MAKE MONEY ONLINE POSTS: 01/12/17

الخميس، 12 يناير 2017

FSAs and HSAs: What You Need To Know About Health Spending Accounts

Grasping the nuances of health spending accounts is about as easy as understanding Latin or the federal tax code.

The thing is, it’s important to know how a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) can help you make the most of the money you budget for medical expenses.

What’s a Health Savings Account?

Health Savings Accounts can be established by either employers or individuals. Its goal is to help people offset the cost of high-deductible healthcare plans.

In fact, your insurance deductible must be at least $1,300 for individuals or $2,600 for families to even qualify for an HSA.

The federally regulated cap on HSA contributions are $3,400 for individuals and $6,750 for families. People over 55 years old can add an additional $1,000 if they choose.

HSAs can be used to cover all sorts of out-of-pocket medical expenses. They’ve been a huge help in making healthcare affordable to low- and middle-income families who’ve historically struggled under the burden of insurance premiums and deductibles that can run into the thousands.

“Instead of paying $2,640 in premiums like we did in 2014 under a traditional insurance plan, we paid nothing,” TPH contributor Lyndsee Simpson wrote in 2015. “Instead, we will likely finish the year with $597 in our HSA (providing we don’t have any major expenses before the end of the year).”

If your employer sets up an HSA, any contributions you make go with you if you leave your job for any reason.

Unlike a Flexible Spending Account (which I’ll get to in a minute), whatever money you don’t use up during the year rolls over into the next year.

What’s a Flexible Spending Account?

Flexible Spending Accounts can only be set up by employers and are usually offered as part of a larger employee benefits package. Like an HSA, the idea behind it is to help people set aside money to pay medical bills throughout the year.

While HSA contributions are tax-deductible, FSA contributions are added to your account with pretax dollars.

My husband and I have an FSA account through his employer as part of his benefits package. Here’s how it works:

At the beginning of this year, my husband and I put the maximum allowable amount of $2,600 into our FSA account. The account comes with a debit card that allows us to access those funds to pay for medical expenses whenever they come up.

We can pull money from the FSA to cover the cost of prescription or office visit copays, eyeglasses and contact lenses, and even some over-the-counter medical supplies like the lancets my diabetic husband uses to check his blood sugar.

We can also use it for things that aren’t covered by our insurance like LASIK eye surgery, allergy testing and even sunscreen (really!).

The biggest drawback to an FSA is that you lose whatever money you don’t use up by the end of the year.

It’s unlikely we’ll ever run up against that issue since we usually drain our FSA account by June thanks to expensive prescriptions. I’m just throwing that out there though, because once you put money in your FSA, there’s no taksie-backsies.

Medical Spending Accounts and the Affordable Care Act

Depending on how things shake out politically in the coming weeks and months, we may see major changes to the Affordable Care Act as we now know it — or it could be repealed altogether.

What does that mean for medical savings account contributors? Well, FSA contributors won’t be significantly impacted since ACA members aren’t eligible to participate in FSA programs.

HSA contributors, on the other hand, may take a major hit to their wallets.

“The Affordable Care Act mandates that almost all insurance plans cap out-of-pocket costs (not including premiums or out-of-network care). After you’ve hit the max, the insurer must pay 100 percent of in-network costs,” notes Consumer Reports.

Without that cap, HSA contributors could blow through the money in their accounts more quickly. Indeed, some analysts say out-of-pocket costs could increase by as much as $1,500 by 2018.

HSAs are a great option for stretching your medical expense dollars but they aren’t a panacea because they don’t always cover all the medical bills you’ll accumulate during the year. In fact, even contributing an HSA in the first place is out of reach for many people who may not have available cash to set one up.

Furthermore, when the money’s gone, it’s gone. It’s a budget-buster to suddenly be saddled with additional expenses if you’re used to dipping into your HSA to pay for monthly prescriptions and doctor visits.

The Bottom Line

HSAs and FSAs are terrific programs that are worth exploring if you’ve got the available cash to pay into them.

If you’re already an HSA contributor who’s covered under the Affordable Care Act, start thinking now about how you’ll cover your tab if the ACA is repealed.

You might find yourself suddenly on the hook for a lot more medical expenses than you were expecting when you opened your account.

No HSA? No problem

Contributing to an HSA or FSA not in the cards for you right now? Here’s a few other tips to help you pay your medical bills that you might not have thought about.

Your turn: Do you have an HSA or FSA? Has it saved you any money?

Lisa McGreevy is a Staff Writer with The Penny Hoarder. She’s a travel junkie who keeps her passport in her wallet because you never know when opportunity will strike.

The post FSAs and HSAs: What You Need To Know About Health Spending Accounts appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Milford among communities to receive road safety money

Grant money will improve transportation alternatives statewide

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Brodheadsville businessman brings open fire cooking to home setting

We’ve all experienced the sound of a crackling fire, the sweet smell of wood and smoke filling the air. Now a local importer brings that feeling into home cooking.Brodheadsville businessman Kevin Dusold, 32, has found a way to connect that nostalgia of campfires with the advantages of cooking with real flames. His product is called Openfire, a wood-burning fire pit with several cooking attachments that allow the user to sautée, fry, roast, sear, toast, smoke, braise, [...]

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Wanted: Families to Appear in a Commercial for a Cruise Line (Pays $15K+)

Is your family planning a vacation this year? This might top anything you could think of!

BESTAgency is casting real families for a cruise ship commercial.

If your family is selected, you’ll go on an all expenses-paid cruise. Enjoy the trip while filming commercials and promotions for the cruise line — and you’ll get paid more than $15,000!

So, What’s the Catch?

I tried to find a catch in this casting call, I promise — it seems too good to be true.

It’s a cruise, so you must have to be local to a coastal state, right? Nope.

You’d travel to either Orlando, Florida, or Los Angeles, California, and the company will provide transportation to your boarding location.

But maybe you’re compensated with a free cruise, instead of actual cash? Wrong again.

The gig pays between $3,000 and $7,000 per family member (at least $15,000 for a family of three), ON TOP of the all-expenses-paid trip.

Do you need acting experience? Another nope.

The casting call is for real families, so all you need to audition is a photo of your lovely crew.

One bummer of a catch is the call doesn’t seem to be open to same-sex parents. It asks for families of a mom, a dad and at least one child between 5 and 18 years old.

All ethnicities are welcome. You can also submit any extended family, including grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, or whatever your situation.

The shoot will be sometime between February and May, but dates are still TBD.

The listing doesn’t specify the cruise line(s) represented, but Carnival is the only one listed among the agency’s clients.

To apply: Submit your photos and information to this email address. Here’s what you’ll need to include:

Two to three current photos of your family, at least one of everyone together

Birth date and height for all submitted children

Languages other than English your family speaks at home

City you live in

Passport status for each family member

Your phone number and email address

Writer’s note: We contacted BESTAgency for comment on the family requirements and cruise line, but haven’t heard back. We’ll update if we get more information!

Your Turn: Will your family submit for this casting call?

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 Wanted: Families to Appear in a Commercial for a Cruise Line (Pays $15K+) appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Amazon is Hiring 100,000 People Across the U.S. (Work-From-Home Jobs, Too!)

Need a job?

Your odds of finding one with Amazon might be pretty darn good.

Amazon currently employs 180,000 folks, making it one of the largest U.S. employers.

Well, the retail mogul plans to hire another 100,000 full-time employees in the next 18 months — with full benefits.

Who’s Amazon Looking to Hire?

You don’t need a resume bursting with tech experience to land one of these Amazon jobs.

“These new job opportunities are for people all across the country and with all types of experience, education and skill levels — from engineers and software developers to those seeking entry-level positions and on-the-job training,” the company stated in its January 12 press release.

In fact, it says new fulfillment centers are already being constructed in Texas, California, Florida and New Jersey — with many more in other states coming soon.

In addition, Amazon has pledged to hire and train 25,000 military veterans and spouses in the next five years.

Also consider Amazon’s Marketplace and Flex lines, which will “continue to create hundreds of thousands of jobs” for Americans who crave flexibility, the press release states.

And don’t forget about Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing for self-publishing as well as Amazon Web Services for hatching businesses.

Amazon Has Amazon-ing Benefits, Too

Hear that? Full time equals full benefits. There are seriously so many perks, including:

“Highly competitive pay”
Health insurance
Disability insurance
Retirement savings plans
Company stock
Up to 20 weeks of paid leave

Cherry on top: Amazon has something called a Career Choice program, which preps employees for other in-demand Amazon (and otherwise) jobs.

Basically, the program pre-pays 95% of tuition so long as you’re taking classes that pertain to in-demand, high-wage fields, even if they aren’t relevant to a future career at Amazon.

More than 9,000 employees have already taken part in the program.

How You Can Get a Job at Amazon

Bookmark Amazon’s jobs page, where you can search for jobs or browse opportunities.

There are specific sections for fulfillment center opportunities, as well as work-from-home opportunities (currently 202 openings).

All the details are right here in the company’s press release.

And for more job opportunities, visit The Penny Hoarder’s Facebook jobs page.

Your Turn: Are you trying to get on of these Amazon jobs?

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 Amazon is Hiring 100,000 People Across the U.S. (Work-From-Home Jobs, Too!) appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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You Could Get a Free $100 Off at J.C. Penney This Weekend. Here’s How

Remember back in December when J.C. Penney rewarded those who woke up early with $10, $20 or $100 off coupons?

Well, the department store is back at it with its coupons, y’all.

And the good news is that this time around, you don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to snag this great deal.

Heck yeah!

How to Get Your J.C. Penney Coupon

On Jan. 13-14, J.C. Penney will give away coupons good for $10 off a $10 or more purchase, $20 off a $20 or more purchase or $100 off a $100 or more purchase.

This time around, you can choose to sleep in and then head into the store — but, according to J.C. Penney’s Facebook page, you may want to arrive early so you have a better chance at snagging a coupon.

Most stores open at regular hours, but you should call your local J.C. Penney to confirm it won’t be opening early.

Keep in mind that coupons will be given out to customers while supplies last — and considering how hot this deal is, that won’t be for long!

More free money from J.C. Penney makes for a great penny hoarding weekend.

Happy coupon hunting!

Your Turn: Will you try to snag a coupon at J.C. Penney this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

Kelly Smith is a junior writer and engagement specialist at The Penny Hoarder and a senior at The University of Tampa. She gives major props to J.C. Penney for giving out free money.

The post You Could Get a Free $100 Off at J.C. Penney This Weekend. Here’s How appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Brits stressed out by financial admin

Rachel Lacey

stressed-admin.jpg

The average Brit has more than 30 financial accounts or contracts according to new research from comparison website Gocompare.

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Getting The Jump On April 18

Getting The Jump On April 18

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Building Credit More Difficult As Companies Remove Co-Sign Options

Building Credit More Difficult As Companies Remove Co-Sign Options

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Interviewing for a Job? Hiring Managers Reveal Exactly What NOT to Do

Most of us leave job interviews feeling a little distraught.

The experience is nerve-wracking, and you’re stuck just waiting to learn whether you were good enough when it’s over.

Usually, the interview was probably fine.

But sometimes, someone bombs an interview so badly, an employer has to wonder whether they actually ever wanted the job.

How can you avoid this situation? A new CareerBuilder survey asked more than 2,600 hiring and human resource managers about the absolute worst things someone can do when interviewing for a job.

Avoid These 5 Job Interview Deal Breakers

Around half — 51% — said they know within the first five minutes of the interview if a candidate is a good fit for a position. So start on a good note, and avoid these faux pas.

Here are the top five ways you can instantly blow a job interview:

1. Lie About Something

Two-thirds of managers said catching a candidate lying about something in a job interview is an instant deal breaker.

I guess that means if you’re going to lie to a potential employer, make sure you don’t get caught? No, scratch that. I’d recommend honesty, instead. It’s always easier.

2. Answer a Call or Text During the Interview

Oh my goodness… do NOT do this! I’m surprised only 64% of managers called this a deal breaker.

You’re at a job interview! Set aside the time, and stay away from your phone. What kind of employee will you be if you can’t make it through half an hour without a distraction?

Or, if you prefer flexibility, consider working from home.

3. Appear Arrogant or Entitled

A whopping 59% of employers said arrogance is a deal breaker. They don’t want to hire you if you already think you’re too good for the job.

Employers want to see a team player. Go into your interview with confidence, not arrogance. Negotiate your compensation armed with knowledge, not entitlement.

If you really think you’re too good for a company, maybe you should work for yourself.

4. Dress Inappropriately

This faux pas might be less obvious than the others, but it’s still a deal breaker for 49% of employers.

To avoid wearing the wrong thing, you have to know what’s appropriate for the environment you want to work in.

For example, a startup may expect more casual dress than a corporate legacy business. Make sure you understand your industry and the company culture you’re walking into.

As a rule of thumb, don’t wear anything your mother would be embarrassed to see you in.

5. Show a Lack of Accountability

Do you tend to blame others — or the weather, traffic, your pets, the printer, or anything else — when work isn’t done?

That’s unattractive in a potential employee.

Nearly half — 48% — of employers consider lack of accountability a deal breaker.

A question about past mistakes or conflicts will probably come up in an interview. If you were at fault, own it. A potential employer wants to know they can count on you to do good work if they hire you.

Watch Your Body Language

In addition to the big deal-breakers, the survey asked managers to identify the biggest body language mistakes job seekers make during an interview.

Here are the top 10 mistakes to avoid:

1. Failing to make eye contact (67%)

2. Failing to smile (39%)

3. Playing with something on the table (34%)

4. Fidgeting too much in your seat (32%)

5. Crossing your arms (32%)

6. Having bad posture (31%)

7. Playing with your hair or touching your face (28%)

8. Having a weak handshake (22%)

9. Using too many hand gestures (13%)

10. Having a handshake that’s too strong (9%)

Prepare for Your Next Job Interview

“The best solution to minimize pre-interview anxiety is solid preparation,” said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder, in a press release. “If you don’t read about the company and research your role thoroughly, you could magnify your fear of interviewing poorly and lose the opportunity.”

In addition to your research, come prepared with responses to the most common job interview questions.

And no matter what happens, remember you’re probably not as bad as these interview horror stories. Employers shared some of the strangest things they’ve seen people do in job interviews.

Here are the highlights, just for fun:

One candidate asked where the nearest bar was located.

A candidate ate a pizza he brought with him — and didn’t offer to share.

Someone ate crumbs off the table.

One woman put on and took off her sunglasses repeatedly.

Don’t worry, Penny Hoarders. We know you’ve got this.

Your Turn: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done in a job interview?

The post Interviewing for a Job? Hiring Managers Reveal Exactly What NOT to Do appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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31 Days to Financial Independence (Day 22): Using “the Gap” and Avoiding Lifestyle Inflation

“31 Days to Financial Independence” is an ongoing series that appears every Thursday on The Simple Dollar. You might want to start this series from the beginning!

Last time, we finished up our series of discussions on strategies for increasing your income with a look at starting a side business and dabbling in entrepreneurship. Today, we’re going to step back from that perspective and see how an increase in income intersects smartly with frugality.

Let’s assume that you’re a person who is essentially living paycheck to paycheck. You make $50,000 a year and you spend $50,000 a year. You’re not building anything for the future.

Over the course of this series, we’ve covered a ton of strategies for cutting spending. Let’s say you used just some of them and managed to cut your spending by 10%. You’re now making $50,000 a year and you’re spending $45,000 a year.

Now, let’s say you used some of the money-making strategies we’ve discussed in the most recent portion of this series and managed to improve your income by 10%. You’re now making $55,000 per year and spending $45,000 per year.

That difference between income and spending – $10,000, in this case – is a number that I like to call “the gap.” It’s the gap between your spending and your income level. In general, any activity that causes a noticeable increase in the size of your gap, whether it’s cutting spending or earning more money, without adding misery to your life is a good thing.

Financial success boils down to building up a gap through frugality and hard work and then doing smart things with that gap. In other words, once you’ve managed to create that $10,000 gap in the example above, you then use $10,000 a year on top of your normal bills to eliminate debts, save for retirement, save for your children’s education, and invest in yourself.

The big enemy of the gap is lifestyle inflation. Many people will adopt frugal strategies to get more bang for their buck, but then they’ll spend the money they save on different stuff. Many people will also see a raise at work or some other bump in their income as a reason to start spending more.

They’ll start buying nicer cars. They might move to a nice place or move to a bigger house. That sounds great, but the fundamental problem is that you’re still stuck on the same treadmill, just with shinier baubles.

The entire purpose of the journey to financial independence is to get off that treadmill entirely, giving you time and energy and freedom to do almost anything with your life. That’s the big goal. If you use the gap to build your personal wealth rather than nicer stuff, you become less and less controlled by things like the whims of your boss, the negativity of a bad workplace, work that doesn’t fulfill you, and so on.

Exercise #22 – Using “The Gap”

What follows are several strategies for ensuring that the “gap” that you’ve built up is used to give yourself the maximum number of options in terms of how to use your time and energy in the future, as well as many strategies for avoiding lifestyle inflation.

As your “gap” grows, adjust slowly. When you first start seeing an increase in your “gap,” either due to an increase in income or a decrease in expenses, don’t immediately make any changes at all to your life. Instead, put that money into a savings account or use it to make extra debt payments and give it some time to sink in.

The key here is to make sure that every change you make to your life as a result of your improved frugal choices and your improved income is done in a smart and thoughtful way, and the best way to encourage smart and thoughtful money decisions is to take them slowly.

So, if you find yourself starting to build up a little “gap” between your income and your spending, take the changes slowly. Do smart things with the money and don’t immediately give into temptations to spend it before you’ve given yourself time to consider the new options that are now before you.

Be conscious and aware of lifestyle inflation. It is very easy to simply not think about lifestyle inflation when you’re making purchasing decisions. If you’ve managed to build up a “gap” through some sustainable frugality strategies and/or an increase in income, it is incredibly easy to convince yourself that you can afford a new “treat,” and then that treat turns into a routine that raises your expenses. That treat might be a nicer car than you would have bought before or an expensive coffee in the morning or something else entirely.

Whenever you start to think about buying yourself a “treat,” think seriously about whether you would have bought this thing before you had a “gap” and whether that treat is really better than what you will gain from using your gap smartly. Sometimes you might decide to go with the treat anyway, and that’s fine, but by simply thinking about that question, you’ll find yourself preserving the gap and making good long term decisions regularly.

Give yourself a monthly “splurge budget” and cap it tightly. One great way to avoid lifestyle inflation but give yourself some breathing room to buy things spontaneously and have a little fun is to give yourself a monthly “hobby/splurge/entertainment” budget, from which you can spend however you like. Use it for a morning coffee at the coffee shop or a new book or a new board game or a night out on the town.

However, when you hit that cap each month, stop spending. Don’t spend frivolously until the start of the next month.

What this does is it allows you to enjoy some treats and splurges, but it keeps them firmly in the department of treats and splurges rather than letting them grow into routines. It lets you indulge in hobbies, but keeps those hobbies from turning into endless funnels of money. It lets you be spontaneous, but still keeps your big financial goals in mind.

Remember that every non-essential purchase comes right out of your long-term goals. Thinking about buying a pair of $300 shoes? Maybe a $500 video game console? Those things come right out of your long term plans, whatever it might be. It means you’re going to be working just a little longer.

It’s often hard to “feel” that impact, so what I like to do is calculate my true hourly wage, something we talked about earlier in this series. Your true hourly wage is simply the amount you earn in a year minus all work-related expenses (like wardrobe, workplace socializing, lunches eaten out, etc.) divided number of hours you devote to work, meaning your work hours plus your commute plus any time spent on professional activities outside of work.

That hourly wage is a very powerful tool. You can use it to examine the cost of a splurge and translate it directly into the number of working hours you’re going to have to add to your life just to have that treat. If your true hourly wage is $10 and you want a $500 item, are you really willing to add 50 hours of work to your life? That’s what the true cost of that video game console is. Is it really worth that? Would you be willing to sacrifice fifty hours of freedom and fun and instead work during that time in order to have that $500 item?

That simple thought experiment talks me out of purchases all the time. It’s a powerful thing when you really sit down and think about it. It would be great to be able to always work on my terms, or to simply not work at all and spend days reading or working in the garden or playing a game or volunteering. I’m giving up a lot of that time in order to have an expensive item.

Use your “gap” only as extra debt payments, not for minimum payments. One of the smartest strategies for using one’s gap is to eliminate debt as fast as possible. If you can throw your “gap” money straight into debt repayment, you’re going to burn through that debt nice and fast (if you’ve put in the work to build up a nice gap, that is).

However, it’s a good idea to continue to budget for the minimum payment out of your normal expenses rather than just buying fully into the idea that your “gap” is taking care of all debt payments. Your “gap’ should be treated as a bonus. For example, imagine if, instead, your goal was to save for retirement with your “gap” money. You wouldn’t even have it available for things like making bill payments.

I highly, highly recommend making minimum payments on your debts just like you normally would, then drawing extra debt payments out of your “gap” money. This will cause your debts to go down even faster than before and it will also leave you in the right place for determining what your true expenses are in the event of a life change.

Go small, not big, with your housing. Regardless of whether you choose to rent or buy, the bigger your living quarters, the more expensive it’s going to be. That money comes straight out of your savings for the future.

The truth is that when you buy a large home, it’s mostly just empty space that you’ll eventually fill with stuff. The smartest thing you can ever do regarding your living space is to minimize the space that’s there just for storing stuff. If you want to have a big room for entertaining guests, that’s great, but don’t spend valuable housing money on having more closets or bedrooms you won’t use. Minimize the extra space.

Not only will minimizing the extra space save you in terms of the cost of your living quarters, it will also force you to spend less on the simple accumulation of stuff. You’ll have to think more carefully about acquiring possessions simply due to space, which means you’ll approach purchasing decisions with a more discriminating eye. (There’s also the issue of moving, which is substantially more expensive and time consuming if you’re moving out of a large home with a lot of accumulated stuff.)

Make cooking at home the norm in your life. Yes, this is a tip that came up earlier in this series in the section on trimming your food spending, but I’m mentioning it again here because it’s so important in terms of maintaining lifestyle control. Get in the habit of preparing food at home and make that the normal routine. Make eating out the rare exception to your plans.

This can be intimidating for a lot of people, but it need not be. Cooking at home really isn’t hard at all. It just takes breaking through to a strong familiarity with what’s in your kitchen, and that’s really only done by cooking a lot, starting with simple meals.

So make yourself spaghetti. Make some mac and cheese from scratch. Fry some eggs and some chicken breasts. Make a soup in a slow cooker. Repeat all of those things several times until you can do them almost in your sleep. When you’re at that point, most recipes won’t seem intimidating and simple meals seem easier to prepare than dealing with restaurant hassles and waiting and mixed-up orders, let alone all of the extra expense of it.

Don’t engage in a cycle of brand new cars. One common element of lifestyle inflation is the shiny new car that many people often talk themselves into buying. Then, when that car gets a little older, they replace it, and replace that one, and that one.

Regardless of whether you’re taking out a loan or paying in cash or even leasing, that’s a very expensive cycle. As was discussed in the earlier section on trimming your transportation costs, the most cost-effective strategy for buying and selling cars is to buy a late model used car from a reliable company, drive it into the ground (doing proper maintenance along the way to extend the lifespan), and then replace it.

Rather than diving into buying a sequence of brand new cars, instead use your “gap” money to move yourself away from using car loans to finance cars and pay for them out of pocket instead. This will save you a ton on interest.

Automate your investments and other financial moves. If you’ve decided to use your gap money for investing, make it automatic. Set up automatic transfers to take some amount of money directly out of your checking and into your investment accounts on a regular basis.

Automating investments is actually very easy. Almost every investment firm makes it possible to fill out an online form that will give them permission to automatically withdraw whatever amount you designate from your checking account in whatever pattern you wish and have that money put into your investments. You never have to lift a finger again except to turn it off.

The reason for this is simple: it takes the decision to save or invest each month out of your hands. It’s already happening. You won’t have to think about it. You don’t have a window to talk yourself out of it. You won’t be able to tell yourself that you can invest next month but this month you want a treat. The investment just happens.

This is the equivalent of “paying yourself first,” a personal finance maxim that you’ll hear repeated all the time. When you “pay yourself first,” what you’re really doing is investing before you worry about all of your other ordinary expenses so that you know that money will be there for you down the road. Using your gap in that way is a very smart move.

Splurge with time, not with money. One of the most powerful techniques that I’ve ever found with keeping lifestyle inflation at bay is to simply teach myself to splurge with time rather than with money. The reason is this: there is almost nothing I can buy that is as valuable to me as an uninterrupted block of time to devote to a hobby I enjoy or to quality time with someone I care about.

So, rather than spending my time looking forward to a future purchase, I spend my time looking forward to a Sunday afternoon and evening spent with five of my best friends playing a board game around a big table. I spend my time looking forward to a Thursday evening curled up with a book I’m really excited to read.

I find those blocks of time by scheduling them in advance and also by not wasting time on things that are low value. I simply don’t spend time channel surfing or web surfing (at least not very much). If I’m doing something, there’s purpose behind it, and if I don’t have enough energy to do anything with purpose, I go to bed so that I can rest up and do things with purpose the next day.

I get far more value out of a “time splurge” than I get out of almost anything else.

Build and maintain friendships with people who have similar values. If you fill your social life with people who find value in splurging with time rather than money and who make conscious choices about their spending, you’re going to find it far easier to do that yourself. Seek out those people in your life and build up friendships with them.

Most of our social life involves potluck dinner parties, game nights, and volunteer events. It’s a rich and engaging social life. Many of the people who come to our dinner parties and game nights are financially stable and spend money in a responsible way. We’re all living in relatively modest homes, drive relatively modest cars, and don’t spend money extravagantly.

Because of that, our social cues are all about not spending excessively. They’re centered around not inflating our lifestyle and instead working toward big lifelong goals.

To paraphrase Jim Rohn, you are the average of your five closest friends. Are your friends also committed to avoiding lifestyle inflation? Do they have big, lifelong financial goals? If they don’t, try to develop new friendships with people who do share those values.

Next time, we’ll take a look at specific strategies for investing for retirement.

The post 31 Days to Financial Independence (Day 22): Using “the Gap” and Avoiding Lifestyle Inflation appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Stat of the month: Retirees' income grows 13% since financial crisis, but falls elsewhere

Adam Williams

enjoying-a-walk.jpg

Retired households in the UK have seen their annual income grow by 13% since the financial crisis while the rest of the UK has experienced a decline.

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Could Turning Your Debt into an Art Project Help You Pay it Off Faster?

I think we’ve found a way to make paying down debt… fun.

Seriously. Stick with me.

One of the toughest things about paying down debt is you don’t see it. If your debt has hit the levels mine has — student loans, auto loan and medical debt piling up — you know sometimes it’s easier to avoid it than sort it out.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Sort of. Debt’s easy to keep “out of mind” most of the time, but does rear its ugly head — anytime you apply for an apartment, rent a car, want a new credit card or… well, it happens a lot.

Instead of ignoring it, use this fun trick to keep it top of mind and celebrate your progress paying it off.

Use Debt Art to Pay Down Debt Faster

You know those thermometers you see around town to measure an organization’s fundraiser? They let everyone know the fundraiser is happening and that others in town are contributing. They also help the organization track and celebrate its progress toward its goal.

Debt art is like that.

You can create artwork that measures your debt as you pay it off. It’s prettier than those giant thermometers, but still helps you focus on your goal.

Plus, like I said, it’s fun.

Debt art is like adult coloring pages, but with a purpose.

You’ll start with an image, where each section is assigned a payment value. Color in a section as you make payments.

When the image is colored in, you’re debt-free!

To get you started, we created some debt art you can download and print for free.

Download Our Free Debt Payoff Charts

Click the images below to grab free printable pages you can use to track your own progress paying down debt.

(They’re designed to be printed in color or black and white, in case you’re pinching pennies with ink!)

Car Loan Debt Art

Student Loan Debt Art

Credit Card Debt Art

Want a different design? Get creative!

You can use any image or design you want. Just color it in as you move closer to your debt payoff goal.

You can even use adult coloring pages. Download them free here, assign a payment value to each section, and color it in as you make payments.

Your Turn: Will debt art make paying down debt easier for you?

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Ask GFC 026: How to Invest in Your 30’s With as Little as $100

21 Grocery Stores That Help You Save Money on Gas

When I started driving in 2012, gas cost almost $4 per gallon. At the time, public transportation was practically non-existent in Florida, which left me no choice — my family and I had to buy gas.

But by changing our grocery shopping habits, we haven’t paid full price for gas in years — and sometimes we even get it for free. (OK, we still have to pay taxes on it, but where we live, that’s only about 2 cents per gallon).

Our secret? The Winn-Dixie fuelperks! program, which gives you a 5-cent-per-gallon discount on gas for every $50 you spend on groceries.

This was the only fuel rewards program I knew of, but I thought there must be other grocery stores that offered similar discounts — and I was right.

No matter where you live, here’s how to save money on gas by buying groceries.

Grocery Stores With Fuel Rewards Programs

To find out, I took to the internet and asked our Facebook community group. Here’s what I found out, organized by region.

Nationwide

These national chains offer fuel rewards programs. Is there one near you?

1. Safeway

Safeway grocery stores offer fuel discounts through Sunoco — for every $100 you spend on groceries, you get 10 cents off per gallon.

You can stack as many rewards as you’d like in a single purchase, though you can only redeem them on 20 gallons of fuel at a time. Simply register with the Sunoco app to keep track of your rewards and enter your phone number at the gas pump.

2. Kroger

In Kroger’s fuel rewards program, you earn 1 point for every dollar you spend in the store.

Once you’ve earned 100 fuel points (after spending $100 on groceries), you’ll get 10 cents off per gallon on up to 35 gallons.

You can redeem your Kroger fuel points by scanning your Plus Card at Kroger gas stations or Shell stations — though at Shell, you can only redeem 10 cents off per gallon.

You’re better off using the discount at Kroger gas stations so you can stack your discounts. The maximum amount of points redeemable at Kroger Fuel Centers is 1,000 — or $1 off per gallon.

While you’ll usually earn double points (two points per $1 spent) on gift cards, a few users of our Facebook Community group mentioned that Kroger offers four times the points on gift card purchases during the holidays. Make a note on your calendar for next year!

Another bonus: Earn 50 fuel points for every non-federally funded prescription you fill at Kroger (federally funded prescriptions help you earn 1 point for every $1 you spend).

3. Stop & Shop

Stop & Shop gives you 10 cents off per gallon for every $100 you spend.

You can stack deals for up to $1.50 off per gallon. Scan your Stop and Shop card at Shell or Stop & Shop gas stations to redeem your savings. These points have a shorter expiration date than most — 30 days — so plan your trips carefully!

4. Albertsons

At Albertsons, you receive one point for every dollar you spend. Once you reach 100 points, you’ve earned 10 cents off per gallon.

The program’s redemption rules vary depending on your location and the gas station you choose.

You can redeem up to 20 cents off per gallon at Texaco and Chevron stations. Or, you can redeem up to $1 per gallon off at Albertson’s gas stations, Safeway, Randalls, Vons or Tom Thumb.

Southeast

These stores with gas rewards programs are located anywhere from Florida through the Carolinas.

5. Winn-Dixie

Located in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, Winn-Dixie offers a fuelperks! program in partnership with Shell gas stations.

For every $50 you spend in the store, you get 5 cents off per gallon of gas. Bonus grocery items can give you up to an extra 50 cents off per gallon. And if you have a baby, consider joining Baby Club — you’ll earn 10 cents off per gallon for every $25 you spend on baby products.

There’s no limit to how many fuelperks! you can earn, but you can only redeem perks for up to 20 gallons of fuel at a time.

I usually find the best deals on bottles of red wine, which offer anywhere from 5 to 25 cents off per gallon. Gift cards also offer double the points — 10 cents off per gallon for every $50 you spend on gift cards.

6. Bi-Lo

Scattered throughout Georgia and the Carolinas, Bi-Lo’s fuelperks! program is nearly identical to Winn-Dixie’s — spend $50, get 5 cents off per gallon.

There are also various bonus fuelperks! items located throughout the store for an extra 3- to 50-cent reward.

Gas discounts are redeemable at any Shell station on up to 20 gallons.

7. Ingles

Serving six southeastern states, Ingles rewards you with one fuel point for every $1 you spend on groceries.

Once you hit 100 points, you’ve got yourself 5 cents off per gallon. At 200 points, you get 10 cents off, 300 points gets you 15 cents off, and so on.

There is no cap to how much you can earn. You can redeem your points on up to 20 gallons at Ingles gas stations.

8. Food City

In Tennessee and Georgia, Food City offers 15 cents off per gallon for every $150 you spend. Gift card purchases of $50 will net you double the points.

You can only use 15 cents off per gallon each day, but on Wednesdays you can cash in 30 cents off.

Rewards are redeemable via Food City’s ValuCard at Gas n’ Go fuel stations.

9. Harvey’s Supermarkets

Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are home to Harvey’s Supermarkets .

Harvey’s uses the Plenti rewards card for its fuel program, which makes it different than most grocery store fuel discounts.

Plenti is a rewards card that lets you collect and redeem points at multiple retailers, such as Harvey’s, Macy’s and Mobil. You earn two points for every dollar you spend on non-fuel purchases.

Once you have 200 points — meaning you’ve spent $100 — you’ll receive $2 off your total fuel purchase (not per gallon) at Exxon and Mobil locations. You can also collect more points before redeeming them, up to a $10 discount.

Northeast

Northeasterners, do you take advantage of any of these fuel rewards programs?

10. Giant Eagle

Located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Maryland, Giant Eagle’s fuelperks! program offers 10 cents off per gallon for every $50 spent at Giant Eagle, Getgo, Market District or Giant Eagle Express.

You can use these rewards at Getgo stations on up to 20 gallons of gas with your Giant Eagle Advantage Card.

11. Price Chopper

Scattered throughout New England, New York and Pennsylvania, Price Chopper stores award you 10 cents off each gallon of gas for every $100 you spend in stores.

You can stack gas discounts and redeem them on up to 20 gallons of fuel at any participating Sunoco station with your Price Chopper AdvantEdge card.

12. Shaw’s

Spread throughout New England, Shaw’s offers 10 cents off per gallon for every $100 you spend, plus double the points on gift card purchases.

Redeem your points for up to $1 off per gallon at Sunoco stations by registering for MyMixx and entering your phone number at the pump.

13. TOPS

Located in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Massachusetts, TOPS offers 1 point for every dollar you spend with its GasPoints program. Get 10 cents off per gallon by earning 100 points.

Redeeming coupons? You’ll get 10 points for each one you use, and bonus items throughout the store offer extra points.

Fuel discounts are good on up to 20 gallons at any TOPS gas station by scanning your TOPS BonusPlus card.

14. Market 32

Market 32 services New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. It provides 10 cents off per gallon for every $100 you spend on groceries.

Use your discount at participating Sunoco stations by scanning your Fuel AdvantEdge card.

Midwest

From Missouri through the Dakotas, buying groceries helps you save money on gas.

15. Shop N’ Save

Located in Missouri and Illinois, Shop N’ Save offers 10 cents off per gallon for every $50 you spend — which is twice the amount many other stores offer.

Use your Shop N’ Save fuel discount at Sunoco stations by scanning your Perks Card.

16. Pay-Less Supermarket

Owned by Kroger, Pay-Less Supermarkets in Indiana offer one fuel point for every $1 spent.

100 points will get you 10 cents off per gallon, and you can stack ‘em for up to $1 off at Shell stations. Scan your Plus Shopper’s Card at the pump to receive your discount.

Codi, one of our Facebook community group members, said you can fill out the survey from your receipt once a week for 50 bonus fuel points — not bad for an extra 5 cents off per gallon.

17. Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee offers fuel perks on select grocery items that vary weekly.

Unlike other stores, there isn’t a set reward per dollar amount spent — either check the weekly ad or browse your local Hy-Vee to see which items offer fuel rewards.

Redeem points at Hy-Vee Gas, Casey’s, Shell or PDQ stations by swiping your Hy-Vee Fuel Saver + Perks card.

18. Cub Foods

Located in Minnesota and Illinois, Cub Foods offers fuel discounts at participating Holiday gas stations through its My Cub Rewards Card.

You’ll earn 10 cents off per gallon for every $100 spent. You can earn up to $1.50 off per gallon — which would require spending $1,500 — on 20 gallons of gas.

West

The final frontier… of fuel rewards.

19. QFC

For every $100 you spend at QFC, you’ll receive 10 cents off per gallon.

Use your rewards at QFC fuel centers or participating Shell stations by swiping your Advantage Card.

How much can you redeem? Stack your 10-cent discounts for up to $1 off per gallon.

20. Fred Meyer

Fred Meyer is located in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.

It offers 1 point for every dollar spent, and 100 points earns you 10 cents off per gallon.

Purchase gift cards for double points and fill prescriptions for 50 bonus points. Redeem your points, which are good on up to 35 gallons of fuel, at Shell or Fred Meyer gas stations with your Rewards Card.

21. Fry’s Food

Located in Arizona, Fry’s Food offers 10 cents off for every $100 you spend.

Use your Fry’s Food fuel rewards at Circle K stations as well as Shell.

Fuel Rewards Tips

Now you know where you can score some gas rewards — but how do you make the most of them?

Here are some tips to help you maximize your savings with grocery store fuel rewards programs.

Buy Gift Cards for Double Points

This is an easy way to rack up your fuel rewards, as stores such as Safeway, Fred Meyer and Winn-Dixie offer double points on gift card purchases.

You don’t need to actually give them as gifts — purchase gift cards for restaurants or stores you already shop at. Better yet, buy gas gift cards and use them when you fuel up at a discounted price!

Keep an eye out during the holiday season, since some stores offer special gift card promotions with anywhere from two to four times the amount of fuel rewards.

Know Your Store’s Policy

That way, you can change your shopping strategy to maximize your savings. For example, at Winn Dixie, your grocery spending rolls over to the next time you shop.

Say you spend $65 on groceries. You’ll earn 5 cents off per gallon, since you spent $50. The other $15 you paid will apply to your next purchase — so you only have to spend $35 to reach the $50 threshold for 5 cents off.

Check your grocery store’s policy to find out if it offers the same perk.

If your store doesn’t do this, make sure every purchase is over but as close to increments of $50 as possible (e.g. $50.62 or $101.27). That way, you’ll earn gas rewards for as much of your grocery spending as possible.

Look for Bonuses on Alcohol

I’m not sure about other stores, but Winn-Dixie offers crazy-awesome fuelperks! on alcohol.

I’ve found the best deals on red wine and liquor. The extra gas discount can be as high as 25 cents per gallon… for just a $10 bottle of red wine.

My dad loves red wine and, even though the bottles aren’t pricy, he never seems disappointed with them. (I’m not sure if he’s excited about the savings or just really likes wine.)

Beware of Expiration Dates

As awesome as fuel rewards are, they all expire eventually. Stop & Shop fuel rewards expire after only 30 days, but most other retailers’ points last 60 or 90 days.

Make sure to check the terms of your fuel rewards program and use your points before they expire.

Get All Your Discounted Fuel

One downside of gas rewards is you can only use the points once, even if your tank is smaller than the maximum number of gallons you can redeem.

Try to fill up when your tank is as close to empty as possible — that way, you’ll get more gas and maximize your savings.

If your car doesn’t have a large tank (and if it’s allowed by your gas rewards program), bring an empty gas can to fill with the remaining gallons, so you don’t waste your fuel rewards.

Shop on the Weekend

Now you’ll have an actual excuse to wait until the weekend to hit the grocery store.

Some stores, such as Kroger, offer double fuel rewards on weekends. It might be busy — but the savings might be worthwhile.

Your Turn: Do you collect fuel rewards? Did we miss any other programs?

Jacquelyn Pica is an editorial intern at The Penny Hoarder. She never pays full price for gas thanks to her fuelperks!-savvy dad.

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Four Things a Hiring Manager Could Find Out About You

Few of us love looking for a new job. In addition to the stress of worrying about making a good impression, and the financial pressure of negotiating a fair salary, there’s the fact that interviewing can leave you feeling pretty exposed.

The hiring manager learns an awful lot about you during the process – and not all of it is stuff you necessarily want them to know. Depending on where you live and what the employer’s individual policies are, that might include:

Your credit history.

In most states in the U.S., hiring managers can ask you to authorize them to pull your credit report, but the version they see is not the same as the one lenders view. They can’t see your three-digit credit score, for example, or your birth date. Still, if you have a history of delinquent payments or other blemishes on your financial record, prospective employers might be able to see that – and pull an offer based on that information and your perceived irresponsibility.

Here’s where it’s important to know your rights. If you live in one of the 11 states that prohibit employers from asking to see credit reports – for example, California, Illinois, or Vermont – their request might be illegal.

If your state currently allows credit screening during the job search process, you still have rights. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires employers to get your written consent before pulling your credit report and notify you in the event that they decide to rescind an offer based on what they find. In fact, they have to notify you twice: once before taking action, and once after. The “pre-adverse action disclosure” is intended to give you the opportunity to check for errors on your report before a prospective employer sees them. In one FTC study, 5% of consumers were found to have inaccurate information on their credit reports, so it’s worth checking yours for errors.

Whether you’ve committed a crime.

Twenty-four states and over 150 cities have enacted “ban-the-box” legislation, which makes it illegal for employers to ask applicants about previous convictions. However, that means that there are still plenty of places in the U.S. that allow companies to screen applicants based on a criminal record.

If you live and work in one of these states, don’t despair: A 2012 CareerBuilder survey found that over half of employers have hired applicants with a criminal record. The hiring managers they surveyed recommended being honest about the conviction and the reasons behind it, staying positive, and being willing to work your way up.

And then there’s this: A more recent CareerBuilder survey found that one in four employers didn’t conduct background checks, so there’s always the chance it’ll never come up.

Your salary history.

Massachusetts is the first state in the nation to announce that it will ban the salary history question during the interview process, but other cities and states are following suit. For now, however, it’s still legal for most employers to ask you how much you were paid at previous jobs. Some even back up their request by asking for W-2s or pay stubs to verify your statements, making it impossible to stretch the truth. (Not that you would.)

If the question is optional, your best bet is still to defer, and try to get the hiring manager to specify a budget for the role. Failing that, it’s a good idea to try to base negotiations around the market rate for the role, not your prior earnings. After all, there’s no guarantee that you were being paid fairly at your last job, especially if you’re female, not a confident negotiator, or working in a low-paying industry.

Whether you know how to use social media responsibly.

Let’s be real: If hiring managers restricted their searches to candidates who had never enjoyed an adult beverage or attended a party, their pool of applicants would be vanishingly small. That’s not why many will object to seeing your beach body draped on someone’s fishing boat while you practice drinking out of one of those hilarious beer-holding hats.

No, the real objection is that you don’t know to safeguard those photos better – and that’s why being too open on your accounts might keep you from getting a job. Think about it from their perspective: If you can’t manage your own personal brand, why should they let you gamble with the company’s?

Clean up those feeds and profiles, or lock them down so that a casual viewer can’t see how much fun you’re having on your own time. It’s only your business, and no one else’s, after all.

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