Ford factory to stay to the end

THE last Ford ever to be made in Australia will roll off the line in October 2016, as workers were told production is confirmed for next year.

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CommBank restores services after meltdown

COMMONWEALTH Bank says services have finally been restored after its latest meltdown, which left customers unable to access their cash this morning.

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Porn site donations too hot to handle

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD porn site Pornhub just wants to do the right thing, but it’s facing stiff opposition from major charities.

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Nanny state ‘sin taxes’ in firing line

IT’S a big day for the pollie who thinks we should be able to celebrate gay marriages by firing lever-action shotguns and passing around joints at the reception.

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Shoplifter comes clean in amazing note

COULD this be Australia’s most honest thief? A heartfelt note sent to a major retail chain proves it’s never too late to right a wrong.

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Uber, Lyft face regulatory hurdles before they begin actual operation

The day ride-hailing company fans have been waiting for — and taxi company owners and their drivers have been dreading — is fast approaching.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1UFFO5g

CommBank outage causes chaos

COMMONWEALTH Bank customers are finding themselves cashless as the company experiences major tech issues.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1gdasQC

Going to Asia or Australia Next Year? Book By Sunday to Add Another Stop for $3

Watch out for kids with squirt guns! If you’re in Thailand for Songkran next April, you’re going to get drenched.

Have you ever dreamed of experiencing this Thai New Year festival, where people douse each other in water to wash away bad luck? Or witnessing the traditional 10-day Balinese Galungan festival, where families pay tribute to their ancestors with spreads of food and flowers?

If you’re planning a trip to Asia or Australia next year, squeeze in some budget travel to one of these festivals or a new country. Until the end of this week, AirAsia is offering a super-cheap way to visit an extra destination or two on your international trip.

If you’ll be in the region working, traveling, enjoying a gap year or studying abroad, here’s how to add another stop to your itinerary — maybe even for less than the price of a cup of coffee.

Act Quickly to Get Cheap Plane Tickets

To get your hands on these deals, you’ll have to book your ticket on AirAsia between now and September 13, 2015, and travel between March 1 and October 29, 2016.

The airline is even giving away three million seats for free — you just have to pay taxes and fees.

How Much Do Tickets Cost?

Here’s the full list of available routes with their “All-in-fare” prices, which include taxes and fees.

Travel within a single country is generally the least expensive. Fly from Bangkok, Thailand, to other popular destinations within the country, including Krabi, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Phuket, for just $3.

Traveling between countries typically involves higher fees, but it’s still dirt cheap to travel between Bangkok and Kunming, China, or Bali, Indonesia. Each ticket is $21.

Want to hop from Asia to Australia? You’re in luck. Fly from Bali to Darwin for just $39, or to Perth for $62, among other routes.

How to Beat the Crowds and Score Cheap Fares

AirAsia offers booking tips to help you avoid the digital crowds and snag the cheapest promo seats. For instance, it suggests downloading the airline’s mobile app for more efficient booking.

Before you book, have backup travel plans in case your first choice trip isn’t available. If you have an alternate plan, you can switch gears and score a cheap deal, even if it’s to somewhere other than your original destination.

If you’re buying tickets for multiple people, the airline suggests having your travel companions’ information (such as their full names and dates of birth) ready, to make your purchase faster.

Where Should You Go?

March through October is Asia’s low season because it’s often hot and wet, so keep that in mind. Many travelers like to plan their trips around events and festivals like these ones:

Hong Kong Sevens (Hong Kong; April 8-10, 2016)

The world’s top rugby teams compete during the annual Hong Kong Sevens tournament. Join the huge international crowd that gathers at Hong Kong Stadium for this event, reveling in great play, fun costumes and a carnival atmosphere.

Flights from Chiang Mai, Thailand, to Hong Kong are only $21, and it’s only $33 to fly in from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Songkran (Thailand; April 13-15, 2016)

Celebrate the traditional New Year Thai-style at Songkran in mid-April.

This not-to-be-missed festival features water galore. People toss buckets of water and squirt others with water guns, a nod to traditions of washing away bad luck in preparation for the new year. Don’t be surprised if you get soaked just walked down the street!

Fly from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Bangkok for just $20 or hop on a flight from Singapore to Bangkok for just $26.

Vesak (Indonesia and elsewhere; May 20, 2016)

This festival celebrates the Buddha’s enlightenment with a procession featuring holy relics, books, offerings and sky lanterns.

The largest celebration is in Indonesia, but you’ll also find events in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Fly from Manila, Philippines to Jakarta for just $56 or Singapore to Jakarta for just $34.

Galungan (Bali, Indonesia; September 7-17, 2016)

This celebration of good over evil lasts for 10 days, during which families offer food and flowers to the spirits of their ancestors and loved ones.

Flights from Singapore to Bali are $45, and from Kuala Lumpur to Bali, just $35.

Hungry Ghost Festival (Malaysia and Singapore; August 17, 2016)

The Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month. People offer food and other items to spirits, and music and theatrical performances abound.

Fly from Bangkok to Singapore for just $21, or hop a flight from Jakarta to Singapore for just $19.

Your Turn: Are you planning to take advantage of this deal? Where will you go?

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

The post Going to Asia or Australia Next Year? Book By Sunday to Add Another Stop for $3 appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Prospective developers claim Royal Hotel owners broke lease agreement

A group of Las Vegas developers who were planning to convert the Royal Hotel and an adjacent office building and strip mall into an upscale boutique resort and gaming complex filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court on Wednesday claiming the property's owners broke a lengthy lease agreement and put the Convention Center Drive property up for sale.

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Social Media – Risk or Reward for Your Brand? September 22 Webcast

With social media hacks increasing in frequency and severity, all organizations need help managing social media risk.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Periscope Flips, Now Also Offers Landscape Video

Broadcasters now have the option to shoot horizontally on the Twitter-owned network.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Marketing Day: Super Bowl Ad Report, Twitter Analytics In Notification Tab & Native Ad Study

Here's our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Facebook Slightly Loosens Grip On Access To Its Live Streaming Video Feature

People with verified profiles now have access to the iOs Mentions app and Periscope-style live streaming, but brand and business Pages are still shut out.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Do Beck’s or MacKeeper Owe You Cash? 7 Open Class-Action Settlements That Pay Up to $80

Have you bought canned tuna, whiskey, jeans or computer software in the past couple of years?

If so, you may qualify for free money or products from one of the following class-action settlements. It only takes a few minutes to check whether you’re eligible and file a claim. Here’s how to get your hands on free stuff from class-action lawsuits against these companies.

1. Schiff Glucosamine Joint Health

If you purchased joint health supplements containing glucosamine within the past 10 years, chances are you’re eligible to claim between $3 and $50 from a class-action settlement about the labeling and packaging of the products, which may have misled consumers.

The settlement resolves a class-action lawsuit alleging the packaging and labeling of certain joint health products were misleading. The claims about the supplements’ effectiveness were not backed by scientific proof and the labels didn’t warn consumers about their potentially dangerous side effects.

Several large brand names are included, such as Kirkland, Metaform and Move Free. The deadline to file a claim is Sept. 24, 2015. More details, including the full list of products covered by this settlement, are available here.

2. True Religion

Do you seek out products made in the United States? If so, you’re not alone. Many consumers choose to pay more for products that include a “Made in the USA” label.

However, some companies may include this label even if some of the product’s components are foreign-made.

True Religion Apparel Inc. has recently agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it deceptively advertised its jeans as being “Made in the USA,” even though they contained some components made outside of the country.

California residents who purchased one or more True Religion products based on the “Made in USA” label between Dec. 10, 2010 and July 31, 2015 can file a claim to receive a True Religion T-shirt (valued at about $25).

The claim filing deadline is Oct. 30, 2015. Learn more here.

3. Gallup

Gallup Inc. has been accused of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by using an automated telephone dialing system to place calls to cell phones without the consent of the recipient.

If you received a survey call from Gallup on your cell phone between Aug. 16, 2009 and Aug. 16, 2013, you may be able to claim up to $80 from the class-action settlement.

The deadline to file a claim is Nov. 13, 2015. Find out more here.

4. Templeton Rye

If you drink Templeton Rye whiskey, you could be eligible to claim up to $36 from a class-action settlement. Templeton Rye Spirits has settled a class-action lawsuit accusing it of charging premium prices for its products by deceptively labeling them as “small batch” and “made in Iowa” — even though the product is actually distilled in Indiana.

Consumers who purchased Templeton Rye between Jan. 1, 2006 and July 21, 2015 must file a claim by Nov. 18, 2015 to be eligible for compensation. You don’t need proof of purchase to claim the cash benefit.

You also qualify for benefits if you purchased a drink made with Templeton Rye whiskey at a restaurant or bar. Find out more here.

5. Beck’s

If you purchased Beck’s beer in the last four years, you could be entitled to claim up to $50 from a class-action settlement. The settlement resolves allegations Anheuser-Busch misrepresented to consumers that Beck’s beer is brewed in and imported from Germany, even though it’s brewed domestically.

If you purchased Beck’s Pilsner, Beck’s Dar, Beck’s Light and/or Beck’s Oktoberfest between May 1, 2011 and June 23, 2015, you have until Nov. 20, 2015 to file a claim. Even if you don’t have proof of purchase, you could still be able to claim up to $12 per household. Find out more here.

6. Charming Charlie

If you were asked to provide personal information such as your address or telephone number when you used a credit card to pay for merchandise at a Charming Charlie store in California, you may be eligible to claim a voucher redeemable for Charming Charlie merchandise.  

These vouchers are available as part of a class-action settlement over allegations Charming Charlie violated California law by asking for customers’ personal information during credit card transactions, leading customers to believe the information was required to complete the transaction.

The deadline to file a claim for the Charming Charlie settlement is Oct. 12, 2015. Learn more here.

7. MacKeeper

If you paid for MacKeeper software, you could get a full refund from a class-action settlement over allegations MacKeeper was deceptively advertised as being capable of enhancing an Apple computer’s speed, performance and security by detecting and eliminating harmful errors and threats.

According to the class-action lawsuit, MacKeeper actually identifies problems that don’t exist and generates false error messages to scare users into purchasing an upgrade.

If you purchased MacKeeper software before July 8, 2015, you have until Nov. 30, 2015 to file a claim. Learn more here.

Your Turn: Do you qualify for any of these class-action settlements? Let us know when you get your benefits!

Anne Bucher is the Managing Editor of TopClassActions.com.

The post Do Beck’s or MacKeeper Owe You Cash? 7 Open Class-Action Settlements That Pay Up to $80 appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Warren Buffett's 10 Biggest Deals

America's most-renowned investor makes shrewd deals to add to his enormous portfolio.

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Palms' decision to turn over restaurants to outside operator sparks dispute

More than 220 Palms restaurant employees have to reapply for their jobs after the off-Strip hotel-casino turns over some of its restaurants to an outside operator.

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Video Ad Report: Majority Of People Who Saw A Super Bowl Ad This Year Watched It Exclusively Online

Unruly survey shows 51% of people who viewed a Super Bowl XLIX ad only saw it online, with this year's ads winning a record 9M shares.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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7 Tricks Advertisers Use to Make You Spend Money

Can your heart and wallet resist these tactics?

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When Your Spouse Makes More Money: How It Feels to Be Financially Dependent

When my husband and I got married, we both held full-time jobs. And without really thinking about it, we assumed we always would.

How else would it be? You graduate college, then you have a career. It’s just what you do.

But over time, my aspirations evolved, and my new goal — a freelance career — directly conflicted with holding an office job.

But there are dreams, and then there’s real life. I was perfectly happy with my public relations career, and the financial freedom of two salaries gave us some awesome opportunities that were more than worth the tradeoff — especially in a happening city like D.C., where there’s so much to do.

Then, my husband’s work asked him to relocate to Florida for a few years, and suddenly we had some big choices to make.

Quitting My Job to Freelance

I told my husband he should go if he wanted to. He told me I didn’t have to go with him — I’d be leaving a company where I was thriving, just to have to find a job in D.C. again in a few years.

Or, I could come with him, and give full-time freelancing a shot.

The idea alone felt like an incredible gift. I daydreamed about it. I held it in reverence, adoring it from afar. But could I really walk away from a well-paying job and let my spouse bear the financial burden of being the breadwinner?

My gut answer was a whopping no way. It felt irresponsible and entitled. I should be working because … well, I should be working.

Between his advanced science degree and my English degree, there’d always been some income inequality … but at least I was pulling my weight.

But in reality, my husband’s suggestion was by no means insane. It was well within our means to live on one salary Florida, where the cost of living is significantly lower.

It wouldn’t even be the first time one of us left a career to chase an aspiration. A few years after we got married, my husband wanted to get his doctorate, so we picked up and moved to Omaha.

And we loved it. In fact, we’ve talked up Omaha to friends on a level that can only be described as evangelism.

During that time, I was the primary breadwinner. And it wasn’t something I thought about. We were just living a fantastic life together.

Taking My “Turn”

But it was still incredibly hard for me to accept a reversal of those roles. Hard enough to make me say no to a dream opportunity for months, based only on vague feelings about what was “adult” and “responsible.” Who was I to take a chance on freelancing when my husband still had to work?

My husband kept pressing, the decision deadline crept up, and finally I had to make a decision. Deep down, I knew that if I turned this down out of self-induced guilt, I’d deeply regret it.

When You’re Not the Breadwinner

So here I am, a few months into freelancing, earning next to nothing while my husband supports us both. The little I earn goes straight into a separate business account for business expenses and taxes. For our day-to-day lives, I contribute zilch.

We get groceries on my husband’s salary. We eat out on my husband’s salary. I want to crank up the AC? Just add it to my husband’s tab. Haircut? Sweetheart, you got another $40?

Being on the receiving end of this arrangement has been even more uncomfortable than I expected. I compulsively take on extra chores, as if to earn my keep. I keep my expenses to a bare minimum, as if I could shrink away my needs and become financially invisible.

A recurring question that’s haunted me since we made the move is whether I have a right to replace my pricy Clinique face care products — the only thing that keeps my acne away — when they eventually run out. Or should I find something cheap at the grocery store instead?

The craziest part is that, even as I do this to myself, I know it’s all in my head. If I venture to talk to my husband and mention my haunting Clinique question, he stares blankly and asks, “Why would you need to do that?”

I don’t know why. I just feel as if I should.

My self-awareness about how ridiculous these feelings are has been my saving grace. If this kind of guilt was floating just below the surface, it could easily turn into an ugly and painful series of fights about nothing. As it is, I see it in myself and I know it to be unreasonable.

Because my marriage isn’t about keeping score or tracking every penny — no marriage is. And my husband has never acted as if it was.

Marriage is about working together as a team, financially and in every aspect of life. We help each other be our best possible selves, reach our dreams and experience our adventures together. Money is just a tool to help us do those things.

Putting Financial Guilt in its Place

I know I’ll continue to struggle to keep the freeloader guilt in check. But for now, I’m learning to channel it into more productive actions, such as going after better-paying freelance opportunities, rather than letting it wear me down.

Because if I let the guilt rule me, then I’m doing myself a major disservice by not taking full advantage of the opportunity my husband is giving me — and that’s not fair to either one of us.

Your Turn: Have you faced income inequality in your relationship? Share your experience in the comments!

Emily Wenstrom writes about pop culture, creative writing and lifestyle topics; she also advises clients in content strategy. Learn more at http://ift.tt/1Kb4jME.

The post When Your Spouse Makes More Money: How It Feels to Be Financially Dependent appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Why You Need To Make Video Part Of Your Marketing Automation Strategy

Video can offer marketers powerful insights about customers, says columnist Michael Litt, which is why integrating it into your marketing automation platform is critical.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Furniture designer, manufacturer plans nationwide distribution center in Las Vegas

A big furniture designer and manufacturer is bringing a nationwide distribution center to Las Vegas.

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Google Adds Ad Injector Filter In DoubleClick Bid Manager

In fight against ad injectors, Google says it has blacklisted 1.4 percent of ad exchange inventory in DBM.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Kmart expands layaway program to encourage holiday shopping

Kmart has expanded its layaway program and dropped a required down payment on a lease-to-own plan, joining other U.S. retailers in trying to get a jump start on grabbing holiday shoppers.

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Twitter Is Showing Analytics Highlights In The Notification Tab Of Verified Users

Twitter is experimenting with displaying Popular Tweets, Top Follow and Noteworthy Mentions in notifications tab for accounts that get a high volume of notifications.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Her Grandmother’s Heartbreaking Illness Inspired Her to Create the Most Wonderful Business

People often become entrepreneurs after facing a problem, then figuring out how to solve it with a new product.

For San Francisco designer Sha Yao, the problem was how to help people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia eat more easily. When her late grandmother developed Alzheimer’s disease, Yao watched her struggle to feed herself with traditional dishes and flatware.

Inspired by her grandmother, Yao decided to design a better set of eating tools — a commitment that turned her into an entrepreneur.

An Overnight Success That Took Years to Develop

Yao realized that making a few small adjustments, such as creating spoons with wide, curved handles, could help people feed themselves more easily, reports Good.

She volunteered at a senior care facility to note what kinds of adjustments would be most helpful, and launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to support her work. It raised $70,000 by December 2014 — a total that’s now approaching $100,000.

Eatwell won first place in the 2014 Stanford Design Challenge and is currently getting a lot of positive press, which makes it seem like Yao’s product is an overnight success.

However, as Yao explains on her Indiegogo page, it’s taken years of research and development to bring Eatwell to fruition. She’s faced challenges with quality control and manufacturing, and has had to delay reward shipments to her Indiegogo backers.

Entrepreneurs, take note: When you have a truly great idea, it may still take years to see your vision become a reality.

Be prepared to invest time and money into your product as you develop the best version possible. If you are successful, both you and the people your product was designed to benefit will reap the rewards.

Want to know more? Read the full article on Good.

Your Turn: What problem could you solve with an innovative product design?

Nicole Dieker is a freelance writer focusing on personal finance and personal stories. Her work has appeared in The Billfold, The Toast, Yearbook Office, The Write Life and Boing Boing.

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3 Things to Do Before Your Financial Advisor Retires

Will your financial advisor be hanging up his or her hat soon? Don't panic here's how to make a seamless transition.

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3 Benefits of Workplace Flexibility

How telecommuting, alternative scheduling and other perks help both employees and employers.

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How to Renovate Your House to Age in Place

Consider widening the doorways, installing grab bars and adding other helpful features.

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What to Do if You're Overqualified for the Job You Want

Tips to convince an employer that you're the right person for the job.

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Subscription Boxes That Save You Money

Getting regular deliveries can actually help your budget.

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Audio: How to Save on Vacation

You can keep expenses low with some strategic planning.

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Why CRM, Marketing Automation and Tag Management Are Foundations Of The Marketing Technology Stack

How do you build a solid martech stack? Columnist Travis Wright discusses the three components that you can't ignore when it comes to a strong foundation.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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How to Use a Health Savings Account for Retirement

Distributions used to pay for medical costs are tax-free.

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10 Ways Social Media Can Help You Land a Job

How to impress recruiters and employers on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Dollar General opening in Kresgeville on Sept. 29

West End bargain hunters will have a new place to score deals soon.Dollar General will open a 9,120-square-foot, free-standing store in Kresgeville on Sept. 29, according to project manager Mike Grafrado. The sales floor will take up 7,500 of the total square footage.The store is across from the former Polk Elementary School.It took just a little over four months to develop the site and build the store. The company received its building permit on May 22, and began [...]

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The Frugal Magic of Substitution – and 25 Ways to Make the Magic Happen

As I write this article, I’m sitting at a desk in the Ames Public Library. APL is a really nice library with a ton of books, magazines, DVDs, audiobooks, Blurays. Here’s a tour of the library that I posted a few years ago (before their recent renovation, which has been an amazing upgrade).

I usually write at my office at home, but about once a week, I try to write in a different environment in order to spur some creativity.

In the past, I would sometimes choose to write at a local coffee shop. There is a really nice coffee shop not too far from my home and I really enjoyed camping out at a table there and getting some writing done.

Now, don’t get me wrong: the coffee shop did have some advantages. If I wanted a cup of coffee to drink while writing, it was easy to get it. The location was nice and it smelled quite good.

However, the place had several drawbacks. I had to buy something when I went there, which meant that there was essentially a $5 charge for the table. It was often a bit noisy, so I would usually have to wear headphones while there. If the place got busy, I was usually encouraged to leave my table so that other customers could use it, which would interrupt my writing. Also, the only research materials I had around me were the ones on the internet and in my backpack – which, admittedly, were usually enough for whatever writing tasks I had in mind that day.

Still, it was a pretty solid alternate work environment, one that I would have stuck with if it were not for one simple thing. For the past several months, I’ve been challenging myself to try substitutes for almost everything in my life.

So, I tried out other options for those weekly or biweekly sessions. I tried a local restaurant that never seemed to fill up… except that a waitress interrupted me regularly and also required me to make a purchase. I tried writing in a park, which was wonderfully idyllic and free on the days when the weather cooperated.

In the end, it was the library that really stood out. It’s free. It has tons of research materials. It’s quiet. I’ve never been asked to move or to leave a table. Sure, I don’t get to buy a cup of coffee whenever I want, but many libraries have that feature.

The thing is, I would have never switched to the library, which turned out to be a far cheaper and overall better writing environment for those days when I needed an alternate place to write, if I hadn’t committed myself to trying substitutes for the regular things in my life.

This library desk is just one example of the power of substitution.

Substitution in Life

One of the biggest discoveries I made during my personal finance journey occurred early on, when I attempted to spend money by purchasing generic and store-brand products rather than name brand products for most of my household and non-perishable needs.

Switching to generics and store brands instead of name brand products is a clear example of substitution. I’m substituting the store brand item for the name brand item. I’m buying store brand wheat pasta instead of the Ronzoni brand. I’m buying store brand laundry detergent instead of Tide. I’m buying store brand flour instead of King Arthur.

What I found was that most of the time the store brand worked just fine. Usually, it worked identically to the name brand; occasionally, it worked a little different but not significantly worse. There were only rare occasions when the substitution didn’t work out.

However, in almost every case, that substitution did something else – it saved me money.

That was the core reason for trying store brands and generics. I wanted to cut back on my monthly food and household expenses. It turns out that almost every significant money-saving strategy is a form of substitution. You substitute one product or one experience for another in order to save money.

Here’s the thing: we use substitution in regards to all of the resources in our life.

We use substitution to save time when we choose to eat a sack of fast food rather than eating something prepared at home.

We use substitution to save energy when hire someone to mow the yard instead of doing it ourselves.

Bad Substitutions

Many of you will probably think that the above observations are rather obvious. Of course we use substitution in our lives. We do it all the time.

As with many aspects of personal finance and self-improvement, when you look at the idea all on its own, it seems obvious, but when it comes to actually applying it in one’s life in a positive fashion, it ceases to be so easy.

We are humans, and humans are creatures of habit. Even the most spontaneous of people get into routines of doing the same thing. If we don’t consciously think about the things that we’re doing, we’ll do many, many little things identically over and over, from how and when we brush our teeth to how we load the dishwasher.

Often, without thinking about it, we’ll make substitutions that account for excess time, excess energy, excess money, or other opportunities right in front of us.

Extra money in the checking account? Let’s go out to a nicer restaurant tonight! Let’s buy that thing we’ve been wanting! Let’s go out to that movie! Let’s buy the name brand product! It’s all about the lifestyle inflation!

Extra time in the afternoon? Let’s channel surf for a while! Let’s check out a few websites! Let’s tinker around in the garage! It’s all about wasting time, which is a very different thing than leisure time.

The moral of this story is that not only can our normal routines be improved upon, but our natural instincts when it comes to substitution can be pretty bad.

A Better Substitution Plan

A much better substitution plan – one that will actually save you money and time and energy over the long run – is to consciously think about substitutions and make a conscious effort to implement them in your life.

Honestly, this is how I spend a lot of my spare time when I’m doing mindless things like driving to the doctor’s office. I spend time looking at the ordinary things I do in my life and look at potential substitutions that might conserve money, time, or energy and leave me with more of those resources than the current way I do things.

Just like anything else, this skill gets better with practice. At first, it seems almost goofy and also a bit difficult. You’re thinking about substitutions in all of the things you do in a given day and many of the alternative ideas you come up with are terrible for some obvious reason.

Trust me, it gets better. Your mind starts immediately discarding substitutions that don’t really improve things. Instead, you’re left visualizing good substitutions.

The next trick? Go beyond visualizing and actually try out those substitutions. Try doing things the “new way” a few times and see if you get the outcomes you imagined.

Twenty Five Substitutions to Try Out

Here are twenty five examples of substitutions that might work in your life. Naturally, everyone’s life is different – at least some of these won’t work for your life, and that’s okay.

I challenge you to do three simple things.

First, go through each one of these and ask yourself whether this idea could work in your life. Does it sound like a substitution for something you normally do? Is that substitution one that might use your resources more efficiently and leave you with more at the end? There might be some drawbacks to the substitution, but as long as it’s providing you with some benefit in the end, it’s worth considering.

Second, visualize yourself actually making that substitution. Walk through that substitution in your mind. How exactly would you make that change? Would you make a different choice at the store? Would you make a different choice at work?

Third, make an effort to execute that substitution at least five times. Try it out. See if it works. Unless it’s wholly negative, try doing it a few times and see if the outcome is really positive like you imagined it. Do it and see what the results are like.

For me, if I consciously try something five times and I can see the positive outcomes from it, it usually becomes a permanent substitution. I don’t go back to the old way and I find my life is a little better than it was before.

Here are twenty five potential substitutions to try out and think about, to get you started. Let your imagination run free and find more – it’s a great little mental exercise during your spare moments.

1. Save money by trying a generic or store brand version of a product instead of the name brand product, substituting the lower-cost generic or store brand for the higher-cost name brand.

2. Improve your energy reserves and save long-term health care money by walking up a few flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator. You’re simply substituting one route to work for another one, one that costs you no time but has great long-term health consequences.

3. Save money and time by making several meals in advance on a lazy weekend afternoon and freezing them for future use, like this lasagna, substituting lazy weekend hours and bulk ingredients for busy weeknight hours and more expensive ingredients.

4. Save money over the long term by buying LED bulbs instead of CFLs and incandescent light bulbs. Modern LED bulbs produce light that is basically indistinguishable from an incandescent bulb. They do require a greater up-front expense, but that expense is quickly overturned by having a much longer life span and a much lower energy use.

5. Save energy by going to bed instead of staying up late to channel surf or do something else completely idle, substituting higher-energy hours tomorrow for low-energy hours tonight. Just substitute those one or two idle hours before bed with genuine sleep in a dark room. You’ll feel great tomorrow and actually be productive with your time.

6. Save money by checking out a book from the library instead of buying it from the bookstore or from Amazon where it would be more expensive. Even better, check out a book from the library simply as a form of entertainment, substituting for almost any form of entertainment as a library book is essentially free.

7. Save money by eliminating an addictive habit from your life, whether it’s video games, cigarettes, alcohol, soda, drugs, or anything else and substituting a healthier habit – almost anything is healthier. It’ll probably help your life in other ways, too.

8. Save money by simply flipping the light switch to “off” every time you leave the room and not flipping it “on” unless there’s a reason to do so. In other words, swap out your normal routine of leaving lights on with a new routine of turning them off.

9. Save money by driving the speed limit, which will conserve fuel and reduce your traffic tickets while not costing you as much time as you think. Use cruise control if you’re having difficulty.

10. Save money by doing your grocery shopping at the discount grocer, and only go to other grocers if there are specific items you need that the discount grocer can’t supply. You’re simply substituting one grocery store for another.

11. Save money by shopping for things like furniture and small kitchen gear at a secondhand store first before going to a department store or Amazon, substituting a lower-cost used item for a more expensive new one.

12. Save money by buying a car that’s known for reliability and fuel efficiency above other features, substituting a cost-effective car for a less cost-effective one. A car that uses less fuel saves thousands of dollars during the time that you own it; a car that’s more reliable saves thousands on repair bills and emergency expenses (like taxis and towing).

13. Save money by working out a babysitting swap with a neighbor or a friend rather than hiring a babysitter, substituting an expensive babysitter for a free one. A babysitting exchange can be a great way for both sets parents to save money and have some guilt-free evenings.

14. Save money by moving into a less expensive home or apartment so that the cost of rent, mortgage, insurance, property taxes, maintenance, and association fees all drop through the floor, substituting your current living quarters for another one.

15. Save money by checking the community calendar first before planning a night out on the town. There are often free events around town that are quite entertaining and are far cheaper than other things you might do. It’s a simple entertainment substitution.

16. Save money by checking a movie out from the library instead of renting it from Redbox or buying the DVD or Bluray. You’re simply substituting movie retailers, replacing the store or the rental place with the library, which is free.

17. Save money by making your own basic cleaning supplies. For example, when your window cleaning solution runs out, fill the bottle with a mix of water and vinegar plus a drop or two of dish soap. It’ll provide the same effect.

18. Save money by taking public transportation to work instead of driving your car. Driving through city traffic will eat up very similar amounts of time, plus you’re not paying for gas, oil, other maintenance, depreciation, and the wear and tear on your car (which adds up to about $0.50 per mile).

19. Save money by substituting an old-fashioned safety razor for a “modern” one that does the same exact thing except requires you to buy expensive cartridges.

20. Save money by substituting reading in as one of your leisure activities. Not only is it very inexpensive – library books are free, after all – it’s also an incredibly powerful way to learn about the world, sparks the imaginantion, and it also sharpens your reading skills all at once.

21. Save money and time by figuring out a more optimal route to work and back. We often latch onto the first route that we discover to work, but that route often isn’t the shortest or most efficient one. Spend some time looking for a better route; if you can just shave half a mile or one minute off of each commute, that adds up to a lot of miles and time over the course of a few years.

22. Save money by eating more vegetables and less meat when it comes to meal time. Not only are vegetables less expensive than meat, they’re also better for you, which can improve health care costs over the long term.

23. Save money by swapping a dinner at a restaurant with friends for a dinner party at your house. Not only will it be less expensive for this meal, it likely sets up your friends to host a dinner party with you as a guest.

24. Save money by substituting an expensive summer trip or weekend getaway with a camping trip. Camping is incredibly inexpensive, gives you access to the great outdoors and vistas you might not otherwise enjoy, and offers certain simple pleasures that you can’t find elsewhere, like sitting around a campfire after a day spent outside.

25. Save money by substituting a new car purchase with a late model used purchase. Late model used cars are often much cheaper, often come with some type of warranty, and offer a very long lifespan.

Final Thoughts

The entire benefit behind substitution-based thinking is to make yourself look at the basic routines of your life from a new angle. The goal is to spot patterns that you may not have seen before and look for better ways to do them.

I’m constantly finding little substitutions in my own life, ones that save me money or time or energy without sacrificing things I care about. Ever so slowly, those substitutions, when taken together, start to build up a lot of savings of time, money, and energy. Those resources enable me to do more and more in my life.

Remember, a better routine for you should always leave you with a better combination of money, time, and energy than the way that you’re currently doing things. If not, then it’s not a real benefit. If you find yourself giving up an hour of your time each week to save a dollar or two, it’s not worth it. If you find yourself spending a ton of energy or money just to save fifteen minutes, it’s not worth it.

Good luck in finding and trying substitutions in your life!

The post The Frugal Magic of Substitution – and 25 Ways to Make the Magic Happen appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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This Mother Rarely Pays for Groceries. Here’s Her Couponing Strategy

Want to save more? Click here and we’ll help you makeover your grocery budget!

Nearly everyone’s used coupons at some time or another, but New York mom Kate Fenner has turned couponing into a serious savings strategy.

She regularly returns from grocery shopping having spent under $2 for an entire cart full of groceries — and sometimes she has so many coupons that she gets her groceries for free and gets cash back at checkout!

How does Fenner do it, and how can you make couponing a part of your everyday savings plan? We talked to Fenner to get her tips and advice.

This Shoprite run cost Fenner just $2.59.

How This Mother Started Couponing

Fenner grew up in a coupon-clipping family. “My mother definitely couponed when I was growing up, so I would see her clipping the coupons from the paper when I was a kid.”

However, even after watching her mother clip coupons, Fenner wasn’t a big couponer as an adult. Then things changed.

“A couple of years after I got married, we were settling into living in a new state and living on our own, and I needed to save some money. So I thought back to coupons, and seeing where I could go with that.”

On this haul from Shoprite, Fenner eceived a *profit* of $12.55.

Using Local Blogs to Become a Coupon Expert

Fenner quickly realized coupons had changed since the days when her mother would sit down with the newspaper and a pair of scissors.

“Now, you can get coupons online, and there are all sorts of different apps, and cash back from the different apps and store coupons. There are all of these different things that you can combine to get the good deals.”

So Fenner started looking for online experts to guide her to the best deals. She found coupon blogs that focused on stores in her local area, and studied them to learn how to improve her couponing skills.

“It’s helpful to have local blogs,” Fenner told us. “I know one or two people who have blogs who live in the Capital District of New York, and they will put up what they call ‘match-ups’ for our stores. They’ll list what’s in the sales flyer, which products are on a good sale, and they’ll already do the legwork for me by finding out what coupons go with a sale and which apps might have savings as well.”

Fenner regularly visits A Super Savvy Saver Deal, a Capital region couponing blog that sometimes features Fenner’s hauls, listing the coupons she used and the savings she received. On Kate’s ShopRite TRIPLES Trip, for example, Fenner shared how she used three 50-cent coupons and added a 75-cent e-coupon to receive 75 cents in profit on Larabars.

If you want to become a coupon expert yourself, Fenner suggests looking for your own local couponing blogs. She advises new couponers to go to these blogs and decide what you want to buy based on their lists of high-value coupons and coupon/sale combinations.

She also advises new couponers to make couponing a part of their everyday routine. Fenner spends about 15 minutes every day looking at coupons and blogs to find the best deals and work those coupons into her shopping plan.

Fenner spent $1.58 for this loot from Harris Teeter.

Plan to Save

Fenner stresses the importance of planning your shopping trips: “Planning is key. Figure out what you’re going to buy beforehand.”

One element of Fenner’s planning strategy involves buying grocery staples in advance, so she can shop for the best deals. She knows that if she waits too long to buy cereal, for example, she has to pay the price the grocery store is offering on the day she needs cereal.

“If you put yourself in that situation, you’re going to be limited by what’s on sale today and what you have in front of you,” she explains.

But when Fenner plans ahead, she looks for the best coupons on cereal and other staples. She buys groceries when the price is right, not when her pantry is empty.

This type of planning becomes even more important during what Fenner calls a big couponing event. “Our store, Shoprite, just had a triple coupon promotion, so instead of doubling the value of the coupon, which many of my local stores do, they triple the value of most coupons.”

When Fenner knows that a big couponing event is coming, she figures out exactly what she needs to buy to save the most money. It takes a little extra time to plan these shopping trips, but that’s also how Fenner ends up with those amazing grocery hauls.

Use Coupons to Buy Healthy Foods

Fenner does not meal plan, but she does use what’s on sale to help guide her meal choices. This includes using coupons to subsidize the cost of foods that don’t often go on sale.

“There aren’t usually coupons on apples,” Fenner said, “but if you want to buy apples, you might be more likely to do it now that you’re saving money in other areas.”

Fenner knows a lot of people decide not to get into couponing because they don’t see coupons for foods they want to buy. What they don’t understand is they can use coupon savings to pay for the rest of their grocery cart. This goes for the little coupons as well as the big ones; no amount of savings is too small.

“When you start couponing and learn how it works, you’ll see that a 50-cent coupon is going to double to a dollar at your grocery store, potentially, and depending on the sale you can make a little profit on something, which can help you cover produce or meat.”

We’ll leave you with some final advice from Kate Fenner: “Couponing can be as easy or as complicated as you make it. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it is a great way to save money. You can end up doing even more than you might think.”

So find your local couponing blogs, start planning your shopping trips and see if you can come home with a cart of free groceries.

Your Turn: What’s your best coupon savings story? Do you have advice for other couponers?

Want to save more? Click here and we’ll help you makeover your grocery budget!

Nicole Dieker is a freelance writer focusing on personal finance and personal stories. Her work has appeared in The Billfold, The Toast, Yearbook Office, The Write Life and Boing Boing.

The post This Mother Rarely Pays for Groceries. Here’s Her Couponing Strategy appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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