Business Briefcase: Adams named to Norwood, Wayne Bank boards

Wayne County resident is W. Wayne schools superintendent Wayne County resident Joseph W. Adams has been named to the Boards of Directors of Norwood Financial Corp and its subsidiary, Wayne Bank. Adams is currently serving as the Superintendent of Schools for the Western Wayne School District. His previous experience includes an executive management position at [...]

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The festive rip-offs costing you thousands

IT’S that time of year when our wallets get smaller and gift lists gets longer. But chances are your festive spending habits are costing more than you think.

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Does Your Kid Want a Smartphone for Christmas? This $50 Phone Comes With a Free Monthly Plan

There were few things I wanted more in high school than a cell phone.

Maybe a 1996 Ford Bronco. That, or Prince William. (What can I say? It was the early ‘00s.)

When it became clear neither of those things were in my future, I latched on to the idea of a cell phone. Imagine all the friends I could call! Think about how sweet I would look when I flipped it open after class! (Yes, flipped.)

But alas, my parents were not on board. Though it pains me to think about how much cooler I would’ve been with a cell phone, I do not envy today’s kids (or parents).

Because nowadays, that cell phone angst is even worse. Every kid wants one, and at younger and younger ages. According to them, anyone without one is a social pariah.

Which puts parents in a tough position. On one hand, you don’t want your kid to be a social outcast; on the other, you don’t know if you’re ready for them to have their own cell phone.

For one, cell phones are expensive. With the holidays coming up, you can’t afford to splurge on some fancy phone your kid is going to lose or drop in the first week. And that’s not even taking into account the service plan or dreaded overage charges.

Then there’s the whole hooked-on-mobile-devices thing. Once you give your child a cell phone, will they ever look up from the screen again?

While we can’t help with the phone addiction, we did recently learn about an offer that brings down the cost of a starter cell phone. Way down.

The phone costs $49.99, and the accompanying plan is free. That’s right; we said FREE.

Here’s how it works…

The $49.99 Cell Phone That Comes With Free Calls, Texts and Data

It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? We were skeptical, too. But we checked it out, and this company is actually legit.

Right now, FreedomPop is offering a special deal just for Penny Hoarder readers: 75% off a Motorola Moto E LTE phone, along with a free service plan.

Here’s what you get with this deal:

A Pre-Owned Smartphone

The Moto E may not be the fanciest of phones, but at $49.99 plus taxes (which vary by state), its price is hard to beat.

The phone is pre-owned but has gone through rigorous testing to make sure it’s up to par. It features a 5MP camera (equivalent to an iPhone 4) and 8GB of internal storage — as well as Corning Gorilla Glass and a water-resistant splash guard, making it somewhat kid-proof!

A Free Service Plan

With your phone purchase, you’ll receive one free month of FreedomPop’s unlimited talk, text and 1GB data plan. That normally costs $19.99 per month.

But you don’t necessarily have to start paying $19.99/month once your free month is over. You can switch anytime to FreedomPop’s totally free plan, which features 500 texts, 200 voice minutes and 500MB of data per month.

Or, if you want unlimited talk and text, but you don’t need more than 500MB of data, there’s also a middle-of-the-road option for $10.99 per month.

With WiFi available in so many locations, your child should be able to get by with this plan — if they’re a big texter! — or the free one.

Is This a Good Starter Phone for Kids?

Though it’s obviously up to you to decide when your child is ready for a cell phone, we thought this deal might appeal to parents for a few reasons:

1. This Phone is Cheap to Replace

The Moto E costs just $49.99 to buy or replace, far less than other smartphones. Though FreedomPop does offer an insurance policy for $6 a month, it’s probably not worth it — unless you think your child is going to lose or break the phone within a year.

2. You Won’t Pay Overage Charges

For parents, this may be the most attractive option of the FreedomPop plan. Once your child reaches their monthly limit of calls and texts, their ability to make more is shut off until the next monthly cycle begins.

As for data, you can set it to shut off once your child is within 100MB of their limit. That way, there won’t be any surprises when your monthly statement arrives!

3. The Phone Doesn’t Look Totally Dorky

As you can see in the photos above, this phone is pretty sleek. It’s not some ancient flip phone your child will be embarrassed to use.

4. The Phone Will Arrive by Christmas

If you order by Monday, December 14, your child’s new phone will arrive in time to wrap and put under the tree!

The one downside? FreedomPop runs on the Sprint network, which doesn’t have full coverage in all parts of the country.

You’ll still be able to make calls and texts as long as you’re connected to WiFi, but we recommend checking the coverage map to make sure your area has service. If you and your family travel frequently, or live outside a major service area, then this might not be the best deal for you.

But if your area is serviced by Sprint, and you want a way to appease your child’s cell phone envy and your wallet, then this offer might be worth checking out.

Interested? Click here to learn more.

Your Turn: Do you plan to give your child a cell phone for Christmas?

Sponsorship Disclosure: A huge thanks to FreedomPop for working with us to bring you this content. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to share something so awesome and get paid for it!

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 Does Your Kid Want a Smartphone for Christmas? This $50 Phone Comes With a Free Monthly Plan appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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The Right Way to Use Your Credit Cards This Holiday Season

For most of us, the arrival of the holidays signals an uptick in spending. Presents for family members and travel expenses on the way to Grandma’s house add up quickly. One way I lessen this burden is by using my holiday spending to top off the rewards points and miles I’ve earned on my credit cards throughout the year.

However, different cards yield different benefits. For instance, my primary card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, but right now, I’m doing all of our holiday Amazon shopping with the Chase Freedom card because it has no annual fee and offers a great deal.

With this card, I earn 1% cash back on every purchase, but I also earn 5% cash back on certain spending categories, which change every quarter. However, from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31 of this year, anything I buy from Amazon.com on my Freedom card will net me 10% cash back on up to $1,500 worth of purchases. My current quarterly bonus reset on Nov. 23, so I could fully utilize the promotion.

• Related: How to Get a 10% Refund on All Your Holiday Shopping

Plus, because I use Chase Freedom and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, I can transfer these extra bonus points to my Chase Sapphire Preferred points balance. That way I get way more value out of the points for travel.

Hunting for Bonuses

The holiday season is a great time to take advantage of credit card signup promotions, because most of them come with minimum spending requirements. If you’re spending for the holidays, what better way to meet a minimal spending barrier than putting all of your holiday shopping toward a hefty helping of cash-back points or airline miles?

Chase Sapphire Preferred, my daily card of choice, currently runs a promotion that offers 50,000 bonus points (up from the regular 40,000) for a minimum of $4,000 spent during the first three months of use.

The great thing about this card is its versatility. You’re not just earning double points on travel and restaurant purchases. You also save 20% on travel costs booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards — with those points being fully transferable between Chase’s many partners.

Another great holiday card is the Discover it card, which offers 5% cash back on purchases from Amazon and participating department and clothing stores until the end of December. This card carries no annual fee, and if you grab it this month, you can leverage it for the next two holiday shopping seasons.

After 12 billing cycles, Discover adds up all the cash-back you earned over the year and gifts it to you — essentially doubling your cash back for a whole year. If you pay attention to the quarterly categories, those earnings can really add up — well into the hundreds of dollars, simply for using the right card at the right time.

The card you choose depends on your goals. The best credit cards offer various benefits for customers’ specific needs. Do you want to spend less in general, delay interest, get a year-long card, or receive better benefits at one specific store? One card doesn’t fit every customer, so plan your goals before choosing the one that’s right for you.

Advice for Happier Holidays

After you pick the right credit card, use it to its full potential by following these three tips:

1. Be leery of flash deals. Black Friday and other short-term saving periods aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Sure, some of the deals are nice, but many times, retailers make a big show of savings that aren’t actually that impressive compared to their normal discounts.

The best thing you can do is purchase your presents throughout the year when you spot an abnormally good deal. That’s not always easy to do, however, and the holidays are already upon us. If you waited until the last minute this year, don’t jump at the first tempting deal you see. Compare prices between retailers to make sure you’re really getting the best deal, and remember that a sale only saves you money if it’s something you were going to buy anyway.

2. Search for coupon codes. If you see something you like and plan to buy it, take a few seconds to search for coupon codes from the item’s retailer or manufacturer. It takes almost no time, and many websites dedicate themselves to compiling all of the holiday coupons in one place. A quick Google search could save you 10%-20%.

3. Shop through rewards portals. Major credit card platforms like Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards have online partnerships with merchants that allow you to use points to purchase gifts — often at discounted prices. You can also use these portals to find member-exclusive savings that won’t show up on regular store webpages. Likewise, Discover cardholders can earn extra cash back at some online retailers if they shop through Discover’s portal.

Don’t just watch your money fly out the door this holiday season. Leverage your credit cards wisely so you can spend a little, save a little, and earn rewards for next year.

Related Articles:

• Five Stores With the Best Return Policies for Holiday Shopping
• 10 Heartfelt Holiday Gifts for People Who Don’t Need More Stuff
• 20 Simple Ways to Save Money This Holiday Season

The post The Right Way to Use Your Credit Cards This Holiday Season appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Dividend Investing Still Works in a Rising Rate Environment

There's little to fear from the Fed; dividends will still be a great way to earn from your portfolio.

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Regulators want more details about Walgreens-Rite Aid deal

The Federal Trade Commission wants more information about Walgreens' $9.41-billion plan to buy rival drugstore chain Rite Aid, a sign that regulators may be concerned about the deal's impact on competition.Walgreens said Friday that it fielded a request for additional information beyond what the companies have already been required to provide under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Walgreens said it expected the request.A former Justice Department [...]

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The Fascist Left in America

It's hard to find a self-respecting liberal these days who doesn't denounce Donald Trump as "a fascist." But wait a minute. What modern politician best fits this description? Could it be...Barack Obama.

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If You Have One of These Credit Cards, Amazon Will Give You $10

Shopping on Amazon for your holiday gifts?

Thanks to Million Mile Secrets, we just learned about a quick and easy way you could take $10 off a purchase of $10 or more.

All you need is a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Freedom credit card.

Here’s how it works…

How to Get a $10 Credit at Amazon

1. Connect your Chase Ultimate Rewards account to your Amazon profile.

2. Select $10 or more of items shipped and sold by Amazon.

3. Pay with your Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Freedom card. If you have both, opt for Chase Freedom — it’s giving 10% cash back on Amazon until the end of the year.

4. Use “Shop with Points” to pay for 1% of your purchase.

5. Add coupon code SWP15CH10S — you should see a $10 credit added to your purchase.

It might not work for everyone, but we’re always happy to experiment if it means you might get something for FREE.

For a more detailed tutorial, visit Million Mile Secrets.

Your Turn: Did the promotion work for you?

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!

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.

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The Legacy Optimizer Strategy – How to Turn a $325,000 IRA Into a $786,000 Benefit for Your Heirs

A recent client of mine found herself in a very interesting position.

My client and her husband both had very handsome pensions that paid them more in retirement than they were making while they were working. Each month, they had a surplus and were putting a portion of it into a savings account that they most likely will never spend.

In addition to the pensions, they both had tax-deferred accounts – in this case, they were 403(b)s – that they knew they would never spend. The husband didn’t need the account but liked to have it for extra spending money for the “just in case.”

The wife, however, knew that she would never spend it and, since they had two boys with two grandchildren that they wanted to help pay for school and other financial needs as they grew up, were interested to see what possibilities she had to pass on more.

She knew that required minimum distributions were just a year away and that she would be forced to take out money that she didn’t need. She wasn’t really sure what her options were so she made an appointment with my team to see what she could do.

Below is a sample case study looking at the different options one might have who wants to take retirement dollars, whether that be in a 401(k), 403(b), deferred compensation plan, or a 401(k), to pass on a larger death benefit or inheritance to the beneficiaries. We’ll be looking at five different options that we shared with her to see which one made the most sense.

Option 1: Do Nothing

The money was currently in a 403(b) where two-thirds of the account was in a fixed annuity paying roughly 3%. She, of course, didn’t have to do anything with the money. We wanted to show her what that would like in case something happened to her.

Assuming a 3% growth rate and a tax of 35%, at age 80, she would pass on approximately $313,487. That’s assuming that she invested the required minimum distributions and earned 3% on those assets in the tax rate like I mentioned previously at 35%. This does not assume that the beneficiaries take advantage of the stretch option if she rolled it into a Traditional IRA.

According to a MarketWatch article, one study found that one third of people who received an inheritance didn’t have any savings – in fact had negative savings – within two years of receiving the inheritance (so even though the illustration below is accurate, it’s possible that kids might blow through the money anyway). If they do choose the “stretch” IRA option, here’s how that would be calculated.

Give me a moment to explain the “stretch” IRA option to you. It’s a pretty simple concept.

You see, when a non-spouse inherits an IRA, there are required minimum distributions that must be taken over the course of the person’s remaining life expectancy. An older person will obviously have a shorter remaining number of years until they reach their life expectancy age (really death expectancy age) than a younger person.

That’s where the “stretch” IRA option comes into play. Those with IRAs can choose to name younger beneficiaries instead of older ones so that the funds may be kept in the IRA over a longer period of time.

The “stretch” IRA option allows beneficiaries to take advantage of tax deferral and to also keep the money in the investment account so that it can grow more over time. This gives the younger beneficiaries that are chosen more flexibility in choosing what they’d like to do.

It’s a pretty straightforward idea that works, but there are plenty of other options . . . .

Option 2: Purchase Annuity with Enhanced Death Benefit Rider

We analyzed what it would look like if she were to do nothing. The next option we’ll look at is if she purchased an annuity with an enhanced death benefit rider.

Please keep in mind that various annuities will have different enhanced death benefit riders. Enhanced death benefits riders will be an additional cost on top of any internal expenses that the annuity has. The example that we’re looking at here is a fixed-indexed annuity so there is no internal cost on the subaccounts and the enhanced death benefit rider is 0.55%.

For simplicity sake, we’re going to leave off the name of the insurance provider since these type of riders change constantly.

In the first illustration, we’re looking at a 0% growth rate on the principal but the death benefit rider will compound at 4% based on the initial premium so, at $325,000 initially invested, at age 80, she would have $345,935 of the death benefit on top of $112,518 of withdrawals from her required minimum distributions, not assuming that those have grown at all.

Just in this scenario alone, she’ll have approximately $456,000 to pass onto her heirs compared to the $313,000 above. As you can see, that’s a pretty significant jump.

If we looked at a hypothetical growth of 5.5%, we now see that the enhanced death benefit rider at age 80 would be $484,140 plus accumulative withdrawals of $175,000 for a total death benefit of approximately $659,000.

Keep in mind, though, that there would be taxes having to be paid on the death benefit portion so that would reduce the net amount passed onto the heirs.

Option 3: Use IRA RMDs to Purchase Life Insurance

As we discussed, the client was a year and a half out from having to take out her required minimum distributions. She knew she didn’t need the money so she wanted to see where she could move that money to better enhance her children’s and her grandchildren’s finances.

Another possibility is leaving the IRA where it is, then taking the required minimum distributions to purchase a permanent life insurance policy. In this case here, we’re looking at a no-lapse guaranteed individual universal life policy.

As you can see below, we’re assuming a 5% IRA withdrawal rate of $16,250 gross minus 25% taxes equals a net annual withdrawal of $12,188. That amount is then used to purchase the permanent life insurance policy, which will give her a guaranteed income tax free death benefit of $469,815.

Looking at the graph below, appendix B1, at age 80, between the remaining amount in her IRA plus the tax-free death benefit, the total value to the beneficiaries would be $616,607.

This is, of course, dependent that she could qualify for the permanent policy but, in her current condition, she would have no issues getting approved. While that might seem like the best option, let’s look at another example.

Option 4: Purchase Annuity with EDBR + Life Insurance

Similar to the second option, we’re purchasing the same annuity with the enhanced death benefit rider but then we’re taking the withdrawals and using those to purchase the permanent life insurance policy.

The IRA withdrawal rate would be increased instead of 5% to 6.99% for an annual withdrawal of, gross, $22,727 minus 25% tax to $17,045 per year. That would then give her a $675,251 income tax-free death benefit.

With the annuity, assuming a 5.5% growth rate, the enhanced death benefit amount would be $489,000. After we deduct approximately 35% tax that would net $317,000 plus the $469,000 for $786,000 net to her heirs.

$489,000 after 35% tax = $317,000. $317,000 + $469,000 = $786,000.

Option 5: Purchase SPIA + Life Insurance

The final option that we showed was using the IRA to purchase a SPIA, otherwise known as a single-premium immediate annuity. We would then use the annuity payout to purchase the life insurance policy. This would give her a guaranteed tax-free death benefit of $675,251.

The one downside to this strategy was once we purchased a SPIA, we are losing control of the money. In the examples above using the annuity, even though they had a 10-year contract period, she still had some control and was allowed to pull out around 10% a year penalty-free.

By opting to go with the SPIA, she would get a higher death benefit, although not that much more, and she would be losing control of a big chunk of her retirement. This is the strategy that we least recommended but we wanted to show her so that she could see if she wanted to pass more tax-free using life insurance.

As you can see, there were quite a few options for her to choose from. We believe in presenting these options to our clients because we want them to know not only what we think they should do, but why we think they should take a particular option.

Additionally, presenting a variety of options gives us an opportunity to discover more about our clients. Many times, when our clients are looking at the options, one of the pros or cons of a particular option might bring up a consideration that changes the equation.

For example, if the client wants full control of their money, they obviously wouldn’t want to choose to purchase the SPIA. They may not realize that – in some scenarios – increasing the benefit for beneficiaries might result in them losing control of their money which helps us narrow the focus.

In the end, we suggested option four for our client. Which option do you like? Which would you choose for yourself? Let us know in the comments!

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Love Seventh Generation Products? Here’s How to Get 50% Off Diapers, Wipes and More

Are diapers a huge part of your budget? Then here’s a deal that might interest you.

Amazon Prime members can get 50% off one pack each of Seventh Generation diapers, wipes and household products for a limited time.

Although Seventh Generation is slightly pricier than other brands, the company says its plant-based products are better for the environment.

How to Get Seventh Generation Diapers and Wipes at 50% Off

Follow these four steps:

1. If you don’t already have Amazon Prime, sign up for a free 30-day trial.

2. Add one pack each of eligible Seventh Generation diapers, wipes and household products to your cart.

3. While checking out, stack the following coupon codes: SEVENG50D for the diapers, SEVENG50W for the wipes and SEVENG50HH for the household products.

4. Save even more by using a cash-back credit card to pay. And don’t forget: Shipping is free with your Prime membership!

Bonus tip: Get an additional 20% off on diapers when you choose Subscribe & Save.

Your Turn: Do you use Seventh Generation products?

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!

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.

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We Just Figured Out How to Get Even MORE Free Krispy Kreme Donuts on 12/12

I’m standing in a Krispy Kreme shop. I’ve already received my full order. But I can’t leave.

I’m mesmerized by the conveyor belt of donuts behind the counter. They’re rolling up out of some magical donut paradise, appearing through a waterfall of frosting glaze Willy Wonka himself couldn’t have imagined.

I don’t care if I look like an idiot. You try to look away.

And then they put it in the box and serve it… still warm. Excuse me if I’m drooling.

Eating a Krispy Kreme donut is arguably as delicious an experience as watching it be made. What could be better?

You guessed it: eating a free Krispy Kreme donut.

Get a Dozen Free Krispy Kreme Donuts

Saturday is December 12 — 12/12 — or as Krispy Kreme has dubbed it, “Day of the Dozens.”

Here’s how to celebrate: Buy one dozen donuts, and you’ll get one dozen free Original Glazed Donuts at any participating Krispy Kreme shop in the U.S. or Canada.

Wait… Make That a Dozen and a Half

You may have noticed: We Penny Hoarders aren’t satisfied with just a good price. We won’t settle for any old discount.

We know we can always save a little more.

When you download the Krispy Kreme Rewards app (for iPhone or Android) and sign up, you’ll receive an offer for a free 1/2 dozen Original Glazed donuts. Download the app early; it’ll take a few hours for the offer to land in your Messages.

Here’s what I’ll do this Saturday:

1. Buy a dozen Original Glazed or assorted donuts for $7.99.
2. Use the Day of the Dozens coupon to get one dozen free.
3. Download the Krispy Kreme Rewards app and sign up to receive a coupon for a free half-dozen donuts.

Their Price: $0.33 per donut for 24 donuts

The Penny Hoarder Price: $0.27 per donut for 30 donuts

The Fine Print

Krispy Kreme won’t actually let you combine the BOGO coupon with another offer, so you can’t stack these offers in one order.

You could try placing two separate orders, so the cashier will ring up your two dozen donuts separate from your free half-dozen from the app.

But I recommend just bringing a friend with you! One of you can download the Krispy Kreme app and claim the free half-dozen. The other can order the BOGO dozens. Split the cost, and you’ve got yourselves some seriously cheap, magically delicious donuts.

Speaking of friends, maybe invite some over this weekend. Your 30 donuts aren’t going to eat themselves.

Your Turn: Are you a Krispy Kreme fan? Will you claim your free donuts this Saturday?

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. You can see her on Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and in a puddle of drool at the Krispy Kreme around the corner from her house.

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Dow Chemicals, DuPont in $178b merger

DOW Chemical and DuPont have announced that they are merging in a $US130 billion ($178 billion) chemical industry megadeal.

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The $100,000 Challenge: November Update

We just wrapped up the eighth month of the Nutrition Secrets’ $100,000 challenge. Not only did we start generating revenue (kind of), but we also generated good traffic numbers because of the continual increase of our search traffic.

Traffic went up to 58,260 visitors, which is a nice increase from the 42,822 visitors in the previous month. That’s pretty good, considering that content production has slowed down. Mike currently blogs only two to three times a week instead of seven.

The main reason for this is to give him the chance to focus on promoting our fish oil supplement, which I’ll get into in a bit.

But first, let’s go over our traffic numbers.

November traffic stats

As I mentioned above, the traffic grew to 58,260 visitors. Of those visitors, 36,288 came from search engines (mainly Google).

Over time, that number should keep rising as the content continues to rank higher and we build more links. We have built a few EDU links and GOV links by just doing backlink checks on our competitors using Ahrefs and then begging those people to link to our site.

The model works, and over time, our search traffic should continually rise.

Overall, I am happy with our search traffic and growth, given the fact that Mike isn’t very creative when coming up with headlines. That really is the key to growing both your social and search traffic.

Just look at Quick Sprout. The reason it does so well is because I’m able to come up with headlines that hit hard. For example, when I blog on Quick Sprout or NeilPatel.com, I run a headline through an analyzer that estimates how well a headline will do…

One day, we’ll be releasing this free of charge to all the people who sign up to the Quick Sprout tool. But Mike didn’t have it, so it’s a bit harder for him to create headlines that do well.

Nonetheless, the numbers are good, and they keep rising (most months).

Revenue

We started selling fish oil supplements on Amazon like I discussed in my previous update.

As you can see from the screenshot above, we are starting to get more reviews and feedback from people. We collected most of the reviews by going to Amazon’s top reviewers and offering them the product at a discounted rate (break even) or free. When you do that, the reviewers will then place an honest review, which will help skyrocket your positioning on Amazon.

When you hit up the top reviewers, you’ll find that most will ignore you unless you give them the product for free. Our supplier provided a small batch that we were able to give away, but we can’t do that in quantity, or else we will lose money.

When you offer a discount, you’ll find that not as many top reviewers will accept your offer. So, you’ll have to go down the list and avoid hitting up anyone in the top 100. The lower you go on the list, the more likely you are to get people to accept your product at a discounted price.

When doing this, you’ll quickly learn that giving away your product or offering it at a discount doesn’t guarantee a review. But it’s a numbers game.

As you can see from the screenshot above, there is revenue, but the numbers are deceiving. Most of the sales are for the product at a discounted price, so you can’t really count that as “revenue.” Or at least I’m not counting that as revenue.

It’s a bit difficult to figure out whether a sale was at a full price, discounted, or a giveaway as Amazon’s backend is a bit archaic.

Over the next month or two, the number of discounted or free bottles will decrease as the product gets more popular and generates more organic sales.

Roadblock

Even though the product is doing well, we’ve encountered a few negative reviews.

Although we have a good deal with the company supplying us the fish oil, we need to make sure quality control is high. The current labels are arriving to customers a bit smeared, which has been hurting our reviews.

The design of the label isn’t very appealing either, which makes our product hard to stand out. Over the next month, I will be working on fixing this with the supplier.

Email list

The email list is continually growing, and we started to market the product to a small portion of the list. We are offering our fish oil to these subscribers at a reduced cost. So far, 61 people from the Nutrition Secrets blog redeemed the coupon for a discounted product.

This should help generate reviews, and in the long run, it should help boost the revenue numbers.

Fine-tuning

The other thing that will be adjusted as we generate more traction is our listing on Amazon. Making the headline more descriptive and answering more objections in the copy of the listing should help generate more sales.

One simple thing that we will be implementing over the next 30 days is answering general questions in the listing. For example, we will answer questions such as “Is the fish from Japan?” or “How is the oil being filtered?”

Answering these questions, as well as others, will help put our customers’ minds at ease and help increase sales.

Think of it as copywriting. If you can persuade people through text, which most people don’t do on Amazon, you should be able to increase your sales.

Conclusion

I’m happy with the progress so far. As we fine-tune the Amazon listing, we will be aggressively using the email list to generate more sales.

In addition to that, you’ll start seeing ads for the fish oil all over the blog. As the blog traffic grows, it should be easier to generate more and more sales.

Once the revenue starts kicking in, we will have more cash to spend on ads to grow the sales faster as we currently have a bit more than 40% margins.

How do you think the project is going so far?

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7 Year-End Retirement Mistakes Experts Say You'll Want to Avoid

End the year on a bang by avoiding these costly blunders.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/21UWnv2

How Much You Get if Your Pension Plan Fails

You probably won’t lose your pension payments if your former employer goes bankrupt.

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Mattress company to lease building at Coolbaugh Twp. corporate site

The Ohio-based manufacturer closed in on the location after promise of a natural gas line.

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1Y27sLD

Best Defense Contractor Stocks to Buy for 2016

The increased threat of global terrorism means more spending on defense and intelligence services.

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10 Easy Tax Moves You Should Make Now to Increase Your Tax Refund

Take these actions to lower your tax bill before the end of the year.

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Using Personal Finance Data to Drive Smart New Year’s Resolutions

Each year, near the end of the year, I like to take a look at the personal finance data I’ve accumulated over the preceding twelve months in order to see if I’m making any mistakes and if we should be making some changes in the coming year.

Mostly, what I do is multiply our monthly budget by twelve and then see how close we are to our target in each category. I look very closely at anything that goes over our target and I also take a long look at anything that’s close to going over.

This year, I identified two issues from our spending over the last twelve months, both of which led to very smart and very do-able resolutions for the coming year.

Changes in Food Spending

As I alluded to a few times earlier this year, 2015 was a challenging year for my family due to some medical problems that my daughter faced in the middle part of the year. Those medical problems caused us to have to travel many times to medical facilities, often on multi-day trips, to seek treatment.

Those trips were expensive. The fuel costs added up, as did the hotel stays and the food.

The fuel costs were somewhat mitigated by the low fuel prices in 2015. Overall, even with all of those road trips, our fuel spending was down in 2015 by quite a bit.

Our inexpensive vacation this year, most of which was spent camping in state parks in Wisconsin, mitigated the cost of some of the hotel rooms, as did some time spent on the floors and couches of friends and relatives when hotel rooms weren’t available.

That leaves us with the food spending. Believe it or not, our food spending was just barely above our budget level for 2015, even after all of those meals eaten out on those countless road trips to the medical center.

We achieved this by eating at home a lot more during the year than in 2014 (excepting those times when we were on road trips). As I mentioned before, we joined a new CSA in 2015 and were very happy with how it went, as they provided tons of good, interesting foods for us to use.

However, I gained some significant weight during the latter part of 2015. This was due to a lot of things – eating a lot of restaurant food in a condensed period over a few months, being stressed out almost constantly, and also having my activity and exercise routines completely and totally disrupted.

All of that data points us to two separate resolutions for the coming year related to food.

First, we’re going to put a harder cap on restaurant spending. This is mostly going to take the form of eating out a little less during the year so that eating out doesn’t have much of an impact if medical issues rise up like they did in 2015. Remember, without that medical situation, our food spending would have been down substantially in 2015, so we’re going to try to keep on track with our reduced restaurant usage that occurred in the first part of 2015, through the summer months. Our goal is to eat out twice a month at most.

Second, we’re going to join the CSA again and make it our goal to use everything that they bring, if possible. We were fairly close to 100% usage until late August when our family’s medical challenges began. Provided that nothing major interferes in the coming year, we’d like to hit 100% usage throughout the entire growing season. Of course, we’ll supplement that with our own garden’s production.

Those two things together will naturally have a positive impact on our health. We’re going to be spending 2016 eating at home more and eating a lot more fresh produce.

Notice that I’m not committing to some kind of radical dietary or exercise change in the coming year. I don’t really think those kinds of commitments will really fix the problem. For example, as my routine slowly starts to find a new normalcy, I’m finding that regular exercise is naturally becoming a part of things again, and I’m finding that normal daytime routines mean that I’m eating at home for virtually every meal again. The hope is that those changes add up to consistent positive results on their own without a strong initiative for change.

Changes in Hobby Spending

Another spending challenge that reared its ugly head in 2015 came from hobby spending. To sum things up, through October I was actually quite a bit over my budget when it came to hobby spending. This mostly came about as a result of my choice to jump on several hobby-related deals in the middle months of the year.

The hobby in question was my board gaming hobby, and my spending related to that hobby choked my spending on other hobbies of mine in 2015. I bought very few books and didn’t do any replacement of home brewing supplies (even though I actually do need to replace a few items as soon as possible).

In November, I made up for this by selling off a significant portion of my board game collection at a convention, bringing me back below my hobby spending total for the year (by a fair amount, actually).

Still, I was unnerved that I let myself go that much above what I should have been spending on hobby expenses this year. I didn’t like that much at all.

So, I decided to focus directly on the hobby that triggered that overspending in 2015 and tighten things up big time when it comes to that hobby in 2016.

Simply put, I am spending $0 in new money on my tabletop gaming hobby in the coming year.

Now, what do I mean by “new money”? It means that I can actually spend money on that hobby if I choose to, but I must have already earned that money by selling games I have or doing something else that earns revenue within that hobby (like volunteering at a gaming convention or something).

If this is a hobby I love, why am I pledging to spend $0 on it for a year? To put it simply, if I look around my game shelves, I see a lot of games that I haven’t even yet played and many others that I am excited to play again. I have a lot of stuff on my shelves that I want to dig into over the next several months and acquiring new stuff would just get in the way of that.

I want to spend this year enjoying the many wonderful things I already have, not acquiring new ones.

Doing that does free up some hobby money in 2016 for other things. The big thing I want to do is update some of my home brewing equipment. I want to build a homemade mash tun, for one, by converting an old insulated water cooler with a handful of parts from the hardware store, and my primary fermenter has got to be replaced as it seems to be designed to be difficult to use and clean. That won’t eat nearly all of my 2016 hobby budget, of course, but those are purchases I’m looking forward to making.

Basically, I just don’t want to be in a position where I’m in October and I’ve already spent my entire hobby budget for the whole year, which is what happened in 2015. I also want to enjoy the stuff I already have, and by not spending any money on my most expensive hobby in the coming year, I’m going to be spending my time enjoying what I have rather than acquiring new stuff.

Final Thoughts

Both of these discoveries – and both of these resolutions – were led by spending the time necessary to keep track of my spending and evaluate it honestly. It didn’t take a lot of time – mostly just importing transactions into You Need a Budget and labeling them individually within categories – but it did take consistent time and commitment.

Because of that effort, it was easy to see where I was making mis-steps, and, as they say, knowing is half the battle. It enabled me to really think about the actual choices I was making and whether or not they really made sense or brought positive results into my life.

Was spending that much on food really helping me to go where I wanted to go? What about spending on hobbies? The answer is a resounding “no” in both cases.

Of course, the final ingredient in all of this is willpower. I know exactly what I should be doing to improve my spending in 2016, but do I have the willpower to stick to it? Can I say no to buying an interesting new board game? Can I drive home for a family dinner around the dining room table after a day spent out and about with my family instead of just heading to a restaurant?

That’s the real challenge, isn’t it?

My personal finance tools have shown me where the problem areas are. It’s really clear what I need to fix.

But, in the end, fixing those problems comes down to me. I know what choices I need to make.

I just need to make them, both for my own future and for the future of my family.

The post Using Personal Finance Data to Drive Smart New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Groupon, Zara and Avalon Organics Might Owe You Money. Here’s How to Collect

Last month I told you about eight class-action settlements that pay cash. This month, I’m back to tell you about nine more accepting claims.

Let’s just say this month’s article should be titled, “Do You Buy Things? If So, Somebody Probably Owes You Money!”

If you’ve purchased Groupon vouchers, natural cosmetic products or a refrigerator, you could be entitled to cash benefits from one of these class-action settlements.

Let’s take a look!

1.  iYogi

If you’re a current or former iYogi subscriber and you received telephone calls on behalf of iYogi — even if you told them to stop calling — you could be eligible to receive a cash payment of $40 from a class-action settlement.

To qualify, you must have received at least one call from iYogi or an affiliate between Sept. 23, 2009 and Nov. 18, 2013.

The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 2, 2016. Find out more.

2. Groupon Vouchers

Did you purchase or receive a Groupon voucher between Nov. 1, 2008 and Dec. 1, 2011 that you never redeemed (and you didn’t receive a refund)?

If so, you may be entitled to receive credits for up to 130% off the price of the original, unredeemed, unrefunded Groupon voucher.

The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 9, 2016. Learn more here.

3. JASON and Avalon Organics

Hain Celestial Group has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit over allegations it falsely represented its popular JASON and Avalon Organics cosmetic products as organic.

If you purchased JASON and/or Avalon Organics products that were not USDA-certified as organic, you may be entitled to receive cash and coupons worth up to $80 — or more if you submit receipts!

To qualify for benefits from this settlement, the Avalon Organics products must have been purchased between May 11, 2007 and Jan. 6, 2015.

The JASON products must have been purchased between May 11, 2007 and Jan. 31, 2011.

The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 12, 2016. Learn more.

4. Burlington Coat Factory

Did you provide a phone number upon to a cashier when you used your credit card at a Burlington Coat Factory California location between Feb. 10, 2010 and Jan. 28, 2015?

If so, you may be able to claim $10 in cash or a $15 merchandise voucher from a recent settlement.

The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 20, 2016. Learn more here.

5. Zara

Did you shop at Zara and pay with a credit or debit card between Dec. 17, 2014 and Apr. 27, 2015? If so, you may be entitled to $100 or more.

Zara is settling a class action suit alleging it printed the first six digits of customers’ credit and debit account numbers — a violation of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.

The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 22, 2016. Find out if you qualify.

6. Lennox Refrigerator Coils

Lennox Industries Inc. has settled a class-action suit alleging it manufactured and sold defective refrigerator coils.

Did you purchase at least one uncoated copper tube Lennox Aire-Flo, Armstrong Air, AirEase, Concord or Ducane brand evaporator coil?

If so, you could be entitled to a service rebate, replacement coil or reimbursement for what you paid to replace the allegedly defective coil.

Deadline to file is Feb. 1, 2016. Learn more.

7. Electrolux Refrigerators

If you purchased an Electrolux, Crosley or Frigidaire “French Door” refrigerator-freezer unit with an ice maker, you may be entitled to $100 cash or more.

The settlement resolves allegations that Electrolux manufactured and sold refrigerators that contained a defective ice maker.

The deadline to file a claim is Feb. 3, 2016. Learn more here.

8. Michael Kors Outlet Pricing

Michael Kors recently settled a lawsuit alleging it deceptively marketed merchandise at its outlet stores to make consumers believe products were previously available at a retail store, even though they were made specifically for the outlet.

If you bought at least one Michael Kors item at an outlet store with a price tag showing both an “MSRP” and an “Our Price” label, you may be entitled to cash from the settlement.

The amount you receive depends on how much you spent and whether you submit a receipt.

The deadline hasn’t been set, but it’s estimated to be Feb. 18, 2016. Find out if you qualify.

9. Polyurethane Foam

If you purchased upholstered furniture (such as a couch with foam cushions), bedding products (such as a mattress, mattress topper or pillows) or carpet padding containing polyurethane foam that was manufactured in the United States, you may be entitled to cash. (The amount depends how many people file claims.)

To qualify, the polyurethane foam product must have been purchased between Jan. 1, 1999 and Aug. 1, 2015 in certain states.

The deadline to file is Feb. 29, 2016. Learn more.

Your Turn: Have you received money from a class-action settlement?

Anne Bucher is the Managing Editor at TopClassActions.com.

The post Groupon, Zara and Avalon Organics Might Owe You Money. Here’s How to Collect appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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15 DIY Holiday Gifts Under $15

The average estimated spending on gifts this holiday season is a whopping $882 per person, according to the American Research Group. Don’t make the same mistakes you made last year — spending more doesn’t always make for a present better, but is guaranteed to make for a stressful beginning to the new year.

To cut down costs without compromising on thoughtfulness, consider going the do-it-yourself route for at least some of your presents this year (no one is expecting you to suddenly become Martha Stewart).

You may think that handmade gifts take an exorbitant amount of time and effort, but this list of 15 DIY gifts are simple and fun to make and all cost less than $15 — in some cases, even for multiple batches. Compare that to the $141 average amount spent per gift this year and your wallet is sure to thank you.

DIY Gift Ideas Under $15

1. Spa-in-a-Jar

Source: Love Grows Wild

Cost: $0-$10 (varies based on what you already have at home)

Materials:

• Sugar: $2
• Coconut oil: $5
• Mason jar: $2
• Twine or ribbon:$1

Give the gift of a pampering spa treatment. These DIY sugar scrubs are quick, easy, completely natural, and use ingredients that are likely already in your pantry.

The best part? You can get creative with them. From coffee grounds to lemon zest, you can personalize your scrub to best suit who you’re gifting it to. Check out this list of recipe ideas from Treehugger for inspiration.

2. Chalkboard Mug

Source: Pretty Handy Girl

Cost: $15 for a set of four mugs

Materials:

• Porcelain mug: $1 apiece at Dollar Tree
• Painter’s tape: $3
• Porcelain chalkboard paint: $7 on Amazon.com
• Paintbrush: $1

Revamp a simple dollar-store mug into a personalized gift that’s easy to make and customize! Use craft patterned scissors to cut the masking tape into special designs, and then coat the exposed area with chalkboard paint. Once it’s dry, add a handwritten message or design and fill the inside of the mug with chalk, hot cocoa mix, or any stocking stuffer of your choosing.

For a complete DIY guide to making homemade chalkboard mugs, visit Wit and Whistle.

3. Utensil Ring

Source: Wild Prairie Silver

Cost: $5-$15

Materials:

• Small silver spoon: Check thrift stores if you don’t have a nice one you can spare.
• Hammer
• Pliers
• Wooden block: $2 at Home Depot
• Mandrel: You can find one on Amazon for $7, or use a piece of round wood or piping that is comparable to your ring size.
• Screwdriver

These rings sell for upwards of $30 on Etsy, but you can make them yourself for less than $10, given you have basic tools in your home. It’s ideal for moms, friends, sisters — anyone that would appreciate owning a piece of hand-crafted jewelry.

Watch this instructional video for a step-by-step tutorial. If you’re feeling extra crafty, try your hand at making another one with a fork and gift them as a matching set (the knife might be trickier).

4. Homemade Bread and Jam

Source: Couture Contessa

Cost: $5-$15

Materials:

• Homemade bread
• Fruit of your choice: $3-$6
• Pectin
• Lemon juice
• Sugar
• Small mason jar: $2

Optional Decorative Items:

• Ribbon or twine
• Decorative basket: Check your local dollar store for one you like, or purchase a plain one and decorate yourself with ribbon!
• Parchment paper
• Tissue paper

To make this gift, simply follow Trent’s tutorial for making homemade bread using staples you likely already have in your kitchen. I outlined the basics for making jam, but you can take a look at this list for specific fruit recipes and ideas.

Once these basics are covered, the rest is up to your imagination! Decorate in candy-stripe, a la the The Couture Contessa, or pick any other pattern you enjoy (or can find a good deal on at the craft store) and run with it.

5. Personalized Holiday Bottle Labels

Source: The Elli Blog

Cost: $10- $15

Materials: 

• Wine of your choosing
• Sticker paper: $4.50 for a pack of 8 sheets
• Scissors
• Color printer 

Wine makes a great gift for just about anyone (of legal age), but this holiday season, take it one step further and personalize your bottle by making your own labels. Not only does this let you buy a cheaper bottle of wine (here’s a list of great wines that are under $15), but all you really need to execute this project is sticker paper and access to a color printer.

You can use the pre-made labels found on The Elli Blog or you can make your own. Try a Web-based design site such as Canva.com: Insert the custom dimensions of your label (about 3.25 x 3.8 inches) and choose from hundreds of icons and designs to make a one-of-a-kind gift.

Tip: Pair your wine bottle gift with a set of taper candles and it can double as a candleholder centerpiece after the wine is gone!

6. Terrarium

Source: PopSugar

Cost: $1-$10

Materials:

• Clean soil: $3-$4 a bag at lawn and garden stores or Home Depot
• Gravel: Send the kids on a pebble hunt
• Succulents, moss, an orchid, or any plant of your choosing: Check your backyard, or pick up a cheap, small plant at the local garden center.
• Small glass bowl: $1
• Spray bottle with water
• Pencil or chopsticks

This handmade plant arrangement is simple to make and serves as a beautiful accent to any home or office space. If you already garden, it’s likely that you have most of the materials on hand already. If not, visit a local garden shop, home improvement store, or even the grocery store to pick up the plants necessary to execute this gift.

This how-to guide from PopSugar will provide you with a tutorial for making your terrarium, as well as care and maintenance tips to keep your plant alive and thriving for longer. You can also make mini succulent magnets with whatever you have left over.

Tip: Worried your terrarium may not make it through a long holiday journey? Make a “Build Your Own Terrarium” kit instead: Compile the necessary materials into a mason jar and give the gift of a thoughtful project instead. That way, you don’t have to stress about any damage during transport.

7. Monogrammed Plates

Source: Lemon Tree Creations

Cost: $7 – $11

Materials:

• Set of plates: $1- $5 (check the dollar store, TJ Maxx, and Wal-Mart for a good looking set of cheap plates)
• Porcelain marker: $6 on Amazon
• Paper, pencil, and scissors for stencil

All you need to make this classy and personalized gift is a set of china (you don’t have to limit yourself to plates, either) and a porcelain marker. Make and cut your own stencil, or, if you’re not calligraphically inclined, find one you like on Pinterest and print it out.

After painting, set overnight to dry. The next day, bake your creation at 300 degrees for 25 minutes and voila! The only thing left is the wrapping.

8. Printed Candles

Source: Suzanna March Photography

Cost: $10-$13

Materials:

• White candles (tapers or pillars): $1 apiece at the dollar store
• Ink pad: $5 on Amazon
• Large rubber stamp: Check Michael’s or your local craft store for one you like on sale.

This incredibly simple craft project takes just minutes to make, but the results look professional. Not only that, but you have complete creative control with whatever stamped image you choose. For a variation on this DIY project, take a look at My Craftily Ever After’s tutorial on transferring any image onto a candle.

Tip: If you use a pillar candle, you can use a flat drill bit to drill a tea-light sized hole into the top and gift along with a package of tea-light candles. That way, your candle still burns without melting away your creation!

9. Personalized Poster

Source: Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Cost: $5-$15

Materials:

• Semi-gloss photo paper: $4
• Color printer: If you don’t have one at home, visit Staples and print for less than $1
• Frame: $10 or less (try the dollar store, Wal-Mart, or Michael’s to find one on sale)

Make a meaningful gift for a significant other, friend, or family member with just paper and a printer! Write a list of memories and shared experiences, select a color scheme and font, print and frame, and you have a perfect present at the ready.

For help picking a color scheme, check out Adobe’s color wheel, where you can search for anything and see hand-picked palates created by other users for free! Use a free Web-based design app like Canva to lay out text. (Hint: You can copy and paste the color HEX values from Adobe’s color wheel directly into Canva to use any color you wish.)

I recommend planning ahead and trying to make it yourself, but if you’re crunched for time, you can purchase a custom-made PDF for a printable poster from Homemade Gifts Made Easy for $14.99. All purchases come with a 100% ‘love it’ guarantee, so if you’re not completely satisfied with your product, you can get your money back with no questions asked.

10. Scrabble Ornament

Source: My Sweet Savannah

Cost: $5-15

Materials:

• Scrabble tiles and tray: Check eBay or the games section at Goodwill — I found an unopened Scrabble box for $4!
• Hand saw
• Sandpaper
• Hot glue gun
• Power drill with a small drill bit
• Twine or ribbon: $1

If you’re a seasoned crafter, it’s likely that you already own a glue gun. Put it to work by making these fun and creative ornaments using Scrabble tiles! Make inside jokes, people’s names, winter themed terms — whatever you have the letters for! This is a perfect project to make with kids (with the added bonus of practicing spelling words). Visit My Sweet Savannah for complete instructions.

11. Business Card or Recipe Holder

Source: Morning Creativity

Cost:$0 – $3

Materials:

• An old hardcover book

…and that’s it!

If you don’t have a handsome hardcover book to spare, visit a used bookstore or check Amazon for a used classic. You can also check any thrift store or consignment shop in your area and you’re guaranteed to find an old book.

Remove the binding, fold each page in half (save yourself the hassle and stick to books under 300 pages), and the book automatically opens up and becomes a semi-sphere. It makes the perfect literary addition to any desk — use it to keep business cards, recipes, or holiday cards!

12. Handmade Soap

Source: Country Living

Cost: $5-$15

Materials:

• Melt and Pour Soap Base: $2.50 at Bulk Apothecary
• Honey
• Oatmeal
• Almond oil: $5 on Amazon (or substitute coconut oil if you already have some on hand)
• Dried flower petals: Lavender or marigold work well, and are easy to dry if you can find them fresh.
• Twine or ribbon: $1

We’ve featured a handmade soap recipe before, but this one from Country Living doesn’t call for the dangerous ingredient lye, which can be a huge relief (we’ve all seen Fight Club). Plus, this recipe is incredibly easy to make and uses all natural ingredients that are great for your skin. One batch costs less than $10 dollars and yields six bars of soap — bundle them up with twine in sets of two or three, and you can cross off a few people from your list in one fell swoop.

13. Spiked Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix

Source: Hey Gorg

Cost: $10-$15

Materials:

• Latch-top seal proof jars: $1.25 apiece at Hobby Lobby
• Hot cocoa mix: $3 (check the bulk foods section at your grocery store for better prices)
• Mini marshmallows: $2
• Mini candy canes: $1 at Dollar Tree
• Chocolate peppermint squares: $5 on Amazon
• 50mL bottle of Kahlua (optional): $2
• Hot glue gun
• Linen fabric
• Scissors
• Paper labels

Give the gift of comfort in a jar by making these decorative holiday hot cocoa mixes — peppermint bark and Kahlua add an invigorating and jolly spirit to a wintertime classic, and the mini candy-canes and linen add the perfect finishing touches. The best part? With one batch of these ingredients you can make up to six jars… all for less than $20! Check out Hey Gorg for a step-by-step tutorial (complete with pictures).

For another variation of this gift, take a look at Nothing But Country’s Hot Cocoa Snowmen!

14. Wine Cork Wreath

Source: Good Housekeeping

Cost: $5

Materials:

• 22 wine corks
• Red jingle bells: $4 at Hobby Lobby
• Floral wire: $2 at Wal-Mart
• Power drill and small drill bit
• Ribbon

This DIY idea from Good Housekeeping can easily be recreated with just upcycled wine corks (turns out there was a reason you were saving them!), floral wire, and craft-store bells. Keep in mind that you should aim to pick wine corks that are similar in size to preserve the symmetry of the wreath.

The result? A sure-fire hit for any wine-lover.

15. Glitter-Painted Glasses

Source: PopSugar

Cost: $11 for a set of six glasses

Materials:

• Stemless wine glasses: $1 apiece at Dollar Tree
• Glitter glass paint: $3.50 at Jo-Ann Fabrics (or other craft stores)
• Rubber bands
• Foam brush: $0.50 apiece at any art supply store
• Toothpick
• Parchment paper: $1 at Dollar Tree (optional)

Turn dollar store glasses into a festive and fun gift that’s perfect for Christmas and New Years with just a little bit of glitter paint and some rubber bands! They’re food and drink safe, and dishwasher safe, too. Just bake them in the oven at 300° degrees for 30 minutes to allow the paint to cure. Wrap them up nicely, pair with a nice (inexpensive) wine or other libation, and win Christmas this year.

For more holiday DIY projects, visit our Pinterest page. You can also find out how you can be a pinner to our boards!

The post 15 DIY Holiday Gifts Under $15 appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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