Going live

NEW YORK (AP) — Live video is growing more popular as a way for families to share big moments with faraway loved ones and for artists and athletes to connect with fans.Livestreaming has also made the news in recent weeks as House Democrats used Periscope to broadcast a sit-in over gun control after the Republican majority cut off television cameras. It was also got attention when a Minnesota woman used Facebook Live to stream footage of her dying boyfriend after he was shot by [...]

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Newgarden, IndyCar field forced to race Monday

LONG POND — Josef Newgarden has yet to win a race at Pocono in his short, albeit successful, career.But he knows he’s close.On Saturday he qualified second for Sunday’s rained out IndyCar Series race on the 2.5-mile triangle, trailing only pole winner Mikhail Aleshin on speed. Newgarden’s two-lap average of 220.195 mph has put him in position for a run at his first victory at Pocono Raceway.“At the start, it’s going to fan [...]

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Friends dedicate memorials for two former public officialsat Big Pocono State Park

Friends and family dedicated a memorial in Big Pocono State Park to a pair of colleagues Friday, with a view as expansive as their visions.The memories of former State Sen. Joe Battisto and longtime Monroe County Commissioner Jim Cadue were honored late in the afternoon with two benches that sit at the top of the Pocono Township park. From that spot, you can see the Delaware Water Gap, Mount Pocono, and even the Catskills, on a clear day.“You couldn’t put a [...]

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NPS Welcomes Keith Farrar as Deputy Superintendent

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Superintendent John J. Donahue is pleased to welcome Keith Farrar to the park as the new deputy superintendent.Farrar replaces William “Bill” Leonard who retired from the position this spring after more than 3 decades of federal service, NPS said in a statement.Farrar began his appointment this week. The Deputy Superintendent position is stationed at park headquarters in Bushkill.“Our management team is [...]

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Here’s What Happens When You Don’t Have a Budget

Nobody likes talking about the dreaded “B word.” Just mention the word budgeting in a crowd, and you’ll see perfectly reasonable adults turn into petulant children. After giving you an angry stare, they’ll cross their arms, give you the side-eye, and breathe deeply until the moment passes.

Why? Because even responsible and hard-working adults hate the idea of budgeting or planning their spending. They work hard each week, they’ll say, and they don’t want to live life in a cage. And when you mention the fact that you budget, people can see it as a personal attack. If you’re budgeting, after all, that probably means you think they should be, too.

And just like that, your thoughts on budgeting get swept under the rug. Your success is their failure, and deep down, they absolutely hate it.

And trust me, I totally get it.

But after years of budgeting and even authoring a book on the topic, I now hold the belief that most people don’t understand what budgeting is, or what it can accomplish. In the real world, a budget doesn’t have to be restrictive at all, nor does it bar you from buying the things you really want. It simply guides your spending toward your biggest priorities. In fact, once you get the hang of it, budgeting can buy you more freedom than you ever dreamed!

If you don’t believe me, ask anyone who budgets what it has done for their finances. Chances are, you’ll find people who used a budget to get out of debt, people who retired early due to a faithful budgeting and spending plan, and families who reached their financial goals thanks to one amazing tool – their monthly budget.

Or, you can always hang on the sidelines and waste thousands of dollars per year instead. Because when you don’t have a budget, it’s much, much harder to get your dollars to align with your dreams.

If you’re on the fence about budgeting, here are five ways not having a budget makes it way harder to get ahead financially:

When you don’t have a budget, getting into debt is a piece of cake.

As of 2015, the average credit card debt among indebted households was $15,609. While much of this can be attributed to extreme circumstances like job loss or medical bills, we can also blame it on the fact that most people spend freely and willingly without a plan. And most of the time, that kind of spending leads people straight into debt.

When you don’t have a budget, it’s far too easy to spend more than what is reasonable – or even more than you bring home each week. And once the debt spiral takes hold and you start paying interest, it becomes even harder to dig your way out.

• Related: Six Numbers You Need to Know to Actually Get Out of Debt

Without a budget, surprise expenses can throw you off track.

When you create a written budget every month and track your expenses diligently, a “surprise bill” like your bi-annual car insurance premiums or your tax bill can’t possibly throw you off track. Why? Because you knew it was coming and included it in your budget already.

That’s how budgeting works: Instead of letting the chips fall where they may, you prepare your finances ahead of time.

When you’re flying blind without a budget, on the other hand, it might be difficult to remember which bills are due and when. If a surprise bill just so happens to hit when your account runs low, well, you’re automatically behind for the month, or forced to tap your emergency fund or even go into debt for something you should have seen coming.

• Related: Five Ways to Bounce Back from a Budget Budget

Without a budget, you have no idea how much you could be saving.

While this one isn’t as obvious, it’s just as important. When you don’t use a budget or track your spending, you have no idea how much money you might be able to save if you would just try.

You’re not only missing out on potential savings — there’s an opportunity cost here as well. If you could just save an extra $100, $200, or even $500 per month, for example, you might be able to invest and grow richer, become debt-free for good, or save up the cash to launch a life-changing business idea.

Often, it’s the expenses we don’t think about that stand between us and our goals. It’s quite possible your car payment is the reason you’re not saving for college, for example. Or perhaps your daily restaurant lunch is the reason you can’t afford a family vacation this year.

Whatever it is, budgeting forces you to accept your spending choices at face value. And when you avoid budgeting, you avoid that confrontation altogether.

• Related: 10 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Saving Money

When you don’t plan your spending, you waste money.

When you don’t have a budget, it’s far too easy to spend much more than you dreamed. If you don’t tell your money where to go, it will find a place to be spent. This is especially true when it comes to regular spending on consumable stuff like food, entertainment, and convenience items. A lot of times, a handful of bad habits can cost you hundreds of dollars each month.

Here’s a good example: When my husband and I started budgeting and tracking our spending in 2009, we found we were blowing more than $1,000 per month on food for two people! That was a tough pill to swallow, but we turned around our situation rather quickly. Because we starting using a written monthly budget, we were forced to confront our spending and change our ways.

When you don’t have a spending plan, it’s much more difficult to reach your goals.

Not saving enough to reach your goals? Whether you want a retirement nest egg, a fully-stocked emergency fund, or some fun money to spend however you want, a monthly budget is the best way to make that happen.

When you rely on a written budget, you force yourself to look at your recurring bills in a brand new way. As a result, you’re much more likely to “cut the fat” from your spending and divert those dollars toward the things you really want.

After examining your spending, instead of continuing to fork over $200 for your cable bill, you might decide to use those funds to pay down debt. And instead of buying a new car and taking on brand new $500 monthly payment, you might keep driving your older car for a little bit longer — enough to pay for a family vacation this year.

The bottom line is, budgeting brings all of these issues to the table, and forces you to spend according to your values.

• Related: Cutting the Cord: How and Why to Say Goodbye to Cable TV

Final Thoughts

If just the thought of budgeting makes you feel grumpy, try thinking about it in a brand new way. Instead of seeing budgeting as a set of self-imposed restrictions, think of all you could gain instead.

We all have financial goals we want to achieve someday. Maybe you want to retire early, dream of paying for your child’s college tuition, or simply want to stop stressing over money every month.

Either way, budgeting is the best way to make your dreams come true. And no matter how much you hate the idea, no amount of shrugs or eye rolls can change that fact.

Related Articles:

• How to Create a Bare Bones Budget
• The Secrets Behind Successful Budgeting
• 10 People Who Really Need a Budget
• Choose a Budgeting System That’s Right for You

Do you create a budget or plan your spending every month? Why or why not?

The post Here’s What Happens When You Don’t Have a Budget appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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This Site Actually Got Cheaper as We Added More Things to Our Cart

When I heard about a place online where “prices drop as you shop,” I had to investigate.

The site in question?

Jet.com, which has a “real-time savings engine” that constantly adjusts prices.

Here’s how it works: When you add items to your cart on Jet, other products’ prices get even lower. The more you buy, the more you save.

Plus, Jet offers free shipping on orders over $35 and free two-day shipping on items it deems “essential” — which includes most household and grocery products.

Sounds pretty good, huh?

I wanted to check it out myself, so I went to Jet with my shopping list. I ended up comparing prices on a dozen popular food and household items on the site to those at my neighborhood grocery store.

(Spoiler alert: Jet was cheaper — but wait until you see the final price.)

Note: Since Jet sells many products in larger sizes, I sometimes had to use the grocery store’s unit price to determine a comparable price.

I figured I’d start with two of the essentials: cereal and coffee. Because, really, who can live without either of those?

1. Cereal

Cheerios (18 ounces)

Local Grocery Store: $4.49

Jet Starting Price: $3.58  

Extra Savings: 17 cents (once I added the next item to my cart)

2. Coffee

Folgers Ground Coffee (48 ounces)

Local Grocery Store: $17.35

Jet Starting Price: $12.97

Extra Savings: 60 cents

3. Granola Bars

Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars (98 count)

Local Grocery Store: $27.72

Jet Starting Price: $14.99

Extra Savings: 69 cents  

As I continued down my list, I realized Jet has a ton of grocery items I buy on a regular basis, which made it pretty easy to hit the free-shipping minimum of $35.

4. Soup

Campbell’s Soup (10.5 ounces; 12-pack)

Local Grocery Store: $21

Jet Starting Price: $26.28

Extra Savings: $1.22  

5. Pasta

Barilla Spaghetti Pasta (32 ounces)

Local Grocery Store: $3.38

Jet Starting Price: $2.66

Extra Savings: 12 cents

6. Vinegar

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar (128 ounces)

Local Grocery Store: $11.12

Jet Starting Price: $3.38

If you’re in need of household or family goods, Jet has those, too — so I kept cruising down my list.

7. Diapers

Pampers Cruisers (Size 3; 140-count)

Local Grocery Store: $39.10

Jet Starting Price: $37.83

Extra Savings: 11 cents

8. Laundry Detergent

Tide Pods (81-count)

Local Grocery Store: $21.92

Jet Starting Price: $19.01

Extra Savings: $1.07   

9. Toilet Paper

Charmin Ultra Soft (18 mega rolls)

Local Grocery Store: $26.08

Jet Starting Price: $19.99

Extra savings: $1.12

10. Dish Soap

Dawn Hand Renewal With Olay (18 ounces)

Local Grocery Store: $2.69

Jet Starting Price: $2.79

Extra Savings: 21 cents

Last stop? Toiletries. Let’s see how Jet checks out.

11. Shampoo/Conditioner

Head & Shoulders 2-in-1 Dandruff Shampoo/Conditioner (33.8 ounces)

Local Grocery Store: $10.49

Jet Starting Price: $10.13

Extra Savings: 57 cents

12. Toothpaste

Crest 3D White Brilliance (4.1 ounces)

Local Grocery Store: $3.92

Jet Starting Price: $6.49

Extra Savings: 7 cents

How Much You Could Save With Jet

Alright, here’s what you’ve been waiting for… the totals.

Local Grocery Store: $189.26

Jet: $152.85

Though that’s already looking pretty impressive, there are still three more discounts to add.

Watch how they stack on top of each other…

• First-time shopper discount: Jet offers 15% off your first three orders.  

• Debit card discount: Since they have lower transaction fees than credit cards, paying with a debit card will save you an extra 1.5%.

• No-return discount: If you agree not to return certain non-perishable items, Jet will give you a small discount.

Taking all of those into account, the TOTAL Jet price comes out to $127.29 — a $61.97 savings, 33% less than the grocery store.

Holy what?!

Of course, you have to consider you won’t always have the 15% new customer discount — it’s only valid for your first three orders. But even without it, you can still save a significant amount.

Sponsorship Disclosure: A huge thanks to Jet for working with us to bring you this content. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to share something so awesome and get paid for it!

The post This Site Actually Got Cheaper as We Added More Things to Our Cart appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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