Early this week a top Republican consultant whined: "Donald Trump is hijacking the Republican party." Really?
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الجمعة، 4 مارس 2016
Itty-bitty living: 84 Lumber rolling outline of tiny houses
It makes 84 Lumber the first major retailer to tap into this new market, offering houses no bigger than 200 square feet
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Animal Lovers, Grab Your Passport: This Cafe is Hiring a Cat Nanny
This just in: You can get paid to play with cats.
Yes, really.
In a stunning display of understanding everyone’s greatest needs in the world — caffeine and kitty cuddles — some enterprising minds are opening a cat café in Manchester, England.
But before the café’s May opening date, they have some positions to fill. One of which is “Cat Nanny.”
Sign. Me. Up.
The Best Jobs are Jobs With Animals
The Cat Nanny job description, which you can download from the café’s recruitment page on Facebook, indicates a pay rate of £7.50-£8.00 per hour — or, about $11.
You’ll face the taxing job requirements of feeding, grooming and playing with cats all day long.
The ideal candidate will have retail or hospitality experience, computer literacy and “a ‘can do’ attitude” — which it would be kind of hard not to have when your whole job is cats.
If you can’t quite justify an international move, even for a job this awesome, you still have options!
Lots of cat cafés exist in the U.S., and as the trend grows, more are sure to open.
If there’s not a location near you (yet!), you could try pet-sitting — or maybe even pet massage or photography. Check out our list of 20 purrfect jobs for animal lovers.
And if you do end up cuddling kitties in Manchester, send us all the pictures.
Your Turn: Would you apply to be a cat nanny?
Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes other stuff, like wine reviews and poems — you can read along at http://ift.tt/1RiB7sH.
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The Cheapest Place to Buy Groceries Just Became More Convenient
Discount supermarket Aldi just jumped into the new millennium, announcing it will now accept credit cards.
Previously, only cash and debit were accepted at the nation’s 1,500 locations.
“We care about being able to make our customers’ shopping experiences simpler and better every time they come to see us,” CEO Jason Hart said in a press release. “And offering them the convenience of using their credit cards will help us do just that.”
The company tested accepting credit cards in about 50 stores before deciding to roll it out for the entire country to enjoy.
Convenience Won’t Mean Higher Prices at Aldi
Aldi’s reason for shunning credit cards was simple: It went a long way in keeping costs down.
“Credit card processing fees are expensive,” the grocer’s website once explained. “By only accepting cash, debit and EBT cards, it helps keep our prices low.”
The store isn’t shy about hoarding pennies in order to keep prices in check.
You need a quarter to unlock a shopping cart; you either need to bring your own bags or buy them from the store; and locations aren’t open early or late like other stores to cut labor costs.
But times, they are-a-changin’: This week’s press release promises the increased convenience won’t cause prices to rise.
The store will even accept American Express, long known as the most expensive credit card to process.
And California savers have double the reasons to cheer — the chain is opening several stores this year.
How Buying Groceries With Credit Could Help You Save
It might give you the willies to think about charging your grocery bill. Who wants to get billed interest on something they already ate?
But if you pay your credit card bill in full each month, Aldi’s move could be a boon for you.
Putting your weekly groceries on a credit card that earns points or miles could help boost you into new levels of savings, depending on how many hungry people you’re buying for.
Your Turn: Will Aldi’s move change your shopping habits? Have you ever avoided a business because it didn’t take credit?
Lisa Rowan is a writer, editor and podcaster living in Washington, D.C.
The post The Cheapest Place to Buy Groceries Just Became More Convenient appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Almost 1 million boost retirement income by deferring state pension
These figures were revealed in a survey of 8,555 people aged over 50 conducted by Saga Investments in February 2016.
For those who qualify for the state pension before April 2016, the perks of deferring their pension are very generous. People who choose to top up their weekly pension can increase it by 1% for every five weeks they defer, which equals 10.4% a year.
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Chick-fil-A’s New Free Food Challenge is Simple… But Maybe Not So Easy
Let me appease you: Regardless of your family’s values or daily routine, this post ends with free ice cream.
At Chick-fil-A, Southern influence goes beyond making the best fried chicken in the country*. It also means the restaurant values family time — and what’s a more traditional way to connect with your family than over the dinner table?
But you’ve probably noticed this trend: Your family sits down after a long day apart. You load plates with delicious food, dig in and look around at the people you love…
But they’re all hunched over, checking one thing or another on their phones.
Brad Williams, a Chick-fil-A operator in Suwanee, Georgia, noticed the trend, too. And he wanted to change it.
He wanted to reclaim dinner as quality time for families.
Here’s the Part About Free Ice Cream
To reduce distractions during meals at his restaurant, Williams introduced a challenge for his customers: the Cell Phone Coop.
The Coop is a cardboard box that sits on each table. The challenge is simple — though, maybe not easy.
Place your cell phones in the Coop, and leave them there for the entire meal.
If your group is successful, you’ll each receive a free Chick-fil-A Icedream (translation for the Yankees: It’s a vanilla ice cream cone).
Hack: If you don’t like your family, note that the challenge does not require you to actually speak to each other while you eat. Just keep the phones in the box.
Also note: The challenge doesn’t explicitly require a family — or any companions. If you’re willing to enjoy a meal alone with your thoughts, you could probably still earn free ice cream.
The challenge was so well-received at the Suwanee location, it’s spreading.
The Cell Phone Coop Challenge is available at more than 150 locally-owned Chick-fil-A restaurants across the U.S., according to Chick-fil-A. Ask about availability at your nearby locations.
If not, you’re free to Instagram a shot of your Spicy Chicken Sandwich to make your friends in the northern and western U.S. drool with envy.
*That’s just my opinion, but it’s also definitely correct.
Your Turn: What are your family’s rules about cell phones at the dinner table?
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.
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5 Ways to get SEO Traffic in a Hard Niche
It’s one of the biggest challenges when it comes to SEO.
You can read about tons of different SEO tactics on various blogs, but will they work for you?
After all, that’s the important part.
Not everyone wonders about this because they know that common SEO tactics will work for them, no problem.
But you might be different.
Your business may operate in a “hard” niche.
And it’s true, SEO is more difficult in these niches, so not all tactics will work.
However, I’ve worked with many clients in hard niches and have been able to achieve great SEO results with them.
That’s why I’m confident that there is an SEO plan out there that will work for you.
I’m going to help you make that plan for your specific business by showing you 5 ways to improve your SEO efforts in hard niches.
But before we start…
What is a “hard niche?” There’s no formal definition, but I’m referring to businesses that operate in niches that:
- have small online audiences
- have lots of SEO competition
- are hard to get links in (there aren’t many blogs or sites that seem to link out)
- are “boring” (I’ll expand on this throughout the article with specific examples)
If your business falls into that category, I believe that by reading this post, you’ll learn at least a few ways to improve your SEO traffic.
1. Competition depends on the scope (hint: change your scope)
We’re going to address those problems individually, starting with competition.
It’s easy to rank highly for a term when only a few pages on the Internet are optimized for that term.
However, if you’re going up against 10 experienced SEOs, you’ll have a hard time.
If your business is in a hard niche in the sense that traffic is incredibly valuable so competition is fierce (think loans, insurance, etc.), you’ll find that scenario often.
The very core of your SEO strategy needs to shift because you won’t be able to beat all your competitors.
Instead, you need to find keywords that they don’t even target because they don’t think that those words are worth their time.
But you’re smarter than that.
We’re talking about long-tail keywords here—longer, more descriptive keywords that have lower search volumes.
Even though they have lower search volumes, because they are more specific, the traffic they bring is usually more targeted and valuable.
While long-tail phrases don’t get as many searches per month as shorter ones do, there are way more long-tail phrases than the popular short-tail ones.
This isn’t a new concept by any means, but it’s an important one if you’re targeting a competitive niche.
Even a phrase that only gets 50-100 searches a month may be worth it if it’s for a term with high commercial intent (reader is likely to buy something from you).
How to find long-tail keywords: Sure, some SEOs are smart and target long-tail keywords because they know they’re easier to rank for, but there aren’t very many of those SEOs.
And since there are so many long-tail keywords, you can always find some new ones to target if you’re willing to dig.
Why?
Because the best keywords aren’t easy to find.
Most bad SEOs (and there are a lot) and business owners simply use the Google keyword planner (or a similar tool).
They plop in a broad keyword and choose keywords to target based on the results:
But thousands of people have done this for just about every niche imaginable. You’ll find more competition than seems reasonable for almost all of those terms.
Google has data on just about every search phrase you can think of but doesn’t always show it in these broad search results.
So, while using the keyword planner is fine, you need to enter seed keywords and phrases that are different from those everyone else is using.
There are many ways to find these, but one of my favorites is to head over to Reddit.
Type a broad keyword into the search bar. I typed in “drywall”:
Now, start looking at the results for keywords.
I quickly found “how to screw drywall” in one of the threads.
Put that into the tool, and it turns out that the phrase gets about 90 searches per month in the US:
No, that’s not a huge number, but it’s nothing to sneeze at either. If you rank for that phrase, you’ll also probably rank for other very similar phrases (e.g., “how screw drywall” or “how to screw in drywall”). Each of those will have small search volumes, but they’ll all add up to something substantial enough.
Put together 50-100 articles for long term phrases like those, and you’ll be getting a few thousand search visitors fairly easily, without the insane competition for popular keywords.
Look at the search results for that phrase:
The #1 result is a YouTube video, and the top content results don’t even have the phrase in their titles.
That’s as easy a keyword as you’ll find, and it’s because it’s not a keyword that comes up in those obvious searches.
If you put the time into finding great long-tail keyword phrases, you’ll make your SEO plan significantly easier and more effective.
There are many ways to find good long-tail keyword phrases. Here are a few resources with other specific tactics:
- 5 Modern Keyword Research Methods to Uncover Hidden Gems
- How To Generate 20,000 Monthly Visitors Through Long-Tail Search
- A Step by Step Guide to Integrating Long-Tail Keywords Within Blog Posts
2. If links are hard to find, think laterally
In some niches—such as marketing, recipes, and entertainment niches, for example—it’s very easy to get links.
There are hundreds of thousands of blogs that are willing to link to you if you make a good case.
But in some niches, those blogs just don’t exist.
That’s when you need to get creative.
One very effective strategy is to get links from related niches.
For example, if you’re a plumber, related niches would be:
- home DIY
- home decor
- beauty/life (e.g., a proper way to unclog sinks or prevent clogs)
Basically, think of any other niche that you can add your expertise to.
Then, all the typical SEO tactics come back into play: guest posting, forum posting, etc.
Let’s go through an example.
Let’s say that you’re a home decorator.
One related niche is home buying and owning, which has a different audience from your typical home decor enthusiasts.
You could write about how home decor could add value to your home. In fact, that turns out to be a good long-tail phrase:
What could you do with this?
You could create content for your own site and then reach out to home buyer/owner blogs asking for a link. That’s a standard SEO tactic.
Alternatively, you could use the idea for a guest post on a popular site.
Not only will it rank for the long-tail keyword that you target (sending you continuous traffic), but it’ll also send you a lot of immediate referral traffic from the site you post on.
Start by thinking of as many related niches as you can, then generate as many ways as possible to add value to those niches.
3. Boring niche? Here’s how to make it more fun
What can you do in a boring niche?
Can you really make painting homes fun?
If you approach the subject with a notion that it is, in fact, boring, then you probably can’t.
But usually, there are ways to make content at the very least entertaining.
Brian Dean did a great case study of this exact idea. Mike Bonadio, who runs an SEO agency based in NYC, had a client who worked in bug control—boring.
However, he created a high quality infographic on an interesting topic: how bugs can help you defeat garden pests. That infographic got picked up by a few prominent blogs:
Gardening is a related niche for pest control (just as we discussed in the previous section).
But Mike took it a step further by creating “fun” content.
Bugs aren’t supposed to be fun, but he made it fun by focusing on the benefits that bugs can provide.
And you can do this in every niche by focusing on exciting benefits and surprises instead of the boring parts.
For example, do you seal driveways?
Well, that seems boring at first, but what if you created content like:
- How many gallons of sealant would it take to seal Leonardo DiCaprio’s driveway?
- Choosing the wrong driveway sealant will cost you money: A comparison of the true cost of paving a driveway
I’m not so sure that all of those are real things, but the point remains. Turn the boring parts into an important element of a story, but not the main focus.
Back to the case study—how did it go?
Extremely well, I’d say. After Mike reached out to sites in that related niche, he was able to get over 60 referring domains and hundreds of links:
On top of that, he got over 2,100 views from referral traffic in the short term. His client’s site still ranks #4 for the term “exterminator NYC.”
Can you make your niche interesting to your customers? I know this is difficult and requires some thinking, so let me give you another example: Blendtec.
Blendtec is a company that sells…blenders.
Not exactly a sexy product.
However, you might have heard of their “Will it Blend?” video series.
In these videos, they blend all kinds of crazy objects, like iPhones, superglue, and even skeletons to answer the question: “Will it blend?”
They now get millions of views on each video they produce.
More importantly, those videos get linked to a lot, and those videos link back to Blendtec’s website, which makes them rank highly for all sorts of blender-related terms.
4. Don’t start from scratch
If you’re in a hard niche and you also have a brand new website, it’s going to be a long journey to SEO success.
For some types of businesses, most notably local businesses, you have an alternative: use another site’s domain authority.
For example, if you search for “plumbing Chicago,” you get these results just below a map of a few plumbers:
Notice that these listings aren’t of sites that actual plumbers own but of review sites such as Yelp.
Any business can create a page on Yelp, which will automatically have more search authority than your brand new site.
More importantly, these sites have that authority because they already have good search optimization and huge quantities of backlinks.
All you need to do is show up highly on their important pages, and your page (on their site) will rank highly in the search results.
You don’t need links to do this. Usually, you just need reviews.
If you run a great business, these aren’t too difficult to get. Just ask all your happy customers to leave a review (and give them instructions).
In addition, here are some more resources that will help you get more online reviews:
- 5 Techniques to Get 5 Stars: How to Get More (and Better) Online Reviews
- How To Get Great Online Reviews of Your Business
- 7 Secrets to Getting Positive Online Reviews
5. Competitor analysis is always an important first step
The final complaint that I hear is that “no one links out in my niche.”
Well, I’ll tell you something: everyone else is getting their links from somewhere.
And with the tools available to you today, there’s no reason why you can’t get many of those same links.
This is not a new technique, but it remains one of the most cost-efficient and effective ways of getting backlinks and improving your search rankings.
It’s not difficult either, but it will take some work on your part.
Here’s the simple procedure.
Step #1 – Make a list of competitors: First you need a list of sites similar to your own—your competitors.
If they are similar, you should be able to get most of the same links they have.
To make this list, start searching for popular terms in your niche, and then write down the URLs of the top 10 results (or fewer) in a spreadsheet or list:
If it’s a site on a specific topic, you can write down just the domain name, but if it’s a huge site (like hgtv), copy down the exact URL of the page.
Step #2 – Get a list of their backlinks: Next, you need to sign up for either Ahrefs or Majestic.
Those are not affiliate links; those are just the two best link databases by far.
The small monthly cost is more than worth it if you’re serious about SEO.
Go through your list, one by one, and enter the URLs or domain names into the site explorer:
Then, go to the “backlinks” panel on the results, and you’ll get a list of all the backlinks to that page or site:
Step #3 – Determine if it’s possible to get any of those links: Here’s where the work really comes in.
You need to visit each of those pages that link to your target page and see if it’s possible for you to get a similar link on those pages.
For example, one of the above links looks like this:
It’s a page that links to tons of resources.
If you had an appropriate resource page, it would be simple enough to email the owner and ask to be included.
Other times, you might see that the link is from a guest post. You can email the owner pitching a guest post of your own.
While you won’t get a 100% success rate, you will be able to duplicate a good portion of the links for each competitor.
The links are out there, and this is one of the best ways to find them.
One final note is that I recommend you batch each step to improve your efficiency.
Don’t try to get each link as soon as you find it. Instead, record it in a spreadsheet, and do all your link outreach at once.
Conclusion
Not all niches are created equal.
Some are in fact more difficult when it comes to SEO.
However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not doable.
I’ve shown you 5 ways that can help you improve your search traffic in almost any industry (hard ones included).
Start by trying out at least one of these, if not more.
If you have any success stories about SEO in a boring niche, I’d love it if you shared them in a comment below.
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Budget 2016: Pension Isa is frontrunner for pension tax relief overhaul
With the Budget less than two weeks away, chancellor George Osborne is said to be favouring a variation on the pension Isa theme, which reduces or ends front-end tax relief and instead allows investors to make withdrawals from their pension pots free of tax.
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Budget chances 'could cause run on pensions'
Chancellor George Osborne is to announce the results of the government’s consultation into the tax relief on pensions in the Budget on 16 March. Amongst his options are a flat rate of tax relief or a new pension Isa.
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Itty-bitty living: 84 Lumber rolling out line of tiny houses
84 Lumber is going small.The company announced this week that it will be rolling out Tiny Living, a new line of portable itty-bitty houses.It makes 84 Lumber the first major retailer to tap into this new market, offering houses no bigger than 200 square feet, a company press release said.84 Lumber will offer four tiny home models under three packages — one for do-it-yourselfers who want to build their own houses, another for those who want a move-in ready [...]
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Moving in Together? Talk About These 4 Essential Things First
I’m probably not the best person to ask about successfully living in sin; I’ve cohabitated with four different boyfriends, none of whom I’m still with today.
But, despite my failures, I still want to live with my next BF before committing to marriage.
And I know many other millennials feel the same way.
If you plan to move in with your partner, there are a multitude of emotional and moral considerations to make — like if they brush their teeth in the kitchen sink, or care whether your DVR will be filled with “The Bachelor.”
But since this is a personal finance blog, let’s talk purely about the money.
Financially speaking, what should you do before shacking up? What conversations should you have so even if your heart gets broken, your wallet won’t?
Since my track record clearly isn’t great, I decided to solicit some expert advice.
Here’s what I learned…
4 Steps You Have to Take Before Moving in Together
The first time I lived with a guy, I didn’t think twice.
It seemed like a fantastic idea: Together all the time! Endless foot rubs! No need for an extra toothbrush!
Needless to say, it wasn’t quite as idyllic as we’d imagined, and things ended rather abruptly.
The second time, I thought a little bit harder: Did I really want to go through it all again?
At this point, I won’t live with a guy unless we’re talking seriously about marriage.
Why? Because it’s a pain in the neck if you break up.
Not only do you have to deal with the emotional wreckage that accompanies any breakup, you also have to address the tedious details of money and couches and leases.
“Recognize ‘Hey, this is more than just where do we sleep?’” says Sheryl Garrett, CFP, founder of the Garrett Planning Network and co-author of “Money Without Matrimony.”
“[You] hang out all the time together, but making that decision about cohabitation is a bigger step.”
Learn from my mistakes, and do these four things before moving in together:
1. Request a DTM
At this point, you’ve probably already had a DTR (Define The Relationship).
Now I propose you have a new talk: Define The Money.
Unlike a DTR, which is probably better to have off-the-cuff, a DTM might take some preparation, so make an appointment with your partner.
“Schedule a time to talk so that your partner doesn’t feel blindsided and so that you can each do a little homework beforehand if need be,” suggests love and money expert Farnoosh Torabi.
She recommends clarifying you aren’t worried, but that you want to open up the conversation, since you know how it can “unnecessarily complicate things in relationships.”
2. Get (Financially) Naked
When your scheduled money date arrives, it’s time to bare all.
Before Torabi and her boyfriend (now husband) moved in together, they held their DTM in a comfortable setting: their favorite bar.
“We ordered a round (one round only) of margaritas and proceeded to jot down the following on a piece of paper: annual income, bank balances, outstanding loans and credit card balances and approximate credit score,” she writes.
“Then we swapped papers, revealing our details at the same time. This exercise gave us a simple, quick apples-to-apples comparison and helped us understand our relative strengths and weaknesses.”
If you need a softer approach, Torabi suggests asking your partner questions like, “How did you pay for college?” or “Would you say you’re a saver or a spender?” to stimulate easy conversation.
3. Ask the Big Question
No, not that one — the other one.
Are we going to merge finances?
If your DTM doesn’t reveal any red flags about your boo, then it’s time to make a financial plan for your joint household.
Whether you’ll merge finances is the chief question you should consider.
A common strategy, according to Garrett, is to keep the majority of your finances separate, but also open a joint “household account” for shared expenses like rent, utilities, groceries and insurance.
If you decide to go this route, you still need to determine whether you’ll both evenly pay into the account, or base contributions on factors like income and household duties.
“Let’s say one of you does all the cooking and makes less money, and the other one does all the eating and makes more money — maybe you want to have a higher contribution coming from that party,” explains Garrett.
4. Sign Away
Whatever you decide, put it into writing with a cohabitation agreement.
It may seem extreme or unromantic, but it’s a wise move.
Within it, include guidelines about who’s responsible for different bills, expenses and maybe even household chores.
You likely won’t have to use this document on a regular basis, but it’s an easy way to see what living together will be like.
If your lifestyles aren’t going to jive, this conversation might make it apparent.
And, in the event of a breakup, a cohabitation agreement will help to protect both of your interests and reduce additional headaches.
It serves as a “dissolution agreement,” says Garrett. “Basically, how do we separate our stuff if we become invalid?”
So be sure to address questions like: Who gets to stay in the home? Who gets the pets? The furniture? How will you divide any shared debt?
Talking money may not be sexy, but it’s essential to any relationship.
Getting honest about your finances — before taking the plunge — will make the process of moving in with your partner much easier.
But if you think having a DTM means he’ll stop leaving the toilet seat up… Girl, you have another thing coming.
Your Turn: Are you planning to move in with your partner? Have you had a DTM?
Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
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Tesco Bank launches best buy balance transfer deal
Tesco Bank has launched a new best-buy balance transfer card, giving customers 40 months to clear a credit card balance without paying interest, as well as offering 40 months 0% on money transfers.
It’s the joint longest 0% period on the market, matching Halifax’s Balance Transfer Credit Card, but with lower fees.
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Frugal Out of Necessity, Frugal Out of Choice
When I was in college, I was frugal out of necessity. I had very little income coming in – just the money from a part-time job – so every dime that I spent was vital. I ate a ton of ramen noodles. I went to community and campus meetings largely for the free food. I lived in a couple of tiny apartments and was effectively homeless for one short period.
I remember this one Saturday when I hadn’t eaten in about twenty four hours because I was literally out of money. I went into work and found one of my supervisors there who was trying to take care of something that wasn’t too difficult but was pretty urgent. I told him to go home and I’d take care of it. About half an hour later, he came back with about $20 in fast food and gave it to me as thanks. I was almost in tears over it.
At that point in my life, I was frugal out of necessity.
In comparison, let’s look at today. My wife and I are both what I would call frugal, but we don’t miss meals any more. Instead, our focus is making sure that those meals don’t cost too much. We’re careful with what we buy, but we don’t have to worry about having enough money to pay for things when we make the decision to buy them.
A great example of this comes from a few days ago. We had to drive a few hours to go to a wedding and that driving time coincided with our family’s dinner time. We could have gone to a drive-thru to pick up supper, but instead we saved about $10 and made sandwiches and other foods before we left, which took about fifteen minutes or so.
At this point in my life, we are frugal out of choice.
There are a lot of differences between the two.
Frugal By Necessity
A person who is frugal by necessity does not have enough money in order to buy many things. For that person, the absolute lowest price on a minimally functional item is the highest priority.
In this situation, walking out of a store with enough calories to feed your family for the next several days at the lowest possible price is going to be the focus when shopping for groceries.
A person who is frugal by necessity is looking at one thing first and foremost: the price tag. They have a very limited pool of money with which to buy things, so the cheapest version of an item will almost always have to be the one that they choose.
This isn’t done by choice. Often, this person is stuck in a situation with very low income. Their buying choices are predetermined by the pool of money available to them, which is pretty small. They have to stretch every cent to cover their household needs, and that means buying the lowest price version of everything.
Frugal By Choice
On the other hand, a person who is frugal by choice has enough money to buy most things. However, for that person, maximizing the value of every dollar is the highest priority, even when that sometimes means spending more than the lowest possible price.
In this situation, for example, a person might buy several bulk items at a grocery store when shopping for groceries because that will save money over the long run. That person might not choose the lowest-priced item if that item is of very low quality.
A person who is frugal by choice usually puts a good deal of thought and careful consideration into each and every purchase, but not strictly as a way to spend as little as possible. Instead, that person is going to strongly consider the value that they get out of the purchase. Will they use the item frequently? Is the item well-made and reliable so that it won’t need replacing soon and will work well?
For the “frugal by choice” person, the decision to be frugal comes from a number of sources. Perhaps they want to use the excess money to invest or to build a business or to save for retirement. Perhaps they have a personal belief in minimalism or want to avoid being overly consumerist. Maybe there’s an environmentalist thread running through it.
Cheap?
So, where does cheapness fall on this spectrum? A “cheap” person is a person who has the means to be frugal by choice, but instead chases the absolute lowest price on everything to the point of reducing their quality of life and the quality of life of their guests and friends.
I do not view someone who is financially forced to be frugal by necessity as being cheap – they are not choosing to have to chase the lowest-priced option. They are doing it because they have to.
For example, if a friend of mine is really struggling to make ends meet and they invite me over for dinner and serve generic boxed macaroni and cheese and some older bread as part of dinner, it doesn’t bother me in the least.
On the other hand, if someone I know who is making a good income and does the same thing, I would view it as treating a guest poorly – though I wouldn’t say anything, I would think of that person as “cheap.”
Common Strategies
These two flavors of frugality share some common strategies.
Both sides are going to value strategies that have little upfront cost but save money over the long run. For example, I’m frugal by choice, but I like to make my own laundry detergent out of equal amounts of soap flakes, borax, and washing soda. I just mix these up in a jar and put a teaspoon into each load of laundry. This is something that a person who is frugal by necessity would also do, because the up-front cost is comparable to or lower than buying even a small bottle or box of laundry soap. For me, it’s something that saves money without much effort and without reducing the quality of laundry cleanliness by any significant amount.
Both sides are going to value quality things that happen to be free. The library, for example, is full of both “frugal by choice” and “frugal by necessity” folks. State parks are often full of both “frugal by choice” and “frugal by necessity” folks. Free open-air concerts? Lots of “frugal by choice” and “frugal by necessity” people in the crowd there.
Both sides will check the flyers before heading to the grocery store. This is one of our biggest savings strategies – and it’s something I did back then, too. The grocery store flyer is nothing more than a list of discounted items which can serve as a guide for what you’re buying at the store.
Different Strategies
On the other hand, in some areas, their frugal strategies are going to diverge.
The “frugal by choice” people are going to be able to make choices that have a high up-front cost but save money over the long run. If I realize I need an item that I’m going to use all the time, I can afford to spend more to buy a very reliable and well-made version of that item. I like to use LED light bulbs as an example. There are cheaper bulbs out there than LED bulbs, but over the long run, you almost never have to replace LED bulbs and they use very little energy, so your energy bill goes down and you don’t have the continual light bulb replacement cost. However, that costs money up front that many “frugal by necessity” people just don’t have.
The “frugal by choice” people can choose to occasionally spend a lot on something that lines up with a personal value of theirs. For example, Sarah and I often take our family on a family vacation of some kind during the summer, because we think that seeing different parts of the country (and, starting this year, seeing different countries…) is something that’s a valuable thing for our children. We plan those trips frugally, but those are things that aren’t on the table for someone who is frugal by necessity.
The “frugal by choice” people are going to be able to buy the “bang for the buck” version of most products, skipping over the lowest-priced version. Appliances are a great example of this phenomenon. When we go buy a new washing machine, for example, we’re going to have criteria that go beyond the sticker price. What does Consumer Reports think of the model? Will it be reliable and last for a long time so we don’t have to deal with washer problems and replacement anytime soon? Does it have the features we actually need? Those options aren’t available to the “frugal by necessity” folks.
Final Thoughts
Not all people who follow a frugal path are doing it for the same reasons. Some simply have to do it and find themselves making choices based solely on the sticker price. Others want to do it because they want to preserve value for other things or they have other values that align well with frugal choices.
Because of this kind of division (and many others, such as environmentalism), not all frugal strategies are going to work for everyone. Some people who are “frugal by choice” won’t find much use for some strategies that work best for “frugal by necessity” folks, for example, and vice versa.
The value comes from recognizing this difference, and knowing that just because a tactic or two isn’t useful for your situation doesn’t mean that a whole list is useless or that frugality itself is useless. It’s just that different strategies work for different life situations, and when you look at a long list of frugal tactics or read a book on frugality, you’re going to find strategies that work best for someone in a different life situation than yourself. Don’t overlook a book or a list just because some of the initial tactics don’t apply to you (or are things you’re already doing) – likely, that list has an idea or two that will work wonderfully for you.
You just have to find it.
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This College Student Made $300+ a Month on the Side as a Brand Ambassador
In college, I was desperate for high-paying work.
I lived off campus to save money on housing. But between tuition and fees, books, food and other necessities, my part-time job was not cutting it.
I started looking for gigs that paid more than minimum wage and didn’t require a college degree. Then, I came across an ad to make a minimum of $25 per hour as a brand ambassador.
How? By simply pouring drinks.
How I Made More Than $300 a Month as an Alcohol Demonstrator
Getting paid good money to pour alcoholic drinks in a cup sounds like a scam — but thankfully, it wasn’t.
During my eight months as a brand ambassador, I easily made an extra $300 to $500 per month serving alcoholic samples on the weekends, with the potential to earn much more.
While I don’t do it anymore, I earned more than $4,000 to help pay for textbooks, rent and other expenses.
Have you seen people give out food samples in grocery stores? Alcohol demonstrators at the same stores likely do much less work and earn at least twice as much money.
Alcohol costs more and brands are willing to pay top dollar for in-store demonstrations and market research.
To get this type of job, you should be at least 21 years old and able to stand on your feet for extended periods of time. You don’t need to be a bartender, and there’s no specific training or certification.
What a Typical Alcohol Demonstrator Shift Looks Like
I worked three shifts Friday through Sunday, and got to choose my location and workload. I made the choice to only accept jobs within a certain distance from my home, so I never had to travel more than 15 minutes away.
The company I worked for had contracts with hundreds of grocery and liquor stores all over my state. That meant I could pick up tons of local jobs.
Most of my shifts were about four hours long. They took place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 12-4 p.m. at grocery stores, and 4-8 p.m. or 5-9 p.m. at adult beverage stores.
I served everything from wine, flavored vodkas and liquor, to seasonal drinks (like pumpkin spice cream liqueur) and mixed drinks I prepared myself using basic recipes.
Having the freedom to pick up work when I wanted and choose where I wanted to work definitely made me reconsider my low paying part-time job. In fact, I often freed up my weekends to host alcohol tastings instead.
How to Get Started as an Alcohol Demonstrator
Here’s how to find jobs and start working.
1. Choose a Company
You’ll have to weed through the illegitimate companies and scams to find legitimate jobs. One option is to run a search through an employment website like Simply Hired or Indeed.
You can also start by applying with one of these credible and trusted companies for a position as an adult beverage demonstrator or brand ambassador:
2. Purchase or Borrow a Table and Supplies
Some stores may offer you supplies, but, to be on the safe side, I always brought my own.
You’ll need a basic card or centerfold table to conduct tastings. I purchased a table from Walmart for about $20. You’ll also need:
- a tablecloth
- bowl (to keep the bottles of alcohol or wine chilled during your tasting)
- shaker
- bottle opener
Startup costs should only be around $40, if you’re mindful of your spending. You can earn back that investment after working your first tasting!
I purchased my tablecloth and a plastic bowl at a dollar store and borrowed a wine opener from a family member.
3. Connect With a Booking Agent and Bid for Jobs
Once you get hired and obtain all your supplies, you’ll want to get to know your booking agent or manager.
If you’re hired to work in one specific store, you’ll most likely have a regional manager. If you’re an independent contractor who travels to different stores, you’ll have a booking agent who will regularly send you work opportunities.
How to Do the Job Well and Get More Gigs
It’s important to be professional, follow the rules and take initiative when you’re on the job.
Just like with traditional jobs, no one wants to hire or work with a slacker, and managers expect you to follow the rules.
I’ve had customers ask for extra samples on rare occasions, which is against the rules. But when I explained our policy and legal limit, they understood and went about their way.
Most of the time, I set up my display near the checkout counter in the liquor section, so a manager or supervisor was always nearby in case I had any issues. I never did, and it was a pretty safe gig.
This job isn’t only for students: It’s ideal for parents, retirees and professionals alike. I’ve come across a good mix of older and younger men and women doing in-store adult beverage demonstrations.
So be reliable and have a great attitude — you’ll have a better experience and obtain more work.
Your Turn: Would you ever become an alcohol brand ambassador to earn extra money on the side?
Chonce Maddox is a personal finance freelance writer and a fun-loving mom in her mid-20s who’s obsessed with Disney movies, baked goods and earning extra money on the side. She chronicles her journey toward living a well-balanced frugal life and paying off all her debt on her blog, MyDebtEpiphany.com.
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Dear Babysitters, Stop Asking for $15 an Hour
When my husband and I moved to a slightly more upscale area a few years ago, we didn’t know a soul. He had a few friends at work, yeah, but we didn’t know any of our neighbors yet, nor had we made any local friends.
When we finally settled in our new home and winter was over, however, we were more than ready to get outside and have some fun without the kids. For us, that usually meant getting a babysitter once or twice a month so we could go out to dinner, hit a local festival, see a movie, or simply enjoy some alone time together.
Since I wasn’t sure where to look for a new babysitter, I started with our local town’s Facebook page. After posting a basic ad describing what I was looking for – and the age of our kids at the time (2 and 4), I received several responses right away.
As I skimmed through those first messages from potential babysitters, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Where we had paid babysitters in our old town $6-$7 per hour, the girls in our new neighborhood were asking for $14-$16 an hour! Worse, some of the young ladies who responded wanted an additional $3-$4 per hour to watch a second child – not for four, five, or six children, which I would totally understand. Nope, just a second child!
I mean, I live in Central Indiana – not New York City or Boston, for heaven’s sake. A nice three-bedroom ranch home can cost as little as $100,000 in my neck of the woods, and full-time daycare can run as low as $100 per week. But, some babysitters wanted to charge what amounts to $60 for a four-hour date?
I have to admit, I thought they must be kidding at first. Most of the high school kids in the area are likely making minimum wage, which currently sits at $7.25 per hour. Why would a babysitting job – which is almost always a cushier gig than a fast-food or retail job – should pay twice as much?
A few potential babysitters who responded to my initial ad did give details on why they charged a higher rate. One was CPR certified and wanted to become a teacher, she said. The other, who had just graduated from high school, was working as a preschool teacher at a local daycare.
Those responses stood out to me as ones where some extra pay should be warranted. Obviously, CPR certification is a plus when you’re watching young children, and having real-world experience with small kids is also a bonus.
“$15 an hour? That’s crazy!” Photo: Donnie Ray Jones
Four Reasons $15 an Hour is Too Much for This Mom
But I could not – and still cannot – bring myself to pay $15 or more per hour for a babysitter to warm up a pre-made dinner, put my kids in bed, and collapse on my couch to watch Netflix. And to be completely honest, I think it’s wrong to do so on so many levels. Here’s why:
Reason #1: It’s not a realistic wage for the job.
Before I started writing full-time, I worked in the mortuary industry for almost seven years. During that time, I cultivated a diverse skill set that encompassed both customer service responsibilities and technical knowledge. After seven years at that job, I had finally worked my way up to $17 per hour – and we’re not talking about 10 or 20 years ago, here. I left in 2012.
A job that requires little more than playing with kids, maybe making mac-n-cheese, and putting them to bed shouldn’t demand the same payment as one that requires in-depth knowledge of software programs and filing systems, plus seven years of experience. Sorry, it just shouldn’t.
Reason #2: Paying $15 per hour gives kids an unrealistic expectation of the value of their labor in the real world.
Speaking, of that, what happens when young ladies who earn $15 an hour babysitting in lieu of getting a traditional teenage job transition into the real world?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the bottom 10% of kindergarten teachers (which is mostly comprised of new and first-year teachers) earned an annual mean wage of $33,460 in 2014. That works out to around $643 per week, or $16 per hour for a 40-hour week. However, as we all know, kindergarten teachers need a four-year degree and a teaching license to find even entry-level work.
As small business owners, my husband and I also have a virtual assistant. She does data entry for us, writes and edits on our website, and creates computer graphics using complex software. She makes $15 an hour, which is the going rate for this type of work – and she’s an adult with several years of experience and some serious web skills.
What message are we sending kids when we pay them real-world wages to babysit our kids? In my eyes, we’re setting them up for unrealistic expectations of what their labor is really worth.
Reason #3: ‘Babysitting is hard work’ is not a good excuse.
I’ve heard time and time again from parents that “babysitting is hard work.” I don’t disagree with that premise, considering the fact that I’ve had two children just two years apart for the last five years. Watching them – and doing a good job of it – requires a lot of patience and a whole lot of stamina. And we all know that bed times can be particularly difficult, especially for teen sitters who aren’t used to telling young kids what to do and sticking to their guns.
But, is the work really hard enough to warrant $15-$16 an hour in Central Indiana? I think not.
Consider the fact that a Private E1 in the Army – someone who works in extremely harsh conditions and might actually need to risk their life – earns a base salary of just $18,378 until they have two years of experience, and then tell me that babysitting is “hard.”
Reason #4: It’s a case of supply and demand gone wrong.
When everyone else in the area is willing to pay $15 per hour or more for babysitting, it feels like you should too. The kids are certainly loving the easy money, and the parents don’t want to look cheap.
But we aren’t doing our teens any favors by paying the going rate blindly. The fact that some kids are pulling in $15 an hour to babysit doesn’t mean they deserve it, and offering the minimum wage instead isn’t cheap; it’s practical.
I would argue that this is simply a case of supply and demand gone wrong –kids get away with the boosted wages because no one wants to rock the boat or seem cheap in front of their peers. It’s as simple as that.
Final Thoughts
While I was shocked at the high babysitting wages in my area at first, I’m happy to report that there are actually plenty of affordable babysitters in my area. We just didn’t know about them until we got to know more people in our area and met a few in person, and we didn’t hear from them initially because they are busy enough with babysitting jobs they don’t need to respond to online message boards to find work.
In my eyes, minimum wage is fair for anyone ages 16 and up. Bonus points (and higher pay) for someone who is CPR-certified and has taken courses in early childhood development. And I’m always up for paying a little more for someone who engages with my children, makes sure they brush their teeth and hair before bed, and does a good job cleaning up at the end of the night.
But I won’t pay $15 an hour for someone to sit on my couch and watch movies while my kids sleep; I just won’t. If my only choice was paying $60 for a four-hour date with my husband, I would just stay home.
What is the going rate for babysitting in your area? Do you feel like $15 an hour is too much – or too little?
Related Articles:
- Four Unexpected Places to Find Free Babysitting
- How to Deal with the High Cost of Children’s Sports
- Four Businesses Kids Can Start Themselves
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The Morbid Thing You Should Shop for Now (It Could Save You $1,000s)
Death isn’t fun to think about, but it is inevitable.
While we’re all busy trying to save money each day, most of us have probably haven’t given much thought to saving money when we die.
That neglect could end up costing you or your family a lot — financially and emotionally.
So whether it’s in preparation for your death or for a loved one’s, you should shop around for funeral homes now.
It may sound morbid, but could save you thousands of dollars. The price discrepancies between funeral homes are astounding.
Seriously…
These Numbers Will Convince You to Shop Around for Funeral Homes
The first warning bell: The funeral industry is notoriously murky when it comes to its prices.
In a recent survey of 150 funeral homes, only 25% fully disclosed prices on their website, and 16% didn’t even disclose prices when called or emailed.
The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) and Consumer Federation of America (CFA) survey conducted last year consisted of 15 different funeral homes in 10 metro areas.
In addition to showing how shady funeral homes can be, the study also revealed why: an insane disparity between prices.
How much does a funeral cost?
Full-service funerals ranged from $2,580-$13,800. Prices for the same services within a single area “almost always varied by at least 100%” — and often by more than 200%!
Here’s a chart so you can see the numbers yourself:
Source: FCA + CFA Survey
Nutty, right?
Since my region in Florida wasn’t included, I decided to do a little research and see if results were similar.
Unsurprisingly, they were.
Prices for direct cremation in the Saint Petersburg area range from $525-$2,995. That’s a difference of almost $2,500 for the same service — how can that be?
Probably because when you’re grieving, you don’t want to shop around.
“The lack of price competition is unfortunate given the relatively high cost of funeral services and the reluctance of many bereaved consumers to comparison shop for these services,” explains CFA Executive Director Stephen Brobeck.
Which is why it’s good to do so now, before you suffer a loss.
“Planning can make a big difference in terms of your mental state, versus when you’re dealing with a death and have to make this decision,” adds Suzette Sherman, founder of SevenPonds, a website that provides information and resources to help people with end-of-life planning.
A Few More Ways to Save on Funerals
While the numbers convinced me to shop around, I wondered if there were other simple ways to save on funeral costs.
Sherman shared these tips:
1. Opt for Direct Cremation
If you’re not interested in viewing or visitation, direct cremation is an affordable option.
Instead of using a funeral home, hire a crematorium to pick up and cremate the body.
“You’re not paying for the frills of the funeral home with their rooms and all the overhead,” Sherman explains. “You’re only paying the cost of the actual crematorium.”
To find services in your area, Google “direct cremation” plus your city.
2. Join the Funeral Consumers Alliance
The Funeral Consumers Alliance is a national nonprofit organization “dedicated to protecting a consumer’s right to choose a meaningful, dignified, affordable funeral.”
By joining one of its regional affiliates, you’ll receive a list of prices at local funeral homes, as well as member discounts.
Lifetime membership in my city costs just $20.
“They have a partnership to get you the best price in whatever your area is,” explains Sherman.
Membership in their local memorial society helped this family save thousands of dollars, and provided support during an emotional and stressful time.
3. Skip Embalming and the Casket
Don’t get embalmed, and don’t get cremated in a casket.
Sherman says neither is necessary.
Embalming isn’t required in any state — refrigeration usually suffices — and you can actually be cremated in a cardboard box.
Lastly, Make Sure You Know Your Rights
While researching this post, I was surprised to discover the Federal Trade Commission has a Funeral Rule protecting the rights of funeral consumers.
If a funeral home fails to comply with any of these regulations (not all that uncommon), avoid and report it.
According to the Funeral Rule, you have the right to:
- Get price quotes over the phone — without disclosing any personal information.
- Get a written, itemized price list when you visit the funeral home.
- Buy individual items and services, rather than a package.
- Use an “alternative container” for cremation, instead of a casket.
- Provide your own urn or casket — at no extra charge.
- Skip the embalming process entirely.
Click here to read your rights in more detail.
Why You Should Shop Around Before It’s Too Late
No matter how committed a Penny Hoarder you are, you’re not going to feel like shopping around when a loved one dies.
And neither is your family.
So, don’t wait — do it now.
Compare prices and find a reasonably priced funeral home in your area.
Then, if a loved one dies, you’ll know where to turn — and if you die, your family will.
Your Turn: Are you surprised by the price discrepancies between funeral homes? Have you planned your funeral expenses?
Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
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The Benefits and Challenges of Being a Mompreneur
By Holly Reisem Hanna In collaboration with cabi and in honor of International Women’s Day, a celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women worldwide — I wanted to share some of the benefits and challenges I’ve faced as a mompreneur. I had never considered becoming an entrepreneur until the birth of […]
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