Money Matters: Passport rate increase, Wesabe closing

Money Matters is something I’m hoping to include weekly with news you can use to save, and pertinent advice to help you keep more green in your wallet.

PASSPORT PRICE INCREASES

Passport rates increase on July 13th so if you are headed out of the country anytime soon it’s worth purchasing your passport now.

Passport cards

Passport cards are good for travel over land (think Canada). Adult passport cards are jumping $10 from $45 to $55*, while kids passport cards are going up from $35 to $45.*

Passports

Passport book prices for adults are going from $100 to $135* ($35 increase) and are good for 10 years. If your passport is expired the rate to renew will also increase to $110.

Children’s passports are going up from $80 to $100.* ($20 increase) With 4 kids, if we were considering traveling out of the country soon I would definitely apply now-that’s a $80 savings for us! Kid’s passports are good for 5 years.

Additional passport pages are now going to cost $82, where before they were free.
*(These prices include a $25 execution fee)

For more info see the the government site which addresses all fee increases.

WESABE CLOSING

Wesabe, an online personal finance management tool recently announced they are shutting down on July 31st, 2010. I was a fan of their site for about a year, but there were issues addressing problems with their user interface, and it seems it was too much for the small startup to do and not enough funds. I’m sad to see them close down, but glad to see they are handling everything as they always do with the customers in mind.

If you are a Wesabe user, read up on the closing. All your data will be deleted, and Wesabe will remain a website with content on Groups where you can ask and answer questions about money.

Alternatives to Wesabe can be found via this Wisebread article.

Alternatives to Wesabe:

1. Mint: I personally use Mint.com. I love their iPhone app for checking my money on the go.
2. Pocketsmith: Pocketsmith offers forecasting-it’s like looking into the future of your money. It’s a straightforward to use, can be used outside the US, and gives you incentive to stick to your budget to see your net worth increase.
3. Pen and paper: A pen and paper budget is another alternative. When I’ve done this in the past I’ve had a special notebook, and carried it with me everywhere to keep track of every penny. If you prefer to go high tech-you can always create a spreadsheet.

Do you have any money news to share?

Kelly

Tagged as: money, passport price increase, wesabe, wesabe closing