My Biggest Money Wins (2022)

Few were impervious to inflation and recession fears during 2022, and while it's important to proceed with caution, I also want to celebrate moments that I made my money work hard for me -- as should you!

1. After calling different orthodontist offices in my area to ask for prices, it was clear that there was no way my adult braces would cost less than $5,000. I used NerdWallet and Bankrate credit card comparison tools (never use just one comparison tool because they usually prioritize the affiliate link that gives them the most money) to determine which sign-on bonus would be the best for me. With one swipe of my new travel credit card at the orthodontist's office, I met the sign-on bonus special.

2. In the same vein as sign-on bonus travel, my husband and I were able to save money for hotel stays through Hotwire. Hotwire works by offering hotel deals on unnamed listings. You get an idea of how far away it is from the city center, what its ratings are, as well as what a typical stay would cost -- but you don't see the hotel's actual name until after checkout. While it may sound a bit risky, we had a very positive experience with our mystery hotel stays.

Part of that was because they weren't really a mystery. If a Hotwire listing has real photos, a Google Image search can zero in on exactly which hotel you are signing up for.

3. One last thing I have been doing for all of my online purchases is stacking discounts and cash back deals whenever possible. I check sites like Retailmenot and Rakuten to see cash back deals AND I also check my credit card deals to see if I can get discounts on discounts.