Money Crashers: 4 new pieces

Last weekend, Money Crashers published four of my articles all in a row. Most of these had been on hold for months — over a year in some cases — but got pushed to the front right now because they are "COVID-adjacent content," meaning things that people are more likely to want to know about right now during the COVID crisis. But don't worry: They had me recheck all the old pieces and replace any outdated or unusable info before publishing them.

Article #1: How to Eat Well & Healthy on Food Stamps – SNAP Guidelines & Recipes

The COVID crisis has shut down a lot of businesses — most of them, we hope, temporarily — and put a lot of people out of work. As a result, more people than ever are in need of food aid, such as SNAP (the program formerly known as food stamps). I've already written one article on how to apply for SNAP benefits, which Money Crashers had me update in response to the pandemic. However, after looking at my revisions, the editors decided it would be a good idea to pull out the second half of the article, about how to use your SNAP benefits, and turn it into a separate piece. The first part explains how to use SNAP at the grocery store, and what you can and can't buy with it; the second part offers shopping tips to stretch your SNAP dollars; and the third section offers resources (such as cookbooks) and recipes to get you started.

Article #2: How to Keep Entertained at Home Without Cable TV

With COVID keeping most of us at home nearly all the time, people are looking for more ways to entertain themselves without going out. This puts a lot of us in a bind: With our incomes reduced, we can't really afford cable TV anymore, yet canceling it feels like cutting ourselves off from our only source of in-home entertainment. This article offers some alternative ways to keep yourself entertained without cable, including cheaper streaming services, DVDs, books, computer games, and good old-fashioned tabletop games.

Article #3: Where to Find Cheap or Free Audiobooks to Listen to Online

One good alternative to watching more TV is reading more books. But unfortunately, libraries — the best source of cheap reads — are closed during the pandemic. So, to present folks with an alternative, Money Crashers had me update an old article on how to find cheap or free ebooks and audiobooks and split into two pieces: one for ebooks, one for audiobooks. The one on ebooks hasn't been published yet, but you can read this one to learn where to find audiobooks on a budget. Audible is obviously the best-known source, but there are others that are cheaper or even free.

Article #4: Should You Choose an Online Bank? – Considerations, Pros & Cons

Finally, because we're all living so much more of our lives online these days, Money Crashers decided it was time to publish this old article of mine on whether to choose an online-only bank. These banks are able to offer higher interest rates and lower fees because they don't have all the expenses involved in running a branch, but they can't provide face-to-face interaction. This article presents a complete list of the upsides and downsides of virtual banking, along with some tips on how to choose an online bank.