The Bank of England could be forced to cut its 0.5% base rate even further if Britain votes to leave the EU, according to claims in one newspaper.
The Sunday Times reports that the Bank of England has been in “informal discussions” with bank chief executives to gauge whether they are strong enough to stomach another rate cut.
I’ll be the first to tell you: Subscription boxes make me… suspicious.
I’ve tried my fair share of them, excitedly opening monthly shipments of all kinds of goodies. I’ve tried makeup boxes, snack boxes — even one of those fancy wine clubs (shocking, I know).
But after the Christmas-morning feeling of finding the box on my doorstep, I’ve usually been disappointed when I get inside. Most boxes had tiny samples of makeup I’ll only get one use out of, “healthy” snacks actually laden in sugar, and… OK, wine is always acceptable.
Somehow, though, I’m always intrigued enough by new subscription boxes’ pretty colors, gorgeous models and promises of a better (more organized! more refined! more sophisticated!) life to try again…
… only to cancel shortly thereafter.
But I finally found a box whose marketing actually matches its products.
FabFitFun sent me their 2016 Spring Box — and it. Was. Awesome. Plus, I got an extra $10 off using the special discount code for TPH readers: PENNY.
FabFitFun is a quarterly subscription box delivering fashion, beauty, fitness and lifestyle goodies once per season.
Basically, it’s like taking style lessons from your fly girlfriend who pulls off wearing yoga pants to the office.
And then, she brings all the accessories you need right to your door.
Plus treats for pampering yourself, because duh.
And the best part? They’re full-sized products — no one-and-done samples in tiny foil packets.
I’m definitely not cool enough to look hipster-chic when I wear loungewear to work… but I might just be on my way. I totally, actually wanted the stuff in the box, even though I didn’t know I did.
Here’s what I got:
The first thing I was greeted by when I opened the (gorgeous!) box was FabFitFun’s full-color magazine, complete with information about the products inside, the company’s history and suggestions for how to create trendy looks.
It even offers discount codes for the brands featured in the box, in case I like anything so much I’ve gotta have more!
I also learned FabFitFun is partners with an awesome organization called “I Am That Girl,” which empowers girls to be confident, healthy and achieve all they can.
Now that I’m feeling doubly good about myself, I can move on to the real presents!
OK, this is where I fell in love with the box. Hard.
Even though I live in a shoebox apartment, this little herb garden will fit on my kitchen windowsill — and help me incorporate more fresh herbs into my diet.
After all, buying cut herbs from the store is expensive! They always seem to wilt before I can use them, even when I’m careful with how I store them.
This way, they’ll stay garden-fresh and ready to be made into dinner whenever I need them.
Super-cute, right?
It’s plated in 18-karate gold, and goes with everything.
You might get “Love,” “Happy” or “Inspire” in your box. It’s the best kind of surprise: You win no matter what!
I’d seriously just been considering buying one of these.
Glad I held out! This mat strap is a vibrant hot pink, and stretchy enough to use as a resistance band.
I’m not sure how great I’m going to be at getting my Kardashian on, but at least now I get to try! And either way, it’s nice makeup — made in the USA, and cruelty free to boot!
So. Excited. For this.
One of my favorite ways to treat myself is performing my own mani/pedis while I sit in front of the Netflix machine. (Penny Hoarder bonus: I get my Netflix for free.)
These keratin gloves and socks just seriously upped my game: They’ll strengthen my nails, moisturize my skin and make my feet and hands feel awesome.
Yes, please.
Bathtime is so, so underrated.
I remember hating it when I was a kid.
That was dumb.
Nowadays, I take a relaxing bath whenever humanly possible, and a delicious-smelling, effervescent bath bomb is the perfect accompaniment.
Well, that and a glass of wine. And a good book.
Can you tell I know what I’m doing tonight?
I totally thought this was just a body lotion when I opened the box — although I will admit to being excited to have the “softiest, shiniest, sexiest, smoothest legs. Ever.”
I mean, who wouldn’t be?
Then I flipped the bottle around and discovered this baby’s actually shaving cream.
Well, “blade butter,” like HelloLegs says — they combined the richest body lotion they could find with a touch of shaving gel, and voila.
Silky smooth skin, here I come.
I totally already use argan oil in my hair and on my nails.
Now I have a backup supply, free of charge!
Plus, this spray bottle is way more convenient than the eyedropper version I have at home, and the additional hemp oil makes it great for strengthening, as well as moisturizing, my hair.
31 Bits is a jewelry company whose adorable bracelets and necklaces are handmade by artisans in Uganda.
They earn an income and receive an education for their work.
The $25 gift card I received would cover almost the full price of some of my favorite bracelets on the site, or over half of this awesome necklace.
Plus, you know your funds are going to a good cause. Win-win!
Another awesome jewelry company, Sterling Forever features easy-to-wear runway styles at affordable prices — and U.S. shipping is always free.
So this $30 gift card could buy you these gorgeous drop earrings or this fun belt buckle bracelet without you spending a single dime.
Hey, I’m a Penny Hoarder — I’m not ashamed to admit to keeping the box for closet storage.
I mean, LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS. The box itself is worth my $50.
Well… almost.
I’m gonna give it to you straight: This box is awesome, but it’s not cheap… but you get more than your money’s worth!
Each FabFitFun box is $49.99, which you’ll be charged for automatically each season — though you can cancel any time, not that you’ll want to.
But check out the total retail value of the items in this shipment! At $282.91, the $49.99 is over 80% off on practical, full-sized health and beauty supplies you’ll actually use.
And it’s not just because this box is extra awesome. Every single shipment is guaranteed to include at least $200 worth of products, so you’ll always save 75% with FabFitFun.
Plus, we’re sweetening the deal even further.
If you’re ready to sign up, use code PENNY at checkout to receive an extra $10 off your first box, bringing your savings on these goodies to 85%.
Make sure you’re paying with a cash-back credit card, and girl, you are in the business…. and looking awesome while you’re at it.
Your Turn: What’s your favorite item in the Spring 2016 FabFitFun box?
Sponsorship Disclosure: A huge thanks to FabFitFun for working with us to bring you this content. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to share something so awesome and get paid for it!
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her creative writing has been featured in DMQ Review, Sweet: A Literary Confection and elsewhere.
The post We Tried the FabFitFun Subscription Box and Here’s What We Got appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
“It’s too hard.”
“I’m overwhelmed.”
“I just don’t know where to start.”
Sound like you when it comes to personal finances? We hear ya.
That’s why we’re here to help you do one thing: simplify.
Simplify your bills, your budget, your life… With fun stuff like robots and dates and bonfires.
Yup, really! Keep reading to see what we mean.
Let’s face it: Humans don’t have as good a memory as robots and there are already enough things to consider when it comes to your finances.
So stop relying on yourself to remember your financial checklist. Instead, leave it up to the machines.
Ensure you have enough funds in your account and automate everything you possibly can. Set up weekly withdrawals from your checking account to your Roth IRA, automate payments for your bills and have monthly withdrawals go into a separate emergency fund.
One way to quickly reduce financial overwhelm?
Reduce the amount of plastic in your wallet, and stick to a card that actually helps you save money.
Who wants to keep track of rotating rewards categories or constantly-expiring points and miles?
You might try one like the Quicksilver card from Capital One, which offers a straightforward 1.5% cash back on all your purchases.
Is there anybody out there who actually enjoys budgeting and budget-tracking?
Okay… the three people who raised their hands can skip this bullet.
If you’re like the rest of us, budgeting is difficult and complicated. So our founder Kyle suggests turning the traditional budget on its head.
“Instead of having a budget with a bunch of categories, just figure out how much you need to spend each month on necessities and savings,” he explains. “Once you subtract that from your monthly take-home pay, you’ll have the amount of ‘fun money’ you can spend.”
To manage your fun money, he suggests either withdrawing it in cash each week, or creating an automatic transfer into a separate account.
We swear this isn’t as weird as it sounds.
We’re simply suggesting you make a quarterly date with yourself — and your money. After all, to true Penny Hoarders, nothing says romance like healthy finances!
During this date — which you can set as a recurring appointment in your calendar — review your spending, see how you’re progressing toward goals, trim unnecessary subscriptions, check your credit report
If you don’t already use one, Capital One offers a free credit monitoring tool called CreditWise — whether you’re a customer or not!
You’ve probably got a bunch of boxes and folders filled with financial paperwork you don’t need anymore.
Scan all of those docs and be sure to save them on a secure file (this is important – you need these!). Then, eliminate all the physical and mental clutter… with a bonfire.
Not only will it feel good to burn those superfluous stacks, you can also use it as an excuse for a fun get-together with your friends.
Once you’re done, say goodbye to extra paper. Sign up for electronic statements on all your accounts.
It’s time to start listening to your mom: Identity thieves are a real threat.
Since there’s no way you’re going to stop using the internet, you should at least take measures to protect yourself.
First off, quit using your pet’s name as your password!
Instead, use a random password generator to create secure passwords from a selection of symbols, numbers and uppercase/lowercase letters.
You should also check to see what security your credit cards offer, too — some of them are woefully out of date!
We like that the Quicksilver card from Capital One offers SwiftID, an app-based authentication tool that makes it more difficult for someone else to access your account.
Do yourself a favor and look into your financial security before it becomes a headache.
Basically, personal finance is as complicated as you make it.
If you want to invest in an array of stocks and carry an arsenal of cards, be our guest…
But if you want to manage your finances simply and efficiently, it just takes these six easy steps.
Your Turn: How have you simplified your finances?
Sponsorship Disclosure: A huge thanks to Capital One for working with us to bring you this content. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to share something so awesome and get paid for it!
The post 6 Simple Steps to Finally Getting Financially Organized appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
Almost everyone has an idealized picture of who they’d like to be. It’s a picture that they measure up to in some ways and fall short of in others, and thus it becomes part of a personal dream to find ways to measure up in those areas that are lacking.
I have personal goals and entrepreneurial goals and hobby goals, all of which lead me to being the person I want to be. I want to change some aspects of who I am. I want to build a business or two. I want to become more involved in my hobbies. Those elements all contribute to that picture of who I want to be.
The thing is, in each case, it looks very tempting to just spend money as a shortcut to get to that destination that I want. I can see where I am. I can see where I want to be. And spending money looks like a tempting shortcut across that chasm.
It’s an illusion, though. The path from where I’m at now to where I want to be has a cost, but that cost is almost always time and effort, not money. You can’t buy who you want to be.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about from each of those areas in my life – personal goals, entrepreneurship goals, and hobby goals.
As I’ve mentioned on here many times, my health goal for the next year or two is to get back into the best shape of my life, similar to the shape I was in when I was in college. Doing that requires a lot of cardio, some strength training, and some weight loss.
The path to getting there is pretty clear. I need to eat less and I need to be smarter about what I do eat, and I also need to exercise.
However, there are a lot of products that pledge to make that path easier for me. I can buy Fitbits, DVDs, gym memberships, athletic shoes, athletic clothes, and so on. I can buy meal replacements and dieting books and dietary supplements.
All of those things carry a supposed promise of making this journey easier in some way, but in the end it still comes down to my choice. Am I going to put fewer things on my plate? Are those things going to be healthier things? Am I going to consistently exercise?
Buying all of that stuff – the Fitbits and the gym memberships and the meal replacements – doesn’t make me any healthier. What makes me healthier is smart choices at meal time and when I’m tempted to snack. What makes me healthier is the decision to get some exercise each day.
You can’t buy those decisions. You have to make them yourself.
I’ve also mentioned that I have a really great idea for a Youtube channel, one that I’ve fleshed out quite a bit. I am fairly sure that I have the basis for a solid little side business here.
But how do I get started?
I could easily start throwing money at this. Money buys cameras, microphones, editing software, lighting tools, animation help, and so on. It could all easily turn into a black hole of money where I accumulate a lot of tools that supposedly help me make better videos.
The truth, though, is that this does not build any kind of successful Youtube channel. It’s just a bunch of stuff.
The recipe for making this work involves simply making compelling videos with the tools that I already have. I can upgrade the equipment later if I need to, but none of that matters if I’m not making well-considered videos that people enjoy. If I’m not making the videos, then all of that stuff does nothing except take up space.
I need to make videos, not buy stuff.
Making beer at home is one of my favorite hobbies. I’ve spent many a weekend brewing up a new batch of beer with my homebrewing equipment.
The thing is, I could make the whole process a little more efficient by buying some equipment. I could dump money into kettles and racks and books and magazines and ingredients and bottles and propane burners and fermenting tanks and mash tuns… the list goes on and on and on.
Here’s the thing, though: I can still make an infinite variety of homebrewed beers using the equipment I already have, and those items would just save me a minute or two on a process that I already enjoy. While it would be fun to have some of those things, they don’t replace or even significantly enhance my enjoyment of actually brewing.
The joy comes from standing in the kitchen and smelling the boiling wort. The joy comes from piecing together recipes from notes in arcane corners of the internet. The joy comes from popping the top of the first bottle of a new batch and hearing that whoosh of carbonation and trying that first taste.
That’s the joy of homebrewing and it doesn’t come from thousands of dollars in equipment and materials.
This phenomenon of spending money as some kind of shortcut to the person you want to be shows up again and again and again in all aspects of life.
It shows up in almost every hobby. It shows up in almost every area of self-improvement. It shows up in almost every personal interest.
Again and again, we’re told that, in order to get to where we want to be in some aspect of life, we just have to open our wallet.
And it’s all a trick to make money for someone else.
Here’s the truth: if you want to become the person you want to be in some aspect of your life, what matters is what you do with your time and energy, not the things you buy with your money. You can’t buy your way into being the person you want to be. You can only put in time and effort to get there and those are things you can’t buy.
Buying all of the exercise gear in the world isn’t going to get me into better shape. What will? Making healthier meals, eating less, and exercising with my own body weight and maybe a piece or two of very simple gear (like a jump rope).
Buying all of the video-making gear in the world isn’t going to help me build a successful Youtube channel. What will? Making thoughtful videos, posting them, and promoting them to interested people – things for which I already have the needed equipment.
Buying all of the homebrewing gear in the world isn’t going to help me become a better homebrewer. What will? Making more batches with the equipment that I have, paying attention to details, and trying new things – and, again, the basic equipment I have does those things like a champ.
The common thread here is doing, not buying, and that truth stretches across almost every single way in which we want to improve ourselves or grow in some specific area of our lives. (Yes, there are exceptions, but they’re actually pretty rare.)
Of course, there’s one big impediment in the way for most of us: time. The reality is that I simply don’t have time to do all of the things I like to do. So I have to choose.
On a typical weekday, it is really hard to find enough spare time outside of my normal work and being a father and a husband to take on things like starting a Youtube channel and writing a book and getting some exercise and doing anything about my various hobbies. The hours simply don’t add up at this point in my life.
Yet I want to feel like I’m still moving forward on those dreams. Even though I don’t have any time to devote to, say, building that Youtube channel or to becoming a better homebrewer, I want to feel like I’m getting better and I’m progressing along that path.
To me, that’s where buying things becomes really tempting. Even though I might not have time to engage with homebrewing as much as I’d like, I do have the time to spend fifteen minutes online looking for a mash tun and then clicking the “buy” button. Doing that gives me the feeling of somehow moving forward in my homebrewing hobby even though I’m not spending time on it because I feel like I don’t have that time.
Here’s the thing, though: it’s not a real substitute. It’s a fake substitute.
Buying that homebrewing equipment will give me this little burst of a feeling that I’m somehow really making progress in my hobby, but what do I really have to show for it? I don’t know how to homebrew any better than before. I can’t claim to have made any different styles of beer. I don’t have any new batches in my fermenting bottle.
In short, I haven’t really done anything related to that particular interest other than spend money, and now I have a piece of unused equipment that’s basically just taking up space.
That same exact phenomenon is true with almost every hobby, almost every personal interest, almost every entrepreneural dream, almost every route of self-improvement in my life.
Buying all of the exercise DVDs in the world is not a substitute for actual exercise.
Buying all of the health supplements in the world is not a substitute for a good diet.
Buying all of the cameras and video equipment in the world is not a substitute for actually making videos.
Buying all of the board games in the world is not a substitute for actually playing games.
Buying all of the homebrewing equipment in the world is not a substitute for actually brewing my own beer.
The thing is, you can do all of those things with very, very little equipment. It just requires time. In the end, it’s time that is the truly valuable thing.
So how do you find time to improve yourself and become the person you want to be if you’ve got very little time already and throwing money at the problem doesn’t work? Here’s what I’ve figured out in my own life.
First of all, you need to accept that you might need to step back in some areas of life. If your time is full and you still feel very drawn to add other things to your life, then that means that you may be committed to things that you don’t feel as drawn to.
Sometimes you can check out of those commitments, like stepping back from a volunteer gig. Sometimes you can’t, like being a parent. In other cases, you can find ways to be more efficient, like using better time management (I use the Getting Things Done method for this). The point is to compress or discard things where it’s appropriate and makes sense.
Second, you’re probably wasting more time than you think. Do you sometimes lose half an hour or an hour just watching a television show? Do you sometimes lose an hour surfing to meaningless websites? Do you just stare out the window during your commute? Don’t waste that time.
Yes, sometimes I get distracted during the day, but I do my best to minimize that distraction. If I’m getting distracted with my current task, I move on to something else. I’ll go to a distraction-free place and brainstorm or I’ll go for a jog while listening to an audiobook.
When I’m in the car, I listen to a thoughtful audiobook or podcast, or else I think through a life situation and see if there wasn’t a better way I could have done things, which often leads to ideas I can use in other parts of my life.
I’m not perfect, but whenever I can find ways to stop wasting time, I find that I have more time for the other areas in my life.
Finally, if I’m tired, I go to bed rather than sitting on the couch in a daze. I get very frustrated with myself if I sit in a chair in the evening and fall asleep. I would be so much better off if I just went to bed when I was tired.
Ideally, I try to get eight hours of sleep in a night. Most nights, I get about seven. I try very, very, very hard to not get any less than that because, if I do, the next day or even the next couple of days are full of mental distractions and poor focus. I simply don’t get anything done.
Given all of this, it seems to bring up another pretty tantalizing question. Does it make sense to spend money to effectively buy time?
We already do this, in fact. If you own a washing machine, you’re spending money to effectively buy time because that’s a very obvious time saver. If you’ve ever paid for child care, you’re spending money to effectively buy time.
But there are many, many more examples of this, too.
For example, let’s say there was a laundry service that did all of your laundry and delivered it to your door, clean and folded. For the time it takes to do it yourself, they would charge about $10 an hour of your effort. Would you do this?
What about a meal preparation and delivery service that offered similar prices? I can prepare a pretty decent meal for my family in about half an hour, but if someone could prepare and deliver a very similar meal for just a few dollars more than what the ingredients cost me, I’d consider it.
Here’s the point: if time is the crucial ingredient in becoming the person that you want to be, then it is the one thing that actually makes sense to buy. Those services can make sense if they come at the right price.
However, they only make sense if you do something valuable enough with that time to make up for the price you’re paying. If I pay someone to make a meal for my family and it costs $10 more than just buying the ingredients and spending thirty minutes to do it myself, I need to be doing something with that thirty minutes to make it worth the $10. If I’m not doing that, then that $10 is wasted. If I pay someone to do my laundry at a rate of $10 per hour of my effort that’s saved, I better be doing something useful with that time or else that’s $10 that’s completely wasted.
That’s why buying time is something I do occasionally, but I’m very careful with it. It’s so easy to have such efforts turn into a waste of money. If you spend money to save yourself time and then spend that time watching SportsCenter, then it wasn’t a very effective use of that money because you just paid money to watch an episode of SportsCenter.
So, what’s the take home message from all of this? I think there are three points.
First of all, buying stuff doesn’t improve you as a person; only doing things can achieve that. When you spend money on something that you long to spend more time on, you’re just performing an act of substitution that doesn’t actually help you improve on or participate in that thing that you desire. It’s just a weak substitute, one that feels a bit fulfilling in the short term but, if anything, makes the feeling of longing worse.
Second, if you want to improve some dimension of your life, you have to find time for it, first and foremost. There are a lot of ways to do that – better time management, stepping back from activities, being mindful of and avoiding time wasting, and so on. This may even involve taking a step backwards in some dimension of your life that you now consider less important, as long as you’re not walking away from a genuine responsibility.
Finally, if you’re going to spend money to buy time, be very careful as it’s often overpriced and you can be very prone to wasting that time you just bought. While some time savers are really efficient, those ones tend to become standard components of life (like a washing machine). It’s the things that aren’t a standard component of life, like a laundry service or a food delivery service, that can sometimes be really overpriced if you’re not careful. Even worse – we often tend to waste the time that we save. If you buy a delivery meal and then just sit in a daze during the time you’re waiting for the food, you might as well have made the meal yourself and saved yourself $20.
In the end, it’s a simple truth: you can’t simply buy the person you want to be. You have to put in time and effort to become that person, and if you don’t find some way to free up that time and energy, it’s not going to happen. You can buy thousands of dollars in equipment and gear, but if you don’t use it, you’re never going to improve. On the other hand, you can improve yourself quite a lot without spending hardly any money at all as long as you can spend time and energy.
That’s because, in the end, it’s the time and energy that matter. The things you buy? They’re really pretty secondary and they’re often not a very good use of your money.
Good luck.
The post You Can’t Buy What You Want To Be appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
A leading pensions expert has questioned how adequately occupational pension schemes are being managed after the Pensions Regulator and Pension Protection Fund gave evidence to the Department of Work and Pensions Committee in the wake of the BHS collapse.
What’s better than curling up with a good book?
Or, better yet, a series of books? “Little House on the Prairie,” “The Baby-Sitters Club” or “The Boxcar Children,” anyone?
But books can get pricy. How can you find books for your little ones to read without spending a fortune?
By getting free books, of course.
While it’s great to support authors whenever possible, sometimes buying new books just isn’t in the family budget — and you don’t want to deprive your kids of the love of reading.
Use these strategies to get free kids’ books. Some are physical books and others are PDFs or ebooks, but they all offer great ways to give kids access to a wide variety of reading material — without spending a cent.
Dolly Parton loves reading so much, she wants every child to have the opportunity.
In 1995, the country music superstar started Imagination Library to give free books to children in her home county in Tennessee. She wanted to help preschool-aged children develop a love of reading, even if their families couldn’t afford books.
Each month, her organization mailed a book to each family, so the kids would look forward to their special delivery and “feel the magic that books can create,” the organization’s website says.
In 2000, she expanded the program, partnering with local communities to send more than 60 million books to kids in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Local partners include preschool programs, libraries and service organizations along with many other groups.
To get free books for your child, register online, search for a local program and follow the instructions.
Download free PDFs from this online library of kids’ books.
With picture books for toddlers, books with pictures and words for bigger kids and chapter books for young adults, this site has something for everyone. You can even get coloring books.
The site recommends printing the PDFs and stapling the pages together — or reading them on a tablet or other electronic device.
Books on the site are either submitted by authors, in the public domain or have a Creative Commons license that allows sharing. Some books also include links so you can purchase a physical copy if you’d like to support the author.
Titles include “Fairy Circles: Truly a Fairy Tale,” about fairies in the Namibian desert, a nonfiction book about penguins, and even a playful tale describing what Santa does during the summer.
Kids in first through sixth grades can earn a free book by filling out the “Summer Reading Triathlon” reading journal.
Just have your kids answer a few questions about the longest book they’ve ever read and what book makes them stretch their imagination the most to complete the journal.
After your kids fill it out, bring it to a Barnes & Noble store between May 17 and September 6 to earn a free book from a selected list.
Immerse your children in pre-k through fifth grade bilingual reading by signing up for Read Conmigo.
If you live in California, Florida or Texas, the program will mail you a book every four months.
Online resources like bilingual activities and educational tools are available to everyone, regardless of location.
More than 108,000 parents have signed up for the program since it started in 2011.
Reading is Fundamental partnered with ustyme to allow free access to 50 classic ebooks.
These classic books include “Goldilocks,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs,” and some are also available in Spanish.
Kids can even read along with a favorite adult using the ustyme app to make live video calls!
Neighborhoods all over the country are adding Little Free Libraries.
These small shelves allow people to share books and always have something new to read.
Find a free library near you, leave a book you’ve finished and grab a new one to share. Different libraries will have different offerings.
If you’re looking for some kids’ books, why not put up a “wanted” post on Craigslist, Freecycle or even Facebook?
Plenty of people have books they’re not using and would be happy to share, but it’s not on their minds unless you ask.
Of course, your local public library has plenty of books to borrow for free.
This is a great option for families who like to constantly switch up their reading selections.
But some libraries will even have books you can keep, such as older books they’re planning on tossing out.
Ask your local librarian if they may have any available.
Amazon has a ton of free kids’ books available for Kindle downloads.
Just search for “children’s books, Kindle edition” and sort price “low to high” to see all the freebies.
Plenty of books are available to download, from “Wiggly the Worm” to “The Rabbit Ate My Homework.”
Amazon Prime members can borrow books for free through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which allows users to borrow one book each calendar month.
The program offers a wide range of kids’ books to pick from, but you’ll need a Kindle (and a Prime membership) to read them.
While mostly for older kids, Project Gutenberg has a wealth of free downloads available.
Type “children” in the search field and classic kids’ books will appear, from “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” to “Peter Pan,” “Anne of Green Gables” and many other favorites.
The site offers a total of over 51,000 ebooks to download for free, including many books for kids.
Your Turn: Do you know of any ways to get free kids’ books?
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. By checking out this featured content, you help us bring you more ways to save!
Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The post Read Up, Parents: 11 Super Simple Ways to Get Free Kids’ Books appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
Do you like scavenger hunts and getting to the bottom of a mystery? Are you good at Googling? Can you tell the difference between a reputable source and the pop-up-polluted fringe websites your batty aunt cites in her forwarded emails?
You might make a good researcher. Better yet, you might be able to get paid for that insatiable curiosity.
We’re always on the lookout for new side hustles and ways to make money — especially legitimate work-from-home gigs — which is why a new research service called Wonder caught our eye.
Wonder invites anyone with a tough question — whether that’s a journalist writing about foreign policy or a salesperson preparing for a big presentation — to submit a query through the site. Then, for a flat fee ($19-$39, depending on how quickly they want the answer), they receive an in-depth, synthesized response to their question. “We provide a fast and simple way for anyone – from individuals up to Fortune 500’s – to access knowledge when they need it most,” says Rachael Granby, director of research at Wonder.
To do that, Wonder pays a network of freelance researchers around the world to dig up and distill the answers to people’s pressing questions.
Wonder researchers, who have access to an internal dashboard with all the open requests, can choose when they work, and which requests they want to work on.
“We pay researchers on a sliding scale, based on several factors, including the client’s requested turnaround time and the complexity of the request,” Granby says. “Researchers choose which requests they want to work on, and at which price points, and can choose a quick and easy request for, say, $8, or a more challenging one for $35 or more.”
Top researchers can earn up to $20-$30 per hour, Granby says, and get paid through PayPal every two weeks.
Now, Wonder’s researchers don’t just Google a simple search query, Ctrl-C the answer, and call it a day. These are typically difficult or time-consuming questions, often with competing or at least nuanced answers. Researchers are required to write up a brief report, citing numerous, credible sources to support their findings.
Here’s an example: A Wonder client requested a list of the most interesting facts about the pharmaceutical industry, perhaps for some kind of presentation. The researcher put together this response for the client (shocking fact No. 8: We throw away $3 billion in cancer drugs every year). Note all the source links at the bottom.
Asked what separates Wonder from, you know, Google, Granby said the service presents a few advantages to clients. One is that it can simply save time. Imagine someone planning a trip to Barcelona who wants to know the must-see sites in the city. “That information is definitely freely available online, but a client might choose to save himself a few hours by asking Wonder to do the legwork instead.”
In other instances, Granby says, “The information doesn’t exist, and someone (i.e. a Wonder researcher) is going to have to scour the corners of the internet and come up with a way to back into the right numbers. An example would be: ‘How many electrical generators broke down in Sub-Saharan Africa last year?’ That answer is definitely not available via a Google search, but a good researcher will be able to find the right statistics and sources to triangulate an answer to the client’s request.”
Thinking of applying to be a Wonder researcher? Here’s what to expect.
Applicants are asked to complete a piece of mock research to test their writing and research skills, Granby says, but there are no formal credentials required. However, good writing skills and a sense of curiosity go a long way.
“We look for people who are strong English writers and are comfortable performing web research. We also look for people who are curious, and want the intellectual challenge of learning about new topics on a regular basis,” she says. Indeed, one of the key fringe benefits is getting paid to learn about new topics.
It’s a particularly good side gig for librarians, Granby says — remember, the public library was the original Google — as well as research-savvy grad students and business majors.
“We do have a soft spot for librarians, as many of our researchers are LIS professionals or students. We also have quite a strong student population,” Granby says. “Other researchers include stay-at-home parents, military spouses, English-speaking expats, digital nomads, freelance writers, business journalists, and more.”
New researchers have to learn a few ropes when they get started, and that includes a 15-minute crash course. “It includes details on which kinds of sources are acceptable, formatting guidelines, and how our platform works,” Granby says.
There’s also a resource center stocked with detailed guidelines, information about which databases have proven valuable for which topics, and tips on how to approach different kinds of requests. Researchers are also encouraged to communicate with each other via online messaging platform Slack when they hit a roadblock – or just for camaraderie.
There’s also a review process that affords a layer of quality control – and allows veteran researchers the opportunity to earn extra money.
“Each piece of research is sent for review before it goes out to a client,” Granby says. Someone on the review team — comprised of other pre-approved researchers — “checks whether the research is ready to go, and then either sends it on to the clients or sends it back to the original researcher with feedback.” Reviewers are paid $1 for each research response they check.
Take it from someone who reads other people’s writing for a living: That’s not a ton of money. You’d have to review and potentially critique a response every six minutes just to earn a scant $10/hour, and how much time and work that entails would really depend on whether your fellow researchers are doing a good job.
Still, take it from someone who works from home: There’s nothing like earning money at your own pace, on your own terms, in your own home (or wherever else). If you’re a deft internet researcher and a quick writer with a laptop and some downtime, you could certainly make Wonder work for you.
Think you’ve got the research chops to make this side gig worth your while? You can learn more and apply to be a researcher here. Have you tried Wonder? Let us know in the comments.
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The post Looking for Another Way to Make Money Online? Ask Wonder appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
Some might call my 1996 Toyota Camry a beater car.
I’ve had her (yes, her) since graduating high school. And at this point, I don’t even see the dents or scratches or missing hubcaps; I see only the trusty vehicle that’s been by my side for 11 years.
Even before I got “the Cam,” I was the proud owner of two other rust buckets — so you could say I’m somewhat of a beater car afficionado.
And I’ve realized, while every beater has its own unique “quirks” (that’s a nice way to say it, right?), there are certain things everyone who’s driven a beater car can relate to…
What is it with windows? Why the heck are they so sensitive?
In pretty much every beater car I’ve had the honor of riding in, one of the windows has been broken.
Maybe you have to press the button while simultaneously pulling it up with your hand, or manually pull it down but only halfway or it’ll never come back up again!
Or, in the case of my friend Kate’s car, you ignore the driver’s side window altogether. It just stays down all the time. (Lucky for her, she lives in San Diego!)
When I pay my insurance bill every month, I feel like I’m throwing money away: $85 to insure a (beloved) piece of crap?!
In a single year, I probably pay more in insurance than my car is worth.
Feel the same way? You might want to shop around for new car insurance — switching providers could save you a ton of money!
What’s that clicking? Why does it sound like there are cats fighting under the hood?
Who cares — just turn the radio up.
And yes, I mean radio. I know other cars have the ability to magically connect to phones, but for those of us with beater cars, those drivers live in a whole other world.
If you’re lucky, you might even be able to grab a disc from one of those sweet over-visor CD holders.
Some Pearl Jam, perhaps? Maybe a little Whitney?
Does your car’s dashboard look like a Christmas tree?
Mine certainly does. It seems as soon as I get one thing fixed, another light pops on.
I usually drive with it for a while, and if nothing bad happens, I simply add it to the stable of permanent lights.
Speaking of the dash, we can’t forget gauges. How fast are you going? How many miles are on your odometer?
In a beater, it’s usually somewhat of a mystery — which, in my opinion, is all part of the charm.
It’s early in the morning, you’re late for work and your car’s windshield is totally frosted over.
A new car’s defroster could take care of the problem in under a minute, but your beater is another story…
So you wipe away a tiny opening in the window, and even though it’s not remotely safe, you convince yourself it’s good enough — and drive to work with a little porthole as your worldview.
To my homies in cold places, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Thanks to mismatched parts and paint jobs, your beater might resemble a multi-colored, rust-laden rainbow, whose festiveness is only augmented by an abundance of bumper stickers.
Whereas others might say they don’t want bumper stickers “in case I sell it someday,” you know that’s not a remote possibility.
Besides, if you ever did try to sell your car for a few benjis, the bumper stickers would probably cover up some of the dents.
So you figure, what the hell? I’ll slap a coexist sticker on there if I want to.
Ever wish you could surprise someone? Or maybe just sneak out of your house one night?
Ain’t gonna happen with a beater — even your deaf grandma can hear you coming a mile away.
You might argue with your boyfriend — as I once did — that there’s no difference between the purr of your Cam-baby and the noise he wants his stupid Thunderbird to make… but he’ll probably just shake his head.
The most elite beater cars only have three (or fewer) working doors.
Maybe you have to crawl out the passenger side to get out, or roll down your window to open your door with the outside handle — which is the case with the Cam.
Hey, at least you’re getting some exercise!
Let’s get one thing straight: People aren’t chomping at the bit to borrow my car.
Usually, it’s only people who have no car at all, or whose cars are in the shop.
When some brave soul does want to take it for a spin, I’ll gladly let them — after all, what’s the worst they can do?
But borrowing a beater always comes with a long list of instructions. It’s not just “turn it on and go” — what, you think just anyone can start this car?
… You need to wiggle the key back and forth while stepping on the gas.
… And when you put it into third gear, be sure to shift over and up — not just up.
… Oh, and don’t worry about the whining noise — but if it starts going “clinkity-clink,” pull over IMMEDIATELY.
‘Cuz, let’s be real, nobody’s gonna steal this thing.
Even if they tried to, they probably wouldn’t have the finesse (or aforementioned know-how) required to drive it.
Not to mention, without a fancy key fob thing and automatic locks, it just takes far more effort than it’s worth.
If somebody did steal the Cam, though, I’d be pretty sad about it.
But it might give me a reason to “trade up” to a car with working windows and doors — though where’s the fun and adventure in that?
Your Turn: Have you driven a beater car? What would you add to this list?
Sponsorship Disclosure: A huge thanks to Compare.com for working with us to bring you this content. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to share something so awesome and get paid for it!
Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
The post 10 Ridiculous Experiences Everyone With a Beater Car Has Had appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
Compound interest is a difficult concept for even the most financially savvy adults to fully grasp — the idea of our money earning interest, the interest building interest, and so on, is hard to compute.
Now think how challenging it can be to explain compound interest to a child who’s just learning the basics of saving money and financial responsibility.
If this puts you in a parental quandary, don’t worry: It doesn’t need to be as complicated as explaining the theory of relativity. It’s basically all about how time affects money’s value.
Try some of these simple, basic ways to teach your kids about compound interest.
“Interest” tends to be a word we take for granted, since we usually haven’t had to explain it to anyone.
Keep it simple, especially if your kids are younger: Interest is what a bank pays you to keep your money there. The longer the money stays in the bank, the more money you earn.
Get them thinking about it. For example, ask them if they’d like to have $10,000 right now, or a penny.
Naturally, most kids will choose the larger amount.
Then elaborate on your question, and don’t be afraid to exaggerate to illustrate how interest works. Tell them the penny will double its value every day they leave it in the bank. Do they still want the $10,000, or will they now choose the penny?
At that unbelievable rate, after 30 days, they’d have more than $5.3 million. By day 31, they’d have $10 million! This growth isn’t at all likely, but it helps make the point.
Of course, you’ll also want to talk about the other aspect of interest: paying it.
When bills aren’t paid on time, interest continues to add up — only instead of earning more money, they’ll owe more. This explanation is especially important as kids get older and approach the age they might get their first credit card.
Even young children can learn about accruing interest the next time you lend them a few dollars. Explain how when you borrow money, it accumulates interest while you pay it back.
Tell them you’ll lend them the $5 they need, but they’ll actually owe you $5.25 for the privilege of borrowing the money — and if they take too long to pay it back, their debt will keep growing.
Once you’ve explained a bit about what interest is, try these steps to illustrate what you mean:
Before trying out coins and currency with smaller children, show the value of saving versus spending with the classic marshmallow test.
Give your child one marshmallow (or a favorite candy) and tell them if they don’t eat it today, they’ll get another one tomorrow. Tomorrow, they’ll have two, and if they put them aside, they’ll have three the next day.
This can be a good, tangible lesson about how delaying gratification can increase something’s value, according to Kasasa.
Give your child a piggy bank or plastic jar, suggests Jason, the blogger behind The Frugal Dad and father of an 8-year-old daughter. Offer them a bag of pennies and tell them to deposit one cent a day into the “Bank of Mom or Dad.”
Every other day, as they continue to make deposits, put another penny in your child’s bank as “interest.”
While you could match them penny for penny, as Jason explains, “I didn’t want to set the unreal expectation that it is easy to double your money in a short time.”
Later, you can start adding cash and other bills into the mix to add variety and teach them money is made up of all sorts of coins and paper bills.
This bank is like an ATM: Kids can take their money out anytime, but there won’t be any left to collect interest. This gives them the incentive to watch their money grow and teaches them about choices.
Like any lesson, it’ll sink in better when it’s fun.
Try the checkerboard method. Start with a large bag of coins. On Day 1, have your child place one penny in the left bottom square of the board.
Each day, they collect double interest from the banker (that’s you) and put those coins on the next square. On Day 2, they’ll have two pennies, Day 3 they’ll have four pennies, Day 4 they’ll have eight pennies, and so on.
Once they’ve collected enough interest and stacked the pennies until they fall, they’ve reached their savings goal.
Is there a toy or gift your child really wants?
Make a deal: Tell them if they save a certain amount of money, you’ll buy it. Establish at the beginning how much interest they’ll earn on their savings, such as 5% or 10%.
To help kids track their progress toward a savings goal and account for compound interest, keep things visual. Try drawing up a savings goal chart and putting it on the wall.
At the end of each week (and especially at the end of each month), mark their progress. Write down how much they have in their savings, along with how much interest they’ve earned.
Part of the agreement might be they’ll withdraw some of their interest-bearing savings to pay for it — a good springboard for a discussion on budgeting.
While offering 40% or 50% interest is helpful for the sake of demonstrating the effects of compound interest, explain to your kids the interest rate from a real bank won’t be that high.
In time, you can guide them along the way when it comes to all things interest-related, like eventually getting a credit card, taking out their first car loan or student loans or securing a mortgage.
Your Turn: Have you taught your kids about compound interest? What strategies or games did you use to illustrate the concept and help them understand its power?
Paul Sisolak (@PaulSisolak) is a freelance writer who writes about all things personal finance. He’s been featured in U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post and Business Insider, among others.
The post 4 Creative Ways to Teach Your Kids About Compound Interest appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
Both Virgin Money and Shawbrook Bank have launched easy-access accounts with leading rates.
The Virgin Money Defined Access account issue 6 pays 1.26% before tax (1.01% after tax) and is available through branches, by post or online. It limits the number of withdrawals you can make each year to just three. If you make any more the rate drops to 0.5% (0.4%).
