Target’s embarrassing porn stuff-up

FAMILY-FRIENDLY Target became NSFW when an unmistakeable sound started to play over the intercom at a store.

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

All-day breakfast is ‘a disaster’

THEY’RE in no way “lovin’ it”. Customers are abandoning McDonald’s in droves over the new all-day breakfast menu.

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

Woolies shuts down refugee barbie

A GROUP raising money for boat people has had their sausage sizzle outside a Woolworths shut down because it was promoting a “political movement”.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1Pw6cKp

This Mom Found a Way to Get Free Toys From Pampers

Penny Hoarder staffer Kalynn Harshbarger isn’t necessarily a Pampers loyalist. But she and her husband found Pampers to be the best fit for their one-and-half-year-old son, so why not join a rewards program?

“We’re buying them anyway,” says Kalynn, “so we might as well get something for free.”

The Pampers Rewards program does seem to truly reward loyal customers, without a catch.

The couple learned about the program simply: Every qualifying package of Pampers diapers, wipes and training pants has a tag with a Rewards code on it.

Visit Pampers.com to sign up. They’ll ask for your email address and prompt you to create a password. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll submit rewards codes, collect points and cash them in for a variety of free gifts.

Pampers makes the process pretty easy, and the rewards codes are on tags you can easily remove from packaging. Kalynn or her husband tend to remove and save the tags for a few months, then input five or six at a time.

Even then, Kalynn says, it’s a quick process. “Not even five minutes — it takes seconds.”

How Many Points Can You Earn?

This family has been using Pampers Rewards almost since their son was born.

In 18 months, they’ve earned a total of 2,190 points. That’s with spending about $50 per month (same as the U.S average), buying a box of diapers about every six weeks.

Each box of diapers or wipes offers a different number of points, and you can see on the Pampers website how much each will be worth before you buy it.

With a plethora of ways to save money on diapers, score free packages or earn additional rewards when you buy them, Kalynn thinks the Rewards points she earns for buying diapers are a pretty great value.

You can also earn points without buying any diapers.

Pampers gives you additional points for tasks like reviewing products, reading select articles and watching promoted videos. You’ll also receive special bonus offers that boost your points — things like triple points on the first box of diapers you purchase this month.

How Pampers Rewards Works

The steps are easy:

1. Find the Rewards code on your package of Pampers diapers, wipes or training pants.
2. Enter the code at Pampers.com, through the mobile app or via text message.
3. Log in to your account at Pampers.com to see your Rewards anytime.
4. Once you earn enough rewards, redeem them for the item you want.
5. The website says items should arrive in four to six weeks.

The only caveat about the rewards program is the codes are a bit unwieldy. Each code is a random combination of about 15 letters and numbers, so entering them correctly could be tricky.

To avoid the tediousness of entering each code by hand, Kalynn recommends you use the Pampers Rewards smartphone app. Just take a picture of the code and the app enters it for you.

However, the app’s fairly new and has some kinks to work out. You have to sign in each time you open it, and have to manually enter codes for wipes. But for boxes of diapers, it’s still a worthwhile timesaver.

What Can You Get?

You can redeem any number of points at any time for gifts for your baby or family — or to treat yourself.

As few as 10 points can earn you an entry to a sweepstakes for baby items.

You can get this cute Dora and Diego potty training chart for 100 points. Tons of cool Shutterfly gifts are available, like this set of custom cards for 600 points. This yoga DVD for Mom goes for 1,100 points.

After about 16 months, Kalynn redeemed 1,750 points for a Melissa & Doug Tool Kit, which retails for $14.99 at Target. She didn’t have to wait the estimated 4-6 weeks for the toy; it arrived in about a week and a half.

Get More Freebies With Grow On

The bonus Grow On program is an automatic benefit for Pampers Rewards members.

Just enter at least one code per month, and you’ll get to choose from a bonus selection of gifts every three months.

Keep Saving Points

Pampers Rewards don’t seem to have an expiration, so you can hold onto your points and redeem them as your child grows or to get freebies for the next one.

Just make sure you don’t hoard points for too long without adding more. You could lose them if your account is inactive for six months.

The terms of the program currently state it expires December 31, 2015. But it said that about December 2014, too, and dates before that, according to member forums. As each termination date approached, Pampers emailed members to let them know the program would be extended without a hitch.

So we have reason to believe the program will stick around, and your points will be just fine after New Year’s Eve.

Your Turn: Have you tried Pampers Rewards? What did you earn with your points?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a Staff Writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes about writing, work, life and love for blogs and books and sometimes things people care about, like Huffington Post and that one time she had an article published in the Onion.

The post This Mom Found a Way to Get Free Toys From Pampers appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1jrgVK4

How Moving to Europe Helped This Couple Pay Off $43,000 in Debt

Jennifer and Jim were exploring Europe on their honeymoon in 2009 when the idea struck to move there full time.

The college sweethearts from Arizona State University were enjoying their stay in Ireland and realized they didn’t want it to end. They also met a young American couple who had decided to move abroad; Jennifer and Jim considered it fate.

The couple carried big debt going into the marriage: Jennifer’s student loans came to $35,000, and together they had more than $10,000 in credit card debt.

Six years later, Jennifer and Jim have paid off a whopping $43,000 in debt and saved an additional $10,000 in cash — all on one $40,000 salary! They live comfortably, travel often and now have two kids.

Here’s how they did it.

Newlyweds with Debt and Big Dreams

Jennifer, then 27, and Jim, then 26, arrived in Dublin, Ireland, just three months after they made the commitment to move. They had no solid jobs or living situation, though Jim had dual American-Irish citizenship.

They rented a small apartment right across from the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral and landed jobs at an outdoor clothing and equipment retail store in just two days. They wanted flexible, relaxed and stress-free employment, since their goal was to travel as much as possible.

Changing Plans and Starting a Family

They thought they’d only be in Ireland for a few years, but given Ireland’s free healthcare and generous parental leave, the couple decided to have start their family there.

While they both worked, the couple lived off Jim’s salary and saved Jennifer’s. When their first child arrived in 2013, Jennifer received six months off paid, plus another six months off unpaid. She then became a stay-at-home mom, and they were forced to find more creative ways to save.

In 2014, their second child was born. Jennifer and Jim started saving in the simplest way possible: stashing cash away and not touching it. Jennifer refers to this as her “Sock Fund.”

And it worked: They’ve paid off $43,000 in debt and put $10,000 in the bank.

Jennifer and Jim miss the U.S., but they’re in love with the European lifestyle. They feel Europeans are less brand-conscious and live much more simply, which helps make saving easier.

“There’s no keeping up with the Joneses here,” says Jennifer.

Jennifer and Jim’s Tips for Saving Cash, No Matter Where You Live:

• Hide money in your own Sock Fund: Sock away money in a jar every week and every payday. Out of sight and out of mind means you won’t think about it or spend it.
• Walk to the store: Buy only what you can carry.
• Don’t have a car: Not everyone can pull this off, but Jennifer and Jim have easy access to public transportation and the ability to walk just about anywhere.
• Don’t buy a gym membership: By walking everywhere, you’ll get lots of exercise for free.
• Reinvent your wardrobe: Jennifer was especially creative at reinventing her wardrobe with accessories to change the look and make it feel like new, without having to drop cash on a new dress for every occasion.
• Book airfare many months in advance: Don’t wait and risk it. Book your airfare at least six months in advance to make sure you can grab cheap seats.
• Say goodbye to cable: With the Internet, everything is available in a few clicks. Jennifer and Jim traded their expensive cable for an Apple TV.
• Use pay-as-you-go or roll-over cell phone plans: These plans force you to be aware of your monthly usage. You’ll probably surprise yourself and save plenty of minutes.
• Ask for discounts: Ask and ye shall receive. Regularly check in with service providers to see about special offers and deals.
• Be careful with credit cards: Pay off your credit cards on time to avoid interest, and when your rates go up, just walk away and get a new credit card.
• Get rid of your stuff: Every year or so, go through your entire home, pull out anything you don’t need or use, and sell it. Not only are you decluttering, you’ll make money you can add to your Sock Fund.
• Take advantage of freebies: Free events, free admissions, free stuff. You’d be amazed at what you can enjoy that is simply free: museum days, park picnics (pack your own wine!), giveaways and more.
• Buy the best: Do your research and opt for higher-end (and, yes, more expensive) appliances and electronics that will likely last longer. But of course, wait until they go on sale!
• Stay in on date night: Save money on babysitters and expensive restaurants by planning at-home date nights. After the kids go to bed, enjoy a bottle of wine (Jennifer and Jim are spoiled by affordable and tasty European wines), cook and make time for each other.

The Bottom Line: Choose What’s Important to You

While some of Jennifer and Jim’s success is due to the benefits of living in Ireland, like free healthcare and generous maternity benefits, you can leverage many of their tactics no matter where you live.

As Jennifer says, “You decide what’s important.”

Your Turn: Would you move to another country to save money on living expenses?

Joanna Brinjak Furlong is a writer, marketing strategist and mom based in Los Angeles. You can find her on Twitter @JoannaBFurlong or blogging createfully.

The post How Moving to Europe Helped This Couple Pay Off $43,000 in Debt appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1LmV0e0

Married with Children? You Are Probably Better Off Financially

Married people with children generally do better financially than other Americans, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Source CBN.com - Finance http://ift.tt/1hGPKJy

I Quit Lending Club Years Ago, But Its Note Trading Platform Just Won Me Back. Here’s Why

Have you tried investing on Lending Club? You choose the loans to fund, invest as little as $25 in each and they handle all the details.

Six years ago, I invested $2,500 in 36 notes (parts of loans) on Lending Club. I didn’t properly diversify, so loan defaults knocked my annualized return down to 5.09%.

I was happy with that, but didn’t like having my money tied up for three years. So as the borrowers paid off their loans, I emptied my account.

But last month, I put $3,000 back into my account. This time, I’m testing Lending Club’s note trading platform. It’s operated by a company called Folio Trading, and it lets you buy and sell existing notes. I bought 165 notes, all with fewer than 16 payments left, so this time I’ll get my money back quicker.

Blogger Mr. Money Mustache says he invested almost $30,000 using the platform and made an annual return of over 17% in the first 11 months. He also reported there were so many investors by late 2013, prices were going up and returns, therefore, were going down.

I hope to make just 6%, but with less risk. I’ll explain my strategy below.

The Advantages of Trading Notes

You can invest in only new loans on Lending Club.

But there are some distinct advantages to buying existing notes on the trading platform. They include:

1. Your Investment Period Can Be Shorter

You can buy loans with just 10 monthly payments left, for example. All new loans are for 36 or 60 months.

2. You Earn Interest Sooner

When you fund a new loan, you earn no interest until the loan is issued, and it won’t be issued if the total funding target isn’t met.

With existing notes, you’re earning interest the moment you buy — though it may take two days for the purchase to be processed.

3. You Can See the Payment History

Even new borrowers with high credit scores can default soon after a loan is issued. Some investors think a borrower with a year of timely payments is less likely to default.

At least one report says half of defaulted loans on Lending Club have fewer than 10 payments ever made, so seeing a year of payment history before you invest may help reduce your risk.

4. You Can Get a Discount

Sellers set the price, which is sometimes less than the balance and accrued interest due on the loan.

For example, you might buy a loan with a balance of $22.50 for $21.50, potentially putting you a dollar ahead on top of the interest you’ll collect.

But be careful about the reason for the low price: Check the payment history.

5. You Can Have Greater Diversification

Notes are at least $25 each when you fund a new loan, but you can buy notes with a few dollars left on them using the trading platform.

So, for example, with $2,000 you can buy a maximum of 80 new notes, but if your average purchase on the trading platform is $10, you can buy 200 notes.

6. It Can Be Safer Than Stocks

Peer-to-peer lending platforms are relatively new, but Simon Cunningham points out on LendingMemo that the consumer lending industry as a whole has never had a losing year. Historically, in the stock market, you can sometimes lose money for an entire decade.

The Basics of Note Trading on Lending Club

It costs nothing to open an account at Lending Club if you’re in one of the approved states. Even if you aren’t, you might still be in a state where you can buy and sell Lending Club notes on the FOLIOfn Note Trading Platform.

Once your Lending Club account is open, link it with your bank account and fund it. Then click “Trading Account” and open an account with Folio Investing so you can trade notes. All of this is relatively simple and the website has a good explanation. It shouldn’t take more than a few days to transfer the money and set things up.

When you’re ready to go, start with at least $2,500 so you can diversify. Performance statistics show that less than 1% of investors who have bought more than 100 notes have lost money. Those statistics are for buyers of new notes, but diversification should also lower the risk when you invest in notes on the trading platform.

My Strategy for Trading on Lending Club

Log in to Lending Club and click “Trading Account.” Click “Browse Notes” and you’ll get a list of more than 200,000 notes for sale (at the moment).

In the filter section, click “More” to see every option at once. Select your criteria and choose from the resulting loans (notes).

Note: Even though the Folio Trading platform is technically off-site, the money comes from your Lending Club account and the notes are immediately deposited back there.

In general, my strategy is this: Buy notes with no more than 15 months left that will yield more than 8% and have a record of mostly on-time payments.

To accomplish this, here’s what I do with each filter:

Interest Rate

I leave the default setting (4 to 29%). Since this is an indication of loan grade (better borrowers get lower interest rates), some investors exclude anything above 7.89 or 11.53% — the cutoffs for Grade A and Grade B loans.

I figure if the person has paid on time for a couple years, they’re a good bet, so I look at all loan grades.

Loan Term

I look at 36- and 60-month loans (they’re checked by default). I’m buying loans with less than 15 months left anyhow, so why exclude 60-month ones, which have an even longer track record to review?

Outstanding Principal

I leave the defaults. I’m not worried about the balance, since I’m usually buying only $10 or $20 of the loan anyhow.

Loan Status

“Issued” and “Current” are usually checked by default.

I uncheck “Never Late” because I can tolerate a couple grace period payments if they happened a while back (indicating the borrower has since cleaned up his act). I leave the other boxes unchecked because I don’t trust loans that are currently late.

Remaining Payments

I set this for one to 15 months.

Recent Credit Score

I leave this on default (any score) because I feel a couple years of on-time payments are more important than credit score.

Credit Score Change

I check the boxes with the “up” and “stable” arrows to filter for loans to borrowers who have maintained or improved their credit scores.

I make sure the box for the “down” arrow isn’t checked, because a credit score that’s dropping is probably a bad sign.

Original Note Amount

I’m not concerned about the original loan amount, since I haven’t seen evidence of greater default rates on larger loans (and I’m buying only a small part anyhow).

Asking Price

I set it for $0 to $50, so I can fully diversify. My $3,000 bought 165 notes, for an average price of about $18.

Yield to Maturity

I set it for 8% to “Any.” I can click the yield column afterward to sort by highest yield, and start shopping for notes there.

Markup/Discount

I set a maximum 3% markup. A markup is OK.

For example, if I buy a high-interest note with a $20 balance and pay $20.60 for it (a 3% markup), I might still make 11% by the time all of the interest is paid. On the other hand, if the lender pays off the loan the next day I lose that $0.60 extra I paid (less accrued interest).

So to limit this risk of loss from early payment, I don’t pay more than 3% above face value.

Exclude Loans

I check “Exclude loans I have already invested in.” I want to diversify, so I don’t want to accidentally buy a dozen notes that are part of the same loan.

When I click “Apply,” I typically get 10 to 20 loans that meet those criteria on any given day, along with information on each of them.

I look first at notes with the highest yield. Under “Status,” it says “Current” for each note (if you filtered for that). I click that to see the payment history of the note.

It takes about five seconds to see if there have been any late payments. I can live with up to three payments made during the grace period if they weren’t recent — that’s why I don’t check the “Never Late” box in the filters.

The Rest of the Story

This platform is popular with investors, so the best notes go quickly. It took me three weeks to invest my $3,000 using the criteria above. I had to log in almost every day as new notes were added to the system.

Fortunately, once you know your criteria, the process is quick. I’ve spent as little as three minutes to buy a dozen notes.

I’m about a month into my experiment and I’ve already received payments on many notes. So I just invested $30 (as I write this) back into a couple more notes.

This time, I bought only notes with less than 15 months left. I’ll make it less than 14 months when I reinvest next month, and continue in that way.

My idea is to keep all my money in the account invested, but still have most of the investments mature at around the same time.

As I said, I hope to make about 6% after a few defaults. I’ll post an update next year.

Your Turn: Have you used the Lending Club trading platform? If so, what was your experience?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

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 I Quit Lending Club Years Ago, But Its Note Trading Platform Just Won Me Back. Here’s Why appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1jqLi3o

7 Ways Social Security Will Change in 2016

Social Security beneficiaries won’t get a raise, but Medicare premiums will increase for some people.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1Gf0E52

Fraud rises 10% in a year

Tom Wilson

a fraudster at his computer.jpg

Almost 600,000 cases of fraud were referred to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau over the past year, a 9.4% increase, according to figures published today.

Almost 600,000 cases of fraud were referred to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau over the past year, a 9.4% increase, according to figures published today.

Fraud rises 10% in a year

Feed Copy: 

Almost 600,000 cases of fraud were referred to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau over the past year, a 9.4% increase, according to figures published today. However, the true scale of fraud is likely to be much higher, as the NFIB only receives information on fraud where there is actionable intelligence on the crime. Separate figures from the British Crime Survey, also released today suggest millions of people are victims of fraud in the UK each year. Over the past year the NFIB, part of the City of London Police, disrupted 4,000 websites, bank accounts and phone lines, and helped prevent fraud to the tune of £369 million. The majority of fraud referred by the NFIB affected the bank and credit card industry. Over the year to June 2015, 328,656 cases of banking and credit industry fraud were referred, an annual increase of 9.5%. Separate figures from Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK), which include instances where there is no opportunity to investigate further, show an estimated 1.3 million instances of payment fraud in the last year. Over three-quarters of these crimes were remote purchases, either online, by phone or by mail order. FFA UK recently claimed over two-thirds of fraud attempts using payments were blocked by the industry in the first half of 2015. Katy Worobec, Director of Financial Fraud Action UK, said: “Financial institutions take fraud very seriously and use a range of sophisticated security systems to protect their customers, stopping over two-thirds of fraud from occurring. “Banks work closely with the police and government to tackle fraud both through enforcement action and educating members of the public on how they can best protect themselves. The banking industry fully sponsors a police unit, the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit, which investigates, targets and prosecutes the organised criminal gangs responsible for card, cheque and payment fraud crimes. The NFIB figures also give weight to confirm fears that pensions deregulation would lead to greater instances of fraud, with 127% more referrals of pensions fraud. However, this accounts for just 0.2% of all cases that reach the NFIB. Referrals of investment fraud were also found to have increased by 19%, while insurance fraud rose by 13%.

read more

Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/1Lmw8mt

How To Deal With 5 Job-Search Pain Points

Tips for dealing with rejection, self-doubt and more.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1OF3t0s

3 Reasons Self-Care Is Essential for Caregivers

It might seem noble to give all your attention to a loved one, but being a martyr can backfire.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1RcPYnS

Say Goodbye to Workplace Distractions

Four ways to reclaim your schedule so you can get more done.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1VU9WoL

6 Things You Should Bring to Every Interview

These items will show you're prepared, professional and a perfect fit for the job.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1jqBkPv

Pay Yourself First: Save for Retirement, Then College for the Kids

Even when finances are tight, there are several strategies to make the most out of your income.


Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1KbsDxo

How to Take Advantage of Discounts in Closed-End Funds

Closed-end funds are a smart investment even when the Fed raises interest rates, experts say.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1OEUfBl

Loan Modifications: Good Idea or Bad?

While these may sound like lifesavers, they can actually be anchors. Or worse.


Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1hGshIw

When the Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” – Confucius

A few days ago, we discovered that one of our children had drawn all over our family room couch with an ink pen, leaving marks everywhere. The damage wasn’t permanent, but cleaning it all up was going to take a couple of hours.

We sat all of our children down to figure out exactly what had happened and all three of them denied it. They all had reasons for why they couldn’t have done it, but all of those reasons had giant logical holes.

We offered punishments and then gradually raised the stakes on them, not so much for marking up the couch, but for one of them not being honest about it. None of the three of them confessed.

Eventually, I got frustrated. Really frustrated. And when I get frustrated with parenting situations, I go to another room for a while so that I won’t wind up screaming and ranting and raving.

As I walked out of the family room and headed toward my office, I looked around me and, for some reason, all I could see were things that I hadn’t done and mistakes I had made. I stopped at the refrigerator to grab a water bottle and I saw something in there that had spilled and dried. I saw a bunch of toys in the living room that hadn’t been picked up. I saw a basket full of unsorted mail. I saw an ongoing organization project in my office that was far from completion.

By the time I sat down again, I felt like an utter failure as a parent, as a husband, and as a homeowner.

The thing is, I know rationally that I’m not a failure in any of those areas. I have a strong marriage with a wonderful wife. I have three kids that consistently make really good choices – and they’re children, part of which means learning right from wrong. We’re in great financial shape, to the point where we have the financial resources to make lots of pretty amazing life choices should we do so. I’ve basically designed my own career. I have a large social network and a healthy pile of close friends.

That doesn’t change the fact that I can sometimes feel like a failure.

How exactly does that happen, though? Why would I feel like a failure when, by many objective measures, I’m not a failure?

For me, part of the reason for that sensation is that, no matter how good things are, I want them to be better. Most of the time, that attitude is a good thing, as it pushes me to constantly improve and constantly work hard for something better. Sometimes, though, it can be a bad thing. I can look around a good situation and see only the flaws.

It’s the old “is the glass half empty or is it half full” thing. I can look at a glass that’s 80% full and either be glad that it’s 80% full or wonder why it’s not 100% full.

Why is this a big deal, though? For me and for many others, an ongoing sense that you’re not achieving anything positive can lead to negative actions that make things worse. If I look around a messy house and feel as though it’s a sign of failure rather than something to achieve, it’s easy to just throw up my hands and let a small flaw get worse and worse and worse until it undoes the great thing that I’ve built.

Rather than feeling empowered to take on some challenges on that walk through my house, I feel like a failure. I sit down in my chair and rather than coming up with a plan to tackle the things I’ve seen, I turn on a computer game. Later, I become really tempted to make a few online purchases, looking for that little burst of happiness and pleasure that such things can provide.

Here’s the thing: it’s not the problems themselves that cause failure. It’s not my children’s refusal to admit making a huge mess of our couch or the mess in the refrigerator or the pile of mail that are causing the real problems here. It’s how I handle them – or don’t handle them. I look at those things, feel like a failure, and then act like one, avoiding the problems and instead retreating into a shell.

It’s like that old saying goes – the perfect is the enemy of the good. I find that, time and time again, if I get hung up on the imperfections of something that’s good in my life, I often lose sight of how good things actually are. Getting hung up on those imperfections can cause me to give up on a good thing and to not give it the quality attention that it deserves.

I find that several strategies help me stay on track and keep moving forward on the good things in my life, even if they can seem imperfect and flawed in my eyes.

Strategy 1 – Practice Daily Gratitude

Every single day, I spend at least a few minutes looking through my life at the good things that I have and the good things I have achieved. I look at the strong relationships I have, the great opportunities I have, and even the simple things I have to enjoy in my life and in the world around me.

I’m an avid journaler. Almost every day, I make a journal entry that lists some of the things that happened each day. Along with that, I try to make a short list of some of the things I’m grateful for in my life. I try to write down at least five things.

Doing this is incredibly powerful in helping me realize how many good things I have in my life and how things really aren’t that bad. It’s easy to get obsessed about flaws and problems and see things for being far worse than they are. A gratitude journal helps me to avoid getting caught in that trap.

If you’d rather use an electronic tool for this instead of a paper journal, there are many apps that handle this kind of thing perfectly. One that I’ve particularly liked is Gratitude 365.

Strategy 2 – Accept That Flaws and Setbacks Will Happen and That No Plan Is Perfect

No matter how carefully you plan something and no matter how masterfully you execute that plan, you’re going to have some setbacks. Factors outside of your control – and there are always factors outside of your control – are going to deliver challenges and problems that you simply didn’t see coming, and that’s going to result in unexpected outcomes, often outcomes that aren’t as fantastic as you originally envisioned.

This is not a flaw in your plans. This is not a mistake. This is not a demonstration of your failure.

This is life.

No matter what you do, things are going to go off the rails. The real question isn’t how perfect your plan is for every contingency, because it isn’t. The real question is how you handle the inevitable “going off the rails” with your plan, because that is inevitable.

Accept that whatever you have cooked up is going to have some problems, not because of you, but because of the rest of the world. In other words, your plans are good, but they’re not perfect, and what will turn your plans from good to great is how you choose to handle those unforeseen events.

For me, the best approach for handling unforeseen events is visualization. I often try to imagine all sorts of horrible things happening to the plans I make. What could go wrong here? is something I try to ask myself a lot. More often than you might think, I’ll plan ahead for some sort of disaster I imagined, only to find that something much like that disaster actually happens and I’m able to effortlessly handle it. My original plan wouldn’t have handled it at all, but because I thought about how badly things could go, I was ready to handle that disaster.

A great example of this comes from our family dinner a few days ago. I knew that our daughter’s doctor was going to call with some test results, but I also knew that I needed to make supper and get it on the table. I went ahead with the supper plan, but while I was cooking, I thought about ways to alter that plan if the doctor called and wanted to talk for ten minutes. What could I do to save supper?

Sure enough, the doctor called, and because I had thought about that outcome, I was able to rescue supper. I just killed the heat on the main pot and moved it to another burner that wasn’t on and allowed the pasta to keep cooking in the very hot but not quite boiling water, and I also pulled the breadsticks out of the oven and let them sit still on the baking sheet on top of the hot pasta pot. I was able to stop and talk to the doctor for a bit and still salvage supper.

What if I hadn’t been able to plan ahead like that? What if the call had been completely unexpected? Well, I might have ruined supper, but that wouldn’t mean that everything was a failure. It just meant that something unexpected happened.

Strategy 3 – Focus on the Processes, Not on the Outcomes

It’s easy to stay focused on the outcomes of the things that you’re doing. The results are often what we’re judged on, after all.

I find that focusing on results is a good approach for something you might do once or twice in your life, but the truth is that the vast majority of our lives is spent on repeated things. We do some things over and over and over again – preparing meals, cleaning house, completing common work tasks, taking care of ourselves, and so on.

For those things – the things that end up filling most of our lives – it can be easy to feel like a failure when we don’t get the outcome we expect. The children misbehave. The meal is burnt. The house is a mess. Things aren’t coming out in the pristine form that we hoped for.

Those results aren the result of some kind of personal failing or some kind of unsolvable problem. Those bad results are usually due to not having a good process in place for things. Either you haven’t mastered a very learnable skill or you don’t have a good routine in place for getting good results.

Rather than looking at the outcome and thinking that it’s a complete disaster, look instead at the process. You’ll often find that most of the process is pretty good and you need to change only a detail or two to get spectacular results.

For example, let’s say that you’re frustrated by a disastrous outcome for a meal. What happened? Well, it was likely a mix of ten good steps and one or two bad ones. Maybe you executed everything correctly but you left the temperature too high or you actually added four teaspoons of salt rather than 1/4 teaspoon.

It’s easy to get lost in the disastrous outcome and feel like a failure, but the truth is that you executed 95% of things like a charm and that there was only one flaw in the whole picture. Rather than feeling like the entire procedure needs to be scrapped, focus instead on fixing that one little piece of the procedure.

In other words, rather than looking at a bad outcome as a complete disaster, look at the steps you followed to get to that outcome. Often, you’ll find that 90% of your steps were correct. That means you only need to figure out a better approach for a few of the steps, and you can actually feel good about how much of the plan that you executed well.

Strategy 4 – Maximize the Things I’m Good At

Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. I’m good, for example, at helping my children piece through school problems and also helping them work through their own problems internally, but I’m not always good at handling discipline issues when they’ve made a mistake. I’m good at generating ideas and writing first drafts, but I’m not always good at honing those first drafts into a great finished piece. You get the idea.

One of the best ways to feel like everything is falling apart in life is to constantly be pushed into your weak areas. I feel like a complete failure as a parent when I’m faced with a lot of discipline issues, for instance. I feel like a horrible writer when I have to spend a lot of time on edits.

I know that I’m a good parent and at least a decent writer, but when I’m pushed into those weak areas, I don’t feel like a good parent. I don’t feel like a good writer. I feel like a disaster.

So, rather than dwelling on those flaws and letting them make me feel like a failure, I try to look for ways to use my strengths as much as possible and use my weaknesses as little as possible.

For example, with my parenting, I look for situations where I can really help the most with the things that I’m good at, like talking them through difficult challenges in their lives. When those come up, I step up to the plate and take on those challenges, because I know I’m relatively good at handling them. On the other hand, when it comes to areas where I’m not always so good, like deciding appropriate discipline, I usually talk to others before making that decision (usually my wife).

The same thing is true with my writing. Rather than writing repeated drafts of my articles, I focus instead on thinking through my ideas a lot and brainstorming them before even attempting to write. I focus on trying to write a very good first draft, and then I trust that first draft a great deal because I know that, if anything, major revisions tend to make my articles worse.

Another example comes in the kitchen. I can cook amazing things if I can focus on one or two things at once, but when I have things going on multiple burners and in the oven, it often ends badly. My solution there is to look for recipes that primarily focus on one item being cooked at a time, even if that means dropping a few tasty recipes along the way. It allows me to use my strengths rather than my weaknesses.

When I see flaws in my life, I usually think of them as examples of how I’m weak in a particular area in my life, and rather than being obsessed with that weakness and continually feeling like I’m failing in that area, I look instead for how I’m strong in that area and try to focus on my strengths if I can.

Solution #5 – Get Some Sleep!

Whenever I am not getting adequate sleep, I almost always find myself being far more critical of myself than I am when I’m well rested.

Don’t get me wrong, some self-criticism is fine. Without self-criticism, you can never improve. However, self-criticism that’s allowed to run rampant usually ends up in disaster, as you begin to view your entire life as a failure when you’re just like everyone else – a few imperfections mixed in with a lot of good things.

The more rest I get – and the more rested my mind is when I evaluate my life and look at my to-do list – the better I am at seeing something close to the true picture. Rather than just seeing a pile of failure and personal flaws, I see the truth, which is that my life is a big mix of successes with some things I need to improve on mixed in there.

When you see your life from that perspective, seif-improvement feels much more realistic and much more exciting. You see that you do have a good foundation to start from and that your life is good, even great, with just a few flaws mixed in there that you can work on.

Rather than thinking of yourself as someone who is failing at achieving perfection and getting caught up in a sense of failure, you view yourself as a good person with potential greatness and having just a few things to work on.

For me, the biggest switch between these mindsets is sleep, and the better my sleep is (around seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep), the more attuned I am to the healthier perspective.

Final Thoughts

So, what happened with the whole “ink on the couch” episode?

After about a day, our youngest child confessed to having done it, which was appropriate since we were suspicious that he was the culprit. He lost most of his favorite toys for a while as a punishment – one day for the actual ink drawings, but several days more for not being honest about having done it.

The same day our youngest one confessed, I took on some of the other problems I spotted around the house. I went through the backed-up mail. I cleaned up the spill in the fridge. I took some big steps toward reorganizing my office. I got some exercise, too, and played some board games with my children.

At the end of the day, I felt good about things. Yes, things weren’t perfect, but they were good, and some elements were even what I would call great. They don’t need to be perfect to be good. They don’t need to be perfect to be great.

That’s the attitude I need to have moving forward. Things are good. My life is full of good things, from the people I love to the things I have the opportunity to experience. In most regards, they’re better than they used to be, and that improvement was due in large part to my own efforts. Things aren’t perfect – nothing ever is – but they can always be a little better. It’s up to me to make them better, and I know that because many of the good things I already have are the result of my own efforts. When I choose not to try to make things better, I risk just treading water or even making things worse.

Perfection? Making that my goal is just going to make me feel like a failure. Instead, my goal is to try to be just a little bit better than I was yesterday in at least one area of my life, and to try not to take steps backward in other areas. If I can do that, over and over and over, I’m going to build a good future that is going to have pretty good outcomes no matter what life throws at me.

You can do the same thing. Simply strive every day to do things a little bit better in at least one area, and don’t take a step back in other areas, and don’t worry about being perfect because perfect is literally impossible. If you can just repeat that over and over, things will always be good, no matter what life throws at you.

Good luck.

The post When the Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/1OEPx6O

Why I Turn All My Travel Points Into Cold, Hard Cash

You’ve probably read about travel bloggers who apply for eight credit cards every other month and do all sorts of wacky things to get more and more points from frequent flyer and reward programs.

Then they use those points for first class flights so they can compare one airline’s expensive champagne to another’s (no, I’m not kidding).

But I, like most regular people, don’t care about first-class flights and champagne vintages. Instead, I’ve turned my frequent flyer points into thousands of dollars I can spend on anything I want, like my everyday expenses.

Here’s how I earn tons of frequent flyer miles — and why I don’t use them to travel.

Earn Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses

First, I applied for a credit card with a great sign-up bonus. Different cards offer promotions all the time, so look around for one with the best bonus when you’re ready to apply.

I chose the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which at the time was offering 50,000 bonus points. But instead of using those points for a first-class flight, I cashed them out for $500.

Why not just get a regular cash back card, you ask?

That’s easy. In my experience, Credit cards that offer points instead of cash rebates tend to have much more attractive sign-up bonuses.

I’m not sure why, but I have a feeling it’s because somebody in the bank’s marketing department discovered more people apply for cards that offer bonuses in denominations of points that sound like a lot, versus the equivalent amount of cash.

“Get a 5,000 point sign-up bonus!” sounds a lot better than “Here’s $50 for signing up for our card.”

For the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the bonus is always at least 40,000 points if you spend $4,000 in the first three months. That may sound like a high spending threshold, but it’s really not, especially if you put all your expenses on your card.

Think about how much you spend on your everyday expenses over the course of three months: groceries, gas, movies and maybe a meal out every now and then. If that number is less than $4,000, I’m jealous!

Cash Out Your Points

Once you get the points, you have options. My favorite one, which most banks conveniently don’t advertise, is that you can actually cash out your points in the form of a statement credit or even a direct deposit into your checking account.

Using my card as an example, one point equals $0.01, so after three months, you can turn around and cash out your points for $400, plus the points you’ve earned using the card.

If someone told me that I could earn $400 in up to three months by simply applying for a credit card and putting all my everyday purchases on it, I would take that offer in a heartbeat! (In fact, I did.)

I’ve never seen a sign-up bonus that high for a regular cash-back credit card, and many don’t offer bonuses at all.

Spend Wisely to Earn More Points

Travel rewards cards often have fantastic points-earning structures.

With my card, I earn two points for every dollar spent on travel and dining, and five points for every dollar spent on office supply stores. Most of my spending is covered by those categories.

Now you’re thinking, “But why do you spend so much money at office supply stores?!”

Well, I’m not really buying tons of paper clips and highlighters. Here’s my trick: Most office supply stores sell gift cards for a wide variety of other stores.

Do you have a car? Instead of buying gas with your credit card, go to Staples, buy a Chevron gift card and get five points for every dollar you spend — effectively getting a 5% discount on gas once you cash out those points.

Do the same thing for all your other purchases, and those savings really add up!

Use Shopping Portals for All Your Online Purchases

I always use a portal for my online shopping. You probably already know about cash-back portals like Swagbucks and Ebates, and if you want cash, you probably go straight to these options.

But did you know most airlines, hotel chains and credit cards also have portals where you can earn extra points for online shopping? They include:

• United MileagePlus Shopping
• Delta SkyMiles Shopping
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping
• Barclaycard RewardsBoost
• Chase Ultimate Rewards (Chase login required)

And sometimes these rewards portals have better earning rates, so you get more for your money.

So that’s why I turn all my travel rewards into cash. What about you?

Your Turn: What do you think of this strategy — have you ever redeemed travel rewards for cash instead of flights or hotel rooms?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

Nick Porfilio is the CEO and founder of Saveful, a social savings website where shoppers can find and share deals and money saving tips on virtually anything. He built Saveful while he was in graduate school and looking for unique ways to save money so he wouldn’t have to take out a crushing amount of student debt.

The post Why I Turn All My Travel Points Into Cold, Hard Cash appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1G7zXzf

5 Investing Themes to Remember for a Volatile Market

If the market continues its struggles, investors should keep an eye on their long-term goals.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1OEJhMd

20 Halloween Costumes for $20 or Less

It's not too late to plan a DIY outfit.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1Lc35US

Don't Get Scared Off By Halloween Prices

Follow these tricks to save, and your wallet won't hide under the covers.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1NJcDus

10 Cheap DIY Halloween Costume Ideas (and What They Cost)

From candy to costumes, Americans spend an insane amount of money on Halloween each year: a whopping $6.9 billion in 2015, according to National Retail Federation estimates. That includes more than $2 billion on candy and $2.5 billion on costumes — with an astonishing $350 million of that going to pet costumes alone.

While the pressure is on to scare and entertain, it’s not worth breaking your budget for one night. We’ve scoured the Web for our favorite cheap, do-it-yourself costume ideas that are sure to be a hit at your Halloween haunt of choice this year.

DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Moose

Source: Our House of Paint

Cost: $15

Materials:

• Brown hooded sweatshirt: $12 or less (here’s one on sale at Kohl’s)
• White gloves: $3 at Target
• Cotton balls/stuffing: Can be easily found at the dollar store if you don’t have any at home.
• Needle and thread

This cheap and cute DIY costume is easy to make, will keep your child warm on a chilly October evening, and looks adorable… what more could you want?! Simply stuff a pair of white gloves and sew them onto the hood of a brown hoodie — instamoose!

Have a pair of swimming goggles? Wear gray and keep them on your head for a DIY Rocky and Bullwinkle duo.

Lego Brick

Source: Wine and Glue

Cost: $11 or less

Materials:

• Cardboard box: Find a cardboard box that your child can fit comfortably in. If you don’t have any laying around, home improvement stores sell them for $1 apiece.
• Plastic cups: You can use Solo cups or slightly smaller rounded cups — check your local dollar store for these.
• Acrylic paint: If you can’t find paint for cheap at a dollar store or craft shop near you, try ordering this set from Amazon for $6.
• Wood glue: $3 at any craft or hardware store or online.

This incredibly easy-to-make Lego piece costume is perfect for kids (and adults too, if you have a large enough box!) All you have to do is remove the bottom part of any cardboard shipping box and cut out holes for your child’s arms and head. Next, adhere plastic cups in a Lego-brick pattern, paint the whole thing whatever color you prefer, and voila! Everything is awesome when you’re a Lego brick.

If you’re looking to go all out, take a look at this video tutorial for Lego face-paint, as told by a six year old.

Garden Gnome

Source: Adventures in a Box

Cost: $11-$30

Materials:

• An oversized blue sweater (or any other color, really): If you don’t already have one at home, check Goodwill or any other nearby thrift or consignment shop. As a last resort, you can find one on Amazon for about $8-$12.
• A pair of rubber boots: A great item to own for autumn anyway. Check out Walmart for a cheap pair.
• Big buttons: You can find these at pretty much any craft store for under $3.
• Belt: Use any old belt laying around the house (you might just have to punch an additional hole or wrap it around twice).
• Red and white felt: Another simple craft store find, typically about $4 per yard.

This adorable lawn gnome costume can be made with easy to find items, many of which you likely already have, and is perfect for kids of any age! For a complete tutorial, including how to make the all-important cone-shaped hat, visit Adventures in a Box.

Jelly Beans

Source: Modern Kiddo

Cost: $6-$12

Materials:

• Clear plastic garbage bag: Approximately $0.19 per bag, or about $6 for a whole box on Amazon.
• Multi-colored balloons: Any party store should have 100-count pack of balloons for $3 or less. If there’s no party store near you, order them from Amazon for the same price.
• Ribbon: Visit a craft store like Michael’s to find a spool of ribbon for $2.99.
• Black permanent marker

Where has this cheap and creative costume bean all your life? To make this bag-o-beans, all you need to do is strategically cut holes for your arms and legs into a clear plastic garbage bag, fill it with partially blown-up balloons, and tie the top with ribbon! For added authenticity, print nutrition facts on the back of the bag.

S’more

Source: Real Simple

Cost: $14

Materials:

• Double-sided carpet tape: $5 for a 15-foot roll like this one found at Home Depot.
• Brown and white felt: $4 per yard at any craft store.
• Two square cardboard boxes (one small, one medium): $1 apiece if you don’t have these around the house.
• Scissors

This simple and delicious costume from Real Simple is sure to be a crowd favorite this Halloween. Here’s how to pull it off:

For the marshmallow: Cut off the bottom of the small cardboard box and make appropriate-sized holes for the head and arms. Use white felt and double-sided carpet tape to cover the box around the holes.

For the chocolate squares: Cut one inch around two sides of the medium-sized box and cover with brown felt.

For the graham crackers: Poke holes in the other two pieces of the medium cardboard box using scissors. Combine all ingredients using double sided tape, and serve.

Serving suggestion: Trick or treat holding a marshmallow on a stick for an added touch.

DIY Halloween Costumes for Adults

Operation!

Source: Huffington Post/Amazon.com

Cost: $14

Materials:

• Clown nose: $2 at any party store
• Multicolor foam paper: $9 for a pack at Walmart
• Red shorts: If you don’t already have a pair, check consignment shops near you. You can also find a pair on Amazon for as little as $3.
• Scissors
• Kitchen tongs

Recreate this classic game on a budget with just a little bit of tracing, cutting, and pasting! A simple Google search of “Operation game pieces” will yield countless pictures of your ‘ailments’ — just print them, cut them out, and stick them all over you.  It’s totally up to you whether you want to use foam or regular paper depending on time, budget, and artistic ability.

Assuming you don’t have red-and-white polka dot shorts handy, adhere white circles to a pair of red shorts, wear a nude-colored top (full bodysuit not required) and a clown nose, and you’re ready for the operating table! The great thing about this costume is that it works across ages and genders — all for less than the game itself costs!

For an added effect, pick up this $6 fail-sound button to to make the game’s famous jarring buzzing sound whenever someone tries to touch your costume.

Bat

Source: Evil Mad Scientist

Cost: $5-$15

Materials:

• Black umbrella: Check Goodwill or your local pharmacy for a nice cheap one (around $5) that’s easy to take apart.
• Black hoodie: If you don’t already have one, check Walmart. And… that’s it!

For complete instructions on how to assemble your bat wings, check out Evil Mad Scientist’s tutorial. There’s even a more anatomically correct version if you’re feeling extra crafty!

Add some flare to your costume by looking up a bat face makeup tutorial on YouTube or print out the Batman logo and pin it to your chest for a simple superhero transformation!

Jellyfish

Source: Angiwen Instagram

Cost: $6-$15

Materials:

• Clear or light umbrella: Check the dollar store for a cheap version or buy one from Walmart for less than $10.
• Furry yarn: $5 at a craft store or on Amazon.
• Scissors

To put together this costume, simply poke holes around the edge of your umbrella and thread long strands of furry yarn through. Not only does this costume require minimal prep time, it’s creative and protects you from the rain!

Take this costume to the next level by adding LED lights or glow sticks under the bottom of the umbrella, like this one, for just a few dollars more.

Tourist

Source: Young Finances

Cost: Free-$15

Materials:

• Camera: If you don’t have a digital camera, go disposable for just $6 at Walmart.
• Hat: A beach hat works best, but any hat will do — the goofier, the better.
• Hawaiian shirt and fanny pack: Check thrift or dollar stores for cheap options if you don’t have these in the back of your closet somewhere.
• Socks and sandals
• Map

Turn trick-or-treating into a family vacation by dressing up as a tourist! Be the most annoying person on the block by asking for directions and taking pictures of everything (a great way to remember the evening). This is one of the easiest costumes to put together with items you likely already have in the house, and you can tweak it in any number of ways — add some zinc oxide sunblock to your nose, for instance, or carry sunglasses in your shirt collar.

Formal Apology

Source: Young Finances

Cost: Free

Materials:

• Suit and tie: Only do this if you already own formalwear!
• Piece of paper
• Marker or pen
• String or dental floss
• Tape

Whip out that tuxedo or pinstripe suit you haven’t thought about in years, write the words “I’m Sorry” on a piece of paper, hang it around your neck and you’re instantly the most formally apologetic person at the party. You can create another variation of the costume with the box cover of the Sorry! board game if you happen to have one around the house.

For more creative and inexpensive DIY Halloween costume ideas, visit our Pinterest board! Have some great ideas of your own? E-mail inquiries@thesimpledollar.com and request to be a pinner for our Pinterest board.

The post 10 Cheap DIY Halloween Costume Ideas (and What They Cost) appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/1X6aPNH

Want to take a slice out of Domino’s?

HOLD the pepperoni. Australia’s biggest pizza chain is contemplating a new customer rewards scheme that could make us rich.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1Qws0E8

These machines will change how you eat

VENDING machines around Australia are starting to look very different, thanks to a new movement that’s tipped to be huge.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1Qws0nE

M&S launches the ‘Sparks’ loyalty scheme

Tom Wilson

SPARKS_CARD2.png

Marks & Spencer has finally stepped into the reward scheme arena by announcing ‘Sparks’ – its new members club.

Marks & Spencer has finally stepped into the reward scheme arena by announcing ‘Sparks’ – its new members club.

M&S launches the ‘Sparks’ loyalty scheme

Feed Copy: 

Marks & Spencer has finally stepped into the reward scheme arena by announcing ‘Sparks’ – its new members club. Unlike the more established Clubcard and Nectar schemes from Tesco and Sainsbury’s respectively, Sparks members can’t spend the points they earn, but instead will ‘unlock’ special offers and discounts when they reach milestones. Here’s our quick Q&A on how it works: How can I earn points? Sparks members will earn 10 points for every £1 they spend. They’ll also receive an extra 10 points for every transaction. They can also earn 25 points for each product review they complete on M&S’s website. Sparks members will get 50 points every time they donate old or unwanted clothing via M&S’s ‘shwop’ scheme, a recycling partnership with Oxfam. M&S will also donate 1p to a charity of the member’s choice each time they use their card. What can I do with points? Sparks members will get tailored offers, based on their shopping patterns and the items they say they are interested in when signing up to the scheme. Offers are sent fortnightly, and members can earn extra offers by accumulating points. The offers could be anything from a 10% department discount, to free products with particular purchases. Earning 3,000 points will let members preview new reason ranges, and 7,000 points allows them to access online sales 24 hours early. Reaching 14,000 points unlocks access to special events and masterclasses, from food tasting to fashion previews. Finally, shoppers who reach 17,000 points will be entered into regular prize draws to win holidays or other gifts. Is it good value? As Sparks is quite different to other reward schemes and details of the rewards haven’t been announced, it’s hard to compare the value yet. Someone spending £50 once a month in M&S would earn 6,000 points a year, giving them access to the fortnightly offers. £100 a month would earn 12,000 points, allowing early access to sales. The scheme looks as though it’s stacked in favour of smaller regular transactions, thanks to the per-shop bonus. Spending £3 on lunch 200 days a year would earn 8,000 points over a year, unlocking the regular offers and early sales access. Can I lose my points? Sparks points reset once a year, on the anniversary of joining. When your points reset, you won’t lose any money as they don’t have a cash value. Crucially, you’ll carry over the reward level you’ve reached for another year, while your reward points accumulate again. How can I sign up? The scheme launches nationwide on 22 October, though some M&S customers and shareholders have already been invited to join. Interested customers can also sign up early by collecting a SPARKS card from their local M&S store. As an introductory offer, M&S is running daily prize draws between 22 October and 4 November where all registered members could win special rewards. Full details haven’t been revealed yet, but these include M&S paying for Christmas day.

read more

Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/1Lm6Dln

5 Ways to Save Money During Retirement

Here’s how to cut expenses while maintaining a desirable lifestyle.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1RJLk1A

Bringing Your Own Bag Might Be Sabotaging Your Grocery Budget

Beware, Penny Hoarders!

You may already know about the sneaky ways retailers try to influence you to spend more. But did you know you’re in danger of being tricked… by your own mind?

A psychological phenomenon known as “licensing” may cause you to splurge in one area when you do the “right thing” in another, according to a recent study.

For instance, when I walk to work in the morning, it feels less indulgent to buy lunch. Ever follow up that healthy salad you had for dinner with a hefty slice of cake for dessert? That’s licensing.

How Licensing Makes You Spend More Money

Researchers Uma Karmarkar and Bryan Bollinger observed shoppers’ behavior at a single grocery location in California. Over the two year study, they tracked almost one million transactions.

They found customers who brought their own reusable bags purchased more food — both the healthy, green organics you’d expect, and junk food.

The researchers surmised the customers “rewarded” themselves for their environmentally sustainable actions by treating themselves.

Their takeaway: Doing something good makes us feel like we’ve earned a slip elsewhere — and that slip can cost you.

Be on the Lookout

Beware: Licensing can lead you to spend money you didn’t plan to spend on items you wouldn’t have purchased otherwise.

Next time you feel good (which you should!) about your healthy purchases, expert coupon clipping or growing savings account, be on the lookout for the little indulgences that might be sneaking into your budget elsewhere– they can really add up!

Your Turn: How do you indulge yourself when you’ve done something good?

Jamie Cattanach is junior writer at The Penny Hoarder and a native Floridian. She’s passionate about learning, literature, chocolate and finding ways to live the good life as cost-effectively as possible.

The post Bringing Your Own Bag Might Be Sabotaging Your Grocery Budget appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1VTQkqk

Are Your Relationships Unconsciously Affecting Your Home Business?

By Kelly Robbins Most of us spend thousands of hours working on ourselves and striving for more. We have a vision and are going all out for it! We invest in our personal growth and development. We hire coaches. We may even do yoga or change our diet or exercise to put ourselves in a […]

Source The Work at Home Woman http://ift.tt/1MDlHPQ

£228.17 a month: the cost of a child’s university education

a happy student has graduated.jpg

New parents will need to save £228 a month to cover the cost of their child’s university degree, as new analysis suggests these expenses will rise to £74,307 by 2033.

New parents will need to save £228 a month to cover the cost of their child’s university degree, as new analysis suggests these expenses will rise to £74,307 by 2033.

If university costs increase in line with inflation, tuition fees will rise to £12,854 a year by 2033, and living costs will reach £11,426.

read more

Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/1X5SyQt