Allentown resident Elyse Holben was recently hired by Northampton Community College as the director of scholarship programs.She earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in communications media and journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.Prior to joining the NCC staff, she worked in ticketing/customer service for the Reading Fightin’ Phils, as director of suites and catering sales for the Richmond Fighting Squirrels, and as the director of premium seating for [...]
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الخميس، 28 يوليو 2016
Hey Baseball Fans: Want to Get Paid to Write for MLB.com?
If you know what kind of creature the Tampa Bay Rays’ mascot is (no, it’s not a ray) or the baseball stadium that serves up the Burgerizza, then this could your dream job.
MLB.com is hiring a part-time content writer/editor for its related platform, Cut4.
Calling All Sports Writers
Catering to all things baseball, Cut4 doesn’t solely report the latest wins, ridiculous number of extra innings or batting stats.
It’s all about the game’s culture: the bratwursts, the mohawks, the walkup music, the fan posters — you name it.
Recent posts range from “A Pirates fan was willing to trade away his little sister for foul balls” to “The White Sox are patrolling the streets of Chicago on scooters.”
As the content content writer/editor, you’ll be asked to write 100- to 300-word articles that focus on what’s #trending in MLB. You’ll also have opportunities to write 500- to 800-word features about the game’s history and pop culture storylines.
The position is part time, but can get close to full time; the posting offers 32-40 hours per week. The schedule is flexible, and you’ll work when MLB games are played — days, nights and weekends.
Are You Qualified to Write About Baseball?
This is an entry-level position, and the job posting doesn’t note any particular degree or education requirement.
You should, however, be able to write quickly and cleanly with a sense of humor.
A knowledge and passion for baseball is a given. The posting emphasizes this: If you don’t watch baseball on a daily basis, don’t apply. (Although they were more polite about it.)
Photoshop skills and reporting experience are preferred as is a familiarity and use of social media, particularly Twitter.
Cut4 asks you to submit your resume, Twitter handle and 250 words about why you want the gig. Be entertaining, make ’em giggle, use baseball puns, embed gifs or cat memes — whatever it takes to get a call from the major leagues.
I reached out to Cut4 on Facebook and Twitter to ask about the job’s pay and any work-from-home options. I’ll update you with information when I get a response.
Until then, step up to the plate. Apply via mlb.com, and, afterward, do your best good luck ritual.
Oh, and if you’re still stumped on the questions from the beginning: Raymond is a “seadog,” and you can get a colossal pizza burger at the Atlanta Braves’ Turner Field.
Your Turn: Do you think you know enough baseball trivia for this job?
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.
The post Hey Baseball Fans: Want to Get Paid to Write for MLB.com? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Flexible pension access surpasses £6.1bn
Some 159,000 people withdrew £1.77 billion from their pensions between April and June this year – the biggest amount on record - new data reveals.
In total, over a quarter of a million payments were taken in the second quarter of 2016, either through drawdown access, or by people cashing in their pensions in full.
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How Much Does Lasik Cost?
In the olden days—meaning, before the very late ‘90s — people without perfect vision had two basic choices for dealing with their sight problems: eyeglasses or contact lenses. Both came with benefits and drawbacks, but neither solved the essential problem, allowing the four-eyed among us to function without corrective lenses.
Then, Lasik was approved in the United States. By 2011, over 11 million Americans with myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism (blurred vision), had laser eye surgery, according to CRST Europe. The surgery, which corrects vision problems due to refractive errors by reshaping the cornea, offers a life without lenses for many patients who undergo it.
But, it’s not without risk — or expense.
How Much Lasik Costs, Out of Pocket
As with all medical procedures, your price tag for Lasik surgery will vary, depending on your location, doctor, and type of vision or medical insurance. On average, however, Lasik cost between $2,100 and $2,200 per eye in 2014, according to All About Vision, which notes that patients who would need surgery for both eyes should double the cost to get an accurate estimate (no bulk discount here).
Does Insurance Cover Lasik?
In most cases, Lasik is considered elective surgery, similar to a cosmetic surgery — which means that many insurance companies won’t cover the costs. Lasik.com reports that some vision plans negotiate discounted rates with providers, but the majority of patients should be prepared to pay out of pocket for most or all of their Lasik surgery.
The exceptions to this rule are rare, and involve a lot of negotiating with insurance — but if your job requires you to have perfect vision (think active military in certain roles), or you have trouble tolerating lenses for medical reasons, you might be able to persuade your insurance company to cover the surgery.
Can Lasik Save Me Money in the Long Run?
Lasik providers often advertise their services by comparing the cost of surgery versus the cost of glasses and/or contact lenses over the course of a lifetime. The trouble with this comparison is that the very patients who are best suited for Lasik are also the ones likely to spend the least on lenses; the ideal Lasik patient is one with a stable prescription, among other characteristics.
If you’re willing to stick with eyeglasses, and don’t feel the need to upgrade your frames every year, it would probably take you a very long time to spend enough money on glasses to make Lasik a better financial alternative. In addition, most vision plans kick in for new glasses every year or two, further reducing the cost of simply sticking it out.
That said, there’s a certain priceless appeal to being able to see without assistance. And contact lenses are a different story. If you wear contacts, even the savings offered by vision insurance probably won’t completely offset your costs. And if you don’t have insurance, your annual expenses could be quite steep: Very Well estimates yearly costs for daily disposable contact lenses at $440 to $760. At that rate, you could “pay” for your Lasik procedure in saved contact lenses costs in about a decade.
Other Variables to Consider
Of course, the problem is that there’s no guarantee that your Lasik results will hold up for a decade—or even that you’ll wind up with perfect vision for any length of time after the procedure.
About 5% of patients reported being dissatisfied with the results of their Lasik surgery, according to an NPR piece from a few years ago. Further, WedMD says that “most patients enjoy improved (not necessarily perfect) vision without their old glasses” — meaning that you could go through the expense and effort of getting laser surgery, only to wind up still needing your glasses after it’s through.
Beyond that, as with any surgery, there are risks (they’re shooting a laser at your eyeball, after all). The FTC cautions that Lasik might not be suitable for patients with dry eye or conditions like glaucoma, lupus, diabetes, or certain diseases of the eye.
Related Articles:
- Best Health Insurance Companies
- How Much Does a Root Canal Cost?
- 12 Inexpensive Strategies for Saving on Medical Costs and Improving Your Family’s Health
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5 Lethal Job-Hunting Mistakes You Have No Clue You’re Making
Looking for a new job is always tough.
But it’s especially sucky when you’re getting tons of rejections… and have no idea what you’re doing wrong.
Although the job market has greatly improved over the past few years, the competition is still stiff — and sometimes it’s the little things that make your application end up in the recycling bin.
A new CareerBuilder survey of more than 3,000 full-time workers across the country revealed five common mistakes made by job seekers.
And some of them are so small, you probably don’t even know you’re making them…
1. Sending a Generic Resume
If you’re sending the same resume to every employer, you might as well not even bother.
Hiring managers can spot generic applications a mile away, and will assume you don’t care about getting the job if you don’t care enough to bother tailoring your application.
Customizing your resume is easy, and 54% of job seekers don’t do it.
Don’t be like them.
2. Not Using the Hiring Manager’s Name
The most common mistake, according to CareerBuilder?
Not personalizing your cover letter with the hiring manager’s name.
A whopping 84% of job seekers don’t do this, instead starting their letters with a “Dear Hiring Manager” or “To Whom it May Concern.”
It just takes a little sleuthing to find the hiring manager’s name. First, try calling the employer and asking who it is.
If that doesn’t work, at least find the name of the human resources manager by doing a quick Google or LinkedIn search.
3. Forgetting a Cover Letter
I can’t even believe this is a thing. Not including a cover letter is just madness.
Don’t be like 45% of job seekers — send a cover letter with your resume. That’s where you can truly sell yourself and explain why you want a particular job.
If you need some inspiration, check out this ultra-sweet cover letter.
4. Neglecting to Follow Up
Submitted your application? Nailed your interview? Awesome, but your work’s not done yet!
If you don’t hear back from an employer after applying, follow up.
More than a third of job seekers (37%) don’t do this and — who knows? — your application could’ve gotten lost in the interwebs. So it’s worth ONE quick phone call or email to make sure it was received.
5. Not Sending a Thank-You Note
Don’t forget the thank-you note, either; it’s an easy step 57% of job seekers don’t take.
Buy some greeting cards and a pack of stamps, and keep them in your desk. As soon as you return from an interview, send that sucker off!
Why You Should Stop Making These Mistakes
These steps may sound small, but they add up. If you don’t believe me, just ask Erin O’Neill, our People and Culture Manager here at The Penny Hoarder.
Not only does she see all of the applications we receive — saying “generic resumes are the WORST” — but her unique approach is one of the reasons she was hired.
“I didn’t have time to create a new dope resume tailored to the job, which is what I knew I had to do to get noticed,” O’Neill says.
So she bought a $15 resume template off Etsy and edited it to reflect her info. In her cover letter, she was “brutally honest,” even risking “sounding like a nutter” to show her personality and how much she wanted the job.
Oh, and…
“I also included ‘Moves like Jagger’ on my skill set,” she says, “but you’d have to check with Kyle” — The Penny Hoarder’s founder and CEO — “on whether that factored into my success.”
Kyle’s response?
“Totally. The resumes all start to look alike after a while, so anything you can do to stand out is worth it!”
Your Turn: Have you ever made any of these job-hunting mistakes?
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 5 Lethal Job-Hunting Mistakes You Have No Clue You’re Making appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Twelve Things I Should Have Considered More Carefully Before Buying My First Home
Several years ago, my wife and I were in a bit of a personal bind. We lived together in what was about the tiniest two bedroom apartment you can imagine, with a small baby and another one on the way. We were already forced into being pretty creative with arrangements with even one baby in the home, but two? It was pretty clear that we needed a bigger place.
We considered a bigger apartment, but there were honestly none available that were even remotely reasonably priced in the location that we wanted (roughly midway between our two jobs), and my wife didn’t want to live in the city near either of our jobs.
With that, we started house hunting. And, to be honest, we somehow managed to stumble into a pretty good house for our needs at a fairly reasonable price.
Looking back, however, I recognize that we were able to find that house due to pure, unadulterated luck. We did many things wrong during our house search, our move, and our early days of home ownership.
If I somehow had it to do all over again, I would have made some smarter decisions and considered some things that I didn’t pay any attention to. But, unfortunately, I don’t have a time machine.
Instead, here are the twelve things I most regret not considering or doing during the whole process of moving from an apartment to a house. Perhaps they’ll find their way to someone in the same situation I was in ten years ago.
#1 – An apartment offers more benefits than you think.
It is really really easy to get caught up in the glow of all of the potential benefits of home ownership. You can build equity! You don’t have a landlord skulking around! Once you pay off that mortgage, you won’t have any kind of monthly payment any more (well, you’ll still have property taxes and association fees and insurance…)! You can do whatever you want with the property – if you want to knock out a wall, go for it! If you want a fuchsia room, go for it!
The thing is, there are actually a lot of benefits to living in an apartment that people tend to overlook due to a “grass is greener on the other side” effect.
For starters, when you live in an apartment, you don’t have to do maintenance on the property. If something goes wrong, call the landlord. If it’s your house, you’re either going to be fixing it yourself or calling a repairperson and, in either case, you’re going to be spending money on parts (at the very least) and labor (if you bring in help).
For another, rental insurance is far cheaper than homeowners insurance on even the cheapest of properties, and you don’t have things like property taxes or association fees, either.
For another, tasks like mowing the lawn and cutting weeds and trimming trees aren’t even on your radar. They’re just taken care of. You don’t have to spend the time on those tasks or pay for the equipment required.
Those things all mean expenses when you’re living in a home, expenses that people often don’t look at when they compare a mortgage to apartment rent.
Before you ever consider buying, you really should spend some serious time looking at a good “rent versus buy” calculator, like this one from the New York Times.
You need to run the numbers over and over and over again and make absolutely sure that the financial benefits you’re getting from buying a home are greater than the financial benefits you’re getting from renting. Looking at the raw numbers removes the emotions and the “grass is greener” factor from the picture.
#2 – A 20% down payment is incredibly important.
If you don’t have a 20% down payment, you are going to wind up handing a lot of money to the bank to make up for it.
Here’s the reality of the situation: if you come to a bank without 20% of the cost of the home you want to buy already in hand, the bank is going to see you as a risk, as someone not serious about buying a home, as someone who might dump a house on them after not making many payments which leaves them swallowing almost the full cost of the house if they have to foreclose.
What the bank will do is not give you a loan unless you sign up for mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance will amount to about 1% of the total balance of the mortgage each year; it will be tacked on to your mortgage payment. You can essentially think of mortgage insurance as adding a +1 to whatever the interest rate is on your loan – if it’s a 3.5% loan, you’ll effectively be paying a 4.5% interest rate.
That mortgage insurance is going to stick around until your remaining principal on the loan is less than 80% of the value of the home – and the bank won’t exactly be friendly about this, because they won’t let you remove the interest rate until they’re absolutely sure it’s less than 80% of the lowest possible value of your home.
Why do they do this? It’s insurance for them against a homeowner – you – who might not necessarily follow through on the mortgage. Why would they think that about you? It’s because you tried to borrow a lot of money without bringing much of your own to the table, as demonstrated by not having that 20% down payment.
So, the real impact of not having a 20% down payment is that for the first, say, third of the time you’re paying off the mortgage, you’re going to be effectively tacking on an additional payment each month, one that will add up to 1% of the value of the home over the course of a year. If you’re buying a $250,000 home, that means your mortgage insurance will cost you $2,500 a year until you get rid of it. It’s just gone – poof.
You can avoid this entirely by just saving up a 20% down payment, which you can do by being a little bit smart with your money. That’s actually really good practice for the realities of home ownership, because to be able to make home ownership a success, you need to be smart with your money. Home ownership is very rewarding, but there are a lot of costs involved, and if you’re spending money without much organization, simply learning how to save and make better choices with your money is vital preparation for home ownership and that 20% down payment savings project is a great way to learn.
#3 – Location is incredibly important.
This is something you likely already understand, but I’m putting it here to re-emphasize it. Location. Is. Very. Important.
Wherever you decide to live, you’re going to be commuting from that place to wherever it is that you work. That commute is going to have a cost in the form of both money and time, a cost that is going to be repeated over and over and over again as long as you have that job (and, likely, jobs similar to that one which will probably be in the same area).
If you live close to that area, great! You can walk to work or take a bike to work, which means your commuting costs are practically zero.
If you’re a bit further away, you can probably take the bus to work or the subway. You’ll have to pay some mass transit fees, but it’s still pretty cheap in the big scheme of things.
If you’re far away from work, you’re probably buying a car. A car is expensive. The AAA estimates that the average annual cost of owning a car, including all of the expenses (fuel, maintenance, registration, insurance, parking, depreciation, etc.), is $8,698 a year. Ouch.
If you pick a poor location, your commute cost goes up from $0 per year to $8,698 per year. That’s effectively tacking $700 a month onto your monthly housing expenses – and we’re not even talking about the time eaten each and every day.
This isn’t to say that this should be a deal breaker, but that it should be part of your math when figuring out whether to move.
#4 – Shop around for your mortgage and get pre-approved.
Sarah and I did shop around on a very limited basis for a mortgage, but our “shopping around” mostly consisted of looking at a few advertised mortgage rates and then quickly selecting a single financial institution to work with.
What we should have done is actually meet with several different banks to discuss mortgage options and see what kind of mortgage offers they were willing to preapprove for us.
Preapproval is important. It gives you a dollar amount with which you can safely house hunt without having to go back and get approved. It’s effectively your budget for the house hunt.
It takes some time, but spend that time now. It will pay off enormously for you if you are able to find a bank that will shave 0.25% off of your interest rate while preapproving you. Just getting that little amount is worth many, many hours of bank meetings.
#5 – Go minimal when you’re choosing a home.
When you’re in the process of house hunting, it’s very easy to get blown away by the bigger homes with nicer decor and furnishings. They look good. They’re roomy. They shine in comparison to smaller homes with lower quality decor.
The thing is, you’re paying for that extra space. You’re paying for those nicer elements. You’re paying a lot, in fact.
My advice? It’s similar to my advice when shopping for anything. Start at the bottom and inch your way up. Don’t start by looking at homes at the high end of your preapproval. Start by looking at a bunch of homes at the low end and see if any stand out to you for your needs.
Then, very slowly start lifting the ceiling on your price and looking at more expensive homes if you don’t find anything that really stands out to you.
If you start, as we did, by looking at homes that are on the very upper end of your price range (or even out of your price range), you’ll find yourself naturally predisposed against lower-priced homes. Your basis for comparison becomes that expensive, gorgeous home that’s going to be like a financial weight around your ankle, a home that doesn’t represent the best bang for the buck for you (which is what you’re really looking for).
Start cheap. Look at cheap homes, then inch upward. You’ll know a good home for you when you see it.
#6 – A fifteen year mortgage is virtually always a better idea than a thirty year mortgage.
Over the course of a fifteen year mortgage, you’re going to end up paying about a third of the interest to the bank that you would pay over the course of a thirty year mortgage. That’s because not only is a fifteen year mortgage much shorter in length (meaning you’re paying more principal each month), it also comes with a lower interest rate.
If that tip is true, why do people get a thirty year mortgage, ever? The reason’s simple: thirty year mortgages virtually always have a lower monthly payment. Even though it’s a poor long term choice, people often look at the bigger fifteen year payment and back away, believing that they’re not going to be able to afford it.
Here’s the truth: if you’re scared of the monthly payment of a fifteen year mortgage, then a thirty year mortgage for the same amount is probably also a poor idea. It means that you’re buying more house than you can really afford.
Unless you have some sort of incredibly compelling and unusual reason for preferring a 30 year mortgage, you should be getting a 15 year mortgage. If it looks like you can’t afford the payments on the 15 year mortgage, then you need to be looking at a lower-priced property to buy.
We got a thirty year mortgage. We managed to pay it off in four and a half years (because we were making triple and quadruple and quintuple payments to try to become debt free). If we had a fifteen year mortgage, we would have paid the whole thing off even faster, with even less mortgage given to the bank.
#7 – Never go above using 40% of your take-home pay as debt payments.
This is a good rule of thumb for financial sanity. Take your monthly debt payments for your already existing debts. Add to that your monthly mortgage payment for a fifteen year mortgage. If that adds up to more than 40% of your monthly take home pay, then you’re putting yourself on a very dangerous financial tightrope and you should strongly reconsider buying that home.
This is an example of a foolish move that we almost made, except that we were directly saved from this by a loan officer at the credit union we were working with. The number one figure she worked with in terms of determining our preapproval was our monthly budget and she would not allow us to go above a 40% total debt payment. She preapproved us only for an amount that translated into a loan that was below that 40% threshold.
Without that careful loan officer, we could have found ourselves in a serious mess, as we had been willing to borrow more for a bigger house. We had our eye on a home that was almost $50,000 more than what we were preapproved for; buying that home would have been a giant mistake.
Keep your debt payments below 40% of your take home pay. If you can’t do that and also get the house you want, keep saving or turn your sights lower.
#8 – Flipping requires a lot of sweat equity; it’s definitely not just pure profit and reality show fun.
One potential avenue of home ownership that Sarah and I discussed was the idea of “flipping” a house. This was during a period where the concept of “flipping” a house – buying it, putting some work into it, then selling it for a profit – was very much in vogue.
It can be a moneymaker, for sure, but it’s also a very big time sink. You are going to be putting a lot of hours into such a project if you take it on, and if the house you’re flipping is also your primary residence during the process, you’re adding even more challenge to the equation.
My later experience with house renovation and flipping taught me a simple lesson: it can go well and be profitable if you know what you’re doing and have some good carpentry and handyman skills. If you’re lacking those, it’s not going to go well – you’re going to vastly increase your invested hours and vastly cut back on your profits.
#9 – You are going to want a healthy amount of cash in hand when you move.
In the months prior to your move, don’t just throw everything into a down payment or into closing costs. Keep some aside for the inevitable bundle of expenses that you’re going to discover when you move in.
You’re going to find that you need lots of things, particularly items that were previously provided by your landlord. You’ll need a mower (or a mowing service). You’ll need lots of various tools. You’ll probably need some furniture – even if you buy super low-end stuff, you’ll still need some. You may need appliances. You may need little things for minor home repairs. You may need food and beverages for the people who help you move and settle in.
Those costs are going to add up, no matter how you slice it. It’s a bad move to start off your new period of home ownership with a lot of credit card debt.
So, during those last few months in the apartment, direct some of your savings to be used for those expenses when you first move in. You’ll be incredibly glad you did, because if you don’t, your credit card will melt.
#10 – “Fill” rooms with very basic furnishings and upgrade slowly from there.
Your first home will probably be substantially larger than your apartment and you’ll find that, when you move in, some of the rooms are awfully… sparse. It will be very tempting to go fill them up with furnishings, particularly places to sit.
There’s nothing wrong with that temptation. Just do it smartly.
I highly recommend starting with very low-end furnishings, even secondhand stuff, to fill spaces in your rooms. This will enable you to eliminate that “empty” feeling as inexpensively as humanly possible.
Then, after that, slowly upgrade the furnishings as you see fit and as necessary. If you do it slowly, you can do it out of pocket, without the added expense of credit card interest and without putting your emergency fund or other savings at risk.
#11 – Adopt a “one in, one out” policy from day one, not later on.
Once you’ve settled in just a little and have purchased a few true essentials for your home – basic furnishings and such – adopt a “one in, one out” policy for everything in your home. If you bring in an object of some type, you need to get rid of an object of the same type by selling it.
If you bring in some clothing, you have to get rid of some clothing. If you bring in a book, you have to sell a book. If you bring in a gadget, you have to get rid of a gadget.
Seem strict? Well, the problem is that if you don’t do this, you’ll rather quickly fill up all of the additional space in this home and you’ll be just as cluttered as you were before you moved. You’ll also find yourself in a position where it is much more difficult to move, to rearrange things, and to nave a non-cluttered home, and you’ll be spending lots of time on maintaining your stuff and finding individual things you need.
Another big benefit of such a policy is that it keeps money in your pocket. You’ll become very selective with the things that you buy. You’ll spend less overall, and when you do spend money, it will be for quality upgrades, not just mass quantities of stuff.
Keep things simple. Stick with a one in, one out policy. I certainly wish we had done so.
#12 – Put in the effort to know all of your neighbors.
This is a final, but powerful tip for any new homeowner. Get to know all of the people in your neighborhood – at least within several houses of your own. Stop by if you see them outside and introduce yourself. Once you’re settled in, invite some of them over for a cookout in the back yard. Built at least a minor positive relationship with them.
How is this beneficial? A neighbor is a person who can lend a helping hand in a pinch. You can borrow things from them when needed. They can keep an eye on your house when you’re traveling. They can be a friendly face and a conversation partner at home and can even become a close friend. Of course, you’ll reciprocate these things, but the cost for you is much lower than the value of the benefit you receive.
Your neighbors are a lending library, a source for advice, an intruder alarm, a package retrieval aid, an emergency babysitter, a potential lifelong friend, and so much more. Don’t let that slip by just because of your own busy schedule.
Final Thoughts
In various ways, we bungled almost all of these strategies while purchasing, moving into, and settling into our current home. They weren’t conscious mistakes, just errors made because we didn’t yet know what we were doing.
After years as a homeowner, I’ve managed to overcome and fix some of these things. We eventually built good relationships with our neighbors. Our house is cluttered, but we have a “one in, one out” system that’s largely in place now. Our house is wholly paid for (though we could have paid for it much sooner).
If I had it to do all over again, though, I wouldn’t try to fix these things afterwards. I’d try to do them right from the start. I hope you’ll do the same.
The post Twelve Things I Should Have Considered More Carefully Before Buying My First Home appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Get Your Wet-Naps Ready: Friday is National Chicken Wing Day!
Few foods are as mighty, messy and marvelous as the simple chicken wing.
You can have ‘em traditional-style with buffalo sauce, or dress them up in sweet Thai chili. You can go as hot as possible or have them mild, because that’s just what you feel like today (no judgments!).
They’re even good plain, or “naked,” as you’ll see them scandalously advertised on some menus.
So we weren’t surprised to learn there’s a whole day devoted to the simple, incomparable goodness of chicken wings. Friday, July 29 is National Chicken Wing Day — and we found the best spots for you to get your fix on the cheap.
National Chicken Wing Day 2016: 6 Places to Get Great Deals on Wings
Done reading and ready to eat already? Here’s where to head for bargain buffalo wings — or any other kind you like.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Your go-to for a college-y feel and ample, sports-filled TV screens is offering half-priced wings this Friday at participating locations.
East Coast Wings
Although you’ll have to pay for the wings you eat this Friday at East Coast Wings, you’ll receive a coupon for five free wings to be redeemed between July 31 and August 4.
Which means… more wings. Soon. Yes, please.
Hooter’s
They’re not free, but…
Hooter’s is offering all-you-can-eat wings for $12.99 this Friday. And if you’re anything like me, you can definitely make that price worthwhile.
They have a goal of selling a million wings during the holiday, and they’ll also be revealing the results of their “Great Debate” wing vote — flats or drums?
(Spoiler: They both win.)
Hurricane Grill & Wings
This popular wing joint is also offering all-you-can-eat wings for $12.99. Seems to be the price to beat!
Ker’s WingHouse
This Florida-based wing restaurant will give you five free wings when you purchase an order of 10. They’ve got 22 sauces to choose from, so you’re sure to find something to suit your tastes this Friday.
Wingstop
Place an online order with Wingstop between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time this Friday and receive five free wings with any purchase. Can you say office lunch?
No matter where you go — or even if you just stay home with your very own grill! — enjoy National Chicken Wing Day!
I know I will.
Your Turn: Hot, mild or something way more exciting?
Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder and chicken wing enthusiast. Footy’s sauce is still the best, and no one beats her mom on the grill.
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We Found the Healthiest Items Under $5 at 10 Popular Fast-Food Chains
Sometimes, you just really want something from the drive-thru.
You know it’s not healthy. And even if it seems cheap, you know it’s not cost-effective in the long run.
But have you ever driven past a Wendy’s, perhaps late at night, and suddenly become obsessed with the thought of delicious, hot sea-salted fries?
The heart wants what it wants. YOLO. Insert enabling pop-song cliche here.
You make the turn. You’re goin’ in.
The Healthiest Fast Food Under $5
If you’re heading to the drive-thru, health and cost might be the last thing on your mind.
But if you happen to have an arsenal of the items least damaging to your wallet and waistline at your disposal, you might make choices you won’t totally regret an hour from now.
(And hey — even if you don’t, you’ll at least be more informed. Knowledge is power, and fries are awesome.)
So we teamed up with registered dietitian Rebecca Lewis, who works in-house at HelloFresh, to bring you the lightest, healthiest items at 10 of our favorite guilty pleasure fast-food joints — all for less than $5.
You’ll notice that some of our really, really favorite fast-casual restaurants (think: burritos) don’t show up on this list.
That’s because it’s relatively easy to order healthily at Chipotle, Panera and the like — and way harder to spend less than $5 (unless, of course, you’re getting it for free!).
So instead, we picked the greasiest, most unabashedly fast fast-food restaurants — the kind whose lights stay on into the wee hours of the night.
Here’s what to get if you want a cheap but healthy-ish fix next time you make that fateful fast-food stop.
A quick note: Most of these restaurants don’t list their price information online, so we sourced the prices from websites like this one.
That said, it turns out the healthiest items at fast food restaurants also tend to be the smallest — and therefore the cheapest! So you shouldn’t have to worry about spending more than $5 for any of these choices.
1. Taco Bell
Fresco-Style Chicken Soft Taco, $1.19
This one had to come first, since it’s our founder’s favorite (love you, Kyle!).
And luckily, it’s one of the easiest fast-food joints to order fairly healthfully at.
“Always opt to order anything on the Taco Bell Menu ‘Fresco-Style’ to reduce calories and fat,” says Lewis.
According to the Taco Bell website, “Fresco-Style means our freshly prepared pico de gallo is substituted for any mayo based sauces, guacamole, reduced-fat sour cream and cheese. This provides about a 25% reduction in fat.”
Lewis’s favorite pick from the multi-item Fresco menu? A shredded chicken soft taco, which comes in at 140 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat and 470 mg of sodium.
“Compare this to a regular soft taco with the avocado ranch sauce: 220 calories, 12 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, and 530 mg of sodium.”
Plus, a taco’s just $1.19, which means you could make a meal of three of them and still not spend a whole fiver.
2. McDonald’s
Classic Hamburger, No Bun — $2.49
You may think the problem with McDonald’s is all to do with the greasy meat and oh-so-melty cheese on your burger.
But as it turns out, your problem may be more peripheral. Lewis says, “A large source of calories, fat, and sodium in any McDonalds burger or sandwich is the bread!”
Compare a classic hamburger with pickles, ketchup, onions, and mustard — but no bun — and its carb-wrapped cousin.
The first comes in at 160 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat and 360 mg of sodium, while the second’s got 250 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and a whopping 490 mg of sodium.
How do you even pack that much fat into bread? (OK, the answer is butter, but still.)
3. Burger King
Your Choice: Regular Hamburger, No Cheese — $1.00 (!!)
OR
Chicken Nuggets, 4-piece — $1.19
Turns out having it “your way” can significantly increase the amount of fat and calories you consume.
Both of these dishes have fewer than 250 calories and 12 grams of fat — but only if you avoid tempting add-ons.
Lewis suggests skipping the cheese on your next BK burger (and downsizing from its king-sized options). And if you’re more of a chicken nugget kind of person, beware of the dangers of dip.
“The trick here is in the dipping sauces,” Lewis says. “Skip the BBQ sauce, which packs a whopping 310 mg of sodium and 10 grams of sugar!”
“Instead,” she suggests, “keep it classic with the ketchup, which has 125 mg of sodium and 2 grams of sugar.”
4. Wendy’s
Your Choice: Grilled Chicken Wrap, no BBQ Ranch — $3.79
OR
Half Size Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad with Light Balsamic Vinaigrette — $4.69
Wendy’s has some surprisingly healthy options, but unfortunately, those crave-inducing sea salt fries are not on the list.
The grilled chicken wrap clocks in at 270 calories and 11 grams of fat, with 3.5 grams of that being saturated — but it still packs 620 mg of sodium.
And if you get the BBQ ranch dressing, you’ll be adding 190 calories, 14 grams of fat and an additional 510 mg of sodium… so maybe take it home and dress it there.
The half-size chicken salad with light balsamic is a great option, although it’s one of the pricier ones on this list: 240 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 of which are saturated, and 520 mg of sodium.
5. Arby’s
Junior Roast Beef Sandwich — $1.59
I, for one, have never liked Arby’s — though I have friends who swear by it.
My beef (see what I did there?) with this place: Everything tastes like I’m licking a salt rock. And as it turns out, I was right.
“This one was HARD!” Lewis says. “Everything on the menu is ridiculously high in sodium!”
I don’t want to say I told you so…
If you’re one of the folks who can’t get enough Arby’s, Lewis recommends you stick to the kids’ menu. Its junior roast beef sandwich comes in at 210 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat and 530 mg of sodium.
Yes, that’s half a gram, so make sure you wash it down with a large bottle of water ($1.49).
6. Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr.
1/3 Pound Low-Carb Thickburger, No Cheese — $4.59
If you’re jumping on the low-carb bandwagon, Hardee’s and its west-coast cousin Carl’s Jr. have some good options — but you still need to think about portion size, Lewis warns.
“Burger buns often are loaded with calories, fat and sodium. Maybe it isn’t the worst thing to leave them off the burger altogether,” Lewis says.
Buns alone can add up to 200 calories, 9 grams of fat and 800 mg (?!) of sodium, so foregoing the bread can be beneficial no matter your dietary preferences.
“That said, be wary of menu items like the 1/2 pound low-carb thickburger,” warns Lewis. “While it only contains 9 grams of carbs, it packs 670 calories, 56 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat and a whopping 1,310 mg of sodium!”
“Opt for a smaller portion size,” she suggests, “and leave off the cheese to bring the sodium down.”
By ditching the cheese, you’ll go from 450 calories down to 390, from 34 grams to 29 grams of fat, and 1,060 mg to 780 mg of sodium.
“Drop the pickles,” Lewis advises, “and you’ll shave another 100 mg of sodium off.”
7. Church’s Chicken
Entree: Original Chicken Leg — $1.29
Side: Small Corn or Coleslaw — $1.79
“With reasonable portion sizes, this fast-food joint makes it easy for the menu to work for you,” says Lewis.
Grab an original-style chicken leg off the value menu for less than $2, and you’ll get a healthy meal with 110 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 280 mg of sodium.
The original breast is another good option, though it’s not generally available a la carte. It’s got 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 440 mg of sodium.
“Even better — there are veggies on the menu!”
Pick between the small corn and coleslaw to round out your meal with a satisfying, hearty side that’s still under 200 calories.
But again, beware of sauces.
Church’s ranch has 140 calories and 15 grams of fat per serving — and we’re only talking two tablespoons. It’s super easy to eat more than that.
Steer clear of the honey sauce, too, which packs 17 grams of sugar into its 80 calories.
“Instead, keep it classic and opt for the ketchup, which only has 10 calories, 65 mg of sodium and 2 grams of sugar,” Lewis says.
8. KFC
Entree: Grilled Chicken Breast ($2.69) or Drumstick ($1.69)
Side: Corn or Green Beans — $1.99
If you try to stay healthy at the Colonel’s, you might end up hungry.
“While a quick glance at the menu may give the appearance of surprisingly good options,” says Lewis, “the portion sizes matching the nutrition are pretty skimpy!”
“That said, you’ll do best… ordering off the ‘grilled’ menu,” advises Lewis — and that’s probably true no matter where you’re eating.
The 2-ounce grilled chicken drumstick has 100 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 330 mg of sodium, as opposed to the breast, which comes in at slightly lower nutritional counts for the same amount of meat: 90 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1.5 grams saturated and 300 mg of sodium.
“Bulk out your meal with the veggie options,” says Lewis.
The corn’s got 70 calories, 0.5 grams of fat and no sodium (although you’ll probably want to add some — corn needs salt!).
The green beans have only 25 calories and no fat, but are apparently pre-salted at 260 mg of sodium.
9. Sonic
Bob B. Brown under Creative Commons
Dessert of Your Choice: Mini Buttered Toffee Creamery Shake — $2.49
OR
Reese’s Waffle Cone Sundae — $2.99
If you’re like me, Sonic is all about the drinks.
And unfortunately, its plethora of drink options are tempting mostly because they pack a whole heck of a lot of sugar.
“Simply stated, we all eat too much sugar on a regular basis,” Lewis says.
“The recommendation is for us to consume no more than 48 grams (which equals about 12 teaspoons) of sugar in a whole day. So special ice cream occasions should be treated as SPECIAL!”
Large ice cream drinks at Sonic can contain almost 250 grams of sugar — that’s FIVE times the daily recommended intake.
So once again, portion sizes are key — and Sonic’s are supersized. Even the mini is 10 ounces! “Always opt for the mini size,” suggests Lewis. “You’ll still be getting a very generous portion!”
The mini-sized buttered toffee shake has 430 calories, 24 grams of fat and 17 grams of saturated fat, 43 grams of sugar and 320 mg of sodium.
The Reese’s waffle cone sundae, on the other hand, has 460 calories, 17 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 44 grams of sugar and 250 mg of sodium.
If your sweet tooth is classic, you can keep it simple and go with a dish of vanilla ice cream. The 4.6-ounce serving has just 240 calories, 13 grams of fat, 25 grams of sugar and 140 mg of sodium.
10. Dairy Queen
RecoilRick under Creative Commons
Your Choice: Mini Banana Split Blizzard — $2.89
OR
Small Strawberry or Pineapple Sundae — $2.79
OR
Small Chocolate or Vanilla Cone — $1.99
Let’s be real: You’re not getting food food at Dairy Queen. It’s all about the Blizzard, am I right?
“Lower in sugar and fat, these options fulfill a sweet tooth without breaking the sugar bank,” says Lewis.
The banana split Blizzard will run you 280 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 39 grams of sugar and 105 mg of sodium.
A small strawberry or pineapple sundae comes in at 230 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 31 grams of sugar and 90 mg of sodium.
And finally, a classic small cone in chocolate or vanilla has just 230 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 26 grams of sugar and 95 mg of sodium.
See? Satisfying your sweet tooth and staying healthy don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Your Turn: Which fast-food joint can you just never pass up?
Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her writing has also been featured at Word Riot, DMQ Review, Hinchas de Poesia and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.
The post We Found the Healthiest Items Under $5 at 10 Popular Fast-Food Chains appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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8 Budget-Friendly Ways to Cool Off This Summer Without Cranking Up the A/C
As a heat dome raises temperatures around the U.S., you might be wishing you’d sprung for that apartment with central air — or at least one of those rattling, dusty air conditioners you could stick in the window.
If you’re stuck somewhere that isn’t used to the heat, here are some unusual tricks you can use to stay cool without raising your electric bill:
1. Take an Icy Foot Bath
Eriyalim / Getty Images
The quickest way to cool down is to dip your toes in freezing cold water. Cooling the many “pulse points” on your feet can bring down the temperature throughout your body.
Fill a bowl or shallow bucket with cold water, and take your feet for a dive. Cue a cartoonish sizzle…
Be cautious, warns Maryalene LaPonsie of Money Talks News. Start with cool tap water, maybe add some ice if you need the boost. Going too cold too fast could be painful, even if it sounds refreshing.
While you’re hitting pulse points, try running cold water or holding a cold, wet towel over your wrists, back of your neck or forehead.
2. Wear a Cooling Vest
Alex Potemkin / Getty Images
This is actually a thing, LaPonsie explains, and it’s much cheaper than an air conditioning unit!
Pick up any variety of cooling sport vest for between $25-$50. They’re either equipped with gel or meant to be soaked with water before you wear them. LaPonsie adds, “there are (also) cooling caps, cooling sleeves and cooling bandannas,” if a vest isn’t your style.
Either way, you can wear the vest under your shirt for a sweaty morning commute, or just put it on in the house on those especially hot days!
3. Freeze Your Sheets
Ollo / Getty Images
Hot nights are particularly tough sans air conditioning. To stay comfortable and get a good night’s rest, cool your sheets before crawling under them.
“This old trick won’t relieve the heat all through the night, but it may help you fall asleep faster,” says Lifehacker.
Stick your sheets in a plastic bag and let them sit in the refrigerator or freezer for a couple of hours before bed. You’ll get into a refreshingly chilled bed and avoid cranking the air or listening to a noisy fan all night.
4. Make a DIY Ice Pack
Scott Hortop / Getty Images
To cool your pulse points on the go, freeze some water in a (not-quite-full) water bottle to create a makeshift ice-pack. You can do the same by filling a sock or small, hand-sewn pouch or pillowcase with rice and freezing for a couple of hours.
When you need relief, place the ice pack on your wrists, back of your neck, forehead or toes!
Bonus tip from this Wisconsinite: I know you don’t even want to think about it, but you can use the same tools to warm up in the winter. Fill your water bottle with boiled water, or stick your rice-pillow in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
5. Cool Down Like an Egyptian
F Major / Getty Images
We’re unsure where the name comes from, but the “Egyptian Method” is a simple way to stay cool on a hot day or night.
Before bed, wet your top sheet or a large towel with cool water, and wring it until it’s not dripping wet. Use that as your blanket to stay cool while you sleep. To keep from soaking your bed, you can place a dry towel between you and the mattress.
During the day, I’ve seen friends use this trick with wet T-shirts. It’s not an out-in-public kind of style, but the damp shirt will keep you cool at home in front of fan!
6. Make Your Own Air Conditioner for Free
Baloncici / Getty Images
When you only need air conditioning a few days out of the year, you may be able save money on the real thing by using these DIY units:
- Fill a roasting pan or shallow bowl with ice, and place it in front of a fan.
- Hang a wet sheet in front of an open window.
- Roll up a damp towel and affix it to the front of a box fan.
In any case, the breeze will pick up cool water, creating a refreshing mist in your sweltering room.
7. Unplug
Artisteer / Getty Images
Your lightbulbs and appliances radiate heat when they’re turned on or plugged in, even the most energy efficient ones.
Unplugging and keeping the lights off can avoid adding that unnecessary heat into a room. On top of avoiding air conditioning, this will also help you save money by cutting your electricity consumption!
Take advantage of long, sunlit days in the summer, save energy and reduce the overall heat in your house or cozy apartment by unplugging and flipping the lights off.
8. Eat Spicy Food
Tom Merton/Getty Images
Ever wonder why the spiciest foods come from the hottest places on Earth?
Spicy food like curries and chillies can stimulate heat receptors in your mouth, raise your internal temperature, improve circulation and cause you to start sweating, which will cool you down!
So keep the hot sauce handy wherever you go this summer.
(Maybe this is why Hillary Clinton always looks as cool as a cucumber?)
9. Drink Chrysanthemum Tea
People Images / Getty Images
Practitioners say chrysanthemum is a natural coolant that clears the head.
Brew a batch of chrysanthemum iced tea instead of black tea or lemonade, which contain dehydrating elements like caffeine and sugar.
Drink it to cool down on a hot summer afternoon, or have a soothing cup of the herbal tea to calm your head and cool your body before bed.
Your Turn: Do you have any creative tips for staying cool during a heat wave?
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).
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Five Reasons You’re Not Getting Calls From Hiring Managers
Do you feel like you’re sending your resume into a black hole? It’s not necessarily because your experience is lacking. You could be the most qualified candidate in the world, but unless you hone your job search strategy during the pre-interview phase, you’re never going to get a chance to talk to a hiring manager.
If you’ve been job searching for a while, and your inbox is full of dust bunnies, here are five things you might be doing wrong:
1. You’re concentrating on applying online.
Up to 80% of job openings aren’t advertised, according to Steven Rothberg, founder of job-search website CollegeRecruiter.com. Instead, they’re filled internally or through employee recommendations. If you’re focusing your search on job boards and corporate job listings, you may only be seeing as little as 20% of the potential market.
The better bet is to concentrate on building your network. The more people you have in your corner, the more likely it is that you’ll hear about one of these unadvertised opportunities. Better yet, you’ll have someone to vouch for you to the hiring manager.
2. You’re not creating targeted resumes for each position.
Hopefully you’re customizing your cover letters instead of sending everyone the same generic letter, but your resume should get some tweaking, too. Of course, it’s easier to write your resume once and send it out for multiple job openings, but that sort of blanket-application process isn’t very effective.
Put yourself in the shoes of the decision-maker in this scenario: Do you want to hire the person who’ll take any job, or the one who appears genuinely excited about the particular job you’re hoping to fill? The enthusiastic candidate is more likely to appear like a good fit — and thus more loyal. It’s expensive to hire and train employees. Companies hope to make a good choice from the start and keep their workers on board and productive for as long as they need them.
3. You’re not using resume keywords.
When you apply online, your resume most likely enters an applicant tracking system, a software program that stores and sorts resumes, and allows recruiters and hiring managers to search them by keyword. Fail to include the right resume keywords, and you’ll never come up in their search.
How can you find the best resume keywords? Start with the job description.
“The buzzwords they’re looking for will usually be apparent in the job posting, so be sure to review them to make sure you have touched on most, if not all, of the keywords that are most relevant to each position,” writes Alison Doyle at About.com.
You should also include any keywords related to your skills, education, and job history. Don’t leave out terms just because you think they’re obvious. You might assume that everyone knows that a landscape architect probably knows AutoCAD, for example — but if you leave out that information, your resume might not make the cut when a recruiter searches her database.
4. Your social media profiles are working against you.
According to a CareerBuilder survey, 60% of employers used social media to screen candidates, and 21% said they were specifically looking for reasons not to hire a candidate. Don’t give them that reason.
If your online presence looks more like a Bud Light commercial, you might want to think about updating your privacy settings. (Although even that won’t necessarily save you: 36% of employers said they’d asked to be friends with candidates on social media. Cleaning up your profiles entirely might be best.)
On the other hand, not using social media at all can also work against you: 41% of employers said they’d be less likely to interview someone if they couldn’t find information about them online.
5. You’ve let the hiring manager know how old you are.
It’s illegal to discriminate against a worker based on their age – at least, after the age of 40 – but that doesn’t stop some companies from doing it anyway. At the hiring stage, it’s often easy enough for people to figure out how old you are, based on graduation years or outdated terminology in your resume (e.g., “webmaster”).
Remember that your resume is the highlight reel of your career, not a blow-by-blow account of everything you’ve done since graduation. If you’ve been in the workforce for a while, it’s perfectly all right to drop a few barely related early jobs from your CV. And definitely take off that graduation year if you think it might be holding you back.
Related Articles
- How to Bridge a Resume Gap
- Why Taking a Pay Cut Was the Best Career Move I Ever Made
- How to Actually Acquire the 10 Most Valuable Career Skills in Your Spare Time
The post Five Reasons You’re Not Getting Calls From Hiring Managers appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Post-Brexit house prices up 0.5% in July
In the month following the EU referendum, house prices in the UK went up by 0.5% compared to the previous month, while the annual rate of house price growth remained almost unchanged at 5.2%, compared with 5.1% in June, the latest house price data has revealed.
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Get your savings survival guide in the August issue of Moneywise
Get your savings survival guide in the August issue of Moneywise, which goes on sale in WH Smith stores today.
For just £3.95, find out how to beat Brexit savings and annuity rate cuts, get income ideas and pension tips, and find out why holiday homes are the new buy to let.
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12 Work-at-Home Jobs You Can Start in Less Than a Year (No Experience Necessary)
By Sarah Landrum Being able to make money from the comfort of your home is something many people dream of. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent or just want to make more money with your free time, there are plenty of options for legitimate at-home jobs; the trick is finding them. Finding the perfect at-home job can […]
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Property prices outpace what first-time buyers can afford
In the past four years, the average price paid across England by first-time buyers has risen by £42,451, with first-time buyers paying, on average, just over £196,000 to buy their first property, new research has revealed.
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