Chrisco lay-by contracts ‘unfair’

CHRISCO has been found guilty of being a Christmas grinch by the Federal Court this week for including ‘unfair’ terms in its lay-by contracts.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1Mp1l9f

Department store slammed for rape joke

THIS woman might be all smiles but what US department store Bloomingdales did in it’s Christmas advertising is no laughing matter.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1Y5y2Qt

Is this the world’s sickest worker?

A FAST food worker pranked homeless people with an offer of free food before throwing a cup of water at them. He might be homeless now too.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1kO6OPP

Milk wars are about to get worse

THE scarcity of baby formula is causing fights in supermarkets. If you thought the issue had reached boiling point, there’s worse to come.

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

Snapchat’s $5.6 billion reality check

PHOTO messaging service Snapchat has had a painful reality check. The Silicon Valley unicorn’s pot of gold has been snatched away.

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

Macca’s $1 trick to win customers

MCDONALD’S is rolling out a huge range of new menu items in an attempt to win back customers who have fled the burger chain.

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The one day behind our formula crisis

ON November 11 each year, Chinese shoppers spend billions of dollars in the world’s biggest retail frenzy. Among the hot-ticket items this year? You guessed it.

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‘I made a mistake, I bought a Jeep’

TEG Sethi had so many issues with his Jeep Grand Cherokee that he decided it was a “lemon”, and he made this hilarious song clip to share his story.

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Beer giants in blockbuster, $172 billion deal

THE world’s top two beer makers have sealed a deal worth $172 million. It’s the third biggest takeover in global corporate history, and will have far-reaching consequences.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1M7xkgd

Starbucks Has an Awesome New Perk for Military Families

Earlier this year, Starbucks announced it would offer free college tuition for employees.

In honor of Veterans Day, the offer now includes the spouses and children of active-duty or former members of the U.S. military working at Starbucks.

Want to get a free college education through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan for Veteran and Military Families? Here’s what you need to know.

Who Is Eligible?

If you’re a Starbucks employee and a U.S. military veteran or active military reservist, you qualify.

You must work at least 20 hours per week and be a “benefits-eligible partner” to take advantage of this offer. You also must also be in good standing with the military or be honorably discharged.

Eligible Starbucks employees can designate one family member to receive free tuition. It can be a spouse, domestic partner or child of any age, but only one person can use the benefit.

The participating family member can’t already hold a bachelor’s degree, and must fill out some paperwork, including the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

How Does It Work?

Starbucks partners with the well-respected and accredited Arizona State University to provide four years of tuition-free online education. Don’t worry about showing up to a classroom each day.

If you’re an eligible employee, just follow the company’s step-by-step process to help your loved one apply.

Starbucks Wants to Hire More Veterans

If you’re a veteran looking for a job, consider applying at Starbucks.

The chain is actively recruiting veterans, and just announced they’ve already hired more than 5,500 vets and their spouses.

Their goal is to employ 10,000 former service members by 2018 — so nearly 4,500 more jobs are still available. Look for Starbucks recruiters at military bases and job fairs, or just apply at your local store.

The company also recently announced a number of other benefits for U.S. military members and veterans.

Plus, they’re giving out free coffee to celebrate Veterans Day. If you’re an active-duty service member or vet, stop by your local Starbucks today and pick up a free hot coffee as a small thank you for your service.

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

The post Starbucks Has an Awesome New Perk for Military Families appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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How to Make Money

The No. 1 rule of personal finance is to spend less than you earn. So if you want to get ahead financially, it’s important to save money where you can.

But if you really want to improve your finances, there’s the flip side of that equation to consider as well – making more money.

Here’s the truth no one wants to talk about: Learning how to make money can improve your finances in ways that saving money simply cannot. There are only so many ways to save, but there are an unlimited number of ways to earn extra money you can use to pay down debt, save for the future, or actually have some fun.

18 Ways to Make Money Online

Thanks to the Internet era, it’s completely possible to bring in a steady side income from the comfort of your own home. If you want to know how to make money online, consider these possibilities:

Open an Etsy store. If you have a creative talent or skill – whether it’s creating art, sewing clothes, or making keepsakes – you can open an online store on Etsy.com and sell your wares for some quick cash. With your own Etsy store, you’re left in charge of pricing and, ultimately, how much you make. See our detailed primer, “How to Make Money on Etsy.”

Complete surveys online. Sites like MindFieldOnline.com, Global Test Market, and UserTesting.com pay people to share their opinions on products or services, test mobile apps, or participate in market research. While the payday for these sites is modest, participating frequently can help you earn extra money in a short amount of time.

Get paid to search the Web. Sites like Swagbucks.com and Zoombucks.com will pay you to use their online interface to search the web. To qualify, you need to be willing to download their search bar and use it for everyday Internet use. The only caveat that comes with this “gig” is that you might be paid in gift cards instead of cash. If you can parlay those gift cards into items you need to buy anyway – like groceries or gas – searching online can be a lucrative way to spend your free time.

Evaluate search engines. Search engine evaluators use commonly-accessed search engines in order to seek out bugs or errors. You may not earn a lot, but you can do this job in your spare time and from the comfort of your own home. To find gigs, check sites like Leapforce, Lionbridge, and Appen Butler Hill.

Start a blog. If you love writing and are passionate about a specific topic, starting a blog is a great way to launch a low-cost side business with little money out-of-pocket. All you need to get started is a domain name, some basic online support, and a head full of ideas to share. Here’s a basic primer on starting a blog for profit.

Write and publish an eBook. You don’t need a traditional publisher and financial backing to publish your own book anymore. In fact, Amazon.com makes it possible for you to publish your own eBook and sell it independently – with no financial investment on your part. And with Kindle eBook publishing, your book will appear on Kindle stores worldwide within 24-48 hours. Just be prepared to market it yourself on social media, your blog, or elsewhere if you expect to generate sales.

Become a freelance writer or editor. If you have a passion for storytelling or a background in writing or editing, it’s possible to find freelance writing or editing work online. To search available job openings, check out sites like Elance.com, UpWork.com, and Problogger.net. You can also check traditional job sites such as Indeed.com and enter “telecommute” or “anywhere” in the location field.

Get into affiliate marketing. If you’re active on social media and have a large following, you could parlay those connections into some fast cash with a comprehensive affiliate marketing strategy. By becoming an affiliate marketer, you’ll sell items through your own links tied to sites like Amazon.com, ClickBank.com, and Commission Junction.

Earn cash back for shopping. Earning cash back on your purchases is a smart idea, and credit card rewards aren’t the only good cash-back strategy out there. With sites like ShopAtHome.com, eBates.com, and TopCashBack.com, you can earn up to 10% cash back on purchases made with approved merchants.

Buy and sell domain names. If you’re good at finding popular yet undiscovered domain names, you can make some cash on the side by buying and reselling websites. Think of it as digital real estate speculation. Domains are available on GoDaddy.com for as little as $2.99 per year, but are sometimes resold at far higher prices: According to Business Insider, the site MM.com sold for $1.2 million dollars in 2014. Once you find the perfect domain name to resell, you can market it on Flippa.com for a flat fee.

Make money on YouTube. People who love the spotlight and have other online hustles should consider creating their own YouTube channel. If you’re interested — and interesting — you can use the platform to market affiliate products, sell products you create yourself, or receive ad revenue for your informal tutorials or entertaining videos. Once you get the ball rolling, YouTube offers a partner program that can help you monetize your business further.

Become a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants perform a wide range of services for their clients, all of which can be completed online. Depending on the day, they may open and reply to emails, schedule online work or blog posts, write mock-up letters and proposals, or perform data entry. You can look for virtual assistant jobs on sites like Elance.com, UpWork.com, and Problogger.net.

Work as an online interpreter or translator. If you’re fluent in a foreign language, it makes sense to look for work as an online interpreter or translator. Depending on your individual skillset, you could find work translating blog posts or eBooks, transcribing recorded lessons or speeches for clients, or translating through Skype or another online video service. And, thanks to the increased use of foreign languages in the United States, getting started could really pay off. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for interpreters and translators is expected to increase 46% nationally through 2022.

Manage social media for businesses. If you have a knack for social media, you could potentially get paid to manage various platforms for others. Many businesses are too busy running day-to-day operations to stay on top of their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts – and will pay someone with the knowledge and time to do it for them. To find these jobs, ask local businesses and check sites like Elance.com, UpWork.com, and Problogger.net.

Work remotely for a call center. Because many call center jobs are location independent, finding work in this field is an easy way to earn some money from home. Dozens of sites list job openings for call-center representatives, including Elance.com, Freelancer.com, and SimplyHired.com. Meanwhile, you should check local job listings for openings and opportunities as well.

Rent out your car. If you’re not using your car on a daily basis, you might consider renting it out for some easy cash. Sites like RelayRides.com and FlightCar.com let you rent out your car for a daily – or even hourly – rate.

Answer questions. If you’re a subject matter expert, you can get paid for your expertise. Sites like Just Answer and ChaCha will pay you to answer questions either on the phone or online. Just register, enter your area of expertise, and get started to begin earning money on the side.

Rent out a room on Airbnb. Living near a tourist area has its perks, including the prospect of renting out a room for a profit. With home sharing sites like Airbnb, you can rent out a room in your home – or even the entire place – for a day, a week, or longer. If you have extra space and might enjoy the company of travelers, renting out a room is great way to earn some extra money with little effort on your part. See our post, “How to Make Money as an AirBNB Host.”

16 Ways to Make Money Fast

If you have some time to spare and want to earn money quickly, there are plenty of strategies to consider. Here are some quick money schemes worth researching if you want to earn cash today:

Hold a yard sale. If you have a yard or garage and plenty of items to sell, you can have a yard sale as early as tomorrow. By advertising your sale on local Facebook pages and Craigslist, you can also skip the paid newspaper ad and keep all of the profits for yourself. If you don’t have time to price everything, try asking patrons to “make an offer” or grouping similar items on tables with an advertised price (e.g. everything on this table is $5).

• Related: How to Have a Yard Sale

Sell plasma. After passing an initial screening, you can usually sell your plasma for anywhere from $25 to $50 per donation. To qualify, you’ll have to stand in a long line or show up early, be willing to fill out a very personal questionnaire, and endure a painful needle prick or two. Still, selling plasma is a great way to raise money fast – if you can stand the hassle.

Offer to watch children or pets. If you know anyone who has children or pets, you could easily begin a side gig as a babysitter or pet sitter. To let people know you’re interested, send out a group email describing your services, post an ad on Facebook, or tell friends and acquaintances about your availability in person or over the phone. You can also create a profile on a babysitting referral site like Care.com.

Set up an account on Rover.com. Enjoy furry company once in a while? These days, many professional pet-sitters set up an account on Rover.com. With Rover.com, you can reach people in your area who are actively looking for someone to watch their dogs, cats, hamsters, or turtles, either in their home or your own. You can set your own rules and schedule and come up with your own pricing through the Rover.com pet-sitting platform.

• Related: How to Make Money Dog-Sitting Through Rover.com

Put computer skills to use on Fiverr. If you know how to do almost anything online, you can sell and market your services on Fiverr.com. While Fiverr’s $5 minimum service charge means you won’t earn a lot at first, you can add additional perks and services once you get a steady flow of clients and a few positive reviews.

Sell stuff online. If you have high-quality items to sell, there are a slew of online marketplaces you can use. Just make sure you understand the fees associated with your sale before you take the plunge. Where neighborhood Facebook pages and Craigslist ads are free, many online marketplaces or consignment shops charge for ads or require you to fork over a percentage when you make a sale.

• Related: Beyond eBay: Six Better Ways to Buy, Sell and Trade Stuff Online

Recycle scrap metal. Different types of scrap metal can be recycled for cash at scrap yards around the country. However, how much you’ll make depends a lot on where you live. Metals commonly traded for cash include aluminum, copper, brass, and steel.

Rent out a parking spot. If you live in a busy or congested area and have parking to spare, you might be able to rent out your parking space for some quick cash when you’re not using it. Simply advertise your open parking space online including details on the location, whether it’s covered or uncovered, and your desired hourly, weekly, or monthly fee. If you want, you can even use a site like Just Park or download the Spot App to reach more potential customers.

Get a roommate. If you have a spare room in your home or apartment, getting a roommate is one way to raise money fast. Not only can they help pay the rent, but they can also help with other bills like utilities, cable, and Internet service.

• Related: Is a Roommate Worth the Financial Benefit?

Set up a roadside stand. Depending on where you live, you could profit handsomely by setting up a roadside stand. If you live near a resort area, for example, you could buy cases of bottled water, put them on ice, and sell them to passers by for twice what you paid. Selling fruit and produce you grow yourself is also a smart idea in highly-traveled areas.

Sign up for TaskRabbit.com. With TaskRabbit.com, you’ll be connected to local people who need help with regular chores. Depending on the day, you could get paid to walk a dog, pick up someone’s dry cleaning, or do someone’s grocery shopping. Best of all, it’s free to create a profile and get started.

Sell old textbooks. If you just finished college, you might be able to turn your old textbooks into cold, hard cash. You probably don’t need your old books anyway, and sites like Amazon.com, BookFinder.com, and Cash4Books.net make the process easy and painless.

Sell your college notes. If you paid attention in class and took excellent notes, you could sell them for a handsome profit. To see if your notes are in demand, check out sites like NoteUtopia.com and LUVO.

Sell your old cellphone. If your old cell phone is fairly new and in decent shape, you could consider selling it for some quick cash online. While selling it on eBay or Craigslist is always a possibility, you could also try your luck on technology-specific resale sites like Gazelle.com or Glyde.com.

Become a tutor in your spare time. Subject matter experts and recent college graduates might have no problem tutoring others in their spare time – and earning money in the process. To find clients, post ads on college message boards, ask around your inner circle, or try a college tutoring site like LUVO or Tutor.com.

Sign up for clinical drug trials. Signing up for clinical drug trials is an uncommon way for people to earn extra cash, but it still works. With ClinicalTrials.gov, you can explore various clinical trial opportunities in your area. Just be sure to read the fine print, ask questions, and understand the risks.

10 Ways to Make Money the Old-Fashioned Way

In addition to all the ways we’ve mentioned so far, you can also consider making money the old-fashioned way with some extra hustle. Most of these work options have been around for centuries, but in some cases, new ways to tap into them have just emerged in the past decade. Here are 10 ways to earn extra cash the old-fashioned way.

Drive for Uber or Lyft. If you have a reliable vehicle, a clean driving record, and a smartphone, driving for a car-share company is a real possibility. By working during peak travel times and optimizing your car for ideal gas mileage, you can make up to $25/hour on your own schedule.

• Related: How to Make Money Driving for Uber

Mow lawns or plow driveways. If you’re willing to mow yards or shovel or plow snow in the winter, you could easily start your own snow removal and lawn mowing business on the side. While you can usually find work by reaching out to your local community via word-of-mouth, flyers, or online message boards, the website Plowz & Mowz allows you to set up an online profile and reach more customers in your area.

Salvage and resell. Do you love antiques or have a knack for finding valuables at flea markets or yard sales? If you do, it might be time to consider salvaging items for resale – or even scouting out antiques to sell for a profit. While you’ll need to spend quite a bit of time searching for prospects and spend some money buying upfront, you could easily turn a profit if you know what you’re doing.

Get a part-time job. If you’re hard-up for cash, it might be time to consider a part-time job. Fortunately, retail, restaurant, and manual labor industries are almost always looking for workers willing to work weekends, evenings, and holidays.

Find seasonal work. Depending on the season, local businesses may be looking for part-time help. This is especially true during fall and winter when retail stores rely on seasonal workers to get through the busy holiday rush. And during the summer, temporary work opportunities range from manual labor outdoors to pool lifeguards and golf caddies.

Monetize a hobby. While some hobbies actually cost money, others can be transformed into a profitable business venture. Ultimately, it depends on what your hobby is and how talented you are. You could turn your love of photography, for example, into a part-time gig taking family portraits and wedding photos or selling prints on Etsy or at arts fairs.

• Related: 11 Fun Things to Do That Can Actually Make Money

Ask for a raise. If you’re unhappy with your compensation at your 9-5 job, asking for a raise is one way to beef up your bank account. Most employers offer an annual review of your work – which could be the perfect time to negotiate a higher salary or ask for better perks. If your employer doesn’t offer such an opportunity, it might be time to initiate a review yourself.

• Related: How to Negotiate Salary and Juggle Job Offers

Ask for overtime at work. Have a job that offers overtime? Let your boss know you’re interested in the opportunity. Meanwhile, it might be wise to let co-workers know you’re willing to pick up any extra shifts they don’t want or need.

Start a bed and breakfast. If you live in a popular resort area or own a historic property, a B&B might be the perfect side hustle. Not only can you work at home with this career, but you’ll also score some tax write-offs in the process — although most innkeepers caution that the profession requires a lot of hard work and is more of an attractive lifestyle than a money-making pursuit.

• Related: The Ultimate Work-at-Home Job: Running a Bed and Breakfast

Start a small business. Have a skill you can monetize? If you know how to mow grass, paint a room, or bake cakes, starting your own business is a great way to earn quick cash. Depending on the type of business, you could even do it in your spare time. If you want to browse for more options, check out 50 Side Businesses You Can Start On Your Own.

Making Money vs. Saving Money: Which Is More Important?

Whether you want to become your own boss, start a side hustle, or earn extra money on the side, any of the strategies listed above can help. By finding ways to increase your income, you can free up more cash to pay down debt, save for the future, or invest for retirement. Saving money is only half of the equation. And if you truly want to get ahead, you might want to figure out how to make money – and hopefully, lots of it.

In the meantime, it also makes sense to save as much money as humanly possible – either through responsible spending, cancelling or reducing existing bills, or creating a budget and spending plan that helps you spend less than you earn.

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

The saying, “a penny saved is a penny earned,” isn’t just a play on words; it’s absolutely true. While there may be an emotional or intellectual distinction, your pocketbook doesn’t know the difference. And at the end of the day, all dollars earned or saved spend the same way.

So, why not do both?

What is your favorite way to save money? Have you used any of the strategies mentioned in this post?

If you want to find more ways to save money every day, continue reading The Simple Dollar and check out this post: How to Save Money: 100 Great Tips to Get Started.

The post How to Make Money appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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10 Ways to Invest in Driverless Cars

The era of self-driving vehicles is closer than you might think.

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Your Expired Groupons Might Actually Be Worth Something. Here’s How to Find Out

You may already save a ton of money using Groupons for awesome deals on restaurant meals, gift cards and fitness classes. But does Groupon owe you money, too?

If you purchased a Groupon (or received one as a gift) between November 1, 2008 and December 1, 2011 — and never used it or received a refund — the answer might be yes.

Groupon’s Class-Action Settlement

Plaintiffs are suing Groupon for creating vouchers that contained expiration dates and other restrictions allegedly in violation of federal and state laws.

Groupon denies any wrongdoing, but has agreed to potentially pay $8.5 million in Groupon credits to qualifying class members.

The short version: Groupon might’ve screwed up some details, so you might get free money to spend on more Groupons!

The Fine Print

Feel a little déjà vu?

This case is actually a re-opened 2012 Groupon class-action lawsuit terminated earlier this year. If you already submitted a claim, it carries over — you’re all set!

To submit a claim this time, you must be the holder or purchaser of an unredeemed and/or unrefunded Groupon issued between November 1, 2008 and December 1, 2011. And the Groupon must be past its stated expiration date.

Fit the description? Submit a claim and sit tight until February 26, 2016, the scheduled date of the approval hearing — when class members find out whether they’ll be receiving compensation.

If approved, you could get up to 130% of your Groupon’s purchase price!

How to File a Claim

Head over to the Groupon Voucher Settlement site, where you can get the low-down on the proceedings and file your claim.

Just click on “File a Claim Online” and add your name, contact information and details about the relevant Groupons.

Or, file a claim via snail mail or fax — just print the form on the site and send it to the listed address or fax number.

All done? Start searching some similarly-priced deals you want to snag with your free Groupon credits. (But make sure you ask yourself these questions first.)

Candle-making classes, anyone?

Your Turn: Are you eligible to file a claim in this Groupon class-action settlement?

Jamie Cattanach is a 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. You can wave hi to @jamiecattanach on Twitter.

The post Your Expired Groupons Might Actually Be Worth Something. Here’s How to Find Out appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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How to Do Curated Content RIGHT: A Step-by-Step Guide

It’s one of the biggest drawbacks of content marketing…

How are you supposed to find time to create high quality content?

On top of all the other things you need to do, now you need to find the time to create epic posts.

These types of posts often take several hours to create. If you’re a small business owner, you have a ton of other things on your plate demanding your attention: customer service, product creation and improvement, social media, and other forms of marketing.

And if you’re a marketer of any kind, you’re being asked to create more and more content. Seventy percent of B2B marketers reported that they are creating more content this year (compared to last year).

I’ll tell you something for sure:

Most of those 70% of marketers don’t even produce epic content. And yet, they’re spending even more time on it. Why? Because it’s still working for them.

Over time, their results will diminish, and they will decide to either give up or up their content game.

I hope you’re ahead of the curve and are already creating next level content. But that leaves you with the time and resources issues. It’s hard to continually devote 20+ hours a week to creating content.

But there are a few ways to lessen the extent of this problem.

First, you can write more efficiently.

But you can also be more selective about which types of content you create. Some types of content take a few hours to put together, while others can take hundreds of hours.

One of the most effective types of content (when you look at results vs time to create) is curated content.

The basic idea is to take some (or all) of content created by someone else and feature it along other related content. (Of course, you always provide credit.)

Even something as simple as a link to a guide in a post for more information could be considered curated content.

You’re finding content that you know your readers will be interested in and then connecting them to it.

Almost all content marketers curate content in one way or another. One report found that 82% of marketers curate content. Overall, the best marketers create around 65% of their own content and curate an additional 25%.

One of the most common ways to use curated content is for social media marketing. You typically need to share content other than your own to be successful, so finding the best content for your readers (that you didn’t make) is a key part of the process.

Curated content on social media represents about 47% of all clicks.

And curated content can be used in almost any niche, which is part of the reason why it’s so powerful.

However, not all businesses are successful at curating content.

If you do it the wrong way, your readers won’t pay much attention to what you offer, and you won’t get the results you’re after.

Luckily, I can show you how to do content curation right.

By the end of this post, you’ll know which types of curated content you should create as well as how to create them in order to maximize your results when it comes to traffic, shares, and subscribers.

4 Reasons you should publish more curated content

I’ve touched on a few positive aspects of curated content, but I want you to understand all the ways it can help you.

Incorporating curation into your content strategy benefits you in four main ways.

Reason #1 – It’s faster and cheaper to create: Curated content is much faster to create than original content.

A great example of this is Brian Dean’s link building guide for SEO.

In the guide, he divides link building into different chapters. Each chapter is literally a list of links:

In total, he links to at least a few dozen really great resources on link building.

How much time do you think it took him to put this together?

My guess would be under 10 hours.

Now imagine if Brian tried to write each of those sections by himself.

The content marketing section alone would take him a minimum of 10 hours to create.

And all the other sections would take a similar amount of time.

All in all, we’re looking at 50 hours for a guide like this as a minimum, or about 500% more time than he probably actually spent.

I think that example really shows how much time curation can save you.

On top of that, there’s one other cool way in which content curation saves you time.

If you are active on social media, and most businesses are, you need to share content that others have created.

Well, guess what? Since you’ve researched all the best content to include in your curated content, you can just share these resources on social media and save yourself a ton of time.

Reason #2 – Sometimes, the results are just as good (or better): Logically, it makes sense to assume that there’s a tradeoff.

With your own content, you get more traffic, engagement, etc. than you do with curated content, right?

It’s true, you probably won’t achieve the same results with curated content as you will with your own, but you don’t lose that much either.

Case in point: Let’s look at that link building guide again. As of writing of this post, it has over 740 Tweets and 440 Facebook likes:

In order to make a valid statement, we have to compare those results to Brian’s typical results.

I picked one of his most recent posts (it’s had more than a few days to collect shares), which currently has 594 Tweets and 223 likes.

Despite having increased his readership since posting that original guide, he actually got fewer shares with his 100% original content.

Obviously, the topics are different, so they can’t be compared perfectly. However, I think this shows that curated content can still achieve some impressive results when done right.

That’s why 50% of surveyed marketers said that curated content helped improve their brand visibility, SEO, traffic, and buyer engagement.

The same report also revealed that 41% of marketers found that curated content increased either the number or quality of their sales leads.

Reason #3 – You can expand out of your area of expertise: Even after more than 5 years, I still write on the same types of topics—mainly about social media, content marketing, and SEO.

But I know that some of my readers are interested in other topics as well, topics that I might not have much expertise in.

I could, of course, take extra time to research and experiment in those areas, but it can take months to become an expert.

Or I could simply curate the best content on those topics.

For example, I could create a guide to buying an online business with curated content. It’s something I don’t have much experience with, so I couldn’t comfortably write about it right now, but I could curate it for my readers.

Reason #4 – You can use it to open relationships: One huge potential benefit of curating content is that it provides value to influencers—if you do it right.

A good piece of curated content will actually drive traffic to the sources you link to.

In addition, if you only include the best of the best, it increases the brand recognition and authority of the people or businesses you include.

Look at these comments on a pretty mediocre roundup:

There were more comments like these ones.

People appreciate being featured, which gives you an “in” to develop a relationship with them.

If JC (the author) contacted any of these website owners, they’d know exactly who he is.

And if you create curated posts like I’m about to show you, this even works with the top influencers in your niche.

Step 1: 7 types of curated content you can publish

There’s one thing that you need to know about curated content:

No type fits all.

What I mean by that is that curated content can be used in almost any niche, but certain types work better for some than others.

Your first real challenge (step #1) is understanding the different types so that you can pick the best ones for you.

The best way I can teach you about each type is to show you an example of each, so let’s get started.

Type #1 – Ultimate guides on a topic: There is more written content published online than any other type of content.

We’ve actually already looked at an example of an “ultimate guide”, the guide to link building by Brian Dean:

What’s the best use for it?

When you try to create a complete guide to anything, it’s usually going to be about one of your main topics.

There’s no sense in creating a massive resource on a topic that only a small fraction of your target audience is interested in.

These types of guides are designed to wow readers and attract traffic, links, and social shares.

You should consider creating a curated ultimate guide when creating a complete guide from scratch isn’t practical.

Part of that is deciding the scope of your content (more on that later).

Since Brian wanted to cover such a huge topic (everything there is to know about link building), it would have taken him months to create all original content.

The curated guide that he published probably took him less than a few weeks.

Who can use it?

Massive guides like Brian’s are best used in niches where audiences are willing to learn.

They are great in almost any hobby niche (e.g., sports, music, video games, etc.) as well as any niche related to learning about a specific profession (e.g., marketing, SEO, job hunting, management, etc.).

Type #2 – Roundups: You’re probably familiar with at least one type of roundup, but there are a few different types of curated roundups we can look at.

First is the content roundup.

An example of one is “The Moz Top 10″ email newsletter that goes out semimonthly.

In these emails, the primary feature is the best 10 pieces of content for SEO.

Regular email roundups like these are best used in niches that move quickly. There are always changes happening in the SEO niche, which is why this works for Moz.

Basically, this type of roundup will work in any niche that has at least one thriving niche news site.

The second type of roundup is the expert roundup.

With this kind of roundup, you collect original answers from influencers and present them within one awesome post.

Typically, you’ll ask them all the same one or two questions, record all the answers, and then additionally add some insightful analysis of the results.

This type of roundup isn’t purely curation because you can also mix in your own (or a contributor’s) original content.

Let’s look at an example of this type of roundup.

Richard Marriott created a highly popular roundup by asking experts what their 3 favorite SEO tools were.

On top of collecting and posting the answers from 55 experts, he also provided a brief but useful introduction and analysis.

This brings up the most important takeaway: don’t be afraid to mix original and curated content.

Often, you can add extra value to the curated content by presenting it within certain context.

This type of roundup is best used in niches with tons of influencers, where the same questions are asked over and over again.

Usually, the questions are being asked repeatedly because they have subjective answers. This is where answers from experts (more is better) are given the most attention.

Type #3 – The best webinars: I wanted to quickly add webinar curation to this section. It’s a list of the best webinars/video tutorials in your niche.

Webinars are getting extremely popular (I used to use them at KISSmetrics a lot). However, they are also pretty long.

A curated list of the best webinars on a topic (available for replay) would get a lot of attention.

Type #4 – Case studies: In some niches, case studies are the most interesting type of content to readers.

Personally, I’ve seen how much readers appreciate seeing the results of case studies in the conversion rate optimization niche.

But running a complete test can take weeks, and then you’ll have to write the post as well.

In the end, readers are only interested in the idea behind the test, how you did it, and what the results were.

In a situation like this, what if you could put several case studies together?

Showcase all the important information in a few hundred words for each case study.

If people love one case study, they’ll love having more in one place.

Here’s an example: A post with 100 conversion optimization case studies.

As you can see, it’s been shared over 2,000 times, with plenty of comments and links to the page.

It would take years to run 100 good tests on your own. But by curating case studies that others have published (and only including the best ones), you create a really interesting and valuable resource.

Your audience can’t help but love it, and you could put it together in less than a week.

Where else can curated case studies be used?

Chances are you already know whether people appreciate case studies in your niche.

I’m actually a little surprised that no one has created a post like the one above for SEO case studies. People love to read about how website owners improved their traffic by X% over 6-12 months.

Here’s an example in the home design niche, where the author put together a list of 101 home remodeling projects (equivalent to case studies).

Type #5 – Reading list/education list: Some niches are built around learning. As you’ve seen, there are already a few types of curated content that work great in these niches.

In these niches, there are always people trying to teach (and often sell) to anyone who will listen.

This results in a ton of content that no one has the time to read.

Of course, this is a perfect opportunity for curation. You can create something of tremendous value by simply going through the content and picking the best of it.

You’re saving your audience from reading the crap while also showing them the content they will love.

One example of this is Tim Ferriss’ book club:

Out of thousands of books that he has read, he’s picked six so far that he says made a meaningful difference in his life.

That kind of selective curation means a lot coming from someone with his reputation. Every entrepreneur will want to read these books.

Your own curation doesn’t have to be quite that strict.

Here’s another good example: James Clear’s book list.

He’s included more than 100 great books, sorted by category:

Now we’re getting into some advanced curation: not only picking out the best resources but organizing them in a way that is most useful to the reader.

Finally, this type of curation can extend to online courses.

For example, online computer science classes are offered free by hundreds of sites. Some are obviously better than others.

This post puts together the 16 best ones in the author’s opinion.

The key thing that makes this post valuable to readers is that it’s clear that the author spent time testing and reviewing each course.

Type #6 – Customer stories: Influencers aren’t the only ones who can create content. So can customers and readers.

Although you can only really do this if you have a large or raving fan base, one option is to curate the best customer reviews:

It’s easier than ever for bigger brands to do this now since many customers post pictures of themselves using the product on social media without even being asked.

If you monitor your hashtags, you’ll be able to find them and save the best.

Type #7 – Top sites/experts: Finally, if you’re looking to build relationships with influencers in your niche, you can also create a “top” list of all the best sites or experts in it.

This is not as effective as it used to be because it is by far the most used form of content curation.

It can still be useful, but the main reason you should be doing it is to reach out to the people you include and open a dialogue.

Step 2: Understand the finer details of curation that make the difference

Many website owners post curated content on a daily basis.

The vast majority of it doesn’t get much attention.

I don’t want yours to be part of that.

In order to make sure that doesn’t happen, you need to understand the true value of content curation:

Quality.

If people just wanted to learn about a subject they like, they could head to an aggregator such as Alltop:

Just about anyone can submit content there, and it is categorized.

But people are getting overwhelmed by the amount of content out there. Although they don’t want to miss out on the truly useful content, it’s hard to wade through 20-30 pieces of content to find one or two good ones.

That’s where you come in.

You care about your audience and are willing to do the hard work for them.

Don’t get lazy: To curate content properly, you need to do two essential things.

First, you need to find all the content that fits your topic.

When you say you’ve assembled the best content out there, you need to be sure that you didn’t miss anything.

As soon as you miss one great resource, readers will doubt that you were as thorough as you had claimed.

Second, you need to review all the content.

And I’m not talking about skimming the content. Do you think a movie critic just skips through a movie to review it?

Never. You shouldn’t either.

It might seem like hard work, and it is. This is the main source of value of your curated content.

If you don’t review every piece of content you’re considering thoroughly, your final result won’t be as valuable to your reader.

Those are two simple but absolutely crucial steps if you want to see results.

Step 3: How to find perfect topics for content curation

The beauty of curated content is that you can really use it for any good content idea that you had in the first place.

However, you’ll still want to quickly run through this 3-step process for picking good ideas.

First, pick a type of curated content: The reason I spent so much time on the different types of curated content is because you need know which ones are valued the most by your readers.

If you’re in a niche like marketing, you have a lot of options:

• ultimate guides
• roundups
• webinars
• case studies
• reading lists
• top experts

You can use any type effectively.

However, if you’re in a niche like camping, there aren’t webinars or case studies.

In that niche, readers value informative guides and video tutorials, so you’d want to stick to those types of content.

Second, define your scope: The scope of a piece of content refers to how large of a topic you’re going to tackle.

The term is mainly used in descriptions of academic papers and studies.

But it’s really important to pick a scope that matches your content type.

When you create your own content, you need to focus on a narrow scope and cover it in great depth.

But when you’re curating content, you need to capitalize on the fact that you don’t need to create the content.

This allows you to not only go deep on a topic but also wide.

Think back to Backlinko’s link building guide. Here are the first three chapter titles:

• Link Building Fundamentals
• How to Get Top Notch Links Using Content Marketing
• How to Execute Effective Email Outreach Campaigns

Each of those sounds like a huge post that I might write.

That’s why Brian links to at least 3-4 amazing resources in each chapter.

When you’re curating content, choose a large scope.

Brian didn’t just curate a guide to getting links with content marketing—he created an ultimate guide to link building.

Finally, find a unique angle: If you’re curating content on a topic, that means a lot of content has been produced on that topic.

But that also means you need to find a way to add significant value to it if you want to stand out.

There are a few ways to do this:

• go bigger – in some cases, more is better (e.g., case studies)
• increase your scope - cover a large topic that everyone else is too scared to do (e.g., ultimate guide to link building)
• go after a unique aspect - if many people have curated a topic, you can stand out by modifying it for a more specific audience (e.g., instead of “top X marketing blogs”, do “top X marketing blogs for SAAS startups”)

Step 4: 5 tools to track down amazing content and work more efficiently

Once you’ve picked the type of content you’re going to create and the topic, you need to do the actual curating.

First, find absolutely everything there is to know about the topic you selected. Then, read/watch it, and save the best pieces.

There’s no wrong way to do this, but I recommend using a combination of tools to save time on discovering content.

1. Feedly: This is the leading RSS reader. It lets you add feeds from the top sites in your niche and then shows you recently published articles so you can quickly see what interests you.

Add all the major blogs in your niche, and you’ll never miss a post.

2. Reddit: Reddit is one of the largest community websites in the world. It is broken down into subreddits, which are essentially different categories.

You can find a category for just about any niche, no matter which one you’re in.

After you find a relevant subreddit, you can visit it every once in awhile to see current trending posts. These posts are semi-curated by the community since they vote on them.

In addition, you can also click on “top” along the top menu of any subreddit to see the most liked posts of all time:

3. Evernote: Evernote is an extremely popular app that will help you stay organized, and it’s free.

It’s essentially your own personal notebook that syncs across all your devices.

When you come across an article that you think is amazing, you can add it to your notebook and add tags and comments to it.

When it’s time to create content, just search for a few related phrases to bring up past content you’ve saved.

4. Trello: If you have a specific topic in mind already, your main challenge will be organizing all the content.

One option is to manage it with Trello, which can save you a lot of time.

Trello allows you to create boards and then add lists to them.

On each board, you can add “cards”, which is where you’d put the great content you find.

Put the headline as the title for each card, and click the card after you make it.

Then, add the link to the content plus a comment if have one:

5. Pocket: If you’re not a fan of Evernote, you might want to give Pocket a try.

It’s designed similarly, letting you save interesting content you find on the web to your “pocket”.

Get in the habit of saving the best pieces of content you come across because you never know when you’ll need it for a curated post.

You can use Pocket on any of your devices and can save a link to a piece of content with just a few clicks. You can also tag posts so that they are easy to find in the future.

Step 5: Don’t just slap it together, do this instead…

Doing all the research for your content will take a ton of time.

It will be tempting to just publish your results in the easiest way possible; after all, the value is still there.

But if you do, you’re throwing away a huge chunk of your potential results.

There are two types of people in your audience that will read these types of posts.

First, your target audience. These are your typical readers that you created the post for.

When they come across a curated post, they have one main question:

Should I trust that these resources are actually the best?

If the reader doesn’t believe that your list of the “best books on X” is a good list, they’re not going to give it a second thought.

How do you gain that trust? Two ways:

1. Be so well known that all readers know you as an expert (e.g., Tim Ferriss, James Clear)
2. Present your content so professionally that readers assume you must know what you’re doing (partly the halo effect)

Design matters: Brian Dean is well known in the SEO industry. He could have put up simple links in his curated guide, but he didn’t because he understands the value of design.

If you want readers to think that your content is a big deal, it needs to look like a big deal.

Secondly, if you’re covering a wide scope (like you should be), you’re going to be curating several (or hundreds) of other pieces of content.

Organization is key.

Most readers will only be interested in specific parts, so make sure it’s easy for them to find those parts. Create a custom table of contents or filters that readers can use.

The other part of your readers: Other than your regular readers, you also have all those people whom you featured in your content.

When you curate content, it means that you think that content is the best of the best, which is flattering to those content creators.

Most will check out your content when you send them a message about it.

When they do, they’re going to look at just a few key things:

• Does it look professional?
• How am I featured?
• Who else is included?

If it doesn’t look professional, it’s all of a sudden a lot less flattering. They’ll see you as a “nobody” who probably doesn’t have an audience.

They also care about how they’re featured. If they’re named as an expert, with a picture or glowing recommendation surrounding your link to them, you get a few bonus points here. They’ll feel more special.

Finally, they care about other included people. If they think that other pieces of content you’ve included suck, they’ll be disappointed.

When they see that you put in the time to include only the best, being featured is going to be a big compliment to them. If you just picked the first few resources Google showed you, it’s not impressive.

Conclusion

Curating content is a great way to save time while also creating high value content that your readers will love.

It can attract shares and traffic and is a great way to open a dialogue with influencers you’d like to connect with.

Follow the 5 steps in this post, and you’ll have a killer curated piece of content to show the world.

I’d love to hear how you’ve used curated content in the past or how you plan to in the future. Just leave me a comment below.

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Why Market Timing is Especially Bad for Retirees

Day trading can be a stressful retirement hobby with disastrous consequences if you lose.

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The World’s Biggest Sale is Today… In China. Here’s How to Get Deals in the U.S.

Have you heard of the sale that brings in more money than Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s online sales — combined?

Where one billion dollars was spent within the first eight minutes it was live?

We’re talking about Singles Day, which occurs every year on November 11… in China.

Don’t look so sad! Bargain-hunters in the U.S. can still reap the benefits of this shopping holiday.

The sale will end soon in China, but a few retailers are offering sales stateside for the rest of the day.   

How Americans Can Shop on Singles Day

Hope to get your hands on some deals? Here are a few options we found.

AliExpress

AliExpress is like the eBay of China: a marketplace for individual sellers. They’re having a Global Shopping Festival today, which doesn’t end until midnight PST.

You’ll find everything from electronics to clothing to home goods. Just be sure to only purchase from sellers with good reviews (like you would on eBay).

Wal-Mart

Though they’re not calling it Singles Day, American retail giant Wal-Mart is offering some killer online specials for 11/11. We noticed a 1.0 carat diamond pendant and earring set for $199 (regular price: $500) or a Hoover WindTunnel bagless vacuum for $79 (regular price: $149).

If you want to get your holiday shopping out of the way before the Black Friday madness, it might be worth a look!

Drugstore.com

Need to stock up on essentials like toothbrushes, vitamins or diapers?

Today only, Drugstore.com is offering $18 off any purchase of $88 or more, with free shipping on orders of $35 or more.

How to Enjoy Singles Day Without Spending a Dime

Even if you don’t want to shop today, you can still participate in the Singles Day fun with this video from everyone’s favorite villain: Frank Underwood.

Your Turn: Have you found any deals on Singles Day?

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

The post The World’s Biggest Sale is Today… In China. Here’s How to Get Deals in the U.S. appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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What Required Minimum Distributions Mean for Investors

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How Military Spouses Can Strengthen Their Brand in a Job Interview

Here’s how to sell your unique skills and show employers that you’d be an asset to the organization.

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Need a Job After the Military? These 800 Companies Want to Hire Veterans

One surprisingly difficult part of the military? Making the transition to civilian life. After you’ve been in the service, it can be tough to find a job that is challenging, interesting and pays well.

But companies are looking for people like you.

Nearly 40% of employers are actively recruiting veterans over the next year, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey, and 69% say that, if given two equally qualified candidates, they’d hire a veteran over someone else.

Who’s Hiring Vets?

So companies want to hire you — but which ones? Where should you look for jobs?  

For starters, check VetCentral; it lists more than 800 companies actively hiring veterans. Click on a company’s name, and it automatically displays available positions.

Or browse Military Times’ annual list of the best employers for vets, which ranks more than 70 companies based on factors like military spouse policies, treatment of reservists and percentage of veteran hires.

Rather search by job than company? Don’t miss eBenefits, which not only has a veterans jobs bank, but also helpful tools like a military skills translator and a list of veteran career fairs.

If you need more guidance, don’t be afraid to ask for help: Visit your local VA or turn to an organization like Hire Heroes USA.

Your Turn: Are you getting out of the military soon? Where will you look for jobs?

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

The post Need a Job After the Military? These 800 Companies Want to Hire Veterans appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Gaps in Your Resume? Here’s What You Need to Know

Downtime in your employment history doesn’t need to be a deal-breaker for potential employers.

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By preparing ahead of time you can keep your costs down. 

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Sanity-saving tips for navigating the crowds, finding the best deals and, most of all, avoiding regret.

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Plan now, and the bill won't shock you come come tax time. 

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We Love Dave Ramsey, But He’s Dead Wrong About This…

When I was young, I bought an older mobile home on a small lot for $19,500. In the years I lived there I collected at least $50,000 in income by renting out rooms. Then I sold the place for $45,000.

As you might guess, I don’t have the common bias against mobile homes.

Once more, I have to disagree with financial guru Dave Ramsey. Just like his advice about the use of credit cards (he says don’t use them, but I’ll get $2,000 in sign-up bonuses and cash back this year), he oversimplifies when advising readers not to buy mobile homes.

He says they go down in value, and adds “when you buy a mobile home, you’re buying a very large car in which to live.”

Yes, mobile homes go down in value; at least, if you buy them new and put them on a rented lot.

But there are at least two situations where mobile homes make sense — and can help you save big money.

Buy an Older Mobile Home on Land

My old mobile home was very comfortable, but let’s humor Dave and call it a big car. So what happens in a growing community when you park an old car on a piece of land you own?

Over the years, it loses a little more of what value it has left, but the land goes up in value. The net effect? You can sell the land with the “car” for much more than you paid.

When you buy a nice older mobile home, you’re mostly buying land value. But unlike a car, people can very comfortably live in a mobile home, which helps explain why, by my calculations, the value of my mobile home went up more quickly than site-built homes in the area.

What About Equity Gain?

Some would argue that — even if the mobile home appreciates at the same rate — you’ll gain more equity with a more expensive “regular” house.

For example, if a $100,000 house and a $40,000 mobile home each rise 50% in value over the years, you’ll gain $50,000 in equity with the house versus $20,000 with the mobile. But that scenario ignores a few important points.

First, there is the ongoing cost. For example, my mortgage payment was $257. Had I bought a site-built house of similar size, I would have paid at least $80,000 instead of $19,500.

I had, at most, a 10% down payment (I put $5,000 down on the mobile home), so I would have had a mortgage loan for $72,000 that cost about $605 per month (interest rates were much higher then).

Of course, the property taxes, which are based on value, would have been four times as high with the house. Insurance would have cost more too.

And I can tell you from experience (three mobiles, five houses and counting) that a regular house costs more to maintain and repair. I estimate it would have cost me $500 more per month to buy a house.

That’s $6,000 per year saved by buying a mobile home, and yes, I did save it. In fact, I paid off the mortgage in a few years, and then my monthly savings went to about $700 per month versus that regular house.

This brings up another little secret about buying a mobile on land: You can pay down your loan faster, and therefore build equity faster.

Think of it this way: If I could afford the $605 payment for a house, I could pay that much every month toward my $15,000 mobile home mortgage loan. More, in fact, since my other costs were lower.

That’s why I was able to quickly eliminate my mortgage (that, and the room rentals). The high interest rate (12%) was not very significant because I paid it for such a short time.

Had I bought an $80,000 house and held it for the same 14 years, it would have been worth about $130,000 in that area. But I would have spent an average of $600 more per month over those years (versus my low-cost mobile), which adds up to over $100,000 extra going out.

The truth is, I couldn’t afford the house anyhow at that time, so a mobile home was my only realistic option. With that in mind, along with the $45,000 sales price and $50,000 or more from room renters, I think buying a mobile home on property made a lot more sense than renting.

A Mobile Is a Great First Home

Yes, you may want a more traditional house someday. But this is great way to buy your first place for several reasons, including:

• Lower monthly costs
• Easier introduction to homeownership
• Faster equity gain
• It can be a profitable rental when you buy a regular house

When you buy with land, you can sometimes get a mortgage loan from a local bank, as I did — for mobile homes in parks, you have to get a pricier personal property loan).

Some bigger lenders, like 21st Mortgage Corporation, will also loan on mobiles. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau states “More than 2,000 institutions reported originating one or more manufactured housing purchase loans in 2012″ (the most recent statistics).

If you can’t find a regular lender, don’t give up. Many sellers offer financing to make it easier for buyers. I sold two of my mobile homes that way, one with a $1,000 down payment and the other with a $5,000 down payment.

What to Look For When You Buy a Mobile Home

The numbers may be different, depending on your area. In some towns, you can get a house for $80,000 and a mobile on land will still cost $60,000. In that case, you might want the house.

In other places, the cheapest decent site-built house might cost $100,000 more than a comfortable mobile home on land. That’s where you might want the mobile.

To get the best value, you should probably buy an older mobile home. That way, it has already lost most of its “pull away value,” so the remaining value is primarily land with a livable home.

Look for neighborhoods where people take care of their mobiles. Yes, there are a lot of stereotypes, but there are many nice mobile communities.

When it’s time to buy, look for mobile homes built after 1976. That’s when HUD standards went into effect.

Your Housing Crash Safety Net

Here’s something people don’t consider about cheaper mobile homes: If the housing market crashes, you lose less on a mobile home.

After I sold my mobile home in Michigan in 2005, the market tanked. Houses in the area went down in value by about 30%. Mobiles on land fell less in value (investors hold up prices at the low end because of the rental income value).

Even if it was the same loss rate, my buyer lost about $13,000 in equity, versus the $39,000 he would have lost if he had bought a house with similar square-footage for $130,000.

What About Buying in a Park?

Even here, Dave Ramsey is wrong. Yes, if you buy a new mobile home and put it in a park it will plummet in value.

But if you buy an old enough mobile home, it has already lost most of its value, so you have less to risk. Then it becomes a matter of crunching the numbers.

In 2005, my wife and I bought a mobile home in a park in Tucson, Arizona, for $9,000. We wanted a house, but I felt uneasy about buying anything at that time. Even the smallest livable homes were going for $150,000 or more.

The lot rent was $300 per month, so we saved about $200 per month versus the $500 apartment we came from.

A year later we moved to Colorado to buy a house, and sold the mobile home for exactly what we paid. In other words, we saved about $2,000 on rent for that year.

Oh, and the market crashed. We would have lost at least $40,000 on a $150,000 house.

Buying a mobile home in a park will often make sense if…

• Your alternative is to rent
• You buy a cheap (usually older) mobile home
• Lot rent is reasonable
• You pay cash

Even if you have to borrow, it can make sense. Let’s look at an example, assuming you currently rent an apartment for $750 per month, have $2,000 saved for a down payment and you buy an older mobile home in a nice park:

• Mobile home price: $12,000
• Loan amount: $10,000
• Closing and moving costs: $1,000
• Loan term: 3 years
• Interest rate: 15 percent
• Monthly payment: $347
• Monthly lot rent: $375
• Monthly maintenance: $75

You’ll notice your monthly cost is $797, versus $750, for rent. It’s still the better deal. If you stay in the apartment:

• You get nothing for your rent
• Your rental costs will stay the same or rise

If you buy the mobile home, after three years you will:

• Spend an extra $1,792 (closing costs and higher monthly costs)
• Pay off the loan, so your monthly cost will drop to $425
• Be able to sell the mobile for something

What if you sold the mobile for only $9,000 because you trashed it? Deduct your $2,000 down payment and the $1,792 in additional costs, and you walk away with over $5,000, versus the nothing you would have from renting the apartment.

You can save money by buying a mobile home, but it’s all about the numbers. So get ready to do some calculating.

Your Turn: Have you ever bought a mobile home instead of a site-built house? If so, what was your experience?

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).

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