The Mount Pocono Plaza is in the midst of revitalization, with some fresh additions likely to attract new customers to the center and plans to fill the old Kmart space.An upscale hibachi restaurant and a pet store will be part of the new offerings, with more in the works, Ken Simon, vice president of the New Jersey-based Heidenberg Properties Group said.“We purchased it with the knowledge we’d have to re-tenant it with the Kmart space,” he said. [...]
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الثلاثاء، 21 فبراير 2017
Get Paid to Pray: Become a Mystery Worshipper and Make $45 This Sunday
Get paid to go to church? I knew people get paid for singing in church, but my voice wouldn’t qualify me for that gig. On the other hand, this opportunity involved just attending church and filling out a survey. For $45, I could do that.
I entered my name and address on Faith Perceptions’ Mystery Guest Program sign-up page. I checked a dozen or so boxes, including, “I do not attend church regularly” and clicked “submit.” I received an email that said, “We will notify you within two business days concerning approval of your application.”
I waited. Two business days came and went. I was starting to wonder if the part where I admitted to not believing in God disqualified me.
The following week, I spoke to Melanie Smollen, president of Faith Perceptions, who said being a nonbeliever isn’t an issue. “Our ideal candidate is someone who doesn’t have a church home,” she told me. Well, that certainly includes us atheists.
Later, I learned that my application had been neither approved nor denied, but lost in some sort of techno-purgatory. Smollen fixed the problem, and I was approved just after we spoke. Sadly, there were no assignments near me in southern Florida.
But there may be plenty of work where you are, so read on to learn how to make $45 for going to church.
Mystery Worship and Church Marketing
Smollen launched Faith Perceptions in 2008, as part of Hendrickson Business Advisors.
The company adapted its mystery shopping program for businesses to the church environment using unchurched mystery guests (sometimes called mystery worshippers), multiple visits and a consistent scorecard. As of 2015, it had evaluated 4,300 worship services.
Of course, some people think churches should stop marketing altogether. I asked Smollen about that, and she explained that it really isn’t the same as marketing a business:
“Some people are offended by the idea. I totally understand how they can feel that way. But churches are not changing their message based on the data we provide. They just need somebody from outside to tell them if they’re doing what they want to do, which is to provide a welcoming experience.”
She added that “we’re focused on hospitality” and explained that while mystery shoppers are asked about the message, they’re not asked if they agree, only if they understood it. One of the most important things churches want to know is simply whether new visitors feel welcome, she explained. In fact, when you sign up for the Mystery Guest Program, you agree that:
“The goal of my survey is to help Faith Perceptions evaluate the church in terms of hospitality. The church’s individual beliefs and doctrine are not being evaluated.”
Faith Perceptions is not the first to offer a mystery shopper service to churches. For example, former pastor Thomas Harrison started his service in 2006. His fee is “about $1,500 plus travel expenses for a site inspection, worship-service evaluation and detailed report,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
But Harrison’s business and others, like WorshipImpressions.com, for example, are one-man operations. Faith Perceptions, on the other hand, can provide data to a church from a dozen mystery guests who attend services at different times. That’s good news if you want this gig, because it means they need many secret shoppers in each area.
Working as a Mystery Worshipper
After you attend a church service ,you fill out a survey. “The total time, if you include the service and filling out the survey, is about two hours,” Smollen told me. She added that there can also be driving time, but you are free to accept or decline assignments outside your neighborhood or city.
I asked Sitaram, who lives in Texas (last name and exact location withheld to maintain his anonymity as a mystery guest), about his experience. He signed up with Faith Perceptions 18 months ago and has visited 22 churches. “It’s basically for the $45,” he said. “However, it’s not boring.”
The process typically takes Sitaram four hours or more, because he accepts assignments that require an hour of driving time and spends a couple hours filling out the survey. I asked him about taking notes, which secret shoppers have to do carefully, so they don’t reveal their purpose. He said he used to take notes, but “Nowadays, I am able to memorize everything.”
Sitaram said his experiences haven’t led to him joining a church, adding, “Very few churches have impressed me to this level.”
I contacted another mystery worshipper, Rebecca, from Pennsylvania. She has worked for Faith Perceptions for about eight months and has had eight assignments. She says:
“I wouldn’t do it just for the money if I didn’t enjoy it. I don’t look at it as getting paid to go to church. I look at it as an opportunity to learn about different churches, while being paid to provide feedback that, hopefully, is helpful to the churches. I figure that if a business is doing something that customers don’t like, they’re going to hear about it, but churches may not get that much feedback.”
Rebecca says travel time varies, church services are usually about 90 minutes and it takes her an hour to fill out the survey afterward. If she’s not going to do the survey immediately, she takes a few notes, but only after she leaves the church.
As a mystery guest, you rank a variety of things and provide reasons for your rankings. You evaluate even mundane things like parking availability and cleanliness of bathrooms. Of course, this “investigation” may involve misrepresenting yourself, which brings us to the question…
Will You Feel Good About Mystery Worshipping?
You may have to misrepresent why you’re at the church. When you accept Faith Perceptions’ terms and conditions, you agree, “I will not contact clients or churches to reveal to them my affiliation with Faith Perceptions before, during, or after my visit.”
Mystery worshipper Jeff Winkler says he had to evaluate the children’s services, which required pretending to have children. “I was filled with unholy guilt,” he says in an article about his experience, and explains:
“…I’d never lied in church before. I even abstain from the devotional declarations and Eucharist. So I rubbed my head again and asked for forgiveness. Because later, I’d be asking for a check.”
You could argue that misrepresenting why you’re there doesn’t hurt anyone, and that church officials are giving you permission to deceive them when they buy this service. “I have never felt uncomfortable about this issue,” mystery guest Sitaram told me.
Rebecca, from Pennsylvania, also feels okay about this. She explains:
“I haven’t felt uncomfortable about hiding the reason for my visits. I visit the churches by myself, so that can be a bit uncomfortable when I first go into a church, but most of the churches have been very welcoming. In most cases, one or two members, and sometimes the pastor, come over to welcome me before the service starts. Sometimes people ask if I’m new to the area. I reply that I’m just visiting, and it’s never been an issue.”
And whether or not you like the idea of churches marketing themselves, it’s now an accepted part of building a congregation. Consider that…
- Any pastor can buy books like Church Marketing 101 on Amazon
- Ministry Today magazine does articles on “Marketing Your Church”
- Digital products make promises like, “Double Your Church Attendance in 90 Days”
- The United Methodist Church has an online “Church Marketing Plan Tool,” complete with pop-up ads and specific advice on doing surveys, analyzing website traffic and using social media
The bottom line is, churches spend money to grow their congregations. Even a sign out front is a form of marketing. And if they’re spending money on marketing anyhow, maybe you should take a little piece of that action for yourself. Who knows — if you sign up today you might be able to start your mystery worshipping side hustle by this weekend.
Your Turn: Would you like to make money to go to church? If you’ve been a mystery worshipper, let us hear about it.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We would have shared them with you anyway, but a true Penny Hoarder would be a fool not to take Amazon’s money.
Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).
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Mall of America Wants to Pay You $2.5K to Live There and Write About It
What would it be like to live in the Mall of America?
You could start your day with a brisk 1.15-mile morning stroll around the mall’s lower level. (It’s always 70 degrees in there, so it’d feel nice.)
Then, stop by the food court for breakfast before checking out the aquarium. There, you can let your breakfast settle before entering the indoor amusement park where you can hop on a roller coaster.
For lunch, dine with your fave American Girl doll at the aptly named American Girl Bistro before picking through clothing racks at some of the over 520 stores.
Round out your day with a comedy show at the House of Comedy and dinner at Dick’s Last Resort, a terrifying food chain that is known to yank your chain.
There are so many other activities you could get lost in, and Mall of America knows it. That’s why, in honor of its 25th birthday, the Mall of America is hosting this contest to find a writer in residence.
It’s giving a “special scribe” the chance to live and breath the atmosphere of the mall while “writing on-the-fly impressions in their own words.”
The winner will spend four nights and five days gallivanting around America’s largest shopping mall.
It won’t cost you a dime — and even better, you’ll get paid!
About the Writer-in-Resident Mall of America Contest
The lucky winner will be flown out to Bloomington, Minnesota, and housed in the mall’s attached hotel for four nights — and it’s all paid for.
Also included is a $400 Visa gift card for food and drinks to use at the mall throughout the week and a “generous honorarium for the sweat and tears they’ll put into their prose” of $2,500.
Approximate retail value? Around $4,500, including hotel and airfare.
How to Enter the Mall of America Free Writing Contest
Applying to this contest is free and open to legal U.S. residents 18 years or older.
The contest began Feb. 20, and remains open until March 10 (midnight, CST). There are two phases to the contest:
- Phase 1: Submit your name, address, email address, social media accounts, a brief biography, previous experience and a story pitch (maximum 150 words) about what you’d write about on your mall-tastic journey. From there, judges will choose 25 semifinalists.
- Phase 2: You should know if you made it to this round by April 1. You’ll get two weeks to write a 500-800-word essay describing in more depth the content you plan to churn out. Here, you’ll be judged by creativity, quality and previous experience.
Winners will complete their stay at the Mall of America between June 10 and July 10.
For all the fine-printed, official rules, click here.
Want to apply? Here’s the application page. Again, be sure to get this done before my mom’s birthday — err, March 10.
Your Turn: What would you do with five days at America’s largest mall?
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’d probably buy way too many clothes if she spent a week inside the Mall of America.
The post Mall of America Wants to Pay You $2.5K to Live There and Write About It appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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How To Withdraw Needed Cash From Your IRA
There are some circumstances under which you can withdraw cash from your IRA without paying a penalty. Here are seven of the primary allowable exceptions.
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Pizza Hut Will Slice 50% Off its Price for Online Orders This Week Only
Remember when Pizza Hut ran a huge flash sale to celebrate the New Year?
It’s back.
Why? We have no idea. Maybe a way to beat the winter doldrums. Maybe a belated Presidents Day sale.
But the reason doesn’t really matter. The important detail here is half off at Pizza Hut.
The pizza giant (Did you know it’s the world’s largest pizza company?) is hosting an online flash sale: 50% off all pizza. All the pizza!
How to Get 50% Off Your Pizza Hut Order
Order online by Feb. 27 to get 50% off.
To reap the cheesy rewards, order any regularly priced pizza online or through the Pizza Hut app. You don’t need a Pizza Hut coupon code, but this is key: Be sure to click on the “50% off” ad on the homepage to activate the deal first. Select carryout or delivery for your order and voila: discount
You can even get 50% off personal pan pizzas, if thinking about Pizza Hut makes you wistful for your elementary school Book It! days.
But if you’re going big — and you should, since the largest pizza is always the best value — you can save $5 or $6 per pizza.
Taxes, delivery charges and driver tips are not included. (Be nice to your pizza guy, OK?) As you might suspect, you can’t lump this discount with any other offers.
We thought this was a one-shot special right after the holidays, but it would appear Pizza Hut — or maybe more so its customers — enjoyed the benefits so much it decided to bring the deal back. But how many times does a half-off flash sale have to occur before it stops being a sale and starts being normal (albeit cheaper) pizza delivery?
Your Turn: What will you order during Pizza Hut’s flash sale?
Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder, covering mostly pizza-related topics.
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The Absolutely Outrageous Cost of Getting Married at Disney World
For some people, Disney is everything.
So for them, getting married at Disney World is like winning the lottery.
And you’ll basically need to do that, too, if you want to get married there — because it costs a TON.
I always imagined Disney weddings were expensive, but I didn’t know just how pricy they’d be. Then Carlye Wisel infiltrated the world of Disney brides (DisBrides) and wrote about the costs for Racked, and they blew my mind.
Keep reading to see the ludicrous prices for yourself.
How Much Does a Disney Wedding Cost?
Disney weddings are a big business.
So big, in fact, Disney has an entire branch devoted entirely to them.
“Disney Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons aids in facilitating the 5,000 Disney nuptials that occur each year at Walt Disney World in Florida, Disneyland in California, Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii, and aboard Disney Cruise Line ships, as well as ceremonies and celebrations at international Disney parks,” Wisel writes.
There are three types of Disney weddings:
- Memories, which allow four guests.
- Escapes, which allow to 18 guests.
- Wishes, “a custom event with many possibilities and a flexible guest count,” according to Disney’s wedding website.
A Wishes wedding in Florida has “a minimum food and beverage expenditure starting at $125 per person, minimum ceremony fee of $3,500 and minimum enhancement fee of $5,000.”
The $125 per person rate is for “brunch”– a wedding that starts at 7:30 a.m. If you want to get married at dinnertime, it’ll cost you $175 per person.
And those “enhancement minimums”? They “may include but are not limited to floral, photography, videography, transportation, venue fees and entertainment.”
Oh, right. And the venue isn’t included in the ceremony fee.
So let’s break down a typical Disney wedding budget:
- Ceremony fee: $3,500
- Wedding pavilion with organist: $4,000+
- 50 dinner guests at $175 each: $8,750
- Plus 23% service charge and 6.5% sales tax: $2,581
- Charter bus transportation (required for five hours): $551
- Minimal flowers: $948
- DJ (four hours): $1,650
- Photographer (four hours): $2,995
That means — not counting the dress or rings — you’re looking at nearly $25,000 for the bare minimum required by most couples.
Disney Weddings Come With Extras… and Extra Costs
But what if you want any fun stuff? I mean, come on, it’s a Disney wedding.
Here’s how much some of those extras would set you back:
- Arrival in Cinderella’s coach (complete with miniature white ponies and costumed footmen): $2,950
- Appearance of two characters for 30 minutes: $1,650
- “Memories Video Package”: $4,550+
- Live band: $7,000+
You can check the a la carte offerings on this site, but note: “Prices do not include any applicable tax, gratuity or additional fees.”
And if you want to wear your gown in the Magic Kingdom during operating hours — rather than before opening or after closing like other brides — you’ll have to shell out a minimum of $75,000 for the wedding, according to Wizel’s investigation.
For the DisBrides community, though, these extravagances are worth being wed in the happiest place on earth.
“From now on, every vacation that we take to Walt Disney World will allow us to relive the happiest times of our lives, while also making more beautiful memories,” one Disney groom told Wizel.
“It will forever be the magical place that I married the love of my life.”
And really, that’s a beautiful thing. Some would even say priceless.
Your Turn: Do you dream of getting married in Disney World?
Susan Shain is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
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15 Simple Driving Tactics That Will Save You Surprising Money (and Time, Too)
One of my biggest financial frustrations is stopping at a gas station. You dump fuel in your car, spend $40 or more, and then all you do is burn that fuel getting to where you need to be. It just goes up in smoke, literally.
Whenever I see something that I’ve spent my hard-earned money on just disappearing like that, I want to conserve it. I want to find every strategy that there is in order to reduce how much is disappearing, because the slower the gas disappears, the slower my money disappears.
Much has been written about strategies that people can use in order to improve the fuel efficiency of their car through actions taken before and after driving. Strategies like reducing the weight in your car, keeping your tires properly inflated, and keeping up with your maintenance schedule are all wonderful strategies and they do have a great impact on how efficient your car is in terms of how much gas it gobbles down per mile.
However, that’s only part of the story. Another big part of maximizing the efficiency of your car comes when you’re behind the wheel. Many of the little decisions you make as a driver impact how much fuel is consumed and how much time it takes to get there.
Here are fifteen little tactics I use myself to maximize the fuel efficiency of my driving. Some of these techniques add a little time; others actually shave off some of that time. In the end, I find that my driving times haven’t really changed that much when using all of these in concert.
Turn right as often as possible and avoid turning left when approaching your destination. This seems like a strange trick, but stop and think about it for a moment. Whenever you’re at an intersection with a stoplight, in most cities and states you’re completely allowed to turn right as long as the traffic is clear. On the other hand, whenever you need to turn left, you often have to wait on a stoplight to show a green arrow that seems to last for about three seconds before turning yellow and quickly red, meaning that you just continue to sit there idling in the turn lane.
Time spent idling is time wasted and fuel wasted, too. You’re far better off driving a little more if it means avoiding a high likelihood of a few minutes idling.
Take advantage of that observation and make sure that, as often as you can, you’re turning only right at busier intersections. That might even mean going around a block and traveling a bit further than you might otherwise go, but you make up for it by being able to turn so much more quickly than you would if you waited on a left hand turn.
If you must make a left hand turn, plan ahead for it and make that left hand turn at a point where there’s less traffic.
Drive the speed limit. Most cars are engineered to have maximum engine efficiency at or near the highway and interstate speed limit – somewhere between 55 and 65 miles per hour, depending on the exact car. Once you start going over that, your fuel efficiency drops through the floor.
Another disadvantage of speeding is that you quickly begin to escalate the risk of getting a traffic ticket, which is quite expensive and completely shoots any time benefit you get right in the foot. There’s also a pretty rapid escalation in the chance of accidents.
Keep it at the speed limit and you avoid those risks and additional costs. The decrease in fuel efficiency, increase in ticket likelihood, and increase in accident likelihood add up big time, and when the latter two more than eliminate any time gains, it’s just not worth it.
Leave a little early so you’re not predisposed to rushing. Many people convince themselves that they need to speed because they’re either running a little late or they’re merely “on time.” You can simply take away that temptation by leaving a bit earlier. Add an extra 10% to the time you expect to spend driving.
That way, there’s much less incentive to speed and, if you get there a little early, you have time to go to the bathroom or freshen up or grab a bite to eat or something to drink before your appointment. It’s simply a lot less stressful.
On the other hand, you can leave a bit later, speed to get there, still arrive late, have no time to freshen up or use the bathroom or grab a drink or a bite to eat, and also burn a bunch of extra fuel and run a higher risk of accidents or traffic tickets (both of which would make you far later).
Leave five minutes early. You usually won’t regret it and you’re likely to save some money.
Use cruise control on flat roads; disable it near hills. If you’re on a long straight stretch of highway or interstate, it’s a good idea to engage that cruise control at the speed limit and just let the miles slide by. On a flat stretch of paved road, the gas pedal isn’t going to vary much at all, so keeping it steady is actually very efficient.
Where it’s not efficient is in hilly terrain. Your car tries to maintain the same speed when it’s going down a hill as when it’s going up a hill. The end result is that your car needlessly brakes when going down a hill and then guns it when going up a hill. That’s a lot of wasted gas.
The best solution? Turn off cruise control when you approach a hill. Allow yourself to coast into a downhill segment, where gravity will help you speed up, and for an uphill segment, gently accelerate into it and don’t worry about going under the speed limit before you reach the top of it. Just keep the acceleration gentle and accept that you’ll slow down while going up the hill.
Make this your natural reaction to hills and you’ll save a lot of fuel along the way.
Slow down gradually when approaching stoplights. If you’re doing a lot of stop-and-go driving in town, don’t accelerate hard when you’re coming out of a stoplight. Instead, gradually speed up to the speed limit. If you see a stoplight ahead of you that’s already red, don’t speed up just so you’ll stop again. Go slowly and then start coasting as you approach the stoplight.
Every time you hit the accelerator hard, you’re burning gas. You’re far better off accelerating slowly over a longer distance than accelerating quickly to the speed limit.
Similarly, every time you hit the brake hard, you lose most or all of your car’s forward momentum. Your car’s forward momentum is responsible for a lot of fuel efficiency; it enables you to cruise at a steady speed without burning much fuel. When you drop your speed to zero, you have to hit the gas hard to re-establish that momentum and your fuel goes away rapidly.
Even better, if you coast slowly toward a stoplight rather than driving quickly toward it and then braking, there’s a decent chance it will turn green as you get close to the light, which means you didn’t lose much time at all and your car is already moving forward, which means it uses much less fuel to get back up to speed.
So, when you’re in town, accelerate slowly out of stoplights and when you see a red light ahead of you, start coasting well in advance.
Choose more lightly traveled routes. A busy road means lots of traffic. It means long waits at stoplights, where your car is probably idling. It means even longer waits at turns, where, again, your car is probably idling. It doesn’t really save you any time.
Instead, find an alternate route to where you’re going, even if it’s a bit longer or a bit “slower.” If that alternate route has a lot less traffic, then you’ll find that you spend a lot less time at stop signs and stoplights than on the “faster” or “shorter” route and you get to your destination often much quicker than if you had taken the “shorter” route.
Try to avoid main roads in cities. Instead, stick to interstates and to side roads whenever possible.
Avoid peak traffic times if at all possible. If there’s any way for you to possibly do so, try to avoid driving during peak traffic times. Peak traffic times are loaded with stop-and-go driving, which is absolutely atrocious for the fuel efficiency of your car.
If this doesn’t work well with your employer, ask whether it would be possible to come in an hour earlier and leave an hour earlier each day. You may find that you can work out an arrangement where you can actually avoid both the morning and the afternoon rush and, by doing so, save on fuel and actually spend significantly less time commuting. Other similar options include a 9/9/9/9/4 work schedule or a day of telecommuting, all of which keep you off the roads during people traffic times.
If you have errands to run, run them in the evening or in the midday on weekdays so that you’re not on the road during rush hour.
Do the longest leg of a series of errands first. This is a very subtle trick, but it’s a powerful one. Unless there are reasons to do otherwise, you should start a series of errands by going to the furthest one first and then working backwards toward your home from there.
The reasoning is simple and twofold. First, approaching your errands in an organized fashion like this reduces the total distance you’re driving, and this is a simple rule to minimize that distance. Second, driving the longest leg first gets your car engine warmed up as much as possible, and thus it’s going to be a bit warmer when you turn on the ignition at each subsequent stop on your trip. Your car operates most efficiently with a warm engine.
Basically, the argument here boils down to choosing an efficient route for your errands, and this is one of the most optimal patterns to follow. If you add onto that the minor benefit of having a warm engine after all subsequent stops, it all adds up to the best pattern for fuel efficiency (again, if there aren’t any extenuating circumstances).
Assume “stale” green lights are about to change. If you’re driving along and notice a green light ahead of you that’s been green for a while, start assuming now that it’s going to turn yellow and then red before you get there and lay off of the accelerator. Most of the time, you’ll be right.
How is that beneficial? Let’s assume you’re right and it’s going to turn red before you get there. If you keep speeding along instead of coasting, that extra gas is completely wasted. You’re going to wind up sitting at that red light regardless. So, if you used extra gas to get to that red light, that gas was completely wasted.
Just keep an eye up ahead of you and if you see a light staying green for a long time, start coasting, especially if you see traffic in the cross lane waiting for their green light.
Minimize use of the brake pedal. This is a great general-use strategy. Whenever you hit the brakes, even a little, you’re killing the momentum of your car and you’re going to have to burn gas to restore that momentum. The simple solution? Minimize brake use.
You can do that by following many of the other strategies in this article along with a heavy dose of common sense. If there’s a situation where you see that you’re going to need to slow down soon, start coasting and wait to apply the brakes until you’re closer – the congestion may relieve itself by then. If you’re on the highway, go at a constant speed and don’t go up and down constantly. It’s easy.
Remember, every time you hit the brakes, you’re losing money on gas. Drive with the mindset of driving as safely as possible without needing to hit the brakes and you’ll significantly improve your fuel efficiency.
Drive without shoes. Really? Yes, really.
The reason is simple. If you’re driving without shoes, you can feel the pressure of your foot on the accelerator with a lot more sensitivity than you can when you’re wearing shoes and feeling the pedal through the rubber in your soles. Without your shoe, you can tell by pressure whether you’re accelerating or not with far more detail than with your shoe on.
On long trips, I almost always remove my shoes once I’m in the car because I know that the extra sensitivity of my feet on the pedal will keep me from accelerating too much, something I might do through the dulled sensation of a shoe’s sole.
Avoid parallel parking. Even the best parallel parkers are going to spend some time idling as they turn their tire angles back and forth in order to get their car into a parallel slot. Those of us who aren’t good at parallel parking (most of us, in other words)? We’re going to be jockeying back and forth for a long while, moving in fits and starts, braking constantly, and burning fuel the whole while.
You’re far better off parking a little further away in a non-parallel spot than you are using a parallel parking slot (unless you can just pull straight into the parallel slot). The time you spend jockeying for position in that parallel slot and the extra fuel you burn are more than recovered by simply parking in a non-parallel slot elsewhere.
Yes, sometimes you have to parallel park, but in many places there are other options around if you look for them. Take advantage of those other options.
Manually cycle the air conditioning on and off. Many people simply turn on the air conditioning and let it run until they feel frigid, then they’ll knock the temperature up a few degrees. That’s extremely expensive in terms of fuel.
A much better approach is to simply run the AC for a while, turn it off when you feel cool, and then turn it on again when you feel hot. Let your body temperature tell you when to use the device rather than just leaving it on by default.
Rolling down the windows seems to be a wash in terms of fuel. You’re not running the air, sure, but it increases air resistance as you’re driving due to the air blowing into your car.
Minimize use of four wheel drive. Four wheel drive is another nice automotive feature in some situations. Some situations. Not all situations. If you leave four wheel drive on all the time, you’re using much more fuel than you need to.
Instead, leave it off unless you actually need to due to rough terrain or hazardous weather. When you’re driving down the highway normally, there’s no reason to have the four wheel drive engaged. It’s just sucking away at your fuel.
This is a setting that people sometimes overlook when they hop in their vehicle and drive off, so get into the routine of checking on your four wheel drive and turn it off if it’s engaged.
Listen to anything other than high-tempo music. High-tempo music tends to subtly encourage people to start speeding, running many of the financial risks described earlier in the article. It’s less fuel efficient, it increases the risk of traffic tickets, and it also increases the risk of accidents.
Instead, when you’re driving, listen to low-tempo music or to spoken word – talk radio, podcasts, or audiobooks. Those types of tracks don’t get the adrenaline pumping and thus don’t encourage you to mash the gas pedal.
There’s absolutely a time and a place for uptempo music. However, that time and place isn’t behind the wheel of a car.
If you follow these strategies together, you’ll find yourself getting to your destination on time, but you’ll also find yourself spending a little less time at the filling station. If you can shave off just a stop or so a month, that’s time and money saved just by driving a little bit smarter.
Good luck!
The post 15 Simple Driving Tactics That Will Save You Surprising Money (and Time, Too) appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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London feels the impact of new Airbnb rule
A cap on the number of nights that landlords in London can let out their properties through Airbnb could hit London’s tourist industry, according to new research.
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Legit or Scam? Here’s What Happened When We Took Surveys on I-Say
What’s an easier way to make money than survey sites?
Nothing, really. You literally answer questions and give your opinion about any and everything.
But how do you know which sites are legit and worth your time? We’re here to help.
We checked out i-Say from Ipsos, one of the most popular survey sites on the web, to see what it’s really like — and how much money we could make.
The Penny Hoarder’s i-Say Review
Signing up for i-Say is easy, and it seems like they really want to get to know you.
Between introductory multiple choice questions, there are a few opportunities for you to type your own answers. The major focus of this site is making sure your voice is heard, which makes sense considering its name.
The site allows you to say what you think as a consumer about certain products and wants to know why you buy what you buy.
What I really like about this site is it’s not only easy to navigate, but it’s also reassuring. I know it’s just a survey site, but it seems like it wants to make it as painless as possible.
The site knows you hate answering the same questions multiple times, but lets you know upfront that it happens. It’s just the site’s way of making sure you give consistent, quality answers and still qualify for the survey’s demographics.
Once I made my account and signed in, I already had five surveys waiting for me.
If you don’t end up qualifying for a survey, you get to play a guessing game called “Poll Predictor.” In this game, i-Say users were polled on a question, and you have to guess what percentage said yes. The closer you are to the actual answer, the more chances you get to enter into drawings for a prize.
This quick game makes being disqualified for a survey a little less frustrating.
For example, my question was “What percentage of women said they have danced the Macarena?” I know, it’s a bit silly. But it was a nice change of pace between clicking from survey to survey.
Each survey awards you points that can be redeemed for gift cards. Or, you can cash out with PayPal. The lowest amount of points you can redeem is 500, which is $5. So, one point equals one cent — 100 points equals $1.
Another plus? The site has a solid rewards selection, from eGiftCards to Starbucks, Target, and Amazon, as well as Visa prepaid cards or just cold, hard (PayPal) cash.
I’ve only had my account for a few days, so I haven’t accumulated enough points to cash out yet. Some people had negative things to say about how long it takes to receive your rewards once you cash out, so I looked into it.
The site states it takes 3-4 weeks for PayPal funds to be delivered, and 4-8 weeks for Visa cards or any other card sent by mail.
I’ve been a part of other survey sites that take a few weeks — or even months — to get your rewards, but I knew ahead of time and didn’t count on them to arrive quickly. This doesn’t chalk up to a negative in my book, and it only counts for a select few of their reward options, so it’s easily avoidable.
If you don’t want to wait a few weeks for your money, opt for the one of the eGiftCards — they’re instantly sent to your email.
If you don’t want your email inbox blown up by surveys, you could opt for text notifications.
Usually survey sites will send me a ton of annoying emails about available surveys, and reminders to take them if I haven’t yet. Luckily, i-Say is not one of these notorious inbox clutterers.
The site also doesn’t send you as many surveys as typical survey sites. The FAQ page states you’ll receive an average of eight survey invitations per month. This may not seem like a lot, but it should be enough to get you to the $5 minimum needed to cash out.
You can see the list of surveys you’ve taken, and even the ones you were disqualified for.
As you can see, I haven’t taken a ton of surveys yet. My first two completed surveys earned me zero points because they were intro surveys asking about my shopping habits, household, and other demographic traits.
The surveys I took were interesting and interactive, mostly about certain products I buy.
Is I-Say Legit?
To me, i-Say stands out among others because it’s “dedicated to giving you a voice” and taking “your feedback straight to those who have the power to influence change.”
What more could a consumer want?
This site is all about voicing your opinions and rewarding you for your perspective. This survey panel is a good fit for anyone who wants their views to be heard and enjoys instigating change.
And for those who want to make some easy money…
Your Turn: What’s your favorite survey site? Have you ever used i-Say?
Jacquelyn Pica is an Editorial Intern at The Penny Hoarder.
The post Legit or Scam? Here’s What Happened When We Took Surveys on I-Say appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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HSBC sets aside further £400m for PPI payouts
HSBC has increased the amount of cash put aside for payment protection insurance (PPI) claims, its latest annual results show.
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Firms may get right to reduce final salary payments
Struggling companies may be able to reduce pension benefits for employees, according to a new government green paper on the future of defined benefit pensions.
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Don’t Fall for These Credit Repair Scams
Have you ever struggled with credit problems? If so, chances are you’ve probably wished, at least once, for a solution to erase all your credit troubles. After all, bad credit can cause your life to be quite stressful and more expensive. It can lead to the denial of loan applications, difficulty finding an affordable place to live for your family, and can even cause you to be passed over for a job.
Given the many issues that accompany poor credit, it’s no surprise that some people may search for a quick fix to their credit problems. And there’s no shortage of scam artists offering quick and often expensive fixes to the people who find themselves in this situation.
However, before you go chasing a quick fix to your credit problems, you should realize that your “quick and easy” solution could potentially backfire in some very unpleasant ways. So unless you want to risk sporting an orange jumpsuit, you should avoid these common credit repair scams.
EIN and CPN Scams
Perhaps the most common credit scam, and certainly one of the most dangerous, involves creating a “new” credit identity for yourself so you can leave your old, lousy, identity in the past. Shady companies lure desperate consumers into this particular scam with promises of wiping out bad credit immediately, thereby creating a clean slate or blank credit reports, which can allow consumers with credit problems to simply start over from scratch.
This scam comes in a few different flavors, but it will almost always involve you paying some company to “assign” a new EIN (Tax ID Number) or CPN (Credit Privacy Number) for you to begin using in lieu of your legitimate Social Security number on future financing applications.
While EINs and CPNs are not inherently illegal in and of themselves, it is certainly illegal to lie and use them in place of your Social Security number on a loan or credit card application. Additionally, many of the scam artists who sell these numbers actually sell stolen Social Security numbers, which could mean you’re not just committing loan fraud, but identity theft as well. When you’re filling out a credit application and you notice it asks for your Social Security number — they’re not kidding.
Crying Wolf
Identity theft can be a horrible experience. Thankfully if you ever find yourself in a situation where fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that these accounts be erased from your credit reports quickly. In fact, as long as you report the fraud properly, the accounts must be removed from your credit reports within four business days.
You can probably already see where this scam is headed. One of the strategies some unethical credit repair companies employ is to convince you to cry wolf and claim to be a victim of identity theft in order to wipe your credit reports clean of derogatory but legitimate accounts. These companies may even assist you in filing falsified police reports or identity theft reports in order to corroborate your ruse. Unfortunately for you, if you go along with such deceit, you will likely be breaking multiple laws and could be risking significant fines or even jail time in the future.
I was an expert witness in a lawsuit where a defendant was able to get a large amount of “fraudulent” (not really) accounts and inquiries removed from his credit reports using this particular strategy. Yada yada yada, he’ll be out of jail in about four years.
‘Renting’ Authorized User Status
A totally legitimate strategy that can help you to rebuild damaged credit is to ask a friend or family member to add you as an authorized user to an existing credit card account.
Being added as an authorized user could potentially give your credit scores a boost by helping to increase the average age of your accounts, possibly lowering your revolving credit utilization ratio, and adding a generally good account to an otherwise bad credit report.
Yet some consumers either do not have a loved one who’s willing or able to help them in this manner, or they’re too embarrassed to ask. Enter the “trade line renting” scam.
There are actually companies that act as brokers between credit-challenged consumers and those with well managed, well aged credit card accounts. Essentially, for a hefty fee, a consumer with credit problems can pay to be added as an authorized user to a stranger’s good credit card account. You shell out big bucks, the broker keeps his or her hefty share, and the actual cardholder gets a little bit of the action too.
Participating in such an overtly dishonest means of manipulating your credit could find you on the wrong side of a bank fraud (or even mail fraud) lawsuit with the U.S Government as the plaintiff. Good luck fighting that one.
The long and short of it is this: There are a lot of ways to repair bad credit. Scamming your way there isn’t necessary. Don’t take the risk.
Related Articles
- Credit Repair Manual
- Like it or Not, a Secured Credit Card May Be the Key to Rebuilding Your Credit
- How to Spot Student Loan Forgiveness Scams
- A 12-Month Plan to Raise Your Credit Score in 2017
The post Don’t Fall for These Credit Repair Scams appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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The Best Work-at-Home Jobs for Young Teens
By Holly Reisem Hanna I remember my first job like it was yesterday. I delivered a weekly community newspaper every Tuesday after school, to about 100 homes in my neighborhood. It was a job I dreaded, but it was the only way I knew how to make extra money at the ripe age of ten. […]
The post The Best Work-at-Home Jobs for Young Teens appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.
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