Pocono Medical Center navigates financial changes

Pocono Medical Center operated more profitably last year than in the past, according to a recent statewide report, despite “a changing healthcare environment” that prompted 55 layoffs last month at PMC.But Pocono Medical Center spokesman Geoffrey Roche says the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council financial study of hospitals across the state already is outdated. The East Stroudsburg hospital is absorbing even more costs for non-paying patients this fiscal [...]

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We Love What Bill Gates Says He’d Do If He Had to Live on $2 a Day

It’s tough to imagine a man worth more than $766 billion — the wealthiest man in the world — hunched over and chasing chickens around a coop.

But Bill Gates says that’s exactly what he’d do if he had to live on $2 a day, like the 1 billion people living in poverty around the world.

In his recent blog post, Gates asks, “If you were living on $2 a day, what would you do to improve your life?”

He’d raise chickens. Gates, who works with Heifer International to bring sustainable agriculture to poverty-stricken areas, says “just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens.”

While he’s referring to the developing world, plenty of Americans create egg-farming businesses, too.

Here’s why Gates says chickens are a smart investment:

The Birds are Inexpensive to Care For

They’ll peck up almost anything off the ground, though they grow bigger if you throw some seed down.

A simple coop of wood and wire will keep them where they belong. And chickens only require a few vaccines, including one for a respiratory virus that costs less than 20 cents.

Chickens Multiply

If one of those eggs get fertilized, you’ll have a hearty little chicken or rooster on the way.

A chicken in West Africa typically sells for about $5. In the United States, you can go to the feed store and pick out a backyard chicken for about $15. (Or if you’re into designer brands, you can rent two hens from Coop and Caboodle for $395 for six months.)

Eggs are Nutritious and Delicious — and Profitable

Although eggs are a protein-packed staple, many farmers in Africa prefer to let the eggs hatch and sell the birds. They use that money to buy other food.

In the States, however, we tend focus more on egg farming. A dozen eggs can yield $4-5.

Take into account that hens can produce up to two eggs in 24 hours, and you’re looking at an egg-cellent side income.

Chickens Empower Women

In some parts of the world, chickens are regarded as a woman’s animal. And women who sell chickens are likely to reinvest that money into their families.

Now that Gates has us talking about chickens, he’s making it super easy to donate to a good cause without spending a cent.

Sign in at gatesnotes.com, read his post about raising chickens, watch a two-minute video and take a one-question quiz… and voilà! He will donate, on your behalf, a brood of chickens to a family in poverty. Pretty clucking awesome.

Your Turn: Would you ever consider raising chickens or egg farming?

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer/blogger at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.

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10 Cheap and Easy DIY Wedding Gifts I’m Making for Every Bride on My List

A toaster. A set of plates. Some bath towels.

If you’re attending the wedding of close friends or family members, chances are you don’t want to get them some impersonal household item.

But you also don’t want to spend a ton of money, OR give a gift that doesn’t have meaning.

So, the obvious answer: Make something.

And the tough question that follows: But what?

To answer that, we scoured Pinterest to find 10 affordable, handmade wedding gifts.

Not only will these options keep your budget under control, they’ll be something the couple will cherish for their whole marriage — which, hopefully, is a long time!

1. Photo Collage Letters

Photo source: House on the Way

These photo collage letters from House on the Way are super easy to make. You could use the first letter of the couple’s new last name, or the first letters of their first names plus an ampersand.

All you need are wooden letters, Mod Podge, scissors, a paintbrush and photos. (Personally, I love the black and white!)

2. Relationship Map  

Photo source: High Walls

I don’t know about you, but I think maps are the coolest. And this cartography heart set from High Walls could highlight where the couple met, got engaged, got married or currently lives.

If the hearts are a little much, you could simply cut the maps into squares or circles instead.

3. Personalized Recipe Book

Photo source: Savvy Eats

As Savvy Eats says, a personalized recipe book really is “one of the best gifts you’ll ever give.”

Instead of just including your favorite recipes, you should request them from the couple’s friends and family as well. Ask them to type up their favorites, plus a note to the couple, then compile them into a cute book.

Trust me, it’s worth the effort!

4. Photo Coasters

Photo Source: Ryan McGuire under Creative Commons

These photo coasters from The Frugal Girls are another project I’ve completed successfully. They’re simpler than they sound, and are also quite affordable.

Use high-quality photos of the couple or maps of meaningful spots, and you’ll have a beautiful (and useful!) gift.

5. Year-of-Firsts Basket

Photo source: Spool and Spoon

This year-of-firsts basket from Spool and Spoon is perfect for the couple who loves wine.

Buy a bunch of their favorite bottles and label each with a “first” they’ll have during the next year: beach trip, dinner party, anniversary, etc.

6. Hand-Painted Song Lyrics

Photo source: Swiish

If you know the couple’s wedding song (and have legible handwriting), this song-lyric canvas from Swiish would make a stunning gift.

That’s one thing I’d hang on my wall for sure!

7. Wooden Photo Hanger

Photo source: Heels In The Mud

Who doesn’t want a shabby chic photo display in their home?

Though Heels in the Mud doesn’t go through each step, it looks pretty easy to figure out — especially if you bring a photo of the project into your local hardware store.

To make it more wedding-y, you could paint the couple’s names and wedding date onto one of the boards.

8. Handwritten Plates

Photo Source: Tiffany Terry under Creative Commons

Did you know Sharpies are magic? So magic, in fact, you can create personalized plates like these ones from Orthodox Mom.

You could make them into “giving plates” like she did, or decorate a few with your favorite recipes.

9. Personalized Cutting Board

Photo source: The Neely Grange

This personalized cutting board from The Neeley Grange requires a wood-burning tool (around $20), so it’s a bit more expensive than the other projects.

But it looks so beautiful (and professional) that I had to include it!

10. $3 Photo Display

Photo source: Shanty-2-Chic

In contrast to the prior project, this rustic photo display from Shanty 2 Chic only costs $3 to make.

At that price, you could make several for the couple — perhaps with their names, or with different quotes about love and marriage.

After discovering all these projects, I’m confident I’ll have beautiful gifts for all the weddings I’m attending this summer.

Now, I guess it’s time to start making ‘em!

Your Turn: Which of these handmade wedding gifts is your favorite?  

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

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Our Family’s Free Summer Activity Checklist

Sarah and I have three children, and as a result, summer vacation means many weeks in which the children are at home. Given our district’s calendar, that means about eleven weeks in a row without school, which gives us a lot of empty days full of countless possibilities.

The drawback, of course, is that many of those possibilities can be very expensive. Things like summer camps, trips to museums and zoos, vacations, and the like add up to a pretty stiff cost.

We want our children to have an enriching summer, but at the same time, we want to keep a strong leash on our finances.

So, each summer, Sarah and I start off the season by making a checklist of free things for our children to do each summer. That way, when we have a lazy day where the children are looking for something to do, we don’t have to brainstorm for ideas.

While some of the ideas are very local in nature, many of them can work well in various parts of the country and even around the world. Here are the ideas we have on our list that might work quite well wherever you might be.

Visit nearby state parks and explore the trails. We live in a state with a pretty strong department of natural resources, and as a result, we have a lot of very nice state parks and other state resources. We have two great state parks less than twenty miles from our home, multiple amazing bike trails near our home, and we’re not even counting the many great town and county parks nearby. If we’re willing to go a little further, the options explode in number.

When we do this, we’ll often make a day of it by packing a picnic lunch and heading out in the early morning. We’ll wander the trails in the morning until the day becomes pretty hot, then we’ll find a cool spot in the shade somewhere and have a picnic lunch. After that, we’ll often use a public swimming or wading area to cool off and then head home in the afternoon.

Go geocaching. Geocaching goes hand in hand with exploring city and county and state parks and trails and recreation areas. It’s a great way to turn exploring those environments into a very fun game.

For those unfamiliar, geocaching is a game that you can play with a GPS device. There are also smartphone apps that make it really easy to get started.

You simply download coordinates for specific locations in the real world from a site like geocaching.com, put those directions into your GPS device, and then use that device to navigate to that specific location. When you get there, you spend some time looking around for a hidden box or tube – that’s the “geocache.” Within it is a log book to sign or initial, and sometimes there are additional items that people can take as long as they leave something in exchange.

We have a lot of fun finding these caches as well as keeping a big list of all of the caches we’ve found. It’s a great way to add extra fun to exploring parks. We’ve found that city parks often have a lot of caches in them, so if you’re looking to get started, a local city park is a great place to begin.

Participate in the reading programs at local libraries. Every local library near us offers some sort of a summer reading program for children in the area – with “area” usually defined as the county. Thus, our children are usually in several of the programs at once.

The different libraries have different activities, all of which encourage children to read, so we not only go to these activities, we also set aside time each day for the children to complete their reading goals.

Of course, those libraries usually offer reading programs for adults as well, so Sarah and I usually also participate in those daily reading times.

Visit a national park. If you have a fourth grader in your home – and we do – you can get a free national park pass for your family for one year thanks to the Every Kid in a Park program.

It’s easy. Your fourth grader (the site defines “fourth grader” as anyone who was in the fourth grade during the current school year or the one preceding the summer) just participates in a few online activities that involve learning about our national park system and, at the end, they can print off a temporary park pass. This pass allows you into a national park for free along with the child’s siblings, child friends, and up to three adults. You just show the printed paper upon park entrance and leave it on your dashboard while exploring.

We’re going to use this pass to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park this summer, among others, and next summer we’ll be using it (with a different child) to visit Yosemite National Park.

Attend the free kids workshops at Home Depot. Home Depot offers a nifty free Kids Workshop program where kids can go and make a simple project for free. The project usually takes a couple of hours. You have to reserve a slot in advance, but there’s no cost… the only real catch seems to be that you’re now spending a couple of hours in Home Depot, which means that you will likely end up buying a thing or two that you need for home improvement.

The workshops are usually pretty well done, in our experience. Our children have enjoyed them many times. Our only drawback is that we’ve sometimes been unable to actually get our children into the workshops as they’ve filled up before we’ve registered.

I do usually buy a few items while in the store, but I try to plan it in advance. I usually check out the ads for the local store and take advantage of any sales on items I know we’ll need while we’re there.

Set a summer goal related to their interests. At the start of the summer, we usually try to set some personal goals to be achieved by the end of the summer, goals that are somehow related to an interest that the child may have.

One summer, for instance, we had a family “mileage club” where we counted the number of miles that we walked or jogged (using a really clearly marked quarter mile and mile long loop near our home). Our children would often go on a walk or a jog on those loops in order to improve their mileage count.

Other goals that have been used are a book club (how many books can you read this summer with a minimum page count?), a 5K club (how many 5K practice runs can you achieve by the end of the summer?), and a learning club (the goal is to tell everyone in the family about something you learned today on your own at the dinner table each night).

Launch a Youtube channel. If you have a digital camera and a decent internet connection, anyone can easily launch a Youtube channel. Doing so can not only provide a wonderful creative summer project, but can actually end up earning a little bit of money along the way.

A great example: one child I know (a pre-teen) has a Youtube channel full of Minecraft videos in which he plays as various characters and makes up voices for them. He basically makes these odd little mini-movies using Minecraft. His videos get thousands of views and he can make two or three of them a week.

All your kids need is a computer, a camera, an internet connection, some time, and some imagination (and maybe a little bit of advice and help along the way) and they can have their own Youtube channel celebrating whatever topic they’d like.

Give them unstructured time. This is the last item on the list and it doesn’t really even have a formal place on our list of things to do for the summer. It’s just an unwritten but vital part of our children’s summer free time.

The purpose of having a lot of unstructured free time is to give the children an opportunity to learn how to manage themselves and create their own structures for how to use their time and energy without having to rely on structures created by their parents. We give them a lot of leeway in terms of deciding how to use their time and energy and we have conversations about better uses of time and energy.

Not only does this teach our children a lot, it also reduces our need to manage their time for them and also cuts out many expenses that might come about from having to fill every moment of their time.

Final Thoughts

A summer vacation filled with enrichment does not have to be an expensive proposition for parents. It simply has to involve some sensible choices about activities that children will enjoy and which will also bring them growth without involving a great deal of expense. The activities on this list manage to achieve all of those things. I hope that some of them will inspire great choices for your family this summer.

The post Our Family’s Free Summer Activity Checklist appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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A Step-By-Step Process to Tell Compelling Stories and Improve Conversion Rates

I’ve noticed that there’s something that scares most marketers.

We love our data.

Most marketers find it fun to review their traffic, engagement, and subscriber numbers. It allows them to test new things and measure their effect.

Data is logical.

But when it comes to content marketing, there’s a component that doesn’t always seem logical: storytelling.

I’m not talking about writing a fiction novel. I am talking about having the ability to write about even the most boring topics in a fun-to-read way.

It’s something that many marketers, even good ones, struggle to do.

Do you also have trouble with this part of creating content?

I see you nodding.

I’ll be honest: that’s a problem. If you can’t write persuasively, you’ll struggle to get subscribers, traffic, etc.

The good news is that it’s a skill that can be improved.

And if do it well, you can create content that sparks conversations across your niche. You’ll find that dozens of blogs start mentioning and linking to your content with very little effort on your part.

Although this skill might seem like something abstract and impossible to improve upon, it can be translated into a proven process that you can follow. This makes developing it a lot easier.

In this post, I’m going to show you that process, step by step.

If you implement it, your content should produce more traffic, referrals, backlinks, and subscribers. 

Step 1: Identify and describe the problem (3 parts)

A story can be really interesting to you but completely uninteresting to someone else, depending on how it’s told. That’s because we care about different things and enjoy things in different ways.

When you’re creating content, there are two places you can start:

• The problem (that you intend to solve for your readers)
• Your readers

Either can work, but starting with your readers is the most logical place to begin.

The more you understand your audience, the more you can tailor your content to them. Ideally, you want to be able to answer questions such as:

• What are their passions?
• What are their biggest problems?
• Whom do they care about most?
• What do they do for entertainment?

You can figure out some of this by doing some basic demographic and psychographic research.

The ideal way to figure out these answers is to talk face-to-face with some of your readers.

There are three ways to do this:

1. Know some people in your target audience in your daily offline life. Offer to take them out to lunch and talk to them.
2. Ask email subscribers to answer a survey, or have a quick chat with them. Offer a small reward if they agree (even a $5 gift card could be enough).
3. Host webinars. Not only are webinars great because they convert subscribers into customers, but they are also great because they give you a chance to actually talk with your most engaged readers.

Once you’re having a conversation, you can ask most of those questions above although you should try to phrase them in a way relevant to your niche.

For example, since I write about marketing, I could ask questions such as:

• Why are you learning marketing?
• What do you hope to accomplish as a marketer?
• How will marketing affect other areas of your life?

Analyze the answers from 10-20 different people, and you’ll start to see patterns.

Next, identify the problem and the pain: Each piece of content should solve one specific problem. And all problems produce pain, which is where the emotion behind storytelling factors in.

If you understand the pain, you can explain the problem better than most readers can themselves. If a reader sees that you can do that, they’ll believe that you have the solution.

All content and stories should start with the pain because that’s how you draw in the reader.

Before you start writing, you should be able to fill in the blanks:

The problem I solve for my reader is ______________________.

And:

The reason my reader is motivated to solve this problem is because _______________(the pain).

Finally, you need to put that pain in the context of your reader.

For example, say you write about fitness. You identify that many gym-goers get wrist pain while bench-pressing. The pain is a clear physical one, and your reader wants to solve this problem.

But think of the difference in the pain for:

• A casual gym-goer
• A high level athlete

For the casual gym-goer, the pain is annoying because it makes it harder to get into shape.

However, for a high level athlete, the pain isn’t just physical—it’s preventing them from improving and achieving important goals in their life.

You can’t write a story to appeal to both audiences at the same time. That’s why the first part of this section was so important.

With all this identified, you can move onto the next step, which is where you can actually start the story.

Step 2: Drive the pain home

Now you’re beginning your content.

While you might want to remind your readers of the pain throughout your story, the intro is where you need to drive it home.

You want to use everything you’ve learned from step 1 and describe the pain your reader is facing in great detail.

Copywriters often call this “amplifying” the pain.

Let’s look at an example. Here’s the intro from an article on Smart Blogger.

I’ve highlighted a few different things here:

1. A common fear the readers of that blog have.
2. Illustrating the pain and frustration his readers feel (describing why).
3. Amplifying the pain by connecting this specific pain (little traffic from each piece of content) to a bigger pain (failing to get traffic and subscribers on the overall blog).

So, how do you do this for your own content?

There’s no set formula, but to start, make a list of:

• The problem
• The pains specific to that problem
• The bigger pains related to the problem

Remember earlier, our example problem was that our athlete was getting wrist pain in the gym.

At this point, you’d have some notes on your outline, like this:

• The problem – You can’t work out effectively and can’t make progress in the gym.
• The specific pains – Sharp wrist pain every time you try to bench-press a decent weight.
• The bigger pains – If you can’t work out, you can’t achieve the level of play that you want. If you can’t get rid of this pain, you’ll see your teammates and opponents surpass you because they aren’t limited by it.

Those three points come together really naturally from there.

After pain, offer relief: You’ve effectively “broken down” your reader. They’re feeling the pain and worried about what happens if they can’t solve the problem.

But now, you turn it around and offer an answer. You’re the only one who understands their pain, and you know how to solve it. Why wouldn’t they be interested in what you have to say?

Make your transition, just like in the example post from above:

There are two parts to this:

• State your solution
• Give an optimistic example

In the case above, the author’s solution to traffic problems was to leverage Slideshare. Then, he gave an example of Michael Hyatt getting 70,000 views on his content on Slideshare.

In our example, the solution might be to fix our athlete’s bench-pressing technique. You could give a personal example or an example of a student who was able to get past their pain and add 50 pounds to their bench press within three months of implementing the solution.

Essentially, you’re saying that you understand their end goal and now want to show them how to connect the dots.

Step 3: Craft a narrative

Now we’re into the meat of the story.

It’s time to not only give your solution but explain why it works. The more context you can give, the better.

For example, Alex Turnbull (Groove HQ blogger) wanted to write a post about improving conversion rates through design.

But to make it more compelling, he crafted a narrative—a before and after story. He went through the steps that Groove used to increase their conversion rates by 100%.

If you can give detailed examples throughout your solution, you’ll make the story much more interesting.

However, it’s not always possible, so focus mainly on providing the best possible solution for your reader and then add examples if possible.

Step 4: You can only be compelled if you believe in the story

Here’s a part that many marketers miss.

If you did the first few steps right, your readers will read your content with an open mind. After all, you seem to really understand their problem and pain and claim to have a solution that works.

If you want your readers to be ready to take action at the end of your content or landing page, you need to give proof.

On landing pages, this is typically done with testimonials and case studies.

For blog posts, you do this with data and research throughout your story.

The more evidence you can provide to show that your solution should work for your reader, the more likely they are to take action.

For example, I wrote a post about “How I Generated $332,640 in 3 Months From Instagram.”

In this post, I outlined the strategy I took, but I also provided proof—a screenshot of the sales I made:

When you include proof like that, your reader will believe that your solution worked for you and thus might work for them too.

Want to make your story bulletproof? The key factor above is that the data and personal examples show that your story is true and that it worked in the main scenario you’re writing about.

Sometimes, that leaves some readers with the question: “But will it work for me?”

That’s where you need to pile on the evidence.

In that same article about using Instagram, I shared multiple examples (case studies) of other businesses using the exact same model to achieve great results:

The point is to remove as much doubt from readers’ minds as possible.

Step 5: Inspire action and bring it home

Your story (content) is essentially complete at this point.

You’ve done the following so far:

• Described the pain
• Offered hope of a solution
• Detailed your solution
• Backed it up with examples and data

As you know, simply reading a blog post alone is almost always useless.

The real value for the readers is in applying the information they learned from your posts.

Some readers are self-motivated and will figure out how to do that. However, many of your readers won’t know what to do unless you tell them (or at least give them a hint).

You’ve probably noticed I end all my posts with some sort of a conclusion. In that conclusion, I include a call to action.

For example:

It’s your chance to remind your readers of the main steps that they should take to apply whatever solution you showed them.

This is also an opportunity to include a call to action for anything further that might help them.

You might tell readers to try some strategy you laid out. And you can also include a call to action to sign up for a course you offer, subscribe for an email list, or download a content upgrade.

Conclusion

Truly compelling content inspires readers to act on your advice.

Making a big impact in your readers’ lives will help you get more traffic and turn more of those readers into subscribers and customers.

While creative storytelling isn’t the strength of most marketers, we’re not trying to write a fiction masterpiece here.

Instead, you should aim to tell stories to intrigue readers so that they keep reading and then take action. If you follow the 5-step process I’ve shown you, you’ll be able to do exactly that.

If you’ve read or written any great pieces of content lately, share them below so that we can all see more examples of compelling stories.

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Want to Know How Much Money You’ve Made — Ever? This Site Will Tell You

Have you ever wondered how much money you’ve made… over your entire lifetime?

We see those little black numbers on our pay stubs — or, let’s be real, in our bank accounts after direct deposit — regularly enough to feel like we have a handle on our earnings.

But our wages (hopefully) change over time, and it’s easy to forget about side gigs, tips and other irregular income.

So if you could see, at a glance, the total amount of money you’ve earned over the course of your life, would you?

As it turns out, there’s a website that lets you do just that. And it might teach you a lot about your personal finances.

How Much Money Do You Make… Really?

Seeing your total lifetime earnings in actual, numerical form is kind of like checking the bottom of your shoe after you squish a particularly nasty bug.

It’s gonna be gross — and maybe even a little scary — but you’ve gotta make sure it’s really dead.

Your total lifetime earnings might shock you with their low total.

But more likely, you’ll wonder how you squandered the thousands and thousands of dollars you’ve made.

As reddit user palmermarc handily summarizes, “I’ve actually made significantly more than I thought… And yet, I’m broke.

“[Expletive deleted] my life.”

Either way, you know you want to take a peek.

Take a deep breath. When you’re ready to satisfy that morbid curiosity, head on over to My Social Security. Make an account, and then click on the “Earnings Record” tab.

See those big numbers in the final column? Grab a calculator and add ‘em up. If you’ve been working for a while, you might want to use a spreadsheet.

The grand total is your lifetime earnings, before taxes and obviously not including any money you don’t report. (Don’t cheat on your taxes, kids.)

So there it is, revealed, for better or for worse.

And no matter how you feel about your total, it probably gives you a sense of how much more you could be doing with your money.

(Friends to the north, you can check the Canada Revenue Agency for this info.)

Money Management, Budgeting Help and More

Even if you make a pretty decent wage, it’s easy to feel like it’s never quite enough.

After all, living within your means is hard work. Even millionaires have to budget if they want to keep the title.

If you can’t believe how much money you’ve earned when there’s always next to nothing in your bank account, keep reading. We have some great ways to help you finally get ahead and save some serious cash.

Here’s how to save your first $1,000 and break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. Once you’ve got some cushioning in your account, you can start to get serious about budgeting and setting financial goals.

One quick way to save a giant chunk of change? Start spending your grocery money more carefully. Here are some of our favorite ridiculous (but effective!) ways to save money on groceries.

Alternatively, you might be disappointed by how low your total is after working hard for years on end. But not to worry: We’ve got resources for you, too.

If you want to see your total earnings increase… you need to earn more money.

Start by browsing these 29 ways to earn money on the side, or pick up hours at one of these well-paid retail jobs.

Maybe you could sell some of your clothes or create a flexible side gig with Uber or Postmates.

That low-ball total got you feeling really radical? Consider switching to one of these high-paying careers that don’t require a college degree… or taking the plunge and finally getting your freelance business on its feet.

No matter what you decide, congratulate yourself on confronting the truth and making some decisions.

It wasn’t that bad, was it?

Your Turn: How much money have you made in your lifetime? Did your total shock you because it was too low… or way higher than you expected?

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. As a poet, she’s just glad she’s made any money, ever. Her creative writing has been featured in DMQ Review, Sweet: A Literary Confection and elsewhere.

The post Want to Know How Much Money You’ve Made — Ever? This Site Will Tell You appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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These 16 Sizzling Work-From-Home Jobs are Accepting Applications Right Now

Want to work from home?

Wondering who’s hiring right now and for what positions?

Then keep reading, because we just scoured our list of 125 innovative and remote companies…

And we found 16 jobs that are 100% remote, work-from-home, telecommute, PJs-all-day, whatever you want to call it — and accepting applications right now.

A few have unlimited vacation policies, and one even offers unlimited Starbucks cards. In other words, they’re pretty sweet gigs.

Though we’ve organized them by category, we recommend you look through them all, since most don’t require any special type of experience or education.

Ready? Here we go…

Unique Remote Jobs

These openings don’t fit in any of the other categories, which means they’re actually some of the coolest ones available.

1. Online English Teacher

What a fun side gig!

As an English teacher with Education First, you’ll work a minimum of 15 hours per week, including evenings and weekends.

You need to be a native English speaker with at least an associate degree.

2. Executive Assistant

You’ve undoubtedly seen Upworthy’s inspirational stories splayed on your Facebook feed before — and right now, the popular website is searching for a “phenomenally organized” executive assistant.

Not only will you get to work closely with Upworthy’s “top two storytelling executives,” you’ll also have unlimited vacation time and full benefits.

To be eligible, you must live in the Eastern time zone.  

3. Impressive Administrative Assistant

Clevertech, an app developer, is seeking a “fun” and tech-savvy “go-getter” of an administrative assistant.

You must do well with deadlines and complex projects, and be willing to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

4. People Operations Coordinator

Are you a people person?

GitLab needs a people operations coordinator, which, in non-startup terms, is a human resources assistant.

You’ll earn $45,000-$60,000 per year, in addition to benefits like unlimited vacation!

Remote Content Jobs

Got a way with words? Or social media?

If you’re not interested in going freelance or starting your own biz, take a look at these jobs.

5. Content Specialist

Are you a “forward-leaning marketing content specialist who wants to reach an established global audience”? Can you write “exceptionally well”?

Then tech company Aha! is looking for someone like you.

6. Assistant Editor

Have you heard of The Cheat Sheet?

It’s a “set of time-saving cheats/guides to everything modern men want, need, and ought to know,” and the company is hiring an assistant editor.

You’ll need a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience), plus a background in editing.

7. Marketing Specialist

MonetizeMore, an ad-optimization company, is looking for a digital marketing specialist who is “content-marketing savvy,” and has experience with PR, writing and social media.

This company’s mantra is “stay hungry, stay grounded,” which it encourages through results-based incentives, surprise bonuses and fast-track promotions.

8. Social Media Manager

Finally, an excuse to hang on Facebook all day!

Toptal connects freelance designers and developers with clients worldwide — and wants someone to be the public voice of its company.

You must be active on social media and have “lots of initiative and creativity.”

Remote Customer Service Jobs

If you enjoy working with people, there are tons of work-from-home opportunities available for you.

If, on the other hand, the thought of a customer service role makes you shudder, we have a whole list of jobs just for you.

9. Customer Support Rep

InVision, which calls itself “the world’s leading design collaboration platform,” is looking for a customer support rep with weekend availability.

You must have excellent communication skills, be technically-savvy and reside in the Mountain or Pacific time zone.   

The job also comes with some sweet perks: In addition to your salary and benefits, the company will pay for membership at a gym of your choice, plus UNLIMITED Starbucks cards and books from Amazon.

10. 401K Audit Team Member

Accounting firm Summit CPA needs someone to help with its 401(k) audits.  

“Extensive experience with Excel” and the ability to work in a team and under pressure are required.

Oh, and how could I forget? You get Fridays off during the company’s off-peak season of November through April!

11. Customer Support Representative

Big Universe is an education technology company used in 30 countries.

It’s looking for a customer support representative to “keep customers happy” and “drive usage of our subscription-based product.” You need a bachelor’s degree to be eligible.

12. Online Ticket Agent

Are you always going to concerts or events? Get paid for your knowledge with this ticket sales position listed by WorkingSolutions.

You’ll need to work at least 20 hours per week, with some weekend hours expected. Pay ranges from $12-$18 per hour.  

13. Confidently Humble P/T Support Rep

If you’re a Penny Hoarder reader, hopefully you’re passionate about personal finance. So why not work for You Need a Budget as a customer support rep?

After a paid trial period of eight weeks, you’ll earn $13-$17 per hour and work a set schedule of 20 hours per week.

Remote Tech Jobs

We know, we know; tech is hot. Coding universities and bootcamps and internships are all the rage.

But if you don’t want to go back to school, you can still snag some technically inclined work-from-home jobs.

14. Cable/Internet Technical Support and Sales

Are you always helping people with their computer or television issues? Then this full-time cable/internet support position from Sutherland Global Solutions is perfect for you.

You’ll take inbound calls from customers — and be eligible for performance bonuses!

15. Help Desk Analyst

Make a difference by working at TNTP, a national nonprofit that “helps school systems end educational inequality.”

As a help desk analyst, you’ll troubleshoot technical issues for customers and staff. Though the position is remote, you’ll be given preference if you can work from noon to 8 p.m. EST.

P.S. This company has many positions available for educators, as well!

16. Happiness Engineer

Who wouldn’t want the title of happiness engineer?

For this position with Automattic, the company that built WordPress, you need a “working knowledge” of WordPress, HTML and CSS, as well as a “passion for solving tough problems.”

Didn’t find what you were looking for? Here are a few resources that should help:

• 32 Legitimate Ways to Make Money From Home
• The 10 Best States to Live in if You Want to Work From Home
• These 8 Websites Will Help You Find Work as a Virtual Assistant
• Want to Work at Home, But Don’t Know Where to Start? Read This…
• How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work From Home

Happy hunting!

Your Turn: Will you apply for any of these positions?

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 These 16 Sizzling Work-From-Home Jobs are Accepting Applications Right Now appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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10 Tweets That Perfectly Illustrate Just How Expensive It is to Have Kids

If you have kids, you’ve probably burned quite a few holes into your wallet.

In fact, the cost of raising a child is about $245,340, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. And that’s just one.

Ouch.

We’re all about cutting costs where you can, but everyone with kids knows they can be expensive — no matter what you do.

These people feel your pain…

1. Kids are bottomless pits that eat a month’s worth of groceries in one sitting

Good lord. My 3 kids ate 4 and a half pounds of ravioli for dinner tonight. That’s insane in the membrane. #wtf #growthspurt #grocerybills

— Julianna Miner (@mommylandrants) May 10, 2016

Is stuffing that many raviolis into one stomach actually possible?

2. They love to rack up IOUs at your local grocery store

Some day I’m going to tell my grocery store I own them roughly $400 for all the bananas my son has stolen and eaten while shopping with me. — mama bird diaries (@mamabirddiaries) May 5, 2016

Wait. At 69 cents per pound, that’s a lot of bananas!

3. They insist you purchase movies they’ll soon outgrow

And you’ll never let it go…

4. They have no idea what an electricity bill is

My daily workout is walking through the house 14 times a day turning off all the lights my kids have left on in every room.

— Goddess of Mischief™ (@AsgardianRose) June 11, 2015

This mom’s probably in great shape, though.

5. Or that cold air costs money,

As a parent, you want to open doors for your kids. As someone who pays A/C bills, you must close every door they open, which is all of them. — The ParentNormal (@ParentNormal) May 17, 2016

When one door closes, the rest open.

6. They force you to make tough financial decisions

I can either put my kids through college or pay for one hour of Internet on a plane. Being an adult is hard.

— Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) December 21, 2015

#Priorities, Ben.

7. They remind you they’re the gift that just keeps on

My first-born is graduating high school. I wasn’t going to be this emotional, yet here I am, crying over her college tuition statement. — Lady Lawya (@Parkerlawyer) May 12, 2016

I hope her daughter applied for some scholarships.

8. By the time December rolls around, they’ve already sucked you dry

Scanning kids playroom to see if I can pass off any old toys as “Santa gifts” without raising suspicions. #recycling

— mama bird diaries (@mamabirddiaries) December 10, 2015

Maybe next year she’ll start saving early.

9. They know how to show their

Most kids refer to their parents as Mom or Dad. My kids refer to me as “can I have $20?” — Sarcastic Mommy (@sarcasticmommy4) April 28, 2015

I don’t know. Can you?

10. And they thank you in ways you never imagined possible

Movie tickets: $37
Snacks: $32
Listening to two five year olds bitch to go home for half the movie: priceless

— Northern Lights (@PinkCamoTO) January 17, 2015

This mom should’ve Netflix’d and earned.

Your turn: What lovable things do your little ones do to add to your financial strain?

Kelly Smith also contributed to this post. Kelly is an editorial intern at The Penny Hoarder.

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).

The post 10 Tweets That Perfectly Illustrate Just How Expensive It is to Have Kids appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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The European property price league table

Gary Adams

euro-football.jpg

Obviously football is coming home this year. With Vardy and Kane set to bang in the goals as though their lives depend on it, it’s a given.

Obviously football is coming home this year. With Vardy and Kane set to bang in the goals as though their lives depend on it, it’s a given.

But while glorious England will sit at the top of the table come 10 July, how does this Sceptred Isle’s capital city compare with its European neighbours’ capital cities when it comes to property prices?

read more

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Metro Bank named Most Trusted Financial Provider of 2016

Moira O'Neill

bf060df9d761a59a3266a284019595ff.png

Metro Bank has been voted Most Trusted Financial Provider by the biggest survey of financial services customers in Britain.

Metro Bank has been voted Most Trusted Financial Provider by the biggest survey of financial services customers in Britain.

Moneywise revealed the winners of its 2016 Customer Service Awards – in which more than 24,000 people voted – at a glittering ceremony in London’s West End on 9 June 2016.

read more

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You Can Do It: How to Balance Your Side Hustle With Your Full-Time Job

You wake up early to write and stay up late to tame your inbox.

You draft blog posts during lunch and spend sunny Saturdays grinding away on your passion project.

Oh, yeah. And you have a full-time job.

You, my friend, are rocking a side hustle.

The side hustle, or side gig, has risen in popularity over the last several years. Maintaining a full-time job while pursuing a passion on the side offers the best of both worlds.

You get the comfort and security of a steady paycheck and benefits, along with the excitement and endless opportunity to do what you love and make extra money on the side.

It’s not easy to balance it all — but with a strategy in place, you can do it.

For three years, I built a successful blog and communications business, saving more than $40,000 in side hustle income, all while working as communications manager for a tourism office.

Use these four tips to excel at your job, grow a thriving side business and still find time for a little fun in your life.

1. Wake Up Earlier

I know, I know. You can’t wake up earlier. You like to work at night.

I’ve been there. A former night owl, I cringed at the thought of a 5 a.m. alarm.

However, after months of coming home from work drained after a long day and completely unable to write, I knew I had to find another pocket of time to pursue my side hustle.

After all, not being able to write meant turning down potential writing clients, losing potential extra income and missing opportunities to grow my own blog and brand.

I slowly made the effort to set my alarm a little bit earlier each day. Within a few months, I was waking up at 5 a.m. and earned myself two full hours of side hustle time I’d never considered.

This two-hour pocket of time felt like a gift.

It allowed me to say yes to lucrative writing opportunities — like a regular magazine assignment. These often allowed me to make nearly $1,000 per quarter for just a few hours’ work a couple of mornings the month my assignments were due.

Best of all, getting my writing done in the morning left my evenings free to pursue other passions, like running, yoga or even happy hour.

Still not convinced?

When you wake up in the morning, you’re well-rested and energized. In the early hours of the day, there’s less of a chance of being bothered by the incessant pinging of your inbox or social media notifications.

You have clear, uninterrupted time to get work done.

Don’t you want to give the best and most focused hours of your day to the projects you’re most excited about?

2. Focus and Prioritize

Often, when you rock a side hustle, you have limited weekday hours to dedicate to your craft.

If you only have one or two hours each day, know exactly what you hope to accomplish during that work session before you sit down. It’s easy to procrastinate or multitask when you don’t have a clear goal in mind.

If you rock your side hustle in the morning, set your goal the night before. Say it out loud or write it down somewhere.

If you work on your side hustle in the evening, set your intention in the morning. That way, when you wake up or get home from work, you know exactly what you’re going to do and can get started right away — without needing to think too hard about it.

Similarly, be realistic about how much work you can get done in one sitting.

For example, when I was side hustling, I knew I could only write one blog post each morning. This helped me plan ahead to make sure I prioritized my work accordingly.

3. Use Your Limited Time to Your Advantage

One thing I quickly realized after I took my side hustle full time in February is I actually was more productive while working a full-time job.

Why is that? A little thing called Parkinson’s Law. This is the idea that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

If I have one hour to complete a project, I’ll get it done within the hour. If I have eight hours to complete a project, you can bet I’m going to take the maximum amount of time available to complete it. It’s just how our brains work.

Use your limited amount of time to your advantage to get more done in the long term.

If you’re a writer who can produce one article in an hour and you have five extra hours in a week, you have the opportunity to earn an extra $375 a week.

Stop thinking of your limited amount of time to work as an excuse. Instead, think of it as an amazing benefit, helping you to be more productive and actually get more done.

4. Leverage Your Day Job to Get Better at Your Side Hustle

If you’re maintaining a full-time job while working a side hustle, you bring the skills you learn in the office to your own business.

Before I started my full-time public relations job, I knew little about email marketing. But with the skills I picked up at work, I created my own 1,400-person strong email community.

Another awesome benefit?

Most full-time jobs pay for professional development like conferences, courses and trainings. Consider these FREE opportunities to educate yourself — and potentially grow your side hustle with your new skills — on your company’s time and dime.

On the flip side, think about all the skills you’re picking up and sharpening as you develop your side gig, whether it’s blogging, SEO, design or social media. Not only are you honing your professional skills for your business, you can also bring these to your full-time job and look good at work.

As a bonus, getting better at your full-time job only helps you move up the ladder and earn raises.

Where Could Your Side Hustle Take You?

While the grind of working a day job and side hustle may feel challenging at times, just remember you’re working toward a bigger goal.

If you’re like me and your dream is to one day quit your job to take your hustle full time, freelancing on the side is a natural step to make it happen.

The $40,000 I saved during my three years of side hustling served as a cushion to give me the confidence to finally make the leap into running my own business. Knowing I had a significant amount of money in the bank gave me the freedom and flexibility to say, “I can do this.”

With a little bit of strategy and time management, you really can have it all — a successful side hustle, a fulfilling day job and a thriving personal life.

Your Turn: Do you have a side hustle and a full-time job? What tips would you add to this list? Share them in the comments below.

After six years in the corporate PR world, Jessica Lawlor left her job to run her own communications agency, blog/brand and teach yoga. She is a writer and blogs about getting gutsy: stepping outside your comfort zone to reach your goals and live a life that makes you truly happy.

The post You Can Do It: How to Balance Your Side Hustle With Your Full-Time Job appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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5 Flexible Online Summer Jobs for Teachers

By Ashlee Anderson After the final bell rings on the last day of school, signaling the start of summer, teachers get a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of the school year. The Monday through Friday routine is temporarily put on hold for the next 60+ days, as educators and students alike enjoy their […]

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