Property tax/rent rebate forms for seniors available Monday

Older Pennsylvanians in Monroe and Pike counties may finally get the property tax relief they've been waiting for.According to a statement released Sunday by Rep. Rosemary Brown (R-189), homeowners, and renters, may apply for a property tax/rent rebate starting Monday.Forms will be available for download from the Department of Revenue's website, with paper hard copies available in the coming weeks.Those wishing to apply for the rebate must meet the following [...]

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FERC approves PennEast pipeline

The controversial PennEast pipeline, a 120-mile natural gas line that would cut through Northampton County on its way from the Marcellus Shale production area to New Jersey, received federal approval Friday night.In its 106-page decision, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the market benefits PennEast will provide outweigh any adverse effects it could have on existing shippers, other pipelines, landowners and communities. Adverse environmental impacts can be reduced through [...]

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Amazon to Debut Cashier-Less Store in Downtown Seattle

Amazon employees have been testing it, but is the public ready for a cashier-less store?   

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Middle Smithfield Twp. weighs golf course options

The Middle Smithfield Township supervisors held the first of a series of meetings to gauge the sentiment of community members around the proposed rezoning of land adjacent to the Country Club of the Poconos Municipal Golf Course.The meeting, which was held in the Whispering Pines Banquet Hall, was quickly reduced to standing room only as dozens of residents came to listen and have their voices heard.“We said this from day one. We are going to sell this golf course. [...]

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Avoiding a meltdown

EAST STROUDSBURG — Imagine a software service that actually prevents you from contracting malware from nefarious advertisements.That's just one feature of the service provided by East Stroudsburg University juniors Zachary Waldman and Nick Neely, both 20, of Mechanicsburg, through their company, Falchion Systems, which they founded in 2016.Friends since middle school, Waldman and Neely are both cyber-security majors, with Waldman majoring additionally in computer science [...]

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The Ultimate Free Life Hack? I Quit Drinking for Three Months

Last October, I decided I needed a new challenge. I’ve always been interested in trying new things to save money or improve my health, whether it’s eating an all-potato diet or taking freezing cold showers. So, what would be next?

I took a few minutes to think about what I could try that might boost my energy, save me money, and give me a sense of accomplishment.

Helped along by a pounding hangover that made my brain feel like it was being sauteed in hot oil, I decided to give up alcohol for three months.

I became a casual drinker 10 years ago, and I’d never really stopped. What would happen if I took a prolonged break? I got up, chugged 30 ounces of water, and set about life as a sober person.

The Challenges

Living in New York City as a 30-year-old and not drinking is like living on the Las Vegas Strip and never gambling. My social life has always been heavy on post-work beers, drinks at the bar on Saturday, and even the occasional boozy brunch. I have exactly zero friends who don’t drink on at least a weekly basis.

To be clear, I’m not judging that lifestyle. It’s hugely important to socialize with friends, and some of my fondest memories are having deep heart-to-hearts with buddies over a couple of craft IPAs. There are even studies that show that a drink or two per night can be good for your heart. I’m just pointing out that I was surrounded by temptation on a daily basis, and I didn’t even realize the extent of it until I decided to dial back my drinking.

Beyond switching up so many of my regular social routines, I had the upcoming holidays to reckon with. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s have traditionally been a time where I indulged freely and regularly in all manner of alcohol. It would be challenging not to share some beers with family before carving up the turkey.

The Tactics

To start, I became more selective about the social events I attended. I didn’t turn into a hermit, but I avoided situations where I would be extremely tempted to loosen up with a cold, adult beverage. Being a natural introvert, this was the easiest part of the whole endeavor.

If an event was truly important to me, my wife, or my job, I attended. If not, I didn’t. Simple as that.

When I did make it out, I found comfort in drinking copious amounts of sparkling water. With a fizzy beverage in my hand, there was a lower chance that someone would offer me a drink or ask why I wasn’t drinking. As a bonus, it gave me something to do with my hands, kept me hydrated, and even provided some of that burning mouth feel you get from alcohol. The folks over at the sub-reddit “r/stopdrinking” tend to worship LaCroix sparkling water, and I don’t blame them. I drank roughly 75 cans off the stuff on Christmas day.

I dealt with the dreaded “why aren’t you drinking” question by being honest. I said I was doing a challenge. Rather than badger and peer pressure me, my friends and family seemed to think it was cool and impressive. That’s reason number 3,984 why I don’t miss being in college.

Meditation and exercise also took on a greater appeal during the experiment. Both activities can increase feelings of ease, calm, and happiness. The endorphin rush from a hard workout was more than an ample substitute for the warm and fuzzies I get from having a couple drinks.

Also, in the early stages of the experiment, I found comfort in reading about people’s stories of overcoming addiction. That might sound extreme, considering I wasn’t an addict, but just trust me that it helps. When you read something like “The Night of the Gun,” which is the story of a former New York Times reporter who got addicted to drugs and alcohol, you get a true feeling for the horrors that substance abuse can inflict. You are not excited to go out boozing after digesting a story like that.

The Benefits

I’ve got to start with the obvious: the savings. New York is expensive in every way you can imagine, and alcohol is no exception. Recent surveys put it as the fourth most expensive city in the world to buy a beer.

Before this experiment, I spent about $50 to $100 a month on alcohol. If I were to keep this up and instead put $50 a month into a stock index fund for the next 30 years, assuming a growth rate of 6%, I’d have over $40,000 extra in retirement savings.

That’s not even counting that drinking less means fewer Uber rides (which get pricey) and fewer drunken stops to buy a $15 pizza at the end of the night. Cutting out late night junk food was a boon for my wallet and my diet.

I also got a serious boost in sleep quality. I use a Fitbit and other tools to track my sleep, so I have the stats to back this up: My total hours asleep, amount of REM sleep, and amount of deep sleep all went up by at least 15% during the experiment.

The difference in sleep before vs. during my no-drinking experiment is clearest when looking at two different nights of sleep. On the night I took my last drink, here were my numbers:

Yikes. You’d have thought I was drunk and I was being woken up by newborn babies all night. The goal is always to get at least 8.5 hours of rest and to have those REM and deep sleep numbers in the 15% to 25% range.

Then, on New Year’s Eve, a normally boozy night, I stayed sober and got the following stats:

Unsurprisingly, you feel amazing the following day when your sleep numbers look like that.

The improvement in sleep quality was most noticeable, surprisingly, in the afternoons. I didn’t crave naps and I didn’t feel like my brain was stuck in first gear after lunch. I had a smoother, more consistent energy when I wasn’t suppressing my REM sleep and waking up throughout the night to use the restroom.

Better sleep also meant I drank less coffee in general, and fewer splurges on Starbucks and the like when I was feeling lazy. So, more money saved.

Another huge benefit was that I got a consistent dopamine hit, and a sense of deep accomplishment, every time I was put in a situation where I would normally drink and resisted. I’d be oh so tempted, yet I’d stay strong. I even got a little mental boost when, during the middle of the day, I’d start to have doubts: “Maybe I’ll cut this thing short tonight. It’s already been six weeks! And it’s Ron’s birthday party!” Then I’d have a little internal tussle and resolve to finish what I had started. Mentally, it was as rewarding as finishing a tough workout.

These little wins built on themselves, and I felt like I got much stronger and more confident in my ability to stay sober as the experiment went on.

I understand that this runs contradictory to the popular idea of how willpower works. There’s a body of literature suggesting that the more decisions you have to make per day, the more you experience “decision fatigue” — the buildup of which results in poorer decision making as the day goes on.

For me, it doesn’t always work like that. If I consistently make difficult choices that result in an improved quality of life, I can sense my willpower getting stronger. I view willpower as a muscle that gains strength the more it is used, as opposed to one that gets weaker with each decision. I find that it’s beneficial to use this mental framing despite the fact that behavioral psychologists might say I’m flat wrong. Your mileage may vary, so it’s still best to simply avoid temptations if decision fatigue is negatively affecting your life.

As for handling myself in social situations, I learned that I can have tons of fun without drinking. I even danced at a company holiday party, fueled by nothing more than cupcakes and lemon water. I would have considered that unthinkable a few months ago.

I was also able to continue having deep, engaging conversations with my buddies, something I was worried would be more difficult without the loosening effects of alcohol. As it turns out, coffee can do the job just fine.

Summing Up

Entering into this experiment, I was nervous. Drinking alcohol was a deeply ingrained part of my life.

Now, I realize my fears were way overblown. Holidays, social events, and parties are fun because you get to spend time around people you care about, not because they’re excuses to get plastered. If anything, I liked the fact I was fully in control of my faculties at all times, as it allowed me to stay in the present and enjoy the moment.

I will definitely be doing less drinking going forward, and I might even cut it out altogether. For me, it’s a life hack that requires no purchases, improves my health, and saves me money.

If you get headaches, it’s especially worth a try. I used to get them after I drank, and it was amazing to not have a single one over the past three months.

Best of luck if you try something similar, and remember — stock up on fizzy water!

Related Articles: 

• How a Commitment to Drinking Just Water Saves More Money Than You Think
• Five Apps to Build Better Habits (or Break Bad Ones)
• Five Things I Was Willing to Give Up to Save Money

The post The Ultimate Free Life Hack? I Quit Drinking for Three Months appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Don’t Scroll Mindlessly — Use These Legit Tools to Make Money on Your iPad

I love my iPad.

It’s quick and smooth and sleek.

It’s bigger than my phone, and its 10-inch screen displays high-resolution graphics with a crisp sharpness I appreciate.

Using it is a seamless experience. My children do their digital homework on the iPad, or play games like “Wolf Simulator.” More than a million apps are available for the iPad, and Siri answers my unlimited supply of stupid questions.

The steep price, though! For us Penny Hoarders, the main drawback of iPads is they tend to be more expensive than other tablets. (Although the latest iPad has gotten a lot cheaper than it used to be.)

That prompts the question: Once you’ve shelled out the cash to buy one, how can you make money on an iPad?

We’ve got a few ideas for that.

1. Share Your Surfing Info Anonymously

An iPad is great for surfing the web. If you’re willing to share totally anonymous information about your web surfing habits, you could earn significant rewards for absolutely no effort.

A number of companies will actually pay you for downloading apps onto your iPad — and you’ll get paid for every month you keep them installed.

These apps collect data and help companies better understand web and mobile usage — information including what times of day people browse, how long they stay on websites and use apps, and what types of sites and apps are popular (or not).

• MobileXpression for iPad: After you’ve had this app installed for one week, you get to play an instant rewards game for a prize. (Everyone wins something.) Prizes include Amazon gift cards, iPads, Samsung TVs and more.

• SavvyConnect: Earn $5 per device (phone, tablet, computer) for each month SavvyConnect is installed, up to $180 per year!

2. Watch Videos for Money — Yes, Really

An app called InboxDollars will actually pay you to watch videos.

It hosts a ton of stuff to watch, including cooking, entertainment, news and health shows. These videos are sponsored by brands that need to get them in front of as many eyeballs as possible.

You don’t even necessarily need to watch the videos — just run them in a background tab while you go about your business. You can even mute them.

Every time you run a video, InboxDollars will credit your account with a little bit of cash. It’s not a lot at one time, but think about how much time you spend with your tablet. Free money is free money — and it adds up.

Bonus: You get $5 just for signing up and watching your first video.

3. Share Your Thoughts With These Companies

Personally, I find it easier to do online surveys on my iPad instead of my phone, because the screen is so much bigger. Here are some companies to check out:

Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost offers surveys from all kinds of businesses and organizations. Most of them take around 10 minutes to complete and will earn you points you can redeem for free gift cards to places like Amazon and iTunes.

What sets it apart from other survey sites is it gives away $40,000 every year. It has a quarterly drawing for a $10,000 cash prize — and for every survey you complete, you’ll get one entry into the contest!

Sign up for Opinion Outpost here.

Ipsos i-Say

You might recognize the Ipsos Panel name because it’s the same company that does most of the political polling during elections. It also has a survey app called i-Say that pays you for your opinions.

Some of the top-end surveys can pay up to $95, but those are rare and can take a while to complete. Most surveys pay a buck or two and only take 10 to 15 minutes.

Also, i-Say rewards you with points you can redeem for cash via PayPal or gift cards to Amazon, iTunes and others. (For example, you can redeem 1,000 points for a $10 PayPal deposit).

Sign up for Ipsos here.

4. Find Freelance Work, Small Jobs and Side Gigs

Need more money? Pour yourself a cup of coffee, curl up on the couch with your iPad and find yourself a side gig.

Sure, you could do the same thing while sitting at a computer. But it can take a while to scroll through job websites and hit paydirt, so why not get comfortable while you’re at it?

Look through job postings on sites like these:

• Upwork: You create a profile and search for jobs based on your talents. There are all kinds of opportunities, from web and graphic design to IT and accounting. When you find a job posting that interests you, pitch for the job. If the client likes you, you’re hired.

• Fiverr: On this online platform, workers start out selling their products and services for $5 each. Fiverr says users create 4,000 new listings, or gigs, every day, with a new gig purchased every five seconds. Earning five bucks at a time may not sound like much, but those little sales can add up to thousands of dollars. Here’s our guide to earning money on Fiverr.

• TaskRabbit: This gig site matches workers with people who need help with odd jobs like cleaning houses, making deliveries or completing tasks around the house. Some independent contractors end up racing between low-paying gigs. But if you’re strategic, you can earn a living this way. Here’s our guide to making money on TaskRabbit.

I love my iPad, but it was expensive.

Use these strategies to help defray the cost.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Don’t touch his iPad.

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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