New fee threatens local food pantries

Diane McFadzean, founder and director of Feeding Families Ministry in Tobyhanna is getting into a bind.Her group fed about 10,000 people last year, dependent on the donations of food items and cash. Now she’ll have to pay a new fee to her primary food supplier.That organization, Second Harvest Food Pantry in Nazareth, is a bulk supplier of foods to local pantries. It gets items from food manufacturers, food processors, local farms and retailers.But Second [...]

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Broadband Rally highlights steps to improve local broadband

East Stroudsburg University, Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation, the Monroe 2030 Action Team, and the ESU Center for Research and Economic Development will hold a Broadband Rally in the ESU Innovation Center, on Tuesday, Dec. 13 Room 336 from 8 a.m. — 10 a.m. The purpose of the rally is to inform citizens, businesses and constituents of Monroe County of the efforts underway to provide high speed broadband to the county at an affordable cost.The [...]

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Cutting the Cord? How to Find Cheap High-Speed Internet That Can Handle Streaming Video

By Chris Brantner

One of the things that nearly everyone can agree on is cable and internet packages are way too expensive. That’s why it’s incredibly important to figure out a way to get a great deal on a reliable high-speed internet service.

If you’re a cable cutter who needs a fast connection to handle your live streaming needs, there are a few things you should know in order to get the best deal.

Shop Around

One of the best methods is to look around at all of the offers and options out there. This can be a little daunting, but this tool helps sort through all your options and will help you narrow it down.

By comparing competing offers like that, you can then use the offers as bargaining chips against other providers to hopefully reduce your actual cost. A lot of the time, internet providers will match other deals or try and meet halfway. Even if it’s only a year-long introductory deal, you can always cancel and choose another plan after the deal expires.

Find Out About Download Speeds

One of the key things you should get from the internet provider is what type of download speeds you can expect. Upload speeds are helpful too, but download speed is what will make the difference in streaming quality. Quicker download speeds mean less buffering time when watching YouTube, Netflix, Sling TV, Hulu, or any other streaming service.

The recommended minimum speed for streaming standard-definition video is usually about 5 Mbps (megabytes per second). That means if it’s just you streaming from Netflix, you can probably get by with pretty low-speed internet. But if you’re streaming high-definition video or have multiple people in your home using different services at once, you should basically add an additional 5 Mbps per streaming device.

For reference, the average internet speed throughout the U.S. is about 12 Mbps. But for the 46% of people across the world with internet access, the average is only about 5 Mbps.

Of course, if you want to stream in Ultra High Def 4K, then you’re going to need a much faster connection. For that, Netflix has you covered with its monthly ISP Speed Index rankings. (Spoiler alert: Verizon FiOS is consistently at the top.)

Check for Any Data Caps

Data caps, common on smartphone plans, are now being adopted by cable and internet providers. They’re often used to combat cord cutting, which has eroded the growth in cable subscribers, or to charge people extra if they’re downloading a large amount of content.

Basically, with a data cap, when you go over the limit you have to pay a fee for whatever you download beyond the cap.

This means if you get sucked in one weekend binge-watching every season of “Breaking Bad,” you could get to the point where you actually have to pay an additional fee on top of your monthly bill. Who wants that? Nobody. I highly recommend staying far away from any internet provider with a data cap (we’re looking at you, Comcast).

To Bundle, or Not To Bundle

One reason many people have cable is because it might seem more reasonable for them to just get the bundled internet and cable TV package. They might think it’s worth the extra money, or just don’t want to deal with what they see as the complexity of cutting the cable portion.

This is a decent option for some, but the big thing to remember is that cable cutting really isn’t that expensive or difficult nowadays. Plus, that great introductory bundle price usually shoots through the roof after the initial rate expires. So, what might seem like a decent deal today could be a really bad deal six or 12 months from now.

A lot of times if you choose to avoid the bundle, the cable companies will try to spike up internet prices. But, that’s where the internet comparison tool I mentioned earlier comes into play. You can use it to find better deals or even use it to bargain down your existing provider to a much more reasonable number. In many cases, you’ll certainly be saving money.

Should Customer Service Be a Factor in Choosing Internet for Streaming?

Maybe. But honestly, you’ll be hard pressed to find any ISP that is known for offering stellar customer service.

That being said, some are worse than others. For example, Comcast is well-known for its nightmarish customer service stories. When it comes to customer service, you may end up making a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Cutting cable is a great budgeting decision, especially with all the great options on the market that make it so much easier. But all that money saved won’t do much good if you’re blowing it on an expensive internet package. Hopefully, you’ve got a better idea now on how to search around for the best internet deal and not get taken advantage of by the cable companies.

For more info on choosing an internet service provider, check out our complete guide here.

Related Articles

• How to Cut the Cord to Cable TV and Save a Lot of Money Each Month
• Tips for Getting Cheap Internet Service
• How to Watch Football Without Paying for Cable
• Cord Cutters: How and Why Millennials Are Saying Goodbye to Cable TV

The post Cutting the Cord? How to Find Cheap High-Speed Internet That Can Handle Streaming Video appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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This Woman Makes $300 Every Christmas Writing Letters From Santa

Remember writing letters to Santa Claus as a kid, asking for a tricked-out skateboard or the newest video game on the market?

Imagine, instead, that Mr. Claus wrote to you.

Each Christmas, Julie Engelhardt makes that dream a reality, surprising kids with letters from the man with the bushy white beard and the soft red suit.

Meet the Woman Who Makes Money Writing Letters From Santa

As a stay-at-home mom with two boys, Engelhardt began brainstorming ways to make a little extra cash around the holidays nearly 10 years ago.

She’d always been interested in writing, though mostly she’d written nonfiction articles for newspapers or magazines. But one day in 2008, she decided to try her hand at fiction writing and began taking orders for letters from Santa.

Since then, Engelhardt estimates she’s made between $200 and $300 each holiday season writing letters to children from Kris Kringle.

She’s written letters to the children of neighbors and friends, as well as to the children of complete strangers around the world whose parents wanted them to have an extra-special Christmas.

“Over the years and through social media, I’ve gotten to know people from different countries,” she said. “I’ve sent letters to Australia and Scotland.”

Engelhardt, who lives outside of Louisville, Kentucky, initially found customers by telling friends, neighbors and other parents about her service. Now, she also uses Facebook and other social networks. Engelhardt said she typically charges around $10 per letter.

What’s Included in a Letter From Santa Claus?

Before writing each letter, Engelhardt sends the parents a list of roughly 20 questions about their child, their family and their pets. She asks about activities the child is involved in, if the family took any vacations during the year, the child’s favorite subject in school and their favorite movies and books.

With this information in hand, she sits down to write an extremely personal letter to the child from Santa.

“I will do my best to incorporate as much as I can – that’s what makes it special,” she said. “It’s not a cookie-cutter kind of thing.”

Sometimes, the requests for letters from Santa become deeply personal. Engelhardt remembers writing letters to a little girl after her father died.

Each year, the family would release a handful of balloons to honor his memory, so Engelhardt wrote to the girl, as Santa, that her dad loved the balloons she sent him.

“Initially it started out as a way to make some money on the side for the holidays, but it has grown into so much more,” she said. “Touching a lot of people’s lives, that really meant a lot to me as well.”

What Sets These Letters From Santa Apart

Engelhardt’s letters are special for another reason, too.

When she finishes a batch of letters before Christmas, she’ll place each one into an envelope with the child’s name, address and the proper postage. Then, she drops all of those letters into a larger envelope, which she mails to North Pole, Alaska.

North Pole, a suburb of Fairbanks, was given that name in 1949 as a way to attract business or, possibly, an amusement park like Disneyland.

Today, it’s best known for its postmark. People from all over the world send bags and boxes of letters to the postmaster there. Except for the cost of postage, the postmark is free.

Engelhardt, who includes the postage in her $10 fee, said the postmark adds a special touch for young children.

“They’ll say, ‘Look, it actually came from the North Pole,’” she said.

On the back of the letters, which she types on her computer, Engelhardt will sometimes include a recipe for Mrs. Claus’ chocolate chip cookies. She has also included “Good List” certificates to let children know they’re not on Santa’s naughty list.

Engelhardt decorates the letters with stamps in the shape of snowflakes and Christmas trees, too. She signs them as Santa Claus in red or green marker.

“Anyone who has a little bit of imagination would be able to do something like this,” she said.

Because Engelhardt also worked as a substitute teacher for many years, she’d often see the letters during show-and-tell time at school. Sometimes parents would snap a picture of their child opening their letter from Santa and send it to her — their mouths were usually hanging open and their eyes were wide, staring at the paper in disbelief.

Though her letter-writing business has been steady over the years, Engelhardt has ramped up her efforts on yet another Christmas project: portraying Mrs. Claus.

She typically charges between $50 and $150 per appearance, though she also appears for free at many charity events. As a freelance Mrs. Claus, Engelhardt markets herself and mostly finds business by word-of-mouth.

Engelhardt has truly mastered the art of the holiday side gig.

“With Mrs. Claus, I’m getting calls every few days to see if I’m available,” Engelhardt said.

Pick Up a Side Gig for the Holidays

Curious about how you can make a little extra money this holiday season? If writing letters from Santa or portraying Mrs. Claus aren’t your thing, consider selling baked goods, decorating homes or businesses, or taking family photos.

You could also make and sell holidays crafts, like reindeer hot chocolate mixes or a peppermint foot soak.

If you already work full time, don’t worry – there are plenty of holiday side gig options for you. Consider starting your own gift-wrapping service or dog-sitting while pet owners are away for the holidays.

If adding a new income stream isn’t in the cards for you, there are some strategic ways to stretch your holiday budget, including knowing when to shop so you get the best prices and making discounted travel plans.

Your Turn: Would you consider writing letters from Santa to make a little extra cash for the holidays?

Sarah Kuta is an education reporter in Boulder, Colorado, with a penchant for weekend thrifting, furniture refurbishment and good deals. Find her on Twitter: @sarahkuta.

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