Business briefs, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017

Fusia Dance Center opens new locationFusia Dance has announced the new location and home of Fusia Dance Center at 2123 Main St., Stroudsburg. A grand opening will be held on Aug. 19 at the studio.This facility will provide Fusia students with more than 11,000 square feet of studio space, locker rooms, a waiting area and parking lot, and in-house dance attire store. Classes for both recreational and pre-professional students include creative dance, dance basics, [...]

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Ordering Pizza on Facebook Won’t Save You Money and Could Make You Hangry

Some of the most popular pizza chains have made it easier to order and pay for your dinner using Facebook, and pizza lovers are eating it up.

According to Bloomberg, when Papa John’s added Facebook ordering back in June, it immediately exploded. Within hours of launch, hundreds of orders poured in across the country.

Pizza Hut and Domino’s have also implemented similar strategies, leaving chains like Little Caesar’s, which does not have a social media ordering option, in their dust.

As if the incredible and immediate success Papa John’s saw this summer wasn’t indication enough, the arrival and adoption of UberEats and Facebook’s “Order Food” feature have proved ordering takeout is shifting from direct phone calls to online.

The proof is also in the numbers. Nearly 70% of people say they’ve ordered food online, and another 18.6% of respondents say they haven’t used online ordering before but probably will in the future, Bloomberg reported.

And Papa John’s reported that 60% of its revenue came through one of its digital platforms.

Until today, I had never used Facebook ordering for pizza night. I generally order my pizza through the restaurant’s website.

While Facebook is obviously helping pizza companies rake in the cash, we wanted to see if this was the best way for Penny Hoarders to order without overspending.

I checked out how Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s use Facebook ordering. Each one is a little different, and some make it easier to save than others. Here’s what you need to know.

Which Pizza Chain is Best at Facebook Ordering

As Bloomberg said, “The stakes are high to make restaurant technology as effortless — and fun — as possible.”

When ranking the social media ordering tools all three chains use, Domino’s is the obvious winner in terms of being effortless and fun.

The pizza chain created a chatbot named “Dom” that talks you through placing your order via Facebook Messenger almost as seamlessly as talking to a real person. Minus all the stressful human interaction, of course.

To access it, all you have to do is search for Domino’s Pizza in Messenger or go to the Domino’s Pizza Facebook page and click “send message.” From here, it will prompt you to sign in to your Domino’s account or continue as a guest.

You won’t talk to a real person, so the responses are limited, but ordering is straightforward. The bot asks you for your phone number and address, then shows you menu items.

If you’re signed in to your Domino’s account, you have the option to pay with the credit or debit card you have on file. If not, you can’t submit payment through the Messenger app — you will have to pay cash when your delivery arrives. The bot reminds you about this several times before you check out.

Pizza Hut tried to create a similar order-taking chatbot but so far has not been as successful as Domino’s. As far as I could tell, you don’t have the option to check out as a guest. But every time I tried to sign in, I got an error message. That could be frustrating in a pizza emergency.

And what about the beacon of success that is Papa John’s?

It skipped creating a chatbot altogether and added a “Start Order” button to its Facebook page that takes you straight to its website. From there, you can put in your address and begin your order.

Despite saying “no” to the chatbot, Papa John’s made it possible to order from Facebook’s “Order Food” feature. (Don’t worry, I didn’t know this was a thing, either.) On your computer, you can find it on your Facebook homepage in the left-hand rail under “Explore.” On your phone, it’s in your menu.

That means you don’t have to take the extra step of finding the Papa John’s Facebook page to start your first order.

Yes, Facebook Ordering Is Convenient. But Will You Save?

While ordering Domino’s via Messenger is pretty easy, it’s not the best option for Penny Hoarders because Dom, the chatbot, doesn’t make it easy for you to know what’s on sale.

Instead, he offers some of the priciest options first.

I tried ordering one of the suggestions, a large, hand-tossed Pacific Veggie pizza, and my total was $19.61, including tax and delivery fee but not the tip.

If, by chance, you order something that is on sale, Dom applies the coupons automatically. For example, when I tried adding a second Pacific Veggie pizza to my order, my total only jumped to $29.24 without any special codes.

But if you want to see what specials are available so you can plan to base your order on savings, you have to head to Domino’s website. But if you’re already on Domino’s website, why not just place your order there?

While the other chains have not done as great a job of fully integrating their ordering features into Facebook, that lack of technological advancement actually makes it a bit easier to find savings when you place your order.

While your preferred pizza is mostly decided by your taste buds, if we’re judging just based on social media ordering, Domino’s is the only chain that lets you order without ever leaving Facebook, so it wins this round.

That said, Penny Hoarders might want to keep ordering their favorite pizza from the company’s website for the biggest savings.

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) 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.

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Pet Parenting Costs Add Up Fast, Even When You Adopt Your Friend for Free

Dogs and cats are adorable. Especially ones in shelters.

With Clear the Shelters Day coming Aug. 19, you may want to do a good deed and rescue a furry friend from your local shelter for free.

Not so fast. Are you sure you know just how much a new fur baby costs?

Adopting a Pet Is a Big Deal

On Aug. 19, hundreds of shelters across the country waive or reduce their fees in hopes of adopting out animals. While not all shelters celebrate Clear the Shelters Day, many will waive adoption fees when they’re running out of space for new intakes.

You may think the waived fee means it’s time for you to find your new best friend. But trust me — you should do a little soul-searching before adopting a pet.

My fur baby, Wrigley, has cost me more than I thought he would.

After my therapist recommended I get an animal to help me deal with anxiety, I woke up one day, headed to my local Humane Society and fell in love with his wrinkled shar-pei face.

I took him home that day.

What I didn’t consider? Shar-peis are prone to many, many health issues. In my first year owning him, we went to the vet more than five times for scary situations: eating things he shouldn’t have, sensitive tummy issues, weird skin reactions, tapeworms, a poked eye… The list goes on and on.

Today, he’s healthy and happy. But looking back, I wish I had been more realistic about the costs of maintaining a pet so I wasn’t always so surprised at the vet.

So, How Much Does Owning a Pet Really Cost?

There are tons of costs that go into raising and maintaining a pet, and many people don’t consider them when they head to the shelter.

A few of those overall costs that might hit you big include:

• Vaccines: If you adopt a pet, you’ll have to get them vaccinated. My local Humane Society had coupons for Wrigley’s puppy shots, but remember some vaccinations are yearly and required for boarding or day care. And if you choose not to vaccinate your pet (yeah, people actually do that), it could cost you thousands in veterinary care.

• Housing: If you rent an apartment, you may have to pay a pet deposit and a monthly pet fee. Even worse, some landlords and communities don’t even allow pets — even if you are willing to pay extra for them. Taking in a pet often means finding a place for you both to live for the next decade or longer, which could get pricier and more difficult.

• Day care: Wrigley is a mixed breed. He’s got a little bit of shar-pei, pit bull, Rottweiler and probably more in him. You know what that means? He’s hyper and incredibly social. I now pay $225 every six weeks so he can go to doggy day care while I work to blow off steam and make friends. If you’re considering day care for your pet, check out our tips for picking the right place for your pooch.

• Pet Insurance: An emergency vet stay can cost thousands of dollars, so some people opt for pet insurance. Monthly payments can vary, and don’t forget about the deductibles you have to meet before the insurance kicks in.

• Food: Obviously, your pet will need food to survive. In the beginning, I opted to feed Wrigley dog food that fell into the higher price point — and he ended up getting sick. The good news here is that you don’t have to buy expensive dog food to keep your pet healthy. Additionally, there are pet rewards programs that can save you big when it comes to restocking on food. Keep in mind, though, that depending on how much you choose to feed your pet, you may be headed to the pet store two or three times a month to spend money — and it can all start to add up! Today, I spend about $40 to restock his food about two or three times a month, totaling $80 to $120.

Take these things and more into consideration before you head to your local pet shelter. If you’re in good enough financial shape to work these costs into your budget, then absolutely adopt a new fur baby!

If not, now might not be the right time. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future!

Kelly Smith is a junior writer and engagement specialist at The Penny Hoarder. Follow her dog, Wrigley, on Instagram at @mr_wrigley_ .

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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Write Work Emails Like a Pro With These 5 Tips (Hint: Emojis Not Allowed)

Much to the annoyance of some of my friends, I love to liven up my email and text messages with smiley faces and other teeny images. I sometimes construct entire sentences out of emojis.

🤓

I even use emojis when communicating with colleagues, but apparently I need to stop doing that now.  

A new study says using emojis in work emails might call your competence into question and even turn people off.

Way to suck the joy out of life, researchers.

People consider smiley emojis to be the digital equivalent of an in-person smile and sometimes use it in work email to convey friendliness.

However, the results of this study suggest emojis make the sender look unprofessional which, in turn, makes the recipient less likely to share information.

The authors give the thumbs up to using smileys in work emails only if you already know the person.

Sigh. Fine.

I’ll keep my emojis to myself. But I don’t have to like it.

5 Tips for Writing Professional Emails

Even if you don’t load your work email messages with smileys, it’s still important to make sure your messages look and sound professional.

Use these five tips to write (emoji-free) work emails people will want to read.

1. Save Goofy Fonts for Personal Emails

Unusual fonts are fine when emailing friends and family, but stick to the old standards for work. You can’t go wrong with commonly-used fonts like Arial, Verdana or Tahoma.

In addition to making your emails look professional, easy-to-read fonts make your messages accessible to visually impaired people.

2. Steer Clear of Anything That Moves, Sparkles or Blinks

Just because you can send emails with gifs, dancing banana emojis or flashing banners doesn’t mean you should. In fact, you most definitely should not.

3. Don’t Use Text-Speak

You’re not paying by the letter when you send an email, so spell out all of your words and skip the acronyms.

Right: Are you free to meet this Thursday at 2:00 to discuss buying an office alpaca?

Wrong: omg I have a gr8 idea!! Can we sked a F2F mtg Thurs @ 2? lmk

4. Avoid Vague Subject Lines

Many people filter and categorize work emails based on what’s in the subject line, others decide which emails to prioritize and read based on the subject line.

Clear and concise subject lines are a hallmark of professional-looking emails.  

5. Don’t Write a Novel

The email experts at Boomerang say, “The sweet spot for email length is between 50-125 words.” If someone could watch “Titanic” in less time than it takes to read your email, you should probably just pick up the phone instead.
Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. ✏️ @lisah

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 to Learn While You Earn? This Side Gig Could Be Perfect for You

Are you one of those people who loves to know a little bit about a lot of things?

Does your brain refuse to sleep at night until you’ve looked up the one nagging question that’s been vying for your attention all day?

Do you have an arsenal of useless information swimming around in your head, taking up precious real estate that might be better used on, ya’ know, things that matter?

If these questions were way too eerily spot on, then we might have the perfect new side gig for you: a researcher for Wonder.

(Also, if this really did describe you, hit me up and we can geek out together about exactly how many pennies are floating around the U.S. or how carpet is made or why the title “Notary Public” falls in noun-adjective order and not the other way around.)

The Perfect Side Gig for Research Geeks

Wonder provides customers with information and resources in the form of data, lists and spreadsheets sourced from an army of freelance researchers.

Right now, the company needs some extra brainpower and is looking for people who want to work from home as freelance researchers, fulfilling customer requests by diving deep into various topics and questions.

As a researcher for Wonder, you’ll be able to choose which projects you work on and can set your own schedule. How much you make is up to you: researchers are paid per completed project, and you’ll choose how many projects you want to complete.

According to Wonder, top researchers can earn as much as $15 to $25 per hour. However, writer and former Wonder researcher Jamie Cattanach told us that a more realistic pay expectation is about $13 per hour when you factor in the average length of time it takes to complete a research project.

How to Do Online Research for Wonder

The research process seems pretty straightforward, and the platform is simple to use.

If you’re ready to become a researcher for Wonder, you can go here to fill out an application. If your application checks out, you’ll be contacted and asked to perform a preliminary research project to see if you’re a good fit.

“You have to complete a research project gratis to qualify, and that’s about a two-hour time investment,” Cattanach noted.

Once you’ve been accepted as a researcher, you’re free to accept or refuse projects as they come up. You’ll go to the Research Dashboard, pick the topic you want to research and spend a couple of hours finding answers and synthesizing the information into an easy-to-read format before submitting it.

A community of peer researchers will review the research and let you know if it needs any changes, fixes or additional information. Once it’s accepted, you can move on to your next project.

For the first few projects you complete for Wonder, you’ll probably be asked to do more edits than you expected as you learn proper formatting and what the company is looking for in a finished piece of research.

Once you get the hang of it, however, you’ll start to earn more money for your time as your skills improve.

While most researchers don’t have access to enough projects to make a full-time income, this may be a great option for making a little extra cash on the side. Plus, it’s an opportunity to expand your skill-set — and your knowledge. “If you’re genuinely interested in learning, it’s awesome,” said Cattanach.

Overall, this sounds like a great side gig for anyone who thrives on having a brain full of random facts and figures (and a pocket full of cash).

Grace Schweizer is a junior 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.

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4 Chains Where Your Fantasy Football League Can Score Amazing Deals

If you’re like nearly 75 million other Americans, you’re getting excited. You’re keeping an eye on NFL training camps to see who’s exceeding expectations and who pulled up with a nagging hamstring issue.

It’s almost fantasy football time. Say it with me. Finally!

For many, one of the best moments of the season is when your league gathers in one spot, shares some food and beverages, and hashes out its draft.

“It’s about hanging out with my friends in the league and talking about NFL football whilst enjoying a cold beer and some good food,” said Jonny “Saferide” Hines, a longtime league commisioner living in Waverly, Iowa. “It’s different than during the season because it’s new and fresh, and everyone still has a chance to win it all!”

For some, it’s fun to host the draft party in someone’s home. Other leagues like to take it public. As the popularity of fantasy football continues to run rampant each August, sports bars are competing to host your draft party. That means you can score big before the season even starts.

Here are a few draft day locks — plus a couple of sleepers.

Hooters

The classic wing joint knows just who its base customers are, and it’s not afraid to lure them in. Here’s what Hooters will put on the table to draw in your war room team.

Draft Kit With Extra Swag

While supplies last, Hooters will give your league a CBS draft kit with everything you need, including a draft board with player stickers and cheat sheets. You’ll also get Hooters swag, like thunder sticks and koozies.

Over $200 in Coupons

Hooters isn’t dumb. It wants to you come back and watch every game throughout the season and will provide the coupons to lure you back.

Win a Trip to the Super Bowl

Hold your draft party at Hooters and get entered to win a trip to Minneapolis for the biggest game of the year, which happens to occur in the middle of the winter in an outdoor stadium. To be entered in the contest, you must book your party by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 3, 2017.

There’s no upfront cost to book your party at Hooters, but restaurants will not throw any food or beverage deals your way.  

Dave & Buster’s

It’s Chuck E. Cheese’s for grown-ups. Seriously. Dave & Buster’s is like a sports bar with a giant room full of fun that includes Skee-Ball and video games. Dave & Buster’s knows fantasy football players are fun people, so it wants you to make your picks at its place.

Book your party before Sept. 7, 2017, and you have two options for your draft day get-together at D&B’s.

The Ultimate Draft Party Package

This package requires at least 10 people and runs for $21.99 per person. Your league gets its choice of three entrees, including wings, nachos, bar burgers, pretzel dogs or Carnivore Pizzadillas. On top of the entrees, you get french fries and unlimited coffee, tea and soda.

The Premium Draft Party

This package also requires at least 10 people, but it’s slightly pricier at $28.99 per person. It includes the same entree options, sides and drinks, but it also gives each attendee two free drink coupons they can spend on beer, wine or well drinks. One caveat: Your entire party must be 21 or older to book the premium draft party.

Free Game Play During the Season

Book either package for your league, and Dave & Buster’s will give away $10 in free game play with a $10 game play purchase. Plus, the commissioner gets a free $20 Power Card — it’s good to be the commish. Both cards are valid only during the NFL season, which runs from Sept. 7, 2017-Feb. 4, 2018.

Tilted Kilt Sports Pub & Eatery

If you’re lucky enough to have the Tilted Kilt Sports Pub & Eatery in your neck of the woods, you may want to check it out for your draft party. Here’s what it’ll do to bring you in:

Draft Kit

The first 50 draft parties will get a draft kit that includes draft boards, player rosters and Bud Light swag for up to 14 people.

Food & Drink Specials

Your league gets special prices on food and drinks for up to four hours. The offers may vary by location.

Kilt Girl ‘Commissioner’

Yep. You get one of the Kilt Girls assigned to your party to help you with the draft.

Locations are selling out quickly, so if the Tilted Kilt is your favorite, call a location near you today.

Miller’s Ale House

A staple for those who enjoy a craft beer with their food, Miller’s Ale House doesn’t want to get left on the sidelines.

For $125, your league gets 25 wings, 25 zingers, two orders of fiesta nachos, two zinger flatbreads, two pepperoni flatbreads, two orders of loaded fries, one basket of onion rings and a fantasy draft board.

If your party orders $100 worth of food on top of this, Miller’s will also throw in a $25 Miller’s Ale House gift card.

I did the math, and for the $125 your league will pay to book its party, Miller’s gives almost exactly $125 worth of food. If you have 10 people in your league, each member will eat well for just $12.50 each.

Keep in mind that you’ve got to book your party at least 24 hours in advance.

The Local Scene: My Sleeper Picks

If you don’t want to do the chain sports bar thing for this year’s fantasy draft, I recommend checking out your local craft brewery scene. Some breweries will offer specials for draft parties that are just as good as or better than what the sports bars have. What could be better than picking up Julio Jones while sipping an IPA made just 20 feet from your seat?

Here are a couple examples.

MadTree Brewing — Cincinnati

MadTree Brewing will hold two special draft events. You can reserve a table for your league’s draft on Aug. 21 or Aug. 28, from 5 to 10 p.m., for just $50. If you have more than 12 people in your league, you must book two tables.

For these events, MadTree will close its doors to the public, leaving leagues as the only guests. That means grabbing a beer between picks should be a breeze.

Each table gets a large cheese pizza and a large pepperoni pizza from Catch-A-Fire Cafe, and MadTree swag.

26° Brewing — Pompano Beach, Florida

For $20 per person at 26° Brewing, each league member gets two craft beers, wings and curly fries. The brewer also throws in a draft board or projector and free Wi-Fi. Your party must include at least 10 people to score this deal.

Craft breweries are cropping up all over the country, so check out your local scene. Even if one in your area isn’t promoting a special, ask the manager if the brewery would consider hosting your league. You could be the trendsetter in your area.

No matter where you hold your draft this year, you should call to reserve your spot now. Preseason games are underway, injuries are already happening, and the league is doling out suspensions. (Sorry, Zeke fans!)

Good luck with your season, and may your team name be the most clever in your league.

Tyler Omoth is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder who loves soaking up the sun and finding creative ways to help others. His fantasy football team, “Hedley’s Froggys,” is destined to dominate this year. 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.

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4 “Totality” Awesome Ways to Make Extra Cash During the Solar Eclipse

For the last few months, scientists have been ramming the significance of the coming solar eclipse down our collective throats.

“I have seen people witnessing their first eclipses. And after totality, they are down on their knees, weeping,” retired astrophysicist Fred Espenak said in an interview with NPR. “It’s just an incredibly moving event.”

I totally get it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But weeping?

And if you’re really cynical like Penny Hoarder staff writer Desiree Stennett, you’re probably particularly unenthused with all the hubbub around the celestial event.

“Because it happens once in a lifetime I feel like I should I care more,” Stennett said. “But I just don’t.”

4 Ways to Make Money During the Solar Eclipse

Still, if you happen to live in the path of totality, here’s what you should care about: the sweet, sweet moola you can make taking advantage of these eclipse-chasers.

Taking advantage is the wrong word — enhancing the solar eclipse experience, is what I mean.

Try these few ways to make it rain during the solar eclipse.

1. Make Your Own Solar Eclipse Viewers — Then Sell Them

Although there are ways to get free glasses to protect your precious eyes during the eclipse, supplies appear to be running low. And, as we found out this week, there were a few unsavory characters selling fake ones on Amazon.

But with some cardboard boxes, duct tape, foil and a sheet of white paper, you can whip up your own awesome contraption for viewing the eclipse.

Give your DIY creation a cool name (I’m thinking “The Eyeball Guardian” or “The Magic Box of Wonder”), then sell them for $5 a piece.

And if you live along the eclipse path, you should have plenty of people in town ready to plop down some cash for a better viewing.

2. Rent Out Your Backyard to Outdoorsy People in Town for the Solar Eclipse

Most of the people I know traveling the country to catch the best view of the eclipse are your classic outdoorsy camper-types.

So if you happen to have a backyard and live in a town with a mild climate, you can make some extra scratch by renting out tents to eclipse tourists. For real.

California resident John Potter did and made $1,380 a month.

But, you should consider the obvious approach and rent out a room in your actual house on Airbnb, as well. The demand for lodging in totality towns should send prices soaring — and fill your pockets.

3. Throw a Radical Solar Eclipse Viewing Party and Charge for Parking

Here’s another money-making strategy for those blessed with a backyard in the eclipse’s path: Throw an awesome solar eclipse viewing party.

NASA has a handy checklist for planning the best solar eclipse party in the universe.

Unfortunately, most of the games are for kids, but I’m sure you can come up with some fun drinking games for adults. “Drink Every Time The Moon Covers the Sun” is a classic.

Here’s a recipe for a solar eclipse cocktail, but we recommend a shot of Jägermeister on top of peach schnapps. Sounds terrible, but it’s like the perfect representation of an eclipse, right?

And if you throw your party on a budget and charge $20 a vehicle for the event, you should be swimming in quick cash. All thanks to the solar eclipse.

4. Photograph the Solar Eclipse for the People Who Want to Actually Want to Watch It

You only have a few minutes to take in the solar eclipse, so it’s probably a bad idea to try to snap pictures and miss the real-life experience.

That is, unless you don’t give a hoot about the whole thing.

Charge attendees at your viewing party for digital prints of the eclipse, or sell your pictures online. It won’t matter if you spend the whole eclipse trying to snag the perfect capture.

Espenak, the retired astrophysicist from earlier, has a wealth of tips on photographing the event. I tend to trust him, as he’s witnessed 27 eclipses in his lifetime.

And even if you don’t want to make money from the solar eclipse, there are also lots of deals out there on everything from stamps to donuts and beer. Because it’s saving money on Earth that truly matters, right?

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.

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Researchers Say Alcoholism Is on the Rise. These Low-Cost Programs Can Help

Opioid misuse has reached such epidemic proportions that it’s now considered a national emergency.

But opioids aren’t the only substance Americans struggle with.

A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry revealed that the misuse of alcohol is on the rise, along with several illnesses typically associated with heavy drinking.

Researchers say one in eight American adults now meet the guidelines to be medically diagnosed with “alcohol use disorder.” Heavy drinking often leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases.

Testing and Screening for Alcoholism

Doctors are best suited to diagnose alcohol use disorder and recommend treatment options, but self-assessment tests are a discreet way to assess the role alcohol plays in a person’s life.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence offers an online self-test to help people understand their relationship to alcohol and how it might affect their health.
The American Academy of Family Physicians website has a printable questionnaire to help people recognize the signs of alcohol misuse.

JAMA Psychiatry offers an overview of the questions physicians use to detect alcohol misuse in patients.

10 Affordable Ways to Get Help for Alcohol Use Disorder

People who want or need to stop drinking sometimes turn to private inpatient or outpatient treatment to get the help they need. Though effective, those options can be pricy — even with medical insurance or Medicaid.

Fortunately, there are some affordable alternatives.

1. SMART Recovery offers free online and local support group meetings. Its website includes resources and tools to help adults and teens recover from addictive behaviors.

2. Women for Sobriety helps women learn to abstain from alcohol and make positive lifestyle changes. The organization offers online community support, face-to-face group meetings (contact for locations) and a wealth of resources on its website.

3. Alcoholics Anonymous is widely known for its free, 12-step approach to help people quit drinking. The organization also offers a program for teens and a program for friends and family members of people struggling with alcohol misuse.

4. Check the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator or state-by-state directory to find no- or low-cost treatment centers near you.

5. The Salvation Army offers faith-based programs at its Adult Rehabilitation Centers around the country.       

6. Chabad.org is a great resource to find Jewish recovery communities and treatment centers.

7. Celebrate Recovery is a Bible-based program with in-person meetings held in churches across the country. Visit its website to watch videos, sign up for a weekly newsletter and learn more about the organization’s smartphone app.

8. Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) offers free online and in-person support groups for people seeking sobriety in a secular environment.

9. LifeRing is a secular self-directed program with free local, online and email-based support groups.

10. The Veterans Administration offers a number of treatment options to veterans struggling with alcohol misuse.

It can be tough to take the first step to get help, but thanks to organizations like these, no one has to struggle alone.

Lisa McGreevy 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.

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Is the Meatball Ikea's Secret Weapon? (And Other Surprising Facts)

We explain why Ikea stores are designed like a lazy river, why their meatballs are considered "framing devices" and what's behind those darn flat pack boxes.

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Is the Meatball Ikea's Secret Weapon? (And Other Surprising Facts)

We explain why Ikea stores are designed like a lazy river, why their meatballs are considered "framing devices" and what's behind those darn flat pack boxes.

Source Business & Money | HowStuffWorks http://ift.tt/2wfFJ1b

8 Absolutely Gorgeous Ways to Save Money Every Time You Shop at Ulta

Shopping for beauty products is tough.

So many colors. So many brands. So many skin conditions. So many salespeople. So many recommendations.

But I’m here to make one facet of this process easier for you.

Here’s how to save some money every single time you shop at Ulta Beauty.

1. Join “Ultamate” Rewards

Clever name, right?

When you sign up for Ultamate Rewards, you’ll gain access to:

• A birthday freebie (though not specified) as well as double points during your birthday month
• Points. You’ll earn points on specific purchases. For context, 100 points (or $100 spent) equates to $3 off.

You’ll also receive emails with the latest sales and deals.

Plus, if you spend $450 in a calendar year, you’ll reach platinum status, then… “see what happens.” (We’re not sure what this means, but we assume it’s good?)

Get more details from Ulta’s website.

2. Snag Free Gift Cards

Because you read The Penny Hoarder, you might have heard of Swagbucks. It’s a site that’ll pay you to take surveys, watch TV and shop online.

It can also help you earn cash back on Ulta purchases.

If you aren’t already a Swagbucks member, you can get $5 just for signing up.

Once you’re in, shop Ulta through the platform. That way you’ll earn two Swagbucks (SBs) per dollar you spend. You can exchange SBs for gift cards.

For context, 2500 SBs equate to a $25 PayPal gift card, good for all your online shopping pleasures.

Bonus: Here’s an example of how you can actually get paid to shop through Swagbucks.

3. Scan Your Receipt for Cash Back

You might think of Ibotta as a grocery rebate app, but it’s rapidly expanding to feature more retailers — including Ulta

There aren’t a ton of cash-back offers yet, but you can earn $3 back on Nubian Heritage bath bombs and $2 back on Eva NYC Clean It Up shampoo or conditioner.

Keep an eye on the app because offers are constantly added.

Plus, when you redeem your first purchase, you’ll get a free $10 bonus.

4. Use Manufacturer Coupons

Find a coupon for your favorite Neutrogena product in the Sunday paper? Ulta will let you apply that to your in-store purchase, according to Krazy Koupon Lady.

But don’t worry about fishing through Sunday’s paper.

You can find weekly coupon stashes through an app called Retale.

Here, you don’t have to worry about clipping or organizing or remembering those suckers. Plus, you can add coupons to your rewards card that’ll be applied at checkout.

5. Don’t Forget Your Free Gift With Purchase

Peruse Ulta’s “Free Gifts With Purchase” section to see if any samplers are available.

This is a great way to try new products — for free.

Right now, for example, you can get a free 12-piece gift with any $19.50 Ulta Beauty collection make-up, brush, beauty tool or skincare purchase.

Or get a free BareMinerals lipstick with a BareMinerals purchase of $40.

Also, never forget to ask for freebies at the checkout counter when you shop in store!

6. Find the “Buy More Save More” Section

If you don’t get the Ulta mailer (also great deals in there), just peruse its “Buy More Save More” page online.

For example, get two Paul Mitchell Salon Professional Haircare products now and snag a free one. And Ulta hand soaps are three for $10 right now.

Find all the best deals on this page.

7. Wait Until the Big Sales Hit

Twice a year, Ulta has a “21 Days of Beauty” sale.

Each week, a different selection of items are listed on sale. For example, last spring foundations, powders, face brushes and luxe bath products were only $6, according to PopSugar.

Big brands were on sale, too, including Too Faced, Clarisonic, Urban Decay and It Cosmetics.

Keep an eye on your email to find out when the next sale is happening.

8. Swipe a Rewards Credit Card

This goes for any purchase you make, but pay with your cash-back credit card to earn extra points for your Ulta purchases — so long as you responsibly pay off your balance each month.

One of our favorite cash-back cards is the Barclaycard CashForward™ World Mastercard®, which gets you 1.5% cash back on any purchase. You can also pocket a nice $200 bonus if you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of opening it.

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Tweet at her with your Ulta money-saving tips.

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 to Work From Home But Hate Talking on the Phone? Check Out This Job

You use your computer and smartphone to watch Netflix, chat with friends on Facebook and check out the latest political news — or celebrity gossip.

Why not use those devices to make a little money?

Lionbridge, a company that provides business services to international organizations, is hiring for work-from-home data validators. This is a part-time opportunity, with the ability to work up to 24 hours a week.

You’ll need to use a desktop or laptop and a smartphone to perform the following tasks:

• Analyzing and rating the quality and accuracy of different data sets
• Answering general questions from provided text and articles
• Transcribing audio

The company is looking for job applicants who:

• Have a high school diploma or equivalent
• Can speak, read and write proficiently in English
• Know how to use Gmail’s email platform
• Can pass a project-specific test

You’ll also need to have access to broadband internet connection, a smartphone and a computer with Google Chrome and Windows 7 or later.

The pay for this position was not included in the job listing, but I’ve contacted the company and will update this post once I learn more.

One great benefit about this job is that you can work flexible hours and set your own schedule.

That’s making money on your own terms.

Click here to learn more about this job and apply.

Want to be the first to know about other fun and interesting jobs like this? Like The Penny Hoarder Jobs on Facebook to stay in the loop!

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.

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Is Financial Independence Possible for Everyone?

I like to talk about financial independence on The Simple Dollar quite regularly. It is the big financial goal on my horizon, a state in which the money I’ve saved up and the investments I made are returning enough money so that I don’t have to actively work for income any more.

Whenever I talk about it a bit too much, though, I usually hear from a few readers who tell me in no uncertain terms that financial independence is impossible for them and for many other Americans.

I disagree.

Financial independence is possible for everyone who is capable of holding down a steady job. Having said that, financial independence is a very difficult goal to achieve, one that almost all Americans fail at.

It is not impossible. It is just very difficult, even for people who happen to have a great job.

There are a bunch of reasons why it is so difficult.

First of all, delayed gratification is very hard for our human brains, and financial independence is all about delayed gratification. In order to achieve financial independence before very old age, a person simply has to spend a lot less than they earn, and in doing so, that means that said person is choosing to forego a lot of the pleasures of life.

Most people won’t do this. Options like living in a van when making a decent salary aren’t even on the table for consideration. Things like living on a true low-cost diet centered on extremely low-cost staples like rice and beans are completely overlooked. The idea of a life without a cell phone or a computer or a Netflix account or cable? Not going to happen.

All of those things are examples of delayed gratification. They’re simply a choice to live a less pleasurable life now in exchange for greater pleasure later. In this case, that greater pleasure comes from the freedom from work.

Second, self-imposed responsibilities make the path even more difficult. You choose to get married. You choose to have children (adoption is an option, even if it’s not a palatable one). You choose to own a house with expensive maintenance. You choose to have a job that’s chock full of stress and hard choices.

I’m not saying that any of those choices are the wrong choice. I’m simply stating that all of those choices are ones that make the path to financial independence even harder than before.

Life offers you lots of choices. Sometimes, the right choice leads you away from financial independence because you have values that rise above financial independence. That’s perfectly okay, but it means that the path to financial independence becomes even harder.

You simply cannot “have it all.” When you choose one path, another one becomes more difficult to climb.

Third, the only route to doing this quickly is with a high income, which is difficult for most people. While you don’t have to have a high-income job, financial independence with a low income job requires a level of sacrifice that many people are unwilling to make, as alluded to above. The higher your level of pay, the easier the path to financial independence becomes, period.

The path to a high paying job isn’t easy, either. Many people find themselves in a situation where the training and skills needed for a high paying job are either beyond their grasp or are prohibitively expensive and time-consuming.

The reality is that the vast majority of people simply wind up putting other life goals and ambitions before financial independence. They often make that choice nearly unconsciously, or they make those choices and fully commit to them before the idea of financial independence ever crosses their minds.

Those decisions are often so set in stone in their minds that they don’t consider a life without those choices, and with their choices set in place, financial independence becomes, for all practical purposes, unattainable.

I’m guilty of this in my own life. I’m married, which can make financial independence harder – it only makes things easier if you have a spouse committed to the same goals and committed to being your partner for life. I have children, which almost always makes financial independence harder. We live in a reasonably nice house – we could be living in a smaller one. We’ve both chosen careers with some time flexibility when we could have focused on earnings instead. We go on summer family vacations.

All of those choices take me away from the goal of financial independence because I’m putting some other value in my life ahead of financial independence. That’s okay.

The key thing to remember is that when you put other values ahead of financial independence, you make an already difficult goal even more difficult, often pushing it up to the edge of impossibility or beyond.

Financial independence is possible for everyone who chooses to make it a top priority in their life. It might even be reasonable in a relatively short timeframe if someone is lucky enough to have a high paying job.

Here are some questions to ask yourself if you’re considering raising the priority of financial independence in your life.

Are you considering having children? Children make financial independence very difficult. No matter how you slice it, children come with a lot of unavoidable expenses all the way through their childhood and well into adulthood. From the food and clothing and shelter to the educational expenses and the toys and the organized activities, they’re expensive, and they will pull you away from financial independence.

Are you married to someone who shares your financial independence goal? If you’re married, you really need to have a spouse that’s similarly committed to financial independence. If your financial goals aren’t in alignment, you’re going to find that your marriage is on very difficult ground very quickly, especially if you make a financial goal a top priority and your spouse does not agree.

Can you live in a much smaller home? Can you downsize in order to drastically cut your mortgage, your utilities, your insurance, your homeowners association fees, your property taxes? All of that goes down drastically if you move into smaller quarters. Also, living in smaller quarters puts some constraints on how much stuff you can buy, further saving money.

Can you stop eating out and prepare your own simple meals? Many people with busy lives find themselves in a routine where many or most of their meals are eaten at restaurants, taken out from restaurants, or delivered, and many more meals are prepackaged affairs. All such meals are quite expensive compared to making a simple meal from basic ingredients. Get familiar with your own kitchen and start making meals for yourself. You’ll drastically slash your food expenses.

Can you cut down on your entertainment subscriptions? Cable? Netflix? Home internet? Cell service? Amazon Prime? HBO? Do you really need all of those? Do you really need any of those? All of those services primarily exist to provide entertainment, so look for entertainment elsewhere. Listen to the radio. Watch over-the-air television. Read books checked out from the library, or download podcasts there to devices you already own and listen to podcasts. Go to free community concerts. Get involved in community groups. Find entertainment that isn’t draining hundreds a month from your pockets.

Can you eliminate a car? Maybe you can commute to work using mass transit – the bus system plus the subway system. Maybe you can bike to work. There are lots of potential options that would allow you to eliminate the cost of car ownership, or cut your automobile count from two to one. Doing so eliminates the cost of registration, fuel, maintenance, repairs… cars are simply a giant money pit.

Those are the kinds of questions that people ask themselves if they’re really serious about financial independence. They involve cutting into aspects of life that people sometimes aren’t comfortable trimming down, but if you want to have financial independence, it hast to be a priority over many of those things, which means you have to make some tough choices.

In the end, the answer is simple: yes, financial independence is possible for most people, but most people aren’t willing to make the choices needed for financial independence. Instead, good personal finances are used in their lives to achieve other goals. Doing that is completely acceptable, but it does mean that you’re likely closing the door on financial independence.

Remember, though, that when you choose to open a door in your life, you close another, and vice versa. Our lives are made up of a complex array of choices. The life we have is forged by the choices we make for ourselves.

Good luck!

Related Articles:

• What to Do When Saving Anything Meaningful for Retirement Seems Impossible
• Financial Independence on a Smaller Income
• It’s Not ‘Early Retirement,’ It’s ‘Walk-Away Money’

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One of These 8 Companies Screw You Over? You Can Get Up to $750

Married Millennials Merging Money: How and Why We’re Doing It

It’s been a big year for me. I got a promotion at work, I turned 30, and I’ve almost made it through a New York City summer without buying an air conditioning unit. I probably spent just as much washing shirts that were soaked with sweat as I would have on an AC, but I still feel accomplished.

Oh, and I’m about to get married. In preparation for that, my future wife, Ashley, and I have been getting our financial house in order. We’ve decided to completely merge our finances. We’re sharing a checking account, a brokerage account, and a savings account.

Here’s why we decided to merge everything, and how we make it work.

Simplicity and Trust

Deciding whether or not to join finances came down to a question of what we valued more: simplicity or independence. Would either of us feel less independent, less adult, or less “ourselves” if we joined our accounts? It’s a real thing we had to talk about.

We both take a lot of pride in being able to manage our spending and monitor our accounts. Wouldn’t it be weird to give up some of that freedom? Could it cause resentment if one of us was keeping spending low while the other was out buying new clothes all the time?

To address that concern, we established a rule. We decided that purchases above $50 would be a joint decision. It’s a system that allows for a nice balance of independence and collaboration. We don’t need to text each other to ask if it’s okay to buy a coffee, so it doesn’t feel like Big Brother is watching over our shoulders.

That being said, we still need to be on guard. While we’re both frugal, not all of our impulsive spending instincts have been stamped out. If I hang out with a friend who has a new FitBit, for example, I can pretty quickly convince myself that nothing is more important than my health and I’d be dumb not to spend a hundred bucks to order one right away.

Now, I know to check in with Ashley first. Usually, she talks me off the edge, and vice versa. We are constantly reminding each other that our goals as a new family are more important than what we individually crave in the moment.

Ultimately, we decided that the benefits of joining forces outweighed the costs. Everything just got a little easier once we dumped all our income into one shared account. In the past, something like paying rent was a two-step process that involved one of us cutting a check, and then getting a Venmo payment from the other. Now it all comes out of one checking account without any hassle.

The Challenges

I totally understand couples who don’t like the idea of doing joint accounts. At first, it’s a bit unnerving to think that your their partner can snoop on your accounts at any time. Maybe they like being able to buy gifts without having the surprise spoiled by their partner logging into the account and seeing a charge they don’t recognize. Maybe they’re really happy with the credit union they’ve used for years, and don’t want to leave to join a national chain.

All of those are perfectly reasonable objections. But, in our minds, the end result is that life without joint bank accounts is always going to be more complicated. Even if it’s just a little friction, it would be enough to annoy us. We’re the kind of people who love wireless headphones for the mere fact that we never have to take that extra five seconds to plug in an auxiliary cord. We feel a little part of ourselves die when we attempt to plug in a USB cable and it ends up not working because the adapter is upside down. The way we see it, separate accounts would mean daily frictions of the same nature.

On a more philosophical level, we felt that creating joint accounts builds stability and trust into the bedrock of our relationship. It’s freeing to allow someone into such a personal aspect of your life, because it means that you have a truly deep connection.

I should note that neither of us is entering into this marriage with a huge amount of savings, or debt, and we both earn salaries that are in the same ballpark. This financial parity certainly simplifies things. I can see how in more unbalanced situations things could be trickier to sort out. For us, it makes sense to treat all savings and income as shared, but each situation is different.

Investment Accounts and Risk Tolerance

Coming up with a method for handling your daily cash flow is one thing, but investing is a whole different beast.

We each already had Roth IRAs, but we had to figure out how we would handle investing in taxable accounts. We decided to create a joint brokerage account with Vanguard. In order to get on the same page with regards to our investments, we gave ourselves homework.

We each sought out a few different investing strategies that appealed to us, and then we spent a few weeks learning all that we could about them. These ranged from pouring everything into stocks, to a “Boglehead”-inspired three-fund portfolio, to the Permanent Portfolio.

I’m not saying that three weeks is enough time to learn everything there is to know about investing. We just needed that much time to settle on a strategy that felt good to us.

I tend to have a much bigger appetite for risk than Ashley, so it was nice to hear her perspective and to bounce ideas off each other. I was able to sway her toward some things, such as investing in small-cap stocks, and she convinced me that we should add in more bonds than I initially wanted.

• Related: All About Bonds: How They Work and When to Buy Them

The final asset allocation we chose is not important. What matters was that we had an honest discussion about how we viewed investing, and we agreed on a strategy that we are comfortable sticking with for the long haul.

Vanguard Makes It Easy

You always hear about how big financial institutions can be nightmares to deal with. I’ve experienced this with credit card companies, who have a tendency to drag their feet, fail to answer basic questions, and over-complicate even simple customer service requests.

When my fiance and I undertook the major reshuffling of our brokerage accounts, we expected to have a million forms to fill out, and at least as many annoying phone calls. With Vanguard, there was none of this. A friendly agent helped us figure out everything we needed to do on a five-minute call. He mailed a form, we signed it, and we were done. I want to put that agent on my holiday shopping list.

The Vanguard flag has been proudly waved by personal finance nerds forever, so this is nothing new — but I still wanted to give them a shout-out.

The Power of a Weekly Chat

In order to make sure we’re on the same page and that we stay that way, we singled out Tuesday nights as a time to talk through everything money related. Every Tuesday, we sit down and go over our spending, our budget, and our future plans.

If we notice discrepancies, or we have concerns, we talk about them honestly. We call this our weekly “Buisness Chat.” Yes, that’s misspelled. It’s because while taking notes on that very first Tuesday, Ashley was going too fast and spelled “business” wrong. The name stuck.

I know this is corny, but the silly name helps us to have fun with the whole situation. As the acclaimed relationship therapists over at the Gottman Institute always say, building traditions as a couple is a fun and important thing to do in the early stages of marriage. Buisness Chat is now a tradition, and we love it.

For the talks that get a little dicey or confrontational, always remember – wine helps everything.

Summing Up

There is no right or wrong way to handle money in a relationship. As long as you find a method that’s sustainable and makes sense to both parties, you’ll be happy. For us, that meant dumping everything into one big pot, sharing all financial duties, and handling “buisness” as a team.

Related Articles:

• Joint Finances: Why I Share My Money With My Husband
• Six Principles of a Marriage Without Money Fights
• Why Your Spouse Is Your Most Important Money Decision

 

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Sisterhood of the Traveling (Maternity) Pants: How We Saved on Clothes by Sharing

I thought I was going to have one of those adorable pregnancies with the little basketball belly. I was sadly mistaken. Fortunately for me, I did have my friend Francine’s maternity clothes to get me through.

Francine lived down the street from me. She and I were neighbors with Bobbie, but the three of us were much more than that — we were also friends. Francine’s son was the first baby in the group. We all oohed and aahed over him — and we were amazed at how much laundry a newborn with reflux could create. But when I got pregnant, I decided it was time to leave the city and move home, leaving Francine and Bobbie behind.

When I needed new maternity clothes seemingly every other week, Francine came to the rescue by sending me her old ones and asking that I hold on to what I could. That wasn’t a problem, since I was racing through sizes like a newborn myself. Adding to the box she’d sent was almost like having her with me in this new, unfamiliar place where I was starting over in so many ways.

As I neared the end of my pregnancy, Bobbie announced hers. Round went the clothes again; it was like part of our old friendship was connecting us as we passed the clothes along. A year later, Francine asked if the box could make its way back to her, then back to Bobbie, then it came back to me again. We each added or subtracted, depending on seasons and sizes, but it was a welcome connection and reminder of our bond during a time when so much had changed.

Over the course of our clothing exchange, we discovered that certain guidelines made it easier for us. You may also find that sharing maternity wear works best with established conditions and expectations.

Start with Similar Sizes

A swap always works best when you’re operating from the same general range. Francine, Bobbie and I were all about the same measurements to start. I think I gained the most weight, but larger is not usually a problem with maternity clothes — that’s what all that elastic is for, right?

Include all Seasons

We ended up including a variety of seasonal clothing that could be changed around to work at different times of year. This helped stretch the wardrobe even further, as short sleeve shirts could go under cardigans, and skirts and dresses could be worn over tights or leggings.

Share Specialty Items

It is so helpful to have a pooled resource for seldom-used items. For example, if you need a dress for a wedding and score one from your friend who needed it for a work event, you can avoid buying a maternity cocktail dress that you’ll never wear again.

Similarly, if you find a maternity swimsuit that you love, your friend will definitely appreciate having one available when she needs it for vacationing-while-pregnant.

State the Standards

The most important rule of thumb was maintaining high standards: if something became stained or damaged beyond repair, we tossed it. This was essential because no one likes getting handed a box of clothes that need help — especially while pregnant.

And who has time to do more laundry? We usually notified the original owner (if we could remember who it was) before disposing of a damaged item just to make sure that there was no sentimental attachment.

Send as Available

We also found it helpful to ship clothes as they became available rather than waiting for them all to accumulate. Depending on how far along the other members of the group are in their pregnancies, you may find that there’s an immediate need for that next size.

Shipping can be expensive, and sometimes sending a smaller box or even a large envelope means that the sting at the post office is easier to take.

Whether you’re sizing up weekly the way it felt like I was or just so sick of your own maternity wear that you hate the sight of it, getting new clothes passed along can feel like a reminder of your friendship and a much-needed style boost. After all, you can’t go wrong with a little help from your friends.

Madeleine Deliee loves thrift stores, used books and clothing swaps. She lives and writes in the Washington, D.C. area.

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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