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What are your "poor person" money life hacks?
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2023
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Sign up for a health savings account and USE IT. (United States specific advice.)
It lowers your taxable income. The only caveat is you have to remember to use that money to buy things you were already going to buy anyway. Convenient hack to know what you can and can't use: Doordash now labels HSA-eligible items at CVS. You don't have to actually use Doordash to see which items you can buy with your HSA card.
You actually don't have to spend money with an HSA, ever. You can invest it, and it rolls over. FSAs must be spent within the year you contribute, though.
Sorry, I didn't say that clearly. What I mean is you have to remember to use the damn HSA card when you go to buy Tylenol instead of your normal payment method. This is...where I tend to fail lol
If you save the receipt you can send it in to your HSA provider and have the expense reimbursed from your HSA. You can do this for many many years after the actual purchase date
It's also good to not use it, if you can afford to keep it and spend normally. HSA space is extremely limited, because it's by far the best retirement account available. FSAs are fantastic for spending, as they don't have as many restrictions and don't carry over year over year.
There is a massive list of HSA eligible expenses, too. I am not advocating that people go out and spend their HSA money frivolously, but if you need to buy something that seems medical-related and you already have HSA funds, maybe look into getting reimbursed.
The coolest one to me is if you're overweight or at risk for things like diabetes or atherosclerosis you may be able to get your doctor to write you a note allowing you to get things like fitness classes, gym membership fees, or fitness equipment (stationary bike, treadmill, etc.) paid with your HSA funds. In many cases prevention is the cure, and exercise is hugely hugely beneficial in preventing and managing a wide range of maladies so if you stick to it you may actually be saving yourself an even bigger medical expense down the line.
https://www.healthequity.com/hsa-qme