HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A decade after energy companies began realizing the explosive economic potential of the vast Marcellus Shale natural gas reservoir, the politics of taxing it still roils Pennsylvania, now the nation's No. 2 gas state.Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf made taxing Marcellus Shale production a centerpiece of his successful 2014 campaign, and it stands to be prominent in next year's re-election bid after three years of pressing the Republican-controlled Legislature to [...]
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الخميس، 23 نوفمبر 2017
This is How to Keep Your Identity Safe During the Holiday Shopping Season
We can all agree: It’s OK to play Christmas music now.
Put up your tree, string lights along the roof, frost cookies and spend an entire weekend blowing up that giant yard Santa.
Unless you’re that über-planner in the family who’s been slowly gathering gifts since May, now’s also the time to start shopping.
Yes, I know the holidays can get costly. We’ve got tons of tips to help you save money on everything.
But I actually want to talk about one other giant holiday-shopping bummer a lot of people don’t think about until it’s too late: Identity theft.
I know: It’s the holiday season, right? If scammers had a heart, they’d take the month off and let us all just enjoy our gifts and cocoa.
Unfortunately, they don’t — that’s kinda their deal. And this is a great time to be an identity thief, because tons of people are swiping cards for tons of transactions over the next few weeks.
Each transaction is an opportunity for a scammer to steal your information.
That’s some next-level Grinching.
How to Get Free Identity-Theft Protection
If you want to keep your information safe this holiday season, you’ve got a few options:
- Go off-grid and carry tons of cash (safe for your information, maybe… but not so safe for your, um, safety).
- Learn a bunch of new skills and hand-make all your gifts (hope everyone in the family likes that same orange-blue-brown knit beanie in the one size).
- Monitor your credit to stop scammers before they take a Caribbean vacation in your name.
I’m going to go ahead and recommend that last one, because muggers are basically old-timey identity thieves, and no one in your family likes the beanie; they’re just trying to be nice.
I use the free service from Credit Sesame, which will send me an email or text alert if someone tries to apply for credit in my name. And it comes with $50,000 of identity theft insurance and fraud assistance in case something goes wrong.
(P.S. If someone’s able to get a loan in my name, I’d like to know their secret, because my credit stinks.)
In addition to the fraud protection, Credit Sesame lets you see your credit score and free credit report card — so you can keep tabs on those credit card bills after the shopping frenzy is over.
Want to protect your identity from Grinches? Take a few minutes to sign up for Credit Sesame here.
Dana Sitar (dana@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer/newsletter editor at The Penny Hoarder. Say hi and tell her a good joke on Twitter @danasitar.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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Moneywise Ask the Experts: Our experts
The Moneywise experts are here to help you with any financial questions you might have.
Do you have a question for our experts? Write to: Moneywise, Standon house, 21 Mansell Street, London E1 8AA or drop us an email at advice@moneywise.co.uk (please include your address).
Click on the expert's name to see a full list of questions they have answered and the company name to find out more information about the firm or service.
Anna Bowes is a founder and director at Savings Champion
David Hollingworth is a mortgage broker at London & Country Mortgages in Bath
David Wesley-Yates Chartered tax adviser at Red & Black Accountancy
Elaine Skelton is an associate at BHP Chartered Accountants
Francis Klonowski is principal of Klonowski & Co in Leeds
Helen Morrissey is the personal finance specialist at Royal London
Lisa Vaughan is a chartered financial planner at Fogwill & Jones
Michelle Cracknell is chief executive of the Pensions Advisory Service
Mike Gordon is technical director at Rutherford Wilkinson
Patrick Connolly is a certified financial planner at Chase De Vere
Tracey Maloney is head of family law at Co-op Legal Services
Trevor Clark is operations director at chartered financial planner Rutherford Wilkinson
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Healthy, Wealthy and Wise: Here’s How to Live Your Best Life in 2018
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, we’re already well into the holiday season, and I find myself staring down the year 2018.
Yikes, it feels wrong just writing that number. But here I am, ready to face the first official New Year’s Eve of my 30s.
Yep, I’m a 30-year-old saddled with debt and just enough motivation to make it two-and-a-half minutes on the stationary bike.
That means it’s time to buckle down and make some real resolutions. And, you know, actually stick to them.
But more than accomplishing a few specific goals, 2018 can also be the year we all live our best lives — the way one of our favorite founding fathers envisioned: healthy, wealthy and wise.
Yep, Ben Franklin had some major keys to success long before DJ Khaled signed up for Instagram.
So to help you get your wallet, waist and wits in order, here are some ways to stay healthy, wealthy and wise in 2018.
Hey, Franklin was on the $100 bill after all.
1. Beef up Your Financial Knowhow and Stay on Top of Your Credit Score
This one hits every angle of a healthy, wealthy and wise 2018.
Finding out your credit score will not only get you on track to tackling your financial well-being, but it will also save you money in the long run — and give you the peace of mind to get a restful night’s sleep (even if your score needs some work).
Credit Sesame is an online service that will give you a free credit report card, which includes that all-important credit score.
And here’s the best part: The service will also tell you why you scored that dreaded “D,” and provide simple recommendations for how to climb your way back to the the top of your financial class.
Melinda Smieja, a Washington mom, managed to pay off nine credit cards and raised her credit score by 284 points using Credit Sesame as a debt-busting springboard.
Already feeling that tension in your neck loosening up, right?
2. Get in Shape and Make Some Easy Cash on the Side
With how hard it can be just to drag myself out of bed for work in the morning, you’d be hard-pressed to get me to wake up an hour earlier to head to the gym.
But, if you told me I could get paid for working out? Say no more, fam.
HealthyWage is a company that will literally pay you to lose weight.
Here’s how it works: You place a bet on how much weight you think you can lose in a given time period, and HealthyWage calculates a prize you’ll win if you smash that goal (which we know you totally will).
Just head to the HealthyWage Prize Calculator to get started.
Already have a favorite workout app? You can squeeze even more cash out of those early-morning gym sessions. Achievement is a health app that will score you cash for completing specific fitness activities within your favorite workout tool.
Achievement uses a point system to reward you for fitness milestone it tracks through Apple’s HealthKit, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Runkeeper, RunDouble C25K, Twitter or any other app you already use to track your goals.
Ready to jump on the fitness train? We’ve got a guide on the gyms where you will get the best bang for your buck.
Never forget, a Sports Illustrated writer once referred to Franklin’s body as “slope-shouldered” and “smoothly muscled.”
He definitely lifted.
3. Try Out Micro-Investing to Take Some Wall Street Baby Steps
If you’re like me, you’ll blow through tons of savings and maybe even rack up some debt this holiday season. So 2018 is definitely a year to focus on getting wealthy.
Instead of juggling a bunch of side hustles, put your money to work for you by investing in the stock market.
But wait, isn’t that only for the moneyed elite — not this lowly writer scrounging for couch-cushion quarters?
Not anymore.
Acorns, a micro-investment app, connects to your bank account, credit and debit cards and invests your digital spare change. That is, it rounds up purchases on the connected card to the next dollar and pushes it into your Acorns account.
After setting up a financial profile, the app then invests the funds in that account in a chosen portfolio. One of our writers saved $116 in a few months.
Stash lets you start investing with as little as $5 and for just a $1 monthly fee. (The first month is free.)
Stash curates investments from professional fund managers and investors and lets you choose where to put your money. But it leaves out the complicated investment terms. You just choose from a set of simple portfolios reflecting your beliefs, interests and goals.
Bonus: Right now, The Penny Hoarder is teaming up with Stash to fund your first investment — so you’ll get a $5 bonus to get started!
4. Stare Down Those Student Loans and Yell, ‘Enough!’
OK, so it doesn’t have to be that dramatic, but you’ll be wiser and wealthier to get a head start on tackling that crippling student loan debt.
And refinancing may be your best option to save some major cash in the long run by lowering your monthly payment or even your overall interest rate.
Credible, an online marketplace for refinancing deals, makes it easy to find the best choice for you. And even after shopping around for a new rate, it won’t affect your credit score. Nice.
John DePrato, a graduate struggling with debt from his bachelor’s degree and MBA, cut his monthly student-loan payments in half with Credible. With those monthly obligations dropping from $850 to $400, he was able to build a new home with his wife.
Talk about a feel-good New Year’s resolution story.
5. Ditch the Brick-and-Mortar Bank and Go Digital With Your Accounts
There’s nothing more frustrating than showing up at your bank to protest an overdraft fee, only to wait in line for an hour to make your case. So much for your lunch break.
There’s another way, and it’ll help beef up your savings to make 2018 the wealthiest year of your life.
Chime, an online-only, fee-free bank account, will let you open an FDIC-insured account with more than 24,000 fee-free ATMs (score!) without any monthly payments. Say goodbye to those sneaky bank fees in 2018.
And besides saving money on fees, Chime also makes it simple to boost those savings. Link the app with your paycheck, and it’ll automatically carve out a portion and tuck it away into your secret stash.
You can also set up an option to round purchases up to the next dollar and funnel that digital change into your savings.
Your finances won’t be taken by surprise when the 2018 holiday season rolls around.
6. Turn Your Spare Bedroom Into a Moneymaking Machine
Have a spare room? Might as well use it to make some money by listing it on Airbnb.
If you’re a good host with a desirable space, you could add hundreds — even thousands — of dollars to your savings account with Airbnb.
And there’s no reason you can’t be creative. We even found a guy that earns $1,380 a month renting out a backyard tent on Airbnb.
Taking a few simple steps can make the difference between a great experience and a less-than-satisfactory one.
Here’s the link to sign up as an Airbnb host.
7. Optimize Your Spending to Get Major Cash Back on Purchases
So it would be a completely unrealistic New year’s resolution to say, “I’m not going to spend any money in 2018!”
But instead of lamenting each grocery-shopping trip, make money off of those purchases to stay wealthy in the new year.
Dosh, an app that gives you cash back on purchases from more than 100,000 hotels, stores and restaurants, should be your new best friend in 2018.
Signing up for Dosh is free and easy. Just download the app, connect it with your credit or debit cards, and use it to find places where you can earn cash back. And if you’re itching to travel, you’ll get a $25 bonus for booking your hotel through the app.
Because you’re going to have to spend money in 2018, anyway.
8. Make Some Cash on the Side by Driving for Lyft or Uber
You can learn a lot from chatting with complete strangers, as long as you’re into that whole thing (I’m personally on the fence). And you can make serious bucks driving said strangers around town with a ride-hailing app.
We’ve actually seen a couple haul in $1,500 a week driving with Lyft.
And you’ve definitely heard of Uber, another rideshare app that will help you stack cash to be prepared for the next holiday season. Oh, and they’ve got a tipping feature now.
Now that you’ve got a jump on making 2018 the year of staying healthy, wealthy and wise, all you need is some knickerbockers and an old pair of bi-focals to truly get your Ben Franklin on.
Just kidding. Kind of…
Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder. He’s ready to crush his 2018 New year’s resolutions. And he looks great in wire-frame specs.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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Save hundreds of pounds on your energy bills with these top insulation tips
Are you wasting hundreds of pounds each year on heat and energy that is escaping from your home? Then pick up our top tips on draught proofing and insulation. Not only will these ideas help save you money, they’ll reduce your CO2 footprint too.
Ever heard the saying: ‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’? Well, it’s true in more ways than one. Much like a castle, many of our properties leak energy.
We may as well be throwing money out with the rubbish because that is just what we are doing if our home is not well insulated and draught proofed. If you want to check heat loss from your home, the easiest way is to employ someone with a thermal imaging camera (or you can hire one from £102.90 at Jewson.co.uk). This will give you a thermal image of the outside of your home, highlighting any points where excess heat is lost.
Walls
The highest proportion of escaping energy is through your walls – an incredible 35%. So what can you do to prevent the loss?
Homes built after 1924 generally have a space between the internal and external walls called the ‘cavity’. This acts as a barrier to stop rain reaching the inside of the building, but it also is a perfect space to fill with insulation to reduce heat loss Since 1982, it has been compulsory to install cavity wall insulation into all new-builds, but if your home was built between 1924 and 1982 it may not have this.
See the box below to find out how to tell if you have cavity wall insulation already installed. If you are unsure whether your home is of cavity or solid wall construction, you can check how the bricks are laid – see illustrations below. If you have cavity walls and would like to check if they are insulated, look for tell-tale marks in the brickwork (see below).
Above: If you have cavity walls and want to check if they are already insulated, look for these tell-tale marks (see arrows)
If you need cavity wall insulation, you may qualify for a grant – visit Getinsulation.co.uk or call 0800 015 4759 to see if you’re eligible.
Loft
Once you have sorted out your walls, pop into the loft to check if it is adequately insulated. There are many types of roof and loft insulation (you can see all these at Ecofrenzy.com/ roof-and-loft-insulation.html), but the most common is rolls of glass and mineral wool laid between the ceiling joists. This should be 270mm thick, but you may be surprised to find a flimsy layer of non-descript material or nothing at all in your loft. There goes another 25% of lost heat and a wad of money up into the sky.
The first thing to check once again is whether you are eligible for a grant. Go back to Getinsulation.co.uk or call 0800 015 4759.
If you are not eligible for a grant and are reasonably nimble on your feet, then have a go yourself. Just make sure you wear the correct personal protective equipment such as a mask and goggles.
When buying material, look out for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo to ensure you are buying insulation products that have been through a quality-control process and comply with building regulations.
Here are indicative savings for insulating the loft in a typical semidetached house:
Windows
Your home could lose up to 10% of its heat through the windows. Ideally, you should change those old, leaky windows to double- or triple-glazed units. However, this can cost thousands of pounds, so from an economical point of view it may not make sense. As an alternative, you can install secondary glazing.
Secondary glazing is a secondary pane of glass and frame, which can be fitted inside the existing window reveal. This won’t be as well sealed as a double-glazing unit, but will be much cheaper to fit, and will still save energy. If this is still too expensive, then even a sheet of clear plastic film stretched over the window reveal will help reduce wasted energy and money.
Other simple ideas to reduce heat loss through windows are curtains lined with a layer of heavy material or special thermal lining. However, do not let your curtains hang over a radiator as this will stop the heat from radiating into the room.
Hollow blinds, fitted into place with a sealed frame, and sealed shutters will also help cut draughts and keep your heat in for longer.
Make sure you close curtains and blinds before it becomes dark (and cold) outside. Conversely make sure they are open in rooms which face the morning sun so that they can be heated by solar power.
DRAUGHT PROOFING
This is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to save energy – and money – in any type of building.
There are two sources of fresh air entering your property, ventilation and draughts. While ventilation helps reduce condensation and damp, draughts if left uncontrolled can let in too much cold air, leading to heat wastage.
To draught-proof your home, you should block up unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out. Keeping in warm air means you’ll use less energy to heat your home and save money at the same time.
Draught proofing shouldn’t be much of a problem if you can handle simple DIY jobs. Most products should be available from good DIY shops.
Windows
For windows that open, buy draughtproofing strips to stick around the window frame and fi ll the gap between the window and the frame.
There are two types:
- Self-adhesive foam strips. Cheap, and easy to install, but may not last long.
- Metal or plastic strips with brushes or wipers attached. These are longer lasting, so cost a little more. Make sure the strip is the right size to fill the gap in your window. If it is too big, it will be crushed and you may not be able to close the window. If it’s too small, there will still be a gap. Sliding sash windows are known to be draughty, and foam strips do not work well. It’s best to fi t brush strips or consult a professional. For windows that don’t open, use a silicone or foam sealant. This special type of foam can be sprayed into gaps around windows or doors. Draughts also occur in cracks between the window frames and the surrounding walls – in this instance, use sealant or putty for best results.
Doors
Here are the main things to consider when draught-proofing outside doors.
- Keyhole – buy a purpose-made cover that drops a metal disc over the keyhole.
- Letterbox – use a letterbox flap or brush, but remember to measure your letterbox before you buy.
- Gap at the bottom of the door – use a brush or hinged flap draught excluder.
- Gaps around the edges – fi t foam, brush or wiper strips like those used for windows.
- Inside doors need draught-proofing, but only if they lead to a room you don’t normally heat, such as a spare room. Keep those doors shut to stop the cold air from moving into the rest of the house and block gaps at the bottom of the door with a draught excluder. You can make one stuffed with rice or bits of spare material.
Loft hatches
- Put strips of draught-excluding material around the hatch edges.
Electrical fittings on walls and ceilings
- Use sealants to fill gaps around the fittings.
Suspended floorboards, skirting boards and ceiling-to-wall joints
You can block cracks by squirting filler into the gaps. Floorboards and skirting boards often contract, expand or move slightly with everyday use, so you should use a filler that can tolerate movement. These are usually silicone-based. Look for flexible fillers, decorator’s caulk or mastic-type products.
Fillers for both indoor and outdoor use block gaps permanently, so be careful when you apply them. If there are draughts between the skirting board and the floor, seal as necessary. Ideally, you should insulate the void under the floor.
Cracks in walls
- Squirt flexible wall filler into crack.
Chimneys and fireplaces
If you don’t use your fi replace, your chimney is probably a source of unnecessary draughts. There are two main ways to draught-proof a chimney if you don't use your fi re:
- Fit a cap over the chimney pot – this might be better done by a professional.
- Buy a chimney draught excluder – devices that help stop draughts and heat loss up the chimney, usually fitted within the chimney or around the fi replace.
Old extractor fans
- Old fan outlets may need to be filled with bricks or concrete blocks and sealed from both the inside and outside.
Disused vents
Disused vents may be left behind after gas fires and old central heating boilers, with non-balanced flues, are removed. These should be sealed up, perhaps with an adjustable vent cover, or you can fill them with expanding polyurethane foam. You should block most of these, but be careful in areas that need good ventilation, such as:
- Areas where there are open fires or open flues.
- Rooms where a lot of moisture is produced, such as the kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms.
OTHER ITEMS TO INSULATE
If you’ve insulated your walls, loft and windows, you may be feeling a bit smug, but now is not the time to stop. Here comes the fiddly bit, insulating pipes, loft hatches, hot water tanks, secondary glazing, draught proofing and so on. By adding all these you could be saving another 25% of lost energy and significantly reducing your CO2 imprint. None of it is difficult; it’s just a little time consuming, so let us look at each in turn.
Energy-efficient doors
Replacing an old door with a high performance thermal door can keep your home warmer and reduce fuel bills. But like double-glazed windows, economically this is a tricky one. The cost to install a fully insulated composite door may be £400-plus, but the energy saved may only add up to £8 a year so the pay-back period is nearly 40 years. If you have the money, then it is the right thing to do. If it is unaffordable, then it may be better to buy a regular door and ensure that it is properly draught proofed (see page 67 for more on this).
Pipe insulation
This consists of a foam tube that covers the exposed pipes between your hot water cylinder and boiler. It’s usually as simple as choosing the correct size from a DIY store and then slipping it around the pipes. Not only does it save you money but it helps prevent frozen pipes. Speak to anyone who has had burst pipes and you will appreciate why this insulation is such a good idea.
Hot water cylinder
Insulate your hot water cylinder with at least an 80mm lagging jacket – a well-fitted jacket could save you around £25 to £35 a year and only costs £15. For more details on savings, see table below.
Loft hatch
Cooler air in an insulated loft could mean that cold draughts come through the loft hatch. To prevent this, fit an insulated loft hatch or foam board with polystyrene onto the inside of the hatch – small savings but they all count.
Ventilate your home
Air needs to flow in and out of your house so it stays fresh, dry and reduces condensation problems. Make sure you don’t block or seal any intentional ventilation, such as the following:
Extractor fans – take out damp air quickly in rooms where lots of moisture is produced (kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms).
Underfloor grilles or air bricks – help keep wooden beams and floors dry.
Wall vents – let small amounts of fresh air into rooms.
Trickle vents – modern windows often have small vents above them to let fresh air trickle in.
Keep good ventilation in areas where there are open fi res or flues and in rooms where moisture is produced.
Don’t seal kitchen and bathroom windows, which let out the steam and helps create ventilation. Instead, seal the inner doors to these rooms.
Tony Whittingham is director of EcoFrenzy.com, a noncommercial and not-for-profit organisation that helps you save money and the environment in everyday life by minimising waste, pollution and carbon dioxide output.
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Should you take advantage of cheap loan rates while they last?
Many mortgage borrowers will have been disheartened to see banks and building societies start to increase their interest rates soon after the Bank of England raised the base rate.
However, other forms of borrowing have yet to react to the increased 0.5% base rate. The personal loans market remains highly competitive, with the major players maintaining impressively low rates. How long these rates last is yet to be seen, but consumers looking to take out a personal loan can still take advantage of some cheap deals.
There are many reasons consumers may want to take out a personal loan. You could be looking to do up the house, get a new car or consolidate existing debts.
While less flexible than credit cards, personal loans allow you to borrow and repay a set amount each month over a fixed period. The interest rate will depend on the size of the loan and how creditworthy you are in the eyes of lenders.
If you need to borrow a smaller sum, Moneywise’s Best Buy personal loan comes from Metro Bank, but you need to be an existing customer to take advantage. It charges 5.9% to borrowers looking to borrow £2,500 over a period of 24 months. This will require repayments of £110.69 a month, meaning borrowers will repay £2,657 in total. You can apply by telephone or in a Metro Bank branch, which are located across London and the South East of England.
If you’re not a Metro Bank customer, the next best deals come from peer-to-peer giants RateSetter and Zopa. Both providers charge 6.9% for a £2,500 loan over two years. Repayments are £111.82 a month, equivalent to £2,684 overall. Both loans are only available online.
For those looking to borrow bigger sums, the rates on offer are even lower. Data from Moneyfacts shows that the market average for a £15,000 loan over a five-year period is still lower than six months ago, despite the base rate rise.
It says the average loan of this kind had an interest rate of 4.5% in November 2017, compared to 4.6% in May. Our Moneywise Best Buys have even lower rates than that, with the top picks charging just 2.8% interest to borrowers.
Sainsbury’s Bank, TSB and Zopa offer loans of £15,000 over 60 months at 2.8%. This will cost £268.20 a month, with £16,092 total payable over the term. TSB borrowers can take out a loan in branch, online and over the phone, Sainsbury's Bank customers can apply online or by phone while Zopa is an online only.
Remember that advertised rates are just representative. This means lenders only have to offer this rate to 51% of successful applicants. People with a poor credit score might be offered a loan at a higher rate or rejected altogether.
Many providers in the personal loan market will only offer borrowers a loan rate quote after they have performed a ‘hard’ credit check. This means they use a credit reference agency, such as Callcredit, Equifax or Experian, to check your financial background before quoting you a rate.
Shopping around and getting multiple quotes could leave you with several marks on your credit fi le. Too many hard checks within a short period can be viewed negatively by lenders, meaning you could end up being quoted higher rates by simply looking for the best deal.
Experian and price comparison site GoCompare offer smart search tools that allow users to compare loans without being credit checked multiple times. Use these to help find the right deal.
FEATURED PRODUCT: Sainsbury’s Bank Nectar Purchase Credit Card
For smaller purchases, a credit card with a long interest-free period could be better than a personal loan. Cards offer users more flexibility, but take care to keep your spending under control as it is easy to spend more than you expect when using plastic.
Moneywise’s Best Buy is the Sainsbury’s Bank Nectar Purchase Credit Card. It offers 31 months’ interest-free spending, although balance transfers incur a 3% fee. New customers opening an account before 28 December 2017 will also earn 1,000 bonus Nectar points – worth £5 – each time they spend £35 or more on Sainsbury’s shopping on the card. You can do this up to 10 times in the first two months after account opening, meaning a potential reward of £50.
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The Value of Thanks … and the Value of Action
As all of my American readers know and many international readers know as well, today is the day that many American families celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. For those abroad, Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States centered around giving thanks for the blessings of the year and of the harvest and is typically celebrated with family and friends gathering for a large meal with what is considered traditional harvest foods, including a variety of vegetables and usually with a cooked turkey as a centerpiece (though the specifics can vary quite a bit).
For my family, Thanksgiving centers around family. A rather large number of my extended family members gather at one of our homes for a large dinner and plenty of conversation, along with watching parades and football n television. The dinner is usually pretty traditional Thanksgiving fare – turkey, harvest vegetables, and wine are usually on the menu – but it’s usually a day-long affair with a lot of family together under one roof. We usually replicate a similar event with my wife’s extended family a day or two later.
I love the holiday. I use it as an excuse to have a nice one-on-one conversation with almost everyone in my extended family, to play several games of cards with my father and my brothers (this is somewhat of a traditional thing – it happens every year, as the four of us gather around a table and play a few games of cards together), and to eat a big slice of pumpkin pie (which is my highlight food-wise).
Of course, a big part of Thanksgiving is “thanks.” The holiday’s core meaning is about giving thanks for the blessings of the year, and it’s a perfect day to reflect on those blessings.
For example…
Nine Things I’m Thankful For This Year
I’m thankful for the love and support of my wonderful wife, Sarah. Her steadiness, warmth, and humor have guided me through so much in life.
I’m thankful for the continued growth of my three children. They are all blossoming into wonderful young people and it is my pleasure to have a front row seat to the whole thing (and to play a role in it, too).
I’m thankful for my health. My ability to wake up in the morning and do the things I want to do without any significant pain is a pretty nice blessing.
I’m thankful for the hobbies that I enjoy and the people I’ve met through those hobbies.
I’m thankful for financial stability and not having to worry about keeping the bills paid.
I’m thankful for having a career that gives me the chance to think deeply about a variety of issues and express myself creatively while still having great time flexibility.
I’m thankful for the people in my wider social network who bring so much joy into my life in so many different ways.
I’m thankful for beautiful weather and beautiful scenery, whether in the warmth of summer or the cold of winter.
I’m thankful for being part of a supportive community, where I have helped others and been given help more times than I can count.
(I could easily name more, but let’s stop here for now.)
Being Thankful on Thanksgiving Is Just the Start
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to stop and reflect on the things that you’re thankful for. Making a list like the one above for your own life is a really great way to spend some time today.
The thing is, when you do make a list of the things you’re thankful for like that, what you’re essentially doing is “gratitude journaling.” It’s really no different than that.
Gratitude journaling is a daily practice where a person essentially lists a few things that they’re grateful for in their own life. It’s a wonderful daily practice that I picked up on a couple of years ago and have found to be a wonderful addition to my own life.
Why do this every day, you might ask? It’s simple. Having a lot of gratitude leads to contentment with your life. Contentment means that the fires of your endless desire for more things in life is substantially cooled.
Let me make this clear: being content with your life doesn’t mean that you no longer want things. It simply means that you no longer want more in the areas of your life in which you already have abundance, and in the modern world, most of us have lives that are mostly filled with abundance.
Contentment doesn’t mean that you skip the gym if you want to improve your physical shape. It means that your desire to buy yet another addition to an already overstuffed collection burns out.
Contentment means that you recognize that you have a pretty good life as it is, so the fire for spending all of your money on the short term goes away and it becomes much more worthwhile to save for the long term.
In short, for financial goals and for feeling good about yourself and your life in the general sense, contentment is invaluable. It takes away the desire to spend money in order to feel “good enough” because you’re already good enough. For me, being content enables me to channel my desire for a better life into narrower and more sensible areas, and it also channels my desire to protect this wonderful life that I have.
So, today, simply make a list of things you’re thankful for. Just a few. But don’t stop with today. Do it tomorrow as well, and the day after that, and the day after that.
The reason? Such a practice cultivates a sense of contentment and abundance in life, which makes it far easier to use one’s energy to grow in a purposeful and meaningful way. It makes it far easier to be frugal, as a lot of pettier wants and desires vanish, and it makes it far easier to channel desires into a small number of more meaningful areas which can bring about actual change instead of dissatisfaction with life.
Dare I say it? It’s the power of Thanksgiving.
Thankfulness Through Action
It doesn’t end there, though.
Several months ago, for personal curiosity’s sake, I pulled out my gratitude journal – a notebook where I list a few things each day I’m grateful for – and started to count them.
What I was really looking for were some big patterns. What things did I really find that I was grateful for most often?
I was grateful for my immediate family – my wife and my kids – the most, followed by the outdoors. I found that my physical health and my hobbies formed a pretty clear second tier, along with my extended family and friends. My financial state and my career were pretty high, too.
What I began to realize as I went through the entries and did a rough mental count is that the things that showed up quite often were really the most important things in my life. They were the things that meant the most to me, and they were the things that I would miss the most if they went away.
This led to the next question: what can I be doing to preserve and enhance those things that I care about the most?
In other words, the things I am most thankful and grateful for in my life led me to rethinking a lot of my long term and short term goals. If those are the things that really make my life worth living, what am I doing to preserve them and to enhance them?
I am consistently grateful for my marriage. What am I doing to strengthen my marriage and keep it a focus in my life?
I am consistently grateful for my children. What am I doing to be a better parent?
I am consistently grateful for the beauty of nature. What am I doing to spend more time outdoors and keep it beautiful?
I am consistently grateful for my health. What am I doing to stay healthy, both for myself and my family?
I am consistently grateful for my hobbies. What am I doing to ensure that I have blocks of time for the activities that are meaningful to me?
I am consistently grateful for my career and work. What am I doing to produce better and more meaningful work, both for myself and for readers?
I am consistently grateful for our financial stability. What am I doing to ensure and grow that stability so that it lasts for a very long time?
I am consistently grateful for my extended family and friends. What am I doing to preserve and build those relationships?
Those questions lead me directly to personal goals, both short term and long term goals.
What am I doing to strengthen my marriage and keep it a focus in my life? I make sure to set aside time to have at least one meaningful conversation with Sarah each day and some degree of physical contact. I try to touch on what makes her feel loved each day. This is both a daily goal and a long term goal.
What am I doing to be a better parent? I stop work – period – when they’re about to arrive home from school. Rather than just handing out rules and discipline, I try to take the time to explain to them why particular rules exist and why they have consequences. I read with them every day. I aim to have a meaningful conversation with each child at least every other day.
What am I doing to spend more time outdoors and keep it beautiful? An outdoor walk is part of my daily routine. About once a week, I take a trash bag with me and pick up anything that shouldn’t be there on my route and drop the trash in the large trash container at the park as I go by it near the end of my walk. I go on at least one hike in a state park each week, weather permitting.
What am I doing to stay healthy, both for myself and my family? This is something that’s a real challenge for me. Right now, my focus is on mastering a relatively low calorie diet, which means that I’m trying to master an internal “guidance system” that knows when I’ve eaten enough calories in the day. It’s harder than it sounds. I’ve taken up taekwondo and am committed to a strong progression through the belt ranks.
What am I doing to ensure that I have blocks of time for the activities that are meaningful to me? The biggest thing I’m doing for this is revising my entire professional workflow. I think there are some inefficient parts to the way I’ve been doing things for a long time and I’m trying to iron those out, but it’s challenging. This enables me to have more free time, from which I block out part of each Sunday solely for hobbies.
What am I doing to produce better and more meaningful work, both for myself and for readers? That ties into the above answer. I’m trying to re-orchestrate my entire professional workflow to create more meaningful work in a little less time than before by taking in the lessons of the last several years.
What am I doing to ensure and grow our financial stability so that it lasts for a very long time? For me, the best strategy is to keep an eye on my unnecessary purchases. Using money to fulfill wants usually ends up with unfulfilling purchases that take me away from financial goals, so simply finding ways to be vigilant against it is valuable. Strategies like budgeting for non-essentials works really well here.
What am I doing to preserve and build relationships with extended family and friends? I actually keep track of the last time I had meaningful contact with a lot of extended family members and non-local friends, and I use that to make sure I’m keeping in touch with them regularly. If I haven’t touched base with someone in a couple of weeks, I make sure to do so and then reset that date.
Those questions – and a few similar ones – lead me straight into meaningful areas of thinking about my life, and giving those areas some thought leads me straight into meaningful goals in my life.
Transforming Thought into Action
The final step here, of course, is to actually take action on all of those things that you’re thankful for. You’ve taken the step to track your thankfulness and gratitudes each day. You’ve figured out which ones pop up time and time again. You’ve figured out meaningful action to ensure that those things you are grateful for are preserved and built upon.
The final step, then, is action. You know what you can do today to ensure that the things you are most thankful for are built upon and preserved. Are you going to do it?
I usually have a really healthy handful of goals going on all at the same time. Some of them are listed above. What I’ve found is that if I take those goals each day and literally transfer the next step for each of them to my to-do list for the day, I usually get those steps done. (I usually block out calendar time for those that need to be done in a contiguous block.)
Yes, I often have a really long to-do list each day, but here’s the thing: when I know that things to be done are connected to things that I’m truly thankful for in life, then that task really doesn’t seem so bad. Often, it seems joyful, especially upon completion. I find it easier to motivate myself to do something if I see the connection between that task and the thing I’m thankful for in my life.
For example, right now we’re struggling a bit with my youngest child as he figures out some of the finer points of personal boundaries. He likes to hug people and he’s still figuring out the right time and the wrong time to hug. Talking to him about these things isn’t easy – it’s not a fun task. It’s also one that needs to be touched upon regularly to keep it fresh in his mind.
However, when I reflect on the idea that my son is something I am truly thankful for in my life, it becomes easier. I can tie that task directly to that feeling of thanks and gratitude I have for what he brings into my life, so it becomes easier to sit down with him and have a talk about it.
Another example: I’m often tempted to buy things that I don’t really need, and I have a monthly “free spending” budget that I use to buy hobby related things and other incidental things. One thing I can do daily is to review my “free spending” account to make sure I’m not overspending without thinking about it, something I’ve been doing to ensure I keep my financial destiny where I want it to be.
Thanksgiving Is the Start
Today, as you take a moment to give thanks for all of the blessings in your life, let that not be the end of things, but the start.
Start by giving thanks tomorrow, too, and the day after, and the day after. Start a little gratitude journal in a notebook somewhere and write down a few things each day that you’re grateful for. That simple act will help drive a sense of abundance and contentment and even joy in your life.
From there, carry it forward into action. Look at that gratitude journal and see what patterns you notice. Look for the things that you’re truly thankful for over and over again, and ask yourself what you can do to preserve and protect and enhance those things over the long term.
Take that long term goal and turn it into daily action. What can you do today to make that long term goal happen? Add that task to your list of things to do today.
Those things that you add to your to-do list that are directly borne from your sense of gratitude and thanks for the abundance of your life are things that will be both deeply meaningful for you in the moment because you see that connection, but will also build into some of the most powerful things you’ll ever do.
Let the value of thanks lead your life. Let it lead you to better financial choices, better professional choices, better personal choices. You’ll be glad you did.
Good luck.
The post The Value of Thanks … and the Value of Action appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Help for Parents: Here Are the 20 Best YouTube Channels for Your Kids
A little screen time can be a parent’s savior.
We’ve all had times when that glowing screen has saved the day — from thwarting a mid-store temper tantrum to allowing just 10 minutes of peace to fold the laundry.
Watching videos can even teach your child a thing or two (because honestly, do you want to sing the ABCs a dozen times in a continuous loop?).
In this world where we face the choice between costly cable packages and purchasing multiple streaming subscriptions, YouTube is a great source for a wide array of free videos.
Not sure what to watch? Here are some kid-friendly channels your little one is sure to love.
Toddlers
Videos featuring bright colors, catchy tunes and lovable characters will have your tots entranced while learning about the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes and more.
LittleBabyBum
LittleBabyBum’s nursery rhyme videos are educational and entertaining, with both classic and original songs. New videos are posted weekly, and some compilation videos last over an hour long.
Baby Joy Joy
An adorable baby in a hooded jumpsuit takes toddlers on musical adventures with Baby Joy Joy videos. This channel has an addictive version of the ABC song.
Kids TV
Kids TV — Nursery Rhymes and Baby Songs is a popular channel with preschool educational videos. Little ones love the Bob the Train and Bottle Squad characters.
Baby Einstein
This established brand’s YouTube channel features a mix of cartoon, puppetry and live-action videos. The Baby Einstein channel also has videos that focus on music, crafts and infant products.
Kids
From toys and games to cooking and crafts, these channels captivate older kids and give them tons of new ideas for what to do when you press the stop button.
Ryan ToysReview
Ryan ToysReview shows the adventures of a young boy, his family and a whole bunch of toys. The videos in this channel also include science projects, pranks, challenges, songs and funny skits.
EvanTubeHD
For more toy reviews, check out EvanTubeHD. Over 4.6 million subscribers tune in to see this boy unbox, describe and play with various coveted toys.
CharlisCraftyKitchen
CharlisCraftyKitchen will have your kiddos wanting to get in the kitchen to cook up sweet treats. This channel also features challenge videos, haul videos and more.
Will It Slime?
If your kids are obsessed with slime, Will It Slime? will teach them how to make all sorts of slime, from butter to fluffy and even magnetic. So. Many. Varieties.
Educational
Sneak in a little school outside of the classroom. These channels take a fun spin on learning.
Crash Course Kids
Host Sabrina Cruz takes on grade school science in this channel. Crash Course Kids will help your kid learn about engineering, physical science, life science and more with down-to-earth explanations and a mix of animation.
Cool School
Cool School covers reading, language, art class and more, but makes it… well, cool! Kids can find their favorite teachers in Ms. Booksy, Crafty Carol, Jim Class and other characters.
SciShow Kids
SciShow Kids will answer your curious kids’ questions of “why?” This science-focused kid channel tackles topics like why we get hiccups and and why the sky is blue.
Free School
Want your kid to learn more about geography and grammar? How about art and animals? Classical music and constellations? Free School has you covered.
As Seen On TV
These channels bring TV right to your smartphone or tablet. Select videos from programs your kids already love.
Sesame Street
”Sesame Street” is the longest-running children’s program and captures millions of viewers on YouTube by offering the classic content kids love. Check out this channel for clips, skits and songs. It even offers full episodes.
Disney Channel
This channel provides content from Disney Channel favorites like “Raven’s Home,” “Bizaardvark” and “Tangled: The Series.” Viewers can enjoy trailers, clips, tutorials, behind-the-scenes videos and full episodes.
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon’s YouTube channel offers viewers behind-the-scenes content, show clips, trailers, music performances, quizzes and more. Kids can get their fill of their favorite shows like “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “The Loud House” and “Henry Danger.”
Cartoon Network
Your kids can’t get enough of “Teen Titans Go!” and “The Amazing World of Gumball”? Then check out Cartoon Network’s YouTube channel for clips from those shows and other network favorites.
Music
Sometimes the kiddos just need to jam out! Just don’t blame me when the songs from these channels get stuck in your head.
Kidz Bop
Kidz Bop entertains children with kid-friendly versions of the songs we all hear on the radio. Parents can appreciate the fact that lyrics are altered to make the tunes appropriate for little ears.
The Kiboomers
The music videos shown on The Kiboomers channel are great for younger audiences. They include traditional nursery rhymes, original songs and music in other languages.
Disney Music VEVO
Disney and music go hand in hand. This Disney Music VEVO channel has musical hits from your kids’ favorite movies.
Best Baby Lullabies
If your kid protests all forms of resting, Best Baby Lullabies may not be his favorite channel — but it just might be yours. These calming tunes are perfect naptime or bedtime aids with looped audio lasting an hour or more.
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She enjoys writing about parenting and money.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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This is the Number 1 Reason for Personal Bankruptcy (And How to Avoid It)
Just imagine. It’s one of those rare Saturday afternoons where you get to relax and watch your kid’s little league game.
But, after his first hit, he tries for second and as he slides — late — you see his leg buckle and hear him scream.
It’s a broken leg. Even though you have insurance, you don’t have a lot to spare, so you opted for a high-deductible plan. Now, you’ll need to pay that entire $3,000 deductible for this one injury.
Medical bills are one of the biggest financial issues for people in the U.S. The number one reason for personal bankruptcy? Yep, you guessed it.
It’s medical bills.
Medical bills have the ability to crush an entire family’s finances. Keep in mind that the cause of the medical bills, a severe injury or illness, can also put a halt on your income. With no money coming in and bills piling up fast, it’s a double-edged sword.
All you need to do is fire up a crowdfunding account and let friends and strangers help you out, right? Don’t count on it.
However, your medical bills don’t have to be astronomical to throw your budget out of whack. The key is creating sufficient emergency funds before the medical bills start pouring in.
First, breathe. You can do this. Even if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, there are little ways you can help yourself create the cushion you need to avoid disaster.
Here are a few tips to help you pay down those astronomical medical bills — by being ready before they strike.
1. Understand Your Current Debt
First thing’s first. To make sure you’re financially prepared for an emergency, you need to know to whom you owe money and how much. For a simple snapshot of this, sign up for a free Credit Sesame account.
Not only will Credit Sesame let you see your Transunion credit score, which is a great thing to know, you can also see a free debt analysis. This gives you an overview of your debt and breaks it down into your total debt, monthly payment, and debt-to-income ratio.
Handy info, right?
Next, click on the “view details” tab below your debt analysis. Here’s where you really learn what’s what. This screen breaks your debt down into categories, such as student loan, credit cards and other debt categories. Now you can really see how much you owe and where.
The info you learn from Credit Sesame can really help you see where your bills are heaviest and help you prioritize your plan of attack.
2. Consider Consolidating Your Current Debt
Now that you’ve seen what you’re up against, have you taken a gander at those interest rates?
If you have several credit cards floating a balance out there, or even just one with a large balance, it may be well worth your while to look into a personal loan to consolidate those debts.
This could substantially lower payments you’re already making on your debt and help you save more money each month toward your emergency-savings goal.
If you’re being crushed by credit card interest rates north of 20%, it might be worth seeing if you can consolidate and refinance your debt.
A good resource is consumer-financial-technology platform Even Financial, which can help match you with the right personal loan to meet your needs.
Even Financial searches top online lenders to match you with a personalized loan offer in three steps. Even’s platform can help you borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 4.99% and terms from 24 to 84 months.
Taming outrageous interest on your current debt is the first step toward saving money for unforeseen future debts.
3. Start a Side Hustle
You know your debts. You’ve consolidated them into one payment, or at least fewer payments with much lower interest. Feels good, right?
Now, if you really want to start gaining ground, it’s time to add a little something to your income. Do you know your city inside and out?
Try driving with Lyft.
Demand for ridesharing has been growing like crazy, and it shows no signs of slowing down. To be eligible, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old with a year of driving experience, pass a background check and own a car made in 2007 or after.
We talked to Paul Pruce, who’s been driving full-time with Lyft for over a year. He earns $750 a week as a driver.
Best of all, he does it on his own time. You can work days, nights or weekends — it’s up to you!
Since it’s simple to switch between apps, many Lyft drivers also sign up as a driver partner with Uber.
As an Uber contractor, you’re responsible for setting your schedule and motivating yourself to work — no one is keeping tabs on you. Your earnings will be calculated by adding a base fare, plus time and distance traveled after your pickup, and Uber charges a service fee (20-35% depending on your city). It can be a great way to start earning a little extra to stash for an emergency.
If you want to give it a try, there are a few things to keep in mind. You must be at least 21 years old, have three years of driving experience, have an in-state driver’s license, a clean driving record and be able to pass a criminal background check.
4. Automate Your Savings
Sometimes the easiest way to save money is to not think about it at all.
Enter Qapital (pronounced “capital”). Qapital is an app that moves money from any account you choose into a savings account in small, pre-designated increments. It helped one Penny Hoarder writer save $700 in just five months.
When you trigger certain “rules,” such as meeting your daily step goal or making a purchase from a particular retailer, Qapital moves a designated amount of money from your selected account into a savings account.
First, download the app and sign up. You can either use Facebook or set up an account with your email address. Either way, you have to be at least 18 years old.
Next, link your checking account, which Qapital will verify before you can begin saving. This can take up to three days, and you must have $100 in your account to qualify.
To prevent overdrafting, Qapital only transfers money when you have at least $100 in your account; once you hit that threshold, it automatically stops all withdrawals.
Then, connect any other accounts you want to monitor, like PayPal, bank-affiliated or American Express credit cards or prepaid cards.
When you make a purchase with one of these accounts that triggers one of your rules, the app will pull money from your checking account and move it to your FDIC-insured Qapital account through Wells Fargo.
It’s simple savings without even thinking about it.
Remember, the goal is to establish an emergency fund that can save you and your family if and when the unexpected occurs.
Medical bills happen. That’s just life. Being prepared for them before they ever happen is winning at life. You can do it.
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, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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