While 2017 was a year that found people concerned with immigration, policy, crime and a myriad of other things; the thing that worried Pennsylvanians most might surprise you.According to an analysis of Google Trends, Pennsylvanians most searched safety concern was unemployment; but the fear may just be paranoia according to local experts.“What we have seen is not indicative of that, there are jobs out there. We have a lot of employers looking for people to work. If [...]
Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/2FQFSL0
الأربعاء، 17 يناير 2018
In-N-Out Burger Will Shower Kids With Free Hot Cocoa Whenever It Rains
In-N-Out Burger, the popular West Coast fast-food chain, just added hot cocoa to its menu — the first new permanent menu item in over a decade. Last time it altered its notoriously simple menu was when it added lemonade back in the early 2000s.
The new beverage is made with cocoa powder from Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. — another California-based company — and costs $1.60 for an 8-ounce cup or $2.65 for a 16-ounce cup, according to a customer service representative. Of course, prices may vary by location.
To make this drink’s release even sweeter, In-N-Out has a special on this tasty treat for the kiddos on rainy days.
When It Rains It Pours… Hot Cocoa
Time to start practicing your best rain dances, kids. Because when it rains, it pours… free hot cocoa at In-N-Out Burger for kids 12 and under. Now those rainy days mean something extra sweet for the kiddos.
Keep in mind, though, the kiddos have to be there to claim their freebies. So no leaving the troops at home while mom goes to In-N-Out and fills all the minivan cup holders with that hot, steamy, chocolatey goodness. One good thing, though: There is no expiration date on this deal.
In-N-Out Burger couldn’t confirm what size the freebie would be, so your mileage may vary from restaurant to restaurant.
We’ll tip our cups to this no-strings-attached freebie and try not to be jealous of the fine folks in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
So next time it rains, don’t wait for the storm to pass. Put on your rain shoes and run over to a participating In-N-Out Burger near you.
Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She has never been to an In-N-Out because Florida.
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.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2B9bM1P
This Company Will Pay You $1,000 for Telling It Why Your School Rules
Think your school, campus and college town are the coolest in the U.S.?
You could win a $1,000 scholarship by telling rental search firm Abodo in 1,000 words or less — and five pictures — why your school is the_bomb.com.
OK, OK. I know the feeling. The semester just started, and you have to write another essay? But with all that pressure over student loan debt, you totally owe it to your future self to give it a shot.
If you really, really can’t write another dang essay, sift through tons of other scholarships we’ve compiled here. There might be a few with less… academic requirements.
If not, keep reading to find out how to enter to win this $1,000 scholarship before this semester’s Feb. 28 deadline.
How to Enter This College Scholarship Essay Contest
First off, Abodo runs this essay contest twice a year, once for the spring semester and once for the fall. No, you can’t win twice — but your roommate could enter.
Click here to find the scholarship application. You’ll need to describe five things people might not know about your school, campus or town that make it amazing. It could be a really cool professor, that big, awesome tree people are always doing tai chi in front of or a weekly concert in the park.
Make sure to use proper grammar and spelling. The site or your browser could time out, so I suggest writing the essay on your own word processing software, then pasting it in.
Throughout the essay, include links to images of what you’re describing for extra points. You can use Imgur to upload images for free, then copy the URL into the body of the essay.
Oh, and I hope you’re OK with the essay and pics in your application going public, because Abodo owns the right to use them in the future.
And there’s only one winner, which will be chosen after the Feb. 28 deadline, so make those pictures Instagram-worthy and the essay solid.
Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder. Here are five reasons his alma mater Florida State University rules: Railroad Square, Bullwinkle’s, Lake Ella, Wakulla Springs and football.
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.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2mGjYBf
Smashburger Deal Makes it Easy to Slash Your Check in Half This Week
Is it one of those nights when you just can’t bother cooking, but you don’t want to break your budget? We’ve got a dinner deal for you.
Use this printable coupon to get a free entree at Smashburger through Jan. 21, 2018 when you buy one adult entree.
To claim your free sandwich, just find your local Smashburger restaurant and present the coupon. The cheaper of the two entrees you order will be free.
Here’s the Fine Print on the Smashburger Coupon
You can order nearly any entree from the menu and get this deal, but it’s not valid on the promotional Twin Cities burger.
You also want to remember that you can only use one coupon per person per visit. That means you might have to split your orders up if you want to treat the whole family to this BOGO deal.
Act fast because this coupon is only good through Sunday, Jan. 21.
Desiree Stennett is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Jessica Gray, editorial assistant at The Penny Hoarder, contributed to this article.
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.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2vkjGWO
This Company Needs Tech Support Reps to Work From Home (Pays Up to $17/Hr)
Here’s your oxymoron for the day: You can get a full-time job for a temp service.
KellyConnect is a national temp agency looking for technical support advisers for their virtual call center, and they’ll pay to train you.
The application process is broken down by time zones, and although no set hours are listed, the job does require the ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays.
I reached out to KellyConnect to get more details about pay, hours and benefits. I’ll make sure to update this post once I hear back.
Geeking out not your thing? No worries, we’ve found plenty of other gigs — check them out on our Jobs page on Facebook. We post new opportunities there all the time.
Technical Support Representative at KellyConnect
Pay: $12 to $14/hour during training; maximum of $15 to $17/hour
Note: If you’re hired, you’ll be eligible for a potential one-time $500 tenure bonus and $250 performance bonus after 90 days on the job.
Responsibilities include:
- Interacting with customers who have questions about KellyConnect products and services
- Resolving customers’ connectivity, email and software issues using various resources
- Participating in training for system and company updates and attend one-on-one video coaching sessions
Applicants for this position must have:
- A high school diploma and be at least 18 years old
- A minimum of 6 months of customer service experience
- Your own phone and internet services, as well as a quiet work space
- Good customer service on the phone and via chat, including using positive, clear dialogue and proper grammar
- The ability to multitask under pressure
- Experience with mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and MP3 players
- Willingness to work evenings, weekends and holidays
- The ability to stay up to date on changing technology, processes and company structure
Apply here for the Technical Support Representative at KellyConnect. Instead of selecting a category, simply click the Search for Jobs button, then choose the Technical Support Representative listing based on your time zone.
Tiffany Wendeln Connors is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Got a great job opportunity you’d like to share? Email her at tiffanyc@thepennyhoarder.com.
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.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2DKdQA9
This Google Scholarship Will Pay for You to Get Certified in IT Support
I know it seems like robots are eventually coming for all our jobs, but the truth is someone’s got to stick around to program them.
OK, just kidding. Things aren’t that dire.
In fact, 85% of the jobs we’ll be doing by the time 2030 rolls around don’t even exist yet.
And when they’re invented, they’ll be pretty robot-proof.
Add that to the fact that most of humanity will never part with their smartphones, tablets and laptops, and suddenly jobs in information technology industry start to look pretty stable.
Indeed, IT jobs can earn you a six-figure income, let you travel the world and even help close the gender wage gap.
Some companies don’t even require an information technology degree to get in on the ground floor of a good IT job.
You could try to get an IT apprentice job, but a certification makes you even more marketable to companies.
But certification courses can set you back a few hundred dollars — or even several thousand.
If that’s not in your budget, consider applying for a need-based scholarship to pursue a Google IT Support Professional Certificate.
The certification program is hosted on Coursera and runs $49 per month.
If you’re one of the 10,000 learners chosen by Google, the company pays the program fees for the 8- to 12-month course you complete at your own pace. It’s basically free IT training.
Google Scholarship Application Requirements
To qualify for financial assistance, applicants must:
- Be 18 years or older
- Live in the U.S., or one of its territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa)
“I’ve seen firsthand how educational opportunities can transform people’s careers and lives,” says Google product lead, Natalie Van Kleef Conley. “By making the Google IT Support Professional Certificate accessible on Coursera, we hope to open the door for everyone to begin a career in technology.”
Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She loves telling readers about new job and education opportunities so look her up on Twitter (@lisah) if you’ve got a tip to share.
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.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2mODJHQ
How to Write an Actionable Email Newsletter
Every business needs an email marketing strategy.
You constantly need to try to grow your subscriber list so you can engage more and more customers.
But what kind of content should you be sending to the people on your email list?
Currently, you may be focusing on coupons and other promotions.
That’s great.
But you can take your email marketing strategy one step further by adding newsletters to your arsenal.
Some of you may already be emailing newsletters to your subscribers.
However, if you’re not writing actionable newsletters, these messages could be doing more harm than good.
Subscribers want to hear from you. That’s why they joined your list.
But they don’t want spam, nonsense, or anything else that wastes their time.
If you’re sending newsletters just because you haven’t contacted your subscribers in a while, it’s not an effective strategy.
Fortunately for you, I’m an expert in this space.
Whether you’ve never sent a newsletter or need help improving your current approach, I can show you how to write newsletters that convert.
It’s all about eliciting specific actions from the recipient.
Here’s what you need to know.
Make sure you’re emailing subscribers who actually want to hear from you
People won’t open your messages if they didn’t sign up for your emails.
That’s why I recommend creating a double opt-in process for new subscribers.
Take a look at how this affects your open rates:
You might have a huge list of subscribers.
But that doesn’t mean anything if they’re not reading your content.
Getting your subscribers to open your message is the first step.
That’s why you need to seed your lists with people genuinely interested in your brand.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend buying subscribers.
Only contact those people who signed up for your newsletter.
How often have you received an unwanted email from a company?
For argument’s sake, let’s pretend this message doesn’t go to your spam folder and you actually open it.
Maybe you’ll even skim through some of the content, which is even more of a stretch if you’re not a subscriber.
Are you going to follow through with whatever action they’re asking you to complete?
I doubt it.
Well, then you can’t expect recipients of your newsletter to follow your instructions if they never opted in to receive it in the first place.
Give your subscribers options when they are signing up.
Here’s a great example from HubSpot:
HubSpot lets their subscribers decide whether they want to receive messages on a daily or weekly basis.
If customers want to hear from you every day, give them what they want.
These people are more engaged with your brand and will be more likely to act in response to your newsletter.
Start with a clear goal in mind
Why are you sending a newsletter?
You should be able to answer this question for each message you send.
With coupons or promotional campaigns, this question is a little bit easier to answer.
But newsletters usually have an underlying message within the content.
Stick to one goal per newsletter.
Including too much information in your message will confuse the reader.
Here are some popular examples of actionable goals:
- getting downloads
- selling something
- driving traffic to a landing page
- promoting an event
- subscribers sharing content with friends or family
Here’s a great newsletter from General Assembly:
Right off the bat, it’s clear what the goal of this message is.
They are trying to promote an event in Boston, MA.
The newsletter shows the date of the event and has an option for the recipient to RSVP.
This goal is consistent throughout the entire newsletter.
General Assembly doesn’t try to promote products, get downloads, or drive traffic to their website.
Instead, they continue providing more information about the event.
It’s an effective newsletter.
The message won’t confuse the reader, and the goal is apparent throughout the entire message.
In this case, the action is clear.
They want subscribers to come to their event.
It was successful because they started with a goal.
Don’t overlook the subject line
I see people make this mistake all the time.
They take their time to write awesome content for their newsletter, but then come up with a subject line in 2 seconds.
It ends up being something boring like:
- June Newsletter
- Weekly Update
- A Message From Company XYZ
Boring.
Nobody is going to open that.
As I said before when I talked about only emailing subscribers who want to hear from you, the newsletter is useless if the message doesn’t get opened.
A strong and actionable subject line is arguably more important than the content within your message.
This data shows just how important email subject lines really are:
Based on this information, your newsletter might even get marked as spam before the recipient has a chance to read it.
Come up with a subject line that generates curiosity.
Hint at a topic or question that may get answered if the message gets opened.
Including information about news or recent topics in the subject line is another great way to generate opens for your newsletter.
Make sure your timing is spot on.
Nobody wants to hear about news that broke last week.
About 40% of Americans get their news from online platforms.
If your subject line is highly relevant to something current, your subscribers will want to open it.
Be personal
Approach your newsletters the same way you approach promotional messages in terms of personalization.
Continuing with my last point, you can even use this tactic in the subject line.
In fact, personalized subject lines increase open rates by 50%.
Clearly, it’s an effective approach.
But don’t stop at the subject line.
You can personalize your newsletter by addressing the recipient by their first name.
Use the first person perspective when writing so your subscribers know exactly from whom the message is.
Your personal email address should be displayed in the sender’s field.
Always sign newsletters with your name.
It will give the message a personalized touch.
But remember, you’re trying to get the recipient to act, e.g., to click.
Recent data shows that personalized newsletters improve both click-through and conversion rates.
Another way to get more engagement through personalized content is by segmenting your email lists.
Not every recipient should get the same newsletter.
As you saw with the HubSpot example earlier, you can segment lists based on delivery frequency.
But you can take this idea one step further and segment the content as well.
For example, let’s say you have a website that sells sporting goods.
Your newsletter could cover various topics based on different sports.
When a subscriber opts in to receive your newsletter, you can have them select which sports they want to hear about.
That way, your newsletters that cover golf or swimming topics won’t get sent to someone who would rather read about snowboarding and mountain biking.
Your subscribers are much more likely to act if they’re interested in the content.
Have a clear call to action (CTA)
Your CTA should align with the goal you set for your newsletter.
If you want subscribers to download something, make sure the CTA directs them accordingly.
Refer back to the example I used earlier with the General Assembly newsletter.
They were promoting an event. Their CTA was a link through which subscribers could RSVP to that event.
Here’s another great example from Litmus:
This newsletter is promoting an email checklist guide.
Rather than including the checklist within the content, they embedded a downloadable link as the CTA.
Be professional
Just like everything else associated with your name and brand, your newsletters need to be professional.
It’s OK to write in a conversational tone, but I recommend staying away from slang and profanity.
In some circumstances, it could be acceptable, depending on the image of your company. But it’s definitely safer to avoid this approach.
You also need to check your newsletter for spelling and grammar mistakes and typos.
If your newsletter has lots of errors, your subscribers won’t think you care about your company.
Don’t rush through this procedure.
Have an editing process.
You can even run newsletters through an editing software like Grammarly to assist you with this.
Here’s another editing tip.
After I’m done writing something, I read it out loud.
I find it’s easier to catch mistakes or poorly written sentences when I’m speaking as opposed to reading.
Depending on who writes your newsletter, you could even have the content checked by another set of eyes before it gets sent out to your subscribers.
Tell a story
I’ve said before you can increase sales by mastering the art of storytelling.
Apply those storytelling skills to your newsletter.
Stories are a great marketing tactic because they are a source of entertainment.
Nobody wants to read a boring newsletter, so talk about something exciting.
Look at the positive impact storytelling has on conversion rates for B2B and B2C companies:
What kind of story should you tell?
Get creative.
You can tell your own or someone else’s story.
It all depends on your goal and the tone of your newsletter.
As I said earlier, you want your content to be relevant to your subscribers’ needs or current times.
If you have some sort of breaking news to discuss, write an engaging story instead of just stating facts.
This will captivate your audience and increase the chances of eliciting the desired response from them.
Conclusion
Newsletters are a great way for any company to engage and connect with their customers.
For starters, make sure you’re only contacting people who want to hear from you.
But if your message doesn’t have a purpose, your recipients won’t respond in a way you would like them to.
That’s why for every newsletter, set a clear goal before you start writing.
This will keep you on track so the rest of your content, including the CTA, focuses on this goal.
Nobody will read your message if they don’t open it.
Your subject line is just as important as the rest of your newsletter.
Your newsletter should be personalized based on the topic and delivery frequency.
Make sure your newsletter doesn’t have any spelling or grammar issues. It’s OK if you want to be conversational, but keep it professional.
Stories are one of my favorite ways to capture the attention of an audience.
Follow these tips, and you will increase the rate of desired responses from your newsletter subscribers.
How often do you send newsletters to the people on your email lists?
Source Quick Sprout http://ift.tt/2DlJ9o4
The Power of Deep Prioritizing
Not too long ago, I spent an entire workweek without writing a single word for The Simple Dollar or any other writing project for that matter. Yet, this wasn’t a week of vacation or sabbatical or anything like that.
What did I do, then? I spent an entire week reading a few relevant books and a stack of articles. I took a lot of notes. I did a lot of brainstorming and very vague outlining. I tried out a few interesting things that I thought were perfectly suited for articles.
From a short-term perspective, this was a disaster. This produced nothing in terms of having articles for The Simple Dollar, and an entire week was down the tubes. However, it was incredibly valuable and efficient in terms of a longer-term perspective. I had the raw materials to quickly finish a good month’s worth of articles fairly quickly.
The truth is that the “deep priority” of The Simple Dollar – or at least my part of it – is ideas. What can I observe or write or learn about that is an interesting or useful perspective on the challenges of personal finance? The core idea and the basic outline is the really valuable part, and it’s the long-term value of the site. It’s why readers seem to come back.
Here’s the kicker: Everything has a “deep priority.” Everything has one or two key elements to it that makes the whole thing move over the long term, and when you really focus in on those key elements, everything else just kind of follows along in its wake. If you take a long-term perspective on those deep priorities, then you’re setting yourself up for a great life.
“Deep prioritizing” is a term that I’ve been using to describe this very practice of using the key part of long-term aspects of life to prioritize everything. It must be SUPER URGENT for a short-term aspect of life to overcome a long-term aspect.
You might recognize this idea to an extent from Stephen Covey’s excellent book The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. It’s a book with a handful of really sharp ideas in it, and one of those sharp ideas is that everything we do in life breaks down into four key groups. Everything is either important or unimportant, and everything is either urgent or not urgent.
Most of the time in life, we prioritize things based on urgency. If something is urgent, we do it first. Deep prioritizing is about choosing things based solely on importance and only using urgency as a second factor at best.
When I choose deep priorities for The Simple Dollar, that usually means ignoring the urgency of getting my next article up and instead handling the important task of ensuring that there’s a large supply of useful ideas to write about. While it is important that I get my next article up in time and it does become somewhat urgent as the deadline closes in, it’s more important that I have a large reservoir of ideas to draw from so I’m not stuck there idling in place when I really do need an article. A single article is urgent but relatively unimportant; a big pool of good ideas is rather important but not as urgent. When I deep prioritize, I’m making sure that the big pool never runs dry.
If I ran solely based on urgency, I’d try to constantly write toward the next deadline, but there would come a point where I ran out of ideas and the wheels would fall off. Ideas are the deep priority and I make as much time for them as possible.
The idea of “deep prioritizing” shows up over and over again in life.
In food, one sees it in terms of deciding whether to eat healthy foods or convenient and purely tasty foods. Healthy foods are the “deep priority.” If they happen to be convenient and tasty, great, but the deep priority is your health.
In parenting, the deep priority is building long-term character for your kids. Often, that runs counter to what’s convenient in the moment or what will bring about short-term happiness. The “deep priority” is shaping your children to be functional independent adults. If it happens to be fun and make everyone happy, that’s great, but the deep priority is character building.
In careers, the deep priority is building a skill set and a set of achievements that will make you incredibly employable. While it might be more fun to blow off an afternoon reading celebrity gossip on your phone, you’re better served attending to your deep priority of building a career at every opportunity.
In social life, the deep priority is building lasting meaningful relationships. While it might be a short-term priority to hang out with whoever’s doing the most fun thing at the moment, that rarely leads to building a deep relationship with someone. Deep prioritization means watching your friends’ children in an emergency or being there when they really need you instead of going to a party you’re invited to. Deep priorities build lasting relationships.
Almost everything in life can be considered in this fashion, even leisure time. What can I do with my leisure time that really adds more meaning and understanding to my life while still being relaxing? It’s a question I’ve asked myself a lot lately, and I’ve come to several conclusions that work for me.
If you turn the idea of deep prioritization to money, it means frugality. It means finding efficient spending in the short term, of course, but also figuring out what will get the job done in the long term. It means saving up for long-term goals as a top priority. It means figuring out how to spend money in an optimal way to produce joy. It also ties into the career moves discussed above, as earning more always helps, but frugality always plays a role.
What are your deep priorities? What kinds of things do you want in your life beyond the next few months? What choices can you make in the moment that makes that long term better? Those are your deep priorities. Strive to make them more central.
There are other benefits of using deep prioritization throughout your life.
It makes your days feel more meaningful. If you spend a day really focused on deep prioritization, you go to bed feeling great. Whether we consciously realize it or not, we all have a lot on our plate in the coming years, and a day spent lightening that incoming load is a day that feels deeply meaningful.
It puts your life on a constant slow upward trajectory as the deep prioritization starts to pay off. You begin to feel like your life is simply headed in a better direction whether you’re consciously doing anything that day to steer it that way, and it becomes more and more obvious the more you deep prioritize.
It becomes a very useful filter for what to do when you’re faced with a decision. If you just learn to ask yourself, “What choice makes my life better five years down the road?” then a lot of decisions actually become really easy. Even when you clearly need to focus on the here and now, that filter can still help you figure out the best choice amongst similar options.
For the next several days, try letting deep priorities guide you. See what life looks like when you simply ask yourself what the true priority is in this situation, and if you’re unsure, ask yourself which option pays off the most for you five years down the road. You’ll often have a gut response to that question that you can act on immediately, and then you can think about what the deep priority that you’re addressing is later on.
Start with money. Consider each dollar you spend this week through that lens of how it will help you five years or ten years from now. What can you do with it that really pays off in that time scale?
It won’t always be easy or obvious. Nothing worth doing ever is. However, it will end up slowly putting you on a better road going forward.
Good luck
Related Articles:
- The Thousand-Mile Journey: Making Long-Term Goals Matter in Your Day-to-Day Life
- ‘I Am Not Making This a Priority in My Life’
- Making Financial Goals Inevitable
The post The Power of Deep Prioritizing appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
Source The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/2DijWut
Raising a Kid Costs How Much? Ways to Whittle Down the Costs of Parenthood
You may have heard that the cost to raise a child to the age of 18 have surged to a staggering $233,610. That’s according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), who has meticulously tracked the prices of everything from housing to healthcare and childcare throughout the years.
If you don’t have kids, this statement probably sounds preposterous – or even impossible. If you do have kids, on the other hand, you’re likely keenly aware of just how realistic this outrageous, nearly quarter-of-a-million-dollar figure is.
Between paying for a larger home to make room for extra bedrooms, a bigger car to haul your kids (and their gear) around, more food, childcare bills, clothing, school supplies, and the crazy costs of kids’ sports, it may even be surprising that it doesn’t cost more to raise your little ones.
How to Save on Raising Kids Every Step of the Way
But, here’s the thing: The numbers from the USDA and other organizations are just averages. Depending on a wide range of factors such as where you live and your spending style, you could pay a whole lot more – or a lot less – to cover the costs of child-rearing to age 18.
If you live in an expensive city like San Francisco, you can only imagine how your housing costs would dwarf those of someone living in St. Louis, for example. And if you’re the type of parent who buys their kids designer clothes and a new car on their 16th birthdays, well, you should plan on forking over more than most.
Of course, the opposite is also true. If you’re conscious about the way you spend on your kids, you could easily whittle down the costs of raising them – maybe even by a lot. And the changes don’t have to be drastic, either; changing some of your small, repetitive spending habits for the better can lead to huge savings over time.
To find out how to save money while raising kids in every age group, we reached out to parenting and frugality bloggers who have mastered the art of raising a family on a budget. Some of their best tips are included below.
Saving Money on Newborns Through Age 5
If you have young children or you’re about to start a family, you may have heard that raising babies is a pricey affair. There are certain costs you only face when kids are young, such as diapers, formula, and the sky-high price tag of newborn daycare. Plus, there’s all the gear to buy upfront – the strollers, cribs, high chairs, bouncy seats, and car seats.
But, there are ways to save on every aspect of having small kids, says money coach and blogger Jessi Fearon, who lives with her husband and three children – ages 5, 4, and 2 – near Atlanta. We’ll start off with some of Fearon’s favorite ways to save on little kids:
Buy used clothes.
Fearon says she and her husband have made a conscience decision to avoid buying new clothes. Instead, they attend clothing swaps at church and shop consignment sales and Goodwill. “Our boys can tear up clothes faster than you can say ‘don’t do it,’ so for us, purchasing them something new makes no sense because it’ll be destroyed or stained up before they’ve even worn them in.”
Limit snacks.
Fearon and her husband have adopted the French model of feeding by only allowing her kids one snack time per day. While the change was hard to implement, she feels it’s worth it. “The issue we had been having was that our children wouldn’t eat all their dinner, but then would be hungry come bedtime. But once we switched to only one snack time a day, they actually started eating all of their dinner.” As an added bonus, this change also led to less food waste at dinner time (saving money) and lower snack spending over all.
Limit toys, too.
“Hands down, toys are the biggest thing that I see parents overspend on,” Fearon says. Fearon says she gives her kids money for savings instead of toys on their birthdays, and they only get one toy for Christmas. “This saves us a ton of money and saves our sanity when it comes to managing all of the toy chaos.”
Save on entertainment and babysitters.
It’s easy to overspend on fancy outings with the kids, says Rosemarie Groner, the blogger behind The Busy Budgeter. Groner, who lives with her husband and kids — ages 2 and 5 – in North Carolina, says they keep it simple and look for free stuff to do. They buy a year-round family membership to their local aquarium for $80, for example, frequently have play dates with friends, and take turn hosting dinners with other families rather than paying for everyone to eat out. And when it comes to babysitters, they “swap” babysitting nights with other families instead of hiring someone.
Buy less house than you can afford.
We talk about the benefits of buying a smaller house all the time here at The Simple Dollar. When it comes to housing, Groner says they thought long-term and bought a house that was well under their budget but offered room to grow. “For us, that meant moving to a cheaper neighborhood with better schools,” she says.
Don’t buy every gadget in the world.
Blogger Chelsea Brennan of Mama Fish Saves says one of the biggest ways she and her husband have saved on their 22-month-old son and baby on the way is by not buying every last gizmo and gadget.
“We keep the costs of parenthood down by never buying anything as soon as we perceive our son might need it,” says Brennan. “For instance, with teethers, when he was popping a tooth we would try to give him cold washcloths or a carrot from the fridge for a few days. If he still seemed like he needed something after that, we would look on local giveaway groups or give in to Amazon.”
Brennan says that, over the past two years, they’ve realized most “needs” dissipate after a few days and their son is generally happy with Tupperware, spoons, sticks, and books for toys.
Get the kids outdoors.
Eric Rosenberg, the blogger behind Personal Profitability and the father of two girls ages 2 and one month, says he cringes when he sees parents buy young kids new electronics and too many fancy toys. Kids are only young once, and you may be setting them up for bad habits later on if you don’t set the stage for creative play.
“Keep them away from screens as much as you can, and save money with fun backyard playtime and play dates with other kids,” he says. From playgrounds to sledding hills, there’s probably plenty of free outdoor fun in your area.
Use your library.
We’re relentless advocates of public libraries, of course, and they’re especially helpful when you have young children. Use your local library to beef up your book and DVD collection with more variety, and check the calendar for free story times and other kid’s programming that can help entertain your little ones.
Save on diapers and formula.
There are too many ways to save on diapers and formula to count. One of the best ways is to buy generic brands if you can. Both Walmart and Target have quality diaper and formula brands you can try for huge savings over time. Of course, you can also try Amazon Subscribe and Save to get diapers delivered at a discount.
Buying in bulk can also help you save on diapers and formula. If you have a Costco or Sam’s Club membership, see if you can save by stocking up with each trip to the store.
Also, don’t forget you can use cloth diapers instead of store bought. You’ll save money and reduce landfill waste at the same time.
Save on daycare.
This tip comes from yours truly. My kids are 6 and 8 now, but I saved a bundle by avoiding the pricey daycares available in our city. Instead of going with a daycare center that would set us back $300 or more per week, I chose small in-home daycare centers run by people I trusted. I was happy with the care our kids received, and I felt the amount I paid over time was fair.
Buy used when you can.
Remember when we talked about the outrageous costs of baby gear? The good news is, you can buy most of it used. You may not want to buy a used car seat unless it’s from someone you know and less than seven years old, but it’s totally reasonable to buy used swings, baby bouncers, and strollers. Buy from people you know, from Facebook groups, or from Craigslist, and you’ll save a bundle.
Saving Money on Kids Age 5-11
Saving on school-age kids isn’t an easy feat, but it can be done. And a lot of the tips for babies apply here, too. You can keep on buying used clothing for kids in school, either from consignment shops, people you know, or Facebook groups, for example. And if you’re able to avoid moving up to a huge house just because you have kids, you’ll save on housing costs, too.
Here are some of the best ways to save on kids when they’re out of diapers but not quite ready for high school:
Avoid pricey kids’ sports.
One of the most important ways we’ve saved on our children is by limiting their sports to one per child. They each take gymnastics right now, and this particular sport doesn’t require fancy uniforms or more than a few practices per week. Since there are no games or “meets,” we also save by not traveling or having to spend our weekends going to and from sports activities.
Don’t “keep up with the Joneses.”
Jim, who blogs at Route to Retire and has a seven-year-old daughter, says one of the biggest money pitfalls he sees in his area is too many people trying to keep up with the spendy habits of their neighbors.
“Parents want their kids to be happy, but a good majority of them thinks that money is the way to make that happen,” he says. “Spending big money on toys and gadgets, big birthday extravaganzas, and exorbitant Christmas presents is the norm around here.” He and his wife try to keep things simple and avoid spending to keep up with others, he says.
Limit dining out.
Fast food or takeout can be an easy way to get dinner on the table when you’re busy running school-age kids around, says Jim. But that convenience comes with costs — to both your wallet and your health.
To save money and perhaps your children’s health in the future, make home-cooked meals instead as often as possible. For busy parents, have lots of posts on crock pot and freezer meals you can make ahead of time if you need ideas.
Buy the big stuff used.
Blogger Monica Louie says she and her husband have saved a bundle by not overspending on the “big stuff.”
When it was time for her son to graduate to a toddler bed so his baby sister could have the crib, she found a fun fire truck bed for only $25 on Craigslist, she says. A couple years later, they sold that same bed for $25 to someone else on Craigslist.
“When our daughter graduated to a ‘big girl bed’ so her baby cousin could have the crib, we were able to get a nice trundle bed from a neighbor for free on NextDoor,” Louie says.
Harness your childcare savings.
One thing that generally does get cheaper after age 5 is childcare: If your kid goes to public school, a once-hefty pre-K bill simply vanishes, possibly freeing up hundreds of dollars a month. Resist the urge to splurge with that newfound money, and try socking it away for big-kid expenses instead or putting it toward a 529 college savings plan.
Saving Money on Kids Age 12 and Up
Junior high and high school seem to be a big point of contention when it comes to saving money. School activities and sports tend to peak during these years, leading to higher costs than ever. And, possibly for the first time, kids start to care more about what they wear and whether it’s used or not.
Not only that, but kids become more independent and tend to need more spending cash. They may also want to drive, which means higher insurance costs for you and potentially the costs of a car.
Here are some of the best ways to save during the teen years from frugal bloggers in the know:
Buy used sporting equipment when you can.
Miranda Marquit, a money expert who also writes for Student Loan Hero, has a 15-year-old son who’s into many sports and activities. Marquit believes his activities are worth it since they’ll help him get into college later. As a result, she doesn’t want to limit his activities for the sake of frugality. Instead, Marquit says she buys used sports equipment when she can – specifically fencing equipment for her son.
Haggle for a used car.
While having a car in high school is a privilege, not a right, Marquit felt that her son needed a reliable, used car to get to sports and activities. As a result, she haggled to score a 20-year-old car on the cheap, and she uses it to teach her son some valuable money lessons. “He’s responsible for gas, so he looks to do odd jobs and pay for some of his own costs,” she says.
Make kids earn their own spending money.
Once kids are old enough to get a part-time job or babysit, it may be time to let them start paying some of their own expenses. Marquit has used this strategy to teach her son about the importance of money while also keeping the costs of parenthood down.
“He knows that he’s responsible for entertainment, lunch with his friends, and other costs,” she says, adding that “the key is to sit down and be clear about expectations.”
“I know that we’re more fortunate than others in terms of resources, but we still look to be as frugal as possible,” says Marquit.
Watch out for school-related money drains.
Liz Gendreau, who blogs at Chief Mom Officer and has three kids ages 14, 10, and 2, says school expenses tend to be absurd for her 10-year-old — and that they can sneak up on you if you’re not careful.
“Every week it seems his school is sending home pamphlets on fundraisers, things to buy, and the PTO is trying to get us to buy a special ‘fifth grade package’ that’s filled with things we don’t want or need,” she says. “Interestingly I’ve found that this stopped when my oldest son hit middle school. I resist the pressure by simply not giving in to any of these.”
Buy food in bulk.
When you have lots of kids, buying in bulk can be a big money-saver, says Gendreau. This is especially true when it comes to staple items your family eats all the time.
“We do most of our food shopping at warehouse clubs, where we can also pick up diapers at a good price. We buy meat in bulk from either Costco, a local butcher shop, or at the stores when we find unbeatable sales,” she says.
Gendreau also notes that they have a deep freezer in the basement where they freeze meat and extra goods purchased at the warehouse clubs. She notes that having lots of staples on hand reduces their shopping trips and helps them save money.
Resist the pricey electronics.
As kids get older, everything they want tends to cost more. Nowadays it seems like every kid has a smartphone or an iPad or a brand new video game system – or perhaps all of these things and more. Gendreau says limiting these big splurge purchases is one way they’ve kept their spending under control as their kids have gotten older.
“We have conversations about how when you wait, these things drop in price and more games become available,” she says. Their eldest child is old enough to understand that, and has learned patience and delayed gratification. “These are skills that will serve him well as an adult.”
The Bottom Line
Kids are costly, but most parents would agree they’re worth it. But like everything else in life, spending more won’t guarantee you a better experience. If you want to have children affordably, it pays to think through how you spend your money and when. With enough smart money moves, having kids could actually be a bargain.
Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer and the author of Zero Down Your Debt. Johnson shares her obsession with frugality, budgeting, and travel at ClubThrifty.com.
Related Articles:
- How and Why to Tell Your Kids ‘No’
- Fancy Vacations? What Your Kids Really Want is Time
- The Financial Decision of a Lifetime: Should I Have Children?
How do you save on your kids? What would you add to this list?
The post Raising a Kid Costs How Much? Ways to Whittle Down the Costs of Parenthood appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
Source The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/2DHpImj
الاشتراك في:
الرسائل (Atom)