registers, etc. Tip pools can't be used to pay managerial staff, but they can be used to pay backroom workers like cooks.

    If the employer takes your tips or introduces policies or conditions of employment saying that they can take your tips, file a complaint with the Department of Labor."

    u/adimwit

    15. "'At-will employment' is misconstrued by employers to mean they can fire you for any reason or no reason. This is false and all employees have legal protections against retaliatory firings."

    "This is becoming a common tactic among employers to hide behind the 'at-will employment' nonsense to justify firings. In reality, at-will employment simply means that your employment is not conditional unless specifically stated in a contract. So if an employer fires you, it means they aren't obligated to pay severance or adhere to other implied conditions of employment.

    It's illegal for employers to tell you that you don't have labor rights. The NLRB has been fining employers who distribute memos, handbooks, and work orientation materials that tell workers at-will employment means workers don't have legal protections."

    u/adimwit

    16. "Job Recruiters ALWAYS know the salary/compensation range for the job they are recruiting for. If they aren’t upfront with the information, they are trying to underpay you."

    "I worked several years in IT for a recruiting firm. All of the pay ranges for positions are established with a client before any jobs are filled. Some contracts provide commissions if the recruiters can fill the positions under the pay ranges established for each position, which incentivizes them to lowball potential hires. Whenever you deal with a recruiter, your first question should be about the pay. If they claim they don’t have it, or are not forthcoming, walk away."

    u/Procrastin8rPro

    17. "Assume that the company you work for can see (and hear!) everything you do when you WFH."

    "This information can be used to fire you, and to deny your raise/promotion. Shortsighted HR departments are increasingly using this software as the leading indicator of your value to the company above all else.

    Some basic stuff you can do to protec' ya' neck:

    — Shut your computer down after work. A device that's off has very low risk of snooping during time you don't even get paid for

    — Reconsider having personal side chats with your coworkers on company hardware

    — Cover your webcam when not in use

    — Get your own headset with a hardware mute button and leave it muted until you need to speak

    — Move your mouse if you are idle during a listening task like an all-hands call

    — Type things frequently

    — Don't browse anything that isn't 100% work related on company hardware

    — If your router has a “guest” network option activate it and ONLY connect your work computer to that guest network. A guest network essentially just lets said machine access the internet and blocks them seeing other machines and devices on your network. Do NOT use an Ethernet cord for your work computer."

    u/Bovinius__Cudd

    18. "Harvard has an online resource PDF for resumes and cover letters."

    "Resumes and cover letters are vital to helping you navigate a career or advance, yet they are often poorly made or written. So, if you ever find yourself struggling to come up with a resume, or cover letter, or want to update your current [resume] for a new job/position, Harvard gives well thought-out advice and examples for each."

    u/elijahbeck

    19. "Moving up to a new tax bracket doesn't mean ALL your money is taxed at that bracket's rate."

    "Income tax in the US is progressive. This means that the incomes are grouped into brackets, and each bracket has a tax that applies ONLY TO THE MONEY IN THAT BRACKET. So, if you get a raise and go into a higher bracket, the higher rate does not apply to all your income.

    To understand this let's use a simplified example. Let's say there are two tax brackets and rates. Up to $50,000 in income is taxed at 10%, and anything over $50,000 is taxed at 30%. Let's say you currently earn $50,000. As you're in the 10% bracket, you have to pay $5,000 in taxes, so your take home, or net, pay is $45,000. (Again, greatly simplified.)

    This year you get a $10,000 raise. You're now earning $60,000, putting you in the 30% bracket. Does that mean you're now going to pay 30% of $60,000, or $18,000 total, and have a net income of $42,000? In other words, did your raise mean you earn less this year?

    No. You'll pay 10% of the first $50,000 ($5,000) and 30% of the next $10,000 ($3,000), for a total of $8,000, leaving you with a net of $52,000.

    So, even if your income has increased and put you in a higher bracket, you're not going to have a decrease in net income."

    u/buttholebanquets

    20. "You can haggle on your hospital bill [in the US]."

    "You should know that if you live in America, you can haggle on your health care bill. Your insurance company does it, and you're allowed to do so, too.

    When they serve you with a bill saying how much money they want from you, ask them for a fully itemized list. This will often significantly reduce the price they'll ask you for.

    Next, if there's anything on that list you're certain you didn't get, tell them that and ask for it to be taken off the list as you didn't receive it.

    Lastly, if the price is still outside the range of what you can afford to pay without ruining your finances, you can ask the hospital if they have any payment plans to accommodate that, they almost always do.

    Even in the rare event that the hospital refuses to budge on any of this, you haven't lost anything but a bit of time. There's no need to hire a lawyer for this, and the hospital will never charge you more than the initial bill anyway."

    u/Remote_Romance

    21. "Check AliExpress before you buy something on Amazon, because a lot of items on Amazon are just AliExpress items being sold at a huge mark-up."

    "A lot of people seem to think you get faster shipping when buying these drop-shipped items from Amazon. You don't. I have bought multiple items on Amazon that took a month to deliver which I later found out were simply being drop shipped from AliExpress. These items on Amazon are drop shipped. They take the same time to ship on Amazon as they do on AliExpress."

    u/bateman34

    22. "Talking about your wages is not against the law and you should as it's more likely to result in you having a better wage/salary."

    "The stigma around discussing your wages/salary is unjustified and is driven by employers wanting to take advantage of paying employees different amounts for the same work. You have every right to discuss your wages and may be protected by law depending on what country/state you are in."

    u/Camjw1123

    Do you have a life-saving tip for saving money or making money that you want to share? Let us know in the comments!

    Some submissions may have been edited for length or clarity.