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Kathryn Vercillo

10 Steps To Avoid Overspending on Christmas Gifts

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steps to avoid overspending on Christmas Gifts

It’s so easy to go overboard buying Christmas gifts. After all, we want to celebrate the people we love. Moreover, many of us don’t see our family and friends a lot throughout the year. Therefore getting together at the holidays is a great excuse to truly celebrate. However, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on gifts to have a good Christmas. In fact, spending less and focusing on quality time usually makes everyone happier in the long run. Nevertheless, it’s tempting to get wrapped up in the joy of it all and make those purchases. In order to avoid post-Christmas spending regret, here are ten steps to avoid overspending on Christmas Gifts.

1. Rework Your Budget Today

By the end of the year, our budget sometimes gets away from us. We make excuses for spending more during the holiday season. Then we figure that we’ll make up for it in the new year. However, that’s backwards thinking. Instead, think ahead and rework your budget right now.

Figure out what your income is each week through the end of the year. Factor in any additional funds you expect to come your way, such as Christmas bonuses. Then look realistically at your budget. How much do you have to spend on rent, utilities, etc? After that, how much is left? Are there any areas of spending where you can cut back in order to have more gift money? 

If you can make your gift spending budget work on paper, then you’ve succeeded with the most important of all steps to avoid overspending on Christmas Gifts. After all, you’ve shown yourself the money you have to spend. As long as you stick within that, you won’t go over budget. Therefore, you won’t go into debt for holiday spending.

2. Make a List and Check It Twice

Make a list of every single person that you would love to give Christmas gifts to this year. Then go through that last with a fine tooth comb. Prioritize the list so that the people you really want to focus on are at the top. For example, if you have children, then you would likely put them at the top of the list. After all, it’s more important to give your young kids a Christmas present than to give one to your coworker who happens to be hosting a Christmas party.

First, prioritize. Then look at the people at the bottom of the list. Can you cross any of them off as not needing gifts from you after all? Once you’ve crossed people off, go through your budget. Allocate specific amounts to each individual. Make the budget work on paper. Keep modifying your list until it does. This takes a little bit of time. However, it’s well worth the effort because it saves you money.

3. Budget for Experiences, Not Gifts

In many instances, you can skip the gifts altogether. The point of the holiday season is truly to spend time together if you can. Therefore, you might want to replace gifts with experiences. Those experiences don’t have to be expensive either. Each year I host a gingerbread house making party. Everyone brings their own supplies. Therefore, I just pay for the basics of the party. As a result, I’m able to gather together with a large group of people, create a memorable holiday experience, and yet spend very little money. This is one of my personal biggest steps to avoid overspending on Christmas Gifts.

Other experiences that you might enjoy with individuals, families, or other groups include:

  • Hosting a movie night at home to view Christmas classics together.
  • Getting together with friends for a special holiday drink.
  • Walking around to look at the Christmas lights together.
  • Attending free local holiday events such as Christmas music performances.
  • Volunteer together. There are so many people in need during the holidays. Focus on what matters.

4. Go The Secret Santa Route

If you have a large group of people to celebrate the holidays with then Secret Santa is the way to go. Each person gets one present. Each person gives one present. Everyone gets to celebrate together and yet nobody spends a lot of money on the gifts.

5. Give Gifts That Save Money for the Recipient

We previously did a roundup of more than two dozen gifts that save money for the recipient. Depending on who the recipient is, these purchases could also save you money in the long run. For example, investing in gift cards, savings accounts, and reusable lunch totes for your kids costs money out of pocket. However, when they use those things, instead of coming to you for more money, you’ve saved too. Moreover, these are often practical gifts that teach your kids the value of money.

6. Use Your Credit Card Rewards Points to Buy Gifts

One of my favorite steps to avoid overspending on Christmas Gifts is to go shopping with my credit card rewards points. I save up all of my points throughout the year. Then come holiday time, I cash them in. I used to use a lot of cards that allowed me to use points to buy gift cards or actual physical gifts. These days I mostly use cash back rewards cards. I take that cash and apply it to my holiday budget. Then I make sure to use the best cash back card to purchase any gifts so I get more money back again. However, if you do have cards that give you points to buy physical things, then by all means purchase gifts with points.

7. Go Through Your Storage For Gifts

People have different opinions on the topic of re-gifting. I, for one, am all for it. If an item is in great condition but I’m not using it, then it doesn’t make sense to keep it. Therefore, re-gifting it to someone who would actually enjoy and use it makes a lot of sense to me. Favorite books, kitchen gadgets I thought I would use but never did, unopened art supplies … these are just a few of the things I’ve re-gifted to people to their delight.

8. Handmade Gifts

There are so many great handmade gift ideas. Small gifts, such as handcrafted keychains, can be a terrific way to gift something to everyone in a group without spending a lot of money. Moreover, if you make gifts together as a family then you can enjoy the experience of the holidays together in that way as well. Just be careful with this one. If you don’t already have the supplies on hand, then the cost of purchasing them can add up. Plan in advance. 

Furthermore, remember that making gifts takes time. For example, I crochet, and I love to give people crochet blankets and scarves. However, I don’t usually focus on doing this at the holidays. It’s simply too much pressure to get things done before the Christmas deadline. Therefore, I usually make those as birthday gifts. With that in mind, though, if you can happily craft before the date, then it’s a great personalized option for saving money on gift costs.

9. Buy More For Needs, Less For Wants

What does your family actually need? What would really benefit your partner in their work or hobbies? Also, what types of items do your kids need (clothing is often a big one)? Sure, you might want to buy one or two frivolous items that are just for desire. However, if you spend the bulk of the budget on buying things that your family actually needs then you end up saving money over time.

10. Opt Out Of Gifting

You don’t have to give gifts for the holidays. Yes, there’s a lot of pressure to do so. However, you’re in charge of your own life. Do you really love holiday gifting? If not, then consider simply opting out. This is a viable option, even when society likes to make it seem like it’s not. If you don’t feel like you can opt out entirely, look for opportunities to opt out a little bit.

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This is Food Lion’s Price Accuracy Guarantee

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Food Lion Price Accuracy Guarantee
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Some stores offer a price accuracy guarantee. You may also call it a scan guarantee. The point of this policy is to make sure that customers always get the price advertised on the shelf. In instances where the cashier scans an incorrect price, the policy guarantees that the customer gets the better deal. For example, let’s look at the Food Lion price accuracy guarantee.

Make Sure You Note Shelf Price at Food Lion

The one thing that you have to understand about scan guarantees is that you’re the one who has to catch the issue. Therefore, when you’re at Food Lion, make sure that you make a mental note of the shelf prices of your items. Each item on the shelf should have a tag or signage right in front of the item. You must note that price. Then, when your cashier is scanning your items for purchase, watch to make sure that they scan at the same price as noted on the shelf.

Food Lion Price Accuracy Guarantee

So, what happens if you notice that the price rung up differently than listed on the shelf? That’s when you ask for the Food Lion price accuracy guarantee. If the price scanned is higher than the price listed on the shelf, then you’re allowed to take advantage of the Food Lion price accuracy guarantee..

What exactly does that mean? If you catch a higher price, you don’t just get the correct price. Instead, you actually get one of that item for free. If you purchased more than one of that item, those are sold at the price listed on the shelf.

For example, let’s say that you bought an item listed on the shelf for $10. In fact, you liked the item so much that you bought three of them. However, it rings up for $15 at checkout. You will receive one of the three (exact same) items for free. Moreover, you’ll receive the other two purchased items at the listed price of $10.

This counts for each unique scanned item that you catch as scanning at higher than the shelf-listed price.

Food Lion’s Price Accuracy Guarantee Restrictions

Just like with any other grocery store policy, the Food Lion scan guarantee comes with certain rules and restrictions. Here are some of those details:

  • If you don’t catch the higher price until after leaving the store, that’s okay. However, you must bring your receipt to the store to get your refund. You’ll receive your refund in the same form as you made payment. (In other words, if you paid with a credit card, you’ll receive the scan guarantee refund back on that same credit card.)
  • Alcohol and tobacco are excluded from the Food Lion scan guarantee policy in all states.
  • Additionally, milk is excluded from the Food Lion price accuracy guarantee in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
  • Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) items are priced at half the price of regular retail as far as pricing relates to the scan guarantee.

You can learn more about the Food Lion scan guarantee, as well as some of their other customer policies, right here.

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5 Cheap and Natural Ways To Unclog a Drain

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cheap and natural ways to unclog a drain

I live in a wonderful old San Francisco apartment. Because it’s old, it’s also got quirks. One of those is that the bathroom sink drain regularly clogs. I used to reach for the chemical cleaners. However, now I know better. Here are some of the cheap and natural ways to unclog a drain that I now use instead.

Skip The Chemical Drain Cleaners

Before I knew better, I bought the chemical drain cleaners. I imagine you can think of at least one by name. I had no idea that there was anything wrong with this option. After all, it seemed to unclog the drain just fine. However, over time I learned three key reasons to skip the chemical drain cleaners:

  1. They’re bad for your pipes. Maybe they’re fine to use now and then. But my building has old pipes and I have to unclog this drain regularly. Those chemical cleaners can be really harsh.
  2. The fewer chemicals in life the better. We are all healthier when we avoid chemicals. There are so many cheap and natural ways to unclog a drain. Why add chemicals to the bathroom unnecessarily?
  3. Drain cleaners are expensive. If you buy them as often as I was, then you notice that the cost adds up. Natural options are so much cheaper.

5 Cheap and Natural Ways to Unclog a Drain

Personally, I’ve discovered a favorite method for unclogging drains. First, I get rid of any standing water in the sink, usually just by scooping it out. Then I add baking soda directly to the drain. After that, I pour distilled white vinegar onto the top of the baking soda. That’s it. The vinegar makes the baking soda bubble up. It breaks up whatever clogs the drain. Therefore, I have a nice clean drain without spending more than a few dollars and a few minutes of my time.

Here are four other options for cheap and natural ways to unclog a drain:

1. Baking Soda and Salt

I haven’t tried this one before. However, HGTV recommends this as one of the best options for unclogging a stubborn drain. Apparently, you simply mix 1/2 cup each of baking soda and salt. Then you put that dry solution into the drain. You leave it there for a period of time. Afterward, you pour boiling hot water down the drain. This should break up the clog. HGTV says that you can also add 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar to the mixture for even better results.

2. Baking Soda and Lemon

First, you pour baking soda down the drain. Then you squeeze fresh lemon juice on top of that. Let it sit for a period of time. Once again, pour boiling water down the drain. This should free up the clog.

Note that the dry items help to break up the clog. However, Happy Hiller notes that you might simply try pouring boiling hot water down the drain by itself first.

3. Wire Hanger

Happy Hiller also makes the point that sometimes you need to unclog the drain by dislodging something from inside of it. It’s a messy job but you can use a wire hanger, pliers, and rubber gloves to combat the junk in the drain. Happy Hiller provides detailed instructions if you have to go that route.

4. Wet / Dry Vac

Before you try the wire hanger, Happy Hiller recommends trying a wet and dry vacuum. Assuming that you have one, simply turn it on the highest liquid setting. Then see if you can unclog the drain with that.

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How To Get Free Food by Referring Friends

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Free Food by Referring Friends

Do you love the places where you get your food? If you do, then you might have the chance to earn free food from those places. In particular, if you use a lot of app-based and food delivery services, then you’re probably eligible for referral programs. You can get free food by referring friends to those same programs. If you like where you shop, then it’s easy to make those recommendations. 

What Does It Mean To Get Free Food by Referring Friends?

So many different types of businesses offer referral rewards. If you aren’t taking advantage of these, then you’re missing out on lots of perks. In particular, grocery and other food delivery services often have referral programs. You get a unique code. Then you share that code with others. When they use your code, you get the perks. Oftentimes, they get perks as well.

For example, let’s say that you’re signed up for a weekly meal box from a popular service. They might offer $25 free food to both you and the person you refer each time you get someone new to sign up for the service. This is an easy way to get free food by referring friends to programs that they aren’t using, yet.

Businesses That Offer Food Referral Programs

Here are some of the businesses that allow you to get free food by referring friends to them. If you already use these services, then start taking advantage of this opportunity immediately. What if you don’t already use these services? Ask your network if anyone else has a referral code. Use their referral code to sign up. They’ll get perks and you might as well. Then, once you’ve signed up, you can start referring other people with your own code.

Grubhub+ 

I checked my own subscriptions first to see if they offer referral programs. I’m a Lyft Pink member. As a result, I get a free Grubhub+ membership. Therefore, I use Grubhub to order delivery meals. I checked and I have a referral offer there. It says that when someone I refer places their first order of $15+, both they and I get $10 on the app.

Postmates

Before I signed up for Grubhub+, I used Postmates for restaurant delivery. They also offer a referral program. The exact details seem to change regularly. However, it’s another way to get free food for your referrals.

Hungryroot

I receive most of my groceries through Hungryroot. They allow you to choose groceries or meals. Meals are sets of 4-5 ingredients with a recipe. Everything’s easy to make and I find it really affordable. Hungryroot offers a referral program. Currently, everyone I refer gets $50 off of their first order. Then I get $50 once they place that order. That’s a good bit of free food by referring friends!

Everytable

I haven’t used this service. However, it looks very similar to Hungryroot. They have a referral program as well. You get $20, and your friend gets $40, for each new signup.

Farm Fresh To You

I also use Farm Fresh To You for additional groceries. I love getting seasonal foods fresh from the farms. Plus, they offer a lot of staples that I enjoy. And yes, they have a good referral program as well. When I refer a friend, they get $15 off of their first box. Moreover, I get $25 to spend on food.

Imperfect Foods

There are a lot of programs out there right now that help save food from the landfill by offering “ugly” foods (that are still good to eat) at a discount. Imperfect Foods is one of those programs. I haven’t used them myself, but I see online that they have a good referral program. When your friend signs up, they get $20 off of each of their first four orders. Therefore, if they place four orders, they save $80. As soon as they place their first order, you get $30 to spend on Imperfect Foods.

Thrive Market

Thrive Market is an interesting option for food shopping. You pay $5 per month for membership. The membership money goes to support a family in need. But don’t worry, then you get savings on your purchases throughout the year. If you don’t save more than the cost of your membership, Thrive Market will credit you the difference. So someone always wins and you never lose. As a member, you have access to purchase organic, sustainable foods that fit into a variety of different diets. And you also have access to the referral program through which you get $30 for each friend you refer.

Five Star Home Foods

This is a small home delivery food service available in five states including Ohio and Pennsylvania. We wanted to make sure to mention it here because the referral program is so unique. You refer as many friends and family to them as you can. Then a culinary consultant from the company meets with each of them to plan out their meals and purchases. If you refer five people who accept the invitation, then you earn $1800 in vouchers for Five Star Home Foods. It’s unusual, but it’s one of the best ways to get free food by referring friends if you can make it work.

Freshly

Freshly is a meal delivery service for ready-to-heat-and-eat foods. Many people simply don’t want to cook every day. Freshly offers an option not to have to cook. Moreover, it has a referral program. When you refer someone, they get $90 to spend at Freshly. When they make their purchase, you earn $30.

Thistle

I’ve used this meal delivery service in the past and really enjoyed it. For ready-prepared food, it’s the best one I’ve ever tried. Their referral program gives you $20 each time a friend signs up and makes their first purchase. If they continue to purchase boxes, you’ll get an additional $10 per week for the following three weeks. Therefore, you can earn up to $50 for each referral.

Other Places To Get Free Food by Referring Friends 

As you can see, many different businesses offer referral opportunities. Any app or site that you use for food delivery likely has a referral program. Whether you use meal delivery services, takeout from restaurants, or get your groceries delivered, there’s probably a referral program. Some additional popular ones that you might want to check out include:

  • Flashfood
  • Love With Food snack boxes
  • Delivery.com
  • Doordash
  • Drizly
  • Everyplate
  • Hello Fresh
  • Instacart
  • Sun Basket
  • Uber Eats

Source: Invitation which also lists a variety of specific restaurants that have their own referral programs. Joe and The Juice, Taco Bell, and Blaze Pizza are a few on the list. If you have a favorite restaurant, ask about their referral programs.

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What is Haris Teeter’s Price Match Guarantee?

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Price Match Guarantee Harris Teeter
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Are you looking for the price match guarantee at Harris Teeter? If so, then you might feel disappointed to learn that they don’t offer price matching. However, don’t count them out yet. After all, they offer lots of other options for discounts and deals. Therefore, you might get the best price with them even though they don’t offer price matching.

What Is Harris Teeter?

If you’re not familiar with Harris Teeter, then you probably don’t live in or around the Carolinas. Harris Teeter is a supermarket based in North Carolina. However, they have store locations in six other states, all in that same general area of the country. In 2013, they were taken over by Kroger, although they have maintained the Harris Teeter name. As a result, if you’re familiar with Kroger, then you have a good sense of what Harris Teeter is like.

There Is No Price Match Guarantee at Harris Teeter

If you love price matching, then you’re not going to like Harris Teeter. Unfortunately, there is no price match guarantee at Harris Teeter. That’s true of Kroger stores as well. Some stores pride themselves on price matching. However, other stores focus on offering great everyday deals as well as strong coupon policies. Harris Teeter falls into the latter category. Therefore, you can get the lowest prices in your area on many supermarket items even though there’s no price match guarantee at Harris Teeter.

Harris Teeter Coupon Policy

Since you’re not going to be able to enjoy price matching at this store, you’re going to need to get to know their coupon policy. They have a very liberal coupon policy, which makes this one of the best ways to save money at Harris Teeter. Some of the best features of their coupon policy include:

Double Coupons

Harris Teeter is one of the supermarkets that still doubles coupons. They will accept up to twenty doubled coupons “per day per customer/household with VIC card.” The VIC card is their membership or loyalty card program. Harris Teeter doubles manufacturer’s coupons. However, they won’t double competitor coupons. With a manufacturer’s coupon, you can double up to three identical items.

Competitor’s Coupons

Although Harris Teeter doesn’t double competitor’s coupons, it does honor them. They accept paper coupons from competitors including direct mail. However, make sure the coupons are for an amount off of the price. If it’s for a percent off of the total order, rather than an amount off of the product or total order, then Harris Teeter won’t accept the coupon.

Join Harris Teeter e-VIC Program

One of the best ways to get coupons and low prices at Harris Teeter is to become an e-VIC member. As a member, you’ll receive emails twice weekly. These have alerts about discounts that are personalized based on the items you buy most frequently. Additionally, e-VIC members receive special low prices weekly on various items. Moreover, e-VIC members get entry into sweepstakes and giveaways. Harris Teeter gives away at least $100 in groceries every week! You might end up saving a lot more money this way than you would with a price match guarantee.

Rain Checks

If you try to use a coupon at Teeter Harris, but the item isn’t in stock, then ask for a rain check. You’ll get a “rain check” on the price. In other words, you have up to sixty days to purchase that item when it comes back in stock. If you do so, they’ll honor the sales price even if the sale itself has already ended.

Additional Ways to Save Money at Harris Teeter

Sure, there’s no price match guarantee at Harris Teeter. However, as you can see, there are lots of coupon options. Additionally, there are several other ways that you can save money at Harris Teeter.

Check The Weekly Ad

Harris Teeter puts out a weekly ad with special prices. These may vary from store to store. However, you can use the site’s store locator to find the weekly ad deals at your location. Use this information to plan out your weekly grocery list. This is a great way to budget and meal plan at the same time.

Scan Guarantee

Harris Teeter has a scan guarantee policy. What does that mean? It means that if they scan an item and the price comes up as higher than it is listed on the shelf, you’ll get that item free. If you purchased more than one of the same item, you’ll get the listed price for the additional items. Therefore, stay aware of the prices of your items at Harris Teeter. Then watch the cashier ringing up the goods carefully.

Use Harris Teeter’s Fuel Points Program

Like some other supermarkets, Harris Teeter has its own fuel centers. Additionally, they partner with Amoco and BP stations. When you purchase groceries at Harris Teeter using your VIC card, you can earn fuel points.

You earn 1 point per dollar spent on eligible items. Moreover, you earn twice as many points for gift cards. (For example, buy a $10 gift card and get 20 fuel points. Furthermore, the store offers double points on different deals regularly. For example, around this time of year, you might get double points on Halloween candy purchases. Finally, you also get 50 fuel points each time that you purchase pharmacy prescriptions at Teeter Harris. 

Every 100 fuel points is equal to $.10 savings on fuel purchases. You can cash those in at the participating gas stations mentioned above. You can earn unlimited fuel points each month by shopping at Harris Teeter.

Harris Teeter REWARDS World Mastercard

Apply for a Harris Teeter Mastercard. If you’re approved, then you can go ahead and make your first purchase. As soon as you do, you’ll receive a $30 statement credit. Moreover, this rewards card allows you to earn points towards free groceries. If you use the card regularly but also pay it off in full every month then this is a great way to save money at Harris Teeter.

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Lowest Property Taxes in Alabama

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Lowest Property Taxes in Alabama

Property taxes can significantly drive up your real estate costs. Therefore, you want to explore those prices before you commit to purchasing a home. Alabama is a terrific state for low property taxes. And if you really want to save your money, you’ll obviously want to look at the counties with the lowest property taxes in Alabama.

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Alabama Has Low Property Taxes

According to AL.com, Alabama has the second-lowest property taxes in all of the United States. The only state with lower property taxes is, interestingly, Hawaii. Therefore, if you want to reduce your real estate costs, a move to Alabama could be a smart choice.

Forbes analyzed property taxes in 220 metropolitan areas. 3 of the 5 lowest were in Alabama: Daphne, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa. None of the five highest were in Alabama. Forbes says that Alabama’s effective property tax is 0.48 percent. They confirm that Hawaii is the only state with lower rates.

The Alabama Real Estate Journal confirms that 0.49% average tax rate. Moreover they note that the average homeowner in the state’s metro areas paid $838 per year. Compare that with the average across the nation which was $3498. Obviously, it’s a lot cheaper in Alabama!

Highest and Lowest Property Taxes in Alabama

Of course, each county differs from the others in terms of property tax rates. AL.com reports that in the most expensive areas, people pay about $1400 for their property taxes. However, in Clarke County, which has the lowest property taxes in Alabama, the average bill is just over $200. Therefore, you can expect a range of $200 – $1400 in Alabama property taxes depending on where you live.

20 Counties With The Lowest Property Taxes in Alabama

As mentioned, Clarke County has the lowest rates. The property tax there is just .16%. On average, property owners pay about $209 per bill. AL.com has also listed out 19 other counties that offer the lowest property taxes in Alabama.

Of these, two tie for the highest of the lowest. Geneva County and Hale County both have average tax bills of $371. Therefore, even though there are pricier counties where you might pay as much as $1400, you can see that there are least 20 Alabama counties where you’ll pay between $200 and $400.

The other 17 counties in the top 20 for lowest property taxes in the state are:

  1. Covington County
  2. Perry County
  3. Franklin County
  4. Walker County
  5. Greene County
  6. Butler County
  7. Crenshaw County
  8. Clay County
  9. Conecuh County
  10. Sumter County
  11. Monroe County
  12. Dallas County
  13. Marion County
  14. Bibb County
  15. Fayette County
  16. Lamar County
  17. Choctaw County

Their tax rates range from $230 – $369 per year. The lowest rates are at the bottom of the list above. In contrast, those counties at the top of the list are closer to that $369 rate.

Alabama Counties With Higher Property Taxes

Just like in most other states, certain counties have higher property taxes than others. Urban / metro areas tend to be pricier than rural areas, for example. According to Alabama Real Estate Journal, the ten Alabama counties with the highest property taxes are:

  • Jefferson County is the most expensive. That’s the one that is around, or a little above, $1400 per year.
  • Lee County and Shelby County are both above $1000 per year.
  • Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Baldwin, and Madison counties are between $800 and $1000 per year.
  • Russell, Mobile, and Limestone Counties are between $600 and $700 per year.

Alabama has 67 counties in total. As you can see, ten of them have property taxes above $600 per year. In contrast, twenty of them have rates below $400 per year. Obviously, the rest are in the middle. Therefore, you can find reasonable property tax rates all across the state.

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