Local students named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

EVANSTON, ILL — Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of local students namded semifinalists in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.Local students include: Julia E. Gonzalez of Stroudsburg, homeschooled; Michael A. Medaugh of Swiftwater, Pocono Mountain East High School; Hunter S. Martello of Brodheadsville, Pleasant Valley High School; and Tyler N. Mahone of Hawley, Wallenpaupack Area High School.These academically [...]

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Stroud Township gives away rain barrel

Bonita Johnson of Stroud Township came to a recent municipal meeting to learn about green infrastructure and walked away as the winner of a rain barrel, which she intends to use in her garden.She is the first of three people who will win rain barrels this month by attending workshops explaining how green infrastructure works and what is planned for their municipalities. (Residents, your input is wanted and welcome!)The next workshop — this time, in East [...]

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App of the week: 2 apps that exercise your programming and social muscles

This week's installment of App of the week brings you two smartphone apps that can hone both coding and social skills.  MimoLooking to get a little programming knowledge on the go? Mimo offers courses in several languages, including Apple's Swift, Java, SQL and C#.The app's simple design and succinct explanations make it stand out from the pack. Online programming tutorials, such as many online courses, can often lack practical [...]

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Organization provides transitional housing and education for families who need it most in the Poconos

Lights out early. No drinking or fighting. And clean up your dishes after dinner.Sound like the house rules you grew up with? Well, it’s the strictly enforced rules for another home, a temporary place for families without one.Called Pocono Area Transitional Housing, it’s a non-profit organization that provides not just a place to stay, but a place to learn.PATH maintains two homes in Stroudsburg; one on Park Avenue, and a second on North Ninth Street [...]

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Book Review: ‘Your Playbook for Tough Times’

Despite the best intentions of those of us who write about money, most financial advice on the web is downright unusable for readers in financial distress. What good is an article about building an emergency fund when someone can’t make ends meet? And how does investing advice help the family who is barely putting food on the table?

Much of the time, the “rah-rah-rah, feel good” articles we write fail to reach people who are actually going through hard times. It’s not that we don’t want to reach those people; it’s that most advice is aimed at helping people work with what they have.

But how can you get ahead when you have nothing? What if your situation will get worse before it could possibly get better?

Award-winning writer Donna Freedman answers those questions and more in her new book Your Playbook for Tough Times.While Freedman now rules over her finances with an iron first, she has experienced plenty of tough financial times and lived to tell.

According to Freedman, she managed a household of three and kept grocery spending below $200 per month at just 16 years old. As a 21-year-old single mother in Philadelphia, Freedman subsisted on canned goods and did her laundry in the sink. As an aging 40-something, Freedman survived divorce, supported a disabled adult child, and earned her college degree in her spare time.

Through all of it and during the hard times in between, she was able to keep her budget afloat and maintain her dignity. In her book, she shares the tips and tricks that got her through.

Your Playbook for Tough Times: My Take

In a recent article on Americans’ struggles with money, I highlighted statistics that show just how hard times have become. For example, the average American family with debt carries more than $16,000 on their credit cards alone. Beyond debt, average retirement savings figures are absolutely paltry for all age groups. Even high earners (families bringing in $75,000 or more each year) were living paycheck-to-paycheck in high numbers last year. And in probably the most shocking statistic, I shared how, according to a recent study from the Federal Reserve, nearly half of American families couldn’t come up with $400 to cover an unexpected emergency.

As I read through Your Playbook for Tough Times, I couldn’t help but think the book was created for those in the midst of a struggle– the family who has just experienced a layoff, the family with debt, the single parents of the world, and those with insufficient incomes to really get ahead of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.

Like any true frugality book, Freedman highlights the importance of saving, while also driving home the idea that anyone – and even those with limited incomes – can create a fruitful life if they can learn to spend less. But she doesn’t preach from an ivory tower; Freedman tells the tale as if she lived it herself. Because she has.

While Freedman’s writings are always chock full of stories and advice, I appreciated her flexible approach. For example, Freedman suggests how cutting cable can save you money and perhaps even improve your life, but she realizes a life without television may not work for everyone. When that’s the case, she suggests mixing things up with a Hulu or Netflix subscription or perhaps just downgrading to the lowest cable package available.

Freedman offers advice on coupons and savings sites, yet realizes not everyone wants to go through too much trouble to save. If you like credit card rewards, she doesn’t take a hardline approach against credit either; instead, she offers some advice on keeping your spending in check.

Need help? One aspect of Freedman’s book I found fascinating is the fact she doesn’t shy away from suggesting social services or financial assistance. Where popular advice says to bootstrap and do everything on your own, Freedman suggests you should do whatever it takes to get by – even if that means accepting temporary help. These services exist for that very reason, after all, and there should be no shame. Her overall mantra: Be kind to yourself.

This is a “playbook” for hard times, and it shows. Freedman doesn’t offer ultimatums or advice that only works one way; instead, she offers a handful of options that could fit anyone’s budget or lifestyle, then gives the reader the power to choose what works best. And most of all, she focuses on the underlying principle of personal finance – living within your means.

“It’s true that some of us have less – maybe a lot less – than others. But we can choose how to use the money we get,” says Freedman. “The financial bottom line isn’t just about what you earn, but also about how much of it you can keep.”

As you read Your Playbook for Hard Times, you’ll also learn:

• How to create a financial fire drill: Learn how a bare-bones budget can help you get by in lean times. With a helping hand from Freedman, you’ll learn which bills to prioritize, what you can and should live without, and why this may only be temporary.
• How to save on recurring monthly bills: From insurance payments to utilities, plenty of hacks exist to cut your outlay down. Freedman offers advice on negotiating bills or reworking your household to avoid them entirely.
• Strategies for hacking deals sites: Freedman highlights her favorite deals sites, showing readers how to save on everyday purchases and even earn “free stuff.”
• Ways to get ahead with healthcare: Whether you’re insured or not, Freedman offers advice on navigating our complex healthcare system and reducing your costs overall. She also points to resources consumers can use for additional help.
• How to boost your income in the worst of times: Whether you’re struggling with a low income or just experienced a layoff, Freedman’s advice can help you bounce back. Learn an array of side hustle options almost anyone can do, and how to get started.

During the good times and the bad, Freedman’s advice can help you keep your head above water or dig your way out of a financial mess. More than a book, you can consider her advice “a primer on making careful and creative decisions about money,” says Freedman. The “right” decision may not be the same for everyone, but if we each make enough good decisions, we’ll all be better off.

Final Thoughts

Freedman’s words are written with a dose of optimism, but they’re realistic enough to be believable. Never preachy, Freedman offers the best advice out there with the full knowledge that every hack can’t work for everyone.

Whether you’re experiencing a crisis or hoping to become more frugal than you are now, Your Playbook for Tough Times is a book you’ll want to dive into. The bottom line: If you’re in a financial pinch, this book is worth reading.

Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer who is obsessed with frugality, budgeting, and travel. She blogs at ClubThrifty.com and teaches others how to write online at EarnMoreWriting.com.

Related Articles:

• Seven Books for Building a Whole-Life Perspective on Money
• 15 Free Kindle e-Books to Inspire You to Great Things
• Summer Reading List: 23 Books to Read About Money

Have you ever survived a financial hardship? How did you cope? Please share your story below.

The post Book Review: ‘Your Playbook for Tough Times’ appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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How This Guy Started a Business for Less than $1K — While Still in College

You’ve heard that artificial light messes up your sleep cycle. But “blue” artificial light is everywhere, from your computer screen and smartphone to your regular old reading lamp.

So how are you supposed to get a good night’s sleep with all this modern technology in the way?

Jeremy Maluf’s new company, Carbonshade, has plans to help. Maluf developed glasses that block this Circadian rhythm-rocking light — without making you look like an old-time accountant, a welder or a super-nerd.

A rising sophomore at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, this computer-science student turned ordinary glasses into a low-tech sleep aid.

Manufactured with red-tinted lenses, the glasses are designed to be worn anywhere you’re exposed to artificial light at night. Yes, even out in public.

Here’s the young inventor’s story of crowdfunding success.

Where It All Began: Entrepreneur Club

Maluf started working on Carbonshade in the last week of October 2015. By the first week of February 2016, he’d launched the product’s Kickstarter campaign.

He founded Carbonshade after talking with another member of Cal Poly Entrepreneurs, a student organization that meets weekly to discuss business ideas. Maluf didn’t actually come up with the idea for glasses that could help people sleep better, but he realized his fellow club member’s idea had a lot of potential.

“There was nothing in the market except safety glasses,” Maluf says.

But his colleague didn’t have the energy or the skills to take on product development and launch. Maluf decided to give it a shot.

The Perils of Crowdfunding

As a college student, Maluf wasn’t exactly flush with capital. So he spent some time considering the best platform for crowdfunding Carbonshade’s initial product line.

Ultimately, Maluf decided to go with Kickstarter, citing its track record of successfully backing innovative products. Maluf had also backed several campaigns on Kickstarter himself, so he knew what went into a good crowdfunding campaign before launching his own. He’d need a product, a page and a video demonstrating his shades.

Maluf was able to take Carbonshade from idea to viable Kickstarter campaign for less than $1,000, which covered developing prototypes, completing product photoshoots and making a video that brought Carbonshade’s Kickstarter campaign to life.

But that doesn’t mean Maluf didn’t face challenges as he prepared to launch his crowdfunding campaign.

“We were really behind schedule getting prototypes for the video, because we had given them all to beta testers,” Maluf recalls. “We didn’t have what we needed until the day before we wanted to submit the campaign for review. We made the video in 24 hours; it’s not something I would recommend you do.”

Friends and a few willing students pulled an all-nighter — college style — to film the video. Maluf didn’t love the final result, but thinks the strength of the campaign page overall helped Carbonshade’s Kickstarter do so well.

Carbonshade exceeded its crowdfunding goal of $12,000, bringing in a total of $15,523 from supporters.

The Process of Prototyping

The prototypes Maluf mentioned above weren’t made by hand at his own desk. The process of finding a manufacturer willing to make test runs of his shades helped him decide on what company would make the full product line.

“After we figured out we wanted to do it, the first thing was to find a manufacturer in China, which we did through Alibaba,” Maluf explains. He ordered prototypes in November for beta testing, emailing his chosen manufacturer in China to review necessary adjustments.

“You lose a lot of stuff to communication by email. It can be a hassle,” Maluf says of the language barriers, which can be tricky to overcome when working with overseas manufacturers. “But using China for manufacturing is huge — much easier than the United States.”

Don’t assume Maluf has piles of tinted glasses all over his bedroom — yet.

“The goal was to fulfill backorders (from the campaign) and also get some extra inventory,” Maluf explained. “We passed that goal and were able to order twice as many (pairs) as were initially ordered through Kickstarter.”

What it’s Like to be a Student Inventor

Samantha Dunscombe – The Penny Hoarder

Maluf hasn’t paid himself yet, but plans to be able to once the Carbonshade web store starts receiving regular orders.

“As a college student without much capital, the only option is products that can be conceived and developed quickly,” Maluf says. “What can I do without too much money, crowdfund on Kickstarter, and get consumers to purchase from there?”

Improving on a common or much loved item is a good place to start — making adjustments to form or function can be powerful. “After many iterations you have the best thing possible,” Maluf says.

He enjoyed his crowdfunding process so much he has five more Kickstarter campaigns planned for 2016.

Up next? Sunglasses that serve as a USB charger for your phone.

“They have USB on one end of the frame, and Lightning [connector] on the other,” Maluf explains. “And they’re compact [chargers], so you can’t tell. Really minimalist.”

Maluf’s 20-minute prototype experiment resulted in a sleek alternative to jamming a phone charger cord into your clutch or pocket for an Instagram-packed day out. He plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign for that product later this summer.

If he can replicate his earlier success, we may need Maluf to write the book on using Kickstarter for product development.

Your Turn: Have you started a business because you had an idea for an invention or a product improvement?

Lisa Rowan is a writer, editor and podcaster living in Washington, D.C. She has a hard time keeping her evenings screen-free. (You can guess how well she sleeps.)

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