Bad money habits don’t pay. If you want your children to have good money skills, you need to start when they are young."It’s our job as parents to teach good money skills because these skills don’t teach themselves," said Jim Gillen, chief marketing officer and vice-president at ESSA Bank & Trust, Stroudsburg.It is much harder for young people when they don't have the skills to get into financial trouble and then have to learn the skills, [...]
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الأحد، 22 أبريل 2018
Five Monroe residents charged in theft of $336K in state grants
Six people, including several Monroe County residents, were charged Friday with creating fake businesses to steal more than $336,000 from a Pennsylvania agency, according to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.Between 2012 and 2016, authorities say the ring used five shell Pennsylvania companies to receive state grants from the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s guaranteed free training program, authorities say."This is a case of six [...]
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Seven Free Digital Resources to Check Out at Your Local Library
I consider myself lucky to have grown up in a family of readers, and a community with an outstanding public library system. Some of my earliest memories are of story times in the children’s department and checking out bags full of picture books to take home at least once a week.
This library love has continued into my adulthood. I still drop by my local branch on a weekly basis, and I’ve made a habit of visiting libraries across the world whenever I travel. (If you’re also a library nut, make sure to put the Halifax Central Library in Nova Scotia on your must-stop list. The new building, with its green rooftop terrace, vibrant contemporary architecture, and five-story central atrium is absolutely stunning.)
Bringing home a stack of books to dig into is always a thrill, but I’ve also become quite fond of the technology that allows me to access even more free resources with just my library card and phone or computer.
Offering e-books and e-comics, to top magazines and movie streaming, the nation’s estimated 120,000 libraries are on the front line when it comes to accessible and reliable, no-cost media. Read on for our list of seven top resources, then visit your local library’s website to check out their individual holdings and offerings. You can typically either scroll to a ‘digital library,’ ‘eResources,’ or ‘CyberShelf’ section, or search for the exact app you’re seeking.
1. Library-Specific Apps and Basic Services
Many libraries today have their own proprietary app that allows card-carrying patrons to search holdings, reserve books and more, make title purchase suggestions, request extended checkout periods, and, should you keep something too long, pay fines. (Note: One of the benefits to electronic reading: You’ll never pay a late fee. You simply check out a title, and when it’s due back, the system returns it.)
Tip: Don’t yet have a library card? If your library offers the reading app Libby, you may even be able to register for a card online and access electronic materials automatically.
2. E-Books
E-book access ranges greatly across library districts. The largest collection, Overdrive Media Console, is currently used by more than 30,000 libraries in 40-plus countries. Not only does Overdrive circulate millions of titles across genres, from bestsellers to obscure indie publications, but you have the option to read any e-books you check out through your Kindle app or as an EPUB eBook, which can be downloaded to the reading app of your choice. For the youngsters in your family, seek out TumbleBooks for those in grades K-6 or Scholastic’s Bookflix for Pre-K to Grade 3.
Tip: Just like you can make recommendations to your library for print copy purchases, you can do the same in the Overdrive app for e-books (and audio).
3. Audiobooks
I’m not the best multi-tasker, but when it comes to making the less-exciting duties of the day (commuting, dishes, laundry, etc.) a bit more palatable, audiobooks have saved me — and my library’s audiobook apps have saved my books budget. Overdrive is also one of the top free apps for audiobooks; others include RBDigital (formerly OneClickDigital) and AudioBookCloud.
Tip: If there’s an audiobook you want to check out, but it’s currently not available, you can request to put it on hold through Overdrive just like you would a print book at your library branch. When it’s available, you can also set up auto-checkout and the next time you go into the app, it will be waiting for you.
4. Comics
From Star Trek and Naruto to Hellboy and Angry Birds, Comics Plus: Library Edition houses more than 18,000 titles of both single-issue e-comic books and graphic novels. The Hoopla app, while offering fewer titles, features an impressive list of publishing houses, including DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Titan Comics. You can get your fix of Doctor Who, Batman, and The Walking Dead here.
Tip: While all of your devices can be used for e-comics, I think phones can feel a bit small for these types of pages, so save them for a tablet or laptop.
5. Film and Video Streaming
Options for film and video streaming continue to add up, and many of the same we’ve already mentioned (Overdrive, RBDigital, etc.), also include this service. However, one we haven’t mentioned yet is Kanopy, an app developed exclusively for film streaming.
Kanopy offers more than 30,000 films for free — which is thousands more than Amazon Prime and Netflix together. Depending on your library’s agreement with Kanopy, you can check out a certain number of films per month and access them from any device, including iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast. (For example, my library district lets me check out six per month, and I can keep each for three days.)
Tip: You won’t find X-Men or Frozen here, but if you want to watch a documentary or indie film, Kanopy has got you covered, and then some. Forbes called Kanopy “one of the most unique and compelling film collections in the world.”
6. Language Learning
Want to learn a new language, or brush up on those skills you picked up in high school and have since forgotten? Mángo Languages is an easy- and fun-to-use program that lets you choose from 71 languages, everything from Spanish and French to German and Japanese, as well as English courses for non-English speakers. Lessons teach vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and culture. The Rosetta Stone Library Solution is another often-found option within public libraries, with 30 languages available.
Tip: If you have a learner under the age of 6, keep an eye out for Little Pim, Mángo’s foreign language-learning program designed specifically with kids in mind.
7. E-Magazines
Common library apps include Flipster and, again, RBDigital (formerly Zinio). If you’re wanting to cut back on your mail subscriptions (and save some trees), give these a try. Much like comic books, magazines really do lend themselves to the tablet format and make for a pleasurable electronic read.
Tip: Typically when you visit the library to borrow and bring home a magazine, you can’t check out the current month’s issue. However, when it comes to e-magazines, you can — and often even before the issue arrives on newsstands.
Related Reading:
- 15 Free Kindle Books to Inspire You to Great Things
- 50 Excellent Free Books from Project Gutenberg and the Best Way to Access Them
- Supporting a Passion for Movies on a Reasonable Budget
The post Seven Free Digital Resources to Check Out at Your Local Library appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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You Could Save Money by Ditching These Disposables and Buying Reusables
Many of the disposable products we often use and love are easy to access at low prices, making them preferred over their reusable counterparts.
But the convenience of disposable products often comes at a steep cost to the environment. Plastic bags and straws pollute the ocean and end up being ingested by sea animals. Disposable diapers take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills.
Buying reusable products may cost more up front, but you may be surprised to find out how soon they end up paying for themselves since you can use them again and again instead of buying more of the disposable versions.
We took five household products and compared the costs of the reusable versions to the disposable versions. The prices were sourced from Amazon on April 6, 2018.
Straws
A reusable straw costing $1.19 each is equal to the cost of about 30 disposable straws at 4 cents each. After 30 uses, the reusable straw has essentially paid for itself.
Water Bottles
One reusable water bottle costing $13.88 is equal to the cost of about 63 single-use water bottles at 22 cents each. After 63 uses, the reusable water bottle has essentially paid for itself.
Diapers
One cloth diaper costing $4.50 is equal to the cost of about 16 disposable diapers at 28 cents each. The cloth diaper has essentially paid for itself after 16 diaper changes.
Sandwich Bags
One reusable sandwich bag at $5.75 each is equal to the cost of about 192 plastic sandwich bags at 3 cents each. After 192 uses, the reusable sandwich bag has essentially paid for itself.
Paper Towels
One cloth kitchen towel costing $1.33 is only slightly more than the cost of one roll of paper towels at a cost of $1.10 per roll.
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
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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These STEM Scholarships Can Help You Prepare for a Career in Cybersecurity
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the number of cybersecurity jobs will grow 28% by 2026.
Cybersecurity job training typically falls under the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educational umbrella. If you’re thinking about a job in cybersecurity, here are a few scholarship opportunities to check out.
But don’t delay. Some of the application deadlines are coming up soon!
The Engility Cyberwarrior Scholarship Contest
Engineering and logistics company Engility Holdings has paired up with nonprofit organization Center for Cyber Safety to offer cybersecurity certification training scholarships to qualifying military veterans.
Here’s how to enter the Engility Cyberwarrior Scholarship contest.
Scholarship award: One (ISC)² certification exam voucher of the recipient’s choice: CISSP, CSSLP, CCSP, HCISPP, SSCP or CAP, a textbook, study guide, practice tests and a seminar.
To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must:
- Be honorably discharged from one of the five branches of the United States Military on or before July 13, 2018. People currently serving in the National Guard or as a Reservist are also eligible
To apply, applicants must:
- Submit a resume
- Answer three essay questions in the application
- Provide a letter of recommendation (optional)
Deadline: June 15, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. EDT
You can read the rest of the official rules and guidelines here.
The Western Union Scholars Program Scholarship Contest
The Western Union Foundation is awarding scholarships to college students pursuing degrees or fields of study in STEM or business/entrepreneurship.
Here’s how to enter the Western Union Scholars Program Scholarship contest.
Scholarship amount: $2,500
To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must be:
- Between the ages of 18 – 26 years of age on June 1, 2018
- Pursuing a degree/field of study in one of the following categories: science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business/entrepreneurship
- Able to demonstrate admittance to an accredited post-secondary institution or have applied for admittance
To apply, applicants must:
- Complete the online application
- Provide a letter of recommendation from a teacher, professor or supervisor
Deadline: April 30, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. EST
You can read the rest of the official rules and guidelines here.
The Thomas K. Evans Memorial Scholarship Contest
Named for the engineer who founded American Power Systems Inc., this scholarship is for new college entrants pursuing an education in STEM.
Here’s how to enter the Thomas K. Evans Memorial Scholarship contest.
Scholarship amount: $5,000
To qualify for this scholarship, you must be:
- A high school junior or senior with an expected 2018 graduation date
- Graduating from a high school whose physical address is in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois
- Planning to matriculate into an accredited college program in 2018
- Planning to pursue an education with a major or specific focus in STEM
To apply, applicants must:
- Complete the Scholarship Application Form
- Write a long-form essay that answers the questions outlined in the writing prompt
- Provide a letter of reference
Deadline: Noon, May 1, 2018
Winners will be notified: On or about July 2, 2018.
You can read the rest of the official rules and guidelines here.
To find even more cybersecurity and STEM scholarships, keep an eye on the Cybersecurity Scholarships page at Scholarships.com.
If you’re looking for even more scholarships to apply for, be sure to check out our list of 100 scholarships that will help you pay for college.
Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
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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