Starbucks making York its largest distribution center

Starbucks is one of the largest coffee companies in the world, and York County will soon serve as its largest distribution center in the world.The company formally announced its distribution expansion into a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse at 1605 Bartlett Drive in East Manchester Township in a Thursday morning news release.Starbucks is expected to move into the new facility in mid-September, according to spokeswoman Linda Mills.The new center, which will add an [...]

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Ursa major

When Dana Williams was searching for a camp to attend this summer, she knew she wanted to gain a knowledge of wildlife.What the 17-year-old Pleasant Valley High School student didn’t know was just how much she’d learn and how close she’d be to black bears and other wild animals.Williams attended PA Ursids in Lewisburg, a camp that’s under the umbrella of the Wildlife Leadership Academy whose mission is to engage high school-aged students to [...]

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Campus notes, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016

3 named to dean's list at Binghamton UniversityBINGHAMTON, New York — Local students named to the Binghamton University spring 2016 dean's list include Aasmaaye Bhuiyan and Nicholas Nguyen, both of East Stroudsburg, and Kenji Okamoto of Stroudsburg. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.Two local students graduate Binghamton UniversityBINGHAMTON, New [...]

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PMC donates EpiPens to local summer camps

Pocono Medical Center recently presented its donation of two adult and two pediatric EpiPens to New Jersey Camp Jaycee of Effort.New Jersey Camp Jaycee, of Effort, has over 40 buildings that house up to 250 campers at a time. The EpiPens will be placed in the Tony Malik Memorial Infirmary where they will remain easily accessible should an emergency arise.New Jersey Camp Jaycee is a private, nonprofit summer camp for children and adults with intellectual and developmental [...]

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10 Ways to Save Money on Textbooks That Don’t Involve Stealing Them

“And then there’s the textbooks,” says my mother, walking my cousin through the upcoming adventure of putting her daughter through college.

“You don’t really think about them, but they’re crazy expensive!”

Frankie, the daughter in question, is turning 17 soon — which seems insane, since I can remember the hospital room on the day she was born. But as she begins to think seriously about her next academic steps, my cousin is probing my mother, who’s been through it already, for financial advice.

Even for a family lucky — and generous — enough to help out its millennial members, affording college is a struggle.

And textbooks can wreak havoc on your college budget, no matter how scrupulously you prepare. I mean, seriously, who expects a foot-tall pile of books to cost over $500?

Fortunately, there are ways around the exorbitant (and ever-increasing) price of books.

You might have to get a little crafty and creative, but trust me: Your bank account will thank you.

How to Save Money on College Textbooks, No Matter What You Study

A few words of caution and general tips before we get started.

First of all, don’t buy all your books before classes start. You may end up changing classes during the trial period. Some bookstores may allow you to return the texts full-price, but it’s not a guarantee — and it’s an additional step regardless.

If you must buy a book, it’s always better to buy it used, of course.

But if you find yourself in possession of a new book, don’t highlight and dog-ear it to death (like I did). You want to be able to sell it back for the highest price possible.

And finally, know that some of this advice might be frowned upon by your professor.

If you don’t have the exact text they order, you may be missing marginal information or study questions your professor wants you to have, or your version’s wonky page numbers might slow down a class discussion.

But when it comes down to it, having access to the text — and actually reading it — is always better than not. If you can’t afford to buy brand-new textbooks, let your professor know. They might be a lot more understanding than you think, no matter how strict they are in front of a giant group of students.

1. Check Your Syllabus

grace_kat under Creative Commons

Even if you know you’re sticking with a class for the duration, you may still be able to get away without buying the book.

It depends on your major. You probably can’t find the information in your organic chemistry textbook online — at least not in the same structure as you’re going through it in class.

But if your studies center on the humanities like mine did, chances are a lot of the material you’re reading is public access.

Look over your syllabus to see what texts you’re actually reading. Can you get it for free online or at the library? If they’re classic novels, philosophical texts or poetry, the answer is most likely “yes.”

Browse the virtual shelves at Project Gutenberg, one of the largest free ebook libraries of its kind. You might also be able to download the books to your Kindle through Amazon’s free and low-priced classics library.

You can also always Google the text to see if there are any PDFs around, but you may or may not have any luck.

And obviously, illegally downloading texts… is illegal. So don’t.

2. Share

The best price on a textbook? No price at all.

If your school, like most, requires students to take a variety of core-curriculum classes that are the same for almost all students, someone on your dorm floor probably has a copy of the books you need.

Even if they’re taking the class at the same time, you can coordinate to share custody of the study materials — not everyone’s schedule is the same in college, after all.

The same holds true within your major. Before you fork over $175 on that hardcover biology textbook, chat with your fellow pre-med students. Heck, even if you offer to cover half the cost of the book, you’ll be saving a ton.

Better yet? Form a study group so even more of your classmates can save on the materials. As long as you can stay on-task and productive, 10 or even more students could work with just one or two sets of materials.

3. Visit the Library

If your friends fail you, follow Hermione Granger’s famous advice: “When in doubt, go to the library.”

University libraries often keep a copy or five of frequently-assigned textbooks in stock. You may be competing against other frugal students, though, so get there early if you can.

You’ll also have to take exceptionally good notes, since you may have to return the book before the test. (Psst — if you’re a great note-taker, you might want to consider making it into a paid gig. Here’s how!)

4. Use the Older Edition

Textbook publishers don’t usually change books that much between editions, especially if you’re just one or two off.

Mostly, publishers push new editions to keep themselves rolling in the dough, creating forced obsolescence that keeps students forking it over and driving up textbook costs overall. Not. Cool.

If you can get your hands on an earlier version of the same book, you could save more than half the sticker price. I once got through an American poetry class with a 15-year-old, yellow-paged Norton anthology I picked up at a garage sale… for free.

The most difficult problem you’re likely to run into is the discrepancy in page numbers — and thankfully, that’s what an index is for.

And if there is material that’s not anywhere in your edition of the book, refer back to list item two: Coordinate with a friend.

5. Rent Rather Than Buy

 

Most students probably already know this is an option, but it’s worth repeating: Renting textbooks is a way cheaper option.

And it’s not just Chegg’s game anymore.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Valore and even several campus bookstores are offering textbook rentals to help spendthrift students cut back their college expenses

And what a cut! Check out the difference between buying and renting this chemistry textbook! Even if you go with a used copy, you’ll save more than 80% if you rent instead.

6. Buy the Electronic Version

If you can forego your fondness for ink and paper, the electronic version of your textbook is likely to be much cheaper than its hefty counterpart.

Bonus: No need to carry around a clunky backpack! Keep everything on your laptop or tablet, and it’s smooth, sleek sailing to class.

You still have to take notes, though. No excuses!

7. Go Beyond the Campus Bookstore

I said it before and I’ll say it again: Always buy used.

But if you have to buy the book, you aren’t limited to your campus bookstore. Check out other used bookstores in your area — it’s a college town, so you stand a fair chance of finding a textbook someone off-loaded after taking the class.

Obviously, you can also turn to online shopping… but your efforts don’t have to stop at Amazon.

You can sometimes find good deals on textbooks at eBay, and it’s worthwhile to check Craigslist or even school-related Facebook groups. You can also use an online comparison tool, like RedShelf, to find the very best prices on textbooks you’ll purchase or rent online.

You might even consider ordering the international version of your textbook — which, according to AbeBooks, are usually more affordable since they’re “often printed on cheaper paper and are usually softcover.”

As long as it’s still in English, you probably won’t run into too many irreconcilable differences.

8. Double-check Your Financial Aid

In some cases, your school might make it easy to funnel some of your financial aid specifically towards books.

“If you have a financial aid return, you can choose to get it in check form or in vouchers for the bookstore,” TPH editorial intern Kelly Smith says of the University of Tampa.

Some clever parents who’re helping to pay tuitions select this option to ensure aid funds are utilized… as efficiently as possible.

Other schools make it possible to “bill” or “charge” your bookstore purchases directly to existing grant or scholarship money that remain after tuition is paid.

And if you’re having trouble affording books even after taking out loans, it’s worthwhile to chat with your financial aid officer. More aid might be available to you.

9. Use Scholarship or Grant Money

Although you’ll have to check the terms individually, most scholarships allow funds to be used for buying textbooks.

Don’t know where to look for that sweet free money? Here are 100 awesome scholarships to get you started — and 100 weird ones once you’ve exhausted those.

Some organizations also provide textbook-specific scholarships.

For instance, Barnes & Noble awards 10 students its annual $500 Book Scholarship. To qualify, you must be a matriculated, enrolled undergraduate student and maintain a 2.0 GPA.

You can find the application here — it will be open from 9 a.m., Monday, Aug. 15 until Friday, Aug. 19 at 5 p.m. (Note: Although we reached out to Barnes & Noble’s press team, we couldn’t ascertain a time zone, but the company is headquartered in New York City, so EST is probably a safe bet.)

10. Make Sure You Actually Need the Access Code

The access code your textbook comes with — often used to get online content or interactive labs — can be a source of serious frustration.

For example, if you so much as accidentally tear or smudge the numbers, you might be forced to buy a whole new textbook. And even if you can get the access code itself, it can run as much as two-thirds the cost of the book, according to College Insider.

Just entry to the ever-popular MyMathLab goes for $65 at cheapest at the time of writing, according to Direct Textbook.

Including digital content behind an access code is a really crappy — but effective — tactic for the publishers; it forces you to buy a brand new book… while simultaneously making that book obsolete for resale.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways around the expense.

Talk frankly with your professor about whether or not you actually need those access codes.

After all, the stuff they grant you access to ranges wildly depending on the book. It could just be a digital version of the same information in the book itself… or it could be dynamic, gradable material your teacher will consider as part of your final score.

And even if it’s the most interactive, awesome content in the world, your teacher might not actually decide to use it.

If you do require access to digital tools, you might save money purchasing the used textbook and access code separately, according to the Direct Textbook blog.

If you’ve gotta spend the dough, make sure you get as much out of it as possible.

Check your curriculum requirements and schedule to see if you’ll need other courses that utilize the same material. If you do, take them in the same or adjacent semesters.

Since the subscription time frame usually lasts between six and 12 months, you could save yourself from having to buy in again and again.

Congrats: You Got Your Textbooks on the Cheap! Now What?

Now that you’ve gotten all your books on the cheap, make your tuition dollars count by using them well.

And when you’re done, sell them back, of course. If your bookstore offers a raw deal, try Amazon or eBay. If you’re feeling generous, consider giving them to a friend or a library second-hand.

One caveat: Depending on your profession (and level of nerdiness), you might actually want to buy some of your assigned books to keep on your shelf.

For instance, even though I ended up dropping my biology major, I still have some of the hard-covered glossies I used in college, and I still flip through them from time to time. And many of the books I bought for my creative writing classes still come in handy for reference today.

Besides, you’re looking at earning back only a fraction of what you paid. If pretty pictures of the musculoskeletal system make you as happy as they do me, it might be worthwhile to just consider it an expensive coffee table decoration.

… What? I told you I was nerdy.

Your Turn: How do you save money on textbooks?

This one time, Kyle came into the office with $6 worth of Taco Bell that he planned to eat over the course of three meals. By clicking the affiliate links in this post, you help us help Kyle seriously ease up on the Taco Bell.

Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her writing has also been featured at The Write Life, Word Riot, Nashville Review and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.

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Teenagers Might Actually Pay a Reasonable Price for Snacks at AMC Right Now

It’s a sad state of affairs when a trip to the movie theater becomes something you have to actively work into your budget.

The classic “cheap” date — or answer to your 16-year-old, Tuesday-night boredom — has become anything but.

Ticket prices are at an all-time high, and that’s before you even hit the concession stand. And obviously, a trip to the movies just isn’t a trip to the movies without a giant bag of greasy, over-salted popcorn carrying a 700% markup.

But if you’re a teenager looking for some cheap, salty thrills, this might just be your weekend.

AMC Theatres is offering teenagers a 21-ounce fountain drink and a 53-ounce bag of popcorn for just $5 this weekend — about what you might expect to pay if movie theater prices were actually reasonable.

Get AMC Popcorn for Just $5 This Weekend

Taking advantage of the deal is super simple — just click here and enter your birthdate to receive the “#cupgrade” coupon, which you can save to your mobile device as an image.

Then, show it to the friendly person (who’s probably also a teenager) behind the concession stand, and bask in the glory of paying what you might have circa 2009 for your snacks.

Wait… you’re old enough to remember 2009, right?

This Deal Ends Soon, Just Like Your Glory Years

The deal expires on Aug. 14, and the $5 price doesn’t include tax. It’s also not redeemable at AMC Dine-In Theatre locations.

Oh, and one more quick caveat: Bring some age-bearing ID with you to the theater.

I entered my own birthday into the tool and was able to download the coupon, and it’s been several more years than I’d like since I could call myself a teenager. (The fine print specifies student ID, although you can definitely be a student well beyond teenager-dom.)

But despite my 1980s vintage, I’m totally still going to give it a shot. I mean, I only have a few gray hairs…

Happy movie-going!

Your Turn: What are you seeing in theaters this weekend?

Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder who’d hit the theater much more often if it wasn’t so darn expensive. Her writing has also been featured at The Write Life, Word Riot, Nashville Review and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.

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FedLoan Servicing: Working With Your Student Loan Servicer

Ready for a shock? Seven million Americans are currently in default on their student loans. A whopping 40% of student borrowers aren’t making any payments at all. That can have far-reaching consequences on your credit history and your life. Federal student loans generally don’t appear on your credit report — unless they’re in default, and that’s going to put a serious drag on your credit for years to come. One way to avoid getting into that kind of hot water is working with your student loan servicer — in many cases, that’s FedLoanServicing (or PHEAA), one of the largest servicers of federal student loans.

Remember: Your student loans can’t be discharged in bankruptcy. Unless you qualify for a federal student loan forgiveness program, you will have to pay them — even if it’s over many, many years through an alternative repayment program. The sooner you get started doing that, the better.

What Is FedLoan Servicing?

When you take out a student loan, your loan gets assigned to a servicer. This company doesn’t hold your loans, but they’re basically in charge of everything related to the processing of the loan. That’s who’s sending you the bills in the mail.

All told, there are 10 different student loan servicers approved by and working with the U.S. Department of Education, including FedLoan Servicing, CornerStone, GSMR, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, and MOHELA, among others. What’s more, your loan might get transferred between one servicer and another at some point during your repayment schedule.

Anytime you need to talk to someone about your payment schedule, repayment plans, consolidation, or loan forgiveness options — or even if you just need counselling on how to best manage your payments –you should start by talking to your loan servicer.

That’s why it’s important that you know who your servicer is and how to contact them. Staying in touch with your student loan servicer is especially important if you’re having trouble making payments.

How Can Your Loan Servicer Help?

As you can see above, lots of Americans have trouble making their student loan payments. This is especially true when you first get out of school. You might not get a job right away, and even if you do, that job might not be paying you enough to cover your rent, bills, and student loan repayments.

Fortunately, if you call your loan servicer, they can help you to stay on track, even when you can’t make a payment. That’s a lot better than defaulting on your loan, which can impact your credit score, lead to seized assets, or even end with your servicer confiscating your tax refund in extreme cases.

Some options at your disposal include:

• Income-based repayment: This program caps your payments at either 10% or 20% of your discretionary income.
• Forbearance: Your payments are delayed, usually for a year, but they still gather interest.
• Deferment: Your payments are delayed, usually for a year, but they do not gather interest.

The federal government has a website designed to help you figure out which repayment plan is best for you. Just answer a few questions, and then you’ll have a sense of your options when you call your student loan servicer.

• Related: Student Loan Deferment and Forbearance: What They Mean and When to Use Them

How Do You Pay Down Your Loans Faster?

On the other hand, once you’ve been working for a few years and you’re more established in your career, you might want to do the opposite — to pay down more than you’re required to on your loans just to get them out of the way and avoid paying all that interest.

If you want to pay down your loans more aggressively, you need to specify which of your loans you want your extra payment to go to, otherwise they’re evenly distributed across all your loans. You want to pay down the highest-interest loans first, then move your way down the line. You’ll need to talk to someone at your student loan servicer about that.

Another option is student loan forgiveness for public service. Again, you need to talk to your servicer about how to comply with the terms of this program — you don’t just get the benefits automatically. It requires some legwork on your part.

Bottom line? Know who your student loan servicer is and how to contact them. That’s as important as knowing who to call when you lose a credit card or your power goes out.

Related Articles:

• When Does it Make Sense to Refinance Your Student Loans?
• Using Credit Card Rewards to Pay Off Student Loans
• Student Loan Consolidation Guide
• Struggling With Student Loans? How to Lower Your Payments
• Take These Steps to Deal With Massive Student Loan Debt

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Have an App? The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing It Free

Apps are huge.

But you already knew that. But did you know just how big apps are?

Did you know that as of June 2015, more than 100 billion mobile apps had been downloaded from the Apple App Store alone?

Google Play? 65 billion.

These are pretty insane numbers. And get this: the world’s app obsession shows no signs of slowing down.

These numbers go up. And up. And up. And up.

The world uses mobile devices.

And mobile devices use mobile apps.

Which makes mobile apps big business.

The estimated worldwide app revenue is predicted to hit $77 billion by 2017—more than double the $35 billion it reached in 2014.

What does this mean for you?

If you’ve created your own app, you’ll want to claim your piece of the pie and cash in on it. (And if you haven’t created an app, you may want to give it some thought.)

Apps don’t sell themselves. In fact, app marketing is one of the hottest and most contested marketing battlegrounds of the marketing era.

With millions of apps, how do you stand above the crowd? How do you distinguish yourself in a crowded marketplace in which your innovative idea has already been iterated a thousand times? How do you get your app to the front of the crowd, to the top of the search results?

And harder still, what’s the best way to go about promoting it if you’re on a tight budget?

Most app creators I know are startups—a few smart people with a killer idea but not much cash to show for it yet.

Is it possible to market your app free?

Thankfully, yes—it is.

Notice, however,

• I didn’t say “easy;”
• I didn’t say “quick.”

But free? Yep, I’ve got you covered.

Here’s a step-by-step formula I’ve found to be incredibly effective and that can get your app the exposure it needs to get major downloads.

If you’ve created an app, good for you. But that’s only the start. Once the app has been fully developed, you have a new full time job. Your job now is to market your app.

What’s my focus here? I want you to earn more money with your app.

Heck, I want you to create the next Instagram or Pokémon GO!

It’s all about the marketing.

Let’s dive in.

Start with app store optimization

App store optimization (ASO) may be somewhat of an overrated buzzword these days, but it’s an essential first step for promoting your app.

Because 63 percent of apps are found through app store searches, you’ll want to make sure that you’re adhering to some basic ASO principles.

The story becomes even more intriguing when you look at these 2014 stats from MobileDevHQ. They asked survey respondents where they found the last app they downloaded.

Boom. App store wins.

Obviously, when it comes to viral apps such as Pokémon GO, people usually hear about them online or through social networks. I don’t expect very many people to be searching for “virtual monster game” in the app store.

Nonetheless, the vast majority of app downloads happen because people are finding them through app store searches.

How do you “do” app store optimization?

Fortunately, the process is pretty straightforward and similar to standard SEO.

Some elements include:

• choosing the right keywords
• using a keyword in the title of the app (“apps with keywords in the title ranked on average 10.3 percent higher than those without a keyword in the title”)
• creating an awesome description that’s catchy and fully encapsulates what your app is about
• including a series of detailed screenshots so that potential users fully understand the features.

Optimizely advises you to address these five points:

If you need a little direction, I recommend checking out this guide on ASO from Moz.

App store optimization is the process you should follow for both Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

There are, however, some significant differences between the two:

Whatever you do, start with app store optimization.

It’s free. And it’s effective.

Get reviews

Social proof is the lifeblood of online marketing.

You can use it to enhance the perceived value of your app and to encourage more people to download it.

I know that I personally like to look at the overall rating as well as three or four user reviews before I download a new app.

If I see that it has an overwhelming number of positive reviews, it probably means that it’s worth my time, and I feel much more comfortable clicking “Install.”

If your app has little to no feedback, I suggest you ask for app reviews.

Ratings and reviews are huge factors in the success of your app. Just take a look:

If your app has a one-star rating, only around 10% of consumers would consider downloading it. If, by contrast, your app has a five-star rating, 100% of consumers would consider downloading it.

The brutal fact of app marketing is this: If you have low rankings, you won’t get ranked, and you wont’ get downloads.

Be sure to provide notifications to app users, encouraging them to review the app as they use it.

There are numerous websites where you can obtain legitimate reviews, many of which are free. Check out this list for an overview.

Create an app landing page

Once you’ve got the nuts and bolts taken care of, I suggest building a landing page specifically for your app to add to your site.

This might include a few screen shots, some positive reviews, or even a brief video tutorial of how it works. It doesn’t need to be anything over the top. Quite frankly, it’s best to keep it simple.

Below are some examples of app landing pages.

This landing page showcases the functionality of the app while conveying the mood and sense of the app through colors and images:

Vonage’s app download page allows you to “learn more” but also gives you an easy way to download the app for your specific country.

Foursquare’s app provides that simple interface with the same SMS download option that Vonage provides.

Some of the best mobile apps usually display a picture of a phone with a screenshot of the app in use. This kind of imagery sends a message. It says “this is an app” and “this is what the app looks like.”

If you create a landing page for your app, I suggest you follow that example—a phone with a screenshot of the app in use.

Here’s the landing page for Everest:

I like the simplicity and functionality of this weather app:

If you’re already generating a considerable amount of traffic, you can turn casual visitors into app users without going to a whole lot of trouble.

Place download links on your website

You can capitalize on your site’s traffic by simply creating download links to your app and placing them on your site.

A logical location would be right next to your social media links. Above the fold is ideal.

With hardly any effort, you can bring some considerable attention to your app by leveraging the existing traffic you’re generating.

Make sure you use the standard download images. Most users have been conditioned to recognize these icons. When they glance at your website, they’ll instantly notice these buttons and click and convert.

Reach out to tech publications

In my opinion, positive press is one of the best ways to jumpstart a company or, in this case, an app.

Imagine if your app could get a positive mention on a place such as Mashable!

If you want to take your app from relative obscurity to a global audience, tech publications are just the ticket.

But to be totally honest, this is by no means a cakewalk, especially if you are targeting big name publications. But it’s definitely feasible with a little persistence.

Here’s what you do:

1. Research tech publications and any other media outlets relevant to your niche. This post has some examples.
2. Develop a pitch for an article that will feature your app while providing value for a publication’s target audience.
3. Contact editors.

I will say that most editors are incredibly busy, so it may take some time to get a response (a week or more isn’t uncommon).

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get an instant response. Just keep at it until you break through.

Keep sending emails, and keep following up.

If you can get your app featured on a site such as TechCrunch or Mashable, the effort you put in can pay handsome dividends.

For starters, I suggest you use this list from Spacechimp as a source of places to get reviews and mentions.

This method is totally free. But it does take some serious time.

Reach out to influencers

While guest blogging may not have quite the same impact as a write-up in a tech publication, this route tends to be easier and can still get significant results.

The key here is to perform some research and find a handful of blogs that are related to the niche your app is in and that have an audience that would be interested in it.

For instance, a productivity app might reach out to Lifehacker to see whether they can get featured in the annual Lifehacker Pack.

You’ll want to follow the same basic formula that you would for reaching out to a tech publication and develop a quality pitch that a blogger can’t say no to.

Just make sure you fully familiarize yourself with their style and tone first.

Promote on social media

If you’ve already got a sizable audience that’s dialed in, you should be able to gain some decent exposure.

In this case, simply promote your app directly, or post links to articles featuring your app.

If your audience isn’t large enough to help you promote the app, I recommend contacting relevant influencers to see if they’d be willing to share your app with their followers.

Sometimes, this is all it takes to crank up your exposure exponentially.

However, I’ve found that this is usually a numbers game, so you’ll want to reach out to at least five influencers.

Conclusion

With “smartphone users spending 89 percent of their mobile media time using mobile apps,” there’s plenty of opportunity.

Even if you’re on an extremely limited marketing budget, you can still promote your app and bring it to the mainstream.

By following these steps, you can successfully reach your demographic and maximize your number of downloads.

Can you think of any other effective ways to promote an app on a shoestring budget?

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At Peace with Being ‘Cheap’

A few years ago, I wrote and published a book entitled 365 Ways to Live Cheap. It’s a fairly straightforward guide to frugality that delivers exactly what the title implies – 365 tactics that people can use to reduce their living expenses.

It was an enjoyable book to write and a fitting “first book” for someone writing a personal finance website. However, there was one little hitch along the way: I intended to call the book 365 Ways to Live Frugally.

The publisher felt that the title wasn’t catchy enough and insisted on the title change. Their arguments made sense – a single word change in the title could make a huge difference in attracting attention on the bookstore shelf.

So, I relented.

That didn’t change the fact that I hated the title 365 Ways to Live Cheap. Every time I saw that book on the bookstore shelves for years, that word grated at me.

Cheap.

I viewed myself as “frugal,” not “cheap.” Cheap is a word that had some very negative connotations for me, connotations that frugal just didn’t have.

To me at the time, cheap meant that I was so obsessed about saving money that I missed out on even the simplest pleasures in life. Cheap meant that I put out shabby things for the guests in my home in order to save a buck. Cheap meant that I put the virtue of my account balances above virtually everything else in life.

On the other hand, I proudly thought of myself as “frugal.” To me at that time, frugal meant finding the best value for the buck. It meant cutting back on the things that were relatively unimportant to me so that I could preserve the things that were more important to me. It meant finding ways to be a great host without just throwing fistfuls of money around.

I was frugal. I wasn’t cheap. And seeing the word CHEAP in bold letters right above “Trent Hamm” on that book cover really bothered me.

Over the ensuing years, though, my attitude toward “frugal” and “cheap” has changed a fair amount. When I see that cover today, I actually smile a little because the book reminds me of a very happy time in my life.

What changed?

Over time, I began to realize that worrying about the words “frugal” and “cheap” meant I was worrying a lot about what other people thought of me. Quite honestly, outside of the core people in my life, I don’t care that much what other people think of me. I hope that they will treat me well and I strive to treat them well as per the golden rule, but what they think of me? That’s the domain of their own thoughts.

The truth is that I can’t really control what other people think of me. All I really can do is treat other people in a kind and respectful fashion, to listen to them, to put a nice plate of food in front of them if they’re a guest in my home, to laugh with them, to respect our differences and celebrate our respective humanities.

I can’t control what they think. I can’t control what labels they apply to me.

However, I don’t act towards others in a fashion that I would define as “cheap.” If that’s a label that someone else chooses to apply to me in a negative fashion, then that’s their own choice. It is my belief that I don’t treat others in a “cheap” fashion and I am content that I treat others in a way that I would like to be treated, so if someone calls me “cheap” in a negative way, it doesn’t really bother me at all at this point.

I suppose that I could work hard to treat them in a way that would cause them to not call me “cheap,” but why? Why would I treat them in a way that’s different than how I would like to be treated? I could foist an elaborate homecooked meal on them to impress them, but I genuinely wouldn’t want the same treatment in their home. I’d far rather enjoy a very simple meal and have them in the room with me for some pleasant conversation.

So, am I “cheap”? I probably am “cheap,” at least to some people. I don’t spend a lot of money on some things that I see other people spending tons of money on. I drive a 13-year-old car I bought off of Craigslist that has a bit of rust on it. I buy a lot of store-brand items. I often make really simple meals for guests and serve it in humble earthenware bowls made by an old family friend so that we can sit around the table together and laugh and tell stories for as long as possible without me having to constantly run back to the kitchen. We have some beat-up furniture that shows the wear of years of children bouncing around on them.

But if you are a guest in my home, I will serve you the best foods from my garden. You will be as welcome as can be and as comfortable as I can make it. I can’t guarantee perfect cleanliness – no one with three children and without a cleaning staff can guarantee such a thing – but I can guarantee that I’ll be as attentive as I can.

If you are a close friend of mine, you can call me any time you want for any thing you can think of that I can help you with, whether it’s a ride to the airport or a few days of pet sitting or a person to talk through your troubles with, and I’ll do everything in my power to give that to you.

Sure, I might have a store-brand type of hand soap in the dispenser in our bathroom. We might have a few scuffs on our couch.

But are we “cheap”? I don’t think so.

If we’re “cheap” by your definition, then I don’t feel bad about it, honestly. I’ve done everything I can to treat you in the way I would like to be treated, and that’s all that anyone can ask for.

All of this brings me back around to the title of that book. Sure, 365 Ways to Live Cheap offers up a ton of tactics that a cheap person might use, but using those tactics doesn’t define you as cheap. That’s a label someone else applies to you, and as long as you live in such a way that you treat others in a way you’d like to be treated should you be in their shoes, then that’s all you can ask for.

Cheap is just another meaningless word, really. It’s a word that only defines you if you let it.

What actually defines you is the way you actually treat others. Do you treat them in a way that you would be happy with? When you’re in public, do you act towards others in a way that you’d like strangers to act toward you? When someone comes to your home, do you act toward them in a way that’s similar to how you would like to be treated in their home? When you go out to lunch with a coworker, do you do things in a way that you would like a coworker to act when they’re with you?

If you can honestly answer yes to those questions (and many more like it), then the negative label of “cheap” is just another useless label attached to you by people whose opinions you will never change. So why worry about them?

Be frugal. Get the most bang for your buck. Cut back on areas less important to you.

At the same time, live the golden rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated and they will usually do the same in return.

Cheap, as a negative word, only matters to people who don’t do those things.

When I see 365 Ways to Live Cheap today, I see a cute title, one that doesn’t define me as a cheapskate, but as a person who might use cheap tactics in some portions of my life. Those tactics don’t take away from how I treat others or how I treat myself – they just help me to build a better life.

Cheap? Who cares?

Related Articles: 

• Five Reasons People Fear Frugality – and Why Those Reasons Are Wrong
• The Frugal Spectrum
• The Power of Social Indifference

The post At Peace with Being ‘Cheap’ appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Dollar General considering store on Route 209 in Hamilton Twp.

Dollar General is looking into building a new store in Hamilton Township.The chain is in the due diligence phase for a store on Route 209 and Rachel Road, but has not committed to the location yet, according to spokesman Nolan Miles. Based on its current timeline, he anticipates the store will not make a decision on the project until early this fall.The store would employ about six to 10 employees, depending on the individual needs of the location.“When choosing [...]

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This Genius Strategy Will Save You a Ton of Money on School Supplies

Although it seems like summer just started, fall is just around the corner again — and that means it’s already time for another round of back-to-school shopping.

School supplies might not seem like they should add up to very much. You review the list without concern: some pens and pencils here, a pack of crayons and a new book or two there.

But a few days later, you find yourself walking out of an office supply store with a giant sack full of stuff and a receipt whose total is way, way higher than you’d anticipated — especially if you’ve got several kids to shop for.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way! If you learn how to deal stack, you can save a truly ridiculous amount on school supplies — or anything you buy.

What’s deal stacking, you ask?

We’re here to tell you. And we’ll even show you exactly how awesome it is by — gasp — doing math.

Plus, I wrote this post before 10 a.m. on a Friday, so it’s early-morning, almost-weekend math. That’s how much we love you, readers.

How to Save Money on School Supplies with Deal Stacking

Skynesher/Getty Images

Deal stacking is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Finding lots of discounts and savings hacks to apply to the same purchase, and then stacking them on top of one another to squeeze the most out of every dollar you spend.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Look for sales, deals and coupons.

Aidon/Getty Images

Friends don’t let friends pay full price. Start by optimizing where you shop, and heading for the spot that consistently has the cheapest prices.

Then, wait for the store to lower those prices even further with a sale or a great coupon. Trust us, it’s totally worth it!

2. Give yourself the gift of used gift cards.

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So now that you’ve found a killer sale and know where you’re headed to bag your goods, you have a little bit of homework to do.

Purchase a discounted gift card ahead of time. Raise is a great place to look, and you can also check eBay and Craigslist, or just Google around.

When a card’s original owner knows they won’t use it, they’ll be willing to take a smaller amount of cash than the card’s actually worth. After all, to them it’s free money for something that’s been sitting in the back of their wallet for a while.

For you, though, it means you might get $50 worth of purchasing power for just $40. It’s instant savings on everything you buy at that store, since every dollar you spend there costs less than a dollar of your own money.

Cool, huh?

3. Get rewarded for the money you do spend.

PeopleImages/Getty Images

If you’re spending money and not getting something in return, you’re doing it wrong.

When you buy that discounted gift card — and every time you buy anything — you should ensure you get at least a little bit back by using a cash-back rewards credit card.

It might be as low as 1% of every dollar you spend, but it’s still technically a discount —  everything you purchase is 1% off!

If you’ve got other money goals in mind, like travel, find a credit card that helps you earn relevant rewards, like frequent flyer miles. If you play your cards right — literally — you could end up traveling the world for free.

An important note: For this to be an effective way to save money, you must pay off your card in full every month. The interest you’ll pay on carrying a balance will instantaneously render any earnings you get null and void.

It adds up way more quickly than you think. Here’s how much cash you’re wasting if you just pay the minimum every month.

4. BONUS: Consider shopping through an online portal.

İsmail Çiydem/Getty Images

We get it: Some things, you just need to purchase in-person. Maybe for you and your child, notebooks are one of those things. I know I always liked to pick them up and feel their heft (and smell their pages) before I dropped them in my mom’s cart.

Hey, I’m a writer. School supplies were a big deal to me!

But if you shop through an online portal like Ebates, you’ll earn even more cash back for your purchase.

Add this to the used gift card tactic and your cash-back credit card rewards, and you’re looking at a huge discount that just keeps getting bigger!

How Much Can You Actually Save with Deal Stacking?

JGalione/Getty Images

To review, here’s how many deals you’ve stacked to save as much cash as possible on your back-to-school shopping:

• You’re already buying sale items, so you’re getting a percentage off the full retail price.

• By purchasing a used gift card, you’ve essentially given yourself free money by paying less than the amount it’s actually worth at that store.

• By purchasing that gift card with a cash-back or other rewards credit card, you’ve ensured you’ll get something back for the money you spend.

• If you shop through an online portal, you might get even more cash back or other rewards.

To illustrate how quickly those savings add up, here’s an example.

Say you need to buy $30 worth of school supplies.

You choose to make your purchases at Super-Awesome School Supplies Plus, because you know its prices are generally the best in the industry.

In anticipation of doing your back-to-school shopping, you purchase a $30 gift card on Raise for $25 using your BarclayCard Rewards MasterCard, which offers 1% cash rewards for every dollar you spend.

Before you go shopping, you find a coupon for 25% off your Super-Awesome School Supplies purchase. So in-store, you only spend $22.50 from your gift card.

Here’s what you save:

Discounted gift card: $5

Cash-back rewards: $0.25

Coupon: $7.50

Total savings: $12.75, or 42.5%

And that’s when you remember you still have $7.50 left on your gift card to spend on more school supplies later.

See how awesome deal stacking is?

Want to Save Even More on Back-to-School Shopping?

Steve Debenport/Getty Images

Deal stacking is a great way to save on everything you purchase, but we have lots of other ideas to help you save even more this fall.

These six ways to save on school supplies might surprise you — you can do a couple of them without even leaving your home!

Plus, here’s one mom who got both of her kids set up for their first day for just $19.05. Impressive!

Your Turn: Will you stack deals when you go back-to-school shopping this year?

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

Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her writing has also been featured at The Write Life, Word Riot and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.

The post This Genius Strategy Will Save You a Ton of Money on School Supplies appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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