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الجمعة، 25 مارس 2016
College is Getting More Expensive for Those Who Can Least Afford It
The numbers surrounding college keep growing — and not always in a good way.
More employers expect you to have more degrees.
More students are taking on more debt.
And, perhaps most unfairly, more colleges are failing to meet the needs of the lowest-income students they enroll — while still giving money to more affluent students.
How is that possible?
It’s all revealed in Undermining Pell, a paper by Stephen Burd on behalf of the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank helmed by Anne-Marie Slaughter.
The study analyzed the net cost of college in the 2013-14 school year for 824 private nonprofit, four-year colleges and 591 public four-year colleges. It focused on incoming freshmen from families with incomes of $30,000 or less.
And the results are pretty shocking…
The Growing Cost of College — for Some
First off, let’s talk public school.
Though it’s often touted as a financially viable option for lower-income students, this report shows that could soon change.
“Nearly half of public four-year colleges examined now leave the most financially needy students on the hook for more than $10,000 per year,” Burd writes.
“Back in 2010-11, only about a third of these public institutions charged the lowest-income students that much.”
If those numbers continue to increase, lower-income students may soon be priced out of public colleges, which is worrisome enough.
But the decreasing aid and rising tuition at public colleges are dwarfed by the numbers at private colleges.
In 2013-14, a whopping 94% of private colleges charged their lower-income students over $10,000, and 72% charged over $15,000 — an amount equivalent to at least 50% of their family’s yearly income.
“It is often the poorest schools that enroll the largest proportion of federal Pell Grant recipients and charge these students high net prices because of their own limited resources,” Burd explains.
Those limited resources have certainly led to some desperate measures…
Because while these schools are decreasing aid for lower-income students, they’re offering it to affluent students!
Why?
“School officials believe it is necessary for the institutions’ survival,” Burd writes.
“It’s more profitable for schools to provide five ‘merit’ scholarships of $5,000 each to entice affluent students who will be able to pay the balance — even if they have less than stellar grades — than it is to provide a single $25,000 grant to a high-achieving low-income student,” he explains.
Wow.
I mean, from a business standpoint, it makes sense. But these are nonprofit educational institutions — not corporations.
Doesn’t it make your blood boil to think an affluent student with an average GPA could receive aid over a low-income student at the top of their class?
“These actions fly in the face of national goals to increase access to higher education and help more students earn high-quality degrees,” writes Burd, and I bet most of you would agree.
What Can You Do to Lower the Cost of College?
Thankfully, the study doesn’t just bear bad news; it also lists the private and public colleges with the lowest net price for lower-income students.
If you’re wondering where to go to college, these schools might be a good place to start.
Private colleges with a high percentage of Pell students and low net price
Private colleges with a low percentage of Pell students and low net price
Public colleges with a low net price
We’ve talked before about how some of the most elite schools offer the best financial aid, and these lists underscore that fact. (In other words, keep studying, and don’t be afraid to put a dream school on your list!)
Other ways to fund college?
Look into free colleges and college scholarships, or start a side hustle like this student.
Or, don’t go to college in the first place. Get an apprenticeship or pursue a high-paying job that doesn’t require a degree.
Your Turn: How do you plan to get around the rising cost of college?
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 College is Getting More Expensive for Those Who Can Least Afford It appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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What’s the Best Way to Invest $1?
“I need a dollar, dollar; a dollar is what I need,” sings Aloe Blacc in one of those tunes I can never get out of my head.
But really, what can a dollar get you these days?
A bag of chips? A half-hour of parking? Not a whole lot.
Or, at least that’s what most of us think.
That’s why I loved a recent piece in The Morning News that asked two dozen people about the best way to invest a dollar.
What’s the Best Way to Invest a Single Dollar?
The article polled people in a variety of professions for their thoughts on investing a dollar — from a banker to a pastor — and the answers turned out as unique as the people themselves.
I’ve included my favorites below, as well as responses from co-workers and friends.
Here are some inventive ways to invest one dollar:
1. Cup of Coffee
“I’d buy a (cheap!) cup of coffee for someone I admire and pick his or her brain for a half hour. Right now I’m focused on hiring and managing smart people, so I’d ask for advice, which I think would be worth far more than one dollar and the lessons of which I could pass on to many more people.”
Serena Keith, Director of Product at Lovely
San Francisco, California
2. Packet of Seeds
“I’d invest in a packet of perennial vegetable, fruit, or herb seeds: asparagus, sorrel, rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes, horseradish, lavender, and thyme. These are hardy, ancient, unfussy, and unapologetically feisty edibles… [You’re] planting once and getting delicious returns on that investment for years.”
Daisy Freund, Senior Manager of the Farm Animal Welfare Dept., ASPCA
Brooklyn, New York
3. Newspaper
“Not the tabloids, but a credible source of news. It’s cheap, it’s informative, and staying current will help you strike up a conversation with people who could help you advance your career.”
Rob Friedman, Risk Associate
New York, New York
4. Clean Water
“In my travels, I’d say what people need most besides security and education is access to clean drinking water. So, if I had a dollar to invest, it would be in a nonprofit or tech company that provides water sources to communities in need.”
Ben Harrison, US Marine
San Diego, California
And now for responses from my friends and co-workers.
5. Lottery Ticket
“To me, a scratch-off is the best way to invest a dollar. How else can you spend one dollar and potentially instantly turn it into several? It’s just a dollar.”
Matt Wiley, Assistant Editor at The Penny Hoarder
Saint Petersburg, Florida
6. Savings
“No one ever got rich by spending their money. You create wealth by saving and investing. Live below your means early in life, and you’ll be able to do more than you could imagine later.”
Jake Wallace, Regional Vice President at Steadfast Capital Markets Group
Jersey City, New Jersey
7. Two Stamps
“Just this week I invested a dollar into two stamps. I sent cards to both my brother in the Army and my pop-pop to check in, tell them what I was up to and let them know I was thinking about them.”
Kathleen Garvin, Editor at The Penny Hoarder
Saint Petersburg, Florida
8. Candy
“At a penny candy store, you can walk away with 100 pieces of candy in one shot… You can spread a lot of joy with it. You can put it out at your cube and people will stop by and take a piece, but also generate small conversations that might not be had in the office without the candy.
“I love my candy dish and the people that eat the candy in it. It just makes work a tiny bit better, and if one other person has a slightly better day because of a Tootsie Roll or whatever, then that is pretty awesome.”
Sam Hubbard, Coordinator of High Performance at USA Volleyball
Colorado Springs, Colorado
9. Ones Jar
“Start a ones collection. Spend a year putting any one dollar bill you have on you at the end of a day in a container. You’ll be amazed how much you have after a year.”
Matt Deitel, Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo
Jonesborough, Tennessee
10. Penny Slots
“Try your luck at the penny slots. If you come out on top, invest the money for a future trip!”
E’vone Starks, Administrative Wine Buyer at The Patio Group
San Diego, California
11. Kids
“I would invest a single dollar between the two tiny humans we’re raising to be money-smart. It invests in their (piggy bank) savings, and invests in my happiness to see their joy over two quarters apiece.”
Erin O’Neill, Numbers and People Juggler Supreme at The Penny Hoarder
Saint Petersburg, Florida
12. Caffeine
“Buy a cup of (cheap) coffee and use the caffeine jolt to accomplish a task you’ve been putting off.”
Mary Donofrio, Director of News and Media at Utica College
Syracuse, New York
13. Into a Cup
“Give it to a homeless person. It will mean more to him/her and will give you the most satisfaction!”
Luke Merriman, Black Cab Driver
London, United Kingdom
14. Bingo Card
“I’d buy a card at bingo next week. If I win, awesome. If I don’t, at least I had fun playing and hanging out with friends!”
Heather van der Hoop, Senior Editor at The Penny Hoarder
Saint Petersburg, Florida
15. Packet of Yeast
“I love baking bread, so I’d buy some yeast and make two delicious loaves. I’d give the finished product to a neighbor, friend or co-worker. Relationships are the most important thing you could ever invest in.”
Me!
Here at The Penny Hoarder, we firmly believe every dollar — and every penny — counts. And these answers prove you can invest in your future no matter how much money you have.
Your Turn: How would you invest a single dollar?
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 What’s the Best Way to Invest $1? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Should You Switch Your Site to HTTPS? Here’s Why You Should or Shouldn’t
There are two types of SEOs:
Those who love the technical stuff…
…and those who hate it.
If you fall into the first category, you’re probably already experienced with HTTPS.
If you’re in the second category of SEOs, you might be a little intimidated by it.
If you are intimidated, it’s for a good reason, and I completely understand it.
There are some parts of HTTPS that are complex, but most of it is simple.
Furthermore, you don’t need to understand the exact behind-the-scenes work going on in order to implement HTTPS on a website.
What’s the deal? Is HTTPS important or not?
The idea of HTTPS has always been a good one, and most leading businesses implemented it a long time ago.
However, somewhat recently, Google announced that HTTPS is a ranking factor.
Obviously, that got SEOs talking about and debating the subject.
At the time, it was a very small ranking factor, affecting less than 1% of global searches. Even now, it’s not a big factor.
However, security is something that Google takes very seriously, and it’s likely to become more important in the future.
Some SEOs jumped right on it and made the switch.
Most saw little to no improvement, but there was certainly anecdotal evidence of ranking improvements:
There is a potential benefit of making the switch.
On top of search rankings, you also get a pretty lock symbol in Chrome and Firefox.
If your site isn’t HTTPS, you don’t get this symbol, and sometimes visitors may get warnings about the security of your site on certain types of pages.
HTTPS: Explain it to me as if I’m five
I’m not going to pretend to know all the technical details behind HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), but I can certainly tell you the basics.
The main benefit of HTTPS is that it makes your site more secure for your users. More specifically, it’s more secure when a user is giving you any sort of information.
It’s essential on pages where users are required to give their credit card information and/or other personal details. However, it’s a good thing to have on all pages.
The real change happens when a user submits their data. HTTPS is able to provide multiple layers of protection to that data:
- encryption – the data is worthless to anyone who somehow manages to intercept it because they don’t have the key to decrypt it (you do).
- data integrity - data can’t be corrupted, which is a good thing.
- authentication - it prevents “man in the middle” attacks, which means that it’s not possible for anyone to trick your customers into thinking they’re providing you data when they’re really giving it to a scammer. This is what your SSL certificate (more on that soon) is for.
Do you need HTTPS?
As an SEO or business owner, you understand that using HTTPS is a good thing.
But is it really necessary?
Well, there are two benefits to having it:
- a small boost in rankings (possibly larger in the future)
- a more secure site for your users
If you run a big site such as Quick Sprout, even a small boost in SEO results in tens of thousands of visitors per month. That’s one reason why HTTPS definitely made sense for Quick Sprout.
However, if you’re starting out, you’re not going to see a real difference in your search traffic.
In the future, it could make a bigger impact, but for now it won’t.
All in all, if you’re expecting to get a significant amount of search traffic in the next few years, you should plan on switching to HTTPS.
What about security?
If you just have a blog and all you require from your users is to enter their email addresses to opt in to your email lists, you probably don’t need HTTPS for security reasons.
However, if you accept payments or important personal information for any reason, you need HTTPS on those pages at a minimum.
Between those two factors, you should know whether you need to implement HTTPS on your site at all. A large portion of sites should have it, but not all do.
If you do need to implement HTTPS, I’m going to show you the steps you need to follow. I’ll provide as many specifics as I can, but there are many parts that will vary based on your site choices (I’ll lay it out for you).
Step 1: Pick a type of SSL certificate
SSL? What’s that?
SSL is the protocol that HTTPS uses. Basically, you need to install an SSL certificate on your site in order for it to use HTTPS.
There are three different types of certificates you can get:
- Domain validation – the cheapest and most basic; it only really covers encryption (from the three things we went over earlier).
- Organization validation – the middle choice in terms of price, which also includes authentication. If you’re collecting personal information, you probably want at least this option.
- Extended validation – the top of the line option, which provides the best security you can get with HTTPS. This is mainly for big e-commerce sites and sites that collect really important private information.
Here’s a nice little summary:
Google recommends that you use 2048-bit encryption certificates, so keep that in mind if you go with an organization validation certificate (which offers different levels of encryption).
Where to buy an SSL certificate: You can buy a certificate from a ton of different websites. They will offer different types at different prices, so you can shop around if you’d like.
However, I recommend buying one from your hosting company.
Why?
Because most hosting companies offer them in the first place, and many of them will also help you install them. So for convenience sake, start by looking at them.
For example, Hostgator sells a few different types of certificates:
You can see that the prices aren’t too steep.
Once you’ve bought one, you can then get them to install it for you on your hosting server (provided you have a dedicated IP):
If that’s not possible…Not all hosting providers will install the certificate for you.
At this point, see if they have an installation guide by Googling:
(hosting company) + SSL certificate installation
If that doesn’t bring up anything useful, contact their support.
The process of installing a certificate differs from host to host, which is why I can’t give you specific steps here.
Step 2: Create a URL map of your site and redirect
Take an example URL of:
http://www.example.com
Then compare it to:
https://www.example.com
The only difference is one “s” in the URL, and it’s before the actual domain name.
But it makes a difference. These are two entirely separate URLs.
What that means is that you need to create copies of all your site’s pages and then redirect all of your old “http” pages to your new “https” pages.
Although a pain, it’s pretty simple.
A URL map can just be a simple spreadsheet, containing a list of old URLs with a list of the corresponding new URLs beside it.
If you wanted to make changes to your site structure or URL format, now would be a good time to do it.
If you’re using WordPress, you can add all the 301 (permanent) redirects to your .htaccess file.
Each line should look something like this:
Redirect 301 /oldpage.html http://ift.tt/1VNr3Mv
You just need to fix the bolded parts.
If you’re planning to move to a brand new domain while you’re doing this, refer to my guide to moving a WordPress site for step-by-step instructions.
3. Update your internal links
You’re not quite done with linking yet.
You likely have many internal links throughout your site. These may point to your old “http” pages.
Ideally, you want these to point directly to your HTTPS pages.
Introducing relative URLs: If you’re lucky, you’ve been using relative URLs all along.
These don’t specify an absolute (entire) URL; instead, they tell your browser to add something to the end of the domain.
For example, if this link:
<a href=“/page2”>Link</a>
was placed somewhere on our domain example.com, clicking it would take you to:
http://ift.tt/TfmP3j
When you switch to “HTTPS,” the same link would take you to:
https://www.example.com/page2
which is perfect.
If your site wasn’t built like that and instead uses absolute links:
<a href=“http://ift.tt/1XSAqZR;
then you’ll need to find each link and add the correct new URL to it.
4. Update image and other links
It’s not just links to pages on your site that you need to worry about.
It’s also any other link to resources such as images, stylesheets, and scripts.
If you right-click any of your site’s pages and click “view source,” you’ll see all kinds of tags like this:
<script src=”http://ift.tt/1B6842P” />
The problem is that you need to ensure that all files used and served on your site also use HTTPS.
If those sources and image locations exist on your domain, you need to point them to the correct HTTPS locations.
If you have both HTTP and HTTPS URLs, you can use protocol relative URLs, which look like this:
<script src=”//www.domain.com/js/file.js” />
The double slash in front tells your browser to use HTTPS in front of that URL when the file is being requested from an HTTPS page.
Don’t forget about your CDN: If you use a CDN, you need to make sure that your CDN supports HTTPS.
Most CDNs do support HTTPS by now, but not all of them.
For example, Cloudflare does.
If they don’t have detailed instructions on how to implement HTTPS, so you’ll again have to contact their support.
Then, you’ll have to go back to your new HTTPS site and make sure that the source for all images is pointing to the HTTPS image location on your CDN.
To ensure that you don’t miss any links or images, I recommend using a site crawling tool like Screaming Frog SEO.
You put your domain in the spider text box at the top, and it will extract a ton of information from your site.
Then, click the “internal”, “external”, and “images” filters along the top to see what’s on your site.
If they’re all HTTPS, you’re good to go.
5. Add your site again in WMT
Now that your site is basically whole again, you want to get Google crawling it as soon as possible to limit the chances of your traffic being negatively affected.
You need to re-add your site to Google webmaster tools (Search Console) because the HTTPS site is considered a completely different site.
Then, you should submit your new sitemap in your new listing.
On top of that, re-submit your old sitemap (in your old WMT property) because then Google will see the 301 redirects and update its listings.
6. Do some quick testing to make sure everything went well
If all goes smoothly, you should see no change or a small positive bump in search rankings.
If traffic drops off significantly for more than a day or two, you likely have a problem and should go through this guide again (and ask your host or an SEO consultant for help).
First you should make sure that your SSL certificate is installed correctly.
To do that, use this free SSL server test:
Just put in your new homepage URL, and it’ll do a thorough test:
Other than this, you want to watch your rankings to make sure you spot issues.
Finally, you should click around various pages on your site and make sure that the HTTPS lock shows up correctly (green) in Chrome.
Conclusion
I know that you might not love technical SEO, but it’s important.
By now you should know whether or not HTTPS is needed for your site and how to implement it.
Although questions about the actual migration can be difficult to answer, if you leave me questions with as much detail as possible in a comment below, I’ll try to answer them.
Source Quick Sprout http://ift.tt/1pLSzxT
The ‘Guilt’ of Buying Something Fun
A friend of mine recently told me that my “guilt” from spending money was completely backwards.
Let’s say I’m going to a coffee shop, for example. My tendency would be to not go there at all and just drink something at home, but if I were to go, I’d pick out a cup of something tasty and probably enjoy it as I was drinking it, but afterwards, I’d usually feel like that was a complete waste of my money. The only thing that might change that is if it were part of hanging out with a friend I hadn’t seen in ages, or some other extenuating special circumstance.
On a typical day, something like buying an expensive latte from a coffee shop would leave me feeling guilty about how I was spending my money.
On the other hand, let’s say there’s something expensive I’ve been thinking about buying for a while, something that I’ve thought about a lot and researched, something that I know is going to bring me lasting enjoyment. Maybe it’s a $1,000 piece of homebrewing equipment, or maybe it’s an amazing vacation with my wife that we’ve talked about for years.
Whatever it is, I really don’t feel guilty at all about that purchase, even though it’s incredibly expensive. If it’s something that I’ve thought about a lot, made sure I could afford, researched appropriately, and realized that I would get lasting joy and pleasure from it, I don’t feel guilty at all about that purchase.
It turns out that at least one of my friends feels the exact opposite of this. Buying something like a latte at the coffee shop each day or a meal out for lunch doesn’t even hit her radar screen at all. She doesn’t feel guilty at all for those things. On the other hand, she frets and worries extensively about any big purchases, both before and after.
While I can’t exactly explain what motivates my friend’s relative sense of guilt, I have a pretty good idea of why I feel the way I do.
First of all, spending money on something that’s fleeting usually feels like an enormous waste of money to me. If I’m alone, I’m usually happiest when I’m minimizing my spending on anything consumable because, honestly, it really doesn’t matter that much. Buying something that’s fleeting and forgettable when I’m alone just feels like I might as well have thrown the money out of the car window. Whenever I do it, I feel as though it was a mistake because it directly costs me in terms of other aspects of my life. The fact that it may have been a small amount is pretty inconsequential to me.
This is why I’m so focused on trying and buying store brands – I want to spend less on those forgettable everyday essentials because they’re so fleeting and so unimportant to my day-to-day happiness. Buying a jug of Tide doesn’t make my life better.
This extends to my immediate family as well, though not as intensely. I’d far rather, for example, pack a convenient meal for our family’s road trip before we leave – because it’s quite a bit cheaper – than stop somewhere along the way, and I feel like such a stop is really a waste of money. I’d far rather eat a meal at home with them than eat out, so that on the rare occasions that we do eat out, it becomes something more special.
So, when do I consider those little forgettable expenses worthwhile? They matter when they’re a key part of building or maintaining a relationship I care about, like going out to eat with a friend who’s only in town for a very short while or going out to lunch with a potential business partner.
I also don’t “cheap out” when I have guests in my home. Why? In those situations, the expense isn’t about the item at hand, it’s about the relationship. Relationships have real lasting value for me and I don’t mind spending money in situations and on little things that might help maintain and improve those relationships.
Now, what about the big things? How can I justify spending $1,000 on a piece of homebrewing equipment (note that this is a hypothetical example) when I won’t spend $5 on a cup of coffee?
First of all, those big things are the things I really do care about. They’re tied deeply to something that really matters to me – a deep personal interest, a close relationship, or something like that. Most of those little fleeting purchases simply do not matter to me in any lasting way.
Second, I don’t make a big purchase without being completely sure that it fits into our current family budget. I’ll usually save for this big purchase for months, usually by taking money out of my monthly line in the budget for spending on whatever I so choose. That way, the $1,000 or whatever I’ve saved up isn’t actually impacting our budget in any way.
Third, I’ve thought about the purchase a lot and feel quite confident about it. During the period when I’m saving up for that big purchase, I’ll research what I want to spend that money on and think a lot about whether I want to actually spend that money. If I actually finish this period and still have a strong desire for that item, I’m pretty sure that it’s going to be a good choice.
None of those things are true for little incidental purchases. They’re usually things that I don’t care about, I’m often not sure if they fit well into the budget, and I haven’t given it much consideration at all. Just because the expense happens to be relatively small doesn’t mean that I should ignore these factors.
To put it another way, my guilt about a purchase has little do to with the size or expense of the purchase. It has to do with whether the purchase is actually meaningful for me in a lasting way, whether we’ve accounted for it in our budget, and whether I’ve given it at least a little consideration as to whether I really want it or not. If those things aren’t true and I’m still spending money, I’m going to feel guilty about that expense.
On the other hand, my friend’s guilt about a purchase is heavily tied to the size of the purchase. She rarely feels guilty about small purchases, but often feels guilty about larger ones.
Photo: Rob Sinclair
Which one is right? Obviously, I prefer my own outlook or else I wouldn’t live my life in that fashion, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the right choice for everyone.
I tend to think the philosophy of worrying more about larger purchases works just fine under the right circumstances. For example, if that person is automating most of their finances and already has their bills and their retirement savings covered, not worrying as much about little pieces and worrying about big ones can actually make a lot of sense. If you have, say, $1,000 in flexible spending over the course of a month or two, a $500 purchase is going to make a much bigger impact in that pool of money than a $5 purchase.
Similarly, I think the philosophy of worrying about less meaningful purchases makes sense in many circumstances, too. If a person is highly organized when it comes to their finances and knows where every dollar goes, being more worried about the actual purpose and long-term benefit of each dollar actually makes a ton of sense. In other words, worrying less about purchases that are more meaningful actually lines up well with how I handle my money.
More important than either of these things, however, is that you do have some sense of “guilt” or some sort of negative reaction to spending mistakes.
Spending without any limits at all is going to put you in financial trouble. You need to have some sort of internal guide that tells you that spending too much money is a bad thing and that feeling should grow stronger the more you spend and the tighter you make your finances because of that spending.
Perhaps you’re like me and that internal guide or sense of guilt comes from purchases with little lasting meaning. Maybe you’re like my friend and that sense of guilt comes from expensive purchases. In either case, our mind is alerting us to the fact that we might be making a mistake here and that we should rethink what we’re doing.
Trust that sense of guilt. Listen to it. Figure out what it’s trying to tell you. Usually, it’s trying to tell you something useful, something that indicates that maybe you should be making some different choices because the value you’re getting from your current choices isn’t adding up to enough.
There’s nothing wrong with spending money to have fun, but when you’re spending money in a way that’s leaving you feeling guilty, then it’s not adding up to nearly as much fun. Pay attention to that and make some changes. If you do, your life will be far better off for it.
The post The ‘Guilt’ of Buying Something Fun appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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What Can You Buy for Less Than $50 That Will Actually Improve Your Life?
We came across this money question on Reddit this week — and we’re intrigued.
User servitefriars asked, “What can you buy for less than $50 to instantly improve the quality of life?”
Some of the responses are surprisingly simple.
You might not immediately think of $50 as a game-changer. And you may have considered purchasing some of these items, but think they’re too expensive.
The conversation puts it all into perspective.
We’ve pulled together the top 10 responses, as upvoted by the Reddit community, excluding anything that’s always free.
Here are some of the items users mentioned that significantly improved their quality of life — and cost less than $50.
1. Buy “Your Mum Some Flowers”
We’re not kidding.
This is the top response and definitely the sweetest.
Without leaving your couch, you can have flowers delivered to any loved one — but, c’mon, send them to your mom. Prices vary quite a bit, but you can certainly find options under $50.
2. An Attachable Bidet. Seriously.
Tired of your friends returning from European vacations and gushing about how bidets are everywhere there, and it’s changed their lives?
Thankfully, they’re finally starting to catch on in the U.S.
Because totally restructuring your bathroom isn’t in the cards for most of us, we have bidet attachments for between $20-$100 to give our toilets a dual purpose.
3. Slow Cooker
Parents in particular tout the life-changing benefits of owning a slow cooker.
You can make just about anything in it — meats, soups, stews, casseroles, dips, oatmeal, even some breads.
This Crock-Pot 6-quart slow cooker is just $49 on Amazon. Cooking for just one or two? Try this 3-quart slow cooker for only $20.
4. Seed Packets (for Gardening)
“Gardening is very therapeutic,” said commenter lemonriot, “so right away you have that benefit. Later you have food, cut flowers, whatever. Collect those seeds for next season. And so the wheel turns.”
Start a vegetable garden in your backyard, and enjoy the psychological and physical health benefits. Plus, you’ll save money on groceries!
This collection of 12 heirloom varieties of non-GMO vegetable seeds is less than $20 on Amazon. You can get this full starter kit for $35.
If you prefer planting flowers, get free wildflower seeds from FindABee. Be sure to share a bouquet with your mom.
5. Handheld Showerhead With Adjustable Spray Settings
We were surprised to see this on the list — at first.
But think about it.
You take a shower most days. For many of us, it’s how we start each day. For $20, you can significantly improve the experience.
6. Fire Extinguisher and a First Aid Kit
As user dryfire explained, “These are things you buy while hoping they don’t improve your quality of life.”
Pick up a home fire extinguisher for $20-$30. First aid kit prices vary quite a bit, depending on their contents, but you can easily find one for around $20.
7. Electric Kettle
Comments suggest more Brits than Americans prefer an electric kettle, but we can attest to their life-changing powers!
We have an electric kettle in The Penny Hoarder office — and it only cost $25.
They’re perfect for break rooms, dorm rooms and small apartments with no stovetops. Boil water quickly for coffee, tea, oatmeal and other creative recipes.
Or, pick up the stove-top version for about half the price.
8. A Good Pillow
What makes a “good pillow” is totally subjective.
It’s definitely worth investmenting in a comfortable pillow that doesn’t flatten into oblivion in a few months.
I got this contour memory foam pillow from Target for $24.99, and my neck is quite grateful.
9. Electric Toothbrush
We’re not surprised someone listed this, but a little surprised to see it so commonly upvoted.
Several people confirmed the life-changing effect of the seemingly boring tool. Improve your oral hygiene, decrease dental expenses and boost your confidence.
Get this Oral-B electric toothbrush for $49.95. Replacement heads are less than $20 for three.
10. Wine and Dine Your Friends
“Wine and dine your friends,” suggested user her_nibs.
“Not extravagantly at restaurants, just — hey, good to see you, want some beer? Hey, I made bread yesterday, have a loaf!” the user wrote.
They said it pays off in bartering.
“I can get big favours done for the price of a few loaves of homemade bread.”
Here are 10 good wines under $15 and some thoughtful DIY gift ideas. And if you’re ready to get into it, here’s how to get started baking bread at home.
Your Turn: What have you bought for less than $50 that’s changed your life?
Disclosure: What would Abe do? Probably pat us on the back for placing affiliate links in this post. Thanks for helping us fill The Penny Hoarder’s beer fridge!
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).
The post What Can You Buy for Less Than $50 That Will Actually Improve Your Life? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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The Strategic Splurge: Saving for the Stuff You Really Want
While some people are frugal by necessity, others are frugal by choice. Instead of making careful financial decisions and living within a tight budget just to get by, they’re frugal because, in their minds, it just makes the most sense.
That’s why I always say that frugality, when chosen and not forced, is a lifestyle decision. When you have plenty of money to spend but you choose not to, your decision is about more than dollars and cents; it’s about value and the lifestyle you hope to achieve.
No matter how much you earn, there is value to be had in spending your money – and saving it – in a way that aligns with your long-term goals. Plus, there is an inherent value in the energy we expend to earn each dollar. I mean, we all work pretty hard at our jobs, right? When you stop and think about it, wasting your paycheck is a lot like wasting the hours you spent slaving away to earn it.
Of course, living a frugal lifestyle isn’t just about being less wasteful. In my opinion, the best thing about living a frugal lifestyle is the freedom it buys. When you spend less than you earn, you can save a much larger chunk of your monthly income — and that can translate into greater career flexibility and freedom from financial anxiety. It also means you can probably afford some tactical splurges here and there.
Even though I’m pretty darn cheap, I love a good splurge. But first, I save for them.
Five Steps to Save Up for a Strategic Splurge
Of course, it isn’t always easy. Even when you’ve got wiggle room in your budget, a big “splurge” can take months or even years to save for. That’s perfectly okay of course, and it can even increase the excitement once you reach your goal. But it helps to have a strategy to prepare.
Whether your splurge is a family trip to Disney World, a newer car, or a serious upgrade to your home, the way you go about it can drastically improve your results – and shorten your savings timeline.
Once you’ve got some extra money in your monthly budget to save for what you really want, here are some of the top strategies to consider:
Create a savings plan… and follow through.
When you initially decide on a big splurge, it helps to get some research out of the way. Start by figuring out roughly how much your desired splurge should cost – both now, and by the time you’ve got the money saved up.
If it’s a vacation or a new car, a bit of online research should give you a general idea. The same goes for a home upgrade: A quick online search can help, although you may need to call in an expert or contractor for a more accurate estimate. Remember that prices change by season and over time — so don’t count on an off-season travel deal being available at the same price during peak travel times. Likewise, if your time horizon is more than a year, expect the price to nudge upward along with inflation.
Once you know how much you need to save, it’s time to create a plan to make it happen. What dollar figure do you need to stash away? And, by when?
Once you have answers to these questions, create a savings timeline that makes sense on paper and in the real world. If you want to save $5,000 for a trip to Hawaii, for example, and plan to go in fall of 2017, you’ll have 18 months to save up: $5,000 divided by 18 months = $278 per month.
Make your bank transfers automatic.
Once you know your monthly or weekly savings goal, you’ll need to make sure you get that money into your savings account. One way to go about it is to make your savings automatic. Contact your bank and ask for an automatic transfer on a specified day of the month — like payday — then let your bank do the heavy lifting.
Once you make the transfer automatic, you’ll have to build a budget without those extra funds. However, the fact that the money is transferred without any effort on your part means you’re a lot less likely to spend it. By making transfers automatic, they’ll be “out of sight and out of mind.”
Open a targeted savings account… and don’t touch it!
Speaking of bank transfers, it helps to have a special account set up to receive them. By opening a targeted savings account just for your “splurge,” the money you save is less likely to fade into your regular savings and get consumed by something else.
Many online bank accounts are easy to open, charge few or no transaction fees, and offer better-than-brick-and-mortar interest rates. Some, like Capital One 360, even allow you to set up separate savings goals within one account.
By opening a targeted account, you can easily watch your money grow to its full potential, month by month. But once it starts growing, you have to keep your hands out of it!
- Related: Best Savings Accounts for 2016
Make strategic cuts – and bank the savings.
Want to save faster to afford your splurge sooner? If the amount of money you can feasibly stash away for your splurge isn’t as much as you’d like it to be, consider taking a scalpel — or even an ax — to your monthly budget and making some serious cuts.
Not only should you avoid paying for some things altogether, you may be able to whittle down your budget further with a couple of strategic sacrifices. Consider cutting the cord to cable, for example. Or, start hacking away at your grocery budget. Whatever you end up cutting, just make sure that extra money goes into your targeted savings account.
Stash bonus money before you spend it.
Most Americans have a tax refund coming their way in the next month, and others have already received one. Meanwhile, some of us get annual bonuses at work, commissions, or financial incentives for reaching company goals. Plus, there are always those months where income is higher than normal, either due to overtime, an extra payday during a five-week month, or even a raise.
Whatever your “extra funds” may be, make sure not to waste them! When you’re trying to reach a savings goal, the best thing you can do is hide that money from yourself as quickly as you can. Stash it away in your targeted savings account, then keep your hands out of the cookie jar. The sooner you have the money set aside for your splurge, the sooner you’ll get to enjoy it.
The Bottom Line
When at its most powerful, frugality can serve multiple purposes in your life. Not only can a frugal lifestyle help you sleep better at night by providing you with more financial security — it can also help you afford the things you really want in life.
Still, it pays to be intentional with your savings. By creating a plan, opening a targeted savings account, and having the discipline to follow through with it, you’ll get to enjoy your splurge without going into debt or worrying about whether you can afford it. You can, because you chose to save for it.
How do you save for the “splurges” in your life? Do you have a targeted savings account for a special goal?
Related Articles
- Five Things You Could Afford If You Didn’t Buy a New Car
- 40 Ways to Save Money on Monthly Expenses
- Five Things I Was Willing to Give Up to Save Money
The post The Strategic Splurge: Saving for the Stuff You Really Want appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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7 Reasons Every Deal Seeker Should Follow Hip2Save
Here at The Penny Hoarder, we follow a LOT of blogs.
They help us stay on top of all the news and bargains, so we can pass the best information on to you.
One of our all-time favorites is Hip2Save.
Founded by Collin Morgan in 2008, Hip2Save claims it’s “not your grandma’s coupon blog” — and I agree. The site takes a fresh look at the world of coupons and deals, and I can’t get enough.
If you’re not a Hip2Save convert yet — I’m guessing you will be after reading this post.
7 Reasons We Love Hip2Save
Hip2Save has a clean and well-organized platform, and more importantly, a fun voice that makes you excited to follow along and score deals.
Morgan’s adorable personality shines through in both her writing and videos — but besides Morgan herself, here are seven specific reasons you’d benefit from following this blog.
1. It’s Full of Tips for Every Level of Couponer
One of the things I love most about Hip2Save is it doesn’t just list the deals and coupons; it also features a wealth of tips and articles, many of which include input from readers.
Topics range from saving money on spices to running a home business when you have kids. There are even printables to help you determine when to buy certain products or how much to pay for groceries.
Whether you’re a coupon noob (like me) or a seasoned pro (like our founder Kyle), you’re sure to learn a lot on this site.
2. It Showcases All Types of Deals
While I personally appreciate the site for its educational posts, most people come to Hip2Save purely for the deals.
And rightfully so: It has everything from freebies to coupons, apps, sweepstakes and rewards programs.
Whatever type of bargain you’re looking for, you’ll probably find it here.
3. Its Daily Newsletter Rocks
I don’t know about you, but the sheer number of deals out there can quickly overwhelm me.
Luckily, Hip2Save sends out a newsletter each afternoon, which lists all of that day’s new deals. So instead of combing through dozens of websites, you’ll get the hottest bargains delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Hip2Save’s newsletter here. Or sign up for text alerts instead.
4. Its Coupon Database is Insane
Do you get frustrated looking for coupons, because they’re not for things you buy? I know I do.
Well, that’s not an issue if you use Hip2Save’s coupon database.
All you do is type in your desired product — from eggs to cereal — and tons of coupons pop up. You can easily sort through them by description, value, expiration date, source, store and limitations.
5. It Helps You Track Your Favorite Deals
Sometimes you see a deal that looks enticing, but you’re not ready to snatch it up quite yet; then, when you’re ready to act, you can’t find it anymore.
Hip2Save feels your pain, and created the Hip list as a solution. When you see a deal on the site, you can save it to your Hip list with one click, for easy access later.
Three cheers for no more lost or forgotten deals!
6. It Even Has an App
As if the site didn’t provide enough ways to score deals, there’s also a Hip2Save app for iPhone, Android and Kindle.
Not only does it showcase deals, coupons and freebies, it also has unique features like a budgeting tool and directory of store coupon policies.
As an added bonus for using the app, Morgan gives away one $50 Amazon gift card each week!
7. It’s Backed By a Powerful Story
Last but not least, Hip2Save has a real and inspiring story behind it; Morgan isn’t exaggerating when she says coupons saved her life.
Lacking confidence in middle and high school, Morgan eventually started using drugs. Though she stopped after becoming pregnant, she then struggled with bulimia for five years.
When she finally sought treatment and recovered, she and her family were more than $50,000 in debt.
Using coupons — and teaching others to do the same — not only helped her get out of debt, it also helped her get her life back.
“I know they’re just coupons — just pieces of paper — but I also know what they’ve done for me, and what they’ve done for so many of my readers,” she says in an emotional video.
“Coupons have helped me become a better mom, build up my confidence, helped me pay off my debt, helped me pay it forward in such a huge way. Coupons do just so much more than saving money.”
A huge thanks to Collin Morgan and the whole Hip2Save team for all the time they put into helping us save money.
Keep up the hip work!
Your Turn: Do you follow Hip2Save?
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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