A local group has found a way to improve the environment while providing opportunities for the disabled. Community Partners in Recycling, based in Stroudsburg provides document destruction and recycling for more than 100 businesses in Monroe County. But what makes the self-funded organization different is its workforce. The group employs intellectually challenged adults to move the materials. It's a part of the Developmental Education Services of Monroe County Foundation. [...]
Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1R6Pou3
الثلاثاء، 29 ديسمبر 2015
Free Jerky! Do We Need to Say More?
Free jerky.
Do I need to say more?
I can honestly say I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like jerky. A traveler, hiker or camper in particular will tell you how much of a lifesaver this salty, protein-packed snack can be.
Luis Ramallo and his family knew that when they founded Alien Fresh Jerky in 2000. The original store lived in Crystal Springs, Nevada, and later moved to its current location in Baker, California. You can also shop for their jerky online.
Because buying anything new online can be a gamble — and paying the typical $6-$10 for a bag of jerky makes this a pricy gamble — Alien Fresh Jerky is offering free samples.
Free Samples of Jerky
The company has a variety of cleverly-named flavors of beef jerky, plus a Sweet Pork and one original Turkey Jerky. The latter is not available to sample, but the rest of the 17 flavors are.
Flavors range from a mild-sounding Honey Teriyaki to one called Colon Cleaner Hot. Oh boy. Not sure I want to imagine how spicy that might be.
According to the website, Alien Fresh is more than jerky. Stop in on a trip between Las Vegas and California for “healthier snack alternatives for the road warrior,” including nuts, trail mixes, dried fruits, stuffed olives, honey and souvenirs.
There doesn’t seem to be a limit… though I’ll have to confirm that when my samples actually arrive.
It looks like this is a fairly small site that isn’t used to a high volume of requests for samples. Now that the word is out, they may have trouble fulfilling sample requests.
They should contact you to let you know the status of your order if this is the case; it may just take longer than expected for your free jerky to arrive.
But for now… free jerky for all, it seems.
Your Turn: Seriously, can you name someone who doesn’t like jerky?
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more.
The post Free Jerky! Do We Need to Say More? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1VolCBD
Money Can Grow on Trees: How I Made $1,200 in my Parents’ Backyard
One day in the midst of the recession, finding myself utterly broke and apparently unemployable, I decided that if I wanted to work, I would have to start my own business.
Since I didn’t have any startup money or business experience, I was forced to narrow down my ideas to the bare skeleton and ask myself two questions:
- What resources do I have already?
- What do I already know how to do?
Not much. I didn’t have a degree or own anything valuable I could sell.
But I was living with my parents, with a roof over my head, food to eat and a few acres of grass and trees at my disposal.
And I knew how to garden.
In the Midwest, trees pop out of the ground each spring, just to get mowed over by well-meaning suburbanites, who flock to nurseries and garden centers to pay big bucks for new ones to plant.
I decided to take advantage of this cycle. Armed only with determination, a spade and a wheelbarrow, I began digging and potting.
I made a small profit the first year. It helped pull me out of “brokedom,” but it was nothing to brag about.
However, the realization of money actually can grow on trees inspired me to go full force the next season.
That year, I made $1,200.
Think you want to give it a shot? Here’s what to do:
Find Your Plants
Chances are, if you have any kind of garden or yard, you have perennials growing out of control.
Carefully thin these out, repackage them and you’ve got your stock.
I can almost guarantee you when friends hear about what you’re doing, they’ll offer you their own overrun gardens, too. Four of my friends did!
Get Potting Soil
I was fortunate my parents’ yard already had several compost piles in its corners — all I had to do was dig for limitless black soil.
If you don’t have a compost pile, they’re easy to start, but they do take a while to process.
If you want to begin right away, check if you have a friend who’d like their pile cleared out.
Create Containers for Your Plants
Like most families who garden, mine had an arsenal of used plastic containers in our garage. I went through those first.
In the meantime, I checked everything in the recycling bin to see if I could cut off the top and poke holes in the bottom. I did this throughout the first winter.
I broke a knife in the process, but by spring I had enough containers for the entire season. Quite a few customers even brought me their own extra containers at no cost.
Capitalize on the fact you’re only using natural methods and reused containers — customers will be happy knowing they’re helping the environment.
Fertilize for Free (Almost)
There’s no need to buy fancy, expensive supplies from a garden center.
An elderly German woman taught me this simple hack: Set up an old garbage can under a gutter to catch excess rain water. Throw eggshells in and cover it with a lid.
Use this to water your plants. The nutrients from the shells provides them with all they need to flourish.
Make Your Presentation Perfect
My setup soon spread from a bench alongside the garage to cover the entire back porch and parking area.
I put the plants in sections and made sure there was space to walk between them so customers would feel comfortable. I set up a tarp for the shade plants.
Keep your “store” looking nice.
Be available and friendly to customers — explain what the plants are and how to take care of them. Do your research!
Price to Sell
I kept pricing simple: Most plants were $3, or two for $5. Large plants were $5, and nothing ever went over that price.
If people bought a lot of plants, I’d give them a few for free.
For example, if their total came to $70, I’d just ask for $60. You’ll be surprised how quickly the money adds up, even at these prices!
Don’t Forget Advertising
I advertised on Craigslist every few days, posting a detailed description of what I had in stock, how to find the store and prices.
I always added nice pictures of my best-looking plants.
Be sure to provide a phone number in case customers have questions or can’t find you.
Note: I also hung up some old-fashioned posters around town and looked into newspaper advertising, but neither was effective.
Before You Get Started, Consider These Factors
Potting plants and taking care of your store takes time and muscle, but if you enjoy working outdoors, it may not be a problem for you.
You’re also at the weather’s mercy. My third year in business, it rained nonstop all spring, and I sold almost nothing.
You can make small investments, too, such as raising tomatoes from seeds in early spring. You may not have a lot to risk, but seeds don’t cost much.
Running your own business also can be mentally stressful. Frankly, for the number of hours you put in, you might make more money working for minimum wage as a cashier or server. You’ll have to motivate yourself to keep things running and turning a profit.
But at the same time, there’s nothing like the freedom and satisfaction of being your own boss.
Your Turn: Have you tried to start a business selling potted plants and trees? Share your advice in the comments!
Stephanie Spicer is from Cincinnati, Ohio and currently lives in Europe. She is a freelance writer, filmmaker, artist — just ask! You can check out her art at themermaidisland.weebly.com
The post Money Can Grow on Trees: How I Made $1,200 in my Parents’ Backyard appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1JHsinJ
Tobyhanna brothers introduce escape rooms to the Poconos
John and Dan O'Connell turned a love for puzzles into a popularizing local attraction.
Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1YM2yTa
Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1YM2yTa
US stocks rebound on encouraging US data, rising oil prices
U.S. stocks are moving broadly higher in midday trading, led by energy companies as oil prices rose.The gains Tuesday put the Standard & Poor's 500 index back into the black for the year.The Dow Jones industrial average gained 147 points, or 1 percent, to 17,674 as of 11:45 a.m.The S&P 500 rose 17 points, or 0.8 percent, to 2,073. The Nasdaq [...]
Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1MF7hKd
Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1MF7hKd
Nine Strategies for Improving Your Income in the Coming Year
I’ve always thought that all of the key parts of personal finance were bound up in the single phrase of “spend less than you earn.” In those simple five words, one can find all of the key ideas of personal finance.
There’s a call to spend less money by cutting back on one’s expenses, particularly the less necessary ones. There’s a call to have a “gap,” where one has money left over at the end of each pay period, and to do something smart with that money. There’s also a call in there to earn more money.
Of course, when sharing personal finance advice, it’s quite a bit easier to talk about the first two solutions because those are ones that almost anyone can take action on today and begin to see results with tomorrow. The positive effects of spending less are practically immediate and the positive effects of doing things like paying down debt and saving for the future start showing a positive impact extremely quickly as well.
With earning more, however… it’s not quite so cut and dried. Most of the actions that people take toward earning more money do not have the same kind of immediate results. You often have to invest a lot of time and effort into earning more money in order to see even the first small positive impact on your income levels.
Earning more can have a much bigger long term impact on your financial state than the other options, but it requires time to implement and time to see the positive effects. You can’t just flip a switch and see results.
That’s why I encourage people to take the long approach when it comes to earning more money. Plan ahead and put yourself in a position where greater income is a likely result, even if it means investing time and effort without immediate returns.
Need a game plan? Here are nine strategies you can implement over the coming year in order to improve your income.
Strategy #1 – Start a Small Independent Side Gig
There are many, many ways for individuals to start earning a bit of additional money in their spare time. Many of those strategies earn very little at first but slowly grow into greater and greater returns over time as you build readers, viewers, listeners, or clients. While most will never replace your main job, they’ll often earn you more than enough for the time invested if you stick with it.
One great example of this is starting a Youtube channel. At first, that Youtube channel isn’t going to be very popular. It only has a few videos, which means it won’t show up often in search results, and viewers of those videos won’t be able to find much else on your channel even if they want to. But over time, as you add more and more, your videos will show up in more and more search results and you’ll have more and more content for people to see, both of which will increase your views which directly translate into income. It builds on itself, but it takes a lot of time. The exact same thing is true for other forms of online content, such as blogging.
Another common type of side gig is providing a service or selling a distinct product in your local area. Perhaps you can provide year-round lawn care or maybe you might make wooden chairs in your wood shop. These types of businesses often grow as big as you want them to be, but again they take time to get your name and product out there in people’s hands.
These types of side gigs can be really rewarding because you can choose ones that are in line with your personal interests. When you find the work involved to be enjoyable and it remains a spare time task, it can be a really fantastic way to spend your extra time and earn some tasks.
Strategy #2 – Prepare for a Better Job
For some people, it may be time to climb up to the next rung in their career path. Their skills are more than adequate to handle the responsibilities of their current job and they’re interested in the challenges and the rewards of moving on up in their career path.
There are several steps to take to achieve this kind of career improvement. The first, obviously, is to figure out what exactly the next step is. Where should you be going next with your career? Are you looking to just move up to the next level with the job you have now, moving from a “specialist II” to a “specialist III”? Would you effectively want to replace your boss, either when he or she moves on or when there’s a similar position available somewhere?
Once you’ve identified what your target is, study the requirements for that job. Which of those requirements do you already have? More importantly, which requirements do you not yet have?
Those requirements that you don’t yet fulfill should become your to-do list for the coming year. That list should tell you every single step that you need to take to be ready to take on the opportunity you’re looking for.
Once you feel you actually meet those requirements, start seeking out that promotion. Apply for it within your own business, but also don’t hesitate to seek it out elsewhere, too.
Remember, this isn’t a mystery. It’s often pretty clear what exactly you need to be doing to achieve the type of job that you want. It’s up to you to take care of those things. Usually, the only thing holding you back is you and the choices you’re making to not fulfill the requirements of the job that you want.
Strategy #3 – Switch Organizations
Sometimes, you can find yourself stuck in place in your current organization. Your boss isn’t interested in giving out raises. There isn’t any path toward moving up into a beter job. Perhaps the workplace environment is a poisonous one. Maybe the pay rates there are just lower than what you can find elsewhere.
If some of those things feel right to you, then you should strongly considering applying for a similar job to what you have now in another organization. That type of job switch is likely to come with at least a small increase in pay and it may come with other benefits, too, like a more pleasant work environment.
Again, this can take time. You have to find positions available that are comparable to your current job and in an area that you’re willing to live. You have to actually apply for those positions, too, and actually win the job.
The first step, of course, is the job hunt. What jobs like yours are available outside of your organization? What do they pay? Do they have any requirements that you don’t quite fulfill? Do your homework and find the answers to those questions and you’ll be well on your way to finding a comparable job with better pay.
What if you’re worried about this conflicting with your current job? I generally find that once you’ve prepared yourself for moving on to another organization, a conversation with your current boss can make a lot of sense. In that conversation, you can make your case for why you should be paid more and perhaps even receive that raise without having to even search around for another job.
Strategy #4 – Get Certified
Many jobs and career paths – including the one I had prior to my career change into writing – rewarded people who took the time to earn certifications in certain topics. My job dangled pay increases in front of me for earning certifications related to Oracle databases, for instance, and the possibility of greater pay for other certifications.
Does your current job offer any pay benefits from earning particular certifications in your spare time? Would a few certifications open the path to a promotion of some type? A little bit of homework and a conversation with your boss can reveal this pretty quickly.
Then, the next step is to simply start earning these certifications. Many professional certifications can be earned via online classes or evening classes in your city. Others require filling out documents of various kinds and sending them back to the certifier. Yes, some of these certifications cost money, but that money is often repaid quickly if you can secure a pay increase with these certifications.
Another bonus: some jobs will actually pay for certifications for their employees, which means that they become a fantastic way to help you secure an increase in pay at work. Be sure to check with your human resource officer to find out if your work offers financial assistance to pay for additional certifications.
Strategy #5 – Take a Part-Time Job
A part-time job is a great way to convert some of your spare time into some extra cash. I’ve taken on some part-time gigs in my own past, doing things like working as technical support for a convention and making up batches of agar for a research lab. In both cases, the jobs were relatively easy and they put money right in my pocket.
Most communities have a lot of part time jobs available if you just hunt around a little bit, from entry-level service jobs to part-time gigs that directly utilize the skills you already have. You might wind up doing anything from making meals to providing security.
Among the options in this article, this method is perhaps the most direct route to having more cash in your pcoket. Many part-time jobs will hire you quickly so you can have more cash coming in in less than a month if you get on the ball.
However, part time jobs often aren’t all that flexible. Sure, you can usually get hours that mesh well with your current job, but you’re still trading hours of time and energy for money and the rate of exchange is usually lower than your main job.
Strategy #6 – Take on Casual Income Earners
There are a lot of websites out there that offer opportunities to earn a dollar or two in your spare time whenever you find it convenient to log on. Usually, you take on simple tasks that you can do while watching television, like filling out a survey or determining which of two pictures contains a bird. Some of the more complicated ones might involve professional skills, like doing a simple job in Photoshop, but they tend to pay more.
For simpler tasks, the best place to start is Mechanical Turk. That site makes it easy to earn a few bucks an hour while sitting there watching television and doing simple tasks in your spare time. In my experience, an ability to write short bits of reasonably sensible material quickly enabled me to earn a healthy amount doing Mechanical Turk while sitting on the couch.
If you have some technical skills, you may find Fiverr to be more appropriate. A lot of the tasks on there tend to involve very quick programming tasks or things done in Photoshop. Again, a highly skilled person in those areas can do them in a few minutes in front of the television, so it’s a good way to earn a few bucks in your spare time.
If you are highly skilled, you may find even better opportunities looking for online freelancing tasks. For example, take a peek around Upwork, which offers small freelancing jobs of all kinds where skilled people can ply their trade in their spare time. Remember that this is an open market and you might get undercut, but it can end up being a great way to ply some of your sharpest skills to earn some extra cash on your own terms.
Strategy #7 – Talk to Your Boss
Often, your boss can be the best connection to an increase in pay. Your boss can authorize a raise, which would mean more income for the tasks you are already doing at work.
So why not jump on board with this? The reason is that these conversations tend to go best when you’re really prepared for them. Having a strong case that you’ve thought out in advance with some supporting evidence is going to help convince your boss much more effectively than wandering in without any preparation.
So, how can you prepare? First, sit down and review your significant achievements at work. What have you done to set yourself apart from other employees? What have you done to deserve more pay? If you can’t easily answer that question, then you need to step up your game at work. Without being able to name real reasons why you deserve a raise, your boss has no reason to give you one.
I found it was very effective to be prepared to name the five achievements I had completed and skills that I possessed that set me apart from others and to be able to reel them off without much hesitation. Without having that in mind – and without having the achievements or skills to do such a thing – it becomes much harder to make the case for a raise.
I also found it effective to run through the meeting many times in my mind, visualizing exactly how I would make my case for a raise. The more I did this, the more natural and easy it felt to actually go in there and make an effective case for myself.
Strategy #8 – Go Back to School
You may find that a complete reboot of your career path might end up being the best choice for you. Maybe you’re just unhappy in your current career, not just because of the workplaces but because of the work itself. Maybe you find yourself in a situation where you really can’t advance any further without another degree.
Whatever the situation, going back to school could easily be the solution for your situation, whether you’re going back to study a completely new field or else to earn a higher degree in your current field.
Often, this isn’t a choice you can make just on the spur of the moment. Even if you’re able to find an educational path that enables you to keep working at your current job, there’s still the expense to deal with, one you’re going to incur before you can take advantage of the educational benefits. You need to be willing and able to take on that expense.
The choice to walk away from your current job for education is much harder, but it is possible, especially if you have enough savings to support yourself or a supportive life partner. It’s a process that my mother and father-in-law went through several years ago when my mother-in-law switched careers.
If you need a full career switch, start saving now so that you have a fund that will cover your living expenses through the transition. Live lean and move toward a target date for when you can reboot your career into something more lucrative.
Strategy #9 – Leverage What You Have
This is something of a variation on a side gig, but it’s something that’s really flexible and can actually earn quite a bit of money. Simply leverage what you have through trading, buying, and selling.
For example, I do this with vintage board games. Whenever I’m in a secondhand store of any kind, I’ll always take a look at the game section that they have, as I know exactly what to look for. Often, I’ll find vintage board games that have quite a bit of value on the secondary market, like a still-in-cellophane copy of Advanced Civilization that I found not all that long ago in a thrift store. I’m leveraging a particular type of domain knowledge that I have and some pocket money to make quite a bit of money.
Perhaps you have a box full of yarn and a knitting skill. Just leverage those things to transform the yarn into something of value, like a scarf or a pair of gloves or a hat, which can be sold somewhere.
Maybe you have a collection of trading cards that have been in your closet for years. Invest the time to figure out exactly what you have and sell them for a reasonable price, turning that time and the stuff in your closet into money.
You have spare time. You have stuff in hand. Combine the two to produce money.
Final Thoughts
The upcoming year provides a brilliant opportunity to bump up your income, whether it’s simply starting a side gig, getting a raise at work, starting a new job, or even rebooting your career.
The question you need to ask yourself now is what are you going to do to increase your earnings in the coming year?
Are you going to spend your evenings binge-watching shows on Netflix and then wondering why you’re not getting ahead financially?
Or are you going to take action and really make a difference when it comes to your financial state?
Above, you’ll find nine routes that can definitely lead to financial success.
The choice is yours. What are you going to do today?
The post Nine Strategies for Improving Your Income in the Coming Year appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
Source The Simple Dollar The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/22wrptJ
Kids Ski Free at More Than 200 Resorts in 15 States. Here’s Your Guide
I started skiing when I was 4 years old.
Many of my favorite childhood memories involve snowy days on the hill, followed by hot chocolate and sandwiches next to a cozy fire in the ski lodge.
I still love skiing. I even moved to Colorado to work at a ski resort after college.
And if I have kids, I certainly hope to take them skiing, too. It’s an awesome family activity that gets you exercising, out of the house and enjoying nature together.
The only problem? Skiing can be really expensive.
You can pack your own lunch, purchase used equipment and stay on the hill even when it’s negative a million degrees like we did, but lift tickets still cost money.
That is, unless you’re at one of the 203 resorts across 15 states where kids of all ages ski free.
I spent the afternoon sniffing out the best deals, so you can plan your next ski trip on the cheap.
California
June Mountain: Kids 12 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Mammoth: Kids 4 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Mountain High: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Colorado
Colorado Ski Country USA’s passport program gives 5th-grade students three free days at each of its 20 member resorts — at no cost to you!
Aspen Snowmass: Kids ages 7-12 get a free lift ticket when they rent equipment from Four Mountain Sports.
Loveland: Kids 5 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Keystone: When you book a stay of two nights or more, kids 12 and under ski free.
Steamboat Springs: Each paid adult ticket of five days or more gets one child 12 and under a free matching ticket.
Sunlight Mountain: Book a “Ski, Swim, Stay” package at a participating hotel and kids 12 and under ski free.
Idaho
Idaho’s Ski Free Passport Program gives 5th-graders three free lift tickets at 18 locations, and 6th-graders two free days at 16 locations. The passport’s processing fee costs $15.
Maine
Maine’s WinterKids Passport program is available to all Maine 5th-, 6th- and 7th-graders. It’s $25 and offers one free lift ticket at 17 Maine resorts. Plus, you get additional discounts on other activities like tubing and ice skating.
Sunday River: Book at least three nights kids 12 and under get free tickets, rentals, lessons and activities during its Children’s Festival from Jan. 10-14, 2016,
Michigan
The Cold is Cool passport program gives Michigan 4th- and 5th-graders up to three free lift tickets at 30 participating resorts. A $20 application fee is required.
Blackjack: Kids 9 and under ski free with an accompanying adult.
Montana
Big Sky: Kids 5 and under always ski free; kids 10 and under ski free when you book lodging through Big Sky Central Reservations.
Whitefish: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
New Hampshire
Bretton Woods: Kids 4 and under ski free with a paying adult.
New York
Through the ISKINY program, 3rd- and 4th-grade students from anywhere get a free lift ticket, rental and lesson at more than 30 participating resorts.
Or, if they know how to ski, they get up to three free tickets per resort, when accompanied by a paying adult. Applying costs $26 per program.
North Carolina
Cataloochee: Kids 17 and under ski and stay free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Oregon
Mt. Ashland: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Mt. Bachelor: One child 12 and under skis free when their parent purchases a lift ticket for three or more days.
Summit Ski Area: Kids 5 and under ski free with a ticketed adult.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Snowpass program gives 4th- and 5th-grade students from any state three free tickets at each of 19 resorts. The application costs $35.
Alpine Mountain: Kids under 42 inches tall ski free with a paying adult.
Shawnee: Kids under 46 inches tall ski free with a paying adult.
Utah
Utah’s 5th- and 6th-grade passport program give 5th-graders three free lift tickets at 14 resorts, and 6th-graders one free ticket at 14 resorts. The processing fee is $35 until Jan. 31, 2016, when it jumps to $45.
Brighton: Kids 10 and under ski free with a paying adult (two kids per adult ticket).
Deer Valley: When you book lodging and tickets at Deer Valley between Jan. 4 and Feb. 10, 2016, kids 12 and under get free lift tickets and discounted rentals.
Snowbasin: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Snowbird: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Solitude: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Vermont
Vermont’s Fifth Grade Passport costs $10 and gives your 5th-grader three lift tickets at 17 different resorts.
Killington: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Okemo: Kids 6 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Smugglers’ Notch: Kids 5 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Stratton: Kids 12 and under ski free when you book on-resort accommodations.
Stowe: Kids 5 and under ski free with a paying adult.
Virginia
Wintergreen: 5th- and 6th-grade students from Virginia, Maryland, Washington, District of Columbia, North Carolina and West Virginia get three free lift tickets after paying a $15 admin fee.
Washington
Thanks to the Fifth Grade Ski Free Passport, kids get three free lift tickets each at seven ski resorts in the Northwest Rockies.
Where Do You Ski?
So, yes, skiing is expensive.
But with a little sleuthing and a lot of homemade sandwiches, it can be way more affordable than you think. (Especially if you’ve got a senior in your group — these resorts let seniors ski free, too!)
And, speaking from personal experience, the memories you make will totally be worth it.
Your Turn: Do you enjoy skiing with your family?
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 Kids Ski Free at More Than 200 Resorts in 15 States. Here’s Your Guide appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1MEZHzf
New Trends, More Spending over 2015 Holidays
Americans spent more money during this holiday season, online shopping in particular seeing a big spike.
Source CBN.com - Finance http://ift.tt/1UeZZ5B
Are You Making Any of These Credit Card Point Redemption Mistakes?
My wife and I went to Colorado and paid for the plane tickets and car rental with credit card reward points.
I thought I was smart because I got an extra 25% when redeeming for travel bookings rather than cash. Redeeming points for plane tickets was a good idea, but the car rental? Not so much, as I’ll explain in a moment.
You probably have at least one credit card with a rewards program. But redeeming your points is not always simple.
You might have a choice between cash back in the form of a statement credit or using the miles or points for booking a hotel or flight. You might have gift cards available, or the opportunity to transfer your points to a frequent flyer program.
Generally you want to get the maximum financial value from your rewards. However, it’s so easy to make a mistake.
Here are seven credit card point redemption mistakes to avoid.
1. Redeeming Points for a Car Rental
Only after I had booked did I learn that the collision damage waiver for my car rental was about $20 daily. This extra can cost as much as $28 a day in some areas.
You can normally avoid paying this fee if you have one of the many credit cards that offer car rental insurance as a benefit. But because I used points to pay for the car, I wasn’t covered.
Suddenly my $219 car rental that cost only $175 worth of points didn’t seem so smart. I had to pay an additional $120 for the six days — far more than the $44 I thought I saved — or go without this collision protection.
There’s another problem, too. You don’t normally pay for rentals until you get the car, and you can cancel without charge if necessary.
But when you pay using points, you pay in advance and it’s non-refundable. If your plans change, you lose your points.
So, save the points for flights and hotels. Don’t use them for car rentals unless your plans are unlikely to change and you have collision coverage on your personal vehicle that covers you when you rent a car (ask your agent).
2. Redeeming Points for Merchandise
Some card issuers have online “stores” with items you can redeem with your points. If you have other options, they will almost always be better.
For example, why buy a $50 sweater for 5,000 points if, instead, you can get $50 cash, buy a sweater elsewhere for $30 and pocket the difference? Or, if you have gift card options for local retailers, take those and you’ll at least be able to choose from a wider variety of merchandise.
Also, merchandise you buy with points doesn’t have the purchase protection that many credit cards offer.
With the exception of programs that offer higher value for travel bookings, you should normally take cash for your points if you can, and then buy what you need using your credit cards.
3. Redeeming Points for the Wrong Gift Cards
All gift cards are the wrong ones if your redemption options include an equivalent amount of cash. Why limit yourself to spending a $50 gift card at one store when you can use $50 cash anywhere?
Also, if you get cash instead of gift cards, your new purchases will earn you more points, assuming you make them with a rewards credit card.
But if you can’t redeem for cash, be sure you get the right gift cards. Choose ones for stores where you regularly shop if possible, but also look at the “price” in points.
Sometimes 5,000 points will buy a $25 card for one retailer and a $50 card for another. If you have to redeem for gift cards, buy ones you can easily use and that get you the most value for your points.
4. Not Investigating ALL Your Options
To get maximum value from your points, you need to calculate and investigate.
For example, with my Citi ThankYou Premier Card, I get a penny-per-point cash back or 25% more if I book cruises, hotels or flights through their system.
But when I found a cheap flight on Frontier and went to book two tickets, I received a notice that they can’t book for that airline. The next best option cost 35% more, so I was better off taking the cash and paying for the cheaper flight.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. On a hunch, I called the booking agent and discovered that while the automated system online doesn’t include Frontier Airlines, I could pay for a Frontier flight with points by booking over the phone.
That phone call saved me over $100. Investigate your options!
5. Redeeming for the Wrong Hotel Nights
Even if you have hotel credit cards, you may want to pay cash sometimes, even if you have enough points to cover a stay.
For example, my Wyndham Rewards card signup bonus of 15,000 points is exactly enough to get us a free night in any of the hotels in the Wyndham collection. Since that includes $60-per-night Super 8 hotels and $300-per-night resort hotels, I’ll pay cash at the next Super 8 we stay at, and save the points for a resort.
Most hotel reward programs charge according to the category of hotel. For example, I regularly use 12,000 of my Hyatt credit card points to stay in category three hotels, but a category six hotel would cost 25,000 points, according to the Hyatt point redemption schedule. But even with this kind of system you may want to pay cash at times.
It’s all about the price differences from night to night. It costs 15,000 Marriott points for a category three hotel. But what if you only have enough points to cover one of the three nights you plan to stay at the hotel?
In that case, you should check the rates for each night. If one of them costs more than the others, use the points for that night and pay out-of-pocket for the other nights. This trick can easily save you $20 or more.
6. Ignoring Points Transfer Options
Many reward credit cards let you transfer points to hotel reward programs or airline frequent flyer programs. Often you’ll get more value by transferring your points to a partner program, so investigate your options.
However, it can get complicated to make comparisons fairly. For example, it took a 3,000-word post for Eric Rosen to explain American Express transfer options.
Amex has 17 airline and four hotel partners. And your travel habits and which airlines service your area largely determine which ones to consider for points transfers.
7. Throwing Away Points
Have you ever let points expire or closed a credit card account that still had a substantial number of unredeemed points?
Maybe you couldn’t use the points in time, or you didn’t have enough to meet the minimum redemption amount.
But there is an alternative to throwing away those points: Spend enough on the card to build your points up and redeem them for cash or a gift card.
For example, I had an old American Express card with 2,130 points on it. I never used it (I have better cards I want to use), and the minimum I needed to redeem for a statement credit was 2,500 points — good for $25 cash back.
Rather than just forfeit the points, I bought four $100 Walmart gift cards, which I can easily use up on groceries in the coming two months. That brought my point total up to 2,530 points, and I redeemed 2,500 points for $25 cash back.
Unless you have only a few points (I’m not worried about the last 30 points on the Amex card), don’t let them expire or get lost. Round up your balance to the minimum redemption amount by buying gift cards for places you normally shop, and redeem those points.
With hotel reward points you have another option: Use points for partial payment.
For example, I’ll soon have only 4,050 Wyndham Rewards points left, which is nowhere near the 15,000 needed for a free night. I may close the credit card account (mainly so I can open it again in a year to get another free hotel night).
Fortunately, Wyndham has “go free” or “go fast” awards. If you don’t have the 15,000 points needed to go free, you can use the “go fast” option and use 3,000 points to get a discounted rate. I’ll use that option and only lose the last 1,050 points if I close the account.
Hyatt recently introduced a “Points Plus Cash” system, which also allows you to use your points as partial payment. Other programs have similar options.
Bottom line: Don’t throw away too many perfectly good points if you can avoid it.
Your Turn: Have you made any of these credit card point redemption mistakes?
Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!
Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).
The post Are You Making Any of These Credit Card Point Redemption Mistakes? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1mNLT0A
No, You Don’t Have to Fly to Earn Airline Miles
Think you need to fly to earn airline miles? Think again.
Consumer Reports notes that nearly 100 million consumers belonged to a frequent flyer program in early 2015, yet not all of them earned miles simply by flying. Actually, there are myriad ways to earn airline miles that don’t even require a trip to the airport – and you don’t need to have experience flying to get on board, either.
Earning Flights Without Flying: Does It Make Sense?
Here’s something else to consider: Earning airline miles by flying isn’t all that lucrative anyway – at least, not for the typical consumer. For people who fly only a few times per year, earning enough miles for a free flight would take so long – or cost so much – it would barely be worth it.
To see what I mean, take a look at the Southwest Rapid Rewards program (while keeping in mind that all airlines award airline miles to consumers differently).
Southwest’s cheapest fares, Wanna Get Away Fares, offer six miles per dollar spent – and a little more if you pay for your flight with the co-branded Southwest credit card.
But let’s say you didn’t. If a typical flight on Southwest costs 25,000 Rapid Rewards points, you’d have to spend nearly $4,200 on flights before you earned enough miles for a free one.
Meanwhile, you can typically earn enough miles for a Southwest flight with one signup bonus from the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.
Which strategy sounds better? Spending $4,200 on flights or signing up for a single co-branded credit card? More on that in a minute.
- Related: Best Airline Credit Cards of 2015
Five Ways to Earn Frequent Flyer Miles Without Flying
The truth is, there are a slew of ways to earn airline miles that don’t require spending money on airfare or jumping through a lot of hoops. Here are a few of the best (and easiest) ways to earn miles without leaving town:
Sign up for a co-branded airline credit card.
By signing up for a co-branded airline credit card and meeting a minimum spending requirement, you can usually earn enough miles for at least one free flight.
However, it isn’t wise to jump on this bandwagon blindly. Before you get a new airline credit card, you should ask yourself a few questions right away, including: Which airlines operate in my area? And will I be able to meet the minimum spending requirement without buying anything out of the ordinary?
A little due diligence goes a long way when you’re choosing an airline credit card. Remember, you want a card that offers miles you can actually use – and you want to avoid harming your financial health in the process.
Consider a flexible rewards credit card.
If you’re having trouble committing to an airline, some flexible cards offer points you can transfer to a slew of airline partners on a whim.
My personal favorite is the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. With this program, points earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card and other Ultimate Rewards cards transfer at a 1:1 ratio to frequent flyer programs including United Airlines, British Airways, Korean Air, and even Southwest.
Brad Barrett of TravelMiles101.com says he is a fan of Citi Thank You points for this very reason.
“I prefer these points to normal airline miles because of their ability to transfer to multiple airlines instead of being stuck in just one program with little flexibility,” he says. “For instance, Citi ThankYou points can transfer to become Singapore Airlines, Air France/KLM Flying Blue or Qantas miles (among many others), so you can fly on all three of the major airline alliances just by having these ThankYou points.”
If you’re unsure which airline you want to go with, picking a flexible rewards card is one way to keep your options open.
- Related: Best Travel Credit Cards for 2015
In some cases, you can earn more frequent flyer miles on the ground than in the air. Photo: Mr. Hayata
Use your card for everyday spending.
Once you earn a big sign-up bonus, don’t stop there. To maximize your miles, you should use your card as much as you can for ordinary purchases. Since many airline cards offer at least one mile for each dollar you spend, using your card for everyday purchases is an easy way to build your balances without doing anything out of the ordinary.
Airline credit cards are especially good for big purchases, says Stefanie O’Connell of The Broke and Beautiful Life. “It’s absolutely worth checking for ways to make big payments by credit card,” she says. “Rent? Mortgage? College tuition? Think of all the miles! Just be wary of any additional processing fees if you pay by credit card. Read the fine print.”
Grayson Bell of DebtRoundUp.com uses his card for one of his family’s biggest expenses: daycare.
“I stack all of our day care payments onto one card that gets me double miles for every dollar,” he says. “It gets me 24,000 miles a year with no effort.”
Take advantage of online shopping portals.
Most big airlines offer shopping portals that allow you to earn additional miles just for clicking though. The Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal, for example, offers anywhere from 1-10 miles per dollar spent on any purchases you make through the portal.
Special “bonus offers” also appear in these portals from time to time. As of this writing, you can earn 3,600 miles for switching your cable over to AT&T Uverse. Deals like this come and go, of course, but it’s smart to know where to look.
Earn miles on hotel stays and rental cars.
Just as most airlines offer shopping portals, the vast majority offer rental car partnerships, too. Most of the time, you can earn anywhere from a few hundreds to a few thousands airline miles just by renting your car – or booking a hotel stay – through their website.
Further, sites like PointsHound.com and Rocketmiles.com let you rack up airline miles on hotel stays. For our recent trip to Italy, I booked a hotel stay in Florence on Rocketmiles and earned 7,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards miles for our stay due to a special promotion.
If you plan to book a hotel stay on your next trip, it can pay off to price-shop on these portals in addition to your usual travel booking websites and scour them for deals.
Final Thoughts
With some careful planning and a little forethought, most people can earn airline miles without ever being in an airplane. However, it’s crucial to read the fine print before jumping on board with any new offers or signing up for a new credit card. As always, what you don’t know can hurt you.
What’s your favorite way to earn airline miles? How many miles do you earn in an average year?
The post No, You Don’t Have to Fly to Earn Airline Miles appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
Source The Simple Dollar The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/1Zzb8BJ
8 Legitimate Ways to Qualify for More Student Financial Aid
Paying for college and graduate school is a huge financial challenge, and the cost of higher education is likely to continue rising year after year.
Whether you’re a parent who wants to pay for a child’s education or you’re thinking about heading back to school yourself, it’s smart to start a college savings plan as soon as possible.
How to Get the Most Student Financial Aid
Before you get started, you should know the best ways to save for college that will also maximize your eligibility for financial aid. In this article I’ll give you eight strategies to follow so you qualify for as much federal student aid as possible and have more flexibility to pay those hefty college bills.
The reason you need to be strategic about how you save for college is that having certain kinds of financial assets will count against you and reduce your eligibility for financial aid.
Knowing the rules for how financial aid is awarded will help you structure your finances so more of your assets are not included in the formula for calculating your financial need.
Here are eight legitimate strategies to maximize your eligibility for federal student aid:
1. Don’t Save Cash in the Student’s Name
To qualify for financial aid for college you have to complete a lengthy form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The information you submit on the FAFSA is used to calculate how much aid you can receive and it generally assumes a student would contribute a higher proportion of their own income and savings than their parents. So having financial assets in a student’s name reduces aid eligibility.
When grandparents want to give money to a student, encourage them to give it to the parents instead (so it’s calculated at the parent’s need rate instead of the student’s) or ask them to pay it directly to the college, if that’s allowed.
Also, consider spending a student’s assets and income, instead of your own, before submitting the FAFSA form.
2. Use Education Savings Accounts
Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and 529 Savings Plans are tax-advantaged savings vehicles that also get special treatment when it comes to qualifying for federal student aid, so be sure to use them.
They’re treated like an asset owned by the parents, even if they’re in the student’s name — which increases aid eligibility, as I mentioned in the previous strategy.
Additionally, having money in a Coverdell or a 529 plan has minimal impact on the amount of financial aid you can receive.
3. Save to Retirement Accounts
Having certain kinds of financial assets will count against you and reduce your eligibility for financial aid.
In general, pensions and retirement accounts, like 401(k)s and IRAs, are not considered financial assets for the purposes of financial aid, whether they’re owned by the student or a parent.
Since retirement accounts are sheltered from needs analysis, contributing more to them can increase financial aid eligibility.
However, any pre-tax contributions you make to a retirement account in the tax year before you receive financial aid (that’s called the base year) are included as untaxed income.
Additionally, any money you withdraw from a retirement account to pay for school before submitting the FAFSA would count as taxable income and reduce eligibility for the following school year. So you don’t want to make any large contributions to or withdrawals from retirement accounts in any base year.
4. Use Cash to Pay Down Debt
Having debt — like credit cards, a car loan or a mortgage — doesn’t reduce your eligibility for financial aid, but having cash does.
So using a reasonable amount of cash savings to pay down debt, or accelerating necessary purchases, is a smart move to make before you submit the FAFSA.
However, be sure you don’t drain all your cash reserves because you still want to keep enough cash on hand to maintain a healthy emergency fund.
5. Consider the Custodial Parent’s Situation
If you’re divorced, the custodial parent of your college-bound child will be responsible for completing the FAFSA if he or she is the parent whom the student lived with the most during the past year.
If he or she is the parent with the least amount of assets and income, that will increase eligibility for financial aid.
6. Increase the Number of Household Students
Having multiple children in college at the same time allows you to qualify for more aid. If your kids’ birthdays aren’t less than four years apart, consider whether the oldest child could take a year or two off to work before going to college.
Or consider whether it’s a good time for you to go back to school and finish a degree or earn an extra one. When one or both parents return to school at the same time as their children, aid eligibility increases for both the student and the parents.
7. Pay with a HELOC Instead of an Equity Loan
If you don’t qualify for enough financial aid to cover all your college expenses and you have home equity, consider using a home equity line of credit (HELOC).
A HELOC is a good financing option for school because the interest you pay can be tax deductible and you only tap the amount you need.
That’s better than taking out a home equity loan, because if you don’t spend all the money you borrow on a home equity loan, it’s considered an asset that will reduce your aid eligibility for the following academic year.
8. Meet With Financial Aid Administrators
Schools have their own financial aid funds and set their own rules for doling it out. Don’t overlook any strategies that could help you maximize aid that’s available from your institution.
Also remember that aid eligibility is always based on the prior tax year — so, if your household or income situation changes, you should make an appointment to meet with the financial aid administrator at your school.
They can review your case and may be able to increase your aid package through a process known as Professional Judgment.
More Ways to Maximize Student Financial Aid
These eight strategies aren’t the only ways to maximize your eligibility for financial aid.
For more information be sure to check out finaid.org and savingforcollege.com, which are two excellent resources for student financial aid information, advice and tools.
Your Turn: Have you used any of these tactics to maximize your financial aid eligibility? What other strategies have you tried?
This post originally appeared at Quick and Dirty Tips, a network of podcasts and digital content offering short, actionable advice from friendly and informed authorities. Laura Adams, host of the free Money Girl podcast, is a personal finance expert and award-winning author.
The post 8 Legitimate Ways to Qualify for More Student Financial Aid appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1MEEoxG
Four Tips for Finishing the Year Strong
By Christy Schutz Whew! We’ve officially gotten through the Christmas Holiday. Let’s take a deep breath and revel in this fact. Come on. Join me. Breathe in deep … now exhale. Aaaaaagggghhh. We did it! So … now what? In my true over-functioning fashion, I am wondering what I am going to do this week […]
Source The Work at Home Woman http://ift.tt/1QU9KII
Source The Work at Home Woman http://ift.tt/1QU9KII
Recent divorcees may need to recalculate settlements
The error involved a form on the Ministry of Justice’s website, used by divorcing couples and their lawyers to disclose each partner’s income, expenditure and net worth in order for a fair settlement can be made.
But the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has admitted that there was an error in some of the calculations made.
Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/1NNkqok
الاشتراك في:
الرسائل (Atom)