Mountain Creek Grill opens on site of old Big Daddy's in Bartonsville

Mountain Creek Grill, serving up international foods and an eclectic interior, opened in the old Big Daddy’s site on Route 611 in Bartonsville.The restaurant underwent $500,000 in renovations to create a mountain-Tuscany feel, co-owner Jacqueline Calicchio said.The owners commissioned art welded out of 16-gauge stainless sheet metal created by Ryan Mitchell Ruck, a student at the Monroe Career and Technical Institute. A new piece, a huge tree, as Calicchio described it, [...]

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Survey: Few National Retailers Take Apple Pay Or Intend To This Year

Most retailers are notoriously conservative, even lethargic when it comes to adopting new technologies. There’s also a herd mentality in the industry and so change doesn’t come unless competition compels it or selected market leaders set a precedent that others need to follow. Indoor...

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Marketing Day: Domain Survey From ICANN, Google Blames Declining CPCs On YouTube & More

Here's our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web. The post Marketing Day: Domain Survey From ICANN, Google Blames Declining CPCs On YouTube & More appeared first on Marketing Land.

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46 Percent Of Internet Users Are Aware Of New Domain Extensions [Survey]

ICANN-sponsored survey reveals that legacy domains like .com have more than double the awareness of new extensions like .email and .club. The post 46 Percent Of Internet Users Are Aware Of New Domain Extensions [Survey] appeared first on Marketing Land.

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5 Ways to Transition Into Retirement

Some retirees are choosing part-time jobs or self-employment instead of full-time retirement.

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Google: YouTube Has Been The Cause Of Declining CPCs This Whole Time

Google executive explains that YouTube has been the cause of negative CPC growth long before last quarter. The post Google: YouTube Has Been The Cause Of Declining CPCs This Whole Time appeared first on Marketing Land.

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Google Brings YouTube Brand Lift Measurement To Mobile, Adds Metrics

Metrics aim to capture ad impact along the customer journey. The post Google Brings YouTube Brand Lift Measurement To Mobile, Adds Metrics appeared first on Marketing Land.

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Get Paid to Explore the World: The 10 Best Jobs for Travelers

Do you work hard just to squeeze in a week of vacation once or twice each year? That’s better than nothing, although some might argue these rushed trips make you more of a tourist versus a traveler. And either way, if you truly love to travel, a week or two each year might not be enough, right?

So if you find yourself always daydreaming about the next travel destination, you might want to consider getting a different job — one that lets you travel. There are two types to consider:

1. Jobs that require travel as a normal part of the job description.
2. Seasonal jobs that allow you to live in different places for a few weeks or months at a time.

If you want a solid, predictable income, you’ll probably want the first kind. If you want more variety, you budget well and you like occasional long stretches between jobs, the second kind might be more appealing. We’ll look at a few options from both categories in this list of jobs for those who love to travel.

1. Flight Attendant

As a flight attendant, you get to travel the world or the country, depending on the airline. But how much time you’ll actually have to explore those exotic destinations can vary. Talk to attendants at your target airlines to see where they typically go and how long they get to stay between flights.

If you have customer service experience, you might be hired with just a high school diploma or GED, but airlines prefer applicants with some college experience. The BLS says the median annual wage of flight attendants is $37,240. Now for the bad news; projections show a decline in the number of jobs available in the future.

2. Commercial Airline Pilot

If you like the idea of having two-to-three day stays in cities around the country or the world, but want a better paycheck than a flight attendant gets, learn to fly! Apply to airlines that have routes servicing the places you want to see.

This is the highest-paid position on our list. The median wage for airline pilots is $114,200. Future employment of commercial pilots is expected to remain about the same in the years to come.

3. Geologist

As a geologist for an oil company, you usually travel extensively, going anywhere in the world where there might be oil. The same is true when you work for mining companies. You might be looking for gold in Brazil one month and copper in China the next month.

This is the second-highest-paying job on our list. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes it in the category of “geoscientist,” and says the median annual wage is $90,890. They also note that employment growth for these positions is expected to be faster than average. Typically you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree to be hired.

4. TEFL Teacher

Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) provides a way to travel to many destinations, but usually for long stays. LanguageCorps.com says their teachers get four weeks of training overseas and often have six-month contracts, although some assignments are shorter. Use a job site like Indeed.com to search for offerings in specific countries. Enter “TESL” and or “TESOL” (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and under “where” enter the name of the country. You may get referred to a country-specific job search site.

You might find jobs just because you are a native English speaker, but GoAbroad.com says “the vast majority of employers who are offering a reasonable salary and good working conditions now expect their teachers to possess some form of qualification.” The standard qualification is a TEFL certificate, which you can get through online training. Some programs start for under $200. Whether or not you’ll also need a college degree varies by employer.

5. Cruise Ship Jobs

Want to travel the oceans of the world, from Alaska to the Mediterranean Sea? Get a job on a cruise ship. Here are just a few of the many different positions you might find onboard, according to CruiseShipJob.com:

• Clergy
• Bartender
• Casino dealer
• Entertainment director
• Retail clerk
• Dance host
• Hairdresser
• Lecturer
• Cook

There are more cruise locations than you might imagine. My brother worked briefly on a day-cruise boat in Japan, and my neighbor used to work on a ship that traveled through Antarctic waters seasonally.

The qualifications and pay vary by position, of course. As a former blackjack dealer, I know a few casino workers who did well on cruises that left out of Florida. You can find these positions posted on CruiseShipJob.com as well as general job websites.

6. Bartending

The opportunities for working in new locales are almost endless if you’re a bartender. It’s one of those positions that offers relatively high-pay (in the right place), and yet has high turnover. The latter means you can find a job almost anywhere if you have experience and keep applying. To travel, try to tend bar on a cruise ship, or just pick your favorite places on the map and go find a job for a few months.

How much you make depends on where you work, which shifts you get and how good you are at getting tips. Bartender Mike Kopczynski, who tells me he’s tended bar in five different states, made more than $760 in one epic shift at a Margaritaville restaurant in Glendale, Arizona.

7. Truck Driver

The hours are long and sometimes lonely, but as a long-haul trucker, you definitely get to see the country. NationalTruckDrivingJobs.com lists job openings by state and for different categories, including “tanker jobs,” “flatbed jobs” and several more. They even have a special section for drivers who have graduated a trucking school but have no experience.

The median wage for tractor-trailer truck drivers is $38,200 per year, but you can expect that figure to grow as the current driver shortage gets worse. Right now, the industry needs tens of thousands of truck drivers, and the shortage may increase to more than 240,000 drivers in the years to come, reports Reuters.com.

8. Peace Corps Volunteer

If you want to travel to foreign lands and help people while you’re there, joining the Peace Corps may be ideal. You normally sign up for a two-year stint, and you may spend much of that time in one location, so this is not a way to “see the sights” as much as a way to get to know another part of the world.

This is a volunteer position, but you do get pay and benefits, and a great entry on your resume. In addition to a living expense stipend you receive while in the Peace Corps, you get health care, student loan help and a readjustment allowance of more than $8,000 when you finish your 27-month assignment.

9. Travel Nurse

If you’re working in healthcare, you have a number of opportunities for travel. For example, my friend works as a physical therapist for a company that assigns her to different locations around the county for a few months at a time. But nurses are perhaps the most in-demand for traveling positions.

TravelNursing.org lists positions for registered nurses all over the country, and says “most travel nursing jobs last between 8-26 weeks, with the majority of the positions being offered for 13 week terms.” They say you can make up to $10,000 per month, and you choose the location. Good benefits are the norm, and can include free housing during your assignment.

10. Railroad Jobs

“America’s freight railroads expect to hire more than 15,000 people in 2015,” says the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Their website lists rail companies that hire for positions “ranging from engineering and dispatching, to law enforcement, information technology, industrial development, and more.” They’re based in cities from Alaska to Florida, but if you get the right position, you’ll be traveling all over.

The AAR says, “Freight rail employee compensation, including benefits, averages $109,700 per year.” That average includes a lot of different positions, so the ones that are on the trains or require frequent travel may not pay anywhere near that much.

More Travel Jobs

Here are a few more online resources to help you find jobs that involve traveling:

• CrewSeekers.net: You’ll find listings here for yacht-crew jobs.
• Be a Seasonal Forest Firefighter: Our guide to working in the wilds.
• Busking: Not exactly a job, but street performing can pay for your travels.
• CoolWorks.com: Their section on ski resort jobs always has listings.
• Work as an Au Pair: Work with kids and see Europe!
• RoadieJobs.com: Hit the road with your favorite band as a stagehand.

Finally, in addition to jobs, freelance opportunities allow you to work from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. The Penny Hoarder has covered many of these over the years, including freelance blogging, slogan writing, travel photography and more.

Your Turn: Have you ever had a job that let you travel, or have you financed travels by working along the way?

Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).

The post Get Paid to Explore the World: The 10 Best Jobs for Travelers appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Yahoo Opens Up To Third-Party Measurement For Fraud, Viewability

Brands can choose their own tool to verify viewability and fraud rates. The post Yahoo Opens Up To Third-Party Measurement For Fraud, Viewability appeared first on Marketing Land.

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Google’s European President Brittin Undertakes New Charm Offensive

Google seems to be striking a more humble and conciliatory tone in Europe — out of necessity. Eric Schmidt, the primary face of Google in Europe, now appears to be stepping aside in favor of Matt Brittin, a UK native and the head of Google’s European operations. Schmidt can be charming...

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This Lacoste Interactive Tennis Match Doubles As An E-commerce Clothing Site

The French fashion brand's "lookbook" lets you interact with a group of male models using a tennis ball on the screen. The post This Lacoste Interactive Tennis Match Doubles As An E-commerce Clothing Site appeared first on Marketing Land.

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Ride & Drive: 2015 Jeep Renegade

I absolutely love the all-new 2015 Jeep Renegade — primarily because it isn’t your typical “small” sport utility vehicle, or more appropriately, a “small” crossover that offers some versatility.The Renegade delivers everything you expect from a Jeep, but in a smaller package. It can go off-roading with its larger, “Trail Rated” Wrangler and Grand Cherokee siblings. And I’m not talking about driving up a gravel road, [...]

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How to Receive Great Testimonials

Testimonials… It’s an age-old tactic that’s been working in marketing for decades. Why? Because it gives potential customers a reassurance that your product or service actually does what you claim it does.

Testimonials are so effective that when a visitor lands on my testimonials page, they are 218% more likely to convert into a lead. On top of that, those leads are 190% more likely to convert into a paid customer.

So, how do you go about getting testimonials and, more importantly, the right ones? To answer that question, I’ve created an infographic that covers this topic.

Click on the image below to see a larger view:

Click here to view an enlarged version of this infographic.

Conclusion

Testimonials are huge, and no matter what business you are in, you should collect them. Even if you don’t have a use for them in the short run, eventually they will come in handy.

Have you used testimonials within your business? If so, how has it helped you increase your conversions?

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Visit the Bahamas or Venice for Free: How to Win $97,270 Worth of Free Travel

Do you want to spend your summer at home, sweating it out in the heat and humidity? Or would you rather spend your time somewhere a little more exotic?

These travel contests offer a total of more than $82,000 in vacation awards, including trips to destinations all around the world. And one contest even allows you to bring 49 of your closest family members and friends!

Before you apply, be sure to read the rules and regulations for each contest to make sure you’re eligible, as some have age and residency restrictions. Good luck, and happy travels!

Win a Trip on American Airlines’ Dreamliner

Win a business-class trip for you and a friend anywhere that American Airlines’ new Dreamliner flies. This cushy new aircraft offers power outlets and in-seat entertainment for all, Wifi, windows that dim with the touch of a button, and more — and that’s in coach.

The business suite includes additional perks, such as a walk-up bar and seats that lie flat — and every seat in this suite has aisle access. No crawling over people to get to the bathroom!

American Airlines introduced the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to their fleet domestically in May and will begin flying internationally in June to destinations like Beijing and Buenos Aires.

To enter, hop on Instagram and follow @Americanair. The first image on the page explains how to enter, which basically involves commenting on Instagram and sharing photos). You could win 560,000 AAdvantage miles, which are worth $16,520.

Of course, if you’re affiliated with the airline or the contest, you can’t enter. You must be a legal resident of the U.S. and over 18 years of age (19 years old in Nebraska and Alabama). Enter by 12:00 pm CT on June 29. Complete rules are available here.

Win a Trip to the Bahamas With Southwest Airlines

Fancy a trip to the Bahamas? Who doesn’t?

Southwest Airlines is offering a trip to Nassau’s Paradise Island, which includes roundtrip airfare for two, four nights at Paradise Island’s Royal Towers and tickets to interact with dolphins in Dolphin Cay. While you’re there, you can also enjoy the white sand beaches, a 141-acre waterpark, golf, and many other activities and ways to relax in style. The prizes are worth $4,200, but you will have to pay for your own meals and personal expenses.

To enter, you must be a U.S. resident of the lower 48 states or D.C., be at least 21 years old and submit your entry by 11:59 pm CT on June 17. A winner will be randomly selected on June 25. To submit your entry, simply fill out this form.

Win a Trip to Hawaii, Orlando, New York City or Italy

Hilton Hotels is hosting the Stay Amazed Jurassic World Dream Vacation Sweepstakes. One lucky winner will receive airfare and four or five nights at their choice of Hilton destinations (options include Hawaii, Orlando, New York City and Venice, Italy). Hilton will also give you $500 in spending money for your trip. The prize package is valued at $11,550.

You must enter by 11:59 pm ET on June 19. You can only enter once, but the sweepstakes rules also offer ways to earn bonus entries by Tweeting about the sweepstakes, staying at a Hilton property or sending away by mail for a bonus entry. You can obtain up to 18 bonus entries using these methods (more details here).

The contest is open to legal U.S. residents aged 18 and older. You can’t be an employee or close relation of anyone working for partner companies. Complete rules are available here. To enter, just fill out this form.

Win a $50,000 Family (and Friends) Reunion Trip

Where was your last family reunion held? A local park? A distant relative’s backyard?

Banana Boat is upping the ante on family reunions by hosting a contest to invite one lucky winner (and 49 of their family members and friends) on a trip to a “resort destination.” While they haven’t announced specifically where this destination will be, it’s a pretty good guess that a sunscreen company might bring you to somewhere warm and sunny. This prize package is worth a whopping $50,000.

To enter, you must be a legal resident of the lower 48 states or D.C. and be at least 18 years of age (19 in Alabama and Nebraska). You’ll have to figure out which 49 people you’d like to invite up front, though, because you’ll have to invite them to join your “family group” to enter. Children are allowed to be included in your family group, but they are required to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian if your group is selected.

Banana Boat will choose a winner randomly on July 6. The prize package (worth $50,000) includes roundtrip airfare for all 50 people, three days and two nights at a hotel (though you’ll have to cozy up with four to a room) and a $15,000 check to help offset tax liability.

Entries are due by July 5 at 11:59 pm ET. For more details and to enter, head to Banana Boat’s “The Great Big Family Reunion” website.

Your Turn: Which of these travel contests would you most want to win?

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

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Handling Future Uncertainty

Alex writes in:

I am 26 years old. I have paid off all of my student loans and am looking forward to the future. I have some big plans and dreams for my future. I want to eventually start up my own consultancy and have a plan for doing it.

Here’s the problem. I know exactly how to financially and professionally prepare for that goal, but it’s way off in the future. A lot of things can happen between then and now. Even the best laid plans get sidetracked.

I’m trying to figure out how to balance things. How do I balance the uncertainty of the future with the need to build up to something?

This is a challenge that all of us face. Anyone who takes on the challenge of planning for a great financial and professional future is facing down the prospect of real uncertainty, whether they acknowledge it or not.

So, how does one deal with that uncertainty? Before I get started, it’s worth noting that there are a lot of philosophies on how to handle this. Those philosophies have a lot to do with the person’s risk tolerance and their own financial security. A person with a ton of financial security and a lot of risk tolerance is going to have different viewpoints than a person with little security and poor risk tolerance.

My own viewpoint is one nested in a sense that your own choices – how you invest your time and spend your money – make all the difference regardless of what misfortunes cross your path. Here are four pillars supporting that idea.

Cash Handles a Lot of Problems

The more money you have in your investments and in the bank, the less likely it is that your life is going to be seriously disrupted by unexpected events. Yes, some terrible events can always pierce any veil, but the more resources you have directly under your control, the harder it is for everything to come falling down.

This is why people usually recommend a cash emergency fund as a first step for financial turnaround. It creates stability in a way that credit never can. Cash is there for you, period. It can’t be taken away by a stolen wallet or a bank cutting a line of credit. It reduces uncertainty.

The more you accumulate in your savings and investments, the less likely it is that a crisis will disrupt you. Unemployment for a short period becomes less disruptive, then eventually not disruptive at all. Changes in the marketplace and in the specific circumstances of your life become less disruptive.

Not only that, cash in hand can change purpose just as you do. If you have $100,000 saved for a big dream, that’s great, but if that dream changes, you still have $100,000 saved for whatever that dream might become. However, if you’ve spent ten years building education, skills, and certifications for a field that you become disenchanted with, that’s a much more fragile investment.

The most important step you can take toward any big future dreams that you may have is to start saving for it now.

Your Skills – Especially Your Transferable Ones – Cut Through Uncertainty

Think about the skills that are in demand in almost every field. Public speaking. Presentation skills. Organization skills. Communication skills. Project management skills. Those kinds of things look good on a resume for almost any kind of job, and they also serve you well in freelancing and running your own business.

You are always better off developing a diverse skill set with strong skills in a lot of areas than developing one single world class skill and letting the others wither on the vine. The more skills you have that are strong enough to help you make money and to encourage others to pay you money, the better you’ll be no matter where your path leads.

How do you build skills like this? Take every single opportunity to polish them. Step up to the plate to lead, to speak, to present, to organize projects. Whenever that chance comes your way, raise your hand. If you don’t know what you’re doing, learn via a trial by fire and come out the other side. Each time you do it, you’ll get better at it and you’ll also be building true resume fodder.

I’ll use my own example. At my previous job, I was primarily involved in software design, but there were elements of technical writing, project management, presentation, and public speaking involved. Looking back, the software design was somewhat useful, but the specific elements of it weren’t really very transferable. What really mattered were the presentation and public speaking and technical writing skills that I built. They’ve been useful.

If you’re unsure about the skills you’ll need for your goal – or if you need any at all – take a look at your destination. What are you going to be able to need to do when you reach that destination that you’re not capable of doing right now? Those are the skills you’ll need when you get there, so start building those skills now. This is doubly true if those skills work well for other goals, too.

Having a High Standard of Living and a Lot of Bills Causes Uncertainty

When people find success, they often lock themselves into a situation with a high standard of living that gulps down a lot of their money. They drive an expensive car, live in an expensive house, and eat lots of expensive foods.

The thing is, those expensive cars and expensive home and expensive foods (and other expensive things) are gobbling up the cash that they need to achieve their other goals in life. A person driving a Honda can put a lot more into savings than a person driving a Lexus, and they can both get from point A to point B.

If you want to achieve your dreams, adopt a lower standard of living – at least in terms of your spending. That doesn’t mean living a miserable life. It just means recognizing that choosing to spend twice as much for a 10% improvement in quality usually doesn’t add up to a winning proposition.

My usual approach toward this is to look at how I actually spend money. I keep track of my expenses (I like to use the You Need a Budget software package) and I review them regularly. What I ask myself is whether these expenses make any sense. Were there lower-cost solutions for the things I needed to buy, like energy? Did I actually get any lasting value out of my more optional purchases?

This kind of review gives me constant pointers about smarter ways to spend my money. This allows my family to have the things that bring us joy while still saving and approaching our financial goals.

Put the More Flexible Parts of Your Plan First Whenever Possible

Whenever you have a big life goal for yourself, there are always parts of the plan that are more flexible than others.

Let’s take, for example, our dream of owning a home out in the country. Sarah and I have always dreamed of a rural life that would allow us to do some small-scale agricultural things as well as give us plenty of room to explore and wander in the woods around us.

There are a lot of pieces that go into that. Saving the money to make it happen. Discussing what our respective needs and wants are regarding this country house. Looking for the right property. Building on that land, if needed. You get the idea.

The thing is, some of those elements – saving the money and having discussions about it – are still helpful even if our lives change and our goals change. The time invested researching properties that specifically match our needs at the moment? Designing floor plans for our family’s needs? Those kinds of things aren’t nearly as useful.

So, our attention (for now) is focused on those elements that are more transferable. We’re saving money. We’re talking a lot about what we need and what we want in terms of long term housing.

We’re not searching for properties very much. We’re not making specific housing plans. Those things are very specifically tied to that big goal and they don’t have to be done right now, so we’re waiting on them.

You should apply that same philosophy to your own goals, whatever they may be. Identify the elements that you can and should be working on right now and the ones that can be put off, as well as identifying the elements that can easily transfer to other goals and the ones that can’t. Focus your energies primarily on the things you can do now that transfer well to other goals. That way, if your goal doesn’t come together the way you want, you still have elements you can use for whatever becomes your next goal.

Final Thoughts

Whenever you’re planning a long term goal, you’re always passing through a lot of uncertainty to get from where you are to where you want to go. Not everything will go perfectly.

However, by being smart about how to approach the goal, how you spend your money, and how you build your skills, you can survive lots of uncertainty and change in direction for your goals.

Good luck!

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How To Create A Website’s Nomenclature (Or Labeling System) For Online Findability

How can you develop and maintain a clear, sustainable website labeling system? Columnist Shari Thurow shares her tips and best practices. The post How To Create A Website’s Nomenclature (Or Labeling System) For Online Findability appeared first on Marketing Land.

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How Millennials Define Frugality Differently

The younger generation wants experiences over things. 

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The Cost Of Keeping A Brand Advocate Onboard And Engaged

Columnist Jason Warnock explains how to maintain long-term relationships with your customers and ensure you've enough budget to keep them engaged. The post The Cost Of Keeping A Brand Advocate Onboard And Engaged appeared first on Marketing Land.

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Will I Still Earn Rewards Points If I Pay Off My Card Early?

No need to wait: You can pay off your credit card as soon as you buy something, and you’ll still earn rewards for the purchase. Photo: Morgan

Chances are, you’ve heard and believed at least one “credit card myth” before. For example, people love to talk about the fact that pursuing credit card rewards will ruin your credit – a “fact” that is not only unproven, but patently false. Others love to spread the idea that having more than one or two cards spells doom for your credit score, and thus, your financial future. (Also false.)

Although I stand in awe of the many credit card myths that continue to circulate, I forgot a big one the last time I wrote on the issue. Apparently, some people still believe that you won’t earn points on your credit card if you pay it off early. And this one – while well-intentioned – really bugs me for some reason.

Will You Still Earn Points If You Pay Off Your Card Early?

Whether you’re creating a budget with a credit card or simply using your card occasionally to earn rewards, the rewards component of the equation stays the same:

When you use a credit card for your purchases, you earn the same amount of points, miles, or cash-back on your spending whether you pay your balance in full before the statement closes or not.

Let’s say you put your $1,000 monthly daycare bill on your credit card bill today then set up online bill-pay to send your card $1,000 tomorrow. A week later, your statement closes at zero. What happens?

The same thing happens as if you had carried that balance over and allowed your statement to close with a $1,000 balance, that’s what. You’ll earn the points, miles, or cash-back rewards you were due on the $1,000 daycare expense you charged — whether you prepay or not.

Why Would You Want to Prepay Your Credit Card Bill Anyway?

The fact that you can pay your bill early, or pay it multiple times per month, is extremely important if you’re using credit cards to earn rewards – or simply to build your credit. Here’s why:

• Utilization: Around 30% of your credit score is based on the amount of money you owe vs. your total credit limit, or your “utilization.” Allowing your statement to close with a balance owed will increase your utilization, a move that could decrease your credit score. Meanwhile, prepaying your credit card balance and allowing your statement to close “at zero” allows your utilization to stay at zero.
• Budget success: Paying off your balance a couple times per month or more can help you stay “on track” with your budget, and ensure you don’t fall behind.
• Maximizing rewards: Being able to pay your balance in full as often as you like can help you use credit responsibly without fear of losing out on rewards. When you have a low credit limit, being able to pay your balance down to zero often also allows you to earn more rewards over time.

Other Reasons You May Want to Pay Off Your Credit Card Early

I’m not shy about the fact that my husband and I use a zero-sum budget for our family finances. This form of budgeting requires us to intentionally “spend” all of our income each month, with things like retirement savings and investments receiving payment as if they were bills.

In the meantime, it also requires us to only keep enough money in our checking accounts for our regular and estimated bills, using those funds to pay for stuff as the month progresses – a feat that wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t able to pay off our credit cards early.

• Related: How and Why to Use a Zero-Sum Budget

If you use this type of budget – and use a credit card for daily spending in order to rack up rewards – then you know exactly why this matters. Still, there are other reasons why almost anyone would want to pay off their credit card early.

Let’s say you’re leaving on a two-week vacation in Thailand where you’ll have no Internet access. (Lucky you.) Feel free to prepay your credit card bill before you leave so you don’t have to worry about due dates or late fees.

Another possible scenario where it makes sense: Let’s say you saved $4,000 for new furniture, but decide to put it on a rewards credit card to rack up the miles. After the purchase, you’re afraid you’ll blow your savings while you wait for your credit card statement to close and the bill to arrive in the mail.

What do you do? For heaven’s sake, hop online and pay that bill pronto. There’s no use stressing when you’re going to earn the points or miles you’re due regardless.

Another reason I pay our credit cards off every week is much more simplistic; I have a sincere hatred and disdain for debt. And for some reason, I cannot imagine letting a balance sit for 30 days without mailing in a check or bill and making it disappear. I might be Type A. Can you tell?

Regardless, you don’t need a good reason to pay off your credit card bill early. Pay it off early because it bugs you, because you hate debt, because you’re trying to stay on budget, or because you just feel like it.

Just don’t fear missing out on rewards because of it. That’s another credit card myth that’s been busted, and it simply isn’t true.

How many times do you pay your credit card bill each month? Do you pay your bill before the statement closes?

The post Will I Still Earn Rewards Points If I Pay Off My Card Early? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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