MAKE MONEY ONLINE POSTS: 06/03/16

الجمعة، 3 يونيو 2016

Stroudsburg talks advertising

In an attempt to help fund parts of athletics, the Stroudsburg Area School District is looking into advertising at sports events.At Wednesday night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Cosmas Curry said the administration has been in discussion with Brandstorm advertising in Clark Summit to come up with a plan for businesses to advertise around the district as a way to generate revenue.The one-year contract between the district and Brandstorm is still being finalized, [...]

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Effort’s Bagel Wars coming to a computer near you

Bagels are a staple of the American diet. Now a group hopes to make it a part of our television-viewing habits.FoodyTV, a 24-hour internet network will produce a pilot called Bagel Wars this month. It will feature Brooklyn Bridge Bagels of Effort.The show will focus on the the trials and tribulations of the bagel business, FoodyTV Program Director Joe Canaro said.“Everyone wakes up and has a bagel and coffee. The concept is about what goes into making the bagels, [...]

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Need Surgery? It Might Be Cheaper in the Next Town Over

If you live in the United States, you probably already know — and have had reason to complain about — how expensive our health care system can be.

It seems unfair that Americans can end up so deeply in debt over such an unavoidable expense. Even the simplest medical services can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Case in point: the story of the $629 Band-Aid due to hospital fees.

Or the fact that in some markets, Medicare is opting for house calls rather than traditional care. Apparently, the old school way isn’t just more personable — it’s actually more affordable, too.

But did you know you might stand to save some money on your next medical procedure… by taking a road trip first?

The Cost of Health Care By State

Last month, the Health Care Cost Institute issued its National Chartbook on Health Care Prices report.

It uses Humana, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare insurance claim data to analyze how the price of medical procedures varies across America — both at the city and state level.

And as it turns out, prices do vary. A lot.

For instance, a knee replacement might cost you more than $57,000 in Sacramento, California — or as little as $21,900 in Tucson, Arizona, NPR reports.

Scrolling through the report’s copious, color-coded maps, Arizona shows up again and again as a state with a low price ratio for most procedures. Patients there can expect to pay a percentage less than the national average.

The same is true of Florida, Tennessee and Maryland.

But findings were less sunny for states like Alaska, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where patients pay up to 133% of the national average — or more — for everything from CT scans to treatment of mononucleosis.

Now that I’m thinking about it, maybe heating is a big factor in the cost of a medical procedure.

Costs vary within state lines, too.

For example, although a knee replacement runs Sacramentans almost $60K, their neighbors in Riverside can expect to pay about half that price.

So, seriously: You might just want to stash a road map along with your insurance card. And you’ve been meaning to head to the Grand Canyon anyway, right?

How to Save Money on Medical Bills

Obviously, if you have a medical emergency or need urgent care, the last thing you’re going to think about is shopping around for the best-priced doctor — and driving hours to reach them.

But if you’re having an elective procedure — or can wait out your misery just a little while — traveling to get cheaper medical service might actually save you a ton of cash.

And if enough people are willing to shop around, it could also put pressure on hospitals to make prices more competitive.

Wondering where to start when doctor-shopping?

Well, the maps in the HCCI’s report are a good start, and there are other reputable online tools to help you estimate prices in your area. Try Fair Health Consumer and the Healthcare Blue Book.

(Psst: While you’re at it, check out our post on 10 ways to save big money on medical bills — even ones you already owe.)

Once you locate a few doctors in prime locations, feel free to pick up the phone and ask them what they charge. They’re not obligated to tell you — but they usually will, according to U.S. News Health.

Unless you put a lot of footwork into your decision process, your savings aren’t guaranteed or probably even quantifiable.

But when we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars, isn’t it worth a try?

Your Turn: Would you take a road trip to save some money on a surgery or medical procedure?

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 Need Surgery? It Might Be Cheaper in the Next Town Over appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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The Happiest Workplaces Quiz

In the happiest workplaces, there's room for Kool-Aid sippers and worker drones. Quiz yourself on these awesome places to work at HowStuffWorks.

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The Happiest Workplaces Quiz

4 Effective Ways to Build Backlinks for a Brand New Site

Starting to build links for a new site is a lot like climbing a mountain.

You’re starting from ground zero with a lot of enthusiasm, but when you realize you have to climb for days to get anywhere, that enthusiasm often turns to the feeling of being overwhelmed.

But when it comes to your site, the weather conditions, metaphorically speaking, are terrible as well.

No one can see you from above, so they can’t help you out—you are on your own.

That already rules out certain link building (climbing) strategies.

This fact is nothing new.

But the advice for new site owners is outdated and just plain bad in some cases.

I recently saw multiple guides that advised building (and paying for) directory links and social media bookmarks.

That kind of stuff was useful over five years ago, but today, it is a waste of your time and money—resources that could be spent building links that will help you get immediate traffic and long-term search rankings.

Seeing those guides was the inspiration for this post because no one beginning a site should start off on the wrong foot.

I’m going to show you four ways to build links specifically tailored towards new sites.

These are the links that actually matter. If you get a few dozen of them, you will see an immediate impact on your traffic levels.

1. Invest in a gift for the community

Almost every new business has the same problem: no one knows you. Even if you have a lot to offer, again, no one knows you.

One of the main objectives of the link building tactics we’ll look at in this post is to get attention.

And there are many ways to get the attention of people you don’t know.

The best way, in most cases, is to offer something of value—as big of a value as you can provide.

Here are a few options.

Option #1 – create a photo gallery: Any good blogger knows the importance of having great images in posts.

While some bloggers hire a designer for the most important pictures, it’s inconvenient and not always affordable for less important pictures.

However, most bloggers would gladly exchange a link to a site for a free picture.

That’s why I propose hiring a designer (or taking pictures yourself) and creating a free image gallery. Then, send out the link to the gallery to medium-top bloggers in your niche, explaining that they are free to use them in exchange for a link back.

For example, in the fitness niche, you could take pictures like these:

Spending a few hundred dollars upfront here will not only open doors to other bloggers but get you several dozen really good links.

A final important note is that you should create images around common points in your niche.

For example, if you were in the content marketing niche, you could create custom images for things that are often mentioned such as:

SEO tools
SEO rankings
Reader personas
Inbound marketing
The different marketing channels

And so on…

Option #2 – create a free tool: If you’re interested in getting a ton of traffic yourself, on top of links, you can create something for your community of users rather than just bloggers. And that something is a tool.

Tools can be a great way to grow your site and earn backlinks at the same time.

For example, the keyword research tool Keywordtool.io has been linked to by over 3,880 unique domains. Honestly, that’s a relatively simple tool to build or get built.

After a bit of time, you can get links (good ones) that work out to under $1 per link, which is amazing. Add all the traffic that you can also get on top of that, and you can see why tools can be a great thing to make.

The big drawback is that it will take some time to build the tool in the first place, especially if you can’t code it yourself.

Additionally, you’re going to have to promote the tool. Write posts about it in niche forums, subreddits, and on social media.

Option #3 – do original data analysis (or research): One option that I really love, yet almost no one does, is to do original analysis or research.

Look at any good data-driven post—for example, my post about how to win on Facebook.

What you’ll see is that most posts link to someone else’s research.

It takes a lot of time and effort to do original research, which is why it’s much easier to link to someone else’s research than to do your own.

You can take advantage of this by providing the research that bloggers in your niche link to.

In that above post, the research was done by Buzzsumo, and I simply analyzed the data that they sent me. Of course, I’m going to give them a few links for that, and it also opens the door for a great relationship.

Find an interesting question always asked in your niche, dig in, and do the research. When you’re done, email the results to the top bloggers in your niche, and give them first dibs.

2. Study competitors, and learn from them

The toughest thing you can do is reinvent the wheel.

Your competitors have likely spent years building up their reputations and earning backlinks to their sites.

Many of these backlinks are from sites that you could also get a backlink from.

That’s why competitor analysis is a great place to start for any new site.

Here’s a simple 3-step process to follow.

Step #1 – Find your close competitors: The closer a competitor is to you, the more likely that their backlink sources would be appropriate for you.

If you know your niche well, you can likely do this off the top of your head. Otherwise, search for “best (specific niche) blogs.”

It’s best to make a big list somewhere for later.

Step #2 – Find their best backlinks: This is simple to do now, thanks to tools such as Ahrefs and Majestic. Simply put in your competitor’s domain into either tool, and search its database:

Next, find the “inbound links” or equivalent option to see a list of all their links:

If you want to see them all, you’ll need a premium account. Both sites offer a trial period that you can take advantage of.

The links should be sorted by default in order of strength. Obviously, you want to go only after the best links (usually the top 20-30% of links).

From there, you’ll have to visit each page and find the link:

Step #3 – Can you replicate the link? Here is where your marketing skills come into play.

Some links, like links from private blog networks, can’t be replicated.

However, links from guest posts, forums, social networks, blog comments, etc. can be replicated. You can often get very similar links to those of your competitors’.

From there, you need to go after that link.

For example, if you see that your competitor wrote a guest post on a site, I strongly suggest you read some of my posts on guest-posting effectively and then apply that information to try to secure a post of your own.

Unfortunately, I can’t walk you through this step in great detail because it differs for every type of link. However, you will get better at it as you gain experience.

As a final note, you should stay on top of your competitors. Check which links they are getting on a regular basis, say once a week or once a month. It’s usually easier to replicate links that are more recent (rather than years old).

3. Forum links can have value

Let me start off by being very clear: most forum links are garbage.

Signature links and profile links rarely have any real value.

If you have a link on a page that no one visits or links to, your link isn’t going to count for much.

But what about the most popular threads on a big forum?

These threads rank well in Google. They have a lot of high-quality, relevant content, and people even link to them on other sites.

Links, especially near the top of the page (like in the opening post), can carry a good amount of weight.

For example, Brian Dean used to post on the Warrior Forum when Backlinko was newer.

He would include a link to his content on the first line and then paste the rest of his post. Here’s an example:

That thread got over 14,000 views and almost 100 replies. A decent portion of those viewers likely visited his website.

Also, because it was so popular on the forum, it has a lot of internal links pointing to it on high authority pages on the forum.

It also has 12 external domains pointing to it to give it even more authority.

Every forum has its own rules for posting content, but as long as you’re not just dropping a link and saying “go visit my site,” you should be okay.

However, you need to genuinely put the time and effort into understanding what the users of your forum want and then give it to them. You need your thread to get popular if you want a good link.

No, these links aren’t the absolute best and most powerful (from an SEO perspective) that you can get. But for a new site, a few relatively strong links from forums can help build a strong foundation.

4. If you want to burst onto the scene, guest-posting is a must

Most link building strategies for new sites are fairly slow.

They take consistent effort and deliver consistent results.

But you rarely get thousands of readers and hundreds of links within months unless you do them exceptionally well.

I consider guest-posting an exception to the rule. Even though you have to do it really well to get results, most bloggers have the ability to succeed with it.

And guest-blogging works for you even if you’re brand new. If you have a good pitch, it doesn’t matter what your name is.

When I think of guest-blogging to build up a new site, I think of Danny Iny, who is often referred to as the “Freddy Krueger of guest-posting.”

He got this nickname because he seemed to be everywhere when Firepole Marketing (now Mirasee) first launched.

His main strategy for getting traffic and links was guest-posting. He wrote dozens of guest posts and quickly took Firepole Marketing to the top tier of marketing blogs.

I won’t go into guest-posting in detail here because I’ve done it multiple times before:

The one adaptation that you will have to make, since you’re brand new, is not to start at the top.

Don’t start by pitching to a site like Copyblogger or Forbes. Instead, find a few smaller sites that are more receptive to pitches.

Then, you need to wow them with your post and promote that post as well.

Once you can prove that your writing is great, then you can start pitching to bigger sites, citing your other successes as proof that you’re a serious blogger.

Conclusion

Here’s the reality: You’re in a tough spot.

Building links for a new site is not easy, but if you’re willing to put in consistent effort, it can be done.

I’ve shown you four of the most effective ways I know to build links for a new site. I encourage you to focus on just one or two of them until you’ve exhausted their potential.

If you’ve been in this situation before and have any creative link building ideas to share with others, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

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In What Order Should I Pay off My Debts?

One of the most common questions I’m asked by readers concerns the order in which they should start paying off their debts. Usually, they’ll list several debts and then ask me to tell them the order in which they should strive to pay them off.

I usually tell them that it’s not quite that easy.

First of all, they usually haven’t taken basic steps to reduce their debts. Have they consolidated their student loans? Have they done any zero interest rate balance transfers? Have they looked at the option of personal loans? Have they requested interest rate reductions on their credit cards? Those are all steps people should be taking when considering their debt situation.

Secondly, and this is perhaps even more important, there are differing strategies for paying down your debts, each with different benefits, and different strategies work best for different people and different situations. Some people are more geared toward success using one method, while others might be in a debt situation that strongly points them toward a completely different method.

Rather than explaining each of these ideas, I thought I’d show them to you by working through an example.

Let’s say you have five debts:

Debt #1 (credit card) – $5,000, 19.9% interest rate, credit limit of $7,000
Debt #2 (student loan) – $20,000, 7.5% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #3 (credit card) – $7,000, 24.9% interest rate, credit limit of $15,000
Debt #4 (personal loan) – $2,000, 0% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #5 (mortgage) – $180,000, 4% interest rate, no credit limit

Ordered by Balance

The first strategy worth discussing is ordering them by balance. This is the strategy popularized by radio host Dave Ramsey and is the basis for his “debt snowball” strategy.

The idea behind this strategy is to order the debts by their current balance, with the lowest balance coming first. Once you have them ordered, you make minimum payments each month on all of the debts but the top one on the list, then you make the biggest possible payment you can toward that top debt.

Using this method, you’re going to reach the payoff point of your lowest balance debt relatively fast, and thus you’re going to enjoy the feeling of success that comes from paying off a debt quite quickly.

That feeling of psychological success from paying off a debt can be a big deal for some people. It can feel genuinely life-changing, as it is proof to many people that they can do this.

If you’re using this methodology, you’d order your debts like this:

Debt #4 (personal loan) – $2,000, 0% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #1 (credit card) – $5,000, 19.9% interest rate, credit limit of $7,000
Debt #3 (credit card) – $7,000, 24.9% interest rate, credit limit of $15,000
Debt #2 (student loan) – $20,000, 7.5% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #5 (mortgage) – $180,000, 4% interest rate, no credit limit

Since Debt #4 has such a small balance, you should be able to eliminate it pretty quickly and thus have the success of knocking a debt off your list. You’ll also have more funds available to make a big payment on the next debt.

Ordered by Interest Rate

Another approach to paying off debts is to simply order them by interest rate, from highest to lowest. As with the previous approach, you simply make the minimum payments on all of the debts, but then you make the biggest possible extra payment you can on the top debt on the list.

The logic behind this ordering is that it will mathematically lead to the lowest overall total payments of any approach. In terms of raw dollars and cents, this is the approach that will give you the best results.

So what’s the drawback? Depending on how your debts are structured, sometimes your highest interest debt can have a really large balance and take a long time to pay off. This can make this method feel like a very long slog before you start seeing any success, which can discourage some people.

If you’re using this methodology, you’d order your debts like this:

Debt #3 (credit card) – $7,000, 24.9% interest rate, credit limit of $15,000
Debt #1 (credit card) – $5,000, 19.9% interest rate, credit limit of $7,000
Debt #2 (student loan) – $20,000, 7.5% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #5 (mortgage) – $180,000, 4% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #4 (personal loan) – $2,000, 0% interest rate, no credit limit

Ordered by Credit Limit

A third approach is to simply order the debts by how close you happen to be to the credit limit for that debt, typically by percentage. The effect of this is that it pushes credit cards to the top of the list, making you pay them off first, and then the other debts (the ones without a credit limit – in other words, your more traditional debts) come later in an order of your choosing.

Now, why would you take this approach? This approach is best if you’re trying to maximize your credit over the next year or so. If your goal is to have the highest possible credit score six or twelve months from now to improve the chances of getting, say, a home mortgage, you may want to consider this approach.

Why would this help your credit score? One major component of your credit score is your credit utilization, which is the percentage of your overall available credit limit that you happen to be using right now. So, if you have only one credit card with a $10,000 limit and you have an $8,000 balance on it, your credit utilization is 80%. Your credit score drops when that percentage gets high and it recovers when that percentage is low, so if you’re focused on your credit score, you’re going to want to hit those lines of credit directly.

What’s the drawback? For one, you’ll probably want to revisit the list regularly as the percentage of your credit limit used will change regularly on your credit card debts. One month, you might have one debt on top; the next month, another debt might have a higher percentage used.

If you’re using this methodology, you’d order them like this:

Debt #1 (credit card) – $5,000, 19.9% interest rate, credit limit of $7,000
Debt #3 (credit card) – $7,000, 24.9% interest rate, credit limit of $15,000

… and the last three can go in whatever order works for you… here, I used interest rate again.

Debt #2 (student loan) – $20,000, 7.5% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #5 (mortgage) – $180,000, 4% interest rate, no credit limit
Debt #4 (personal loan) – $2,000, 0% interest rate, no credit limit

Which One Is Best?

So, which one is best for you?

If you have a hard time sticking with goals that don’t show you regular successes, you’re going to want to go with the first method, which is ordering them by balance with the lowest balance first. This will give you your first success the fastest and spread out the successes pretty evenly during your debt payoff journey. For many people, having a quick success can make all the difference in terms of sticking with it.

If you’re focused mostly on recovering your credit score for a potential mortgage or car loan in the relatively near future, order your debts by the percentage of credit limit you’re using and put the ones without a credit limit (i.e., the ones that aren’t a credit card or a line of credit) at the bottom. With this strategy, you’re going to improve your credit utilization as fast as possible, which is a key part of your credit score.

Otherwise, I’d order the debts by interest rate, with the highest interest rate first. This is the method that results in the lowest total amount of interest paid over time, which means more money over the long run that stays in your pocket. This is the method I used for my own debt recovery and it worked like a champ.

Final Thoughts

As with everything in personal finance, there are different solutions that work best for different people. Not everyone is in the same situation. Not everyone has the same psychology. Not everyone has the same obstacles or opportunities.

More than anything, however, financial success comes down not to choosing the best path – although that is useful – but to choosing a positive path and pushing it as hard as you can by cutting personal spending and using that extra money to cut down your debts.

After all, no matter what plan you choose, cutting back significantly on your spending and making bigger extra payments to the top debt on your list is going to do more than having your list perfectly ordered. The list helps, but your good behavior and good day to day choices help even more.

Good luck!

The post In What Order Should I Pay off My Debts? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Skip the Jars and Pouches: How to Make Your Own Baby Food and Save Money

Just like any major life event, having a child is presented as a time (or an excuse) to spend money.

You need the latest this, the greatest that — and everything in between.

In reality, a great deal of this stuff is unnecessary, and you can get tons of it at a heavy discount or even for free.

One potential area to save is on baby food. While those little jars are adorable and the pouches are super convenient, you pay a premium for the cuteness and ease of use.

Homemade baby food can be much more economical — and it’s not even that hard to make. And as an added bonus, you know exactly what your child is eating.

How to Save Money With Homemade Baby Food

House Mix blogger Kate did the math. She calculated one serving of high-quality, store-bought baby food adds up to 60 cents per serving.

“Canned baby food is the same price per ounce no matter the flavor, whereas the price of produce varies greatly,” Kate says.

She found banana was the most economical homemade baby food, coming in at 12 cents per serving. Most homemade options range from about 14 cents per serving for carrots to 39 cents for apples.

Only one variety of homemade food, for which Kate chooses organic ingredients, comes in slightly more expensive than the pre-made varieties. Surprisingly, green beans work out to be 62 cents per serving when made at home.

But when Kate ads up her baby food expenses at the end of the month, it’s still far cheaper to make food at home for her daughter, Clara.

“I found that it costs about $8.30 to feed her [each] week if I make her food from organic produce,” Kate says. “It would cost $16.66 if I bought organic food jars. That is a savings of 50 percent.”

With savings like that, it seems worth a try.

Here are tips and tricks from thrifty parents around the web who skip the pouches and make their own baby food.

As with any changes to your baby’s diet, check with your pediatrician before you get started. The FDA also has some guidance for homemade baby food, so check that out too!

Use the Tools You Have

There are plenty of appliances made specifically to whip up a batch of baby food.

But most parents say you won’t need any of them.

Smitten Kitchen blogger Deb Perelman purees her child’s food in the food processor she already had pre-baby. While some nifty tools will do both the cooking and pureeing, Perelman just cooks in her usual pots and pans — then pops the food in the food processor.

No food processor? A blender would work.

Super into your slow cooker lately? Use it to make some easy baby-friendly dishes.

Other parents are all about the immersion blender.

Set Aside Some Time Once a Week

Yes, your baby eats every day.

But it doesn’t mean you have to prep food seven days a week.

Many busy parents set aside an hour or two each week to make baby food. Once you get in the rhythm, things come together pretty fast.

Make Friends With the Freezer

Once you’ve made all of your purees, freeze them in ice cube trays. That way they’ll keep for a few weeks (or longer).

Perelman suggests also covering the tray with a sheet of plastic wrap as it freezes. Once the food is solid, pop out the cubes and place them in freezer bags.

Pro tip: Label the bags so you’ll know if it’s spinach puree or broccoli goo.

Thaw the Night Before

Before you go to bed, pop a few of the frozen cubes into a bowl in the fridge to thaw.

Perelman also notes leaving the cube to thaw on the counter for an hour or two will also do the trick.

Get Creative with Your Baby Food

It doesn’t have to be all bland applesauce.

Teja, the mom behind Either/Or/And, started out with baby food and is now packing lunches for her kindergartener.

She added spices and flavor combinations that would be at home on the menu of a five-star restaurant. Think persimmon pear puree with cardamom or bok choy chicken.

By introducing spices and flavors early on, many parents hope to transition their kids to eating what the rest of the family is having — rather than getting stuck in the cycle of chicken nuggets and mac and cheese.

Think Beyond the Pouch

While much of baby food production revolves around steaming and pureeing, you can also make non-goo foods for your baby.

This three-ingredient rice cereal recipe comes together quickly. You can store it dry for a daily batch, or keep it in the fridge for a day or two after it’s mixed.

And once those teeth start coming in, whip up a batch of whole-wheat teething biscuits, too.

Keep Trying

If your kid isn’t feeling the carrot puree today, don’t chuck the whole bag of frozen cubes.

Many nutritionists suggest giving it another try (or even a couple more) to see if your child comes around.

This food is brand-new stuff for the baby, points out Kitchn blogger Cheryl, so it might just be a matter of time.

And if all else fails, you wouldn’t be the first adult to resort to baby food for sustenance.

Your Turn: Have you tried making your own baby food? What are your favorite combinations or best tips?

Lyndsee Simpson is a writer and editor living in Washington, D.C. She’s currently expecting her first child and is probably overly optimistic about her future ability to concoct homemade baby food on a regular basis.

The post Skip the Jars and Pouches: How to Make Your Own Baby Food and Save Money appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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London Property Bond offers 8% interest for five years

Kyle Caldwell

London Property Bonds has launched a mini-bond promising to pay 8% for five years.

The money raised will be invested in the property market in Wimbledon and the surrounding areas. Investment opportunities will be identified by estate agents Robert Holmes & Co.

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Could Pinterest Become Your Job? These 10 Companies are Hiring

Listen, we get it.

From weeks of perfectly planned nutritious meals to DIY gifts and decorations that can save you a ton of cash, Pinterest has lots of potential to make your life better.

… unless you can’t seem to tear yourself away from your carefully-curated Pinterest boards at work, that is.

To say nothing of your home life. That went out a long time ago.

But what if Pinterest was your work?

10 Companies Now Hiring for Pinterest Jobs

As social media continues to ~~take over~~ expand into every corner of our real-life lives, businesses are catching onto its importance in marketing.

That’s why they’re hiring Pinterest fanatics to increase their brand recognition across the board — Pinterest boards, that is.

If you’re crazy enough about pinning to take it to the professional level, one of these 10 Pinterest jobs might just be for you.

1. Tastemade — Social Media Manager, Pinterest

Who doesn’t love food and travel? They might be the two best things the world has to offer.

(Oh, right, I guess there’s love, too.)

Lucky for you pinning fiends, Tastemade, which describes itself as “community of food & travel lovers on a mission to connect the world through video,” is hiring a social media manager specializing in — you guessed it — Pinterest.

If you’ve got some experience managing multiple social media channels, you might be eligible to join their Santa Monica, California-based team.

You’ll get full medical, dental and vision benefits, flexible vacation days and 11 paid holidays, and stock options on top of your “competitive” salary (according to Glassdoor, the national average is $37,500).

2. Computer Upgrade King — Social Media Intern

Want to break into the biz for the first time?

Powhatan, Virginia, company Computer Upgrade King is hiring a social media intern. And although it looks like some of your main responsibilities will be Facebook and Twitter, the listing mentions “avid” Pinterest use as a required skill.

The best part about this position? You don’t need prior experience.

You just need to be a student interested in business and marketing — and, of course, passionate about technology. As in all things, excellent writing and communication skills won’t hurt.

The internship pays $10 per hour, and you’ll commit 30-40 hours per week. Apply here.

3. Alexandra Nesterak Events — Wedding Planning Intern

Here’s another internship that’ll keep you pinning all day long: How better to plan a wedding than with DIY-happy, drool-worthy-venue-filled Pinterest wedding boards?

In fact, the listing for internship specifically asks applicants if they “spend hours on Pinterest fangirling over tablescapes, flowers and decor.”

Although you’ll get a great recommendation, college credit and unlimited coffee, this internship is unfortunately unpaid — but it’s a great way to get your foot in the door of a lucrative industry.

So if you’re a college student interested in events coordination, based in the Washington, D.C. area and available from July 10 to Nov. 30, click here to apply.

4. Holstrom, Block & Parke, APLC — Social Media Advertising Strategist

Want the least boring job at a law firm?

This prestigious group of lawyers and attorneys in Corona, California, is hiring a social media expert who’ll be in charge of its social media campaigns and interactions.

That means you’ll “plan and implement” all the firm’s paid and unpaid social media campaigns, across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn… and Pinterest.

Although the listing specifies you need experience working with Facebook in advertising, it doesn’t give a set required amount of time. And although you need a bachelor’s degree in a “related field,” there’s lots of room for variety in that descriptor, too.

Your compensation plan includes health, dental, vision and a 401(k). Here’s where to apply.

5. Live Nation — Social Media Marketing Specialist

Yep, that Live Nation.

The king company of entertainment and ticketing is hiring a social media marketing specialist based in Boca Raton, Florida, to build engagement on its Florida-specific newsletters and social media campaigns, including Pinterest.

You’ll also get to develop digital and social artist promotional plans… which sounds a lot like creating fangirl Pinterest boards devoted to Taylor Swift.

You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising or communications, plus two years of experience — but in return, you’ll get paid parental leave and super-discounted concert tickets, obvs.

Click here to get all the deets and throw your name in the hat.

6. NBA — Project Employee, Social Media

Obsessed with basketball? With this position, you can keep your eye on the game — and your Pinterest boards.

NBA is hiring a Secaucus, New Jersey-based social media employee to help run its campaigns across platforms. Aside from collecting data about NBA fans’ social media habits (read: browsing basketball boards), you’ll be responsible for real-time social media interactions. Yup, that means live-tweeting the next big game.

You need two years’ experience, a bachelor’s degree, and proficiency with basic Microsoft Office programs — and, of course, a love of the game. Full details here.

7. Lion Brand Yarn Company — Social Media Editor and Influencer Marketer

If you love to knit and pin, we found the perfect position for you.

NYC-based Lion Brand Yarn Company is hiring a professional to increase the company’s online traffic and engagement. You’ll develop and write weekly blog posts with input from the company’s marketing team — but you’ll also do research on Pinterest, Twitter and other social media platforms to find potential candidates for partnership.

The company describes its workplace as “creative, entrepreneurial and collaborative,” and the listing specifies that the “ability to knit, crochet or weave highly desired.”

Sound perfect? The listing is here — but hurry. Although this job was only posted on Wednesday, more than 50 people have already applied. (What can we say? You knitters are an industrious breed.)

8. RentPath — Public Relations and Social Media Manager

If you already have some experience and are interested in joining a high-end digital marketing firm, RentPath might be right for you.

This public relations and social media manager job is based in Atlanta — and you’ll earn $70,000 to $90,000 per year with less than five years of experience.

You’ll develop and implement social campaigns across platforms for both businesses and consumers.

And considering it’s all about rental properties, we can only assume you’ll be spending lots of time scoping out gorgeous-looking apartments on Pinterest.

9. Motive — Social Media Account Coordinator

Here’s an entry-level job at a company that describes itself as “a collective of deep thinkers, artistic mavens, executional top guns and cultural connoisseurs.”

Sounds pretty awesome, right? If you’ve got a good understanding of social media platforms and a bachelor’s degree, you can apply to help manage this agency’s clients’ social media platforms — which means a whole plethora of Pinterest boards!

The position is based in Denver, Colorado, and the listing specifies no relocations. And since your compensation is “TBD,” it’s a great chance to use your negotiation skills!

10. Freshly — Social Media Community Manager

Do your friends make fun of you for being the resident health nut? Is your fridge stocked only with organic produce and ethically sourced meat?

Weekly delivery service Freshly is hiring a social media community manager to work in New York City. You’ll manage and help grow audiences across the company’s social media accounts — and yes, it specifically mentions Pinterest.

Food porn boards, here you come.

The job requires a bachelor’s degree as well as three to five years’ experience, but you’ll be working in a “positive, open-minded workplace that will challenge and celebrate your successes.”

Sound good? Check out the listing here.

Want Even More Pinterest Jobs?

Keep your eye out for social media manager positions, which are cropping up more and more on every job board.

But the best way to do what you love… is to design your very own career.

If you’re really a Pinterest whiz, consider creating your own freelance Pinterest consulting business. This post’s got a ton of great info to help you get started.

Your Turn: Will you apply to any of these Pinterest jobs?

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 Could Pinterest Become Your Job? These 10 Companies are Hiring appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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How to Save Money and Your Sanity While Raising a Sports-Obsessed Kid

I recently had a conversation with my aunt about my 8-year-old cousin, who is a stud baseball player. The demands that come along with being a good athlete at a young age are starting to add up. His coaches encourage him to get private trainers, join better leagues, and start playing year-round. My aunt was looking for advice because she knows I went through a similar experience with basketball at about the same age. What would I have done differently? What was worth the cost, and what wasn’t?

In this post, I set out to show how expensive it is to be an “elite” athlete from a young age, what I would have done differently, and how my parents and others feel looking back on their experiences.

Be Prepared for an Expensive Journey

I’ll begin with a quick summary of my basketball life: I was a gifted basketball player starting at about age 7. By age 9, I was training daily and playing for my local Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program, and by age 12 I was completely focused on training for basketball and playing in national tournaments. This continued through high school. I went on to play college ball at Harvard and then professionally overseas.

As you can imagine, all this basketball required a lot of time and money from my parents. We’re not alone in that respect. Recent research out of Utah State University showed that spending on youth sports is on the rise, and it can consume up to 10.5% of a family’s gross income. That’s $6,300 per year for a family earning $60,000 per year. So, if you start getting serious at age 9 and play until you’re 18, it’s not uncommon for a family to spend about $57,000 on one kid.

When faced with that kind of a bill, it’s worthwhile to take a look at what’s really needed to perform at a high level, and where you can look for savings. This will all be specific to basketball, but it should apply equally well to all competitive athletes playing team sports.

The Highest-Priced Gear Isn’t Always Best

I’ll never forget being in 8th grade when the newest Kobe sneakers came out. I had to have them. They looked so sleek, and all the ads with Kobe wearing them while tearing around town in a motorcycle had me completely hooked. After unsuccessfully pitching my parents on buying a motorcycle to transfer me to and from games, I set my sights on at least being able to get the shoes. My parents reluctantly obliged and forked over the 120 bucks.

It was Christmas come early. That is, until I wore them during a game. I instantly realized that I hated the shoes. They were narrow, heavy, and had poor traction. I felt like I had cement blocks on my feet. But, there was no turning back. I couldn’t return them, so I just had to use them until I grew out of them.

I feel like my parents were smiling on the inside. It’s the footwear equivalent of letting a kid have a sip of alcohol to watch them react to the horrifying taste and vow never to try it again.

The Kobe fiasco taught me valuable lesson. For the rest of my career I focused on comfort first and foremost. It was often the less flashy, less expensive sneakers that fit my feet the best, and I was fine with that.

Between a new pair of shoes every year, basketballs, apparel, custom weight sets, uniforms, pregame sweatsuits, socks, and headbands, spending on gear can get out of hand fast. But, if you take the time to school your kid on how it’s ultimately the fit that matters, not the brand, you can bank some savings in this area.

Travel Teams Are Pricey, But Worth It

The Amateur Athletic Union organizes and runs high-level youth sports leagues. In most cases, they have surpassed high schools as the premiere way of showcasing your skills to college coaches. The exposure and the competition level make them indispensable, but there’s no denying they are costly.

Playing on a travel team requires team fees, new jerseys, new shoes, tournament entry fees, travel costs, meal costs and more. There are some programs that have sponsors that pay for almost all your expenses, but I was never fortunate enough to be on one of those teams.

While AAU teams often get a bad rap for promoting showmanship over skill development, that doesn’t have to be the case. My AAU program was run by a man who cared deeply about fundamentals, personal development, and college prep. Do your research before you blindly join a club that will supposedly get you the most exposure. Oftentimes it’s the less expensive programs that offer the most room to grow and develop as a player.

Be warned: The time spent playing AAU basketball is basically incalculable. Besides the thousands of games and practices, there is the driving to those games and practices, sometimes for hundreds of miles.

But, despite the fact that most see driving as a drudgery, both me and my parents actually have fond memories of all this. Maybe we just have Stockholm Syndrome, but we all agreed that the travel inspired interesting conversations and helped deepen our bonds.

My Mom was especially fond of this time. She loved “driving to the practices every Saturday morning, listening to ‘This American Life’ stories, making the best of car trips and learning to be road warriors.”

One downside my Mom singled out with all the travel for AAU was the money spent at restaurants, particularly when the bill had to be split. She lamented “the expensive dinners, which were always split equally no matter how many martinis someone had or how many appetizers were ordered that you didn’t want. That was a waste of money!”

Looking back, we could have done a better job of excusing ourselves from certain functions, hitting local grocery stores, buying cheap sandwich materials and creating our own, affordable meals. But, all in all, the competition, friendships, and exposure that come along with playing on a travel team make it well worth the cost.

Related: Eight Things to Pack for a Frugal Vacation

Avoid Most ‘Elite’ Summer camps

When you are competing at a high level, sports camps aren’t used in lieu of daycare, and they aren’t for having fun with your buddies. They’re for playing your best in front of coaches and scouts. The camp circuit is big business, and each one markets itself as the newest and best. The entrance fees often exceed $500 for a three-day camp.

If I could do it again, I would have skipped the vast majority of these camps and used the free time to practice on my own and decompress. That’s because, honestly, most of these “elite” camps are a waste of time.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I would end up playing in front of one 26-year-old assistant coach from the local community college. The Coach K’s and Tom Izzo’s of the world were nowhere to be found. Unless you’re already an extremely hyped player, it’s tough to get invited to the camps where top-level college coaches are showing up to watch.

I advise all the kiddos out there to do as well as they possibly can playing for their school and AAU teams, and only attend these camps after they have built a little buzz for themselves. The only time I ever had high-level coaches pay attention to my games was after I had a brilliant performance during a championship game my junior year of high school.

Avoiding some of these camps can also help stave off burnout. My parents were good about using the summer months as a time to check in with me to make sure I was still playing all this basketball because I loved it and not because I felt pressured.

My Dad has good advice for those parents who get too invested and push their kid unnecessarily hard: “If the kid is doing it out of obligation, or the parent is living through the kid vicariously and putting unnecessary pressure on the child, then it becomes drudgery.”

Most Private Athletic Training is Unnecessary

Depending on just how serious you get about your activity, you’re probably going to end up spending money on private lessons. I know my parents did.

I used to insist on going to all the best training facilities. In high school, I once paid a thousand bucks for 15 sessions with a trainer at a state-of-the-art gym. At the time, it felt like a steal. This thing had a giant computer screen you worked out in front of! I felt like I was training with Morpheus in The Matrix. You slid around, squatted and jumped and hopped through an obstacle course while your computer avatar completed various tasks. It was cool, and a great workout.

But, in retrospect, was this type of training any more effective than running up the hill outside my house? I doubt it. I’m very confident I could have eschewed a lot of the gimmicks and still achieved the same results.

There were also many, many private basketball workouts. Mine were mostly with my AAU coach, so we got a deal, but they definitely weren’t free. These were much more valuable than my weight training workouts, but I still could have cut back in this area.

All you really need is a ball, a hoop, and some determination. All my fancy-schmancy workouts were a fun diversion, but I think you can get the same results through good old-fashioned self-discipline.

Avoid the Nutrition Gimmicks

I always had the fanciest shakes, gels, bars, drinks, powders, and supplements. This was all on top of eating an obscene amount of food as a growing teenager who worked out 24/7. I imagine our food bill was through the roof. I don’t think it had to be that way.

My mom always prepared large, hearty, healthy meals. These contained all the nutrition I needed, thinking back on it.

I think I could have easily gotten by supplementing my normal eating routines with some Gatorade for games and workouts without missing a beat. As I discussed in a previous post about so-called “super foods” and supplements, I think a lot of the information out there with regards to nutrition is more about hype than substance. I don’t think I ever won a game because I ate a newfangled Cliff Bar beforehand.

It Can Help to Look at the Costs as an Investment (Within Reason)

When you immerse yourself in the world of youth sports, you inevitably come across parents whose hopes for their kid are nowhere near reality. They think because their kid is the top-ranked fifth grader that they have a meal ticket. This thinking is often passed down to the kids.

I can’t tell you how many people I played against who had huge basketball tattoos, or ones that said “King” or “The Chosen One.” One particularly unsubtle player just had a massive NBA logo on his bicep. At age 15! That’s like getting the lead in your high school musical and then tattooing an Academy Award on your arm.

In reality, the prospects of making it to the pros are very low, even for talented players. Most high school athletes are unlikely to even play in college. In men’s basketball, the NCAA pegs the odds at just 3.3% of all high school athletes making it to the collegiate ranks. Before you drop thousands of dollars on your kid expecting a monetary return, educate yourself on the reality of the situation.

Interestingly, the low odds of success didn’t stop either of my parents as viewing all the time and money spent on my basketball playing as an investment. My dad says he definitely thought of all the costs “as an investment in [my] future.” My mom concurred, saying she “looked at it as an investment, but not until [I] was in high school.”

There is a psychological component to this. All parents want to see their kid succeed, so it’s natural that they will see all expenses as a necessary evil to help them achieve their dreams. This is fine to an extent. When the whole family is committed, goals are more attainable. I would just keep in mind the money-saving options I laid out earlier so that your monetary “investment” is maximized and psychological damage is minimized.

Couple Autonomy with Guidance

I would leave the choice on what to focus on up to the kid. If he loves playing baseball and wants to do it all the time, I say let him. If he gets burned out, let him stop. We as a society tend to overthink these things. Kids have intuition. I say let them use it.

That being said, the adult should always be involved and looking for ways to help. My dad feels that “the parent that has to decide what is best for the kid, and then do what they can for support. It should be balanced and healthy. “

NBA player Tyson Chandler feels the same way. When asked by Sports Illustrated how he handles the pressures his kids face, he responded with this:

“I think it’s really important that parents are involved. I don’t think you can just place your child in a situation like that and just let them be. I think it’s very important that you gauge and pay attention to your child’s mental growth as well as how they’re dealing with playing competitive sports. Is this a positive or a negative? I think every child is different. So I think it’s up to the parent to pay attention to that.”

Summing Up

Without basketball I never would have received my Harvard degree, which is something I can’t put a price on (although my student loan issuer sure tries). Couple that with the seemingly endless friends and positive memories I accrued in my basketball days, and I’d like to think I’m proof that the specialization many people bemoan isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If a kid is truly doing what he loves and isn’t feeling pressured, and the parents are keeping the costs within reason, then I think being a one-sport athlete is a fine choice.

While there’s no doubt my basketball-centric upbringing was expensive, it doesn’t seem like anyone involved has many regrets. I wish it could have been less intense at times, but all the experiences helped me to accomplish a lot of things no one expected out of a small Jewish kid from a place better known for horseback riding than basketball.

I hope families can use this a guide to help them limit costs and get the most out of the amateur sporting experience. And please, don’t spend money on that “Greatest of All Time!” tattoo until the ink has dried on your first NBA contract.

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Fixing Up Your House? This Free $10 Home Depot Gift Card Can Help

Have you heard of MyPoints?

It’s a cash-back site that pays you to print coupons and shop online. We love it around here — it’s an instant way to save on everything you buy.

Next time you plan to shop online, use MyPoints to get this awesome deal: Spend $20, and get a free $10 gift card for The Home Depot!

Here’s how it works:

MyPoints instantly sends an email to confirm your email address — you’ll need to click it to get the free gift card.

Lastly, you’ll need to purchase $20 worth of products online through the MyPoints shopping portal. MyPoints will reward you with 1,750 bonus points, which you can then redeem for a $10 Home Depot gift card.

Use MyPoints to Save Money on Home Improvement

Almost any shopping counts toward points for your $10 reward, so MyPoints can help you save money on just about anything you want to buy this summer.

As an example, look how you can use MyPoints to save money on a weekend home improvement project — like staining your deck.

Buy two cans of oil-latex redwood stain for about $10 each on HomeDepot.com through MyPoints. Choose in-store pickup for free shipping.

Earn reward points for your purchase. MyPoints offers two points per dollar at The Home Depot — 1.4% cash back.

Claim your $10 Home Depot gift card to use on your next purchase.

Pay with your cash-back credit card, like the Barclaycard Rewards Mastercard, which will earn you another 1% in cash rewards.

Use the gift card next time you shop The Home Depot through MyPoints for yet another 1.4% off!

That’s a total of $30 in home improvement supplies for just $19.38 — equal to 35% off!

The Fine Print

This offer is available to all new members.

You need to join MyPoints now and spend $20 on any shopping or travel within 30 days. You’ll be awarded 1,750 points, redeemable for a $10 gift card of your choice.

After shopping, rewards points will appear in your account within 30 days, but it usually takes less than five business days.

If you request a physical gift card, it should arrive in the mail within two weeks — and e-gift cards show up in your inbox within 30 minutes.

Your Turn: What are your favorite tips for saving money on home improvement?

Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which ThePennyHoarder.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). We do not feature all available credit card offers or all credit card issuers.

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Ways to Promote your DIY Craft Business

By Nisa Chavez Taylor Savvy women with home-based craft businesses are often wearing many hats and embracing the DIY mentality of managing nearly all, if not all, parts of their business. Whether you have a craft business to bring in side income or are wanting to ramp it up into a full-time endeavor, there are […]

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Children's pocket money hits nine-year high

Helen Knapman

pocket-money.jpg

The amount of pocket money parents give to their children has risen to its highest level in nine years with children now receiving £6.55 per week.

Not since 2007 have children had more, according to Halifax’s annual Pocket Money Survey.

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It's tax freedom day: get your finances in order

Gary Adams

hm-and-money.jpg

UK taxpayers have today worked enough since 1 January 2016 to effectively clear their annual tax bill and start earning for themselves.

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Credit card limit increase pushes people further into debt

Helen Knapman

Unrequested credit card limit increases are making debt problems worse for thousands of people and must be stopped, according to StepChange Debt Charity.

A survey of its clients reveals that of the 54% who said their credit card limit had been upped without them asking for it, 49% believed it had made their debt problems worse.

Increased credit card limit fuel debt issues

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Unrequested credit card limit increases are making debt problems worse for thousands of people and must be stopped, according to StepChange Debt Charity. A survey of its clients reveals that of the 54% who said their credit card limit had been upped without them asking for it, 49% believed it had made their debt problems worse. Based on the survey results, the charity estimates that more than 100,000 of its clients had their limit increased without asking for it in 2015 and, as a result, more than 50,000 saw their debt problems get worse. Currently, credit card companies can increase someone’s credit limit without asking them – as long as they give them at least a 30-day window in which to decline, according to StepChange. But the charity says this shouldn’t be allowed, and it is calling on regulator the Financial Conduct Authority to stop credit card companies increasing someone’s credit card limit without their consent. It wants credit limit increases to become ‘opt in’, rather than opt out, to help prevent people being offered credit they did not decide they needed and did not decide they could afford. Mike O’Connor, chief executive of StepChange Debt Charity, says: “Before taking out any form of credit, people need the opportunity to decide whether it is the right option for them and if they can afford it. “When their credit limit is increased without asking, these key decisions are taken away from them and they face the risk of taking out credit they cannot afford, which can turn into costly, long term debt.”

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