A repeated building use violation could have the owners of the former Penn Hills Resort property in trouble with Stroud Township.The dilapidated state of the property first became an issue in late April when an airsoft military simulation group used the premises to host a weekend-long exhibition event without a special event permit from the township. The same group, the Military Simulation Airsoft Training and Operations corporation, hosted a similar event at the property [...]
Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/2ebpG7N
الثلاثاء، 1 نوفمبر 2016
Local unemployment rates up sharply for the year
Monroe County’s jobless rate in September was nine-tenths of a point higher than it was a year ago.Pike County’s rose by a half a percentage point over the year. The state rate increased eight-tenths of a point, and the national rate was down by one-tenth of a point.Monroe County's September unemployment was unchanged from August at 6.8 percent, while Pike County’s rate fell slightly.The local rates in September reflected the state and national trend [...]
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Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/2fbeFWT
Sharing is Caring: Noosa Will Help You Give Your Friends Free Yogurt
Ever wondered when yogurt got so fancy? Me too.
My biggest battle used to be choosing a flavor. Now? Greek, Icelandic, strained, whipped — I don’t even know anymore.
And tasty, trendy yogurt isn’t cheap.
That’s why I asked all my friends to send me free yogurt.
Don’t believe me?
It’s real. Noosa is giving away free yogurt. (Or, “yoghurt,” as the Australia-inspired company calls it.)
Send Your Mate a Free Noosa
Noosa wants you to share with a friend. The best part? You can do it right from your computer.
Visit Noosa’s Best Mates site and choose a friend.
Next, pick a reason this friend deserves free yogurt. Options include “They have amazing hair,” “They make you laugh,” and “They’re so much fun.” No head-scratchers here.
Finally, send an animated greeting (they’re super cute!) to your friend via email.
When your friend receives their Noosa greeting, they’ll be prompted to submit their mailing address to receive a coupon for a free Noosa flavor. We’re not sure of any size restrictions on your freebie, since we’re still waiting by the mailbox for our own coupons.
An 8-ounce package of Noosa yogurt typically costs about $2.50. A pack of four 4-ounce cups will run you about $5.
You can expect to receive your coupon in approximately four weeks.
Even More Savings
Noosa has another way to save hidden on its website!
Scroll down and click on “Coupons” at the bottom of the homepage, then enter your email address to access a coupon for 55 cents off a tub or pack of Noosa yogurt.
Print the coupon and go!
Your Turn: Do you love yogurt? How do you save when it’s on your grocery list?
Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder. Fruit-on-the-bottom is one of her greatest enemies. Yuck.
The post Sharing is Caring: Noosa Will Help You Give Your Friends Free Yogurt appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Finding Meaningful Gifts Without Breaking the Bank
The last two months of the year are a gift-giving crunch for our family and for many others. Not only do we have a child’s birthday coming up very soon, but the holiday season brings a number of gift exchanges with people from all over our life.
Naturally, we want to find meaningful gifts for all of these people. A last-minute gift given with little thought might solve a problem, but it doesn’t do anything to warm the heart when it is given or when it is received like a thoughtful gift can do. A thoughtful, meaningful gift is worth many times the cost of the item and it goes a long way toward enforcing whatever bond exists between the giver and the recipient.
Finding a truly meaningful gift is hard, though. Finding a truly meaningful gift without breaking the bank is even harder.
This is a process that Sarah and I go through every year. We try to find thoughtful and meaningful gifts for everyone that we give gifts to, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. At the same time, we try to keep our gift spending under control.
Here are seven strategies that we use during this process.
Strategy #1 – Start Early
Part of the reason I’m writing this article in early November rather than in mid-December is that one of the keys to finding meaningful gifts for people is to start early. Almost every remaining strategy on this list takes at least a little time, and although that time can be spread out and can often be invested while doing other things, you still need some weeks between the initial push to start considering gifts and the actual day of giving to work through those strategies.
For many gifts for holiday exchanges that are months down the road, Sarah and I have already started. I have multiple gifts that I’m making for which I already have the necessary elements. I’ve purchased a few gifts on sale already, too.
Over the next few weeks, I hope to have ideas in place for all of the other people on my holiday gift-giving lists, along with the starting steps of any projects that they might involve. That way, I have plenty of weekends and even weekday evenings to move forward on those things and complete different projects.
Start now.
Action Step #1: Right now, start making a list of everyone that you’re intending to give a gift to in the next two months. Then, right away, start thinking of ideas for each of those people. Do this now, and write it down. The longer you wait, the harder everything becomes. It becomes more stressful. It becomes harder to find a meaningful but inexpensive gift. It becomes more likely that lots of people are just going to slip through the cracks and receive whatever you can find on Amazon in a ten minute search a few days before the gift exchange. Don’t do that. Start now. Make a list.
Strategy #2 – Consider the Recipient and Do Some Homework
So, you have a list of people that you want to give gifts to, but you’re completely unsure as to what you should get for many of the people on the list. You love Grandma, for example, but what can you even give her that means anything?
For each person on your list that you don’t have any good ideas for, spend some time just considering that person. What makes that person happy? What does that person enjoy doing? What bonds do you share with that person?
These types of thoughts fill my spare moments this type of the year. Whenever I drive anywhere, I’m often thinking about different people to whom I intend to give a gift in the coming months. When I have a few spare moments at the doctor’s office, I’m thinking about my relationship with someone and what causes us to connect.
Sometimes, the answers come fairly easily. Sometimes, they do not.
When I find myself really struggling for ideas, I start doing homework on that person. I take a look at their social media accounts. I check and see if they have an Amazon wishlist. I visit that person, if at all possible, and take a look around their home.
Most important of all, though, I simply have some conversations with that person. If I care enough to give that person a gift, this should be a normal course of events. If it’s awkward to have a normal conversation with a person, why are you giving that person a gift to begin with?
If you pay attention during a conversation of any length with a person, you begin to get an idea of what they’re interested in and what they’re passionate about. Ask them questions about the things they seem excited about and dig in a little; you’ll often find several great gift ideas dropped directly on your lap.
Action Step #2: Go through the list of people to whom you intend to give a gift in the next couple of months. Consider each person individually. What is that person passionate about? What is your connection to that person? If a gift idea doesn’t rise to the surface, then commit to doing some homework. Visit that person. Give that person a call. Ask questions and talk about their interests. Ideas will come. They will most definitely come.
Strategy #3 – Include a Note
One of the best ways to transform an ordinary gift into something meaningful is to simply include a note with it. That note doesn’t have to be anything special. It just needs to be a short appreciation of the recipient in some fashion.
One of my favorite things to do with a note is to explain exactly why I gave the gift that I gave that person. Basically, it’s a description of the thought process from the above strategies: what I noticed about the recipient and how that translated into a gift idea.
Such a simple note is deeply meaningful for one reason: people like to be noticed and appreciated. The simple fact that someone else paid enough attention to them to notice a specific interest that they had and then translated that interest into an attempt at a thoughtful gift often means far more than whatever the gift itself might be.
What if you’re not a “wordy” person? The honest truth is that notes from people who usually don’t do such things are even more meaningful, even if those notes aren’t written with perfect penmanship or with perfect spelling or grammar. In those cases, you know as a recipient that the note caused the writer to step outside of their comfort zone to express something for you, and that adds incredible meaning.
Action Step #3: If you give someone a meaningful gift, include a handwritten note with that gift explaining it and how that gift ties to the recipient. It’s an incredibly easy way to add deep meaning to a gift given.
Strategy #4 – Involve the Shared Community
One mistake that people make when it comes to giving a gift is that they think of themselves and the recipient as being in a bubble of sorts. The gift is from one person to another or from a couple to another.
Often, however, you share a lot of ties with that person. That person might be your father, for instance, but you share that relationship with all of your siblings. Your favorite uncle might be everyone’s favorite uncle. Your favorite coworker might be everyone’s favorite coworker.
In those situations, you can often add a lot of meaning to a gift by working with other people to create something extra special. Perhaps you can make something together, like a giant photo collage or, in one hilarious case, the world’s biggest cheese plate (this happened once… such a fun memory). Or, perhaps you can chip in together for a bigger gift that’s outside the realistic range for any of you, like when a bunch of family members chip together to send an older relative back to visit his ancestral home.
If you have a great idea for someone that’s just outside the scope of what you should realistically spend or can realistically pull off, start talking to other invested parties. Quite often, if you take the advice of the first strategy here and start early, you’ll find that they haven’t planned anything yet and thus are very likely to get on board with your idea.
Involving a large group in a shared gift like this greatly broadens the horizons of what’s possible for a meaningful gift. It allows you to think bigger than what you might otherwise consider.
Action Step #4: If you come up with ideas that are “too big,” ask yourself whether other parties with a similar relationship to the recipient might want to become involved. You might find a bunch of willing assistance to make a very big meaningful gift possible that was otherwise impossible. Again, the key is to start thinking now, not later, and get ahold of people sooner rather than later.
Strategy #5 – Give to Their Better Self
This final strategy is a sneaky one and it’s one that’s often hard to implement, but it’s something that almost always makes for a meaningful gift that will really connect with the recipient.
On the surface, it’s really easy: give to their better self. Consider the best, most heroic attributes of that person and give a gift that is in line with those attributes. Think of the moments in your life where that person has really amazed you and then think of a gift that matches up to that moment.
I’m going to give you a specific example here. One of my older brothers has had a mix of great moments and setbacks in his life. He’s achieved a few tremendous things, but at other times, he’s been almost overwhelmed with personal challenge.
It would be easy for me to give him an ordinary gift when there’s an opportunity for gift-giving. If I want to make that gift truly powerful and meaningful, though, I should aim for those moments where my respect for him was the highest, those moments where he did something that left me in positive awe. If I can come up with a gift that reflects those moments when I thought most highly of him, then that gift is going to be truly meaningful.
I have an idea, though I don’t want to spoil it here in case he might be reading this. Suffice it to say, it comes straight from a moment where I was in awe of one of his personal attributes.
Action Step #5: Think of the recipient in their best moments. What kind of gift might be appropriate for those moments? What gift can you give them that reminds you of the moments when they touched greatness, and can show them that you remember when they touched greatness? What gift can you give that will cause them to reach for a little more than they are today without being somehow critical of where they are right now? It’s a difficult task, but if you can navigate it, you’ll almost always find a meaningful gift.
Strategy #6 – Start Watching Sales
Once you have some ideas in mind, it’s time to start taking action. For many gifts – and for the items needed to make gifts – a big part of this is to start watching sales.
For me, watching sales means several simultaneous little tricks.
I use Camel Camel Camel to watch a whole lot of items on Amazon for price drops. The site watches them automatically for me and informs me when a price drops on an item. Anything that might remotely work as a gift or as an element of a gift gets listed there.
I download store flyers from various stores in my area each week from their websites and browse through them, looking for sales on particular items.
For some specific items, I’ll actually dig into websites devoted to those specific hobbies or areas of interest and see what I can find. I’ve joined many hobby-related websites over the years just to look for idea recommendations and hunt for sales.
What about Black Friday? It’s usually clear whether or not a particular item you’re considering has a chance of being a Black Friday sales item. If you’re looking at a specific consumer electronic device, for example, waiting for Black Friday might be a good decision.
All of this really doesn’t take too long. I might spend an hour all told setting up searches on Camel Camel Camel. I might spend fifteen minutes a week downloading a few store flyers. I might spend another half an hour doing specific research for specific gifts, but that usually adds up to just a few gifts on my list.
What if they already have the gift that you bought them? Once you’ve done a little due diligence on the item, don’t worry about it. There’s almost no way you can ever guarantee that someone doesn’t have an item that you’ve selected. Just make a little effort to make sure you’re not duplicating something they already have, if you can.
Action Step #6: Once you have ideas for people, start looking for sales on the required items as early as possible. Using Camel Camel Camel is a great way to start for many general purpose gifts. Downloading weekly store flyers – and, eventually, Black Friday flyers – is another powerful step. The goal is to find items that match what you have in mind already when they’re on sale, so the sooner you reach this action step, the better, because it gives more time for sales to pop up.
Strategy #7 – Make Something Unique (or Unusual)
For me, actually making gifts for people is a wonderful way to celebrate the season. If I can find a way to actually make something for someone that they’ll actually enjoy and use, I’ll almost always do that, especially if it’s something that I’m going to enjoy making.
I’ll give you a specific example. For this holiday season, I’m actually making someone an electronic device using a Raspberry Pi mini-computer. It’s been an incredibly fun project so far and I’ve learned a great deal along the way. I know for an absolute fact that this person will enjoy the gift deeply and I’m enjoying the process of building it, so it’s become an extra fun project for me.
For another friend, I’m making a poetry book. I’m literally hand-copying a selection of poems from the public domain into a thin book, along with little notes on why the poem is meaningful to me and might be meaningful to that person.
In past years, Sarah and I have made a number of consumable items for people, from craft beer to soaps and from handmade stationery to personalized soup mixes. Each of these worked well because they indicated an attention to the person. Not only did I know that a particular person liked craft beer, I knew their favorite style of craft beer, made a batch in that style, then bottled it for them with humorous personalized labels.
It’s that bit of extra distance that makes a gift meaningful. It’s easy to make something for someone. It takes a bit more attention and sometimes a little more work to make that gift for that person, and it’s that extra step that makes a gift really meaningful.
Action Step #7: If you’re considering making any gifts, ask yourself how you can tweak that gift to specifically match the person you’re making it for. What specific elements of that gift can you tweak? How can you tweak those things to make it more personally meaningful for that specific recipient? Once you know what you can do to make the gift distinct, take action to make it happen.
Final Thoughts
In the end, finding a truly meaningful gift for someone that doesn’t break the bank comes down to two things: time and thought. The best ideas come from thinking about the person and giving those thoughts time to marinate and grow. Giving yourself plenty of lead time as you go through that process enables you to find a great idea and then still have plenty of time to implement it at a reasonable price.
What’s the take home message? Start today. Start right now. Make your list and start thinking about meaningful options. This gives you plenty of time to find the right gift – or the right items needed for the gift – at the right price and to handle other elements that might make it special, such as a note or a collaborative effort.
Good luck!
The post Finding Meaningful Gifts Without Breaking the Bank appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Love Driving? 5 Flexible Field Rep Jobs That Pay You to Be on the Road
You’re tempted by the siren call of the road, but you don’t want to be away from home for days — or weeks — at a time as an over-the-road truck driver.
You love being in your car, getting paid to listen to podcasts and navigate your local highways and byways, but you don’t want to deliver greasy food or pick up strangers.
Field work might be just what you’re looking for. These jobs often allow you to work from home on your own schedule, but also require local or regional travel — so you can get that highway time you crave.
Here are five open jobs where you can travel, work a flexible schedule and be home every night.
1. Nielsen Field Service Representative
Nielsen’s been tracking what people watch, listen to and buy since 1923, and is hiring field reps around the country.
The company enlists families around the U.S. to represent consumers and give us all data on what Americans are watching on TV, buying at the store and browsing on the internet.
As a field service rep, your job would be to make home visits to install, maintain, troubleshoot and demonstrate the equipment that helps Nielsen track information from participating families.
Read this post for more information and how to apply.
2. Nielsen Membership Sales Representative
If you’ve got a bit more ambition (and fortitude), this second Nielsen position could be a fit for you.
As a membership sales representative, you’d recruit new families to participate in TV and consumer research.
In this position, you’d work within a territory and with a company-provided vehicle to visit homes unannounced. Your goal would be to “persuade, educate and earn trust from potential Nielsen families to get them energized and excited about participating in Nielsen TV and Computer Research.”
This is a remote position with field work — so you’ll work between a home office and your assigned territory, with daily trips of up to 200 miles.
At least a technical degree is preferred, but a high school diploma or GED with two to five years’ work experience will do, too. Bonus if you’re bilingual or have previous sales, social service or market research experience.
Nielsen jobs also come with great benefits! You’d be paid an annual base salary plus a commission plan. We’ve reached out to a Nielsen representative for the salary range and will update if we hear back.
Comprehensive benefits start on day one and include
- medical, dental and vision coverage
- 401(k) plan with company match
- paid holidays, vacation, personal and sick days and maternity/paternity leave
- tuition reimbursement
- company car, including insurance, gas and maintenance
- tablet, home printer and cell phone, including talk and data service
You’d also get a trip to Tampa, Florida, for paid training.
To apply: Find an opening in your area and fill out an application here.
3. UPS Delivery Driver
With the holidays approaching, UPS is hiring delivery drivers for seasonal and potentially full-time positions all over the country.
Full-time UPS employees work Monday through Friday, at least eight hours per day, but typically have weekends and holidays off. Part-time seasonal employees may work weekend and holiday shifts.
If you’re familiar with UPS, you know this is a fast-paced and physically-demanding job. You’d be loading and carrying packages up to 70 pounds. Depending on your location, you may have to drive a manual transmission, so brush up on driver’s ed!
You also have to have a valid in-state driver’s license and pass a DOT physical exam.
Bonus: You get to (er, you’re required to) wear that sexy brown uniform.
Actual bonus: Most UPS locations provide up to $25,000 in education assistance toward college, technical or trade schools for part-time employees!
UPS hourly drivers report average pay of $28 per hour, and full-time drivers report an average annual salary of $53,000, according to Glassdoor. Employees also report great benefits, including health insurance and 401(k), that kick in after one year.
4. Culligan Delivery
Remember the “Hey, Culligan Man!” commercials from the ‘90s? That could be you!
(Of course, it’s 2016, so I’ll amend it to “Hey, Culligan (Wo)man!”)
Culligan has several field positions around the country, including service technician and sales, but let’s look at everyone’s favorite person: the one who replenishes our water supply at the office.
As a route delivery driver, you would deliver Culligan water conditioning products to both commercial and residential customers.
You’d drive a company vehicle and need to be able to lift and move products up to 185 pounds. You’d have to pass a DOT physical exam and a drug test, have a safe driving record and a valid driver’s license.
You should also be familiar with your local area, good at reading maps and be able to pass a reading and math assessment test.
This is a full-time, Monday through Friday position. Culligan promises “competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package.”
To apply: Find a position in your area, and apply at Culligan’s careers site.
5. Technician With YourMechanic
Want to work for yourself on a flexible schedule as an auto mechanic? YourMechanic offers unique opportunities for anyone who wants to work in the automotive service industry.
Instead of running an auto-body shop, this “mobile mechanic company” sends a specialist to a customer’s home or office when their car needs service.
YourMechanic has technicians in more than 700 cities nationwide and is actively hiring now in 53 cities.
The company handles marketing, scheduling appointments, ordering parts, invoicing and customer support, so all you have to do is show up when a customer needs you.
In this position, you’d set your own hours through the YourMechanic app — as much or little as you want, any days, evenings or weekends you prefer. The company would schedule service calls for you within your availability.
You’d be doing basic repair and maintenance, “no engine overhauls or major transmission work.”
Pay is between $40-$60 an hour. You’d work as a contractor and provide your own transportation.
To apply: Fill out the online application here. A service advisor will call you for a phone interview and to get you set up. Then you’ll set your hours and get to work!
Your Turn: Are you looking for flexible work that lets you travel locally?
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).
The post Love Driving? 5 Flexible Field Rep Jobs That Pay You to Be on the Road appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Here’s How Much Your Credit Score Impacts Your Mortgage and Auto Loan Rates
When you apply for a new loan, the most influential factor in determining your interest rate is your credit and, more specifically, your credit scores. Other factors certainly matter during your loan’s underwriting, such as your income and employment history, but the importance of your credit scores cannot be overstated when a lender decides which interest rate to set for your newly opened account.
The difference your credit scores can make in the interest rate you’re charged and, ultimately, the overall cost of your loan, can be quite remarkable. Take a look at the examples below to see just how much a bad credit score could be costing you, and how much you could save if you were to work on improving your credit for future applications.
620 Credit Score: Not So Good
Meet John. John is a nice, responsible guy who tries very hard to properly manage his credit and finances. Unfortunately, John has just gone through a nasty divorce and his once-stellar credit scores have been dragged through the mud. He needs to purchase both a car and a home, but sadly the damage to his credit scores is going to cause him to pay significantly more than he would have paid before his credit problems. Let’s take a look.
Mortgage
Thankfully, though John’s scores were borderline, he was still able to at least qualify for a new mortgage. The rate he received on his 30-year fixed loan, however, was not the best. With a credit score of 620, John was offered an interest rate of 4.77% on his $200,000 mortgage. Here is a breakdown of how much this loan will cost him over time:
- Loan amount: $200,000
- Credit score: 620
- Monthly payment: $1,046
- Total interest paid: $176,455
Auto Loan
John also needs to purchase a new vehicle, and his credit problems will cost him again. He was offered an interest rate of 9.014% on a 60-month, $25,000 new auto loan. Here is a breakdown of his overall loan cost:
- Loan amount: $25,000
- Credit score: 620
- Monthly payment: $577
- Total interest paid: $9,615
720 Credit Score: Much Better
John, of course, was not very happy with his poor credit scores and high interest rates. So, he decided to work hard to raise his credit score back to where it used to be. After a couple of years of patiently and consistently rebuilding his credit, John has finally seen his scores rise back up to a much more respectable level of 720. He’s decided to refinance his mortgage and is trading in his vehicle for a newer model. Here’s a look at what these new loans will cost him now that he has worked to improve his credit.
Mortgage
With his new credit score of 720, John is able to qualify for a much more attractive interest rate of 3.403% on his $200,000 mortgage. That 100-point increase in his credit score will save him more than $150 a month and more than $57,000 over the life of the loan. Here’s a complete breakdown of how much he’ll save on his new mortgage with his improved credit scores:
- Loan amount: $200,000
- Credit score: 720
- Monthly payment: $887
- Total interest paid: $119,246
- Money saved monthly: $159
- Money saved overall: $57,209
Auto Loan
John also traded in his vehicle on a newer model. Once again he took out a 60-month, $25,000 new auto loan. However, this time he was offered an interest rate of 3.276%. Here’s a breakdown of the cost and savings on his new car loan.
- Loan amount: $25,000
- Credit score: 720
- Monthly payment: $452
- Total interest paid: $2,137
- Money saved monthly: $125
- Money saved overall: $7,478
Overall, by raising his credit score just 100 points, John was able to save $284 a month and will save $64,687 total — on just these two loans alone. That’s the real-world impact of improving your credit score.
Related Articles
- This One Factor Affects Your Credit Scores More Than Anything Else
- How to Get the Lowest Mortgage Rates Possible
- You Can Improve This Part of Your Credit Score Almost Immediately
John Ulzheimer is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, and identity theft. He has written four books on the topic and has been interviewed and quoted thousands of times over the past 10 years. With time spent at Equifax and FICO, Ulzheimer is the only credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. He has been an expert witness in over 230 credit related lawsuits and has been qualified to testify in both federal and state courts on the topic of consumer credit.
The post Here’s How Much Your Credit Score Impacts Your Mortgage and Auto Loan Rates appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Santander slashes 123 account interest: other options
Santander 123 account holders will earn just 1.5% interest from today, as the bank has slashed the rate from 3%.
Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/2fr6IA8
Petition calls for ban on pensions and investment cold calling
A petition to ban pension and investment cold-calling is gaining momentum and has won endorsement from former pension minister Steve Webb, who now works as director of policy at Royal London.
Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/2fr6k4J
Celebrate Purple Friday: Win Up to $10K for NOT Shopping on Black Friday
Holy moly — today’s the day!
For months, we’ve been working on a top-secret project… and we’re SO excited to finally share it with you.
Introducing Purple Friday, a brand new holiday (and giveaway!) from your friends at The Penny Hoarder.
The giveaway runs from Nov. 1-11, 2016 and is our BIGGEST and BEST yet. You do not want to miss it.
Keep reading to learn what Purple Friday is, why we created it — and how you could win a prize worth up to $10,000.
What’s Purple Friday?
Before answering that question, let’s first ask you something: What’s more important than deals and bargains? What’s more important than stuff?
The people you love.
So this year, we’re getting back to the core of what’s important to us and our readers; the very reason we hoard pennies in the first place.
Instead of shopping the day after Thanksgiving, we’re encouraging you to celebrate Purple Friday — and enjoy quality time with your friends and family.
And we just might pay you to do it: We’re giving prizes to 50 lucky winners who want to spend time with their loved ones.
That’s right: We’re paying you NOT to shop on Black Friday.
How can we help you spend time, not money this Purple Friday?
Some ideas…
- Paying for your flight home so you can spend the long weekend with family
- Surprising your wife with a new mixer so you can all bake cookies together
- Covering the rent so your boyfriend can take the day off
- Or funding a day at the movies for you and your kids
On Purple Friday, we want you to collect memories, not things — and we want to help you do it.
Entering is simple. All you have to do is tell us your story. (Hint: Don’t request cash.)
What would help you spend time with your loved ones on Purple Friday?
Click here to tell us what would make the day meaningful — no matter how big or small — and why it’s important to you.
FAQs About Purple Friday
Got questions? We’ve got answers.
Why “Purple” Friday?
Because purple’s our favorite color!
Isn’t that a Baltimore Ravens / Minnesota Vikings thing?
Yeah, but sharing is caring, right?
I like Black Friday — are you skipping it entirely this year?
No, we’ll offer limited Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage to help those of you who do want to shop. But Purple Friday will be our main focus.
Who can enter the giveaway?
Any U.S. resident who’s at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in their state of citizenship, whichever is older).
So I can really request anything?
Yup! Whatever would help you spend the day with your loved ones (up to $10,000 in value).
Is this for real? It kind of sounds too good to be true…
We know: It’s pretty unbelievable. But we’re delighted to say it’s totally real. Just ask the winners of last year’s giveaway.
When’s the deadline to enter?
11:59:59 p.m. EST on Nov. 11, 2016.
How will I know if I win?
We’ll contact winners via phone and email, and will publicly announce them during Thanksgiving week.
This is awesome! Can I share it?
Yes, please! Just don’t forget the hashtag #PurpleFriday.
Ready now? We can’t wait to read your stories. Click here to enter the Purple Friday giveaway now.
Your Turn: Are you going to celebrate Purple Friday with us?
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 Celebrate Purple Friday: Win Up to $10K for NOT Shopping on Black Friday appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2f9iGeo
Savings update: only a handful of easy-access rates now top 1%
Savings rates continue to fall as banks and building societies cut their easy-access rates.
Only a handful - including French-owned RCI Bank and Kent Reliance - still pay 1% before tax to new savers.
Others which matched this rate earlier this month have cut their rates to either 0.75% or even 0.5%.
Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/2f5Pjf7
Stat of the month: £53 million of unclaimed Premium Bond prizes
With Premium Bonds celebrating their milestone 60th anniversary in November 2016, NS&I is encouraging Premium Bond holders to reconnect with their old Bonds, some of which date back to over 50 years.
In total, there are over 1.2 million unclaimed prizes, worth over £53 million.
Source Moneywise http://ift.tt/2eWY0oZ
Should I Purchase an Existing Business or Start my Own?
By Dawn Berryman If the entrepreneurial bug has bitten and you’re itching to start your own business, you have options. There are many direct sales and multi-level marketing companies that you can join. Some offer more flexibility and freedoms to their consultants than others. You could also start your very own business from scratch. If […]
The post Should I Purchase an Existing Business or Start my Own? appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.
Source The Work at Home Woman http://ift.tt/2f8eFqG
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