What's the solution to slow economic growth and more jobs? Is it more government spending or programs? Economist Stephen Moore explains what will make a difference. He also takes a look at how each candidate's tax plan could impact you.
How far do you want to go during your next road trip?
You could hit the beach for Spring Break.
You could see the country this summer.
You could visit family for the holidays.
You could see a new city this weekend.
I LOVE road trips. Flights may be fast and efficient and — in the grand scheme of things — convenient, but a road trip is an experience.
It’s the whole “Life’s a journey, not a destination” thing.
Even if you don’t care about the vistas, you can’t deny driving’s affordability right now.
With the gas prices dropping and the cost of flying not quite following suit like we’d hope, that classic American road trip is looking more and more like a great idea.
If you’re not convinced yet, check this out.
The cost-information website Howmuch.net created a series of maps showing just how far you can get on $50 in gas.
Based on current gas prices, it’s pretty impressive.
The maps show how far a $50 tank of gas will take you from 35 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and dozens more.
From Tampa, for example, I could get to New Orleans for Mardis Gras; Chattanooga for this free bluegrass concert; or Charlotte, North Carolina, to comfort Panthers fans. All for only $50.
I can get to Atlanta for $40 and Miami for $30.
Howmuch.net under Creative Commons
Oh my goodness, I may have to sneak out of the office at lunchtime. I could be in Miami for dinner. Or Carolina by midnight.
From Kansas City, you could go as far as Grand Rapids, Michigan, or Colorado Springs.
From Denver, you can reach El Paso, Texas, or Salt Lake City.
From Chicago, you can get to Memphis, Tennessee, or Omaha, Nebraska (which is highly underrated by everyone who flies over it).
In case you’re skeptical, the data is “based on a car that consumes 24 miles per gallon, and uses gas price estimates from GasBuddy.com,” Howmuch.net reports.
Of course, a one-way road trip isn’t likely going to do you any good. And gas isn’t your only cost.
So how much will it really cost to take these road trips? Still not a lot — if you’re smart.
First, double the cost of gas, so you can get home. So it’ll cost me $100 to get from Tampa to Charlotte and back.
It’s a nine-hour trip each way, so I’ll want a full day in the city to really forge a connection with forlorn Panther fans. That’s two nights in a hotel or Airbnb, and I usually budget about $50 night.
Then I’ll have to eat at least six meals on the road. I’ll have them all at Waffle House, to up my chances of running into Cam Newton. They’ll cost about $7 apiece (gotta include coffee). So $42 for food.
I won’t have to spend money on entertainment, because I like free events and simple things, like walks and people-watching.
All told, that’s a road trip for $242.
If you’re outdoorsy (I’m not), you could save even more by camping and hitting up national parks, instead of 24-hour dive diners.
If $200-$300 doesn’t sound doable for you, try some of these weird ways to make extra money fast. You could be in Peoria by next weekend!
Your Turn: Where will your next road trip take you? What additional tips do you have for saving money on the road?
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes about writing, life, comedy and love for blogs and books and sometimes things people care about, like Huffington Post and that one time she had an article published in the Onion.
The post This is What a $50 Road Trip Looks Like — and It’s Way Cooler Than You Think appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
My Tuesday just got a little brighter: I get to do some online shopping at work today!
You can even tell my boss, because I’m doing it to show you guys how to get an even better deal on the kind of ridiculous sale Old Navy is having today.
Old Navy has been one of my favorite places to shop for a long time.
High-quality, affordable clothes for the whole family, all in one place? Sign me up. Plus, it’s got stuff for (almost) every occasion, from work to working out.
So when I heard that Old Navy had a $4 T-shirt flash sale today, I was on the site as quickly as my fingers could manage. I pretty much live in its basic layering tank tops.
According to the sale, that shirt’s $4 right now — a steal, since it’s usually $10!
But being the Penny Hoarder I am, I wanted an even better deal.
I headed over to Cashbackholic to see which shopping portal would get me the most cash back on my impending mass tank top purchase.
I learned I could get up to 6% cash back, plus a $5 sign-up bonus, if I shopped through Shop At Home. That’s at least one free tank top already!
After clicking through Shop at Home, I stocked up on some great basics: a few of those tanks I love, a long-sleeved shirt since it’s been chilly lately (even here in Florida!) and a couple of camis. I mean, they’re just $3!
I wanted to make sure I hit the $50 free shipping threshold — all those savings are pretty useless when you’re paying at least $7 just to have the items shipped to your house.
All told, my total came to $55 flat, which the website informed me was a savings of $39 from what I’d have paid full price. Nice!
Subtract my $5 Shop at Home sign-up bonus, and that’s down to $50.
By shopping through the portal, I earned 6% cash back… and I paid for my purchases with my Barclaycard CashForward World MasterCard, earning an extra 1.5%.
(Psst — If you’re looking to travel on the cheap, you could use a card that’ll get you miles or hotel rewards points instead.)
So, I made 7.5% of that $50 back — that’s $3.75. So my total was just $46.25 on what would originally have been $89 worth of awesome Old Navy tops!
That, my friend, is deal-stacking.
To recap:
1. Head over to Old Navy’s site and check out their today-only flash sale. It’s not just T-shirts — lots of items are on sale!
2. If you see something you like, check out Cashbackholic to figure out which shopping portal will work best for you.
It looks like Shop at Home has the best cash-back deal right now, but you could earn rewards if you’re a Discover card holder and shop through Discover Deals, for example.
Plus, it’s a good idea to get in the habit of checking for cash-back deals whenever you shop online. There’s no reason to not use a rewarding shopping portal!
3. Use a rewards credit card on your purchase to earn extra cash back, miles or other rewards.
Better yet? Use that credit card to buy a discounted gift card off Raise to save a little bit more.
You’ve just made that sale even salesier — and got the Penny Hoarder Price. Congratulations on beating the system!
Your Turn: Will you stack deals to take advantage of this Old Navy sale?
Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which ThePennyHoarder.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). We do not feature all available credit card offers or all credit card issuers.
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes other stuff, like wine reviews and poems.
The post T-Shirts are $4 at Old Navy Today, But I Got Mine for Closer to $2. Here’s How appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
Moving into my own apartment for the first time was one of the most exciting — and scary — things I’ve ever done.
It’s an immediate and radical feeling of freedom to finally have a space that is truly your own.
It can also lead to disaster, since 20-something college students (spoiler alert!) don’t know everything about being on their own yet.
Fortunately, my disaster was pretty mild, all things considered… but it didn’t feel like it at the time.
My disaster started with an action as innocuous as opening an envelope.
My electric bill was over $300. I’d budgeted for $100, tops.
I’d moved into my new place on the first day of August, and happily blasted my central air against the smothering Florida summer outside for a whole month.
Suddenly, I was sweating — despite the cool atmosphere I apparently was paying for so dearly.
I was recently reminiscing about this college-age fumble with a high school friend of mine who’s since moved to California.
He mentioned something I wish I’d known about when I was figuring stuff out at 21.
Apparently, California residents can sync their utility accounts to a program called OhmConnect.
It actually helps them earn money for reducing their electricity consumption — in addition to the money they save by cutting back on power use. Members also earn points (i.e., dollars) for referrals and sharing, which helps make the whole California community more energy efficient!
OhmConnect’s designed to help you get just a little bit greener… and reward you for your efforts along the way.
Here’s how it works.
1. Sign up for OhmConnect and sync it with your online utility account through PG&E, SDG&E or Southern California Edison. You must have an online account with one of these electric companies to qualify for OhmConnect. But don’t worry — setting up your online account is super simple, and digital statements are greener than getting paper bills!
2. Receive energy usage notifications during “#OhmHours” — high-energy-consumption hours that trigger non-green power plants to activate in order to support the overtaxed grid.
3. Turn off your air conditioner or stop running your dryer until the #OhmHour is up.
4. Profit! OhmConnect rewards you for not contributing to the high demand that prompts unclean power sources to turn on.
It’s really that simple.
You could earn up to $300 (that number looks familiar!) per year if you’re diligent, through a combination of energy savings, participation points and rewards for sharing.
Plus, you’re helping save the planet.
When members substantially decrease energy demand during #OhmHours, the CA electricity market, or California ISO, avoids turning on an expensive, dirty power plant… and pays OhmConnect instead.
Then, OhmConnect passes those savings back to consumers — you! — to incentivize green living.
The end result?
A naturally lower electricity bill, an easy and beneficial stream of passive income and a happier planet. Win, win, win.
Significantly reducing energy consumption enough to eradicate the need for power plants doesn’t have to be hard if the effort’s spread across California’s millions of residents.
#OhmHours only occur a couple of times a week, and you can easily reduce your energy consumption by just waiting a few minutes to charge your phone or dry your hair.
Once you’ve earned rewards, you can choose to cash out or donate directly to your favorite charity.
You can also directly connect OhmConnect with any smart energy devices you already have in your home, like the Nest thermostat.
The downside?
Like we mentioned, this cool program only works for you Californians for now, and you have to have an online account with one of the electric companies mentioned above.
I’m hoping OhmConnect will be able to expand soon as it continues to catch on!
I don’t have a West-Coast move planned any time soon, so until the service expands, I guess I’ll just have to remember to turn my air conditioner off on my own. Good thing I’ve had lots of practice since my early twenties are disappearing in the rearview…
Your Turn: Have you ever gotten a shocking electricity bill? Will you use OhmConnect to earn a little extra cash while reducing your carbon footprint and your bill?
Disclosure: You wouldn’t believe how much coffee The Penny Hoarder team goes through. This post contains affiliate links so we can keep the grinds stocked!
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes other stuff, like wine reviews and poems.
The post Power Hour: This Company Will Pay You to Save Electricity appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
At my first job after college, I wound up working on a data organization project. Originally, this was to be at least a three person project, but shortly after the project began, the third member of the team was let go. This was fairly distressing, because the third member of the team was supposed to be the expert on the data we were organizing. She was supposed to understand what the data meant, I was supposed to build the interfaces, and the other guy actually kept the database running – the database administrator, in other words.
So, for most of a year, the database administrator and I were shuffled away into a separate office from the rest of the team. There were definitely some overtones that the project was in trouble, not from our own efforts, but from events going on outside of our control.
Unsurprisingly, over that year, I began to build a really strong relationship with the database administrator. We spent a ton of time studying the data that we had, figuring out relationships between the data sets. We looked at lots of different interfaces for similar data sets and tried to borrow from the good things about those interfaces.
It worked. Our project did spectacularly well at each and every review milestone and we changed the perspective of some of the decision-makers higher up the food chain. Eventually, we were offered much more permanent jobs.
So, why am I telling you this?
The database administrator, the one who was crucial in making all of this work, was trained as a high school teacher – and not a computer science high school teacher, either. He taught agriculture classes at a rural high school in Iowa.
So, how did he wind up as an Oracle database administrator? He didn’t have a degree in computer science or information services. How did he get there?
The truth is that he simply applied a bunch of skills that were completely unrelated to computer science in order to get there. He applied skills that everyone already has. The only difference is that he actually applied them.
If you want to move up in your career or switch to a different career, going back to school can certainly help. However, you likely already have most of the skills and traits that you need to make that shift.
Here are seven skills and traits that you already have that you may not be applying as well as you could. If you can execute these things, you’ll have a massive leg up on the people in your field and find it easy to get your foot in the door if you want to make a career change.
When someone needs something from you, do you come through for them? Do you only call in sick when you’re legitimately sick – and that’s pretty rare? Can people depend on the fact that you’re doing what you’re supposed to do at work?
Surprisingly enough, reliability is actually pretty rare, even at higher level jobs. I know many people that, when you email or call them for a particular task or item that you need from them, will say “sure!” and then never deliver anything. Similarly, I know many people who seem to never go to work – they’re always out “sick” or “on vacation.”
Those people aren’t reliable, and the people in their workplace are bound to notice this and be adversely affected by it. You can be the most skilled person in the world, but if you’re not reliable with those skills, they’re not really very useful.
Almost every organization in the world would prefer to have someone reliable and relatively unskilled at the desk than someone highly skilled but unreliable. The reliable person might not be able to produce amazing things, but when you ask them for something, they’ll produce it; they’ll also be there when you need them. The unreliable person? They might produce something great, but they also might just produce nothing at all.
What can you do to improve your reliability?
Show up. A big part of success is simply showing up. Yes, everyone wakes up sometimes with a desire to not go into work. Everyone has days where they’d rather hang out around the house than work. A reliable person goes in anyway, and in doing so becomes more valuable in their workplace.
Keep track of the things asked of you and fulfill them promptly. Maintain a to-do list and spend your time working through that list as efficiently as you can. Put a priority on things that other people are relying on to do their own work.
Don’t waste time. There’s always something you could be doing, even during the down times. Work on tasks that will make it easier to deal with the challenges during the busy times. Keep your workplace organized. Build skills.
Yes, many workplace meetings are incredibly boring. Most of the time, you’d rather be anywhere else, doing anything else. Of course, it’s that very unwanted nature of meetings that makes them such a valuable place to be.
All you have to do to stand apart from the pack is pay attention when you’re meeting with others, whether it’s a one-on-one meeting or a large group meeting. Stay as focused as you possibly can on the moment and react naturally to what you see and hear.
Here are three specific steps that are well worth taking.
Ask questions. Whenever someone is presenting something and you’re unclear as to what they’re talking about in any way, ask about it. There is no such thing as a stupid question, period. Not only does it give you the information you need, it also keeps the presenter on his or her toes.
Take notes. If I’m supposed to be at a meeting, there’s usually a reason for it, even if it’s not obvious to me. Thus, I consider whatever is being discussed or presented at a meeting to be worthwhile and important, even if it doesn’t seem to be. My usual solution is to have a pocket notebook or a hard-backed steno notebook and a pen with me and I take notes on anything and everything that might be remotely relevant to me. I then look over those notes later and see whether or not there’s really anything there I need to take action on. If I can find even a thing or two, then I’m a step or two ahead of the game.
Follow up. If you find yourself with questions after reading through your notes, follow up and ask those questions. Not only, again, does it provide you with more information, it also provides a great opportunity to build a professional connection with a coworker or a supervisor.
There are always tasks that people don’t want to take on. Few people relish speaking in public. Few people like leading small groups. Few people like being in charge of collaborative reports. Few people like cleaning up the worst messes.
As un-fun as those tasks might be, they’re also incredibly valuable for separating the successful people from the unsuccessful people. The people who step up and take on these challenges are the ones who are retained. They are the ones who are looked at positively for promotions. They are the ones who find doors opening for them. They are the ones building new skills that others really value.
Here are three steps you can take to make this a reality in your own career.
When no one else raises their hand, raise yours. Yes, you’re probably going to wind up with a task that’s difficult and unenjoyable. Yes, your day would probably be easier without it. On the other hand, you’re probably going to build some skills along the way, and your supervisor is going to notice that you stepped up to the plate. That comes with real perks.
No matter how miserable the task, put your nose down and take care of it. Yes, sometimes your job is going to be terrible. Yes, sometimes you’re not going to want to do it. That’s life. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t are results. Did they take care of the challenge or not? Are you going to take care of the challenge?
Take the extra step to get good results. There’s often a big difference between simply completing a task and doing it well. Take the extra few minutes (or hours or whatever is needed) to do things well rather than simply doing the bare minimum.
It is really easy to fall into the trap of bashing a coworker for any number of reasons. Maybe they’re not living up to the expectations that you have. Maybe that person has a personality problem. Maybe that person is causing undue conflict within the group.
Sure, those are all valid reasons to harbor potentially negative feelings within yourself, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to release those feelings into the wild. There’s never a good reason to bash coworkers or speak negatively about others in workplace conversations. Nothing good ever comes out of it in the long term.
One of the biggest negative outcomes of such negative talk is that the person doing the negative speaking is eventually seen as part of the problem. Bashing coworkers – even when the conversation is private – can come back around and haunt you in ways you’ll never expect.
Still, most workplaces still have negative conversations and backroom gossip. People have negative feelings and vent them all the time. Here’s how you can take those situations and make sure you’re not dragged down with it.
Never initiate negative comments about someone or something at work. There’s no reason to ever bring up your negative feelings about someone or something, especially out of the blue. Just keep those feelings in your back pocket and find something else to talk about.
Be positive toward everyone, even when it’s hard. For me, I find it really useful to think about people that I know and look for good things about them. Everyone on earth is a mix of good and bad traits; if you spend your time actively seeking out good traits in people, you’ll end up seeing them in a more positive light.
If you have strong negative feelings, find another way to vent those feelings. Yes, we all need to vent sometimes. If you need to vent, find friends outside of your workplace to talk to. Write in your journal (I prefer this route myself). Go to the gym and punch a bag. Anything that doesn’t introduce more negativity at work is a good thing.
If you overhear other negative conversations, just avoid actively participating in them. You can stand there and listen, of course, if it’s difficult to be doing something else. I usually just find something else to do if the conversation turns negative.
Many jobs have downtime while you’re at work. Many jobs involve a commute, which means even more relative downtime. Many people also have additional spare time at home.
One of the biggest keys to success is how you choose to use that downtime, especially the extra time at work. Do you spend it sitting around twiddling your thumbs? Do you browse websites and engage in idle chitchat? Do you go on long bathroom breaks?
Sure, those things might pass the time more quickly, but they don’t help you improve your career or your value to your employer. They just waste the minutes of your life.
Try spending your downtime and perhaps a bit of your free time on other things.
Take some online classes. You can earn a lot of certifications and even some degrees from online courses, but even if you’re not progressing toward a degree, you can learn a great deal from taking an online class. Choose ones that build skills you might use at work or might use in the next step of your career.
Start a blog to share your professional explorations. When you’re learning about something new, re-explain it in your own words with analogies that make sense to you and post those writings to a blog of your own making. Then, get on social media and share those posts on Facebook and Twitter, particularly with people who share the same interests.
Learn from your coworkers. What kinds of things do they do? What skills are they bringing to the table? What are they working on? What skills do they have, and how can you learn them? Bringing these kinds of questions to your coworkers can be flattering. Plus, the more you know about the various skills and tasks of others, the more useful you become, too.
When I worked in that office with the database administrator, as I described above, we were eventually given an hourly worker whose job it was to manually enter data for us. That was a frustrating experience, to say the least.
When the student was alert and awake, he did reasonably good work, albeit at a slow pace. However, half the time he showed up to work half awake at best and would sometimes simply fall asleep at his desk.
Not only did this mean that he wasn’t producing anything while he was there, we often had to stop our own tasks and rouse this hourly worker.
The reality is that if he had simply showed up to work with a fresh night of sleep, not only would he have been far more productive at his work, he also wouldn’t have fallen asleep and wasted our time as well.
This simple lack of energy turned what could have been a great career opportunity for him – one that could have built a resume and provided some great references – into a disaster, where he was eventually simply let go. The one thing he needed to do but didn’t do was bring enough energy to work with him.
Here are three steps you should consider taking so that you don’t fall into this kind of trap.
Adopt a routine where you get adequate sleep and nutrition. If you’re finding yourself tired during the day, you’re either not getting enough sleep or not getting appropriate nutrition. Try going to sleep earlier and, if that doesn’t help after a while, call your doctor.
Understand your energy levels when you’re working. I’m at my most energetic first thing in the morning, so I try to take on my most challenging tasks first thing in the morning. I save lower-energy and lower-focus tasks for later in the day. That way, you can seem ready for anything throughout the day, even when your energy and focus isn’t the strongest throughout the day.
Exercise. But doesn’t that burn energy? Our bodies are actually pretty amazing. It turns out that if we get adequate exercise, our bodies and minds actually become more energetic once we’re used to that change. Getting mild exercise will help you to become a better performer in the workplace by bolstering your natural energy levels.
Where do you want to be five years from now? Ten years from now? What does that life look like? Feel free to throw in as much detail as you’d like.
Now, what do you need to do between now and then to make that happen? What needs to change in your life between now and then in order to make that vision a reality? You should be able to come up with a nice list of changes.
Now, what can you do today to move forward on the things on that list? Today. Not next week. Not “someday.” Not when you feel like it. Today.
Once you start thinking in terms of goals and how you’re working toward them, so much of your life begins to fall into place. You begin to see how your day-to-day choices aren’t just isolated things, but they’re connected to where you want to go in life.
Here’s how to dig in.
Think seriously about where you want your life to be going. This is a wonderful task for your morning and evening commute. What do you want your future to look like? What does it look like personally and professionally? Be optimistic, but don’t be unrealistic. Keep things within the realm of possibility.
Develop a plan to get from here to there. Now that you have this future vision, what needs to be done to move you from where you are right now to where you want to be? What steps need to be taken to make that transformation happen?
Ask yourself every day what you’re doing personally and professionally to get there. What are you doing today to execute that plan? What are you doing right now to build that great future? Are you achieving that great future when you waste time at work or when you don’t step up to the plate for a challenge or when you don’t bother furthering your education?
The seven strategies mentioned in this article merely scratch the surface of the things you can do with the skills you have right now. You can escape from your low-paying job. You can get a promotion. You can get a better job.
You just need to start applying the things that you have.
You can be reliable, if you choose to. You can make a plan for the future. You can listen. You can be more organized. You can build new skills. You can show up well-rested. You can take on the hard tasks.
Those are things that you can do. Right now. Every day. Those are things that will build you a better job, a better career, with more pay. Those are things that will open up more opportunity than you can imagine.
All you have to do is open the door.
The post You Already Have All The Skills You Need to Succeed appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is experiencing delays in processing a large number of cheques sent in the run-up to the 31 January 2016 self-assessment tax payment deadline due to a flood in its Shipley offices, according to accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg LLP.
Investors are being warned to be vigilant before transferring their pensions and investing in unregulated products, as law firm Hugh James takes on 300 cases of mis-sold self-invested personal pensions (Sipps).
Newsflash: Online dating sucks.
Actually that’s not really a newsflash; anyone who’s scrolled and swiped their way through one of the many dating sites or apps probably already knows that.
Thanks to a recent study from RetailMeNot, I now have even more reason to avoid the online dating scene.
People who meet online tend to spend way less on first dates than those who meet in real life.
My friends and I have a basic rule for online dating: Only commit to drinks on the first date.
Since there’s a decent chance the person will creep you out or bore you to death, you don’t want to waste your time or money going to a nice dinner.
Based on RetailMeNot’s findings, it looks like most people agree.
Here’s the average amount a person spends on a first date when they meet through:
People who meet their date at a bar spend nearly twice as much as those who meet on Tinder? Who knew meeting at a bar was so classy!?
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not some bougie chick who needs to be taken to Ruth’s Chris on a first date.
The monetary amount isn’t what matters; my time is.
And I think these numbers reflect the seriousness with which people approach relationships on certain platforms.
I’m not interested in a fling, so this study confirms what I already knew: I’m probably better off meeting guys in real life than through a screen.
There are, of course, always exceptions — but if you’re serious about finding love, it might be time to put down your phone and finally go out with that “nice young man” your mom keeps bugging you about.
Your Turn: Do these numbers surprise you at all? Do you spend more or less on a first date, depending where you met the person?
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 How Much Do You Spend on a First Date? If You Met on Tinder, Probably Not Much appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
My husband Daniel and I met at 19 and were married by 21.
At the time, many people urged us to rethink our young marriage. Nobody was against us getting married to one another, but most seemed against the idea of marrying at such an early age.
The most common reason for cautioning us? Money — and we didn’t have very much.
We’re now both 26-year-old parents to two daughters, Penny (3) and Georgia (18 months) — and still broke.
We don’t regret marrying young, and we certainly don’t regret having children. But we understand what everybody was talking about when they said it would be difficult.
Being married with children, it’s been important to carve out one-on-one time together to talk, laugh and be the young people we still are. Over time, we’ve found plenty of ways to enjoy each other without spending a dime on dates.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, consider spending the month focusing on your loved one, and less time spending money on “the most romantic day of the year.”
Here are 14 free date ideas to get you started:
Arranging for a babysitter is expensive — and stressful — not to mention actually going out for a nice dinner, and having to pay for that, too!
Instead, make a cheap and fast dinner for the kids, then put on their favorite movie in another room.
Spend an hour or two with your spouse making a delicious homemade meal together. Then sit down to have an adult conversation at the table.
Make it romantic — light candles, get dressed up and play soft music.
YouTube is a great free resource for finding instructional videos.
Instead of plopping on the couch as soon as the kids are in bed, roll out a mat and do couples yoga.
Or, get your heart pumping dancing to some zumba classes or salsa lessons.
If one or both of you enjoy photography, grab your cameras and take some photos together.
You don’t need to be a photographer to take a good picture. Read about good photography basics, get outside and have some fun.
If you and your spouse are lucky enough to work in the same city, come home for a quiet lunch together.
Since I work from home, my husband will sometimes come home for a quick bite while our kids are in daycare. It’s a nice way to take a break from our work and catch up in a quiet house.
Most of us have a few board games collecting dust in a cupboard somewhere.
Dig them out and start a Game Night. If you find games boring, look for a fun twist, like these board game hacks.
This is a pretty cliché recommendation. Plus, it’s usually cold, the ground is hard and a twig keeps poking me in the butt.
Still, the sunset is beautiful — there’s a reason it’s a cliché.
If you live in a colder climate, take a drive to the top of a hill and stop the car to admire the view.
If the weather is warmer, climbing a hill with your own two feet will make for a romantic moment with your significant other.
Go somewhere public and spend time people-watching together, like the mall food court at the mall or an outdoor park.
Make up fun stories about the people passing by, or come up with funny conversations they might be having.
It may sound like something only couples in movies do, but some improvisational humor may be just what you and your partner need.
Buying art supplies is expensive.
Instead, get creative with the supplies you have. Raid the kids’ art stash and create something fun together.
Whether it’s coloring a picture, making a pipe cleaner family or finger painting, enjoy a crafts night with your partner. Display the art you create together to remind yourselves of your fun night.
It doesn’t matter how old you get, an epic blanket fort always makes for an evening well spent.
Bring in lamps, Christmas lights and lanterns. Make popcorn and watch a movie snuggled in your fort, or even consider a sleepover.
If you have kids, they’ll think you’re the coolest parents ever when they wake to find you sleeping in the living room surrounded by bedsheets, pillows and rearranged furniture.
Consider heading to bed early and snuggling under the covers, reading old love letters and journals.
It should make for beautiful moments of reminiscing, lots of eye-rolling and laughter.
To up the ante, write individual love letters to each other at the end of the night and exchange them. Keep them in a safe place to read years from now.
J. Lo had a blast pretending to be rich in “Maid in Manhattan” — why not try it out yourself?
Spend some time putting together outfits fit for the rich, get dolled up and head out on the town. Take expensive cars for a test drive, or go to open houses in a ritzy area.
Fake British accents are a bonus.
Having a friendly competition with your partner.
Face each other in a video game battle, or see who can make the most delicious dinner. Duel it out on the basketball court with a friendly game of 21.
Whatever it is, keep it light and fun. Remember: We’re all winners here.
We all love a good romantic comedy, right?
Re-create your favorite movie scenes with some role-play fun. Cameron Diaz and Jude Law in “The Holiday,” anyone?
Jimmy Fallon, Ellen DeGeneres and even Tom Cruise have mastered the Lip Sync Battle.
Thanks to Fallon’s show, everybody is all about that Lip Sync. Why not have a fun night battling your partner?
Get rid of your inhibitions — nobody else is watching but the love of your life. Just have fun, and start pretending to sing.
Your Turn: Will you try some of these free date night ideas? Let us know in the comments!
Brianna Bell is a professional writer living in Guelph, Ontario. She is married to her college sweetheart and has two kids under three. You can visit her blog: mrsbriannarose.blogspot.com
The post Can’t Buy Me Love: 14 Romantic — and FREE — Valentine’s Day Date Ideas appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
After reading The Penny Hoarder, I know that crazy money-making ideas work. And with more than $30,000 in student loans, I knew I needed to try something unusual.
After a conversation with a friend, I went for it — and now I have a side gig that pays more than $1,000 a month and helped me pay off my student loans three years ahead of schedule.
A friend of mine is a horse enthusiast who’s active in the horse show scene. One day she mentioned she couldn’t meet up for drinks because she needed to save money to pay her braider the next day.
Confused by what that meant, I asked her to tell me more. It turns out she pays a woman $100 to braid her horse’s mane and tail before every show.
I had zero experience grooming animals, but I could do a mean French braid on my own hair — how much harder could it be on a horse?
I watched a few YouTube videos on how it’s done and what supplies I would need, and I ordered a cheap $20 kit off the Internet. The kit comes with a leather belt/holster, a comb, brush, tiny scissors, thread ribber, and clips to hold hair back.
My friend let me practice on her horse a few times to make sure I could actually do it. While practicing, I found out why people can charge so much for braiding: It’s not particularly hard, it’s just time-consuming.
With a few tries, I was able to master the tail braid and special braids and nubs needed for the horses’ manes. Once I was reliably getting decent results, I decided to take my skills on the road to see if I could make some money on the side.
I looked up upcoming shows on the Internet, and decided to aim for mid-level ones. Small schooling shows held at local barns are usually very casual and the horses are rarely braided. Top shows have extremely experienced braiders I wouldn’t be able to compete against.
But mid-level shows have many people looking to move up in the horse world who would love an added edge with their horses’ appearance.
Once I found a few mid-level options, I called the show locations ahead of time to make sure it was OK if I sold services. No one had any problem with it… in fact, they all said there was huge demand for braiders at their shows.
I showed up at my first show with my cheap braiding kit: small rubber bands ($4 for a 500-pack), a needle and thread ($2), and dollar store hair gel ($1).
I set out a little folding chair and leaned a hand-written sign up against my chair that read “horse braiding: manes and tales.”
Within a few minutes, a young girl and her parents approached me and asked if I’d braid her pony. I told them it would be $20 for the tail and $30 for the mane. They didn’t hesitate at my price, and within 45 minutes I had braided her pony passably well.
The family was pleased and even tipped me on top of my $50 fee.
Before they walked away, two more people approached me to braid their horses. As the day progressed, I couldn’t keep up and my hands got sore. I ended up upping my rates in hopes of cutting down on demand, but it didn’t work.
I worked for six hours straight and made over $500 before I just couldn’t braid anymore.
I thought it was just a fluke, but I went to several more shows and had the same experience. I started learning different braiding techniques that are specific to certain breeds to offer even more options for customers, and I started charging $100 to $150 a horse.
Photo from Kat Tretina
It’s not all fun and games, though.
Besides aching hands, I do have to deal with manure (so much manure) and the occasional horse who thinks braiding is torture. I had to start telling owners their horses had to be able to stand quietly or I would not braid them for my own safety.
But for the most part, the horses were used to this process and would rest while I worked.
I’ve been braiding horses on the side for over a year and regularly average $1,000 a month in profits — after deducting the cost of supplies and gas — working just on Saturdays or Sundays.
The spring and summer months are the most popular, since that’s when the show season is most intense. But there are plenty of fall and small winter shows to keep me busy.
I’ve since started treating this more seriously; I now have professional signage and business cards, and I have a list of regular clients. Many of them call me to braid their horses at their own homes before the show and are willing to pay me a premium for that service.
To keep my earnings as high as possible without wasting multiple days, I try to stay within an hour’s drive of my home. I’m very selective about which shows I attend; I only look for shows that have more than 100 competitors, so I have a good chance of getting steady business.
Two or three times a year, I will travel to big regional shows. These are more of an expense since they last for several days and I need a hotel room, but they’re worth it because competitors are willing to pay top prices. I can easily make $1,000 a day at these shows.
When I started braiding, I had been making just the minimum payments on my $30,000 in student loans for about four years.
After my braiding business started doing well, I started putting an additional $500 to $750 toward the principal every month.
Just 18 months after I started using braiding money for extra payments, I finished paying off my loans — a full three years ahead of schedule.
While not everyone dreams of being a horse braider, this just shows there are plenty of crazy ways to make serious money on the side. Any skill you have, no matter how simple you may think it is, can be a lucrative asset someone else needs.
My nimble fingers turned out to be the path to paying off my student loans ahead of schedule. Your own talents can be the pathway to extra money.
Your Turn: Do you have a crazy skill that makes you money?
Disclosure: This one time, Kyle came into the office with $6 worth of Taco Bell that he planned to eat over the course of three meals. By clicking the affiliate links in this post, you help us help Kyle seriously ease up on the Taco Bell.
Kat Tretina is a freelance writer located in Orlando specializing in personal finance and pet care. You can find more of her work at www.KTretina.com
The post This Woman’s Unusual Skill Helped Her Pay Off $30,000 in Student Loans appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
Npower customers will see gas prices fall by 5.2% from 28 March, as the provider has become the fourth of the big six energy companies to announce price cuts.
But you can save hundreds more by switching, as we explain below.
