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5 Holiday Gift Delivery Options for Procrastinators

By U.S. News & World Report

This week marks a transition — by Dec. 19, most major stores’ free shipping or standard shipping options will no longer guarantee before-Christmas delivery. And in case you hadn’t noticed, the guaranteed-by-Christmas deadlines for ground shipping for the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS have also passed.

So is paying an exorbitant amount for expedited shipping — or worse, braving the stores in the days leading up to Christmas — your only option if you don’t have Amazon Prime?

Fortunately, no. These backup plans will get you on-time Christmas delivery without requiring you to spend extra or give up the convenience of online shopping.

[See: Prepare Your Finances for the Holidays.]

1. Use GiftNow. A few major retailers, including Macy’s, Target and Neiman Marcus, have incorporated this feature. While shopping online, select an item eligible for GiftNow, pay for it, and instead of entering shipping information, input the email address of the recipient. Your recipient will get an email that announces the gift you’ve selected — and gives her the option to select her preferred size and color, or exchange the value of the gift toward something else before it’s shipped.

GiftNow will send out the email notification instantly, so you could technically buy the gift on Christmas morning. Your recipients will so appreciate the ability to vet their own gifts that they won’t care that those Christmas gifts didn’t come wrapped under the tree.

[See: 10 Money-Saving Websites to Check Before Shopping.]

2. Check whether your credit cards include fast-shipping benefits. Some credit cards from Barclaycard and American Express include free ShopRunner membership. ShopRunner partners with a variety of merchants, including Bloomingdale’s, Staples, Brooks Brothers, Kay Jewelers and more to guarantee free two-day shipping. You must place your order with a card that has this perk, so log into online banking, navigate to your card’s benefits and look for ShopRunner. If you have this benefit and order early this week, you can still get your order in just under the wire and have it arrive in time for Christmas.

3. Order online and pick up in store. You may not want to go to the store, but because you waited until the last minute, you may have to settle for this compromise. At least you’ll get to place your order online.

In many cases, the item you want will be available at a nearby location. If it is, you’ll simply need to select your nearest store, complete your order online and head to the store’s designated pickup area. Walmart, Kohl’s and Bed Bath & Beyond are just some of the retailers that will have your order ready for pickup within a couple of hours, assuming it’s available locally.

4. Buy a gift card. Some folks may never consider gift cards to be as thoughtful as personalized gifts. However, you’re beyond the selecting-with-much-forethought-and-deliberation stage. Plus, the holiday season happens to be a great time to buy gift cards. Many merchants and restaurants are running holiday gift card specials through Dec. 31 and are throwing in all kinds of extras with gift-card purchases, including small gifts, bonus gift cards and certificates for a future meal or treat. If you don’t want to go to the store or restaurant to buy a gift card, e-gift cards can be scheduled to land in your recipient’s inbox by Christmas.

[See: 10 Signs You Shop Too Much.]

5. Give the gift of a subscription box, such as Birchbox, BarkBox or Beer of the Month Club. The beauty of the subscription box is that it is designed to arrive after Christmas. These services allow you to arrange for your recipient to receive a box in the mail every month that contains something relevant to his or her interests (whether that’s beauty products, coffee, socks or pet toys). If you’re trying to keep costs low, plenty of services allow you to set up just a few months’ worth of deliveries.

So give your recipients the joy of opening an envelope on Christmas, revealing which box they can look forward to, and set up the first delivery for January. Nobody has to know you placed the order at 11:52 p.m. on Dec. 24.

Companies and products mentioned in this article may be promoted on www.offers.com.

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5 Holiday Gift Delivery Options for Procrastinators originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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