STROUDSBURG — A local program is hoping to fight Parkinson's through a unique form of physical therapy: boxing.Rocksteady Boxing began holding classes in October 2017 with the goal of using boxing techniques, minus the contact, to combat the effects of the disease and coaches claim the results speak for themselves.“Part of the reason is because I knew what boxing could do for us, because of what it did for me,” said Teresa Keyek Fritsche, co-owner and coach. [...]
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الأحد، 24 يونيو 2018
Free Fun: Six Ways Your Local Park Can Save You Money This Summer
When I first started trying to get my finances under control, I read just about every personal finance blog. Almost all of them contain a loving paean to their local public library.
They do that a for good reason! Libraries are amazing resources and offer a lot of free entertainment. I am a library junkie.
That being said, I feel like there’s another free resource that deserves as much praise as libraries: Your local public park.
Over the last three years, I’ve lived in several different cities and spent hundreds of hours in various public parks. They have become such a big part of my life that I can’t imagine living without them.
Here are all the ways that access to public parks have helped me save money and improve my life.
Free Gym Equipment
My local park has two pull-up bars, a bench designed for doing situps, and various other bars and structures for doing dips and pushups. It’s no muscle beach, but with some creativity, you can still get a whole body workout without the need for a gym membership. There are also free community yoga classes offered all throughout the summer.
Then, of course, there’s always free access to the trails and paved roads on which you can take a scenic run, plus plenty of stairs to climb.
When living in an area where a gym membership costs $80 per month, and yoga classes cost at least 20 bucks a class, the savings of working out at the park can’t be beat.
Free Internet
Parts of my local park have free Wi-Fi. It’s surprisingly fast and reliable, and a great perk for someone who likes to get work done on the weekends during the nice weather months (or for those of us lucky enough to work remotely).
The park near my house in San Francisco had similarly great internet access. As IT infrastructure has become cheaper and more ubiquitous, free “hot spots” have started popping up in parks across the country.
It only felt appropriate to write this post on a lazy Sunday in the park. On a nice day, it beats the heck out of working in the same old coffee shops.
Free Live Music
This summer, national musical acts like Common, The Decemberists, Vance Joy, and Grizzly Bear will descend on the bandshell in my local park to play live music. While some of the performances cost money if you want to get a seat where you can see the band, they’re all free if you just want to hang out near the stage and hear the music.
There’s no better summer activity than gathering with some friends, a blanket, and a bottle of wine for a night of high-quality music under the stars.
There are free concerts all throughout the summer from performers that would normally charge too much money for me to buy a ticket. Many city parks host summer concert series, and they’re well worth looking into.
Free Movies
Throughout the summer, my local park will set up a giant screen on one of the main lawns and project a movie. This year they have movies like The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, and Space Jam on the docket. Parks in and around Boston host free family movie nights, showing films like Cars 3 and Coco this summer, and some series run through September, when Black Panther hits Boston Common.
It’s a fun and different experience compared to watching a movie in the theater — and it doesn’t cost $18 a ticket plus parking fees and absurdly expensive popcorn and snacks.
You won’t get to see the latest blockbuster in surround sound, but you will get to enjoy quality free entertainment with your friends and family at a convenient location.
Free Kids Activities
While the majority of the kids I see at my local park seem to be having a grand old time simply playing with sticks, climbing trees, and playing hide and go seek, there are plenty of other options if they get bored with all that.
There is a roller rink, an ice skating rink, and even a mini water park that opens up in the summertime. There are fields to play football or soccer, baseball diamonds that are open to all, and free guided nature walks led by local wildlife experts, and free carnivals.
On top of all that, there are several playgrounds with swings and jungle gyms. If I had kids and lived where I do, I’d see no need to go off and pay for fancy water parks or Chuck E. Cheese-like playhouses.
Free Food
Every Saturday, my local park has a farmers market. Vendors come from all over to hawk their delicious, local food. Even if you’re on a shoestring budget and can’t afford to buy the (sometimes quite pricey) homemade goods, you can certainly take advantage of all the free samples on offer. Who needs Costco, am I right?
Furthermore, you’re legally allowed to forage for food in all New York City parks. I’m not nearly awesome enough to pull this off yet, but I know people who enjoy finding wild mushrooms and other edible plants.
Summing Up
Of course, not every park is going to offer every feature I’ve discussed. But if you look closely, I’d bet that almost every park offers at least a few of the things I talked about. It’s worth doing a few online searches to see what’s available in your area. You might be surprised.
And if you can replace just a few paid activities with free ones at the park, well, you’re on your way to a healthier financial future.
Related Articles:
- 103 Things to Do During a Money-Free Weekend
- Seven Strategies for Efficient Hobby and Entertainment Spending
- Score Major League Deals at Minor League Baseball Parks
The post Free Fun: Six Ways Your Local Park Can Save You Money This Summer appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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‘Dave’ Could Be Your New Best Friend When it Comes to Avoiding an Overdraft
Making a $10 mistake — to pay $35 in fees? How do they get away with this stuff?
Unfortunately, no matter how much you complain, you’re probably not going to change bank policy.
But you might have another solution: Dave.
No, not your coworker, or your old roommate, (though the founders do want you to think of Dave as a friend). It’s an innovative app that could prevent you from overdrafting.
The Big Deal With Overdrafting
When Jason Wilk, Dave’s co-founder and CEO, was in college, he overdrafted constantly.
“All the founders experienced overdraft fees,” says Wilk. “We saw it as a recurring problem.” Not only for themselves, either; they frequently saw overdraft woes pop up in the news or on Reddit.
And it’s no wonder. Overdraft and ATM fees cost customers at America’s three biggest banks $6.4 billion in 2016, according to an analysis by CNNMoney.
“The average expense amount that triggers an overdraft fee is $25,” Wilk says. “There needed to be a product that helps people maintain their expenses and avoid those small negative pitfalls.”
So Wilk and his friends decided to create an app to alleviate the problem. Also on board? Billionaire investor Mark Cuban, who had backed a few of Wilk’s previous companies.
“[Cuban] himself used to overdraft a lot when he was trying to make it,” says Wilk. “He became our lead investor in the seed round.”
How Dave Prevents You From Overdrafting
In April 2017, Wilk and his co-founders launched Dave, and today, the app has more than 400,000 users who each pay $1 per month.
Here’s a basic overview of what it does:
- Assesses your income and spending patterns, then predicts how low your balance could get between now and your next paycheck.
- Sends a warning if you’re at risk of overdrafting due to an upcoming predicted expense.
- Calculates your cash flow at the end of each month: how many dollars came in and how many dollars went out (via your checking account).
Or, as Wilk says, “We’re thinking about it as Mint.com [a money-management tool] for the paycheck-to-paycheck world.”
How to Get On Board With Dave
To use Dave, you must first download the app (iOS/Android) and connect your checking account. Dave will then assess your income and expenses and attempt to establish patterns.
Say your cable bill is paid on the 11th of each month. Once Dave sees that, it will automatically set that bill up as a predicted expense.
You can also take matters into your own hands by turning your regular purchases into predicted expenses. If you go to lunch with the girls every month, for example, add it in so Dave will account for it.
If, at any point, your balance is going to dip dangerously low or a predicted expense may cause you to overdraft, Dave will warn you through a notification on the app.
“Because you’re taking control and adding predictions, you’re going to know well ahead of time what your chances are of overdrafting,” says Wilk.
And if an overdraft is looming, you can take preventive measures: You can pause your Netflix subscription, eat ramen for a week or transfer some money from your emergency fund.
Dave Also Offers Interest-Free Paycheck Advances
Or, if you’re out of options, you can ask Dave for an interest-free advance on your next paycheck.
You can request any amount up to $75. Then, when your next paycheck hits, Dave will withdraw the amount you borrowed — without any interest charges or fees.
The $75 limit is purposeful, according to Wilk. It’s enough to cover the essentials, but not so much that it could lead to irresponsible behavior or unnecessary reliance.
“There’s no place in the country you can go and borrow that little amount of money,” says Wilk. “Payday products allow you to access a large amount of money, but that can get people into a tough cycle of always relying on it.”
Not to mention, payday loans can have an interest rate of nearly 400%, whereas Dave’s advances don’t have any.
Though Dave doesn’t check your credit, you’re eligible for an advance only if you have some form of recurring income.
If you deposit money sporadically, the app won’t be able to discern when your next paycheck is due to arrive — and therefore won’t be able to offer you an advance.
“When we can’t find anything that’s reliable, the app gets harder to use.” says Wilk. “It’s very much geared toward people who have an idea of when they’re going to get paid — and that’s a big part of what gets you approved for the $75 advance.”
Tip Dave, Plant a Tree
Dave’s advances, as noted, are free — but if you’re grateful for the services, you can “tip” the company. For each percentage you give, Dave will plant a tree in Africa, according to its website.
For example, let’s say you borrowed $50. Tipping $5 would equate to 10%, so Dave would plant 10 trees.
Overall, Wilk says, he and his co-founders simply want Dave to be like your friend (your friend who looks like a bear and plants trees).
“Friends let you borrow around that $50 to $75 amount, don’t charge you interest and warn you about bad things that are going to happen to you,” he says.
For that “friendship,” Dave charges $1 per month with no contract.
If you mostly use credit — or rarely overdraft — that’s probably not worth it. But if you’re a chronic overdrafter who pays up to $450 in fees each year, it very well may be.
Susan Shain is a freelance writer and digital nomad. She covers travel, food and personal finance (basically, how to save money so you can travel more and eat more). Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
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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