MAKE MONEY ONLINE POSTS: 05/22/17

الاثنين، 22 مايو 2017

Schliers buy Alpine Resort

Jim and Linda Schlier on Monday bought Alpine Resort in Price Township from previous owner Kevin Fabiano for $112,500."It was a steal," said Michael Baxter Jr. of Michael Baxter & Associates in Stroudsburg, who worked with father Michael Baxter Sr. and fellow associate Deron Erney on the sale. "Once our company was brought on board to handle the sale, it took a couple of months to work out all the details and finalize everything, but everyone walked away happy in the end. [...]

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The U.S. May (Finally) Get Paid Parental Leave Under Trump’s New Proposal

The United States may finally join the ranks of other developed nations around the world that offer paid parental leave.

President Donald Trump’s first budget proposal will include creating and funding a program that will give six weeks of paid time off for mothers and fathers following the birth or adoption of a child, the Washington Post reported.

This expands on the previous paid parental leave proposal that Trump touted during the presidential campaign in that fathers and adoptive parents are also included, not just biological mothers.

Families of all income levels would be included in the current proposed plan, though benefits would be capped for high earners, White House officials told the Washington Post.

The plan would be paid through the country’s unemployment insurance system and managed by individual states. It’s expected to benefit about 1.3 million parents and would cost about $25 billion over 10 years, according to White House officials.

Trump’s daughter Ivanka has advocated for paid parental leave and is expected to be involved in shaping the policy, the Washington Post reported.

The U.S. Lags When It Comes to Paid Parental Leave

Currently, the U.S. has no paid parental leave program nationwide. California, Rhode Island and New Jersey have individual plans in place, and New York and Washington D.C. have approved programs that will be put in place next year.

According to the Washington Post, 58% of American companies do offer some form of paid maternity leave and 12% offer some paid paternity leave.

New parents can take advantage of 12 weeks of unpaid time off through the Family and Medical Leave Act, as long as they have worked at their company for at least 12 months and their company includes 50 or more employees. Their jobs will be held for them, but parents who take this leave will not be able to collect any of their salary while they’re gone.

Money reports the U.S. is the only developed nation not to have paid parental leave, and the amount of paid time Trump is proposing pales in comparison to others. Amongst 40 other countries, the least amount of paid time given is two months, while some countries, including Japan, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic and Norway, offer over a year.

The White House will present the budget proposal to Congress Tuesday. The Washington Post reports the parental leave program may receive pushback from Democrats who desire a more generous plan and Republicans standing in opposition to paid leave programs. However, it’s possible both parties will unite on this topic.

“It’s a major step forward, and it’s better than zero, which is what parents are guaranteed now,” Jeffrey Hayes, program director of job quality and income security at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, told the Washington Post. “Trump is the first Republican in the White House to talk about this, so he could get some bipartisan support.”

Now if your expected child is not working on Congress’ timeline and you’re not employed by a company like Netflix, Etsy, Amex or Ikea, check out these 12 tips to survive parental leave without going broke.

Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She took advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act when she had her daughter but is fortunate she now works for a company that offers eight weeks of paid parental leave.

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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Want $250 a Week in Basic Income? Apply to Be Part of This Documentary

As it turns out, the Monday gods heard my pleas for a semi-pleasant transition back after a weekend spent deep in a wine-induced Netflix documentary binge and sent forth what might be my new favorite combination of words: free money + documentary film.

Did you just get goosebumps? I just got goosebumps. (Just kidding. Kind of.)

Here’s the deal: Two documentary filmmakers are currently searching for volunteers who will accept free money for two years and then be filmed while they figure out how to spend it literally however they want.

Yes, friends, you heard me right. You can indeed volunteer to be handed free money for two entire years. The only stipulation is you have to let someone film you making all of your financial decisions (the good, the bad and the downright ugly) for the entirety of that time frame.

(Side note: Isn’t it funny how two years of free money seems so hype until the moment you consider that a camera crew — and eventually the entire nation — will be watching you blow a week’s worth of cash on a single rogue Target trip?)

Exploring Universal Basic Income

The documentary, currently featuring the working title “Bootstraps: A Basic Income Film,” will explore the concept of a universal basic income, or UBI.

For those of you wondering, a UBI is defined by the Basic Income Earth Network as “a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement.”

The concept is that everyone in a society, regardless of prior means, education level, career, family size, relationship status — anything at all — is given a weekly stipend that covers basic living expenses, paid out in such a way that they are not limited in its spending.

But…Why?

The brains behind the operation, Deia Schlosberg and Conrad Shaw, are looking for a diverse group of people from across the country to film. The pair is passionate about the idea of a UBI, and they argue a film will speak to the hearts of the American people in a way that no academic research or paper possibly could

Schlosberg and Shaw are aiming to have the film finished by the time the 2020 election rolls around, as they hope it will be a good opportunity to sway the American people with a humanized approach that provides solid logistical evidence that a UBI is beneficial to society as a whole.

The documentary will focus on how the volunteers use their weekly income, and how their lives are changed by having their baseline living expenses covered.

By removing the regular financial stressors from each person’s life, the filmmakers hope to answer a pretty big question: “If you had the freedom to be independent of and unbeholden to any other person or employer for a source of life-sustaining income — the freedom from fear of homelessness and hunger — what would you dare to pursue?”

So far, the team behind the film has crowd-funded $50,000 to kickstart the project — enough to cover two people with a UBI of $250 per week for two years. They hope to eventually broaden the experiment to include 20 participants.

If you’re interested in volunteering to be featured in the documentary (or if you just want more info on the crazy world of UBIs), go to the film’s website here. To apply, select the “contact” tab at the top of the page and follow the instructions located there.

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s already planning her documentary-viewing weekend for the year 2020.

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The Real Winners at Some Awards Shows Are the Promoters

In some industries — like advertising — the awards show is just a giant money-making scheme. HowStuffworks looks at the awards show racket.

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This Work-From-Home Job Is Perfect For Night Owls or Early Birds

If you’re looking for a work-from-home job that doesn’t confine you to a 9-to-5 weekday schedule, here’s an opportunity you’ll want to check out.

Customer relationship management company Alorica is hiring work-at-home customer service representatives.

Alorica manages customer calls 24/7, and that means you can work evenings, late at night and weekends.

As a customer service representative, you’ll receive and process incoming calls for a variety of Alorica clients.

Responsibilities include taking down customer information, answering questions, resolving issues and presenting upsell opportunities on each call.
To land this job, you’ll need “exceptional customer service skills as well as patience and empathy,” according to the job description.

Alorica offers paid training at the minimum wage in your state or local area. Once you’ve completed training, your pay will be somewhere between the minimum wage in your area and $10 per hour.

You’ll need to meet a few requirements to be considered for this job, including:

High school diploma or GED

18 years or older

Ability to pass a background check and drug test

Basic computer skills

Available to work a minimum of 10 hours per week

Clear and distinct speaking voice

Passing score on job-related assessments

If this sounds like a job for you, head over to Alorica’s website to apply.

Don’t forget to check out our Jobs page on Facebook. We post new jobs there all the time.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She loves telling readers about new job opportunities so look her up on Twitter @lisah if you’ve got a tip to share.

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How to Retire at 50 in 7 Easy Steps

Will Trump’s Spending Plan Cut This Major Student Loan Forgiveness Program?

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people banking on your job in the public or nonprofit sectors to pay off your student loans, listen up.

The Trump administration is set to release its first detailed budget May 23 — and it could hit you hard.

Among its proposed budget cuts? The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, according to budget documents obtained by The Washington Post.

This means public school teachers, firefighters, health workers and others are facing a huge amount of uncertainty about their student debt.

What You Need to Know About the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

The Bush administration established the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program in 2007. It aimed to encourage college grads to seek jobs in public service or the nonprofit sector by forgiving their student loan debt after 10 years of service.

The Washington Post reports that at least 552,931 people are on track to receive loan forgiveness, with the first loans scheduled to be forgiven this October. It’s not clear how borrowers currently enrolled would be affected.

The program has been criticized for allowing borrowers to rack up hundreds of thousands in student loan debt to obtain graduate or doctoral degrees, though supporters argue that many public service jobs require advanced degrees.

In its 2015 budget proposal, the Obama administration suggested a $57,500 cap on the amount the program can forgive. (That cap was dropped from the budget, and no cap is currently in place.)

In March, the U.S. Department of Education said the student loan forgiveness letters the program handed were “not binding and can be rescinded at any time.”

People participating in the program have said they based many major life choices on the program. Some told NPR last month they passed up higher pay in the private sector to take advantage of the loan forgiveness program. Others said that cutting the program could cause them to delay their retirement and marriage plans, and even make them reconsider having children.

A White House official told The Washington Post that it’s too early to comment on the specifics of the budget, but had this to say:

“The president and his Cabinet are working collaboratively to create a leaner, more efficient government that does more with less of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars,” the official said.

Other Ways the Budget Would Impact Your Financial Aid

The elimination of public service loan forgiveness is part of a proposed $10.6 billion cut to federal education programs, according to the preliminary documents The Washington Post obtained.

The Trump administration says it’s focused on creating a leaner budget that focuses on school choice.

If you weren’t thinking about taking advantage of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, what’s proposed in the budget could still affect you or your children.

Other proposed changes that might impact your financial aid and/or student loan debt that you might want to take note of:

The cuts would slash work-study programs in half. That means if you’re working your way through school, you might have a harder time finding an on-campus work-study job in the coming years.

If you’re a low-income student who qualifies for Perkins loans, your financial aid award could be reduced because the budget would eliminate $700 million for Perkins loans. Pell Grant funding for students with financial need would remain in place.

The Washington Post reports the spending proposal would “take a first step toward ending subsidized loans.” The government pays the interest on subsidized loans while you’re still in school, meaning you could pay more in the long run if subsidized loans are cut.

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of borrowers facing uncertainty about your student loans, don’t panic yet. The president’s proposed budget typically goes through significant changes under Congressional scrutiny.

Of course no matter what happens, always talk to your student loan servicer about your repayment options.

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

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The Real Winners at Some Awards Shows Are the Promoters

Worried About Missing a Car Payment? Take These 4 Steps Right Now

The number of Americans using auto loans to pay for a car purchase is higher now than it has ever been, data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows.

But as more and more Americans are taking out auto loans to buy cars, more of these loans are going into default.

About 6 million people are currently more than 90 days late on auto loan payments, according to CNN Money. And those missed payments are putting more people at risk of repossession, which, in many lower income families, could mean no longer having a way to get to work

As with any debt, if you find yourself close to defaulting, don’t bury your head in the sand. The earlier you act, the more options you have to keep your head above water and your car in the driveway.

About to Miss a Car Loan Payment? Here’s What You Can Do

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has four tips for you if you’re on the verge of losing your car because you can’t keep up with the payments.

1. Determine If You Can Really Afford the Car

Take the time to look over your finances and decide if the expensive car loan is really in your budget. Maybe when you made the purchase you were in a different financial position than you are now.

If you have not yet defaulted and you can afford a car (just not the one you have), trading the pricier car in and downsizing to a more affordable option could be the solution for you if your current payments are eating away at your bottom line.

2. Don’t Dodge Your Lender

Whether you got your car loan through your bank, a local credit union or through the dealership itself, as soon as you realize that you may miss your first payment, your lender should be your first call.

Often, there may be options for you that could ease your financial burden and help you keep your car. Contacting your lender early shows that you intend to make good on your loan.

3. Change Your Payment Due Date

In most cases, the due date of your auto loan is determined by the date you bought your car. But some people could find it easier to pay on time if the date came after their normal pay date.

Your lender may be willing to make that tiny change for you and it could help ensure on-time payments that save you costly late fees.

4. Set Up a Payment Plan

Traditionally, most people make their car payments once a month, but maybe two smaller payments scheduled around pay day could make the bill more palatable if you’re on a tight budget. Others may want to spread their loan period over more time to reduce their monthly payment.

But those are only two options. Your lender may have more options that allow you to change the way you pay and create a plan tailored to you.

Of course, before you sign up for an alternative payment plan, make sure you understand how it will impact how much you pay over time. Do the math to make sure the short-term solution also makes long-term sense.

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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Questions About Avocado Toast, Paper Shredders, Hiking, Job Searching, and More!

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. The inevitable “avocado toast” question
2. Small balance for credit score?
3. Exact recipe for laundry soap
4. Destroying documents without paper shredder
5. Inactive credit cards
6. Selling a car
7. Frustrated with job search
8. Handling an old 401(k)
9. Credit card with positive balance
10. Saving old journals
11. Hiking bag contents?
12. Starting a campfire?

Last week, I tripped over a fallen tree branch and rolled down an incline. I didn’t break anything, but I pulled a muscle in my leg pretty badly. I can walk on it, but it hurts and I’m limping a little.

The funny thing with an injury like this is it reminds you how many little things we just take for granted in life. There are so many little movements that I do completely in stride most of the time, but now there’s this little sharp pain when I do them and it reminds me that, yes, I am moving my leg in this way.

So much of our life is taken for granted. I often feel like our life is akin to the planet Earth and at any given moment we’re only aware of what’s on the surface, when almost all of the mass of it is hidden underneath.

On with some mailbag questions.

Q1: The inevitable ‘avocado toast’ question

Thought you might want to comment on this for a reader mailbag. The reaction to this article has been largely negative (it was a little tone deaf) but I’m annoyed how everyone focuses on the specifics, like, “Well if I stop buying avocado and bread I can afford a down payment in 500 years.” The point is more about lifestyle inflation and spending less than you earn. Maybe it’s trite for you to address it, but I figured you would have an opinion on this story making the rounds on the internet.
– Benjamin

Tone deaf is a good description. Here’s a quote from the article:

“When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each,” [property mogul Tim] Gurner told the Australian news show 60 Minutes.

He’s making a solid point, but he phrased it in perhaps the worst way that he possibly could phrase it. Smashed avocados for $19 isn’t really a life choice that very many people are making, even people that are actually overspending a little.

Here’s a much better attempt at getting the same point across. “When I was trying to buy my first home, I had to make a choice between some of the more silly things that I wanted, like an expensive cup of coffee at the coffee shop, or contributing to my down payment fund.” It gets the exact same point across without the layers of judgment and negative stereotyping of millennials.

His core point is true: Every dollar you spend has an opportunity cost attached to it. If you spend $5 on coffee, that’s $5 that’s not going toward your house down payment. If you spend $19 on smashed avocado, that’s $19 that’s not going toward your house down payment.

That doesn’t mean that every fun dollar has to disappear and be sucked into your house down payment fund (or whatever your big goal happens to be). It just means that people need to recognize the choices they’re making, and sometimes changing the balance a little bit will get you the big results closer to what you want. Later in the article, this guy mentions traveling to Europe every year; that’s a good example of a reasonable cutback. If you have a “stay-cation” every other year, a modest vacation every fourth year, and then an expensive trip to Europe every fourth year, you’ll save yourself a lot of money and still get to enjoy Paris. You don’t have to give up everything.

Plus, there’s something called hedonic adaptation. If you keep filling up your life with expensive experiences, it’s not going to be long before those experiences no longer seem special at all. They seem normal, and you revert right back to the happiness level you were at before – except now you have a much more expensive baseline to maintain that happiness. Trust me – I’ve experienced this myself. You’re far better off having most of your days be as ordinary and low-cost as possible, because then when you do treat yourself, it feels really special.

Also, dude, if you’re spending $19 on smashed avocados, buy an avocado at the store for a buck or two and smash it yourself. It just requires a fork and a minute of effort and it’ll probably taste better because that avocado is ultra-fresh.

Q2: Small balance for credit score?

My credit score has been climbing these last few years as I pay down my student loans, and I’ve finally cracked the 800-mark. I’m aggressively paying off my loans and plan to pay off $18k in the next 18 months. I’ve already closed out a couple of the smaller loans and every time this happens, my score drops a few points. I expect this to continue as more accounts close.

My question is this: Should I pay down my student loans and retain a small balance (e.g. < $1) per loan to keep my accounts open to prevent my credit score from taking a big hit? My student loans are some of my oldest accounts open so they greatly impact my credit score both from a utilization/DTI standpoint, as well as average account age.
– Angela

You’re absolutely right in pointing to the reasons that your credit score is dropping a bit each time you pay off one of these debts. You’re likely having a small negative impact on your credit utilization ratio and you may also be affecting the age of your credit history, too.

So, what can you do about it?

The important thing to remember with credit scores is that it indicates to banks that you’re going to be a low risk and profitable customer for them. What banks really want to know is that you’re going to take out loans, pay them off at the minimum payments over time, and do so very reliably. That’s how banks make the most money, and that’s the kind of behavior that earns the best credit score. While paying off your loans early helps your financial state, it’s not exactly the ideal behavior for banks – it’s better than non-payment, but it’s not as good as paying things off steadily and slowly. That’s why rapid payoff will always earn you a solid credit score, but not a great one. Just keep that in mind – if you are as personally financially healthy as possible, your credit score will be good, not great.

Right now, you have a credit score of over 800. That’s extremely good and definitely puts you in the “prime lending” category. It’s very likely that until you have revolving lines of credit that are at least seven years old – meaning credit cards that are seven years old or older – debt payoffs will cause your score to drop a little when they happen. What you’re suggesting, if I understand it right, is that you pay down your student loans to a few dollars and then just sit on that to avoid the loss of a few credit score points. That’s an idea that has good and bad elements.

The good elements, of course, is that it will keep your score as high as possible, but we’re really only talking about a handful of points here. This isn’t going to make a giant difference in the big scheme of things. Each debt you don’t pay off likely amounts to 5-10 points, so it’s only a strategy that will help if it’s keeping your credit score above 700 or so (which is usually the cutoff for the best interest rates, more or less). In your case, your score is well above that, so there isn’t much tangible benefit.

The drawback, of course, is that it’s another account to manage and remember and another narrow avenue to identity theft.

My honest feeling, given all you’ve said, is that this isn’t going to provide enough benefit to outweigh the drawbacks. If you were close to taking out a large loan or if you had a credit score much closer to 700 than 800, this strategy might have more benefit than drawback, but your credit score is very healthy as it is and you’re just not going to get enough benefit out of not simply paying off the debts.

Q3: Exact recipe for laundry soap

In one place he has the recipe for laundry soap with two parts soap flakes and washing soda and one part borax. This week he seems to of having equal amounts of each. Which is the correct formula?
– Zoe

My current recipe that I’m using is equal parts borax, washing soda, and soap flakes. The container I have can hold two cups of each almost exactly, but what I usually do is if I notice it’s starting to get low, I just add one cup of each and shake it up.

The big reason I switched from the previous recipe of two cups soap flakes, two cups washing soda, and one cup borax is that I found myself regularly forgetting the exact mix. This resulted in me making a batch of the wrong proportions – 2 cups soap flakes, 2 cups borax, and 1 cup washing soda – and it did a perfectly good job, too. I didn’t notice the difference, in fact – I only realized it later when trying to figure out why the borax was gone so quickly.

The next time, I just used a cup of each and it seemed to work perfectly well and it’s much easier to remember, so I just stuck with it. I think that as long as you have all three ingredients in there and the proportions are somewhere between 1:1 and 2:1 between all of the ingredients, you’ll be fine.

Q4: HSA options

I currently have about $5,000 in an HSA earning about $3/month with no fees. My 401(k) is with Vanguard so I am more familiar with their investments. Do you suggest I transfer these funds to another HSA administrator with better returns? Vanguard recommends healthsavings.com and healthequity.com. Suggestions on either of these or any other options?

Also, how might I go about doing this? I am 25 and if I do not use these funds, I’d like to see a better return.
– Keith

It sounds like your current HSA is invested very conservatively. You seem to be acting under the assumption that this is effectively part of your retirement savings and that you primarily plan to tap this money in retirement, which means that you’d want to be as aggressive with this money as you are with your retirement savings. So, unless you have investment options with your current HSA that allow for that, your best option is to try to move the money.

It appears that the options you name are very similar, in that they are HSA-focused companies that allow investment in Vanguard funds. I do not have a particular preference between them and I do not see any major differences between the two after looking over the documentation.

Rolling over the money is quite easy. All you need to do is contact the place where you’re setting up an account and ask them for help with their rollover process. Different companies handle it a bit differently, but you want to make sure that there is no tax implication for you.

Related: How to Compare and Choose Health Savings Accounts

Q5: Inactive credit cards

I have received two notices from two different cards stating I have to make a purchase by xx date or they will close the accounts for inactivity. It seems I should be ok, but to be specific, I carry no credit card debt and have a consistently “excellent” FICO score. Am I ok just to let them close for inactivity, or do you suggest a different tactic?
– Janine

It depends heavily on your overall debt situation. I would expect a small downward bump in your credit score when the account closes, with the size of the bump depending on a number of factors. How long has your longest line of credit (credit card, usually) been open? The longer, the smaller the downward bump. If this is your oldest line of credit that’s closing, then the downward bump will be bigger.

A second factor: how much overall credit do you have? If a credit card closes, that changes your overall available credit, which can have a small impact on your score (usually a very small negative one).

In general, what you’ll find is that you just see a small negative bump in your score if you’ve already got a good credit rating and the card that’s closing is not your oldest card. You’ll rebound from that fairly quickly, provided you don’t keep closing cards.

Related: When Is It Safe to Close a Credit Card?

Q6: Selling a car

We have an extra car that we want to sell. We don’t want to trade it in as we’re reducing our car count. What do we need to do to sell it? Feels like a dumb question but there are no dumb questions!
– Tony

First of all, check out what needs to be done in your state to sell a car. Just Google “selling a car in ” followed by your state.

Most states follow some variant on the same procedure, which goes more or less like this.

You find a buyer through whatever method – Craigslist, etc. – and the two of you meet. You give the buyer the car keys and the title and the buyer gives you the amount of money owed. You then fill out a bill of sale together – probably two copies of it, one for each of you. Here’s a sample one. Basically, it contains the name and signature of the seller (the person on the vehicle title), the name and signature of the buyer, the date, the dollar amount, and all info about the vehicle, such as the make, the model, the VIN, and so on.

If the buyer can’t produce the money or only has a personal check, don’t hand over the keys and a bill of sale. Many banks will provide an escrow service where they neutrally hold onto the items until the money has been transferred, then release the items to the buyer, so you may want to talk to your bank about it if they’re not producing cash.

Each state has some variation on this process, but that’s the overall form of it. It’s not too complicated!

Q7: Frustrated with job search

I have been unemployed for seven months. I have been sending out a dozen or more resumes a week and have received exactly two interviews and didn’t get either job. I feel like I am completely wasting my time with all of this and I am feeling really frustrated and disheartened. When do I stop bothering and start a new career?
– Thom

My advice to you, as a job seeker, is this: Do not assume that a great resume and/or cover letter will get you a job, or even get your foot in the door. That’s just not going to do the trick on its own, not in an environment where HR offices receive hundreds of applications for one job. You’ve got to do extra to make yourself stand out.

Try this. This week, instead of sending in a dozen applications, pick three that really match what you have to offer. Make a great resume and cover letter and submit them, then wait a couple of days and actually call that company. Try to get the HR person responsible for the hiring for that job on the phone and make your case directly to that person. Even if you can’t do that, leave a message so that the person knows you’re interested. Then, wait a week and call and ask for updates.

This can be a lot of additional effort, but it’s a sure-fire way to get your name to stand out and appear as though you really want that job, and that’s often the difference when it comes to getting your foot in the door for an interview.

Note that this is just one strategy among many, but it hits home to the point that you need to go the extra mile to stand out.

Now, interviewing is a different ball of worms, but let’s focus on getting interviews first!

Q8: Handling an old 401(k)

From 2002 to 2009, I worked for a company that had an okay 401(k) plan with employer matching. I contributed to it without thinking because a mentor suggested that I do it and convinced me it was important but I didn’t really pay any attention to it.

Now I am starting to see the value of it. That 401(k) is still around and has grown in value a lot but it has some high fees associated with it. Is it worth the effort to roll it over? Are there any other considerations?
– Marvin

Assuming that the 401(k) is relatively small (less than $100,000 or so) and that there aren’t any extraneous factors, like having a large portion of your current or previous 401(k) in company stock, rolling it over is probably a good option if your current 401(k) is better than your old one,

If your 401(k) is large or if there are a lot of company stock issues involved, then you should probably talk to a financial advisor before making any moves so that they can look at your full situation. A fee-based financial advisor is what you want here as they will have no reason to try to encourage you to do something way outside the box.

Your company may occasionally bring in a financial advisor for advice and that’s the perfect person to talk to.

Q9: Positive balance on credit card

I have a credit card that has a positive balance on it. What kind of impact does that have on my credit score?
– Angela

It’s basically the same as having a $0 balance. The credit card company doesn’t report any balance to the credit bureaus and just marks your account as being in good standing, just as they would if your account had a $0 balance.

The thing to remember is that a positive balance on your credit card means you gave the credit card company more money than you owed them and they’re not going to hand it back to you. Your only option for getting it back is to use the card.

So, if I were you, I’d spend that balance on a typical purchase – like groceries. Just buy your groceries on that card, then pay the really low bill when it comes in to bring it to $0. That way, the credit card company isn’t just holding onto your money, because that’s effectively what’s happening now.

Q10: Saving old journals

What do you do with old journals once you’ve filled them up? Do you save them? The idea of having such personal thoughts sitting around in a box somewhere kinda worries me.
– Ken

I save my old journals digitally. I take pictures of all of the pages – it really doesn’t take all that long – and then save them on my computer. I usually then burn the journals.

I do actually look at them sometimes, which is why I save them. If I never looked at them, I wouldn’t bother. I like going back and reading about different periods in my life and how things have changed. My earlier entries were much more about listing the events of my life and over the years they’ve kind of shifted away from that and more into wrestling with what’s on my mind right now. I don’t know which is “better” or “worse,” just different. I get a lot more meaning out of the “wrestling with myself” entries when I reread them, but the others take me back to another place in my life really well and I wonder if the “wrestling with myself” entries will age as well.

I’ve decided to start saving at least a few of the paper journals, though, for my kids to have when I’m gone. I know that I would enjoy being able to look through my grandmother’s journals. She used to keep a journal/diary as well and was probably responsible for me taking it up.

I’m getting a lot of questions lately about hiking and camping, because I am a big fan of both of them as very frugal hobbies and talk about them on here sometimes. So, for a little while at least, I’ll be including two or three of them in each mailbag. Here are two recent ones.

Q11: Hiking bag contents?

What do you carry in your hiking bag? You mention always wearing one while hiking. Why?
– Jamie

I usually keep what’s known as the “essential ten” in there. These are ten items that are a good idea to carry along on any hike.

They include:

1. A GPS unit, plus a map and compass in case GPS fails
2. Sunglasses, to keep bright light out of your eyes
3. Sunscreen and bug spray, to prevent environmental discomfort and skin damage
4. Extra clothing, in case you soak your clothes – I usually just carry extra socks on a day hike
5. A flashlight, in case it gets late and dark
6. First aid supplies, in case someone gets hurt
7. A firestarter, in case I’m lost and need to stop for the night
8. Matches, to start that fire
9. A utility knife, for lots of rare cases
10. Extra food, again, in case of getting lost – this is usually just snack bars

I usually have a water bottle in a side pocket and an extra one if I doubt the availability of potable water (or a capsule for making water from a stream potable).

I’ve had to use everything on the list at various points except for the firestarter and the matches, as I’ve never wound up so lost that I couldn’t get back out with a flashlight, thankfully.

Q12: Starting a campfire?

I feel dumb asking this but here goes.

I really struggle to start campfires. I’ve watched I don’t know how many YouTube videos about starting one and yet I continually fail. The only way I can get one consistently started is to buy one of those “starter logs” and use that, but they’re ridiculously expensive. You can buy three nights of firewood for the cost of one of those logs.

Do you have any tips for this, like maybe a video that shows exactly what you do?
– Timothy

There is no dumb question, and even if there were, this certainly isn’t anywhere near that.

My “trick” for starting fires is to make my own firestarter “cubes.” All I do is save egg cartons – the paper/cardboard kind – and the dryer lint that I clean out of the dryer filter. Whenever we burn a candle, I put a little lint into each slot in the egg carton and then dump melted wax into each slot. Then, the next time we burn a candle, I add a little more lint to each slot and dump on more wax. Usually, after about five layers or so, the egg slots are full with a mix of lint and wax. Boom – 12 ultra-cheap firestarters. (I also use the “document destruction” method described in question 4 above.)

Then, when it’s time to make a campfire, I just make a little teepee shape out of a bunch of small twigs and scraps of wood, and then make a big teepee shape out of small logs above that. Right in the middle, I put two or three of these firestarters – I just tear them off the carton. I just light the firestarters and the fire eventually takes off. The flame starts on the cardboard part of the firestarter, starts melting the wax, and eventually gets enough heat to catch the lint on fire. The combined heat off of that much wax and lint is enough to get the small sticks going.

This works every time unless the wood is really wet.

Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

The post Questions About Avocado Toast, Paper Shredders, Hiking, Job Searching, and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Use This Daily One-Hour Digital Marketing Routine to Get 40% More New Leads Each Week

Routines. We all have them. Some we follow daily—consciously. Others we follow on a subconscious level, unaware of them.

Whatever they are, routines are incredibly powerful.

Over a span of time, the right routines can be key contributors to both our personal and business successes.

If you’ve read any of Tim Ferriss’ books or listened to his podcast, you know he’s a staunch supporter of routines.

In his most recent book, Tools of Titans, Tim discusses some of his personal morning routines, e.g., making his bed, meditating, and journaling.

He feels doing these things enables him to operate at a higher level and be more efficient and productive.

And you know what?

I totally agree!

Routines can be a huge help for boosting many different areas of your business, especially your digital marketing.

Developing certain routines has helped me get ahead, and I’ve even shared what a day of my life typically looks like.

Here’s a snippet:

Of course, that was back in 2011, and I’ve modified things a bit.

But the point is that creating and following an effective digital marketing routine can have a tremendous impact on all aspects of your business.

In this post, I’d like to provide you with an outline of tasks I recommend you work into your daily routine. They will help you generate up to 40% more new leads each week.

And don’t worry, the time commitment is minimal—roughly one hour.

But when done on a consistent basis, this routine will significantly increase your lead generation.

Let’s get to it.

The correlation between leads and sales

First, I’d like to briefly explain why effective lead generation is so important.

I probably sound like Captain Obvious by saying that leads are important, but I found some interesting statistics that paint a clearer picture of the exact correlation between leads and sales.

Here’s a screenshot from a HubSpot article:

And here’s a graph that illustrates how sales increase along with the volume of leads:

Notice on the far right side that 28% of companies with over a billion dollars in annual revenue generate over 10,000 leads per month?

Now look on the other end of the spectrum on the far left-hand side.

The overwhelming majority of companies (82%) with less than $250k in annual revenue generate 100 or fewer leads per month.

That’s not a coincidence.

The lesson here is get quality leads, and the sales will come.

Which areas should you focus on?

So you’ve got one hour to devote to digital marketing.

How do you decide where to place your effort?

As you probably already know, I hardly use any strategies at random.

I prefer to base my tactics on cold, hard data.

That’s why I think it’s smart to examine which lead sources are the most beneficial.

According to another study from HubSpot, the top three lead sources across the board are:

Social media
SEO
Email marketing

Besides a variety of techniques that fall under “other,” it’s clear that these bring the most leads.

Based on this data and my own experience, here’s how I suggest you spend the one-hour block of time you devote to boosting your lead generation.

Updating social media (15 minutes)

Considering the fact that social media ranked as the top lead generation tactic for B2C and B2B2C marketers, that’s where I recommend you begin.

More specifically, spend roughly 15 minutes updating your accounts.

When it comes to posting, it’ll depend on the social platform.

For instance, most experts agree one post per day on Facebook is plenty.

However, tweeting 15 times per day on Twitter is quite acceptable for most brands.

If you’re uncertain just how much you should post, check out this post from CoSchedule.

It takes data from 10 separate studies to explain the ideal social media content volume.

I’m not saying you need to follow it to a T, but it should provide you with a general baseline.

Since you’ll want to update multiple times a day on certain networks, such as Twitter, I recommend batching—the process of taking care of your day’s work in one sitting.

In fact, batching is a scientifically-backed method for increasing efficiency, which I practice on a regular basis.

Two specific tools enabling you to batch like a boss are Buffer and Hootsuite.

For instance, you can auto-post across several networks like it’s nothing.

You can even auto-schedule days or weeks in advance.

Engaging on social media (5 minutes)

The second part of your social media session should be spent on engaging with your audience.

I find this to be less time-consuming than updating, and it can usually be done in around five minutes, assuming you’re not a massive brand with a huge following.

Spend this time responding to comments, leaving a comment or two, and generally interacting with your audience.

Perform SEO research (20 minutes)

Now, let’s tackle SEO.

I don’t think I need to tell you how important having a presence in search engines is.

If you need a reminder, consider this:

93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
81% of people perform some type of online research before making a large purchase.
57% of B2B marketers stated that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiative.

Time spent on SEO is time well spent.

But which specific SEO tasks should you focus on?

Here’s what I suggest.

Identify keywords

Sound keyword research is still very much integral to effective SEO.

Although keywords don’t play as big of a role as they used to (remember when good ol’ fashioned keyword stuffing could help you rise to the top?), they’re still important.

I like to conduct brief keyword research sessions, where I look for opportunities and take note of anything that looks promising.

I can quickly reference those keywords later, when I’m writing a blog post and deciding on phrases to use in titles, meta descriptions, and so on.

More specifically, I like to target long-tail keyword phrases.

Long-tail phrases not only make it easier to rank but also have higher conversion rates.

For a comprehensive guide on long-tail search, check out this post I wrote on NeilPatel.com.

Analyze your SEO

I think we can all agree there’s an inherent level of instability to SEO.

It’s perpetually in flux.

For this reason, you should constantly keep tabs on the current state of your site’s SEO.

Consistent analysis will help you identify trends and patterns that can be quite useful.

This could be something as basic as determining which keywords are bringing in the most traffic or something as complex as analyzing your link profile to spot unsavory links to disavow.

It really depends.

Of course, you’ll need the right tools to properly analyze SEO.

For an overview of popular tools, refer to this post from HubSpot.

I’m also really big on using Google Search Console.

If you’re unfamiliar with how it works or how to use it, just read this post I wrote.

Keeping tabs on SEO in this way will help you correct mistakes early on and capitalize on key opportunities.

Email (20 minutes)

Last but not least, there’s email.

Some of you may find it strange I included this considering it’s pretty antiquated.

But all I care about is results.

As long as a tactic generates leads, it’s worth my attention.

And the bottom line is that email marketing gets results as long as you do it right.

Just check out these stats:

So devote the last 20 minutes to email.

It’s way too easy to get sucked into the black hole of email, wasting time on useless messages, marketing spam, or unnecessary chit-chat.

I get a ton of email, so I have to prioritize my time and energy when I attend to it.

With that being said, here are some tasks and activities you’ll want to engage in:

Writing email blasts – The ideal frequency varies, but “17% of companies are sending 4 – 5 emails a month to their contacts, 8% 6-8 times, and 8% more than 8 times a month.”
Researching ideas for potential email topics
Managing email distribution
Analyzing your email marketing strategy (e.g., examining churn, why people are unsubscribing, your click-through rate, etc.)
Making adjustments where they’re needed.

Conclusion

Routines are important.

Developing a practical and tactical digital marketing routine can be your ticket to generating a high volume of leads that can take your business to the next level.

In fact, following this specific formula could very well help you bring in 40% more new leads each week.

Doing so will enable you to maximize your effort and accomplish more with a nominal time investment.

But here’s the thing.

You need to stick with it. This is super important!

To see real success requires that you follow this routine pretty much on a daily basis.

Not that you need to become a workaholic, but consistency is key here.

Do you follow any certain routines to optimize your marketing?

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Want to Make Money Driving? Here’s the Difference Between Uber and Lyft

OPENING BELL: Defense and aerospace companies lead US stocks higher

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are broadly higher Monday morning as the market bounces back from a turbulent week. Defense contractors are making some of the largest gains and materials makers, technology and consumer-focused companies are all rising. Ford is up after it replaced CEO Mark Fields, while chemicals maker Huntsman is rising after it agreed to combine with Swiss competitor Clariant. KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 9 points, or 0.4 percent, [...]

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Hilton Needs People to Work From Home in 29 States (Pay Starts at $9/Hr)

Do you have excellent customer service skills, the ability to troubleshoot problems and a desire to work from home?

Hilton may just have the perfect job for you.

The global hotel chain is looking to hire full-time remote reservation sales associates.

As a reservation sales associate, you’ll answer customer calls in a friendly manner and respond to inquiries regarding availability, accommodations, sales promotions, transportation to and from properties and more.

Pay starts at $9 an hour, with performance-based incentives, according to Hilton’s job preview for this position. Incentives could bump pay up to $14 an hour.

Jobs benefits include discounted rates at Hilton properties for employees, plus their family and friends.

Schedules are flexible, but this position is for a 40-hour work week. You may also be required to work weekends and holidays.

While this is a work-from-home position, the company needs these employees to live in the following 29 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

How to Land This Work-From-Home Job with Hilton

For this gig, Hilton is looking for someone with at least one year of experience in a customer-oriented or sales role.

You should also have at least six months experience in a sales-oriented, performance-driven role where you’ve had to successfully meet metrics or goals, upsell or cross-sell, overcome objections and use negotiating skills.

A college degree is not required.

Job candidates also should:

Have a positive attitude with high energy
Have strong communication and active listening skills
Possess excellent customer service skills
Be computer literate
Be able to provide a quiet work environment, free from noise and distractions

Bonus points if you have a hospitality industry background, experience with virtual training or previously held a work-from-home job.

Job interviews and training will be done virtually.

Once you’re hired, the company will provide you with specific hardware to get the job done. However, you’ll need to already have:

A monitor
Landline phone with dial pad and a dedicated number (no cell phones)
Headset compatible with phone
Speakers
Webcam
Surge protector
High-speed wired internet connection (wireless is not permitted)

Watch this video to learn more about the reservation sales role. If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, apply here.

If you’re interested in other work-from-home jobs — or jobs in general — then make sure to like The Penny Hoarder Jobs on Facebook.

Your Turn: Will you apply for this work-from-home job with Hilton?

Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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Got a Suspicious Pop-Up? 8 Ways to Protect Yourself From Tech Support Scams

Internet scammers are savvy. They have to be. How else would they be able to swindle thousands of people out of millions of dollars?

One scam in particular has sent the Federal Trade Commission on a warpath this week as officials filed 16 new actions, including legal complaints, settlements, indictments and guilty pleas against deceptive tech support companies.

These scams generally work the same way: A pop-up in your internet browser will instruct you to call a toll-free phone number to get help with a security issue or risk losing your data.

Once the scammers have you on the phone, they will attempt to gain remote access to your computer to run fake security scans and eventually try to sell you expensive software you don’t need to solve your fictitious problem.

According to the FTC, this scam has already cost consumers millions of dollars in hard-earned cash. Although the FTC’s legal battle against the scammers could slow down scammers, there are several steps you can take to make sure your money stays with you.

Protect Yourself Against Tech Support Scams

The FTC recommends taking this series of steps to avoid being the victim of a tech support scam.

1. Keep Your Security Software Updated

It’s important to keep your anti-virus software updated and know exactly what an alert from that company looks like. If you do that, it’s less likely a scammer will be able to fool you with a look-alike. This will also help fight back against any malware a scammer could potentially install.

2. Don’t Call the Phone Number

The scammer’s goal is to get you on the phone and convince you they are real tech support employees. That way, when they offer you services or software, you will be willing to pay up.

Remember, Microsoft will never display a pop-up warning asking you to call a toll-free number to talk about viruses or security problems on your computer, the FTC said.

3. Never Give Anyone Control of Your Computer

If you make the mistake of calling the phone number and the person on the other end asks you to give them remote access to your computer for any reason, don’t do it. Hang up immediately. That same rule applies if the person asks you to send money for any software or service.

4. Report it to the FTC

Although you WON’T be calling the toll-free phone number, don’t just close the pop-up. If you see something suspicious, make sure to report it to the FTC. Record as much information as possible, including the phone number the pop-up prompted you to call. That could help the FTC in its effort to catch the scammer and protect other people from getting swindled.

5. Spread the Word

Once you’ve reported the incident to the FTC, be sure to tell your family and friends about it, too. Sometimes, letting loved ones know this type of crime exists is the best way to protect them.

6. Never Share Your Passwords

Don’t share passwords to your computer or private accounts with anyone. If you’ve already done this, make sure to change those passwords immediately on every account that might be compromised.

7. Do You Need Tech Support? Find the Right Phone Number Yourself

Of course, there may be times when you need someone to walk you through a security issue. While you should never call the phone number in a pop-up, you can still feel comfortable calling your security software company directly. Just be sure to look up the correct phone number on its official website.

8. Think You’ve Been Scammed? Call Your Credit Card Company

If you’re finding our advice a little late and already missed the chance to follow all the steps above, it’s not too late. The scammer may have your money, but you can still call your credit card company to ask it to reverse any fraudulent charges. Be sure to keep checking your statements to make sure no future charges appear.

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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Get the Vacation You’ve Been Craving on a Budget: Go Camping

Give Your Home an Outdoor Makeover on the Cheap

If you believe everything you read in the Lowe’s or Home Depot mailer, you probably think you need a new grill, decorative stones leading to your glamorous garden shed, and protective paint on the floor of your garage. And you absolutely need amazing new flowers in new pots with new spring colors, along with a new layer of mulch, new decorative rock, and a wind chime for good measure.

While all of these purchases can absolutely improve your home’s look this spring, these kinds of home upgrades can become costly – especially if you do them year after year. One season’s worth of mulch alone can cost $100 or more (depending on the size of your beds), and new shrubs, flowers, decorative items, and plants can set you back even more. And once you start upgrading, it can be difficult to stop.

So, how can you save money while keeping your home in tip-top shape? Here are some tips to spruce up your yard without spending a fortune.

#1: Tackle one project at a time, and ignore the rest.

At my house, we tend to take an either/or approach to home maintenance each spring; in other words, we tackle one project each year, and leave the rest alone.

This year, we bought a new garden shed… and that pretty much wiped out our yard maintenance budget for the year. To make up for it, we’re skipping the mulch altogether (we’ll survive), reusing all our pots from last year (except for one that busted), and trying not to buy anything else.

#2: Ask friends or neighbors to split their plants.

While not all plants can be divided and shared, some absolutely can – perennial plants are naturally inclined to spread. And if you’re trying to save money on lawn upkeep, it’s hard to beat free plants.

Kim Anderson of Thrifty Little Mom says her money-saving strategy for this year includes taking advantage of as many freebies as she can.

“My mother-in-law divided hostas she had in her yard and we transplanted them in our yard to make it look nice at no cost,” says Anderson. “Now, each year we can divide and transplant the ones we have to create more plants without spending money.”

#3: Lay long-lasting rock when you can.

Rock is easy to maintain and almost never needs to be replaced. Aside from pulling weeds that sprout up between your rock landscaping, you’ll have little work to do all year long.

Amy Blacklock of Life Zemplified says she set herself up for savings a few years ago when she gave up on struggling shrubs and chose to “plant” rocks instead.

“We finally tackled the overgrown shrubs on the side of our home we purchased two years ago. Because the area doesn’t get much sun, we decided to make a rock garden instead,” Blacklock says. “We purchased some pebble stones on sale and gathered numerous large stones and rocks from our field and our surrounding neighbors’ yards and fields. We then added a few potted plants that grow well in shaded areas.”

Keep in mind, you can buy 0.5 cubic feet of river pebbles for as little as $3.50 at Walmart. And you may never need to replace it again.

#4: Quit trying to keep things alive that shouldn’t be.

If you’re tired of paying for water or to replace plants that always seem to struggle, you can save money and hassle by giving up. If you live in a desert, for example, growing grass is an uphill battle that you will surely lose – but only after you spend a boatload of cash.

Aaron Crowe of Cash Smarter figured this out the hard way during California’s long drought that only recently came to an end. “After letting the grass die for years, because wasting water on a lawn in the backyard seemed stupid, we had the backyard covered with wood chips instead,” she says. “We’ve added lawn furniture and a hammock, creating a great outdoors area with minimal weed picking and upkeep required.”

#5: Hire a landscape designer to create a plan, but do the work yourself.

Perhaps you want to completely overhaul your yard, but you barely know where to start. If you’re willing to do most of the actual work but need some guidance on layout, materials, and plant selection, Cheryl Reed from service review site Angie’s List suggests hiring a professional for design work only. After an on-site consultation, they’ll come up with a master plan for your yard – and you can either have them do the work, or chip away at it yourself.

“If your plan is truly transformational, consider investing in hiring a landscaping pro to give you a plan that you implement yourself,” says Reed. “There’s a cost here, but a pro will have a better idea than you about what will work best, and it’s the perfect way to establish that phased-in approach to creating your best yard.”

#6: Explore the magic of paint.

Whether we’re talking about upgrading your home’s interior or exterior, it’s amazing what a can of paint can do. Paint makes surfaces appear cleaner and better maintained, and a cute color can brighten up any home or garden.

“Paint usually helps a lot!” says Mary Shockley, a Realtor in Florida. “Can you paint your sidewalk, front door, garage door?” With around $20 in paint and a paintbrush, you can liven up your home’s curb appeal.

Shockley suggests talking to a specialist to see what paint would be best for the surface being painted. And while you could go with a solid color you’re already comfortable with, new paints (including textured options) on the market can create some pretty cool effects for outdoor surfaces.

#7: Experiment with solar lighting.

If you want to spruce up your yard without any ongoing expense, solar lighting can highlight the beauty of your home – and add some utility and safety to walkways as well.

“An easy way to improve the look of your front and backyard is by installing strategically placed solar powered lights,” says Evan Harris of CD Equity Partners.

“Whether you’re looking to illuminate your yard for security reasons or simply to highlight certain features, investing in solar powered lights is an easy and cheap way to upgrade your home’s exterior. Better yet, they require very little maintenance after installation.”

You can get a 10-pack of outdoor solar lights for around $22 at Lowes.com.

#8: Give everything a good cleaning.

If you don’t want to make any extreme upgrades, giving your home’s exterior a good cleaning can help brighten things up. Use Brillo Steel Wool Soap Pads to scrub outdoor garbage cans, clean up your grill, and remove grime from outdoor children’s toys and outdoor tables and chairs.

Sweeping your driveway, sidewalks, and garden pathways will also help, as will picking up trash and debris.

Borrow a power washer to spray down your deck and your exterior siding. Lastly, wipe down your windows to make your home appear shiny and clean.

Related: A Frugal Spring Cleaning Checklist

#9: Dress up your patio.

If you plan to spend a ton of time outdoors this year, upgrading your patio might be worth it. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, however. Most of the time, you can spruce up the place with some pretty pots and plants.

“Every porch or patio needs greenery,” says Lisa Melone Cloughen of Melone Cloughen Interiors. “Think containers, mixing a variety of urn and planter styles. Mix larger scale classically inspired urns with mid-century drip glaze pots and sleek glazed or zinc contemporary urns,” she says.

Melone Cloughen suggests filling the larger urns and some smaller ones, too, with a variety of plants based on color, texture, and dimension. Consider mixing taller plants with ivy and moss spilling over the sides.

“Bold color combinations such as orange and purple look really great too, and for smaller, tabletop arrangements consider a mix of succulents, all of which add to the visual interest of the space.”

The Bottom Line

If you want to improve your home’s look without overspending this year, the best thing you can do is ignore most of what your home improvement store says. Take a close look at your home, yard, and garden and determine what you really need to enjoy your outdoor space before you head to the store. If you go with a list of upgrades and a budget in mind, it’s a lot easier to avoid getting sucked into spending more than you planned.

Also remember it’s impossible to keep up with the Joneses. We all have those neighbors who spend thousands making sure their yard is in tip top shape. While there’s nothing wrong with taking pride in your home, you shouldn’t have to spend a bundle to create a clean and sophisticated look. By strategically investing your money into a few upgrades every spring, you can ensure your home looks well-maintained and presentable all year long.

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.

Related Articles:

How are you saving on landscaping this year? What tips would you add to this list? Please share your spring yard strategy in the comments!

The post Give Your Home an Outdoor Makeover on the Cheap appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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How a Gym Membership Helps Me Get More Freelance Work Done

Check if your household is due £117 in overpaid energy bills

Helen Knapman

bill-payer.jpg

Four in ten households (42%) could reclaim a collective £1.3 billion from suppliers for energy they paid for but didn’t use over the winter months.

According to research from price comparison website uSwitch, the average household paying by direct debit and in credit could stand to reclaim £117, while 7% could be owed more than £200.

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Game On! These 13 Scholarships Will Help Student Athletes Pay for School

When I was in high school, I dreamed of being a student athlete.

They were popular, good-looking and had all the extracurriculars to make college admissions counselors swoon.

Now that my 10-year reunion has come and gone, I’ve come to terms with my lack of athletic finesse, but I’m still envious of those sports scholarships.

If you think only the best athletes in the country get scholarship offers, well, you’re right. Just 2% of high-school athletes receive athletic scholarships, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Even so, the average athletic scholarship is only around $10,000 per year. Factor in the cost of room and board, a meal plan and out-of-state tuition, and you might wish you’d played chess at community college instead.

13 Athletic Scholarships for College-Bound Students

Luckily, some organizations have identified the gap in athletic scholarships and are helping to bridge it.

So whether you’re an all-star prodigy or just like playing pick-up on the weekends, you might be eligible for a number of fitness and athletic-based scholarships.

1. Wear Action Scholarship

Are you obsessed with your step count? Then this scholarship is perfect for you.

Wear Action is a website dedicated to education on wearable technology. It offers a $500 scholarship each year to any high-school or college student with the best 700+ word essay on the impact fitness gadgets have on our lives.

You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be a U.S. citizen to apply.

The annual deadline is in February.

2. NSCA Foundation Scholarship

If you’re pursuing a career in strength and conditioning, such as physical therapy, coaching, or personal training, the National Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation awards scholarships in five different categories every year.

High School (for seniors entering college)
Challenge Scholarship
Jerry Martin Scholarship (specifically for students wanting to become strength coaches)
Minority Scholarship
Women’s Scholarship

Applicants are judged on a number of categories including NSCA involvement, financial need and an essay.

Scholarships are worth $1,500 each and students must be current NSCA members by the application deadline. The number of awards hasn’t been disclosed for 2017, but in 2016, there were 38 scholarship winners across the five categories.

The deadline is in March annually.

3. Sports Unlimited Scholarship

Sports Unlimited awards one $1,000 scholarship annually to a college freshman or sophomore or high school senior.

Its unique essay question asks you to identify a piece of gear or equipment used in a sport and to describe how and why to improve it. My pick would be lacrosse sticks, with a glow-in-the-dark paint job.

The deadline is April 25, 2017.

4. Fitness and Education Scholarship

If you plan to major in a health- or fitness-related field at a four-year university, Ironcompany sponsors this $2,000 scholarship annually for an incoming college freshman.

Students must have a 3.0 GPA or higher and explain what makes you passionate about fitness in an essay using fewer than 500 words.

The deadline is May 1, 2017.

5. Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship

The Positive Coaching Alliance awards high-school juniors $1,000-$2,000 scholarships based on their essays about improving themselves, their teammates, and the game.

Students must reside in the U.S. and play for a high school team or in club sports. The organization awards a minimum of 62 scholarships every year.

The deadline is May 31, 2017.

6. BigSun Scholarship

High school seniors and college students can apply for BigSun Athletics’ BigSun Scholarship.

Students must be engaged in a sport of any kind and apply with an essay describing how their participation in high school sports influenced them.

The deadline is June 19, 2017.

7. USATF Kim Haines Academic Excellence Grant

Student athletes who have been members of USA Track and Field for the two most recent consecutive years and have competed in one of the qualifying championships can apply for one of 10 grants from $500-$1500. The award amount is based on GPA.

The deadline is July 30, 2017.

8. Thomas “Sarge” Johnson Scholarship

These 11 scholarships are available for active USA Boxing members who have have competed in at least two sanctioned bouts in this year, as well as each of the last two calendar years. Applicants should have completed at least one semester in a college, technical or vocational school.

There are two trade school awards for $2,000 each, seven undergraduate awards for $3,000 each and two graduate awards for $2,500 each.

The deadline is Sept. 15, 2017.

9. Focus Fitness Scholarship

Focus Fitness teaches at-home bodyweight exercises and proper nutrition. Its annual $3,000 scholarship is open to all college students in any major, but special consideration is given to students committed to living a healthy lifestyle.

You’ll have to write a 1,000-1,500 essay about why you chose your major and what you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The deadline is Dec. 1, 2017.

10. Yoga Alliance Foundation Scholarship

If you’re more of a sun warrior and a four-year university isn’t your thing, then you can apply for one of the Yoga Alliance Foundation’s nine yoga education scholarships.

Awards are biannual. The spring deadline is in May, and the fall deadline is in August.

11. CaptainU Student-Athlete Scholarship

CaptainU is a site that allows student athletes to promote themselves to colleges and helps college coaches manage their recruiting efforts.

High school and junior college students who play sports and plan to attend a four-year college can apply for this $2,000 award by completing a profile and promoting themselves and CaptainU on social media.

This scholarship has a quarterly deadline.

12. Lawrence A. Golding Scholarship

The American College of Sports Medicine honors one undergraduate student at its annual ACSM Health & Fitness Summit with $1,000 in scholarship money and $1,000 credit to the ACSM store for DVDs, books or wearables.

Sophomores, juniors and seniors in college who have made a significant contribution to their community in the areas of health, fitness and/or education can apply.

The deadline is in November annually.

13. Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Scholarship

For high school seniors entering a four-year, accredited U.S. college or university, Foot Locker awards $20,000 scholarships to 20 students each year.

Of those, one scholar will be selected for the Ken C. Hicks Scholarship, receiving an additional $5,000 award.

Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, be a member in good standing of a high school sports team or be involved in an after-school sport.

The deadline is in December annually.

Jen Smith is a writing intern at The Penny Hoarder and blogger behind Saving with Spunk. She’s a recreational runner who spends more money on her sport than she will ever get back.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2qGNJVT