State police are scheduled to close Interstate 80 West at Exit 299 in Tannersville, starting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, for an investigative reconstruction of the Nov. 18 crash that claimed four lives.Westbound traffic will be redirected to take the Exit 299 off-ramp, turn right onto Route 715 North, then turn left at the first light onto Sullivan Trail and stay straight ahead to take the entrance ramp back onto I-80 West. Delays are expected, though police haven't said how long the [...]
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الاثنين، 12 ديسمبر 2016
Five Signs You Shouldn’t Use a Credit Card
Despite the bad rap they’ve gotten over the years, credit cards really do offer benefits you can’t get with other forms of payment. While most come with zero fraud liability, others come with guaranteed returns, rental car insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and extended warranties. The best rewards credit cards on the market also dole out airline miles, hotel loyalty points, fixed travel credit, or cash back for each dollar you spend. And yes, these perks can all be “free” — with the important caveat that you avoid credit card interest like the plague.
When you pay with cash or debit card, on the other hand, you’ll get none of those perks. Nada. Zilch. With that in mind, it’s no wonder people flock to credit cards in droves.
Unfortunately, this is where the love story ends. Yes, Americans do use credit cards in large numbers. And yeah, we’ve got the debt to show for it. Americans owed a collective $981 billion in credit card debt as of October 2016, according to the Federal Reserve. Among American households with credit card debt, the average unpaid balance was $9,600 as of May 2016, according to CreditCards.com.
Five Signs You Shouldn’t Use a Credit Card
While any number of circumstances can lead to debt in a heartbeat, it’s safe to say that some indebted families didn’t plan to end up that way. Perhaps they tried credit for convenience or wanted to earn some rewards. Along the way, they realized they struggled to manage their credit the way they hoped – but by then, it was far too late.
Let’s face it: Not everyone should use credit cards on a regular basis, and some people shouldn’t even own them. If you fall into one of these categories, you should seriously consider steering clear of credit cards altogether.
#1: You don’t use a budget.
Going sans budget? You might want to avoid signing up for credit cards. Without an idea of how much you’re spending in certain categories or any inclination to keep your spending in line with your income and your priorities, a credit card could land you in a heap of trouble. Without a budget, you’re free-flying without any sort of plan for your spending. Don’t compound that problem by using credit without a plan, too.
Without a budget, you’ll be a lot better off sticking to cash – so you can only spend what you have. While you won’t score credit-related consumer protections or rewards, you’ll at least know when you’re running short. The biggest benefit of using cash is that it behaves like a very simple budget — because when it’s gone, it’s gone.
- Related: Why You Should Track Your Spending
#2: You’re a compulsive shopper.
Do you love a good sale? Do you shop first and ask questions later? If you shop without thinking, a credit card is probably the last thing you need.
Cash might be your best bet if you’re someone who shops compulsively and has trouble keeping track. Where credit cards let you buy now and worry about payment later, using cash helps you realize the financial impact of your purchase right away.
#3: You’re living paycheck-to-paycheck.
A Federal Reserve study from earlier this year showed that almost half of American families couldn’t come up with $400 to cover an emergency. Any family in this situation is teetering on the edge of financial disaster, since one job loss, one health crisis, or one slow month at work might be all it takes to knock their finances seriously off track.
If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, signing up for a credit card is flirting with disaster. With a line of credit at your disposal, it’s far too easy to lean on credit when times get tough. And if you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, keeping up with a new credit card bill might push you over the edge.
#4: You have trouble paying bills on time.
If you have trouble staying on top of your bills already, a new credit card might just make things worse. Imagine being able to charge whatever you want and worry about payment when the bill arrives in the mail. For some people, the lapse in time between a purchase and actually receiving a bill is enough to make them forget how much they spent altogether.
Since a late payment can trigger late fees and penalty APRs, paying late can also have a domino effect on your finances. The more you’re late, the more money you’ll pay in interest and fees. Over time, the added expense that comes with paying late can leave you even worse off.
#5: You’re already in debt.
If you’re already in debt, your best course of action is to pay off the debt you have, not accumulate more of it. With another credit card, you’re bound to end up worse off than you already are.
If you’re using credit cards now, you should stash them away in a drawer for safe-keeping. And yes, you should avoid signing up for new credit cards altogether — unless you’re serious about using a balance transfer credit card to get out of debt.
If you’re already in debt, it’s time to stop digging. By steering clear of credit cards, you can focus on paying off the debts you have — without adding to the pile.
Final Thoughts
Credit cards offer a ton of lucrative benefits, but their perks are far from free. If you spend more than you planned, lean on credit during lean times, or use your credit card haphazardly, you could wind up with credit card debt that lasts for years.
Before you sign up for a credit card, ask yourself whether your finances are truly ready. If you’re debt-free, paying all of your bills on time, and sticking to a regular monthly budget, a credit card might be a net positive for your finances. On the other hand, if you’re already struggling financially, not great with budgeting, and living paycheck-to-paycheck, a credit card could be your worst enemy.
The benefits that credit cards offer might intrigue you, but you should know that someone is paying for them. And if you’re one of the millions of consumers who carry a credit card balance and pay credit card interest, you can rest assured it’s you.
Related:
- 11 Ways to Get Out of Debt Faster
- Six Numbers You Need to Know to Actually Get Out of Debt
- The First Steps Out of Debt
Do you use credit cards? Why or why not?
The post Five Signs You Shouldn’t Use a Credit Card appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Elton John Wants You to Make Videos for His ‘70s Hits (Winners Get $10K!)
Way back in the ’00s, I turned on MTV and watched music videos while getting ready for high school.
Think: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers or “Dirty Little Secret” by The All-American Rejects. Oh, and “Thnks fr th Mmrs” by Fall Out Boy. You know, all that angsty teenager stuff.
Sadly, some musicians missed this beautiful video-fied era.
Elton John is one such musician, but he wants to get in on the action now — and it involves serious cash prizes.
What’s Sir Elton John Up to Nowadays?
Feeling left out, apparently.
Sir Elton is pairing up with YouTube to celebrate his 50th songwriting anniversary with partner-in-crime Bernie Taupin.
He wants aspiring video makers to create music videos for three of his most famous songs: “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” and “Bennie and the Jets.”
(I say “most famous” because even I, a millennial, know the “Tiny Dancer” lyrics aren’t “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”)
It’s all part of a competition called “Elton John: The Cut” — and prize money is involved.
How to Enter the Music Video Competition
It’s time to recollect all those music videos you’ve watched and create your own.
A panel of judges, including John and Taupin, will select three winners who will be supplied with everything they need to bring their brilliant ideas to life.
In addition, the winners will be awarded $10,000 to support their future film-making adventures.
Major keys, according to the duo: Be creative, push boundaries, tell compelling stories, give viewers something they’ve never seen before.
This is your time to shine, undiscovered filmmakers. The competition opens Jan. 9, 2017 and closes Jan. 23.
Want to know more? Visit the website and sign up for the contest’s email updates. You can also listen to the songwriting duo explain the contest and offer more details about the three songs’ back stories.
Your Turn: What’s your favorite Elton John song?
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.
The post Elton John Wants You to Make Videos for His ‘70s Hits (Winners Get $10K!) appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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4 Tricks for Getting Doorbuster Prices — No Matter When You Shop
When I think of deals, I think of coupons.
When I think of coupons, I think of those shows featuring frantic shoppers piling up multiple carts with multiple packs of toilet paper.
I think of the “beep, beep” at the checkout scanner. Oh. My. Gosh. Is this actually going to work?!
I avoid watching those shows because it can’t be good for my inevitable gray hairs.
Instead, I’ve learned about this nifty thing called deal-stacking. You still use coupons, but you stack them on top of other sales and promotions to drive a product’s price down. But it’s not nearly as laborious as it sounds.
Plus, most of it can be done online — for all those shopping orders I shouldn’t be making.
4 Ways to Save Money With Online Deal-Stacking Tools
So I’ll admit it: I’m still a newbie to this whole thing.
But I’ve found these easy-to-navigate apps and websites that have awesome deals for my online shopping binges.
(Hey, if I do shop online, at least I’m doing it the frugal way, right?)
1. Share your receipts with Paribus.
With confirmation emails barreling into my inbox way too often, I’ve gotten used to pressing delete. No matter what I buy, I’m going to get emailed a receipt, so this tool is super clutch.
But stop. Don’t delete anything.
Instead, I signed up for Paribus. It’s free and scans your email archives for receipts. It might sound scary, but it’s one of the apps we use here at The Penny Hoarder.
If it detects purchases from Amazon, Target or one of its other 16 retail partners, it tracks the item’s price and issues a refund as soon as the price drops.
After you sign up, you don’t have to do anything! That’s my kind of deal-stackin’ money.
2. Get cash-back refunds with MyPoints.
Before you even start shopping, sign up for MyPoints, a cash-back site that rewards you for shopping online and printing coupons.
It’s a simple, instant way to save.
For example, you can get up to 5% cash back on purchases in some Amazon categories. Plus, you can get a free $10 Amazon gift card — just for signing up.
Here’s how:
- Sign up for MyPoints using your email or Facebook account.
- Next time you buy something online, use the MyPoints portal. It’s connected to thousands of stores — so chances are the one you desire will be on there.
- If you spend $10 at one of these stores, MyPoints grants you 1,740 bonus points, which you can redeem for that $10 Amazon card.
Anything that pays me to sign up has my heart.
3. Arm yourself with coupons from SlickDeals.
Your next step is to find some coupons.
I downloaded the SlickDeals app onto my phone and signed up with Facebook.
This app is pretty neat in that it aggregates thousands of deals users have submitted. From there, these deals are posted on a forum, where they’re voted on and validated — thumbs up or down.
If it passes these checkpoints, it’ll hit the SlickDeals page. Right now, I’m seeing a sweet deal for a Nikon DSLR camera, a 30% off coupon for Starbucks and a big ole vacuum on sale.
You can set up deal alerts, too. Say you’re looking for any Amazon deals. Just type in Amazon, and wait for the discounts to roll in!
4. Check out with your rewards credit card.
You all might have picked up from other posts I’ve written that credit cards always sorta, kinda intimidated me.
But I recently signed up for a rewards card and pay off my balance each month.
Right now, Fidelity is offering a free cash-back card.
Free is emphasized here because rewards cards sometimes come with sign-up fees. Instead, when you sign up for this card, you can earn up to $100.
You’ll also get unlimited 2% cash back with each purchase. And this isn’t restricted to gas or groceries — it’s for any purchase you make (Read: online shopping purchases).
So, no: Deal-stacking doesn’t have to be hard if you have the right tools. And no: Online shopping doesn’t have to break your bank account.
You’ve just got to utilize your resources!
Your Turn: What are your favorite app for deal stacking?
Disclosure: Here’s a toast to the affiliate links in this post. May we all be just a little richer today.
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.
The post 4 Tricks for Getting Doorbuster Prices — No Matter When You Shop appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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These 7 Credit Cards Offer $800 in Sign-Up Bonuses — Plus No Annual Fees
I’ll be the first to tell you I have many irrational fears.
First: Roaches. I get shivers just typing that word.
Second: Heights — like anything higher than six feet off the ground.
Third: Credit cards.
I didn’t get my first credit card until I was 21 — and only for emergencies.
I garnered zero joy from signing up and using it. The thought of having to pay it off — or not having the money to pay it off — made me uneasy. And those collections people really scared me.
But after starting my job at The Penny Hoarder, I realized credit cards can be kind of fun, especially with a stable salary to pay them off at the end of each month.
How? Sign-up bonuses and cash rewards — lots of ’em. Free money can always ease some fear, right?
7 Awesome Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses With No Annual Fees
One thing that always made me uneasy about credit cards were those annual fees.
I never had the money to pay any of those fees to begin with. Second, I didn’t really want to pay to use my own money — even if rewards were involved.
Luckily, plenty of cards don’t have annual fees — and still offer awesome sign-up bonuses and cash rewards.
1. Earn $100 with Fidelity.
The Fidelity Rewards card pays you $100 just for signing up.
Plus, you earn 2% cash back on anything once you start using the card — no category restrictions.
If you’re like me and are still having trust issues, read all the fine print for yourself. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
2. Earn $100 with Barclaycard.
There’s also the Barclaycard CashForward™ World MasterCard®, which is fun to say.
You’ll get a $100 bonus when you sign up and spend $500 within 90 days. When you think about it, $500 isn’t really that much — groceries can add up pretty fast.
Plus, you’ll earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase. Each time you redeem those rewards, you also get a 5% redemption bonus to use toward your next redemption.
And what do you know: There’s still no annual fee.
You can find all the details — and sign up — online.
3. Earn $150 With Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Right now, I have a Chase card I use religiously. And the Chase Freedom Unlimited is an excellent card option.
You’ll have to spend $500 within three months to score the sign-up bonus, but it’s $150. Just use it for your regular spending (and be sure to pay it off completely each month) and you should pretty easily earn the bonus.
You’ll also get 1.5% cash back on each purchase, with no category restrictions. It all adds up pretty quickly!
Again — no annual fee.
4. Earn $100 with Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express.
I can dig this card — and I think other Amazon fans will, too.
Similar to the other offers, you’ll have to spend $1,000 in the first three months to get $100 back.
But in terms of rewards, you’ll get 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (basically where I’m at every night) and 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations. This could be your errand-only credit card.
But what really sets the Blue Cash Everyday Card from the others is you’ll earn 10% back on Amazon purchases made within the first six months of having the card — up to $200. Pretty cool, right?
Again, there’s no annual fee, but you must apply by Jan. 11, 2017.
5. Earn $150 with Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card.
Scandals aside, Wells Fargo offers a pretty good deal with its Cash Wise Visa Card.
Sign up, spend $1,000 in the first three months and get rewarded $150. You’ll also earn cash rewards: 1.5% for every $1 spent.
Since there’s no annual fee, the rewards will add up faster than you think!
6. Earn $100 with BankAmericard Cash Rewards.
BankAmericard Cash Rewards is the first credit card I had — the one I didn’t get any pleasure from. But if you actually use it, I imagine you can accumulate a good chunk of cash.
If you purchase at least $500 worth of whatever your heart so desires or needs, you’ll get a $100 bonus.
In the meantime, you’ll also collect cash back — 1% on every purchase, 2% at grocery stores (and wholesale stores) and 3% on gas with no annual fee.
7. Earn $100 with the TD Cash Credit Card.
Eat out a lot? The TD Cash Credit Card might be a perfect fit for those cravings.
Spend $500 within the first 90 days of opening the account and you’ll get $150 back.
Plus, you’ll score 2% cash back for any dining purchases, including local stores, fast food, coffee shops and restaurants. You get 1% back on all other eligible purchases.
Again, no annual fees. Eat up this offer by Jan. 14, 2017, foodies!
So if you’re like me and wary of credit cards, don’t be — as long as you can pay those bills off.
If credit cards don’t intimidate you, why not make some free cash? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Your Turn: What’s your favorite credit card?
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.
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.
The post These 7 Credit Cards Offer $800 in Sign-Up Bonuses — Plus No Annual Fees appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Savings update: Virgin new issue puts it amongst market leading rates
Virgin Money has launched a new issue of its Defined Access Saver and Defined Access Isa at 0.95%.
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This Company is Filling Work-From-Home Jobs for Tax Season in 21 States
Prepping for a holiday-induced hangover?
If you aren’t, you might want to start.
Symptoms include exhaustion, anxiety and possible headaches caused by crumpled up wrapping paper and a record-low dollar amount in your bank account.
One of the best cures? A seasonal, part-time, work-from-home job.
Jackson Hewitt is Hiring Part-Time Work-From-Home Clerks
Another possible headache: Tax season. (But let’s tackle one issue at a time.)
Jackson Hewitt aims to help clients with tax refunds and boasts the title of fastest-growing, full-service tax preparation company. You might have seen one of its stations in your local Walmart.
With tax season rapidly approaching, the company needs seasonal, part-time, work-from-home processing clerks. No tax preparation experience required.
And before you continue, I’m really sorry — there are some state restrictions.
To secure this gig, you must live in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Oh, and I reached out to several of the company’s lifelines to inquire about the number of clerks needed and pay. This will be updated when I hear back.
Moving on…
What Does a Work-From-Home Processing Clerk Do?
As a processing clerk, you’ll monitor the company’s internal systems to review the work your fellow employees are doing.
For example, the system might flag a file. That’s where you come in and review the file to make sure policies and procedures have been followed correctly.
Sometimes you might have to make calls or send emails to other Jackson Hewitt’s tax offices for more information.
Your time with Jackson Hewitt will vary, but seasonal employees might work up to four months, depending on demand. You should expect to work an average 24 to 40 hours a week. You also should be flexible, as your schedule might range from days to afternoons to evenings or weekends.
How to Apply for This Seasonal Work-From-Home Job
Before applying, take note of the requirements.
Jackson Hewitt wants someone who already has a college degree or is working toward a degree in computer skills.
The job listing describes the position as “a great job for college students and/or professionals looking for a temporary work assignment.”
In addition, you should have experience with Excel and strong verbal and written communication skills. You should be able to pick up projects and run with ’em. Bilingual experience is preferred.
Got what it takes? Read all the details on Jackson Hewitt’s job page.
And if you aren’t so keen on computer work, check out more work-from-home jobs on our Facebook jobs page.
Your Turn: How will you cure your holiday budget hangover?
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.
The post This Company is Filling Work-From-Home Jobs for Tax Season in 21 States appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Here’s a Super Simple Way to Get a Free $10 at Starbucks
It’s finals week, so I’ve been sucking down lattes like they’re water.
I like my coffee fancy, though, so getting my caffeine fix has started adding up — and my budget isn’t exactly thrilled about it.
But if your coffee addiction is as bad as mine, I have good news: You can get a free $10 at Starbucks when you load $10 onto your account.
Here’s how.
How to Get a Free $10 on the Starbucks App
If you love Starbucks, you most likely already have a Starbucks Rewards account — it’s free and can help you save on the famously pricy items. Sign into your account through the Starbucks app on your smartphone.
Next, sign up for Visa Checkout. It’s a free program that stores payment information like credit cards in one place, making online purchases quick and simple. I just made an account, and it only took me five minutes. And, no, your card doesn’t have to be a Visa.
Penny Hoarder tip: Link your cash-back credit card to Visa Checkout, so you earn rewards on every purchase.
After you set up both these accounts, deposit $10 (or more, if you’re up to it!) into your Starbucks Rewards account using Visa Checkout.
Within one day, Starbucks will load a bonus $10 into your account. That’s it!
This deal is only good “while supplies last,” according to the fine print, so if you want it, I’d move quickly. Plus, it’s Monday, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be heading to Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Why not let it be on the house?
Cheers!
Your Turn: Do you use Visa Checkout? What do you like about it?
Kelly Smith is a junior writer and engagement specialist at The Penny Hoarder, and a senior at The University of Tampa. She plans to sleep for 24 hours after she takes her last final.
The post Here’s a Super Simple Way to Get a Free $10 at Starbucks appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Questions About Yellowstone, Income Streams, Paycheck-to-Paycheck Budgeting, and More!
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Budgeting paycheck to paycheck
2. Dealing with toxic family members
3. Strategies for Yellowstone camping
4. Income streams and disabilities
5. “Life Leadership” and other MLMs
6. What is “late model used”?
7. Preparing lunches for work
8. 3DS for Christmas
9. When to replace a toothbrush?
10. Paring down a book collection
11. Roth IRA or TSP?
12. Goal “journal” for 2017?
This past weekend, my daughter and one of her closest friends went caroling on our block. They walked up and down the street, ringing on doorbells and singing to people. Along the way, people served them cups of hot chocolate, gave them candies, and gave them some applause.
Caroling is a tradition that I miss. It is a beautiful symbol of community spirit, as it involves a bunch of people from a community getting together and walking around outdoors singing together, often attracting the attention of people in the town.
It doesn’t really matter so much what the songs are, it’s just that sense of community that people once had that seems to be missing. That, to me, is the beautiful part of caroling.
I think, in the next few nights, we’re going to do this as a family, and I’m going to do my best to get a few neighboring families to go with us.
Q1: Budgeting paycheck to paycheck
Is there an issue with budgeting paycheck to paycheck? AKA I get paid every 2 weeks on Friday and that doesnt always line up with the months. My current timeframe is 11/25-12/23. Does that cause an issue when there are extra paychecks in a month? Am I somehow messing that up? When is the next time that will occur for me?
– Anna
If you’re in a job that issues a paycheck every two weeks, my suggestion is to budget for an entire month with just two of those paychecks. Make sure you can pay every monthly bill and all of your monthly expenses with just two checks.
Then, twice a year or so, you’ll receive a third check in a month. Use that check for irregular bills like insurance and property taxes and other things that don’t come up every single month. If those are all covered, slide that money into an emergency fund or use it to fund a Roth IRA.
That’s the best strategy to follow when it comes to a job that pays every two weeks.
Q2: Dealing with toxic family members
How to start. I have been reading your posts for a while and I love them. They have changed my life.
I can afford things I save for. I have money in the bank.
Problem is my family i.e. Relatives: parents and siblings are spenders. They value conspicuous consumption and treat me badly because I save.
I am a Kenyan woman. Black African and Christian too. I lived and worked for a company that had me relocate to the Middle East which I hated due to the racism. Thanks to your articles I could afford to resign and be jobless for a year. My family i.e. Parents and siblings saw it differently.
They treated me badly making snide comments because I was jobless including how pride comes before a fall etc. when I got another job they came borrowing me for money. If I don’t give them it becomes that I am proud. My question is how do I relate to them? I don’t want to spend much time around them since I feel they use me but they are my family.
How does one deal with toxic family members who are financially irresponsible ?
– Nina
Before I answer Nina’s question, I just wanted to say that this note is an almost perfect example of what an honor it is to write for The Simple Dollar. A Kenyan woman who has worked extensively in the Middle East is asking me, a white man who lives in the Midwest of the United States, a question about financial issues that shows some significant overlap in our life experiences, and that overlap is so clear because I know exactly what she’s talking about. The world is not as big as we sometimes think that it is, and people who may seem far different than us are often far more similar than we think if we are willing to open that door.
Nina, the thing to remember when they’re saying things like this is that they’re actually talking about their own lives far more than yours. Almost always, when people bring judgements like those to the table, they’re looking at your situation from their own lens. What would it mean in their life if they were unemployed for a year after being employed for a while? It would mean that they failed somehow. They view a period of unemployment as a failure, not as a success.
When they bring out those words of criticism, what they’re saying is that they’ve watched you make life choices that don’t match what they would have done and it led you to a state of unemployment, a state that they would consider a failure.
You should keep that in mind. Most comments coming from most people are actually comments about their own life and how your most superficial of life experiences would feel in their life. They’re not paying attention to the fact that you worked hard to earn this sabbatical – because that’s what this is. They see it as joblessness, a sign of personal failure, because that’s what it would be to them. The idea of a sabbatical isn’t on their radar at all, and it won’t be no matter how many times you repeat it. I’d just shrug it off and ignore it.
Now, as for the loan, you need to make it clear all of the time that you do not lend money to family members as you are not a bank and you do not want your familial relationship to turn into the type of relationship that people have with their lenders (which isn’t a happy, friendly one). That is your policy. You value family relationships too highly to tarnish them in that way. Stick to it firmly and do not budge going forward. That’s the only way to move past relatives constantly wanting loans. It never ends well if you lend money.
Q3: Strategies for Yellowstone camping
I’m struggling to post a comment so I thought that I would share this here.
We went to Yellowstone last summer and Zion this fall. I love a big vacation to Europe, but I don’t think of campo gas any less spectacular,only different. I am going to give you two suggestions.
1. Look to buy wood on Craigslist locally before you head into the park. We did that and bought an 1/8 cord for $40 on the western side of the park.
2. Don’t miss out on spending several days in the grand Tetons it is less well known, but spectacular and uncrowded. We stayed there for two nights and we should have stayed there at least 4.
3. Also there were a lot of mosquitoes so plan accordingly. We were unprepared for this, but thankfully there were not many other bugs.
Enjoy! It is an iconic experience.
– Max
Those are some great strategies for cutting back on the cost of a Yellowstone trip.
In past national park trips, we have bought 1/8 of a cord of wood on site. We stored most of it in the back of our vehicle and then filled our vehicle with other stuff during the night to keep critters away.
The mosquito tip is useful. We will make sure to bring along plenty of stuff to keep mosquitoes at bay. Our travel guides indicate that they get worse as the summer progresses.
Q4: Income streams and disabilities
I am in my late 30s, still living with my parents, on SSI disability, and in debt TO MYSELF for about $50,000.
How can I ever make a good income? There have been a couple of times when I lived on my own. But both times I had a roommate. Now I am trying to recover for a 7 month relationship where a young lady basically used me to help her with her 2 sons and help pay rent. Now I am trying to focus on my need for a better income- I want to be able to give her sons a few thousand dollars in 10 years when they are old enough for college. ( Their mom has NOTHING saved for them and does not have any desire to seek a better income beyond the $800 a month in SSI she gets.)
I have several ideas- such as: gems, silver, reporting scammers, being a sales rep/or helping people find what they are looking for, coins, food ideas, royalties for my inventions, 2 companies not competing against each other, classic t-shirts, 12 piggy banks, gold, Double Your Money, and others- yet it is hard to find a way to find what is a for sure way to make an income and not suffer lose.
How can I turn any of these into an on-going income?
– Fred
Many of the things you list are going to be hard ways to make an ongoing income. Silver and gems are extremely volatile investments, for example, so you’re almost as likely to lose money as you are to make money and it certainly won’t be an ongoing income. Many of your other ideas need a lot of cultivation.
The two questions you really need to be asking are (1) what exactly do you do well and (2) how can you turn that skill into something profitable. The truth is that there’s very little money to be found in things that anyone can do. It’s when people bring special training to the table or special skills or a ton of time invested up front without much income that money is made (like when someone writes a book – they’re not getting paid while they write, but when the book is finished and they publish it).
What do you do well? What do you have extensive knowledge about? Those are the things you need to start looking at. How can you use that knowledge? How can you share that knowledge? Start there, and then start looking at what you can do.
Q5: “Life Leadership” and other MLMs
Would you give me your opinions about “Life Leadership” founded by Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady?
– Max
“Life Leadership” is a MLM program that uses leadership materials and seminars as the item to be sold, much as, say, Pampered Chef uses kitchen goods and Scentsy uses candles. The goal of this program is to convince people to sell their good on their behalf in exchange for a cut of the proceeds and also requires the sellers to buy the goods to boot.
The material itself isn’t bad. Most of the time, with such systems, the item itself is quality enough that it can be sold by a decent salesperson. However, the thing is that a decent salesperson can make far more working for a legitimate company than they can selling items via multi-level marketing.
Don’t waste your time. If you’re interested in the leadership materials, most of it overlaps perfectly well with books by John Maxwell that you can check out from your local library for free. If you’re interested in getting involved to sell the stuff, if you’re a good enough salesperson to actually sell a lot of it, you should be a top performing seller in a large company making a ton of money that way. MLMs are never worth your time.
Q6: What is “late model used”?
What exactly does it mean when a financial article talks about a “late model used” car?
– Jill
A late model used car refers to a used car that was manufactured within the past few years. Generally, it means a car with a model year within three or four years of the current year. For example, in 2017, you’d probably consider all used cars with a model year of 2014 or later to be late model used.
Often, late model used cars become available because people lease cars and then move to a new car at the end of the lease, or they are habitual upgraders with a fair amount of disposable income to direct to those cars. Late model used cars are usually in pretty good shape and thus tend to sell at a relatively high price because they still have a lot of miles left in them. Some dealers will even offer some warranties on late model used cars.
I tend to believe that late model used cars are the best “bang for the buck” that you can get when buying a car. Most of the rapid depreciation of the value of a car happens in the first year or two after it’s sold for the first time as a new car, so you skip all of that, but you do get the majority of the lifespan of the car for less than the majority of the cost of the car. In my eyes, that’s a bargain.
Q7: Preparing lunches for work
I understand the cost-effectiveness of taking leftovers to work because that’s basically a free lunch but how is it cost effective or time effective to actually make a lunch and take it to work? I can get a decent lunch in the cafeteria for $6 so why make my own lunch?
– Dennis
If you can get a good lunch every single day for $6, that’s a pretty good deal, but it’s not one that everyone has access to. Sure, some people have cheap food options in their workplace; some people even have free meals. However, that’s simply not true for a lot of employees. Their food options often involve leaving to go somewhere to get food or paying a lot for delivery.
In those cases, making a lunch is often much more cost effective than buying one at work. Simply making a simple sandwich before work and tossing in a little container of baby carrots or something like that as a side is a great way to make an inexpensive and tasty lunch pretty quickly. Lunches like this were a staple for me when I used to work outside the home (nowadays, I just go downstairs to the kitchen for lunch).
I think, in your situation, the only way you’re going to save money by making lunch is by making a very simple lunch – a sandwich and a simple side with water from work to drink. If you get fancier than that, the cost is going to escalate to the point where it’s quickly more cost effective to just eat at your cafeteria.
Q8: 3DS for Christmas
I bought my son a $99 3DS on Black Friday as a Christmas gift. We have a $150 budget per child for gifts and thus I want to get him the most games for the buck for $50. He is a nine year old boy and I know you have kids that have 3DSes and you have a frugal mind so do you have suggestions?
– Trevor
Your best bet is to go to a local used games store and find some well-regarded games for used prices. You can probably get two or even three very well-regarded games used for $50. If you’re not sure what games are highly regarded, I would check this list from Metacritic, which are the highest rated games of all time for the 3DS. Pretty much anything on this list will be fun for your kid.
If you’d prefer to buy new games, I’d look at the Nintendo Selects line of games, which offers some of the true classics for the system at $20 or less. Pretty much all of the games in the line are really good games, though you can decide for yourself which ones match your child’s personality.
Between those two options, you can probably find three games that your kid would love under $50. Good luck! (Make sure you enact some screen time rules right off the bat… maybe starting on the day after Christmas.)
Q9: When to replace a toothbrush?
When do you know it’s actually time to replace a toothbrush? I tend to use mine until bristles start falling out and my GF says that’s completely disgusting and replaces hers monthly. Thoughts?
– Ansel
I personally replace my toothbrush each and every time I get a free one from the dentist, about every six months. Generally, the bristles aren’t falling out yet, but the brush does look pretty worn out at that point. I save old toothbrushes for cleaning purposes and for painting miniatures, as they’re very useful for both of those tasks.
I guess the question really is when exactly a new toothbrush is in order. I asked a dental hygenist that I know about this and she said that she replaces hers about every three months, when she can look close at the brush and see a lot of frayed tips on the bristles. The effectiveness of the brush drops rapidly at that point, as the bristles don’t clean the teeth nearly as well. That actually makes a lot of sense.
I just went and checked my brush at about the four month mark of daily use and couldn’t see a lot of frayed tips – some of the outer ones were kind of bent but most looked in pretty good shape. I’ll stick with mine for now.
Q10: Paring down a book collection
My book collection has completely overrun our bookshelves in the family room. I have agreed with my wife that my collection of books needs to stay of a size that fits on the shelves, which means I need to pare it down and sell off some books. Not sure how I’ll do that yet as I will cross that bridge later but now I’m trying to decide how to choose books to eliminate. I love them all!
– Chris
My honest suggestion is this: ask yourself if you will read that book again within the next two years or so. Be dead honest with that question. If the answer is no, then get rid of the book. You can always check it out from the library if you decide you want to read it again in five years or whatever.
I do this regularly with my book collection and, in fact, I have a big pile of them that I’m just waiting to trade or donate or sell off. They’re sitting in a couple of boxes in the garage, in fact. I’ve come to the conclusion that if they don’t sell during a yard sale, they should just be donated to the library to be sold during a book sale or disposed of by a librarian if they deem it to be of no value.
Most of the books I actually keep at this point are reference books – cookbooks, personal finance books, and other things I actively turn to regularly for some type of reference. My library is, more and more, becoming a part of my external brain.
Q11: Roth IRA or TSP?
Am I better off starting my own Roth IRA or putting money into TSP? New federal employee, unsure of options.
– David
If your agency offers matching contributions, then you should absolutely use TSP. I would make Roth TSP contributions, as your agency’s contributions will be traditional contributions.
If your agency does not offer matching contributions, then I would get a Roth IRA on my own, but honestly you’re not making much of a mistake by using TSP instead. It is really solid in terms of retirement savings. I would only get a Roth IRA because I could probably squeeze out a slightly better set of investments if I carefully studied all of the options.
You’re not making a bad move either way, to tell the truth. TSP is quite good.
Q12: Goal “journal” for 2017?
Have you ever tried a “goal journal,” meaning a book that’s filled with tools to plan for a goal for the future? I’m thinking of buying one for my husband who is very goal-oriented but sometimes struggles to really organize those goals. Do you have a recommendation for one?
– Mary
I’ve tried several, and the truth is that many of them are very similar and they all tend to be as good as the effort you put into them. If you take them seriously and try to use them as a tool to help you with goals, then you’ll find success with almost any journal.
For me, three stand out from the pack: the Volt Planner, the Panda Planner Pro, and the Passion Planner. All are variations on that theme and all are quite well executed. I’m a fan of all three, having used both the Panda Planner Pro and the Passion Planner in the past and excited to use the Volt Planner for a 2017 project.
I tend to like paper planners for the purpose of planning out a big goal than electronic planners. The plans I make on paper feel more concrete, though I do transfer calendars and to-dos to electronic tools once I really figure them out on paper. I think these would all make great gifts for an organizationally-challenged but goal-oriented partner!
Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.
The post Questions About Yellowstone, Income Streams, Paycheck-to-Paycheck Budgeting, and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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18 Things You Need to Know about Marketing Your Local Business on Instagram
In just six years, Instagram has gone from being nothing more than a novelty photo-sharing app to a legitimate social media marketing powerhouse.
Some of the world’s major brands, such as National Geographic, Saturday Night Live, and Coca-Cola, use this platform as a means of building buzz and strengthening relationships with consumers.
To give you an idea of how Instagram stacks up against other social networks, here is a graph from Smart Insights:
With 400 million users as of April 2016, it has surpassed Twitter and is poised for sustained growth.
You can see its level of growth on this graph:
What I love about Instagram is its simplicity and the fact that it’s completely visual-centric.
It’s the perfect resource for connecting with your audience visually and for rounding out your social media campaign.
I also love the level of engagement that takes place on this network.
In fact, “Instagram is now seeing 15x more engagement than Facebook and 20x more than Twitter.”
While we sometimes think of Instagram as a platform used by brands on a large and even global scale, it’s ideal for marketing local businesses as well.
It just takes a few slightly different techniques.
Here are 18 things you need to know about marketing your local business on Instagram for maximum effectiveness.
1. Include your location in your bio
For starters, your bio needs to make it clear where you’re located.
You don’t have a whole lot of room in your description, but you can definitely throw in your city and a line or two about what your business offers.
Here’s a good example from The Orange Peel, a popular music venue in Asheville, NC:
Notice that it’s immediately apparent what their location is.
2. Post local images
The key to any effective marketing campaign is knowing who your target audience is and zeroing in on them.
As a local business, you’re probably tailoring your campaign to a finite audience that’s located within your immediate geographical area. You’re trying to reach a certain city or region.
One of the best ways to capture the attention of your demographic is to pepper in images of local scenery.
For instance, a local business in Seattle might post images of the Space Needle, Pike Place Fish Market, or Woodland Park.
Although this won’t necessarily resonate with Instagram users outside the area, it definitely should resonate with the locals—people you’re trying to reach in the first place.
In my opinion, this helps you create a sense of authenticity, build a connection, and show you’re proud of your locale.
3. Use video too
Research has found that “Instagram videos are seeing significantly higher (over 2x) more engagement than Instagram photos.”
You can take advantage of this phenomenon by sprinkling in video content among images.
A good idea would be to highlight your local flavor by posting clips of your brand around town.
4. Use location-centric hashtags
Hashtags are one of the easiest ways to ensure that your images get found by the right people on Instagram.
Whenever appropriate, go ahead and include a hashtag that indicates your locale.
This could be your actual city or specific locations within your city. In the case of Seattle, you might use #pikeplacefishmarket or #woodlandpark.
And because posts with 11 or more hashtags receive nearly 80% interaction, compared to posts that contain only 2 hashtags (41% interaction), the more the merrier.
In fact, here’s a chart that shows how engagement increases as the number of hashtags increases:
5. Follow other local businesses/notable figures
What you want to do with your Instagram marketing is to establish a community.
The first step to achieving that is to follow the accounts of other brands/notable figures in your area. Ideally, they will be part of the same industry/niche as well.
This should help you build brand equity in your specific area and get local prospects to take notice of your business.
6. Engage with those businesses/figures
To expedite things, it’s important for you to be willing to initiate contact with others.
It’s especially important if you’re a relatively obscure brand just starting out.
Be sure to like and comment on their photos and, of course, respond to comments on your posts.
Once you get the ball rolling, this should generate plenty of local exposure and make your brand a viable part of the community.
7. Partner up with other local brands
Don’t think of your competitors as the enemy. Think of them as valuable allies, whose relationships you can leverage.
By this I mean reaching out to other local brands and seeing if they’d be willing to cross-promote.
For example, two local restaurants with Instagram accounts could post images of one another’s popular dishes, desserts, etc.
This kills two birds with one stone because it not only helps each restaurant boost their visibility but also reinforces a sense of “localness.”
8. Newsjack relevant local stories
The term newsjacking is defined by HubSpot as “the practice of capitalizing on the popularity of a news story to amplify your sales and marketing success.”
If there’s an interesting event happening in town, you could newsjack it by creating a brief clip, featuring you at the event, being part of the action.
This reinforces your business as a local brand and can be instrumental in strengthening the connection with your audience.
9. Take advantage of Photo Map
Photo Map is a cool feature that shows where your photos are taken. All you need to do is geotag your images.
The great thing is that posts with geotags receive 79% more engagement on average.
This obviously comes in handy from a local marketing perspective because you can make it abundantly clear where your business is located.
It can also help you earn the loyalty of your local audience.
Just make sure you’re not solely geotagging your physical address. Instead, geotag from multiple areas around town.
If you’re not sure how to go about this, check out this guide for details.
10. Create local brand ambassadors
Social proof can be incredibly powerful.
When you’re able to create brand ambassadors who praise your brand on Instagram and other social media sites, it’s inevitably going to boost your brand equity.
One way you can turn regular people into brand ambassadors is to encourage your local customers to post photos of themselves using your products or visiting your place of business.
In return, you can mention them on Instagram or re-share their images.
11. Offer giveaways
Another idea is to give your followers a product, t-shirt, etc. in exchange for their likes on your photos.
For instance, you might have a giveaway where everyone who likes your content is entered into a contest with the possibility of getting something free.
If you’re a local restaurant, you might have a giveaway where three people receive a free meal.
This can be a great incentive for promoting your brand on the local level and can help you earn a legion of loyal fans.
12. Hold offline events
One way to build up your local community is to take things offline and hold an event either at your business or another local spot.
This could be around backing a worthy cause or simply having a place where like-minded people can get together.
Simply post the date, time, and location on your Instagram profile.
13. Capitalize on trending hashtags
There’s always some kind of trend happening on Instagram.
If you notice something that ties in with your local area and is relevant to your business, go ahead and post an image that includes a trending hashtag.
In some cases, this can explode your visibility and net you hundreds or even thousands of followers overnight.
14. Get your audience’s input
A good way to build strong relationships with customers in your area is to ask them questions and get their take on things.
Here’s a good example from Juice Truck, a juice company located in Vancouver:
Notice how they encourage interaction while simultaneously making mention of their location.
15. Post at the right time
Part of getting plenty of engagement is posting at a time when your audience is active on Instagram.
Fortunately, this is fairly easy to do for a local business because of the fact that the majority of your audience will be located in the same time zone.
Although this usually requires some degree of experimentation, this chart from Ready Pulse provides a general overview of the best times to post:
16. Show you’re a homer
Want to truly earn the respect and adoration of your local audience?
Just show your love for your city.
For example, you could post a picture of your employees wearing jerseys of your city’s premier sports team.
17. Tell your business’s story
I know that I personally enjoy hearing about the evolution of businesses in my area.
I like to hear how they started and how they got to where they’re today.
One way you can do this is by posting old pictures from when your brand was just getting its feet wet.
For instance, maybe your restaurant started as a humble food cart that gradually blossomed into a much larger enterprise over time.
18. Share photos of your top customers
Do you have a loyal customer who’s been a consistent patron of your business for years?
Why not show them your gratitude by posting a picture of them on Instagram?
This is a great way to strengthen your bond with your customers even more, and it can help you become a staple in your community.
Conclusion
In my opinion, Instagram is one of the best networks for local businesses.
With the right game plan, you can create a very intimate, personal feel on your profile and deepen your brand’s bond with your customers in your local city/region.
I particularly like the fact that there are a great many avenues you can take for connecting with local customers and for pulling in a highly targeted demographic.
And with Instagram usage on the rise, it should remain a viable medium for years to come.
Can you think of any other ways for local businesses to gain exposure on Instagram?
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WIN £5,000 for your school with our 2017 Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Competition
At Moneywise, we believe it’s never too soon for young people to learn about their finances, and that by mastering the basics early on in life, they will grow up to be the most financially savvy generation yet.
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Auto-enrolment review to consider how self-employed can save for retirement
The government is stepping up its campaign to get more people saving for a pension, with a review of its auto-enrolment scheme.
The announcement follows comments last month from pensions minister, Richard Harrington, suggesting that the UK’s 4.8 million self-employed workers needed to be encouraged to save in the same ways as their employed peers.
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This Grandmother Gets a Furnace After 2 Years Without Heat (So Many Feels!)
Can you imagine living without heat?
In West Virginia?
For two years?
That was Helen’s reality.
So when she entered our Purple Friday giveaway — which helped our readers spend time, not money — she simply asked to “be warm.”
“I’m widowed and have a hard time making ends meet,” she wrote. “When I think I’m getting ahead, something else comes up that needs repairing. If I could have a new furnace installed, it would probably last me the rest of my life. What a dream that would be.”
Want to see if that dream came true? Keep reading…
This Woman Got a Furnace — After 2 Cold Years
Helen lived without a furnace for two years, and while electric heaters helped her keep one room warm at a time, it wasn’t enough for her West Virginia home.
“I love having dinner for my children and grandchildren, but… it’s hard to enjoy it when your house is cold,” she explained. “Would love to feel the warmth coming from the vents again and everyone taking off their coats to enjoy their time with me.”
This story touched many of us here at The Penny Hoarder — and although we had 11,000 entries and only 50 winners, we knew Helen had to be one of them.
We wanted her to be able to spend (coat-free!) time with her family the day after Thanksgiving.
As her brand-new furnace was being installed, Helen was understandably thrilled.
“As we were watching them do the installation today, my granddaughters, ages 2 and 4, were dancing and jumping around in the basement,” she wrote. “The 4-year-old said ‘It feels good to be happy,’ and that about sums up our day today!”
Honestly, I don’t think there are many people more deserving — or appreciative — than Helen and her family.
“If you all were closer, we’d give you big hugs for this,” she said. “I will never forget the kindness you showed us. Purple Friday should be a time when families are enjoying each other’s company, instead of out in stores.”
We couldn’t agree more, and hope you continue to celebrate Purple Friday with us for many years to come.
If you need convincing, read this: “We’re supposed to get snow later this week,” said Helen.
“Now the little ones will be able to go out and build a snowman and come in the house to get warm.”
Isn’t that a pretty picture?
“Just wanted you to know you’ve made our holiday and life a lot brighter and warmer.”
Your Turn: Have you ever lived without heat? How did you manage?
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.
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Yodel voted worst delivery firm by Moneywise users
Shoppers have voted Yodel as the worst delivery firm, according to the latest Moneywise poll results.
In the run up to Christmas you may be ordering presents online, but beware of using Yodel as four in ten Moneywise users (42%) have voted it as having the worst service of the major delivery firms.
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Debt collectors warned over poor practices
Debt collection agencies have been warned by the financial regulator that they need to do more to help struggling customers.
In a letter written to the chief executives of debt collection firms, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) told companies that they need to carry out an annual review for customers of a debt management plan (DMP).
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This App Will Let You Make Money Off Your Kid’s Unused Stroller or Car Seat
A travel lover myself, I strongly encourage parents to get their kids on the road — and in the air — whenever they can.
When my sister and brother-in-law brought my then 3-year-old niece from Wisconsin to visit me in Florida last year, I was ecstatic. Not only is it always amazing to spend time with her, but I also love seeing her experience travel at such a young age.
For all the moments of “Are we there yet?” and “Stop touching me” and “Seriously, you have to go to the bathroom again?!” that plague family vacations, in the end, they yield meaningful memories.
Plus, getting kids out there early lets them know there’s life beyond the four walls of your home or the limits of your hometown.
But I understand these trips come with challenges — and expenses, too.
Babies and kids that young need a lot of stuff, apparently, to survive. Packing and hauling that stuff across airports, planes, trains and automobiles sucks, and it might even cost you extra money.
How to Save — and Earn — Money From Family Vacations
New York City-based mother of two Natalie Kaminski was fed up with trips becoming stressful because of the gear she had to haul around for her young children.
So she launched a business to solve the problem.
Through the goBaby app, Kaminski created a parent-to-parent marketplace where traveling parents could rent baby gear like strollers, car seats and other items from local parents with the same to spare.
“Packing and carrying the equipment you need for your kids can add a lot of physical and mental work to family vacations,” Kaminski said in a press release. “Bringing strollers, rockers and bouncers with you to your destination just isn’t feasible. We created goBaby to take the pain out of traveling.”
She credits a “trusted community of parents” who use the app for making baby gear affordable and notes all goBaby items are vetted for quality, cleanliness and safety.
This Airbnb-style exchange for baby supplies is available in New York City and will be launching soon in Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Chicago.
If you’re traveling with children to one of these cities, you can log in to the app and browse for the gear you need for your stay — strollers, car seats, high chairs and even toys.
You’ll see the owner’s location, cost and rating by other renters. Choose the items you want to rent, and avoid baggage fees or higher fees from a local rental company.
On the flip side, if you live in one of these cities, use the app to monetize your extra baby gear!
Here’s how it works:
1. Download the app for free here.
2. Take a photo of the item you want to rent out. Add a brief description, and set your price.
3. Choose whether you’ll deliver the item or have the renter pick it up.
4. Give the item to the renter, and get it back within the scheduled dates.
5. Get paid. Repeat!
As your little ones grow, this might be a good excuse to hang onto that baby gear for a few years longer!
(And, you know, just in case you want to have another some day, but we don’t have to talk about it right now…)
Your Turn: Would you rent baby gear from other parents to save money traveling?
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 This App Will Let You Make Money Off Your Kid’s Unused Stroller or Car Seat appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Household Chores That Can Be Turned Into a Business
Don’t think you have any marketable skills that you can turn into a business? Think again. Simple household chores and tasks like cooking, baking, cleaning, childcare and laundry can all be turned into lucrative home-based businesses. To help you understand the process and the startup costs involved, we sat down with three women who have […]
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Funny money: Copper load of this floor
If you’re a regular listener of the Moneywise show you’ll have been treated to Moneywise editor Moira O’Neill talking about her admiration for ‘penny floors’ on 23 November.
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