By Christy Schutz When most people think of Twitter, they think about the fun, quick updates they see from their friends or celebrities. The fact is, they hardly ever think of it in terms of job search. But the truth is it can be a really handy tool for searching for jobs – even work-at-home […]
The post Five Ways to Use Twitter for Your Job Search appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.
For most kids, summer is a blast. Freedom, no homework, sleepovers and sleeping in.
But hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, and according to a report by Feeding America, more than 13 million kids and teens live in households that can’t consistently provide nutritious meals.
In the dog days of summer, schools can’t be the ones to help provide every kid regular lunches — and only 1 in 6 students who qualified for reduced lunch programs in the 2014-15 school year also received free lunches in the summer.
So libraries have stepped in to help.
With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program, libraries across the country are providing free lunches for students 18 and younger. No library card required.
“Libraries see that kids in their communities are hungry,” California State Library programs consultant Natalie Cole said in an interview with The New York Times. “We are not only providing meals. We are providing learning opportunities and keeping kids reading all summer long.”
Although summer is nearing its end, there are still plenty of libraries participating in the Lunch at the Library program.
The USDA has a handy map to help you find the closest site serving free summer lunches. Just click on the “Find Sites” button and enter your address, or even just your city, to find the nearest location.
And the best part is that the USDA’s program isn’t limited to just libraries (though for us bookish folks, there’s nothing like eating with a good book). Around The Penny Hoarder headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida, recreation centers, parks and schools are all participating.
Other organizations are helping out, as well. The YMCA’s Summer Food Program will serve 7.2 million meals and snacks by the time this summer comes to a close.
But what better way to fill the summer gap with a few hours around books?
“We have a lot of kids who come here and spend all day in the library in the summer,” said St. Petersburg Library Youth Services Coordinator Paula Alexis. “So they come in, and there’s a hot meal for them.”
Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder.
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.
Here at The Penny Hoarder, saving money makes us happy.
So, it is a little hard for me to tell you to open that wallet and spend money on things you could do for yourself for free. But based on new study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that’s just what I’m going to do.
Go ahead. Order takeout.
Don’t like cleaning? Find a maid service and pay them to clean for you.
How can The Penny Hoarder promote such a wanton waste of money? Because it’s actually not wasteful. It’s an investment in your own happiness.
“A field experiment provides causal evidence that working adults report greater happiness after spending money on a time-saving purchase than on a material purchase. Together, these results suggest that using money to buy time can protect people from the detrimental effects of time pressure on life satisfaction.”
In other words, the study found that in today’s world (and it was a worldwide study), time is our most precious commodity.
People are working hard, long hours. Beyond work, there are time commitments to family and friends. The study discovered that those people who were willing to hand over some money to outsource tasks they don’t enjoy were simply more satisfied with their lives.
Buying time equals buying happiness.
That being said, let’s rein it in a little. All of this assumes you can afford to spend money on these time-saving expenses. If you’re living on a tight budget, you’ll want to think carefully before you call your favorite takeout place. Cooking at home can be very easy and rewarding.
If you don’t have room in your budget to buy time, put a little effort into saving time. You’ll get a similar effect without needlessly spending your hard-earned money.
However, if it fits your budget, it may be worth spending a little money to give yourself the precious gift of time.
Tyler Omoth is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder who loves soaking up the sun and finding creative ways to help others. Catch him on Twitter at @Tyomoth.
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.
When I became a mother, I made sure to buy electrical outlet protectors so my little girl wouldn’t accidentally get electrocuted and dresser child-locks so she wouldn’t get into cleaning chemicals or other potentially harmful items.
But I didn’t think about anchoring down furniture.
What adults see as a dresser or bookshelf, a toddler may see as a fun climbing obstacle. But furniture that isn’t properly stabilized and secured can lead to serious injury or even death.
A child is injured every 30 minutes in the United States from a piece of furniture or television tipping over, according to an article from AAP Voices, the official blog of the American Academy of Pediatrics. That adds up to an average of 33,000 emergency room visits every year.
Even worse, a kid dies from furniture tip-over injuries roughly once every two weeks.
We’ve all heard the stories. In this one, a dresser toppled over on a 2-year-old boy after he and his twin brother attempted to climb it. The twin ended up heroically saving his brother and neither sustained major injuries. But not all incidents end as fortunately.
Luckily, Dr. Lois Lee, who serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine, shares some tips on how to avoid these 100% preventable injuries and deaths.
And since we’re Penny Hoarders, the good news is most of this advice is relatively inexpensive to implement — and certainly much cheaper than an emergency room visit.
See here for more advice.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also has a website called Anchor It, which shares more invaluable advice on the subject. Meghan’s Hope is another resource that spreads awareness on the topic.
Another option is to go the route of forgoing dressers in favor of hanging clothes in closets and ditching television sets and instead streaming services on your favorite mobile devices. That’s what my life looks like right now.
Making sacrifices to make sure your kid is safe is just part of a parent’s job. The peace of mind you get from avoiding the dangers you do have control over is worth every penny.
Disclosure: A toast to savings! Thanks for allowing us to place affiliate links in this post.
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. The video footage of the dresser falling over on the two-year-old boys made her cry and want to bolt down every thing her daughter comes into contact with.
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.
During his State of the Union address in January 2014, President Barack Obama announced the government would launch a no-risk way for low- to medium-income families to save toward retirement by allowing them to set up government-sponsored Roth IRAs.
The plan, called “myRA,” launched as a pilot in late 2014, and it became available to the public in 2015. The plan was intended to provide a savings option with no minimum contributions for people who did not have an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k).
This week, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it’s phasing myRA out.
myRA was not necessarily successful. Forbes reports that only about 30,000 people signed up for the program and contributed $34 million in funds. About 20,000 accounts hold a median balance of $500 each, while the other 10,000 have no funds at all.
With such little use, the Trump administration determined myRA costs more to operate than it’s worth. The program has cost taxpayers about $70 million so far and was estimated to cost another $10 million per year.
The myRA program did not have a significant marketing budget, so many Americans may not have even known of its existence.
According to the press release, “Retirement savers have options in the private sector that offer no account maintenance fees, no minimum balance, and safe investment opportunities.”
Effective immediately, people cannot sign up for new myRA accounts. Current account holders received an email on Friday informing them about the government’s decision to phase out the program. The email also provides information on how to move their myRA savings into another Roth IRA.
Anyone who has questions can head to the myRA webpage for additional information.
While the myRA program was a nice option for those who didn’t know how to save for retirement on a small budget, there are many ways to start investing on any budget.
If you work for a company that offers a 401(k) plan, that’s probably your best option. Many companies offer a small percentage of matching funds as an incentive to start saving, so you’re basically getting free money.
If your employer doesn’t offer a 401(k) or you’re self-employed, a Roth IRA may be your best bet. It’s simple and uses post-tax dollars, so you can get your money and dividend earnings tax-free when you make a withdrawal. As a bonus, you can even get a tax credit with the retirement savings contributions credit. You can search online for options with no minimum balance and no transaction fees from private companies like TD Ameritrade.
Don’t worry — the death of myRA doesn’t mean your money is going away. You simply need to find a new home for your investments. Don’t let this set your retirement plans back. Keep saving!
This article contains general information and explains options you may have, but it is not intended to be investment advice or a personal recommendation. We can’t personalize articles for our readers, so your situation may vary from the one discussed here. Please seek a licensed professional for tax advice, legal advice, financial planning advice or investment advice.
Tyler Omoth is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder who loves soaking up the sun and finding creative ways to help others. Catch him on Twitter at @Tyomoth.
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.
If you love flying and want to get paid to spend your days (and nights) zooming through the skies, your job prospects are about to get a lot better.
A perfect storm of circumstances is developing in the aviation industry that experts say could lead to 117,000 unfilled pilot jobs in the next 20 years.
A huge batch of longtime pilots are set to retire in the next few years, and there aren’t enough new pilots to replace them all, according to CNN Money.
Meanwhile, cargo and passenger airlines are buying more planes to keep up with increased shipping and travel needs, but there aren’t enough qualified pilots to fly them.
Though the need for pilots is on the rise, the number of people training for a pilot license is dropping.
While it’s tough to say for sure why interest in becoming a pilot is waning, Popular Mechanics suggests the reason is twofold.
Some industry insiders blame the rigorous training and expense of flight school, while pilots themselves say fewer pilots are joining their ranks because the pay is so low.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places the median pay for airline and commercial pilots at $105,720 per year. Other surveys report significantly lower pay — about $20,000 to $40,000 per year — for regional airline starting salaries.
Pilot Mark Vanhoenacker acknowledges new pilots are likely to face large school loans and low wages, but says that the career is still worthwhile and that he has no regrets.
“Today, after 15 years of flying, I’m one of the few people I know who would happily keep working if I won the lottery,” says Vanhoenacker.
If you have a bachelor’s degree, consider joining the Air Force’s Career Pilot Program.
Once your USAF contract is up, you may want to stick around a while longer to take advantage of a bonus program that pays out up to $455,000 over 13 years.
To learn commercial aviation without joining the military:
Once you obtain your private pilot license, your flight school will walk you through the certifications and testing you’ll need to work for a passenger or cargo airline.
Passenger airlines have their own set of FAA, flight time and company requirements to be eligible to apply for a pilot job, so you’ll need to look around to determine what’s a good fit for your qualifications.
Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s terrified of flying so she’s got mad respect for all the pilots who calmly get people like her where she needs to go.
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.
If you have the or the (or were thinking of applying soon), this offer will be music to your ears! Capital One® and Spotify have teamed up to offer 50% off the popular music streaming service through April 2018. All you need to do is pay for your Premium subscription with either of those cards to get the discount.
Here’s how it works.
Quicksilver® cardholders get 50% off any Spotify Premium subscription. The offer includes already-discounted subscriptions, like the Student Discount plan (reg. $4.99/month) and the Family plan (reg. $14.99/month). That means you’d pay just $2.50/month for the student plan and $7.5/month for a Family plan for up to 5 users. The standard Premium plan (reg. $9.99/month) is also eligible.
Whichever plan you choose, this discount gives Spotify an edge over competitors like Apple Music and Google Play.
Spotify Premium users can listen ad-free and can choose specific songs on mobile devices (rather than listening on shuffle). Premium plans also include unlimited skips and the ability to download songs for offline listening.
All you have to do is pay for your subscription with your or . Each month, you’ll receive a 50% statement credit within 1-2 billing cycles.
Both new and existing cardmembers can get the discount, and you can get the deal even if you already have a Spotify Premium subscription!
50% off Spotify membership is a serious cardmember benefit — but it’s only one of many benefits you’ll enjoy with the . It’s in the top 3 on our list of the best cash back credit cards of 2017 due to its solid rewards potential and $0 annual fee. If you choose to apply, you’ll get access to the Spotify promotion mentioned above, plus:
This card makes earning cash back a breeze. With this card, you’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. There are no rotating categories to watch or enroll in — just cash back on everything you buy.
If you spend $500 in your first 3 months, you’ll earn a $150 cash bonus. Some similar cards require you to spend $1,000 or more to earn a bonus of that size.
As a cardmember, you’ll enjoy World Elite Mastercard® Benefits like complimentary concierge service, extended warranty, and price protection.
The is recommended for people with excellent credit. But here’s good news: if you have average credit, the has many of the same benefits, including the same rewards structure (unlimited 1.5% cash back!)
While the doesn’t come with a signup bonus, it does include unlimited access to CreditWise® from Capital One®, which can help you keep an eye on your score as you’re working to build positive credit. It also offers the opportunity to increase your credit line after you make your first 5 monthly payments on time.
Don’t have your card yet? Apply online in minutes, and start enjoying your discounted Spotify membership ASAP.
The post Deal Alert: How to Get 50% Off Spotify appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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. Changing account fees
2. General advice for approaching retirement
3. Early retirement buyout
4. Health insurance options in retirement
5. Earning more money in retirement
6. Professional clothing advice follow-up
7. Reading philosophy
8. Long lasting item gift card
9. Notetaking strategies for online classes?
10. Entertaining children of friends cheaply
11. Convention frugality
12. Work travel without reimbursement
It’s funny how time passes by you. At the start of the summer, it feels like this giant block of time in front of you, like there are endless weeks and adventures coming up.
Then, it all flows by so quickly and you find yourself preparing for the fall while scarcely realizing where the summer has even gone.
Here are some questions!
I read your article in which you compared Wealthfront and Betterment for your 401k rollover. I saw that you went with Betterment because of the reduction in fees to .15 for accounts holding over $100,000. I just noticed on Betterment’s website that they no longer offer that reduced fee. It appears that their fee is now .25 for accounts over $100,000. You might want to roll over to Wealthfront as your account would be slightly lower than .25 because of the friend referral system.
– Charles
Part of the challenge of writing about accounts as they currently exist is that the rates are changing constantly. An article lauding one account might be outdated in a week when that company drops that rate and another company bolsters their rate. It happens time and time again.
That’s why it makes far more sense for people to figure out the principles behind it rather than just following instructions on what account to use. An article might tout Betterment, for example, but what’s actually important is the reasoning for choosing Betterment. That way, when you decide to sign up for an account, you know how to compare them yourself.
Bedrock principles are the key part of personal finance. You’re far better off going to the various options and comparing them (and knowing how to compare them) than just following someone’s suggestion. This is a perfect example as to why.
Next, we’re going to hear from Dennis, who has a long story to tell, followed by several questions.
I was raised in a family that was very money conscious and a savers mentality. At age, 23 when I started my teaching job, I read the book Millionaire Next Door which provided great motivation. My wife is definitely more on the spender’s side. Currently, I am 49 and my wife is 50. We just celebrated our 20th anniversary. Over the years, I have learned to lighten up and my wife has learned to tighten up to balance each other out.
When we got married, we lived in an apartment, my wife had $5,000 in credit card debt, and we had about $1500 in savings. Within 2 years we had the credit card debt paid, money saved for a down payment on a home, and about $7500 in savings. Both of us are teachers and our annual income at the time was around $70,000. We both had already started our 403b annuity plans before we were married. Long story short, 20 years later, our annual teaching salary is around $170,000 (both of us are still teachers) (not counting rent income) with a net worth of $1.1 million. We do have a trust and will in place.
Currently we have the following:
– $110,000 in Roth IRA
– $60,000 in a 457 plan
– $200,000 in our 403b annuity
– $60,000 in a brokerage account. ($40,000 was gifted to us and we invested $20,000 for each child and has matured for college expenses.)
– $50,000 in a Money market account for emergencies.
– $130,000 in large cap stocks (making an additional $2500 a year in dividends)
– $7500 we keep in our rental account for expenses.
– 2 rental homes in my home town in another state from an inheritance. One home is worth $30,000 and the other is about $70,000 in value. Both are mortgage free.
– The 1st home we purchased 2 years after marriage is also mortgage free and being rented as well. It is worth approximately $225,000.
– Our current home is worth about $400,000 with a mortgage of $190,000 remaining. Payment is $1350 a month.
– We receive $400, $675, and $1165 ($2240 total) per month when all is good. My sister is my property manager in the other state (yes, I pay her accordingly) and I do have a property manager locally due to our busy work and kid schedule.
– I have $1800 remaining on my car loan and within the last year we purchased a new car for my wife and owe $32,000. We do buy new, but keep the cars long after they are paid off. We still have my wife’s first car a 2001 4runner with 188,000 miles.
– We DO NOT have any credit card debt and pay our cards off monthly.
– Our credit score is consistently in the 825 range.
All told, $610,000 (cash, IRA, etc.) $725,00 in home values for $1,335,000 minus $224,000 puts our net worth around $1.1 million. I do not count the money that will be available from our teacher pensions when we retire because I do not feel as if this is money we could access until after retirement.
At the end of next year, I can take early retirement pension from teaching. I will have taught 27 years, but accrued 29.6 years in our pension. At 30 years, we max out and can’t receive any higher percentage. If I choose to “buyout” .4 tenths of a year for $11,000 dollars or I can work two more years and still get early retirement without paying for the .4 tenths. My estimated salary in retirement would be $63,000 (75% of original salary for life with cola increases starting the 4th year) and my wife would continue to be approximately $85,000. The plan is to take the full 75% of pension salary, but if I die my wife would receive $0 and vice versa if my wife retired and dies. Our reasoning for taking the full 75% is we have 3 life insurance policies ($150,000 term expiring around age 62, $375,000 term expiring around age 67, and 1 million term life expiring around age 72) as well as the other person is guaranteed a pension for our teaching service not counting the other assets mentioned.
Only my close friends have any idea of our financial success. We do take family vacations every year, eat at restaurants, etc. In other words we do enjoy life without being “cheap”. I like frugal. While we have nice “things”, we try to spend our money on “experiences” we will always remember.
I do have a financial advisor who assist with questions, Roth, 457, 403b and brokerage account. He has recently been assigned to us after our previous advisor left for another company. I really liked the previous advisor and the new advisor appears to be solid and trustworthy. In his opinion, we are in a very good situation. Yes, I am aware of the higher fees associated with the 403b and 457.
My current financial goals would be to pay off our current home in the next 15 years or less, help our kids with college, and continue to make sound financial decisions.
Overall, I think we have done an excellent job on teacher’s salaries. As my mom used to say it isn’t how much money you make, it is what you make of your money. I could explain more, but here are my questions:
1. As stated, I am always willing to learn and assess my financial situation. Given the information, how would you assess our financial situation and do you have any recommendations to consider?
– Dennis
Obviously, Dennis is offering a lot of specifics here. I have edited a few specifics in order to avoid Dennis’s identity from being discovered, but nothing that will materially change my response to his questions.
I think that you and your wife are in great financial shape, especially given that this was built on the back of teacher’s salaries. I don’t have any strong suggestions, other than some of the issues you touch on in the next few questions.
Here’s Dennis’s second question:
Regarding the $11,000 to retire at the end of next year or work an additional year, what do you think I should consider? Anything I may not have thought about?
– Dennis
I think you’ve considered things well. My tendency would be to encourage you to work until your pension is fully funded, without paying in to cover that last fraction of a year.
By simply working for another year, you effectively get to keep that $11,000. That’s effectively a “bonus” for that additional year of work. It’s a pretty lucrative final year, in other words.
Once you and your wife both have fully funded pensions, then retirement probably makes sense, as that pension seems very nice from what you describe.
Here’s Dennis’s third question:
Can you provide me with health insurance options that I may not be thinking about either now or 4 years from now when we both retire from teaching?
– Dennis
This is a hard question to answer because, as you’ve witnessed in the last few weeks/months/years, health care in America is changing rapidly. It is really hard to project what options will be available even a year down the road, let alone longer than that.
I assume that Medicare is probably a safe program, as I don’t think any politician sees it as viable to extensively cut it. I would consider that to be a fall back option.
Another thing I would do is talk to your human resources department for your school district and directly ask what their health insurance plan covers for retired teachers. Can they continue to participate? What are the options available? You may also want to consult with your union, should you have one. However, they may not have perfect answers, either.
I think that catastrophic health insurance in some form will be available to you, particularly when you reach Medicare age, but the specifics are really, really unclear right now.
Here’s Dennis’s fourth and final question:
I have considered the loss of salary if I (and my wife in 4 years) should retire. But, I also think the opportunity to make more money is a more optimistic outlook. Thoughts?
– Dennis
Have you spent some time seriously thinking about what you might do when you retire? If you retire in four years, that puts the two of you in your mid-fifties. What will you do at that point?
Are you going to get a different job? If so, is it a job that will be more fulfilling to the both of you than teaching? If you intend to work but can’t think of anything you’d strongly prefer to teaching, why not continue to teach until you want to do other things?
My feeling is this: if you intend to use part of your retirement years to earn more money, make sure that the money you’re going to earn is going to be more than what you would earn from continuing to teach versus “retiring” from teaching and receiving the pension and working elsewhere.
More than anything, I think your question is a personal call to really think about what exactly you want to do when you retire. You seem to want to “retire” in four years, yet you don’t have a clear vision of what you will do when you retire. Start fleshing out that vision. If you walk away from teaching at age 54 or so, what will you do with your days at that point? If you’re struggling to find an answer, then I wouldn’t retire yet. You don’t want to retire unless you’re stepping into something equally meaningful for you.
Good luck! I think your top concern is really figuring out what retirement means for you. I think your financial state is pretty good.
Regarding “Upgrading your wardrobe to ‘professional’“, I think we don’t have enough information from the question asker to definitively answer her question. Professional/appropriate attire for women seems to be a bit more murky than for men.
There are a few things that could be wrong with her wardrobe:
1) Too trendy/casual
2) Too risque
3) Not risque enough
4) Doesn’t fit appropriately
5) Too worn or rumpled
I think all of these things can be remedied on a Target budget.
1) Too trendy/casual: Some business places are a bit more conservative in what they consider appropriate, especially for a customer facing role such as a receptionist. If this is the case, they may be asking you to wear button downs and slacks or a slightly above to slightly below knee-length skirt (or a dress…dresses are super easy!). Bodies are all different, and my arms either don’t fit a button down shirt or my bust and waist swim in it, so if the classic button down doesn’t work, look for a poly blend blouse. They might also expect covered shoulders so cardigans make a good staple.
They may look at trendier styles (as opposed to business staples) as “weekend clothing.” The key here is to avoid jersey knits, and stick to traditional silhouettes. If this is the scenario, jeans probably fall in the no-go territory. They might be acceptable for backroom positions, but not customer facing, or they might have a limited set of styles they find acceptable, and without a mentor in a similar role you might struggle to find the right pair.
You’re looking to strike a balance between form fitting and boxy. Stick to solids and a very limited number of classic prints (stripes, checks, houndstooth, not paisley or florals). Avoid clothes that need dry cleaning and look for fabrics that don’t need ironing. An extra caveat if you have pets that shed: heathered solids hide the pet fun that creeps back on you after you’ve lint rolled very well.
2) Too risque: I mentioned a little bit above, but some offices have obnoxious expectations from professional women’s clothing. They might expect covered shoulders and close toed shoes. Do you think your pants or skirt could be too tight for your management? How about your blouse cut too low? Is perhaps an item or two of clothing too see through? While I think these kinds of dress codes are sexist in nature, that doesn’t deny that they still exist in many places.
3) Not risque enough: Unfortunately, certain female roles for certain employers expect a certain amount of “showing off your form” and receptionist could fall into this category. If you’re already dressed very professionally but do so in a conservative manner, are they trying to push you towards being eye candy for the customers that walk in? I’m hoping if this is the case and you weren’t expecting it you circulate your resume and get something else quickly.
4) Doesn’t fit appropriately: Do your clothes fit looser or baggier than the average person in your company? Perhaps they’re seeing poor fit in your clothing and calling it “unprofessional.”
If you’re experiencing weight change, perhaps you could do some thrift store shopping for nice pieces, and then sell them to a consignment store as you move to the next size. Clothing rental companies are great in a weigh change scenario, but it might be a bit beyond your budget. You could always circle around the different companies and take advantage of their intro pricing and cancel after the intro period ends to supplement your wardrobe until you reach a more steady weight.
5) Too worn or rumpled: I have a feeling this isn’t the problem OP is dealing with, but if your wardrobe has been around a while, take a look at your favorite and most worn items with a fresh eye. Do they come out of the dryer and need the iron taken to them? Are the elbows starting to look worn (this is my biggest offender). Are the knees of your slacks getting baggy because the elastic’s worn out? Are any hems frayed? Some people have a keen eye for this and others don’t see it until it’s explicitly shown to them.
Unless one of these scenarios stands out blatantly to the OP, I would suggest they have a follow up with one of her managers to discuss exactly what the expectations are and where she’s missing the mark. As an intern I was talked to about professional attire once. I followed up on it later and it boiled down to one dress that my stepmom had bought me for work had a see-through skirt that I couldn’t notice looking in the mirror. I remedied the situation by wearing a slip with that dress going forward.
– Irene
This is brilliant advice, far better than what I could articulate. Thank you, Irene.
I think the most valuable point of all comes in the last paragraph. If you are told that your wardrobe is unprofessional and can’t quickly identify why, ask for help. Get some indications of what the problems are, then act on those specific problems.
Never, ever be cautious about asking for help or for advice. I find that the biggest mistake people often make is to avoid doing so out of pride. Don’t. You’re not an expert at everything. Let others help you and you’ll be better off.
I took your earlier suggestion and tried reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius but I found it really hard to read. What do you suggest that’s maybe easier to read?
– Geoff
Many original writings in philosophy can be hard to read. You generally have to take them slowly and process what is being said one bite at a time. I almost always have a notebook open when I read philosophy and I read it very slowly, taking notes and trying to explain what they’re saying in a way that’s clear to me. I look up things I don’t understand and I don’t feel bad if I spent an hour processing one paragraph or even one sentence.
Having said that, such an approach isn’t necessarily something that everyone will enjoy. I suspect that Geoff is looking for an introduction to stoicism – which is what Meditations really is – that is written for a modern reader. I have three suggestions.
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine is probably the best single book I’ve read for applying stoicism to modern life. Irvine focuses on the sense of chronic dissatisfaction with modern life that many of us feel and really lays out how to deal with it using the teachings of stoicism.
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holliday and Stephen Hanselman uses much the same approach as the above book, but instead parcels it out as something of a daily devotional. Each page in the book features a quote from a stoic work along with a few paragraphs on how it applies to modern life. This is a great “bedside table” book for stoicism.
Stoicism and the Art of Happiness – Ancient Tips For Modern Challenges by Donald Robertson is probably the easiest of the three to read, but I also don’t feel it goes as in depth as the other two listed here. I’d suggest browsing the first two options first and if you find them overwhelming, try this one. It’s a very gentle introduction to stoicism, one that works wonderfully as a “first read” when it comes to learning about stoicism, but you’ll probably want to read additional books to follow this one.
Let’s say I wanted to buy someone a long lasting item but I don’t know exactly what to get them. What store should I buy them a gift card from?
– Andrew
Honestly, the best answer is Amazon. They have the widest selection and easiest availability of a wide assortment of buy it for life items.
If you want to get specific, though, you could just get an online gift card from retailers that really focus on high quality durable goods. Sites like Darn Tough Socks, Patagonia, Land’s End – basically, any store that has a legitimate full lifetime warranty on their product usually makes a good product that will last for a long time. Here’s a list of manufacturers with lifetime warranties.
Speaking as someone who really likes long-lasting items, you’d thrill me with gift certificates to Duluth Trading (casual clothing) or REI (outdoor gear) or any of the above mentioned places.
Do you have any recommendations for how to take good notes for an online class? I’m taking some classes on my own time for self-learning so I am invested in actually learning the material and not just getting a grade. Suggestions on how to do this optimally? I know you do this as a hobby so I want to know what works for you.
– Benjamin
When I take an online class, I watch or listen to the lectures while taking notes in a physical notebook. I pause the lecture whenever I need to catch up with something.
What I generally do is write down the key points as well as any facts I want to retain in my head. I usually have a second pen in a different color which I use to write down any questions that come up during the lecture, whether it’s just seeking clarity on a point or something I want to think about further.
Doing this usually doubles the time it takes to get through a lecture – I can get through a 30 minute audio or video file in about an hour. I then usually spend another hour going through and answering all of the questions, usually by starting a new section in my notebook, moving each question forward, and then writing down the answer to it.
It takes time, but I take online classes to actually learn things and absorb them into my thinking, and that’s the best way to do this. I use this approach when reading long essays or other such material, too. My “reading speed” for such things is a snail’s pace, but when I’m done, I really do feel like I thoroughly understand it.
My husband and I (childless) recently bought a four bedroom home. We intend to have children in the next 1-2 years and are already trying so this house was bought with children in mind in the future.
My best friend and her husband are coming to visit and stay with us for three nights over Labor Day weekend. They have a sixth grader, a third grader, and a preschooler. I have been told that they play well together and that they’ll be bringing some things to entertain themselves but I want to know what I can do to make our home more fun for them without spending a ton of money.
Ideas?
– Angie
The first thing I’d do is I’d ask your friend what her children’s hobbies are. What do those kids enjoy doing? Simply knowing their ages isn’t really enough here.
For example, if you wanted to make my kids feel welcome, having a sketchbook and some colored pencils would make my daughter love you dearly, but my two sons would just shrug their shoulders. If you want to make my oldest son thrilled, have a used soccer ball available and directions to the nearest soccer field (or a good sized backyard), and perhaps a good young adult book or two. For my youngest son, a box of used action figures would be the ticket to making him have a blast. You could find all of those things for $5-10 at (a) the dollar store, (b) a used sporting goods store or used bookstore, and (c) a secondhand toy store.
Kids of the age you describe have really developed their own personalities, so you should simply ask their mom (your friend) what they’re into and then simply find items related to those interests.
My wife and I went to the National Homeberwer Convention in Minneapolis in June. We thought it would be fun to go there for a couple of days. Our idea was that we would just meet people who like home brewing and try lots of samples, but the main part of the convention was the Homebrew Expo which was just like going to a local brew supply store except 1000x bigger. We ended up spending way too much money.
Any strategies on avoiding spending so much money at a convention? Setting a budget seems smart. We want to go back next year but not spend so much.
– Terry
I almost attended this convention this year, but it ended up overlapping our family vacation too closely. Anyway, I believe this is the expo you speak of and, yes, anyone who enjoys home brewing would be tempted to spend money there.
You’re right that the first strategy is to simply have a budget. Plan out in advance how much you’re going to spend there, no matter what, and stick to it. The way I typically do this at conventions is to take a certain amount of cash with me and then never have my credit card leave my pocket, no matter what. I only spend the cash. I use this strategy in the dealer hall at Gencon. I usually put aside some of my hobby budget during each month of the late spring and summer to spend there, then I withdraw that amount in cash to spend at Gencon. If I bring any home, I just put it back in my hobby budget.
Another strategy – and something I do a lot at such conventions – is to just take pictures of stuff that’s really cool, or pick up promotional materials for it. This often sates my need to feel like I’m “taking action” on this cool thing without actually buying it. Then, I find that my desire to buy that cool thing fades over time unless it’s something truly exceptional. I can then budget for it later.
I’m probably going to go to the next National Homebrewers Conference that’s held in the Midwest. Next year is in Portland, which probably isn’t a realistic trip for me, but if it’s ever in Minneapolis or Chicago or Kansas City or Saint Louis in the next few years, I’ll probably be there! I love going to conventions and conferences related to my hobbies.
My employer is opening a new branch in another city about two hours away. He is expecting several of us to spend time working there but he is not reimbursing us for any sort of travel expenses. He says we can commute if we want. Can he do this? Can I contact a lawyer?
– Jenna
Unless it specifies in your contract that travel must be reimbursed, he can most definitely do that.
There are some problems with your employer doing this, though. First, he’s going to irritate a lot of his best employees. He’s probably sending much of his best staff to the new location to help train people and this policy is not going to make them happy. Second, it’s not saving him as much as he thinks because he can essentially write off the reimbursement of your expenses.
I personally feel as though this is a practice that’s highly disrespectful of valuable employees. It’s likely that there are other forms of poor treatment either going on now or going on in the future if this is how you are valued. Keep that in mind when making employment decisions going forward. An employer who treats you unfairly and then sees that it will be accepted will likely do so again.
It’s worth noting that you may be able to deduct the expenses incurred from this travel on your taxes. Keep careful documentation of all of this.
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 Retirement Planning, Entertaining Children, Frugal Gift Cards, and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
Despite the proven effectiveness of native advertising, it’s a concept that remains a little murky for many marketers.
Copyblogger performed a study on native advertising, asking people whether they knew what it was and how knowledgeable they were about it.
Here are the results:
Clearly, it’s still an ambiguous concept to many.
Simply, native advertising is a tactic that blends promotional content with the rest of the content—native content—of a page.
Here’s a good example:
When compared to more traditional advertisements such as banner ads, native ads tend to be more effective:
consumers interact with native ads 20% to 60% more than they do with standard banner ads.
That’s probably because they don’t stand out like a sore thumb.
Furthermore, we’re seeing significant growth in the use of this strategy:
In the US, the native ad market is expected to grow to $53 billion by 2020.
More and more marketers are catching on and seeing the potential of this approach.
An interesting phenomenon is taking place in regards to content marketing.
More and more content is being created, but it isn’t translating into audience growth.
This image visualizing data from a Nielsen and BI Intelligence study puts things into perspective:
Notice how the amount of content being produced has grown significantly while the audience size has basically plateaued.
The reason for this, of course, is that there is a far bigger supply than demand for content.
There aren’t enough people to consume all the content being created.
Just look at what happens every single minute:
And that’s just on four major social networks. This doesn’t take into account blog posts, articles, infographics and so on.
This means that it’s no longer enough to simply create great content.
You need an effective means of distribution, enabling you to reach your audience on a larger scale.
This tweet from former BuzzFeed Vice President Jonathan Perelman hits the nail on the head:
Native advertising is the perfect solution to this problem.
It’s an excellent way to distribute your content and extend its reach by leveraging the exposure and brand equity of other publishers.
It’s also one of the smartest ways to connect with consumers and get them to engage with your brand.
And if you play your cards right, you can use it to drive a huge volume of traffic to your site.
In this post, let me offer some basic strategies for using native advertising in tandem with content marketing.
For this tactic to work, your content must fit in perfectly with the style, tone, theme, etc. of the publisher’s site.
It needs to be seamless.
To ensure it flows smoothly, you need to understand the publisher inside and out.
Here are a few questions to answer to help you with that:
The native advertising platform you choose should have a creative team to assist you with this and provide you with direction.
But I recommend putting in the extra effort so that you know precisely what type of content to create and how to create it.
The more knowledge you have, the better your odds of having success will be.
Once you have a firm grasp of the publisher’s site, you’ll want to base your content around it.
Keep in mind that today’s Internet users are incredibly adept at sniffing out promotional content and dodging it.
That’s why native advertising is becoming so popular.
It’s able to get much higher click-through rates (CTRs) than standard display ads.
According to Marketing Land,
the average CTRs for display ads have fallen over time to 0.17%.
However,
the average CTR for native ads on Adnow is 1.5%.
But CTR this high doesn’t just happen on its own.
Your content must align perfectly with the publisher’s site.
It’s simple.
Create high-quality content matching the publisher’s, based on the research you performed.
Center it around a topic their average visitor is interested in, and style it accordingly.
Just treat it as if you’re guest-posting, keeping in mind that it’s essential that your content conforms to the publisher’s style and guidelines.
Here’s an example of Dell pulling this off perfectly:
They wrote an article in The New York Times regarding millennials and their collective distaste for the traditional 9 to 5 lifestyle.
Read through it, and you’ll notice that it uses the same style and tone of pretty much everything you’ll read in The New York Times.
An untrained eye would have a hard time detecting this was an advertisement.
And that’s a good thing.
When you think about it, the ultimate goal of native advertising is to advertise without people even realizing they are looking at an advertisement.
I like to look at it as just content marketing as usual.
It relies on the same concept of creating high-quality content for a specific audience.
The only difference is you’re paying to have your content featured on a publisher’s website.
It’s a quicker, more efficient means of distribution so you can reach a larger audience in less time.
When considering which type of content format to feature on a publisher’s site, the first thing that probably comes to most people’s minds is a conventional article.
It’s the obvious choice, right?
I can definitely see why this would be the popular choice.
And quite frankly, it tends to make the most sense when you’re testing the waters with native advertising.
But gaining any real traction can be difficult when you’re doing what everyone else is doing.
It’s harder to stand out that way.
Fortunately, you’re by no means limited to conventional articles. You have a buffet of options to choose from.
Just take a look at some of the top B2B content marketing tactics:
Now, I’m not saying you should create off the wall content just for the sake of being different.
What’s most important is that you base it around what resonates most with your audience.
For example, here’s a breakdown of the consumption habits of consumers, depending on their ages:
If you were trying to reach a younger demographic of 18-24-year-olds, videos and infographics would be potential choices.
Let’s say you nailed your research, figured out the perfect style to use and created brilliant content that visitors to the publisher’s site absolutely ate up.
That’s great, and you’re likely to see a great CTR.
But your job isn’t done yet.
You still need to ensure that your leads are arriving on a well-designed landing page poised for conversions:
Just think about it.
It won’t do you much good if you do everything else right but fall short with your landing page.
You’re just throwing money away.
Now, landing page optimization is a whole other topic in and of itself and one that I’ve covered extensively in the past.
I’m not going to explain all the details here, but to learn pretty much everything you need to know about it, check out this guide.
Let me just point out that it should be designed with the purpose of moving prospects deeper through the sales funnel post-click.
Ideally, it will build upon the content that prospects just digested and provide them with additional information to encourage them to buy.
I won’t go on a rant about the importance of A/B testing.
I’ve already mentioned before that only 22% of businesses are satisfied with their conversion rates.
Considering that this is a practice you want to implement into many other areas of marketing, it only makes sense that it should be done with native advertising as well.
There are several different elements you can test, including:
Let’s be honest.
It’s not realistic to nail it the first time around. You’ll need a fair amount of experimentation to get it right.
A/B testing is the best way to quickly optimize your efforts and work out the kinks.
Native advertising gets real results but isn’t necessarily on the radar of every content marketer.
But it should be!
It’s the perfect way to solve the ongoing distribution problem many content marketers are facing.
It can be a godsend if you’re a new brand hungry for exposure.
By combining native advertising with content marketing, you’re speeding up the process of reaching your audience.
But like with any other marketing tactic, you need to follow best practices, which primarily involves researching the publisher, aligning your content with their website and tailoring your content around the preferences of your core audience.
If you can do that, you can expect a rock solid CTR and plenty of targeted traffic to your site.
For information on potential native advertising platforms to use, check out this post from Entrepreneur.
Have you experimented with native advertising?
We find 30 free trials from retailers and service providers that can save you money on shopping, entertainment and food – plus how not to fall into subscription traps.
If you’re offered something for free, you’ll probably wonder what the catch is – and with free trials that’s a wise move.
The whole reason these trials are offered is to hook you in and get you to pay for a service or product month after month. So while they can be a great way to see if something is right for you, sadly the cynic inside of me is confident that a chunk of the business model is based on people failing to cancel.
Horror stories include consumers being unaware a trial was followed by a subscription until they’d been charged or discovering forgotten direct debits months after a trial has finished. Charity Citizens Advice estimates that two million customers have problems cancelling subscriptions each year, and four out of five people who had a problem with recurring payments did not realise they had signed up until money was taken from their account.
This has led to the government announcing that it will publish a consumer green paper, which will outline plans to end ‘subscription traps’ – something that was also confirmed in the Queen’s Speech in June.
That said, if you’re smart and follow a few simple rules you can take advantage of dozens of free trials and save yourself a pretty penny while you’re at it.
We’ve outlined 30 free trials we think are worth a look, with a combined value of £251.70.
1. Know when to cancel
When you start a free trial, the most important bit of small print you need to read is when to cancel. Some subscriptions require you to cancel three or four working days before the trial ends. Fail to do it in time, and you’ll get charged the full amount.
There are a couple of ways to make sure you don’t fall foul of this. First, you can cancel straight away. You’ll still get your trial, but you won’t be charged when the free period ends. Alternatively, put a note in your diary for a few days before you need to cancel.
If you do miss the cancellation date and get charged, it’s worth calling up the company as soon as you notice. If you haven’t used the service since the trial ended, you may be able to get a refund – although there is no guarantee.
2. Know how to cancel
When you sign up for a trial, it is often as easy as clicking a few boxes and typing in your bank details. If only cancelling was as simple. Some will require you to phone up – and that can be a long and frustrating experience so ensure you know how to cancel before taking out the trial.
3. Time when you take the trial
You want to sign up when you know you’re most likely to maximise the benefits. So if it’s likely things will be busier than normal at work or you’ve only a few weeks before you jet off on holiday, you should delay starting the trials. You won’t use them enough to take advantage.
4. Stagger your trials
To really take advantage of trials, you should spread them throughout the year and avoid trying similar services at the same time.
5. Double up if you can
With most of the trials listed, you’re only allowed one trial per person. However, some, including Amazon Prime, allow you to have another trial after 12 months. Once you’ve completed your trial, you could also get other household members to sign up.
With each of the trials listed, we’ve taken the offering available by going direct to the retailer or service provider’s website. However, it’s worth a quick online search to see if there are any extended trials offered via third party websites – just ensure they’re legitimate first.
How to cancel: With most of the trials detailed below, you can cancel by going into your online account any time before the trial ends and choosing the cancel option. We have specified where this isn’t the case.
1 Amazon Prime
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £7.99
Cost after trial: £79 a year or £7.99 a month
How to cancel: Go into your online account any time before the trial ends, and choose the cancel option. If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, this trial enables you to benefit from free same or next-day delivery on most items, even if items cost less than £20 – the benchmark for Amazon’s usual free delivery. You also get early access to deals and exclusive access to flash sales. It makes sense to time your trial close to a big shopping month, such as Christmas.
But this trial also offers you so much more on top. You’ll be able to try out streaming services too. Prime Video has popular original shows, such as The Man in the High Castle and The Grand Tour, as well as films and TV series new and old. There’s also Prime Music with more than two million songs and Prime Reading with thousands of books, magazines and comics.
By the way, if you’re a student, you can get a six-month free trial.
The trial of Amazon Prime isn’t the only way to save on streaming music. You can get between one- and three month free trials from Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play Music, Spotify, Tidal and the extended Amazon Music Unlimited too.
Not all the same artists and tracks will be available on each service, but with so many songs available you won’t be lacking in music to listen to. Plus, signing up to Amazon Prime and then each of the six other services one after another can get you 10 months of free tunes.
2 Apple Music
Length of free trial: 90 days
Worth: £29.97
Cost after trial: £9.99 a month
3 Deezer
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £9.99
Cost after trial: £9.99 a month
4 Google Play Music
Length of free trial: 60 days
Worth: £19.98
Cost after trial: £9.99 a month
5 Spotify Premium
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £9.99
Cost after trial: £9.99 a month
6 Tidal
Length of free trial: 30 day
Worth: £9.99
Cost after trial: £9.99 a month
7 Amazon Music Unlimited
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £9.99
Cost after trial: £9.99 a month
Once you’ve taken advantage of the month of Amazon Prime Video, you can try these eight other fi lm and TV streaming services.
Netflix provides a good mix of both movies and TV shows including highly rated original dramas such as House of Cards and Stranger Things.
NOW TV features all the programming you would get on SKY TV, such as Game of Thrones, and has separate trials for entertainment and cinema (you’ll need to take both trials at the same time). For children, NOW TV has a Kids Pass trial, while animation is well covered in the Disney Life service.
If you’re a fan of classic, indie or international cinema, you can try BFI Player + and Mubi. Finally, for those who like to indulge in a little reality TV, Hayu will allow you to keep up with the Kardashians.
8 Netflix
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £8.99
Cost after trial: From £5.99 a month
9 NOW TV Entertainment
Length of free trial: 14 days
Worth: £3.26
Cost after trial: £6.99 a month
10 NOW TV Sky Cinema
Length of free trial: 14 days
Worth: £4.66
Cost after trial: £9.99 a month
11 NOW TV KIDS
Length of free trial: 14 days
Worth: £1.40
Cost after trial: £2.99 a month
12 Disney Life
Length of free trial: Seven days
Worth: £1.16
Cost after trial: £4.99 a month
13 BFI Player +
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £4.99
Cost after trial: £4.99 a month
14 Mubi
Length of free trial: Seven days
Worth: £1.40
Cost after trial: £5.99 a month
15 hayu
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £3.45
Cost after trial: £6.99 a month
The e-book offering with Amazon Prime is tiny compared to the millions available with Kindle Unlimited, which you can try via a separate trial. If audiobooks are more your thing, you can get two months for free from Audible and Bookbeat. Elsewhere, Readly offers digital magazines you can read on tablets or computers. For 30 days, you’ll have unlimited free access to current and back issues of magazines from Cosmopolitan to Q to Moneywise.
16 Kindle Unlimited
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £7.99
Cost after trial: £7.99 a month
17 Audible
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £7.99
Cost after trial: £7.99 a month
18 Bookbeat
Length of free trial: 14 days
Worth: £6.95
Cost after trial: £14.90 a month
19 Readly
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £7.99
Cost after trial: £7.99 a month
A raft of new services allow you to see your credit score and access your credit report for free without having to take out a free trial. However, these generally only update once a month.
To get a real time overview of what information is held about you by the main credit reference agencies, get free trials direct with Experian and Equifax. There’s also a service called Check My File, which has data for both Equifax and CallCredit. With each, you also get alerted when something changes on your file.
20 Experian Credit Expert
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £14.99
Cost after trial: £14.99 a month
21 Equifax Credit Report & Score
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £14.95
Cost after trial: £14.95 a month
How to cancel: Cancel more than 24 hours before the renewal date by calling 0800 104 2955.
22 Check My File
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £14.99
Cost after trial: £14.99 a month
There are hundreds of pieces of software you can get on free trial, but we’re focusing on protecting your computer – essential for safeguarding your money. There are three main virus protection companies and each offers a free trial. You can use each of them in turn, then buy the one you preferred. For more general computer use, you can try the latest Microsoft Office suite free for 30 days.
Be extra careful with each of these trials, as when they renew it’s for 12 months.
23 Norton Security
Length of free trial: 60 days
Worth: £8.33
Cost after trial: £49.99 a year
24 Kapersky Total Security
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £3.33
Cost after trial: £39.99 a year
25 Mcafee Live Safe
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £7.50
Cost after trial: £89.99 a year
26 Microsoft Office
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £6.67
Cost after trial: £79.99 a year
Tesco is the only supermarket to let you try its online delivery service for nothing, though regular Ocado shoppers might be offered a free trial via email. The Tesco pass gives free delivery at any time, as long as you meet its minimum basket total of £40.
If eating out is more your thing, you can try Tastecard free for one month. This will give you half-price or 2-4-1 discounts at thousands of restaurants. Once notoriously difficult to cancel, it’s actually very easy to do now. A similar trial for Hi- Life Diners Club gives you 20% off food and drink for 30 days.
And to round off the freebies, you can sign up for subscription snack boxes from Graze. Each week you’ll be sent four different healthy(ish) snacks, with the first set for free.
27 Tesco Delivery Saver
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £8
Cost after trial: £8 a month
How to cancel: Call 0800 323 4048 before the renewal date.
28 Tastecard
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £4.99
Cost after trial: £4.99 a month or £39.99 a year
How to cancel: Cancel online or by calling 0800 5677 24 before 5pm the working day before your trial ends.
29 Hi-Life Diners Club
Length of free trial: 30 days
Worth: £5.83
Cost after trial: £99.99 a year
How to cancel: Call 01253 685160 or use the live chat function on the Hi-Life website. Make sure you do this at least a couple of working days before the trial finishes.
30 Graze Snack Box
Length of free trial: One box of four snacks free
Worth: £3.99
Cost after trial: £3.99 a week
How to cancel: Cancel via your online account at least three working days before your next delivery.
Free trial and pricing details correct as of 25 June 2017.
There are other services which offer discounted trials to get you started. Just remember to cancel before your trial ends. Examples include:
Hello Fresh – Two boxes of ingredients and recipes for the price of one. Hotel Chocolat Club – Every month a tasting box of luxury chocolates come through your letter box. Get one month for £9.95 rather than £22.95.
Kids Pass – Hundreds of discounts on meals out, activities and cinema tickets for your children. Get 30 days for £1.
All summertime bliss doesn’t have to end at the turn of the season.
If your summer job is a great position you don’t want to let go, there’s good news: Many employers are looking to keep their temporary workers longer.
CareerBuilder surveyed over 2,500 employers and found 79% of them said they’d consider extending employment for some of their summer hires.
Linda Perneau, president of Randstad, said the summer is when hiring managers are forecasting their employment needs for the fall. She said she finds an increasing number of employers are looking to convert their temporary staffers to full-time employees.
One way summer hires can prove they should be kept on the job longer is to truly shine at their seasonal jobs, Perneau says.
“Temporary workers should always hold themselves to the same standards as if they were full-time,” she said. “I think that their ability to demonstrate their commitment to the quality of work and their performance and just the overall way they conduct themselves… [is] critically important.”
Ladan Hayes, senior career advisor at CareerBuilder, said summer workers looking to extend their employment shouldn’t see their gigs as a temporary placement.
“Think of it as a three-month-long working interview,” she said. “Come early, stay late. Get to know the industry. Ask questions. Build relationships with coworkers [and] executives, and show enthusiasm. Find a mentor.”
Jennifer Kochilaris, regional vice president at Adecco Staffing, said one of the best pieces of career advice she’s heard is to always be willing to learn more than everybody else.
“By proactively learning more about the company’s objectives and offering solutions that meet them, temporary workers can showcase they have the passion and potential to stick around long-term,” she said.
Seasonal workers should also be willing to take the extra step to stand out. Kochilaris recommends embracing the company’s culture.
“For example, if the organization values giving back to their community, you can show team spirit by volunteering to be a part of the company’s charitable events,” she said. “This will show your employer that you believe in the values that are most important to the company and that you are a good match with their culture.”
Perneau said summer workers should participate in company activities and interact with other employees.
She also said workers interested in staying at their company long term should express their interests early on. Kochilaris echoes similar sentiments.
“If you feel the employer is a good match for you based on your skill set and workplace culture preferences, notify the management team as soon as possible — as well as the staffing company, if you’re working with one — to ensure you get ahead of potential long-term opportunities at the company,” she said.
Even if your manager isn’t ready to offer permanent employment, communicating your wishes in advance could lead to a longer temporary assignment that goes beyond the summer.
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
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.
After sending off dozens and dozens of job applications, you finally get that call asking to schedule an interview.
Yes!
You select the right outfit to wear, practice your elevator pitch and think ahead about your answers to the questions they’ll likely ask.
Good job!
You get to the interview, and it seems like you’re making a positive impression on the recruiters and giving all the right responses.
Wonderful!
But don’t start celebrating yet.
Because instead of shaking your hand and welcoming you to the company, they then turn the tables on you.
“Do you have any questions for us?”
And you freeze.
Well, hopefully that isn’t the case. Ben Brooks, career coach and founder and CEO of career-improvement company Pilot, said it looks bad if you don’t have any questions on hand during a job interview.
“Not having questions says, ‘I’m coasting, not paying attention and lacking critical thinking skills, and will be mindless once you hire me,’” he said.
So what should you say? Brooks shares some advice on how you can shine in your next interview.
Brooks laid out some go-to questions you can ask during an interview. They’ll show your interest in the position and the company, plus they’ll help you gauge whether or not you could truly see yourself working there.
Keep in mind, not all questions are good questions. You want to make a positive impression on the hiring managers, so what you ask should reflect that.
“Avoid any sort of criticism of the business model, strategy, brand or product,” Brooks said. “Phrase things in the positive, with open-ended questions.”
Watch out for questions that show your interest in the job doesn’t align with the goals of the company. For example, questions that just focus on company benefits may be a “poker game tell” that your intentions are misplaced, Brooks said.
“If you are really worried about summer Fridays,” he said, “it shows your focus is on benefits and time off, not the work itself.”
And remember to prioritize what you’d like to ask ahead of time. Brooks said to use the assumption that you’ll only get to ask one or two questions — though it’s always good to be prepared with more.
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
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.
