MAKE MONEY ONLINE POSTS: 04/27/17

الخميس، 27 أبريل 2017

This Credit Card Scam is Way Elaborate, But You Can Outsmart It. Here’s How

A new credit card scam could cost you hundreds of dollars, and your bank’s fraud department may never notice the suspicious charges — without your help.

An Ohio woman recently became a victim of this scam.. Her husband, identified only as D.H. from Pepper Pike, Ohio, shared their story with Cleveland.com. It’s an example of the length scammers are willing to go to steal your money and, in the process, make it tougher for you to get your cash back.

Here’s How the Credit Card Scam Played Out

The scammer stole her credit card information and used it to buy a Lenovo Ideapad from Best Buy for $572.39. Thankfully, the victim and her husband signed up for email alerts with their bank and immediately saw the charge, even though it didn’t set off any fraud alerts.

The victims called PNC Bank, reversed the charge and canceled the card right away. But a few days later, UPS brought the Ideapad to their doorstep.

According to Cleveland.com, that’s a part of the scam too. The scammers send the pricy product to your home to avoid scrutiny.

“This transaction was not flagged as suspicious by PNC,” the Cleveland.com article said. “That’s not a slap against PNC. It was a $600 computer being shipped to the card holder’s home. People buy computers.”

If fact, shipping the laptop to the victim’s home is likely what made PNC and Best Buy look the other way.

The scammer’s plan is that the victims don’t notice the charges until the laptop arrives. Then the scammer hopes the victims become so preoccupied with getting the charge off of their credit card and the laptop back to the store that they don’t notice what happens next.

The day after the Ideapad arrived, the scammer presumably processed a return through FedEx. The only problem was the address on the FedEx return label was not to a Best Buy location. It was to a house in Philadelphia.

According to Cleveland.com, the scammer anticipates that the preoccupied victim will not notice the address and will instead send the ill-gotten laptop right to them.

In a convoluted plot already full of twists and turns, there’s a reason why the scammers aren’t afraid to put their addresses on the return labels — the scammers aren’t shipping the electronics directly to themselves.

Instead, the scammers find people to serve as middlemen to intercept the products, then ship them to the actual scammer. They find these middlemen by posting what seem like legitimate work-from-home gigs online and recruiting innocent people to send the stolen goods their way.

The Ohio couple, clearly the luckiest people ever, didn’t fall for that part of the scheme either. Instead, they had already returned the laptop to a Best Buy near their home by the time the FedEx employee showed up at their door.

Although the scammers didn’t get their hands on this laptop, they didn’t lose anything because they used their victim’s money.

What to Do if This Happens to You

This Ohio couple did everything right and still had a tough time explaining this scam to skeptical Best Buy employees.

To protect yourself, be sure to sign up for free alerts from your bank or credit card company so you know early when someone makes a large purchase.

If something you didn’t buy ends up on your doorstep, don’t return it through any shipping service. Instead, go to the nearest store and return it in person and explain what’s going on.

If that’s impossible, call the store’s customer service line to report what happened. Be sure to insist on getting a case number to document the incident and double-check the address on any return label you receive before shipping anything off.

If you accidently return the item to the scammer instead of the store, you could be on the hook to pay for the product, even if your bank initially refunds your money.

Of course, those who get their credit cards stolen aren’t the only victims here: the work-from-home middlemen also get the short end.

If you want to work from home without ending up in the middle of a criminal mastermind’s schemes, read up on how to find legitimate work-from-home jobs with companies you can trust.

Your Turn: Seriously, have you ever heard of a scam with more steps than this one? Tell us about it.

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She thinks if these scammers are willing to work THIS hard, they should just get normal jobs.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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6 Ways Government Shutdown Hurt You (Even if You’re Not a Federal Employee)

Congress has until midnight April 28 to pass a spending bill and avoid a government shutdown — although it’s likely that lawmakers will pass a measure to fund the government through May 5 to allow negotiations to continue.

But even if we avoid a shutdown this time, there’s a good chance we’ll hear more talk of another potential shutdown as Oct. 1 — the deadline for Congress to pass a funding bill for all of 2018 — approaches.

Even if you’re not a government employee, the screeching halt of federal operations can affect you.

Here’s what you need to know about how shutdowns work — and how your life could be affected one in the future.

What Happens During a Government Shutdown?

When a spending bill expires before Congress passes a new bill authorizing spending, the federal government shuts down most operations.

With spending stuck in limbo while all parties come to an agreement, the federal government runs out of money, forcing the closure.

During a government shutdown, “essential” services carry on. These include national security, law enforcement, emergency medical services, air traffic control and more.

But services considered “non-essential” stop — which can still affect your everyday life.

5 Things That Could be Tough During a Government Shutdown

Each government shutdown is different, but here are some things that could become more difficult or impossible if federal operations are forced to go on hold.

1. Planning a Trip to a National Park or Monument

You can’t go to a national park or monument during a shutdown — they’ll be closed. This includes national zoos and museums, too. According to Vox, the 2013 government shutdown cost $500 million in lost tourism income due to national park closure.

2. Getting a Passport

During the last shutdown, the State Department said: “The Department of State will continue passport and visa operations as well as provide critical services to U.S. citizens overseas. These activities are fee-funded and are not affected by the lapse in appropriations.”

We reached out to the National Passport Information Center, and the representative we spoke to said it’s unclear how a present-day shutdown would affect services, adding that “multiple factors” go into deciding whether you’ll still be able to obtain a passport during a shutdown.

3. Using Free School Lunch Programs

Thankfully, these will continue during a government shutdown — as long as it doesn’t last too long. If a shutdown goes on for an extended period, school districts might run out of funds to provide the free meals — as some districts worried would occur during the 2013 shutdown.

4. Signing up for New Social Security Benefits

Social Security benefits will continue going out to existing enrollees, but new applications for benefits may have to wait until after the shutdown to be processed.

5. Buying a Home

If you were planning to use a federal loan, like a Federal Housing Administration-insured or a Veterans Affairs loan, to purchase a house, the agencies will still process it — depending on a few factors.

During the 2013 government shutdown, the FHA released an FAQ stating it would still process single-family loans, though it warned that it could take extra time because of a reduced staff. Delays could occur for other reasons, like if you need to obtain documents from the IRS.

Are you a veteran? Thankfully, it’s unlikely that a shutdown would affect your VA loans.

6. Your Tax Refund

And, perhaps, the worst of all (considering we just passed tax day):

If you’re waiting for a tax refund from the IRS and the government shuts down, you’ll have to wait until it reopens to get your money.

Hopefully a shutdown isn’t in the near future — but if it is, now you know what to expect.

Your Turn: How would you be affected by a government shutdown?

Kelly Smith is a junior writer and engagement specialist at The Penny Hoarder. Catch her on Twitter at @keywordkelly.

Hilton Says It Will Hire Another 20,000 Veterans by the End of 2020

Hilton announced Thursday that it will hire 20,000 veterans, along with their spouses, dependents and caregivers, by the year 2020.

This initiative is an expansion of Operation: Opportunity, which the company rolled out in 2013. In 2016, the company announced that it had completed the project ahead of schedule, hiring 10,000 veterans over a three-year period.

Hilton hired most of its veteran workforce in Florida, California and Texas, which all have dense veteran populations.

Hilton is Offering More Jobs for Veterans

The new hiring initiative will include every facet of the hotel chain’s operations, from individual hotels all the way up to Hilton’s headquarters in Virginia.

Matt Schuyler, chief human resources officer at Hilton, said the company has developed a system that matches job openings to Military Occupational Specialties codes, which are assigned to every member of the U.S. military.

These MOS codes help veterans to match their specific skill sets to potential job prospects within the company, including everything from concierge and front desk services to engineering and finance positions.

Schuyler also relayed a message to the company’s veteran team members, saying, “We value the leadership, integrity, teamwork and other skills you bring to the hospitality industry, and Hilton will do everything it can to support you in making a smooth transition to the civilian workforce.”

Hilton’s Commitment to Veterans

Hilton has a history of supporting military members and their families; dating back to its beginnings, as founder Conrad Hilton was a U.S. army veteran who served in World War I.

The Operation: Opportunity program’s main goal is to provide support for military members and their families, which it does by offering flexible work opportunities (including work-from-home positions) and “continuity of employment” after location moves and during prolonged deployments.

To date, about 10% of Operation: Opportunity hires are military spouses and dependents.

The company has several programs for veterans, including tailored development programs, reserve pay benefits and a devoted Veteran Team Member Resource Group.

Hilton also donates Hilton Honors Points that veterans can redeem for free hotel stays during job seeking, training or certification programs within the company or in other industries.

To apply for a position through Operation: Opportunity, visit the company’s website. You can also watch a short video about the program.

Your Turn: What do you think about Hilton’s veteran hiring initiative?

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

Tobyhanna test facility simulates any kind of rain

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. — If Tobyhanna Army Depot wants rain, it gets rain with the flip of a switch.Equipment repaired or overhauled here undergoes water tightness testing at the rain test facility. The structure can simulate types of rainfall found anywhere in the world, from mist and gentle rain to downpour, to meet varying requirements of depot customers.The building boasts high-tech controls and pumps capable of producing the equivalent of 10 feet of water per [...]

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Tijuana Flats Will Give Military Members 50% Off — Taco ’Bout a Great Deal!

What’s better than sitting outside on a Saturday enjoying a well-assembled burrito?

Getting that burrito for half price.

Tijuana Flats will treat veterans and active-duty military to 50% off an entree when they visit any of the Tex-Mex chain’s 100-plus locations on Saturday, April 29.

Cashing in on this deal is easy: Just visit your local Tijuana Flats, show your military ID, and the cashier will take 50% off your entree.

No Military ID? No Problem, Probably

What if you’re no longer in the military and don’t have an identification card to prove your status? Tijuana Flats fans discussed this on the company’s Facebook page, where many noted that presenting the DD Form 214 confirming honorable discharge from the military will work just fine.

(You may want to make a copy of that form before heading out to lunch — hot sauce doesn’t look good on official paperwork.)

Tijuana Flats Honors America’s Heroes Throughout April

The chain has been raising funds all month to support local veterans organizations. To support the effort, you can buy a limited-edition cup or “Jason’s Mom” hot sauce for $6.99, or simply give a donation at the restaurant.

Your Turn: Veterans, will you stop at Tijuana Flats on Saturday for half-priced entrees?

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

This Formatting Problem May Keep Thousands of Low-Income Kids From College

Thousands of high school students around the country may not be able to attend college when they graduate and you aren’t even going to believe the reason why.

The U.S. Department of Education has denied funding to a large swath of schools that applied for an Upward Bound grant to help underserved students pursue higher education.

The reason? Wait for it…

All 65 pages of the grant applications weren’t double spaced.

That’s right, folks. A minor formatting error that even most college professors would let slide is preventing kids from going to college.

The Upward Bound Program Is the Bee’s Knees

Upward Bound is a DOE grant program that helps financially-strapped high schoolers access college prep courses and funding to attend college.

It’s been kicking around since 1964 and serves first-time college-bound students from low-income families.

Without this grant money, many students — particularly in poor and rural communities — simply won’t make it into college.

Lighten Up, Department of Education

For the first time in the program’s history, the DOE required text in the Upward Bound grant application, including text on charts and graphs, to be double spaced.

Here’s what’s happening around the country at schools that overlooked this minor requirement.

Around 960 disadvantaged high school students may not receive college funding because the University of Maine at Presque Isle submitted two infographics with 1.5 line spacing. (Maine’s lawmakers are fighting back.)

University of Montana will shut down its entire college-prep program May 31 unless the DOE reinstates the funding it pulled over the double-spacing issue.

Over 100 low-income high school students will be dismissed from a college prep program at Wittenberg University because the budget section of its application violated the spacing rule of “no more than three lines per vertical inch.”

All told, more than $10 million is being withheld from more than 2,300 students at around 40 colleges — over grant submission errors that mostly involve double spacing issues.

The DOE Shouldn’t Be Casting Stones

It’s perfectly acceptable to hold schools to high standards when doling out money, but the agency holding the purse strings should take a long look in the mirror before drawing any hard lines in the sand over minor issues.

“On Feb. 12, the department’s official Twitter quoted the famous black American scholar W.E.B. DuBois, but misspelled his name as DeBois,” notes Times-Picayune columnist Jarvis DeBerry. “After Twitter users mocked the Department of Education for misspelling the name of such a prominent scholar and leader, the Department of Education tweeted, ‘Post updated – our deepest apologizes for the earlier typo.’”

“Apologizes,” indeed.

If the DOE wants to be such sticklers about formatting, its own Upward Bound Program web site, which hasn’t been updated since 2016, could use a little line spacing help of its own.

Your Turn: Do you know anyone affected the DOE’s fussiness over the Upward Bound Grant application process?

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She believes the DOE should offer all the students affected by the agency’s ruling its “deepest apologizes.”

Eat a Chipotle Burrito Recently? You Need to Check Your Bank Account ASAP

Chipotle just can’t catch a break.

Since the Mexican fast-food chain’s E. coli outbreak in 2015, the company has struggled to win positive headlines.

After Chipotle recently raised its prices by 5% at about one-fifth of its restaurants nationwide, some people were once again unhappy with the company.

You could say a dreary cloud has loomed over Chipotle for a while now, and this week’s debacle doesn’t help: On April 25, Chipotle announced that hackers breached its payment system.

Oh boy.

Hackers Breached Chipotle’s Payment System — How Are You Affected?

The Mexican fast-food chain’s quarterly earnings call started off stellar. The company announced same-store sales increased by 17.8%. It had experienced five quarters of same-store sales declines, so the news was promising.

So promising, in fact, that Chipotle Mexican Grill stock increased by as much as 6.8% after the report.

However, the call also included the announcement of the payment system hack.

Jack Hartung, Chipotle’s chief financial officer, stated that the company “detected unauthorized activity” on the network responsible for in-store processing of credit and debit card payments, according to CNBC.

Affected transactions occurred between March 24-April 18, 2017.

Why is this bad? A payment system breach puts sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, into the hands of criminals, allowing them to steal customers’ money.

Carissa Economos, a senior at The University of Tampa, told me about her concerns on Facebook.

“I’ve been there 3 times in the past week alone and now I’m kind of freaking out,” said Economos. “I’ve been checking my account and everything seems normal, but it’s crazy how such a large business can get hacked. It just goes to show that no matter how secure a network is, there’s always going to be a way in.”

Hartung said the company began an investigation immediately when it learned of the attack. A statement from Chipotle said the chain has taken steps it believes will halt unauthorized activity.

Chipotle said it’s too early to early to reveal the results of the investigation, though it says it plans to notify affected customers once it receives additional information.

If you’ve been to Chipotle recently, it would be wise to check your bank statements. Make sure to report any unauthorized activity to your bank immediately.

Hopefully Chipotle’s grief ends soon — I hear it might start offering dessert, but I’m not trying to get my credit card hacked while enjoying it.

Your Turn: Are you worried about the Chipotle breach?

Kelly Smith is a junior writer and engagement specialist at The Penny Hoarder. Catch her on Twitter at @keywordkelly.

This Change Could Mean Your Credit Score Goes Up (Even If You Have Debt)

For just a minute, forget all the bad news we get dumped on us every day.

Here’s an honest-to-goodness, real-life, genuine, bonafide bit of good news. Actual good news. Scout’s honor.

Next time you apply for a car loan, new credit card or an apartment lease, your credit score might be more forgiving — even if you’re carrying some debt.

Why’s that? Because one of the major credit scoring models is dramatically changing the way it looks at your debt.

VantageScore is a credit scoring model developed by the three major credit reporting bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax and Experian.

Beginning this fall, VantageScore will look more at “the big picture.”

That means it will evaluate the overall trends of your credit use over time, instead of simply judging how creditworthy you are based on one particular snapshot in time.

Here’s the upshot, according to the Washington Post: It will calculate whether you’ve been actually paying off your debt or just racking up more of it.

The website Lifehacker put it another way: “This could be a drawback for some consumers, but it’s good news for consumers who are actively working to pay down their debt.”

This is more good news for consumers. As we reported in April, 12 million Americans might see a credit score bump in July because the major reporting agencies are dropping tax liens and civil judgements from creditworthiness evaluations.

How to Make This Work For You

Of course, in order to make this change work in your favor, you have to actually be trying to pay off your debts.

When it comes to buying a house, most mortgage lenders use your FICO credit score, which is calculated differently.

However, many other lenders will be checking out your VantageScore before extending you credit.

Now more than ever, it’s important to tackle your debt. The conditions have never been riper to raise your credit score. Your chances of getting a favorable interest rate on your next auto loan or credit card depend on it.

How exactly do you do that? Here are three ways to get started:

1. Figure Out What You’re Dealing With

Map out exactly what kind of debt you have.

For example, which companies do you owe money to? Are any of your debts in collections? What are your minimum monthly payments on each credit card or loan?

An easy way to do this is to sign up with a free service like Credit Sesame. This tool shows your balance on any unpaid bills, credit cards or loans. It also offers tips on reducing your debt and raising your credit score.

2. Consolidate Your Debt

Once you fall behind, you may find yourself getting crushed by credit card interest rates north of 20%. You’ll never catch up that way. You’re spending so much on interest, you’ll never pay off your balances.

If you’re financially treading water like this, it might be worth consolidating and refinancing your debt.

By refinancing an existing loan, you’re taking out a totally new loan, which comes with new terms and (ideally) a lower interest rate. By consolidating your existing loans, you lump all your debt into one big payment, so you’re only making one payment and dealing with one interest rate per month.

Make sense but don’t know where to start? Credible is an online marketplace that offers consumers personalized loan offers. Think of it like Zillow — but for personal loans.

Rates start at 5.99%, and you can check yours by entering a loan amount here ($500 to $40,000) and comparing your personalized options in under 90 seconds.

3. Protect Your Identity

What if you work hard to pay down all your debt and you’re totally responsible with your credit going forward — only to take a hit because of identity theft?

We know you don’t want to risk all your hard work.

A free service like TrueIdentity helps you avoid this situation by keeping a watchful eye on your finances. It sends alerts by email, phone or text if someone tries to apply for credit in your name.

Again, now is the time to be doing all this. Since credit rating agencies are going to be evaluating the “big picture” of how you use credit over time, this is your opportunity to paint a prettier one.

Your turn: Do you know your credit score?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. May we all be a bit richer today.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Frankly, his credit score could be better.

Review: We Tried 4 Different Food Delivery Boxes and Here’s What Happened

Ordinance drives facility to Long Pond

On the heels of a new municipal ordinance regulating the growth and distribution of medical marijuana, a Long Pond company wants to develop a cannabis facility on property owned by Pocono International Raceway, Inc. in Tunkhannock Township, according to a notice issued by the township.The company, Natural Care, LLC, incorporated on Feb. 15 and lists itself as an agricultural business.The board of commissioners of Natural Care submitted a conditional use application to [...]

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The Penny Hoarder’s Ultimate Guide to Teaching Your Kids about Money

Every year during Financial Literacy Month — April — the American Bankers Association celebrates Teach Children to Save Day.

The holiday is part of the Teach Children to Save education initiative that bankers participate in year round. Today and throughout the year, bankers around the country reach out to kids in their communities to teach the value of saving.

Here Are Our Best Articles on Teaching Kids About Money

We’re not bankers, but we sure do support financial literacy for kids (and kids at heart)! Here’s the best advice we’ve found to help you set your kids up for a bright future.

What to Know — Even if You’re Bad With Money

Only 17 states require personal finance education — even though it’s proven to result in higher credit scores. That means it’s up to you to teach your kids about money, whether you’re an expert or not.

Do you worry about teaching your kids money skills, because you’re not so hot yourself? Take advantage of these seven everyday opportunities to talk to them about money — it’s simpler than you think!

It may be difficult even for adults to explain how compound interest works… Here’s how to explain it to your kids.

Worried about how much time your tweens are playing Minecraft? This should ease your conscience: It’s teaching them real-world money skills.

If you’ve got particularly enterprising kids or teens, encourage them to start a business. Here are 14 fun, age-appropriate ideas.

Extreme Methods From Real Parents

Ever thought about having your kids sign a contract for allowance? That’s how this dad is teaching his teenagers financial responsibility.

This rich dad sent his son away with no phone, no connections and no money to find work for himself. Hardcore!

It’s a never-ending debate: Should kids get an allowance?

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay won’t leave any of his money to his kids — here’s why.

Advice From Money Experts

No one wants a toddler who throws tantrums whenever they don’t get their way or a teenager who doesn’t appreciate what they’ve been given. (Er, we assume.) If you want to raise money-savvy kids who aren’t spoiled, try these nine tips.

What do your kids do with cash gifts from birthdays or holidays? Here’s what Suze Orman recommends.

We found a book club your kids will actually enjoy. And it’s all about money.

Talking About College

While higher education feels like a certainty for younger generations, what’s uncertain is just how they’ll pay for it. Help your kids get an education without a lifetime of debt by talking to them about it now.

(Pst, don’t know where to start the conversation? Our guide to student loans should help.)

When Your Kids Are REALLY Young

Think your kids are too young to talk about money? You can start at any age! Here are five things your 5-year-old should know about money.

This mom takes her toddler bargain hunting and gets her involved in cooking to teach her about saving money and budgeting for a family.

This family uses a jar budgeting method to teach their 6-year-old about budgeting, saving and even donating to charity.

Your Turn: What tips can you add for teaching kids about money?

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a senior 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).

Happiness and Spending Less Aren’t Mutually Exclusive

Boredom. Sadness. Jealousy. Frustration. Anger. Loneliness. Hopelessness.

Those are emotional responses that I hear about all the time from readers who are struggling with adapting to spending less money. At first, they find it to be a fun adventure, but over time, that “honeymoon” wears off and negative feelings begin to set in.

I’ll be the first to say that those negative feelings can be hard to deal with. I’ve dealt with them myself many times. It’s easy to get so caught up in the things that you don’t have, especially when they came so easy for you in the recent past. When a behavior was just a normal part of your life not all that long ago, it was likely because that behavior brought something positive into your life (even if it was balanced out by negative elements), and those negative emotions are the natural response to losing those positives.

Here’s the hook: Having those feelings is fine, but getting lost in them and giving up because of them is not.

Happiness and keeping your spending under control aren’t mutually exclusive states, even if it feels tough right now. Here are some practical things you can do right now to help bring those two things together.

Explore tons of new experiences.

Fill up your calendar with things you’ve never done before that you can dabble in without much expense. Go to a community game night and play a new board game. Go to a farmers market. Go to a religious service. Bake a loaf of bread. Listen to a podcast. Grab three balls and teach yourself how to juggle. Learn how to change the oil in your car. Introduce yourself to all of your neighbors. Go to a meetup. Go to a free community concert. Go to a free community theater event. Participate in a community theater event. Join a fantasy sports league. Go to the library and check out an interesting book to read. Teach yourself how to knit (this will cost about $3 in supplies). Take a ton of digital photographs of every beautiful place or thing you can think of and share them online. Visit a free museum. Learn about a topic that interests you. Make some origami. Make a YouTube video on a topic that excites you. Learn calligraphy with a ballpoint pen. Learn the basics of drawing. Practice jumping rope. Experiment with different bodyweight exercises. I can list this stuff all day long.

Remember, boredom is a choice. If you’re bored, it’s because you’re choosing to be bored. The world around you offers more avenues for exploration and experiences than a human ever has time to dig into in their life. If you choose to sit at home on the couch and be bored, that’s on you, not on your spending habits.

Related: 102 Things to Do on a Money-Free Weekend

Start a gratitude journal.

Each day, spend a few minutes thinking about five things you’re grateful for in your life as it is right now. What things do you already have that you appreciate? You can do this with a pen and any old notebook, or you can make an electronic journal using Evernote.

Here, I’ll start you off. Here are five things I’m grateful for today.

1. I’m grateful for the warm weather today, because I can just go outside whenever I like in a t-shirt and jeans and feel perfectly comfortable. I love the freedom of being able to just walk out my front door and go!

2. I’m grateful for my wife’s preparedness and how she thinks of things and prepares for them even when I miss them completely. She packed the backpack of our youngest child with a few items I hadn’t even thought about.

3. I’m grateful for my mother’s gentle cheeriness. She always manages to find that right amount of joyfulness when I talk to her that raises my mood without being annoyingly over-the-top cheerful.

4. I’m grateful for having some extra time today to fill however I want. Things clicked nicely into place to give me a nice window of unexpected free time.

5. I’m grateful for my daughter’s singing voice when she really concentrates on singing well. She’s got a very impressive vocal range with a low end that’s startlingly low for a girl of her age, and when she uses it well, it’s gorgeous.

All of those things are essentially “free” things that make my life better, and spending just a moment or two reflecting on them makes me realize that my life is quite abundant without spending a dime. In fact, if you make gratitude journaling a consistent thing, you’ll eventually wind up with the feeling that your life is incredibly abundant even without that extra spending you once indulged in.

Volunteer to help those less fortunate.

Quite often, we allow ourselves to be lulled into a state of believing that we have a bad lot in life, that the deck is stacked against us and that everyone has it better than we do. That type of thinking can quickly swirl into a backlash against spending self-control.

The most useful strategy for fighting against that cycle of thinking is to intentionally expose yourself to people who are substantially less fortunate than you, as it becomes a clear reminder of all of the fortune you actually do have in your life.

If you spend your time volunteering to help people who are struggling with physical, emotional, financial, professional, and other types of severe challenges in your life, it can make you aware very quickly that your life is incredibly blessed by not having those challenges facing you. Understanding all of the wonderful advantages you already have in life is an incredibly powerful way to put negative emotions about spending to have even more into check. You already have an abundance of goodness in your life, so why sacrifice your future to try to toss even more stuff onto a bountiful plate?

Use your financial progress as a point of personal pride by setting up a progress chart.

Whenever I’m feeling negative about making better day-to-day life choices, I often find that my positive feelings about those choices are greatly helped by actually seeing the progress I’ve made. For me, this takes the form of a simple line that plots my net worth over time, a line that’s steadily pointing upwards.

When I look at that line, a line that starts several years ago at a point well below zero and goes steadily upward to a net worth far beyond what I honestly believed I would achieve in life when I started, I feel a blossoming of pride in my gut. My efforts really are worth it. They really have changed things. When I look at that starting point, I find myself remembering the worry and pain of my situation when I started this journey and how I’ve effectively melted away the sources of those worries.

I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished – not in the beat-my-chest-about-it-all-day-long kind of way, but in the warm way that fills my chest up and fuels me throughout the day.

Try doing the same. Make yourself a chart that tracks your financial progress. Make sure to include your low point, that starting point that was so bad you felt compelled to change. When you feel down about things, look at that progress you’ve made and feel proud of it. You should feel proud!

Come up with some low-cost social activities for you and your friends and invite them to participate.

Have a potluck dinner party. Meet to play Frisbee at the park. Have a board game night or a card game night. Spend a day together doing a home improvement project at one friend’s house, then spend another day doing one at another friend’s house, and so on. Volunteer together for a political or social cause you both care about. Go to the beach together. Go on a hike together. Go to a museum together. Start a book club and request a bunch of copies of that book from the library. Make some homemade foods together (like a giant batch of home-brewed beer). Make a ton of meals in advance together for each of you to pop in the freezer.

There are tons and tons and tons of ways to do social things without cracking open your wallet. Loneliness brought on by a sense that you have to spend money to hang out with people is the result of a lack of imagination or a lack of a will to suggest anything, not by the false idea that saving money has to be anti-social.

Use the abundance of stuff in your closets.

If you’re like me, you have items from a bunch of different hobbies stowed away in your closet. Dig them out and dig into those hobbies.

In just the last few months, I dug out a few pieces of home exercise equipment and started using them regularly. I dug out a calligraphy set and made some calligraphy with my daughter and oldest son (my youngest one preferred to make “ink stains on the table” rather than calligraphy). I found some paints and some miniatures and spent a rainy afternoon painting them with my children and my wife. I found some old piano books, gave them to my daughter, and went through a few of the songs with her. I found a harmonica and dusted off my rusty skills.

Almost all of us have items in our closets that are keys to unlocking some of our deepest interests. They just got stuck in the closet in a moment of hurry and then life got in the way. Dig them out. Explore them again. You may find more joy than you think.

Don’t consume substances that contribute to melancholy.

For many people, alcohol can fill them with a sense of melancholy and sadness; for others, alcohol just amplifies whatever they’re feeling anyway, so it can amplify sadness. Many other substances have similar effects on one’s mood; they can make an already sad mood even worse and can amplify problems.

Your best bet is to avoid all of that stuff if that’s how it affects you. If drinking makes you feel sad, particularly if you find yourself drinking alone, just stop. Take a break from it. Don’t let a substance drag you down into a pool of melancholy.

It can be hard to break an addiction. Focus on taking one day at a time. Surround yourself with supportive people who aren’t also tied into that addiction. Look for new things in life. It won’t be easy, but it is possible. I’ve watched loved ones break substance habits and addictions; I know you can do it.

Get eight hours of sleep a night.

The science is becoming more and more clear that the further a person deviates from eight hours of sleep, the more likely they are to have adverse health and psychological effects. It can be really, really tempting sometimes to sleep less than eight hours per night – I know it’s true for me – and for some, more than eight hours of sleep is a temptation, but you should be shooting for a long-term average of eight hours of sleep per night.

Some common effects of not getting enough sleep in the short term include mood swings, irritability, lack of clarity of thought, dissatisfaction, and lack of productivity. Many people who consistently get less sleep than necessary essentially fold their personality around these effects and thus don’t see the negatives, but they’re virtually always there.

If you find yourself really struggling with negative feelings regarding your spending choices, get some sleep. Try to push your weekly average toward eight hours per night and see how that makes you feel. Remember, if the options are watching another hour of Netflix or getting another hour of sleep, sleep is almost always the better choice.

Get outside.

There are simply a ton of benefits to spending time outside each day. We live in a world that encourages staying indoors most of the time, but our bodies and minds are designed to spend significant time outdoors. The various biological and chemical effects of being outdoors have profound positive effects on a person’s mindset and health.

If you’re not sure where to start, start by going on a nature walk at a park. Just stroll through the woods at your own pace. If you feel like you need to be doing something, listen to a podcast or an audiobook, but there’s a lot of value in just tossing distractions and enjoying the moment. There’s quite a lot of evidence of the mental and physical health benefits of so-called “forest bathing”.

Going outside is completely free. It raises your mood. It clears your mind. It helps improve your health. It puts your focus on things that don’t involve spending money. It’s just an all-around win.

Get some exercise.

Almost everything that I just wrote about going outside also applies to exercise. It’s something you can do for free. It’s something that has proven physical and mental health benefits. It’s something you can do to take your mind off of spending. It’s just a win in every dimension.

You don’t have to rush out there and start killing yourself, either. Take it easy. Go on a walk. Do what my son likes to do, which is turn on music he likes and do a martial arts form to the rhythm. Pick up some weights.

I want to pause here for a moment and note that the last three items – getting more sleep, going outside, and getting some exercise – are all strategies for which there are proven mental and physical health benefits. Of course, this begs the question of how exactly that ties into being happier with spending less. The answer is simple: all three of those activities are free activities that have demonstrable positive effect in terms of lifting your overall mood and sense of well being. No matter what is going on in your life, better sleep, more outdoor time, and more exercise will put you in a better mindset. You’ll be less likely to fall into mental states that are governed by negative emotions, and thus you are less likely to harbor negative feelings about the changes in your spending.

In simplest terms, if you do things that are known to improve your overall mood and sense of well-being, you’re less likely to be pulled down into negative moods by your spending choices.

Talk to a trusted friend.

My final tactic is to simply spend some time talking to a friend that you deeply trust. It might be a sibling or a close lifelong friend or a parent or an adult child with which you have a strong relationship. You just need to identify someone in your life who cares deeply for you, even with your flaws, that you deeply trust.

Just talk to that person. Let the conversation flow freely. Talk about whatever’s on your mind and your heart. Listen to what they have to say, and ask questions to learn more about their challenges and ideas. Let the conversation go on and on until you’re both in a pleasant place of being talked out, then hug or shake hands and go on your merry way.

Why do this? First of all, such deep social contact is an incredible mood lifter. Strong relationships are also a powerful reminder of the abundance that we already have in life. Furthermore, these kinds of conversations often serve the valuable purpose of relieving some of the mental and emotional burdens we’re carrying, which can make it easier to handle other challenges in our lives.

As you progress through the challenges of changing your financial life for the better, remember that there are always positive actions you can take today to keep yourself on a good financial track, even when you’re not feeling happy about the immediate state of things in your life. You can overcome those melancholic moments without simply throwing money at the problem.

Good luck.

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The post Happiness and Spending Less Aren’t Mutually Exclusive appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Don’t Expect God Alone to Fix Your Financial Problems

Let’s start this off with a disclaimer: I’m not the world’s most religious woman.

I believe in God – the idea that we have a divine creator. I believe in destiny. I believe there’s a plan for every single one of us, even if we can’t see it yet.

I believe in the goodness of people; I believe in hope. I believe that when you treat others well, those good deeds come back tenfold. But that’s where the order of the universe ends in my book.

You see, I also believe in grit. I believe the best way to improve your life is through hard work and perseverance. I believe that making smart decisions can make you happier, healthier, and yes, wealthier. I also believe that poor decisions can leave you broke, unhealthy, and miserable.

I know from experience that you can sink or swim, fail or succeed, shrivel or thrive based largely on your own efforts. And I’m fairly certain that God can’t help you if you don’t help yourself.

So, I humbly ask a favor: Stop asking God to fix your financial problems.

The longer you wait to help yourself, the worse off you’ll be.

Why God Alone Won’t Fix Your Financial Woes

If that comes off as harsh, I totally get it. But please believe me when I say my intentions are pure.

As someone who writes about personal finance for a living, I’ve experienced a lifetime of teachable moments that led me to believe this needs to be said.

When you’re struggling with money, it’s easy to place your salvation in the hands of someone else – in this case, God. And no one should criticize your belief in a savior or your need to pray for help.

But it could be a problem if you have so much faith that you never take steps to help yourself.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen the exact scenario I’m describing damage lives for years. Plenty of friends and acquaintances suffer unnecessarily with credit card debt, budgeting issues, and income constraints. Many times, I have heard friends say they’ll just give their problems to God.

Praying for help is a beautiful gesture, but it’s not always enough. There are times in our lives where, to improve our lot, we have no choice but to back up our prayers up with action.

If you’re spending more money than you earn each month, you can’t expect a higher power to make the math work out. It’s possible you’ll have a revelation, receive an inheritance, or have your financial issues solved some other way — but chances are, the most surefire way to fix your spending habits is to change yourself.

But, you know what? Most people don’t want to hear that advice. Taking a critical look at your life and your own habits is hard. It’s a lot easier to ask God for help than to admit that you’re part of the problem. After all, that realization might mean changing your life in some uncomfortable ways.

We’ve all witnessed someone refusing to accept common sense advice that could improve their life. How many times have you heard someone say something like…

“I know I can’t afford this car payment, but I love having a nice new car! I’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t have the money for rent this month, so I might as well go shopping. God will sort it out.”

“My life is a mess, but I’m a good person. I know I’ll get what I’m due one of these days.”

Or, my personal favorite:

“This is all part of God’s plan for me. I have no power over my own life.”

That last one is probably the worst, mostly because people who believe they have no power over their lives have no incentive to make better decisions.

An acquaintance of mine is a perfect example of how damaging this type of thinking can be. Her financial life is in shambles, yet she insists it’s all part of a master plan. Between credit card bills, student loans, and poor spending habits, her family may never own a home. But she also admits to spending more money than they have, mostly because she doesn’t want her kids to “go without.” Recently, she charged an entire family vacation to her credit card without having any way to pay it off.

Her solution? She’s going to pray for one, because she doesn’t have one.

But the overdue bills keep coming, along with the problems they create. She could take steps to curb the family’s spending, she says, but she isn’t quite ready to sacrifice yet. And she insists that God is preparing to do amazing things in her life – if only she can wait long enough.

I’m not picking on this wonderful lady. I just wish she would stop using her faith in God as an excuse to sprint toward self-destruction. And I hate the fact that her situation might get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

Pray for Help, But Also Do This

It’s often said that, “God helps those who help themselves.” This isn’t to say that religion can’t be a catalyst for good things in your life. Instead, this phrase explains the painful truth that we often have to work for what we want.

If you really want a better life, you have to act. Realizing your spending habits may be part of the problem takes guts, but that’s only half the battle. Once you gain the courage to face your problems head-on, here are some steps to take:

If you’re struggling with poor spending habits, start tracking your spending from the previous month. A lot of times, seeing where your money is going in stark black and white is the best way to cultivate an attitude of change.
If you’re drowning in debt, explore the concept of budgeting to find new ways to pay off your outstanding bills – once and for all.
If you’re spending more than you earn, stop. Cut your spending hard – or quit spending money altogether – until you can find a balance between “needs” and “wants.”
If you can’t stop justifying over-the-top splurges, stop and take a long look in the mirror. Ask yourself what your family really deserves. Is it a lifetime of debt and “stuff?”

No matter what you do, stop asking God to fix everything while you quietly destroy yourself from within. Pray for self-discipline, not a money miracle. Stop burying your head in the sand while your problems get worse with each passing year. Demand to take back your power, and figure out what it will take to improve your life.

Once you stop expecting God to fix your finances and start taking steps to improve them yourself, amazing things can happen. But it has to start with you. It always has, and it always will.

Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer and the author of Zero Down Your Debt. Johnson shares her obsession with frugality, budgeting, and travel at ClubThrifty.com.

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OPENING BELL: US stock indexes tick higher in a mixed day for markets

Under Armour, PayPal and others joined the lengthening parade of big U.S. companies reporting bigger-than-expected profits for the first three months of the year. A drop in oil prices helped pull energy stocks lower.

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Here’s a Simple Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Roth IRAs

M&S boosts current account switching bonus to £185

Adam Williams

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M&S Bank has increased the reward given to consumers who move their current account, with £185 in gift vouchers now offered to switchers.

Customers who move to M&S Bank using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) with two active Direct Debits will receive a £125 M&S gift card when the transfer completes.

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Here’s How You Can Earn Up to $30/Hr by Driving Kids Around After School

The gig economy is saturated with ride-sharing services.

These money-making opportunities are appealing on several levels: set your own schedule, drive around, meet people, cash out…

But sometimes people are mean. Or drunk. And sometimes you might not feel super safe picking up strangers.

Are you nodding your head?

Enter: HopSkipDrive, an online ride-service platform that helps parents schedule rides for their kids ages 6 and older.

Right now, the service is recruiting CareDrivers in Los Angeles, Orange County and the San Francisco Bay Area. (It does have big plans to expand across the U.S.)

These CareDrivers can earn up to $30 an hour driving kids around.

Here’s what you need to know…

The Perks of Becoming a CareDriver with HopSkipDrive

“CareDrivers are caregivers first and drivers second,” Joanna McFarland, co-founder of HopSkipDrive, says. “They’re caregivers on wheels.”

As a CareDriver, it’s your job to tote kids to school, to afterschool programs, to soccer practice — you name it.

Although McFarland wouldn’t reveal exact numbers, she says HopSkipDrive has “hundreds and hundreds” of CareDrivers since March 2015.

What’s the appeal? CareDrivers, like other ride-sharing services, can set their own schedules.

“The beauty is it’s completely up to them — where and when, how much they want to drive,” McFarland says. “We bring the work to them. They determine their schedule.”

She says some CareDrivers might pick up a kid on their way to work in the morning and drop them off at school. Others might schedule full days, whereas some only work once a week.

Plus, making up to $30 an hour isn’t so bad either.

Want to Become a CareDriver? Here’s How

McFarland says ideal candidates are typically parents, empty-nesters or retirees — someone who understands the school pick-up line.

Other drivers include experienced nannies, elementary and middle school teachers, pediatric nurses and professional drivers.

And because you’re handling kids, you must pass a 15-point inspection, which requires you to:

Love kids and have at least five years of childcare experience

Have no criminal record

Have no sex offender record

Have a valid driver’s license

Have a good driving record

Be at least 23 years old

Own or lease a car that’s not more than 10 years old and that seats four to seven passengers

Have personal auto insurance coverage that meets state-required limits

Pass a 19-point vehicle inspection by a certified mechanic

Interview with the HopSkipDrive team in person

Complete an in-person driver orientation

Provide personal and professional references

Follow the HopSkipRules

Agree to the zero tolerance policy on smoking, doing drugs or drinking alcohol while driving

Adopt the zero tolerance policy of not touching electronics while driving

If you live in California, learn more about becoming a CareDriver.

If you don’t, go ahead and sign up for email updates — McFarland says HopSkipDrive has plans to expand!

Your Turn: Would you become a CareDriver?

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

PPI still dominates financial complaints

Adam Williams

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More than three million complaints were made about financial services firms in the second half of 2016, according to new data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The regulator reports that 3.04 million complaints were made by consumers to providers between July and December 2016.

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Revealed: 20 ways to beat inflation in May’s Moneywise out now

Helen Knapman

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From boosting your savings, to slashing food, energy and petrol costs, and to protecting your pension; May’s Moneywise reveals 20 top tips to help you combat rising inflation.

This month’s magazine, which is on sale in WHSmith now for just £3.95, also includes help for first-time buyers, easy tips to earn an extra £1,000 income, and top ways to make money from your old car and gold jewellery.

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