Budgeting

Please note, this post is sponsored by Diamond Links. Thank you.

It’s official, 2020 is almost over. But before the holiday season, other important goals must be met. Including moving to your next apartment, and giving your new space an intense clean. Personally, I love the idea of cleaning up many facets of my life each Spring season. And not just the proverbial sprucing up of the interior of my home but the location of my home too!

Fall is arguably the best season when it comes to the new rentals this season. And I should know. As all of my best leasing opportunities have always occurred during the Fall of the year. 

So if you too have the wanderlust for a new local, here are 5 ways to maximize your chances of moving into your new home:

1. Be decisive

With so much economic upheaval the nation over, apartment space is at a premium. Making this a landlord’s market, for sure. But just because it’s a seller’s market doesn’t mean renters are seeking to wait exasperatingly long periods of time to entertain applicant selection this season. 

It’s also a buyers market. Which is why many homeowners are preferring to rent and not sell properties. Making them more likely to offer amenities, utility inclusion, application fee waiving, and even impromptu showings. As for cleaning, schedule disruption, and child and pet care arrangements that need to be made to accommodate potential renters.

According to ApartSEO, renters can save money by looking for new advertisements on social media networks including Facebook Marketplace. Where agents can be directly contacted, potential buyers profiles can be combed through, and, on occasion, rental fees can be negotiated.

Making it essential to be properly prepared to rent your next space this season. Including a copy of your credit report, explanations for a previous apartment/leasing-related offenses, pet disclosures, application fee money orders, and having your first and last month’s rent on-hand. Fall is not the season for hesitating when it comes to making housing offers. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold.

2. Inventory can be an issue

When it comes to renting your next space, timing is key. As the most coveted leasing properties, in the best of neighborhoods and school districts, have been on a decline since 2016 and the trend will continue this season. According to Zillow, rentable inventory declined by 10.5% in the past 12 months. 

With fewer homes being available for rental, now is the season to reassess your actual square footage needs. Gone are the days of living in McMansions and ethical, smaller footprint homes are all the rage. Which makes knowing how large a home you actually need a great asset to buyers as smaller homes will be easier to acquire at an affordable price than homes larger than 2,000 square feet in size according to Zumper and Apartments.com. As landlords and leasing agents will raise the price of rent to cover the cost of land, skilled labor, building material, lack of buildable space, density rates, and advertising costs.

2. Prepare for disappointment

In a competitive market, it’s likely that there will be several applicants for each rentable space. With bidding wars becoming the new norm for many renters. Because unless you’re an applicant with impeccable credit and renting history, you face the very real possibility of not securing your rental of choice.

One way to lessen the blow of renters’ disappointment? Accept beforehand that this may be your renter’s outcome. It’s tough when you’ve fallen in love with a location, but it happens. Always be realistic about renting. As what you love about a particular apartment is also likely to also beloved by dozens of other prospective renters as well.

3. Know your budget

The best way to prevent the apartment of your dreams from slipping away is to be able to build strong offers for leasing agents.

Generally speaking, you should allocate no more than 30% of your gross monthly income. So, if you gross $5,000 per month, the max you should be paying for housing costs, including rent, is $1,500.

Knowing the exact amount of wiggle room in your budget will allow you to avoid having your budget-tight low-ball immediately rejected in this seller’s market. Because with multiple rental applications potentially on the table, agents and landlords are less inclined to play games with renters. Sometimes you just have to leverage your dream against your instinct to frugally haggle your way to your next home.

4. Be realistic

If there was ever a time to be financially realistic, it’s during a pandemic. Again, national home prices have climbed for 23 consecutive months. And the trend of high-value property rentals will also continue. Experts say prices will continue to increase in 2021. For some people, the uncertainty of the current market combined with rising prices may make renting more prudent in your area than buying. Knowing your personal rent versus buy equation could tilt toward renting in costly markets. Making you a more sought-after renter. 

5. Get Pre-Approved

Because landlords live in the real world they know the world is full of unknowns, and have no idea about your income, credit score, or debt to income ratio. In this seller’s market, being a pre-approved renter, by way of your individual leasing agent’s requirements, will give you a leg-up in renting your next property. Reassure agents that you are are a qualified, serious renter.

All-in-all, remember that Fall is kicking up its heels making now the perfect time to start figuring out how you can best afford to buy your next home this season! But if you follow the tips outlined above, the only thing you’ll have to worry about when summer comes are tan lines and garden gatherings.

Now, friends, I want to ask, are you looking to relocate or rent your next home this season? Share your journey below! 

Whether you love to travel or you only occasionally go away, most people have one place that they really want to visit. If it’s somewhere close to home or easy to visit, you might have already ticked it off your bucket list. But sometimes you have that one trip of a lifetime that’s not so easy to accomplish. That might be because the destination is far away, you want to hit multiple locations at once or travel for longer, or just because you have expensive dreams. Instead of just fantasizing about your dream trip, why not actually work to make it a reality? If money is what’s making it seem out of reach, there are ways to make your trip more affordable.

Consider How to Fund Your Trip

The first thing to think about with a trip of this nature is how you’re going to fund it. It’s usually the sort of thing that you save up for, at least in part. You might spend months or even years saving for the trip that you want to go on. The best way to save for something is to set a goal and make sure you’re steadily putting aside money toward it. You might have a certain amount of money each month that you put in your travel fund. Alternatively, you might just save whatever you have leftover at the end of the month or any money that you happen to have available to save at random intervals.

Savings should probably fund the bulk of your trip, but you might also consider other ways to pay for it. Maybe you don’t want to wait until you’re able to save up, especially if it’s going to take a few years. You could get financial freedom with Wise Loan or a similar service for finding the right loan. Taking out a loan means you can spread the cost of your trip, instead of having to save up first. Another way to pay off some or all of your trip later is to use a credit card. You can put some of your expenses on your card and pay for it later. Of course, if you borrow any money, you need to make sure that you’re going to be able to repay it, plus any interest.

Look for Deals on Flights and Transport

Flights can be one of the most expensive parts of planning a big trip. If you’re looking at long-haul flights, you might be spending a lot of money just to get to and from where you’re going. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to save money on the flights that you need. Firstly, you can try to book at the right time. Booking too far away or too close to the dates that you want to fly could mean that you pay more. However, you can sometimes get last-minute deals by booking closer to your departure date. When you’re searching for flights, consider different routes that you can take, including alternatives to major airports and layovers.

You can save on other forms of transport too. Maybe your dream trip is by train. In many countries, you could save by getting a ticket or pass that lasts for several weeks or months, or takes you along certain routes. For example, if you’re traveling in Europe, you could get some good deals from EuroRail. Maybe your trip of a lifetime is a road trip, and you need to find ways to save on fuel. Caring for your vehicle and packing light can help you to use less fuel during your trip.

Find Packages to Help You Save

Sometimes the best way to save money on a trip is to book everything as a package. You can book your flights, hotel or other accommodation, and even activities all at the same time. Putting everything together like this means you have one company managing your whole trip, which can have both advantages and disadvantages. You have one point of contact, which can be helpful if anything goes wrong. Booking your trip in this way often works out the cheapest if you’re going to a popular destination. If you’re planning a trip to somewhere a little more unusual, you might find that you’re limited to private tours or can’t find anything suitable.

Compare the Cost of Tours and Packages with DIY Planning

On the other hand, booking a package won’t always work out as the cheapest option. Sometimes it’s best to book everything yourself, choosing the individual things that you want. It also means that you won’t end up doing any activities that you’re not so keen on, and you’ll get to have more control over everything. Before you decide which option is right for you, check the prices for each one. It can take a bit more time to research prices for a DIY trip, but it could be worth it if it turns out to be cheaper.

You can create a spreadsheet to help you note down the general prices you might pay. Alternatively, there are some downloadable sheets that you can find online, which you can just fill in as you conduct your research. You should think about all of the things that you might get as part of a package, tour, or all-inclusive deal. Your expenses might include transport, accommodation, food and drink, activities, and more.

Travel Off-season

It’s entirely possible that part of your dream trip is traveling during a particular season. Maybe you want to go skiing or spend your summer lounging on the beach. But if you’re more interested in a particular destination and you’re not that bothered about the weather or the temperature, you could consider planning your trip off-season. You can find much lower prices if you don’t travel during the busiest times. To make sure you know when it’s going to be the most expensive, you need to know important dates both at home and at your destination. What local events or festivals might make it more expensive? What seasons are more popular? Not all places work on a “spring, summer, fall, winter” basis. For other countries, it might be more important to know when the wet season and when the dry season occurs.

Consider Working During Your Trip

For some people, their dream trip involves long-term traveling or settling into one place to live like a local. If you’re thinking about one of these options, you might also consider working during your trip. It can be a way to really get to know somewhere new and fund your trip at the same time. Of course, if you’re considering this, you need to make sure you’re working legally. Some countries have working holiday visas or short-term work visas that are designed for exactly this purpose. They’re ideal for seasonal work, as well as for jobs suited to those looking for a cultural experience, such as au pairs. Of course, there’s no need for a visa if you’re not going abroad.

Another option is to consider creating a form of passive income. While you’re on your trip, you could still have money coming in. However, be careful about actually doing any work if you don’t have the right visa. It’s likely that you’re not even allowed to do remote work if you’re in another country as a tourist.

Keep a Tight Budget

When you’re finally on your dream trip, you can save further by keeping a strict budget. Limiting your spending doesn’t have to mean not having any fun. You can still have a great time while avoiding spending too much. Firstly, you can look for free or cheap activities to do that will entertain you. A lot of sightseeing and exploration can be enjoyed for very little money. You can also look for cheaper places to eat and drink. Avoiding tourist traps will help you to save money and make it easier to find tasty local food too. It’s also smart to book accommodation with access to a kitchen so you can make your own food. Even just a fridge can be useful, allowing you to store leftovers from the meals that you eat out.

Give yourself a daily or weekly budget so you know what you can spend. You can track your expenses on your phone using an app or create a spreadsheet to add your costs too. Or if you want to keep it old school, you could just use a pen and paper to keep track.

Learn to Haggle

Haggling is a great skill to have when you’re traveling, especially in places where it’s common to haggle. Haggling gives you the chance to bring down the price of lots of things, from food to souvenirs. However, before you start haggling, make sure it’s acceptable to do in the place you’re visiting. It may be seen as rude in some places, so do a little research before you start trying to argue prices.

Once you have your budget nailed down and plans in place, tie up the final few pieces of trip admin. You can save time – and money – by applying for visas, travel permits, etc. online, such as a Dominican Republic eticket; click here for a guide on how to apply for yours online. 

All to help turn your dream trip into a dream destination-turning affordablity into reality. Friends, how do you plan to turn youir affordability into reality? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

When organizing a wedding, setting a budget can be essential for keeping a lid on costs. Overspend on your wedding and you could end up having to take out large loans and debts that could make the next few years a financial struggle. This could cause you to regret your wedding day rather than looking back on it fondly.

On top of having a budget in place, you need to be able to break down that budget effectively so that all necessary costs are covered. This can be an area where couples commonly fail – it’s easy to overspend on one thing and then have to scrimp and save just to afford everything else.

By having a budget and knowing how to break down this budget, you can put on a wedding that’s affordable, while also not having to sacrifice too much. Below are just some of the main budgeting mistakes to avoid and what you should be doing instead.  

Not tracking costs

It’s important to keep a record of costs as you’re spending them so that you know exactly how much you’ve spent. If costs go untracked, you could find that you have less of your budget left than you expected.

You can track costs by buying a diary to document costs or by keeping notes on your phone. There are also apps that can help you to track your wedding budget. You can compare some of the best wedding budgeting apps at Paste Magazine.

Not considering the time, day, and season

The time, day, and season that you get married can have a big impact on the overall cost. This is something that shouldn’t be overlooked when planning your big day.

Summer is the peak season for weddings due to the greater chance of good weather. It’s also the most expensive time to get married. Opt for a winter, spring, or fall wedding and you could halve your wedding costs in some cases – because there’s less demand, vendors often offer deals to help attract business during these months.

The day you get married can also affect the cost. Weekend weddings are most popular because they don’t require as many guests to book time off work. Getting married on a weekday could result in reduced costs – venues often find it harder to attract business during the week and so often offer discounts to couples.

Finally, you should consider the time of day. In most cases, a morning wedding is cheaper than an afternoon wedding. This depends of course if you want to reserve the venue for the whole day – this will work out much more expensive and you’ll have to provide more food and drink, so maybe best avoided if you’re on a tight budget.

Some couples may have their hearts set on an afternoon weekend summer wedding. However, if this isn’t the case, consider taking advantage of the off-peak discounts that are out there.

Not booking far enough ahead

You can also save costs by booking far in advance. The closer you leave bookings to your wedding date, the less availability there’s likely to be when it comes to venues, photographers, caterers, and other professionals. You could find that all the best deals have gone, in which case you’ll be stuck hiring overpriced vendors. Some vendors may also charge more because they have less time to prepare – for instance, a wedding dress tailor may have less time to do alterations and may charge extra if they’re already queued up with clients.

Many of the vital aspects and most in-demand aspects – such as the venue, photographer, entertainment, and transport – should be booked six months to a year in advance so that you get the best choice and the best deals. Booking far ahead will also allow you to pay for things in installments, which could help you to spread out the costs.

Blowing most your budget on the dress

The dress is the biggest thing that couples overspend on. It’s all too easy to fall in love with a dress that is completely out of your price range. Buying this dress could then mean having to make compromises on everything else.

To avoid falling trap to this, set a separate dress budget within your overall budget, and only try on dresses that fall within this budget. Once you start trying on dresses that are outside your budget, you’re more likely to be tempted into overspending.

Remember that alterations can be an added cost to factor in. On average, people pay $250 to $450 on alterations – which can be a big chunk of money if you’re on a small budget.

Planning to slim into a dress – and failing

Some people deliberately buy a dress that is too small in order to spur them into losing weight before the big day. This is dangerous – if you don’t lose the weight, you could end up with a dress that doesn’t fit you. Last-minute alterations may be able to fix this, but in some cases, even this might not be an option, which means you’ll have to buy a new dress.

It’s easier to alter a dress that’s too big than a dress that’s too small. For this reason, you should always buy a dress in your current size – if you do lose weight between now and your wedding day it might be easier to adjust it.

Underestimating the cost of an outdoor wedding

An outdoor wedding might seem like an opportunity to save costs, particularly if you’re getting married on land that you own. However, it can work out more expensive than many people assume due to all the extras that are necessary.

A few of the extra costs that come with an outdoor wedding include marquee hire (important in case it rains), electric generator hire (for lighting and entertainment), table and chair hire, portable toilet hire, and specialist equipment hire (for instance, a DJ may charge more for use of outdoor speakers).  

Outdoor weddings can cost as low as $4000 (which is a lot slower than the average $29,200 indoor wedding), however, they can be just as expensive as indoor weddings if you hire expensive land to get married on or overspend on outdoor equipment. This Wayfaring Weddings guide to outdoor wedding costs could be worth a read to help you understand how you can save costs.

Inviting too many guests

The more guests you invite, the bigger the venue you’ll need, and the more food and drink you’ll have to supply. Consequently, you should be careful about letting your wedding invite list explode.

Consider having only your closest circle of friends and family at the ceremony and meal – the reception can be a chance to invite everyone else. Understand the costs that come with each person so that you can work this into your budget. If you’re inviting kids along, consider whether there may be discounts (if you’re planning a sit-down meal, any kid’s meals should be cheaper than adult meals). 

Not knowing your numbers

Not keeping track of how many people you’ve invited could also cause you to overspend. This could include ordering too many invites or paying for more meals than is necessary.

Make sure that you know precisely how many guests you’ve invited. It can also be important for preventing the opposite problem – which is not ordering enough food and drinks or not supplying enough chairs.

Overlooking all the small extras

A lot of couples get side-tracked by the big costs and forget about all the little extras such as the guest book, wedding invites, licenses, and wedding favors. These extras can add up, so make sure to include them within your budget.

You may be able to find deals online such as these discounts on MagnetStreet’s wedding thank you cards. These deals are worth hunting for – lots of small savings could result in big savings overall. You may be able to DIY some of these extras without affecting the overall quality of your day (such as making your own invites). This could be another way to save some money providing that you’ve got the time and resources.   

Not reading the small print

Last but not least, you should be careful of hidden costs included in the small print. These hidden costs can often catch couples out and add huge amounts to the overall wedding bill.

For instance, some vendors may charge extra service fees, travel fees and money for equipment hire than may not be included in the initial price. Venues meanwhile may bill extra if you stay over your allotted time even for a few minutes. 

By reading the small print, you can get a good idea of what is included before committing to anything. If you believe that may be billing errors or there are extras included that you don’t want, make sure to bring this up with vendors to avoid paying for more than is necessary.

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It’s no secret that raising a baby isn’t cheap. Parents will usually spend a small fortune by the time their little ones have grown up, and this can be difficult to wrap your head around when you first welcome a little one into your home. Of course, though, over a couple of years that your child will still be a baby, there are loads of ways that you can cut the costs that come with them. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the best ways to get good deals when you’re buying products for your baby.

Buy In Bulk

Bulk buying has always worked out cheaper in the long-term than buying items on their own. Businesses can afford to offer discounts when people make large purchases, driving down the price you have to pay. You will know how many nappies, wet wipes, and jars of baby food you’re likely to need going down the line, and this makes it easy to buy them in bulk for when your baby arrives. Of course, though, you need to make sure that you don’t go over the top with this. Online stores like Tastyganics make it easy to get your hands on bulk baby goods.

Subscribe & Save

Popularised by websites like Amazon, many stores now offer to subscribe and save systems that can reduce the cost of your purchases. Much like buying in bulk, companies can afford to charge less when they know that you’ll be spending money with them down the line, and this is something you should be taking advantage of. Anything that you need to buy each month can be handled like this, saving time, effort, and money in the process.

Look Secondhand

While things like blankets and soft toys should be new for your little one, there are a lot of items that they will need that can be bought secondhand to save money. This is one of the rare cases that it can actually work out cheaper to go to physical stores, with thrift stores often offering amazing deals on baby toys, furniture, and the other essentials you’ll need. Going to see the items in person will make it a lot easier to feel confident that they will be good for your child.

Shop Seasonally

It can be hard to plan ahead with your finances, with a lot of people buying items when they need them, rather than planning ahead. For items like clothing, though, thinking about the season can be an excellent way to save money. Winter coats, for example, will be cheapest at the start of spring, giving you the chance to get great deals that you can take advantage of when the next cold spell rolls around.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of getting the best deals on the baby products you buy. A lot of people work very hard to save money on items like this, though it isn’t always easy when you’re not taking the right approach.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

We’re told from a young age that we should always save our money, to only buy what we need to and look for good deals on products. And you have to admit, it sounds like excellent advice. 

That’s often easier said than done in a society so fixed on consumerism and excesses. Sometimes, people who don’t want to spend money are mocked for being ‘cheap’. The fact is, not only is developing the savings habit good for your bank balance, it can actually have a positive effect on our health too. 

It teaches patience and self-discipline

Saving your money can be hard.  Even people with healthy incomes find it difficult to avoid spending.  So it’s not simply a question of having money to save, it’s about developing the mental discipline to do it. Even if it’s just a few spare dollars. 

If we do want to buy something, learning to save up for it or waiting for the Frontera coupons rather than just racking up credit, is a great habit to get into.  

Feeling like you have a safety net

A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, which can be a nervewracking experience. Developing a savings safety net can bring your stress levels down. We’re not talking about lifechanging amounts of money here, but wouldn’t a few months salary saved up to make a huge difference if you were suddenly to become ill or have to find another job? 

Lowering your underlying stress levels will also bring many added physical health benefits to your life. Improved blood pressure and quality of sleep bring huge health benefits and reduce your risk for a lot of other health conditions.  

It promotes confidence and assertiveness

The continued self-discipline it takes to have a savings mindset leads to an associated uptick in confidence and assertiveness levels. You are more likely to believe in yourself and your skills. Being self-confident is an amazing asset that can really help you in all areas of your life. 

It gives you a sense of personal freedom

Being in debt can take a toll on your physical and mental health. The effects can be far-reaching and make you quite ill. Having the personal freedom to do things without being under a financial cloud can really open up your life and your mindset. 

Conclusion

Saving money, and spending less is not only good for our bank balances and the environment but our health too. Saving improves our wellbeing in many ways. It isn’t always that simple though. There are some people who have a saving mindset who, due to circumstances, just aren’t able to save any money. There are others who might have a really good income but just can’t get a grip on not spending it every month. 

It really is a skill that needs to be learned a nurtured as you get older so that you can reap the benefits in all areas of your life and pass them on to your children too.

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If you want to save money, turn your attention to your ongoing smartphone costs. For many of you, this will be one of the most expensive things in your life. Most people will spend hundreds of dollars per year on their smartphone bills!

With that in mind, how can you lower these costs and save money on your next smartphone? Some ideas spring to mind, all of which are very easy for you to implement. You might like one of the ideas more than the others, so feel free to choose whichever ones suit your needs!

Switch to a PAYG contract 

Instead of paying a monthly fee, switch to a pay-as-you-go contract. This gives you more control over how much you choose to spend every month. Let’s face it, how often do you use up all of your smartphone allowances every month? If you don’t use up every megabyte of data or second of call-time, you waste money.

As you can see here https://www.ding.com/countries/caribbean/jamaica/top-up-digicel, it’s easy to top up a phone with as much money as you want, regardless of where you live. Thus, you only spend money when you have to. It will amaze you how much money you can save by switching to PAYG and topping up when required.

Take advantage of WiFi

Secondly, take full advantage of free WiFi whenever you see it. This will slash your data usage, which is usually the biggest cost on phone contracts. In turn, you could spend far less every month, even on a monthly contract. The need for data is less, so you choose an option with the lowest data allowance. This can take you from a contract that pays $60.00 a month to one that’s as low as $25. 00.

Keep your old phone but switch contracts

Instead of upgrading to a newer device, consider if it’s worth keeping your old phone. Do you need a new one? If your current device does everything you require, there’s really no point. Instead, switch to a more affordable contract. This is crucial as your smartphone provider will keep you on the same contract that you were on before – if you don’t upgrade or switch. So, you’re still paying for the actual device, despite the fact that you’ve already paid for it. Make a switch to save almost half on your current contract! Also, you could switch to PAYG from here, saving even more money. 

Threaten to change network providers

Finally, if you threaten to change providers, it will spook your network provider. They will do everything to keep you on their network, which means offering unique deals. It will shock you how much money you can save by pulling this tactic. This is well worth trying as you can’t possibly lose. The worst-case scenario is that they don’t have a good deal, so you leave and find a cheaper one elsewhere. The best-case scenario is that you get an exclusive deal that can’t be found anywhere else. 

So, with these four tips, you can save money no your monthly smartphone bill. Choose whichever option you want, and sit back to watch the savings come through.

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Moving can get very expensive. It may not seem like it at first, but things add up. There are some expenses that are inevitable in the moving process, but there are also other areas you could save a buck or two. Before you go all in, make sure you do the proper research to accurately compare which moving option is right for your budget whether you are looking to hire a moving company, or you are going to rent a van and do the moving. Here are some tips on how to save money on your move.

Reduce Your Load

Make sure that you get rid of the things that you do not want anymore before you move. You do not want to move things that are broken, no longer useful, or simply unused. You want to bring things into your new place that you use on a regular basis or that you cannot live without. To help you get rid of some of the stuff you do not need, consider hosting a garage sale or donate your stuff. The less stuff you have, the fewer things need to be moved.

Move During The Off-Season

Most people move during June or July during either the first or the last of the month, so any time other than those two months can be considered the off-season. No matter if you move items abroad or across town, talk with your movers if that is the option you went with. Ask them if you get any discounts for moving during an off-season. You never know! They may offer you a limited-time-only promotion because of it.

Book Early

Moving is not something that is spontaneous. If you want to save the most money as possible, you have to plan. Planning means booking your mover sooner rather than later. When you wait until the last hour to book a moving company, you run the risk of being charged higher rates. As soon as you know it is time to move, book those movers. You do not want to see money going down the drain.

Be Flexible

More than likely, you have a window of time for your movers to come, gather your things, and deliver it to you. Keep in mind that you should maintain an attitude of flexibility. Things happen and plans change all the time. If you re willing to work within their timeframe, take that as an opportunity to negotiate a lower rate. Maybe you are the one working on a tight time constraint. If that is the case, you want to make sure that your moving in, and moving out date works for everyone’s schedule.

Know How Much Things Cost

Knowing how much things cost upfront will keep you from falling victim to the nickles and dimes some moving companies can charge. Before you book anything, get clarification on what exactly your charges are coming from, what are some potential charges you should look out for, and if there are any additional fees that are attached to whatever services you paid for. When you have all this information, planning for those costs becomes easy.