Here Are 4 Ways 2023 Will Try to Rip You Off (and How to Fight Back)

So, 2021 was a really terrible year, am I right? This pandemic has stolen all kinds of things from us. It took millions of jobs, hundreds of thousands of American lives, and countless hours of in-classroom school instruction. It emptied our bank accounts and shredded our peace of mind.

How about 2023? Is it coming for us, too?

When it comes to money, we’re firm believers that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Here are some ways 2023 will try to rip you off — and how you can fight back.

1. Make Sure You Don’t Leave Your Family a Huge Bill When You Die

You love your family. The last thing you’d want to do is leave them to foot a huge expensive bill after you die. Did you know it can cost $7,000 to $15,000 just to cover funeral costs? And that doesn’t include other final expenses, such as leftover credit card debt or medical bills. Yikes. Your loved ones shouldn’t be stuck paying thousands out of their own pockets to cover outstanding credit card debt, medical bills and memorial services.

If you’re between the ages of 50 and 85, there’s an answer for this: a final expense life insurance policy through a company called EverQuote. And it’s probably cheaper than you think — you can get $10,000 in coverage for as little as $26.08 per month.*

This process used to be a pain. But with EverQuote, you can get started in just a few minutes. They’ll show you all your options at once so you can pick the plan that’s right for you. Final expense policies range from $5,000 to $30,000, and you don’t even need a medical exam.

Click here to get started — then never worry about this again. Your family will thank you.

*Rate is for a 50-year-old non-smoking woman.

2. Don’t Get Ripped Off While Shopping Online

The pandemic has changed how we shop, and that’s expected to carry over into 2023. More of us are shopping online now — including nearly 70% of Americans, according to a new NPR poll. Of those, more than 90% have bought something from Amazon.

Sure, it’ll be convenient to have boxes of stuff appear on your doorstep all through 2023. But no matter what you’re buying online, you may be paying too much for it. In many cases, there might be a better deal somewhere else. It just feels like a pain to look for it.

Wouldn’t it be useful to get an alert when you’re about to overpay? A polite little alert, not an obnoxious one. That’s exactly what this free service does. These free alerts can be added to your browser.

Before you check out on Amazon, Target or Best Buy, it’ll check other websites, including eBay, Walmart and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. It’ll even apply any available coupon codes to your order automatically.

So far, this free tool has saved users more than $160 million in the last year. You can get started in just a few minutes and see if you’re overpaying online.

3. Watch Out for Rising Food Prices

Some purchases are optional, but food isn’t one of them. Unfortunately, the price of food is expected to rise in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA predicts that grocery prices will rise by at least 1% to 2%, and restaurant prices will rise by 2% to 3%. That may not seem like a lot. But over a whole year, that’s really going to add up.

We’ve got a way for you to get some of the money back. A free app called Fetch Rewards will reward you with gift cards just for any of hundreds of items at the grocery store. Right now, it’s even offering shoppers a $10 gift card when they spend $30 on dozens of Unilever products at the grocery store. You can do this five times, or up to $50.

Here’s how it works: After you’ve downloaded the app, just look for products branded with the Unilever “U.” Then take a picture of your receipt showing you purchased an item from one of the participating brands. For your efforts, you’ll earn gift cards to places like Amazon or Walmart.

You can download the free Fetch Rewards app here to start getting free gift cards. Over a million people already have, so they must be onto something.

4. Ask This Website to Help Pay Your Credit Card Bill This Month

Every month, you make payments toward your credit card debt. But you never seem to make a dent. It’s because of those sky-high interest rates — as much as 24% interest. It can feel impossible to get ahead.

But MoneyLion could help you find offers to cut your interest rate by 70% as soon as tomorrow.

Here’s how it works: MoneyLion can match you with new loan offers at a lower interest rate — as low as 5.20% APR*. That’s 70%* lower than the average credit card interest rate. And it’s the key to finally getting ahead.

You can use this new loan to pay off all your existing credit card debt, then you’ll be left with one (cheaper) monthly payment that will help you get out of debt faster.

If you have a credit score of at least 620, you could get up to $100,000. With no collateral. And terms go up to 144 months.

Worried you won’t qualify? Take two minutes to check online and see if you could cut your credit card interest rate by 70%.

*Based on creditworthiness. Average credit card interest rate is 24.72% as of 8/14/23, according to Forbes Advisor’s weekly credit card rates report.

Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He’s scared of 2023.