Lately, it seems like a lot of my friends and family have been looking for ways to downsize and simplify their lives. Even my husband and I have been thinking more about what things we actually need and what items we have sitting around collecting dust that we haven’t used or looked at in eons. […]
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Moneywise’s top tips on how to cut your fuel consumption – it’s easier than you think.
Whether you use your car as a runaround or for your daily commute, you’ll want to get the maximum mileage for your money.
We are bombarded with ways to reduce our energy consumption in the home, alongside the subsequent financial and environmental benefits.
But how often do we hear about ways to save money and carbon dioxide (CO2) – a major cause of global warming – on the second most expensive purchase in our household, the car?
Our love affair with cars has been ongoing for decades.
According to the government’s vehicle licensing statistics, at the end of March 2018 (the latest figures available at the time of writing), there were 37.9 million vehicles licensed for use on roads in Great Britain.
Meanwhile, the government’s National Travel Survey in 2018 found the average car driver in England covered around 6,580 miles last year.
We spend around £777 on fuel annually, based on the average petrol price of £1.20 a litre (using figures from motoring organisation the AA in March 2018). This fuel expenditure results in a CO2 imprint of about 1,550 kg (based on one of the most popular premium cars on our roads, according to the car buying and selling site RAC Cars – the BMW 3 series saloon or touring model).
In fact, EU statistics estimate that driving accounts for around 12% of worldwide CO2 emissions.
But with some thought and effort, when we drive we can reduce our fuel usage, keep a lot more money in our pockets and collectively make a positive difference on reducing our CO2 imprint. Here’s how.
Driving accounts for about 12% of the world’s CO2 output
I bet you didn’t know that just under 24% of car journeys in England are for distances of under one mile (1.6km), according to the government’s National Travel Survey 2018.
So why not walk or cycle instead? According to NHS Choices, adults aged 19 to 64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, which can be cycling or brisk walking. Ditching your car for just one mile a day, twice a day, will also save you around £40 in fuel over a year, and reduces your annual CO2 imprint by about 76kg.
If your job and your company allow it, try working from home at least once a week. This is good in so many ways; more family time, extra time in bed, quiet concentration time, and, of course, no travelling.
The possible savings if you could avoid a 31-mile (50km) round trip once a week could be as high as £140 and 275kg in CO2 a year.
Did you watch the BBC1 comedy series Peter Kay’s Car Share? Not only was it great TV, but it also had an important underlying environmental message. More people sharing car journeys lowers our individual CO2 imprints and reduces costs for everyone.
If you share a 12-mile (20km) round trip to work five times a week with a friend, it will save each person in the car around £3 a week and in a 45-week working year that’s a significant saving of £140 and 275kg of CO2.
You can use sites such as BlaBlacar.co.uk, GoCarShare.com and Liftshare.com to find people who live near you to carpool your journeys with.
If you have a car that was made in the past few years, you can check its fuel consumption data at Fuel-Economy.co.uk.
If you discover that your car guzzles fuel, you may want to consider swapping it for a more fuel-efficient model.
Sharing a 12-mile round trip drive to work saves you £140 and 275kg of CO2 a year
However, a smaller car doesn’t necessarily always equate to better fuel efficiency. According to car buying publication What Car?’s ‘True Mpg’ (miles per gallon) ratings for 2018, the 10 most efficient small cars achieve 50.3 to 57.8mpg. In comparison, the 10 most efficient family cars have an mpg of 47.2 to 56.3, while the 10 most fuel-efficient SUVs have an mpg of 45.6 to 59.6.
It’s also worth noting that diesel cars emit other harmful gases, nitrogen oxides (NOx), which were responsible for 38,000 deaths worldwide in 2015, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. So measures to improve fuel efficiency may even help to save lives.
Service your car annually. Looking after your vehicle can help improve your mpg by up to 4%.
On top of that, using the correct type of oil can improve your fuel efficiency by an extra 2%.
Overall, this could add up to as much as £47 saved and a reduction of 93kg of CO2 a year.
Before you set off on a journey, there are a few quick checks you can make to increase the efficiency of your car. These may seem trivial, but every little helps.
You can save on fuel by making sure your tyres are at the correct pressure. Under-inflated tyres create more rolling resistance and so use more fuel; according to Fuel-Economy.co.uk, doing this could improve your fuel efficiency by up to 3%.
Also remove any unnecessary weight from the boot of your car; losing 45kg can improve your fuel economy by around 2%, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
If only I had known this when I worked in the rail industry. At that time, I carried lots of heavy tools and equipment around in the car to meetings all over the UK. But my laziness and ignorance of leaving the kit in the car over the weekend was costing me money every time I went for a drive. If I drove 93 miles (150km) each weekend without my tools in the back, I could have saved £10 a year and 19kg in CO2.
Plus, how often do you see a car with a roof rack or a top box sitting at the local supermarket? I bet that roof accessory has been attached to the car since the owner’s last holiday. That could be days, weeks or even a year. An car without a roof rack is more aerodynamic, using less fuel and, by definition, pumping out less CO2. This could save you up to 25% of your fuel consumption, according to the Money Advice Service.
Now you are sat behind the wheel, you can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 output by 20% if you accelerate and decelerate gently.
Keep the engine revs low and change gear as soon as possible without labouring the engine – try changing at an engine speed of around 2,000 rpm (revolutions per minute) in a diesel car or around 2,500 rpm in a petrol car.
And how many of us fancy ourselves as a bit of a Lewis Hamilton? Maybe you won’t be as keen when you check the horrendous increase in fuel consumption as you increase speed. Driving at 70 mph uses up to 10% more fuel than at 60 mph, and up to 15% more than at 50 mph. If you are a complete revhead and drive at 85 mph, your car will consume 40% more fuel than if you travel at 55 mph. So, not only are you breaking the law, but you are breaking your own bank as well, and seriously increasing your CO2 imprint.
If you think you’ll be at a standstill in traffic for more than about 10 to 15 seconds, reduce your fuel consumption by switching off your engine. It also helps reduce air pollution.
Remember to use your gears too. A vehicle travelling at 37 mph in third gear uses 25% more fuel than it would at the same speed in fifth gear. Use the right gear for the speed you are travelling. Unfortunately, some people seem to forget that there are more gears after third.
You can also coast – putting the gears in neutral and letting the engine revs drop (if it is safe to do so) – when going down hills and approaching red lights.
Take care how you use air conditioning. Having the aircon on puts an extra load on the engine, says the RAC, which means you will use more fuel. However, you should also try to keep windows and sun roofs closed. This reduces wind resistance, which can save on fuel consumption.
Driving at 70mph uses 15% more fuel than at 50mph
Even if you’re not a fan of spreadsheets, keeping track of your fuel economy is a good idea. A simple way to do this is to check how many miles (or km) you can cover with a full tank of fuel – especially if you have consistent journeys, such as travelling to work.
Jot these figures down and you’ll soon see if making the changes mentioned in this article will have a positive effect on your mpg.
Alternatively, many cars now have a dashboard reading that shows your mpg even as you drive. So you can use this to check the effect of over-accelerating and find the optimum speed for fuel economy.
Tony Whittingham is director of EcoFrenzy.com, a non-commercial not-for-profit organisation that helps you save money and the environment in everyday life by minimising waste, pollution and carbon dioxide output.
In July 2017, the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — started implementing new requirements for public records data, such as tax liens and civil judgments, that appear on consumer credit reports.
Now, that data must include your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number, and the information must be refreshed every 90 days. If these requirements aren’t met, the record is excluded from your credit report.
The changes are part of the National Consumer Assistance Plan (NCAP) launched by the three major credit bureaus in 2015 in response to complaints about credit reporting inaccuracies.
NCAP also removed unpaid traffic tickets, library fees and other fines that didn’t arise from an agreement with the consumer.
There were also big changes to how medical debt is reported. Until 2017, medical debts could appear on credit reports at any time, even if the unpaid bill was only 30 days past due. Now, credit bureaus must wait 180 days before including medical debt on reports. Bureaus must also remove that debt from credit reports when the debt is paid.
So how did the changes really affect credit scores?
About 8 million collections accounts totaling $11 billion dollars were removed from credit reports between June 2017 and June 2018, according to a report from Federal Reserve Bank of New York that analyzed millions of anonymous Equifax credit reports.
The average score increased 11 points; however, 18% of reports analyzed increased by more than 30 points. Around 20% of scores decreased, likely because unrelated negative items were added during the same time frame.
The report says the removal of third-party collections accounts was the biggest factor in the increase.
About half of all tax liens were removed from consumer credit reports, along with 97% of all civil judgments, according to American Banker.
There is quite a bit of confusion surrounding credit reports. Some Americans don’t know where to find their credit reports, while others aren’t exactly sure what a credit score is or how it affects them. Some even believe checking their credit reports will hurt their scores (which is not the case).
So how do you know if your score was affected? Unless you’ve been keeping an eye on your score, you may not be able to tell the difference. The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus once a year for free. You can request your reports here.
To keep a closer eye on your credit, you can get your score and a “credit report card” with monthly updates for free from Credit Sesame. It’ll break down what affects your score in plain English and offer tips to better manage it.
Jessica Gray is an editorial assistant 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.
Nationwide Pet Insurance offers several different pet insurance plans that work for dogs, cats, and other animals.
You can choose to purchase basic catastrophic coverage or a policy that pays for wellness care and routine medical care as well.
Overall, this company is well known in the insurance world already.
Nationwide Insurance has a strong reputation for dependability and for offering high-quality insurance products for a variety of consumers and their needs.
Policies are underwritten by National Casualty Company, which has an A+ rating from A.M. Best.
If you’re on the hunt for a pet insurance policy that will work if you need it, it’s wise to consider Nationwide and what they have to offer.
Keep reading to learn more about Nationwide Pet Insurance policies, how they work, and what they cover.
In a lot of ways, Nationwide Pet Insurance is a lot like any other pet insurance company.
They offer insurance policies for both dogs and cats along with several different options that can help you tailor your insurance to your unique needs.
They also offer bird and exotic pet insurance policies which vary widely depending on the type of pet you have.
With Nationwide Pet Insurance, you can pick the reimbursement type that works for you, whether that’s a percentage of each invoice or a set benefit schedule.
According to their website, Nationwide offers three types of policies to meet pet owner’s needs:
Where many pet insurance providers only offer pet wellness plans as add-ons to traditional pet insurance, Nationwide offers this coverage as a supplement or on its own.
The end result is a situation where you can purchase the exact coverage you need, whether it’s a little or a lot.
When it comes to what is covered by Nationwide Pet Insurance, this company offers very specific details on covered diseases. It is almost too much to list here, which is why you suggest out the “what’s covered” page on the Nationwide Pet Insurance website.
To summarize, major diseases covered by other pet insurance providers are covered by Nationwide Whole Pet coverage, but major medical coverage excludes some conditions such as cleft palate, deworming, fecal tests, and heartworm prevention.
When it comes to what is not covered by Nationwide Pet Insurance, it’s important to note that pre-existing conditions do not qualify for insurance coverage.
Nationwide defines pre-existing conditions as an injury or illness beginning prior to coverage. If official records from your veterinarian demonstrate that your pet has been healed or cured for 6 months, the condition may be covered, depending on the condition.
Nationwide also does not cover costs not directly related to pet care but charged by pet care providers.
These costs can include things like bank and credit card fees, fees associated with obtaining and copying tax information and other records, and waste disposal.
Finally, there are some plan restrictions you should be aware of based on the type of policy you buy. Most of these restrictions are common sense, but you should still read through them before you purchase a policy.
Before you buy a pet insurance policy, it’s smart to consider all the advantages and disadvantages of companies you are considering.
This is especially true in the pet insurance world since there are many pet insurance providers to compare before you buy a policy.
Here are the biggest pros and cons of Nationwide and their policy offerings:
We mentioned already how Nationwide offers some of the most affordable pet insurance policies out there, but the price you’ll pay for coverage still varies a lot based on the type of pet you have and the coverage level you choose.
There are two plans available from Nationwide:
Consider these quotes for pet insurance we received from the Nationwide website if you want a general idea:
| Whole Pet + Wellness | Major Medical | |
|---|---|---|
| Two-year-old mixed breed dog, small size (11-30 pounds) | $58.79 per month | $27.47 per month |
| Seven-year-old short-haired cat | $52.13 per month | $28.19 per month |
| One-year-old standard dachshund | $82.18 per month | $27.47 per month |
As you can see, Major Medical coverage with Nationwide is affordable no matter your pet or its age.
However, it’s important to note how these plans reimburse you based on a set fee schedule.
With the set benefit schedule, there is a set cap on reimbursement based on the condition without regard to the treatment cost.
As a result, these plans may not be nearly as comprehensive as the coverage you wish to buy.
If you prefer to have full coverage regardless of how much your veterinary office charges you, make sure you buy a Whole Pet policy that reimburses at 90% instead of a set fee schedule.
If you’re considering Nationwide Pet Insurance and other companies but aren’t ready to pull the trigger, you may be wondering whether you even need pet insurance in the first place.
While you’re the only person who can make that decision, it really boils down to your comfort level with your pet and how well you think you could handle surprise veterinary bills.
If you have cash savings in the bank and would rather risk it, then having pet insurance may not be necessary.
But, you should also think about all the “what ifs” in life and what would really happen if your pet became ill or injured.
Could you afford to pay $5,000 or more for a surgery to save your pet’s life without any warning?
If you’re worried you could not, a pet insurance policy could provide you with peace of mind while also ensuring your pet will get the care they need no matter what.
If you think pet insurance is a good idea, make sure to get quotes from Nationwide Pet Insurance as well as other providers.
The right policy is out there for you, but you should compare all your options in terms of their benefits, included coverage levels, and costs.
The post Nationwide Pet Insurance Review appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
When it comes to buying insurance for your pet, there are several different companies to choose from.
Embrace Pet Insurance is just one option to check out, although they are often considered one of the best pet insurance companies out there due to their affordable policies and dependable claims process.
Embrace Pet Insurance offers policies that cover dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens, each of which are underwritten by American Modern Insurance Group.
The company claims its core values center around honesty, customer satisfaction, personal responsibility, and giving back.
Like other types of insurance, pet policies from Embrace Pet Insurance are intended to protect you financially if your pet becomes sick or injured.
Embrace Pet Insurance offers a simple and comprehensive plan with benefits that will help your pet get the care they need if they face an unexpected health issue.
Embrace Pet Insurance allows you to choose your own annual maximum, annual deductible, and reimbursement percentage for a truly personalized policy.
Pet insurance from Embrace covers the following issues with both dogs and cats:
Embrace Pet Insurance also offers prescription drug coverage.
This coverage is available with every policy, and it reimburses for FDA-approved and homeopathic drugs prescribed for coverage conditions, including medicines such as antibiotics, allergy medicine, insulin, and eye drops.
When it comes to what is not covered by Embrace Pet Insurance, you probably won’t be surprised to hear the company does not cover pre-existing conditions.
However, there is an important variable here since Embrace does cover what they consider to be “curable pre-existing conditions.”
If your pet has shown symptoms for a condition that is curable (respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) prior to enrolling with Embrace Pet Insurance, you will need to go through a 12-month waiting period before related conditions are covered.
If your pet doesn’t show any additional symptoms and the condition is over, Embrace Pet Insurance will reinstate coverage for these conditions going forward at their discretion.
But Embrace does not cover traditional pre-existing conditions that are chronic and incurable. This includes bilateral conditions (an illness on one side of the body that will likely take place on the other) as well since they are at high risk of a recurrence.
Embrace Pet Insurance also offers a special program called Wellness Rewards that is intended to help you cover your pet’s ongoing routine and wellness care.
Working as a flexible preventative care plan, Wellness Rewards reimburses you for everyday veterinary care, training, grooming, and more.
In a lot of ways, this plan works like a Health Savings Account (HSA) for humans.
When you purchase Wellness Rewards in addition to the basic Embrace Pet Insurance Plan, you can get reimbursement for:
Wellness Rewards allows you to choose a level of reimbursement for these charges, with $250, $450, and $650 per year allowed.
Keep in mind, however, that Wellness Rewards costs an additional fee over and above your pet insurance policy.
For that reason, it is a forced pet savings account more than a real benefit.
Before you sign up for a pet health insurance policy from Embrace Pet Insurance, it helps to educate yourself on the advantages and disadvantages of these plans.
Some of the main pros and cons to consider are below:
One of the biggest factors that can drive a pet owner’s decision to purchase pet insurance is cost.
Plans that are affordable are typically easy to justify while more expensive plans are difficult to purchase when your pet is in good health.
Like other pet insurance providers, policy costs vary quite a bit with Embrace Pet Insurance based on factors such as the type of pet you have, your pet’s age, your pet’s breed, and where you live.
It also makes a difference if you purchase any pet insurance add-ons such as Wellness Rewards.
Here are the three Embrace has currently:
Now, here are some basic quotes for a variety of pets we received through the Embrace Pet Insurance website, based on those:
| Affordable | Recommended | High-Reimbursement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eight-year-old male dog, medium size (31-50 pounds) | $31.95 per month | $43.51 per month | $58.82 per month |
| Three-year-old female cat, long-haired | $12.47 per month | $16.99 per month | $22.96 per month |
| Four-year-old large dog, female (90+ pounds) | $41.26 per month | $56.18 per month | $75.95 per month |
If you decide to move forward with Embrace Pet Insurance, the company does offer a straightforward process.
You can get a quote and apply for pet insurance online. Once your pet is approved and you have paid your first month’s premium, you’re covered provided your pet doesn’t have to wait through one of the provider’s waiting periods.
Keep in mind that all Embrace Pet Insurance policies have a 14-day waiting period before coverage kicks in, and that some pets have longer waiting periods depending on several factors.
Once your pet is fully covered, you can take them to see any licensed veterinarian for treatment.
Just make sure you print a claim form and take it with you.
A staff member at your veterinary office should fill out the claim form for you while also providing an itemized invoice.
You can then submit the claim for an invoice by fax, email, or via the Embrace Pet Insurance website.
From there, you’ll be reimbursed for charges based on your plan details within a few weeks.
It’s as simple as that.
If you need pet insurance, Embrace Pet Insurance is worth checking into.
The company has mostly excellent reviews, and it offers truly customizable policies that can fit anyone’s pet care needs.
Make sure to get a quote and compare prices with several pet insurance companies before you decide.
The post Embrace Pet Insurance Review appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
B2B brands need to use a marketing strategy different from that of B2C brands.
Some of you may operate as a B2B and B2C company. In this case, you may have already implemented some of the most effective ways to generate leads for your business on the B2C side.
However, not all of these strategies will work if you’re targeting other businesses.
Whether your business is run as a B2B operation exclusively or as a blend of B2B and B2C, you can use PPC campaigns to scale lead generation.
If you don’t know this tactic, PPC stands for “pay-per-click.”
This term is also referred to as CPC, or cost per click.
The concept of PPC is very simple. Advertisers pay a publisher or search engine when their advertisements are clicked.
Publishers typically charge a fixed amount per click for ads placed on their websites.
With search engines, brands bid on relevant keywords and phrases so their ads appear when prospective customers search for those keywords.
If you’re not currently using PPC campaigns to generate new leads for your B2B brand, I highly recommend trying it out. There is a good chance your competitors are using this tactic already.
In fact, 54% of B2B companies say paid search campaigns generate leads for their businesses:
This compares to just 37% of B2B companies that are using display advertising.
But PPC campaigns can add up quickly. It’s important to make sure you’re getting the best results for your money.
Implementing an efficient PPC strategy can help you generate new leads without spending a fortune.
If you have never done this before, I’ll explain what you need to do to be successful.
Even if you’re currently running PPC campaigns as part of your B2B marketing strategy, there is always room for improvement. Let this guide steer you in the right direction.
Your business is generating new leads. That’s great.
But where are those leads coming from?
You can’t measure the success of your PPC campaigns and distinguish them from your other lead generation strategies if you’re not tracking the sources.
That’s why you need to learn how to track your leads with UTM parameters.
Just because you see a spike in traffic, you can’t assume it’s coming from your PPC campaigns.
It’s possible you’re wasting money on keywords that aren’t driving traffic to your website and generating leads. In this case, you’ll want to treat those as negative keywords, but we’ll discuss that concept in greater detail later.
According to research, 63% of marketers say that generating traffic and leads is their biggest challenge.
Setting up UTM parameters will help you track your results.
Here’s a look at what the campaign URL builder looks like on Google Analytics:
The idea here is to create a custom URL for all your campaigns.
If you’re running PPC ads on multiple websites, you’ll be able to see which ones are generating the most traffic.
Furthermore, if you’re paying for keywords, you can enter them into a specific form field for each campaign.
Once you fill out the form, a customized URL will be generated for you.
The great part about setting up your UTM parameters with Google Analytics is that the platform makes it easy for you to track and measure the results.
You need to use UTM parameters to help you stay organized and efficient.
Make the necessary adjustments based on the results. Stop paying publishers that aren’t generating leads, and change keywords that aren’t working for you.
Plus, this strategy can be used for more than just your PPC campaigns. You can generate unique links for your social media promotions or email newsletters as well, even if you’re not paying for them.
Your competitors may be running PPC campaigns with similar keywords, but you can gain an advantage over them by segmenting your campaigns.
This strategy is especially important for B2B retailers.
That’s because specific keywords might be relevant only during certain times of the year, and you would want to change the bidding values accordingly.
For example, let’s say you manufacture clothing and sell your products to other businesses that add their logos or other design elements to make the clothing unique to their brands.
One of the search terms you might be paying for could be “women’s clothes.”
Creating just one ad group with all your women’s clothing ads won’t yield the best performance.
Instead, you can segment your products as in the example above, using shorts, blouses, and jumpers as subcampaigns.
But you can take this strategy one step further. You can place a bid for each specific product, separating them by color.
Let’s say you know blue shorts sell more than yellow jumpers. You can adjust your bids accordingly based on which colors and items are your top sellers.
This relates back to what I said earlier about making sure that your PPC campaigns are profitable and yield a high ROI.
Don’t waste money on keywords that aren’t driving leads.
B2B companies need to take advantage of ad scheduling for their PPC campaigns. AdWords has a feature that allows you to manage your keyword schedules.
Even if you’re running PPC ads on publisher sites, you should still be able to control what times these ads are run.
Make sure that’s in your agreement with the publishers.
Why is this so important? Allow me to explain.
A standard B2C ecommerce site may run ads 24/7. That’s because consumers can be browsing for products at any time, any day of the week, from anywhere in the world.
That’s not the same for B2B companies.
It’s highly unlikely that a prospective lead will be browsing for search terms related to your products or services on a Saturday night.
You want to make sure your ads are run during your business hours and the business hours of your target market.
Plus, you want to make sure that someone in your office is available to pick up the phone and answer any questions if a new lead calls. Running ads 24/7 is an inefficient use of your funds.
Now you understand the concept behind bidding on keywords and segmenting your campaigns.
Next, you need to make sure the keywords for each campaign are relevant to your business and your marketing goals.
For example, let’s say a prospective customer types something like “size 12 shoes sale” into a search engine.
Your company sells shoes at wholesale rates, so you’ve bid on a variety of keywords that could match this search query.
However, some of the keywords aren’t relevant to the prospective consumer’s intent of the search.
If you’re paying for keywords that appear when people search for something not related to what you’re offering, you are wasting money.
Google has a system that explains how keywords are selected for ad campaigns.
First, they prioritize keywords that have identical matches to the search query, even if you have other keywords in the ad group related to the search.
Google also gives preference to ads with exact matches. If you have keywords matching the search terms, your exact match result will be shown ahead of broad matches.
Next, the keywords with the highest ad ranking will be triggered.
This means that if you have multiple keywords in the same ad group, the ones with a higher ranking will be displayed.
Here is the point I’m trying to make. If you have many keywords and ad groups, it’s possible that irrelevant ones will be triggered ahead of ones that generate B2B leads based on Google’s algorithm.
It’s extremely important you bid on only the most relevant keywords. You can use a tool such as Ubersuggest to help you identify the best keywords for your B2B strategy.
This will increase your chances of getting identical and exact matches, and relevant keywords with a higher ranking will be prioritized for each PPC campaign.
PPC advertising has downsides as well. I’m not saying this to discourage you, but I want you to be aware of it so that you can plan accordingly.
Once someone clicks on an ad, you’ve paid for it.
It doesn’t matter whether they convert or not. This can drive your customer acquisition costs through the roof if you’re not getting conversions.
You need to implement cost-effective customer acquisition strategies.
To maximize the conversion rates of your PPC campaigns and get a high ROI, you need to build custom landing pages.
You can build specific landing pages based on where the lead came from, highlighting the importance of setting up custom UTM parameters, discussed above.
These landing pages need to be simple. Landing pages with simple designs have higher conversion rates.
You should have big and bold CTAs that speak to your B2B audience.
Just look at the top priorities for B2B marketers over the last two years:
The majority of these businesses want to generate more leads and convert leads into customers.
One of the best ways to make sure your landing pages are designed for optimal results is to regularly run A/B tests on different elements.
Your Google search terms report will give you valuable information about your PPC campaigns.
It’s important you review this report on a regular basis to see whether your keywords are generating leads.
The report will show you new terms with a high potential of benefiting your campaigns based on your existing keywords.
The report also explains how your search term matches are determined.
By using all the data in the report, you’ll be able to effectively manage your keywords.
As I explained earlier, you want to make sure you’re bidding only on relevant keywords. You can add negative keywords to your campaign to exclude specific search terms from your results.
As you can see in this example, the search terms with a red “X” have been flagged as negative keywords.
This strategy is especially important for B2B brands.
You want to eliminate keywords and search terms that regular consumers are browsing for. It’s a waste of your money if your ads are coming up in search results for those people.
You’re trying to target only other businesses, and this tool will help you achieve that.
In addition to adding negative search terms to your campaign, you can also include more specific terms that only other businesses would be searching for.
Don’t be too broad, or you’ll end up getting irrelevant clicks and traffic.
You can apply the same strategy when running ads on publishers’ websites as well.
For example, let’s say your B2B business offers a subscription service. A regular consumer doesn’t have the same budget as a big business.
You can pre-qualify your leads with an ad copy that says something like “plans starting at $5,000 per month.”
This is another scenario where A/B testing your ad copy would be an effective way to see what generates the most qualified leads.
Take a look at a traditional B2B lead funnel:
As you can see, making sure the lead is both qualified for marketing and qualified for sales is a major component of the B2B buying process.
Pre-qualifying your leads ahead of time increases the chances that a higher percentage of those leads will make it to the opportunity and revenue stages of that conversion funnel.
B2B businesses won’t generate leads the same way as B2C brands.
When it comes to PPC campaigns, there are certain things that you need to do to set yourself up for success.
First, you need to set up UTM parameters. This will help you track the source of your leads and measure the success of each ad.
Your PPC campaigns should be segmented. Use only relevant keywords to maximize your results.
Make sure you schedule them accordingly. Unlike with a B2C marketing strategy, you want your ads to run during regular business hours.
Create custom landing pages based on the source of your new leads. This will help you achieve higher conversion rates.
Take advantage of all the tools at your disposal, such as your search terms report. Add negative search terms to your campaigns as well.
By writing a detailed ad copy, you can pre-qualify your leads and increase your chances of getting more conversions.
If you follow the tips I’ve outlined in this guide, your B2B company will be able to generate leads with PPC campaigns.
How is your B2B brand using PPC campaigns to get new leads?
While most of us love our pets, that doesn’t mean we can justify a huge vet bill.
It’s hard to imagine paying $5,000 or $7,000 for your dog or cat to have surgery because they ate one of their toys, for example.
Even if a pet gets cancer, how can you prioritize pricey pet care when you have kids and other bills to pay?
The answer to this conundrum is simple. Buy a pet insurance policy just like you buy health insurance for your family, and you’ll never have to stress if your pet becomes injured or ill.
While pet insurance isn’t free, the monthly premiums can be more affordable than you think if your pet is young and in good health.
Plus, pet insurance will protect you from catastrophic veterinary bills if your pet requires expensive care.
Most importantly, your pet will get the care they need.
One pet insurance company that is changing the way owners insure their furry friends is Figo Pet Insurance.
Figo Pet Insurance claims to be the first cloud-based pet insurance company, meaning they rely heavily on technology for all their offerings and claims processing.
Figo Pet Insurance offers some of the easiest to understand plans among their competitors.
While your premiums will vary depending on your pet, the company offers three levels of coverage — essential, preferred, and ultimate.
Where the ultimate plans offer unlimited veterinary coverage on an annual basis, essential and preferred plans offer $10,000 and $14,000 in coverage respectively.
Figo’s cloud-based set-up makes it easy to access veterinary records, bills, and claims through the company’s website or app.
Their claims process is also one of the most seamless out there since you can upload veterinary bills from any device to their online portal.
You’ll also get paid electronically, meaning there will be no lengthy delay while you wait for a paper check in the mail.
There is a lot of information to unpack as you choose the best pet insurance for your needs.
Each pet insurance company has their own set of included ailments/injuries and exclusions.
For that reason, it’s important to understand what is and isn’t covered before you buy a pet insurance policy.
Covered conditions via Figo Pet Insurance include:
Optional coverage:
When it comes to what isn’t covered by Figo Pet Insurance, their rules are fairly standard.
For starters, Figo doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions.
They define pre-existing conditions as “any condition that shows clinical signs prior to the start of your policy period.”
Figo offers this quick analogy to put this in perspective:
“You wouldn’t buy an insurance policy on a broken-down automobile and expect them to pay to fix it the next day, would you? That insurance company wouldn’t be in business very long.”
In addition to pre-existing conditions, other exclusions to note with Figo Pet Insurance policies include:
Like other pet insurance products (and health insurance for humans), the premiums you’ll pay for a policy with Figo vary depending on a wide range of factors.
Fortunately, it is easy to get a quote online and there is no obligation for doing so.
To give you an idea of how much you might pay, I’ve also researched several quotes for you. But first, here are the three plans they have:
| Essential | Preferred | Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed-breed dog under one year, 21-70 pounds | $22.61 per month | $24.61 per month | $29.90 per month |
| Mixed breed cat, four years old | $20.19 per month | $20.80 per month | $24.07 per month |
| Mixed-breed dog, 10 years old, 71+ pounds | $27.85 per month | $30.32 per month | $36.83 per month |
Keep in mind that the above quotes are for policies with a $200 deductible and only 80% reimbursement. Here are those plans and a few sample premiums available for several different pet profiles:
This means if your pet gets sick, you would have to pay a $200 deductible upfront and 20% of their medical bills.
If they wind up having to have a $10,000 surgery, you would be on the hook for $2,000 of that cost even after coverage pays their part.
Fortunately, Figo does offer some flexibility in these plans.
You may be able to secure a plan with 100% reimbursement depending on your pet, but most plans allow you to select 90% coverage, at a minimum.
You can also raise your deductible to secure lower monthly premiums if affordability is an issue.
At this point, we’ve mentioned how Figo Pet Insurance works along with how much pet insurance costs for a few different pets.
We’ve learned what is covered and what’s not covered along with more details about the type of policies they offer.
Still, we haven’t mentioned the biggest advantages and disadvantages of this coverage.
Consider the following pros and cons before you sign up for a plan.
If you have a dog or cat who means the world to you, purchasing pet insurance can be a good idea.
Not only can a policy protect you financially, but it can help your pet receive the care he or she deserves.
The good news is, Figo offers policies you can tailor to your needs and your budget.
They also offer higher levels of coverage than many of their competitors, along with a claims process that makes it easy to file claims and get paid.
You and your pet deserve the best, so check out Figo Pet Insurance today.
The post Figo Pet Insurance Review appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
If you are worried about the rising costs of medical care for pets, you may want to consider getting a pet health insurance plan.
Like health insurance for humans, pet insurance can kick in when you face exorbitant medical bills for your pet resulting from an injury, illness, or medical condition.
Some pet insurance policies even pay for exams for your pet, although inclusions vary by provider.
If you’re thinking of buying a policy, you may want to check out Petplan.
According to the company, they are the #1 pet insurance provider in the country.
They base this assertion on the fact that they’ve been in business for 280 dog years (40 human years), and that the company has sold over 1 million policies.
Petplan seems to have their act together, and they offer a wide range of plans which can be tailored to meet your specific pet care and protection needs.
Petplan’s value proposition is rather simple: The company makes it easy to get coverage quickly since you can get a quote and pay for your new policy online.
If your pet is sick, you’ll be able to visit any licensed veterinarian you want to receive the appropriate treatment.
Once your pet has been treated, you file a claim with Petplan and wait for reimbursement.
The end goal is protecting you from expensive medical bills if your pet becomes sick or injured, although you’ll have to pay a monthly insurance premium to receive this protection in return.
Like any other type of insurance, it’s important to understand what your pet insurance policy actually covers.
According to Petplan, all of their policies include the following situations:
You can also add additional types of coverage to your Petplan insurance policy. Optional coverage you can buy includes:
These inclusions cover almost all situations your pet may face, but there are still some procedures and treatments that Petplan policies never cover.
Policy exclusions for all Petplan insurance products include:
According to Petplan, when a pet has faced a curable condition before enrolling with Petplan, the condition might be covered after an exclusionary period.
The biggest question for pet owners is whether or not pet insurance is worth the cost. The fact that Petplan coverage comes with so many variables helps it stand out from its peers.
According to the company, your policy cost is determined by a wide range of factors such as your pet’s age, your geographic location, your pet’s breed, the types of coverage you choose, your chosen deductible, and your chosen level of reimbursement.
Since many other pet insurance companies offer set deductibles and reimbursement levels, it may be a lot easier to craft a personalized pet insurance plan with Petplan.
If you only want coverage in very extreme, expensive cases, you may opt for a plan with a higher deductible to secure a lower monthly premium, for example.
Or, you could opt for a low deductible and 90% reimbursement if you wanted to pay a higher monthly premium in exchange for more protection from medical costs.
There are essentially three plans available:
Here are a few examples of Petplan premiums:
| Basic | Recommended | Premier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-year-old large breed dog (71+ pounds) | $28.68 per month | $42.94 per month | $60.29 per month |
| Five-year-old short-haired cat | $19.66 per month | $21.80 per month | $29.38 per month |
| Nine-year-old mixed breed small dog (up to 22 pounds) | $42.36 per month | $64.22 per month | $90.81 per month |
But, if you do have to file a large claim, you will likely be ecstatic you purchased a policy.
While paying $40 to $50 per month may seem like a poor deal, those premiums become a bargain if you face a $10,000 surgery for your pet within the first few years.
Also keep in mind that pet insurance offers something in addition to financial support if your pet becomes ill; it offers peace of mind.
With a pet insurance plan in place, you can rest assured your pet will have their medical needs covered if your best furry friend gets sick or injured. You’ll never have to wonder if you’ll be able to afford top rate medical care for them, either.
Finally, Petplan insurance products offer more than just coverage for veterinary bills.
You’ll also receive 24/7 Petplan customer support as well as veterinary coach assistance via a program called PetCoach.
While there are numerous pet insurance companies offering policies that cover dogs and cats, there are some real benefits that come with choosing Petplan over their competitors.
Here are some of the biggest advantages:
While Petplan has plenty of benefits that can make it valuable for consumers, it’s not a perfect insurance company by any means. Some of the biggest downsides of Petplan pet insurance include:
If you’re thinking of getting an insurance policy for your pet, Petplan is one company you should absolutely consider.
Their customizable policies can be a good deal for consumers who want very specific amounts of coverage, and the fact hereditary conditions are covered in all their policies helps this company stand out.
On the flip side, you should make sure you compare other pet insurance companies in terms of their reviews, monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and coverage levels before you decide.
Petplan may offer a policy that fits your needs, but you may also qualify for a similar policy with lower premiums elsewhere.
The post Petplan Pet Insurance Review appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. 529 for nieces and nephews
2. Confusion about SIMPLE IRA
3. Combating car rust
4. Hotel rewards program advice
5. Upset with work/life balance
6. Explain this scam
7. How much to stop working?
8. Guidance counselor argument
9. Time to buy bitcoin
10. Digitizing old journals and notebooks
11. Worth changing your own oil?
12. Library book sale advice
Last year, I wrote an article comparing 12 different goal-oriented paper planners. This article turned out to be incredibly popular, so much so that I’ve been asked throughout this year for my thoughts on various additional goal-oriented planners.
I’m strongly considering writing a follow up to the original article detailing some of the newer planners that I’ve found during 2018 (including the one I think I’m sticking with for my own use). If you have a planner like this that you love (or you make one), please let me know about it via a Facebook message so I can include it in this year’s roundup if possible.
Please note that I’m really only interested in goal-oriented planners that go beyond simple to-do lists and datebooks and instead provide some sort of system for goal planning and follow-through. I am not interested in datebooks or to-do lists.
On with the questions.
We are on a solid retirement path and have been saving money in college funds for our two kids. With some additional monies, we would like to set aside funds that could be used for our nieces and nephews college expenses. How would you recommend setting up this up? We have considered a generic 529 to be segregated from our children’s accounts.
– Kelly
529 plans are tied to the plan’s beneficiary and have a number of tax implications if that money is used for someone else, implications that undo the tax benefits of the 529.
A much better approach is to simply open a 529 for each of them, with an individual child as the beneficiary on each account.
Ideally, this is a situation where you can easily work with your siblings so that they’re the account managers and you just contribute to the account. You should talk this over with your siblings.
It’s worth noting that the same beneficiary can have multiple 529 plans, but the plans cannot be from the same state.
I recently have been given the opportunity of signing up for a SIMPLE IRA with a company I do part-time work for. However, I’m confused about the rules. I’ve read that the 2018 contribution limit is $12,500 (non-catch-up), but I thought IRAs has a $5,500 contribution limit for 2018 (non-catch-up). Does the SIMPLE IRA have different rules form a traditional or Roth IRA? Can I have a fully-funded Roth IRA and a SIMPLE IRA with some money in it?
This company offers a 2% match on money put in the SIMPLE IRA. I’ve read on your blog that it’s good to participate in plans with matches, so I’m considering the plan. If I can have both, I’m still not sure if it’s worth it for me.
To give background on my situation, I am 30, single, have been maxing out my Roth IRA since I started it in 2015. I have a 403(b) with 3% of my most consistent paycheck job going in, and have about $15,000 in investments on the side (hopefully long term). I make about $30,000 a year, am very frugal (many thanks to your blog) and usually save about 40% of my income every year.
I will make around $2,000 this year with that company, but it will be more like $3,500 next year, best guess. If I can have both a fully-funded Roth IRA and a (not full) SIMPLE IRA plan, do you think that small amount of money is worth signing up? I could also just continue adding to my investments on the side.
If I can’t contribute more than $5,500 combined into a Roth and SIMPLE IRA, is it worth trying to guess how much I’ll make with the company, add the match, and not fully fund my Roth IRA next year? Do you know of a good way to make that work? Would I leave some room, and max out the $5,500 at the end of next year when I know how much I will have made during the year with the eligible match?
I’ve searched your website for any helpful information regarding SIMPLE IRAs and my questions, but came up short. Can you shed some light perchance please? Thanks for your thoughts.
– Connie
First of all, you can contribute to a Roth IRA while also contributing to a SIMPLE IRA. There is an overall contribution limit to Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs, but that doesn’t affect workplace-sponsored retirement accounts like a SIMPLE IRA. (Honestly, they shouldn’t have named the SIMPLE IRA an IRA, in my opinion, as it’s just confusing for no good reason.)
If I were you, I’d simply contribute exactly enough to this plan to get the employer match and nothing more, and then leave all of your other retirement contributions as they are. If they’re only matching 2% of your income and you’re only making $2,000, that means you’re contributing $40 and they’re matching $40. $40 isn’t going to make or break you, while $80 put aside at age 30 at a 7% annual return will be worth $1,200 at age 70. That’s worth signing up for.
Next year, if you make $3,500, that 2% will be $70, for which they’ll match $70. That’s a total $140 contribution, which will be worth $1,960 at age 70 (again, with a 7% average annual return).
If you stick with them for several years, you should easily have five figures in their retirement account when you finally retire. That’s more than worth it.
Honestly, this would be less confusing if they didn’t call the SIMPLE IRA an IRA, because it functions differently than a traditional or Roth IRA and closer to a 401(k).
I grew up in the south where cars tend to last for a long time and tend to break down due to mechanical issues and rust takes 15 years to show up. I moved to Minneapolis with my 2015 Honda Pilot two years ago and it’s already showing rust as I just saw a rust spot near the front wheel well and another tiny one near the gas port. I know it’s due to winter weather in the north, but what can you do about it? Talked to my mechanic here and he just shrugged his shoulders and said that rust protection stuff doesn’t work.
– Andrew
He’s right – rust protection sprays and such help a little bit, but they don’t fix the problem.
I’ve lived in the upper Midwest most of my life and I’ve found that the absolute best thing you can do for your car to avoid rust is to wash it regularly during the winter months. As soon as the first snow or ice storm hits, I start washing my vehicle with extreme regularity – once a week or so, any time when it’s warm enough so that it won’t just freeze to the car (basically, any day where the temperature climbs above about 25 F).
The salt and other materials that are used to keep roads clear in the winter in northern towns and cities is just incredibly corrosive to cars. While I understand that efficient road clearing is needed so people can get to their jobs and such, it is really rough on the long term health of cars.
The only real use of rust treatments is to use it in spots where rust is already showing up. It just slows it down. You do that by scraping off as much rust as possible if you notice a rusty spot, then applying a healthy dose of rust arrestor to that spot, then putting on some primer and some touch-up paint. You can get all of that stuff at an automotive store. Note that rust spots are an indicator that you’re not washing your car enough in the winter.
Loved your article about Marriot hotels rewards programs. I travel but Marriotts are out of my price range. Does this work with other hotel chains that are cheaper like
– Dan
I assume that by advice about staying at Marriott hotels, you’re referring to this article of mine: Is It Cheaper to Book Through Travel Sites or Directly Through Hotels?
In terms of budget hotels, I almost always lean towards Best Western when I’m shooting for a decent night at a low cost. Their rewards program is pretty solid, too, as you earn points that can be exchanged at their various hotels. Each Best Western hotel has a certain points threshold for a free night – anywhere from 8,000 to 32,000 points – and their program for earning points is tiered, too.
I did some quick comparisons and some back of the envelope math and I think that if you’re staying at a Best Western regularly (10 or more nights a year), you’re probably going to end up saving money by booking directly with them through their website and their rewards program. If you’re not staying that frequently, you’re better off using an aggregation site like Hotels.com.
My entire life is get up go to work come home twelve hours later eat supper do minimal household chores feel dead go to bed. That’s what I do six days a week. The other day is nothing but catching up on things left undone and maybe a few hours of something fun. That is my entire life. People weren’t meant to do this.
– Adam
I agree that people aren’t meant to do that. It’s not a healthy or enjoyable life.
So, here’s my question back to you: what’s your escape hatch? What are you doing to get yourself out of this cycle?
You have to be doing something to alter this day-in-day-out cycle or either it will never end or something will completely blow it up and leave you gobsmacked (a health crisis or a sudden firing or something). What is it that you’re doing to gradually alter things?
If you don’t have any plan like that, consider this: what would you rather be doing, assuming that you do in fact still have to work for a living? What kind of work would you like to be doing? How would you like to be using your free time?
Now, what’s keeping you from that? What’s the barrier that keeps you in your current cycle? Is it a need for re-education? Is it fear? What is keeping you from doing that?
Once you figure out what that barrier is, figure out how to knock it down. Even if you don’t know how to do it yet, you can start by saving as much of your income as possible. Spend as little as you can and put aside every dime for whatever that plan of escape is.
In other words, make a light at the end of the tunnel and then start migrating toward that light like a moth on a warm summer night.
My wife got an email about a career advancement grant inviting her to apply for it. Supposedly this grant pays for professional development costs for people who have graduated and used Pell Grants during their studies. The links in the email go to a .gov address. Still this seems like a scam. What do you think?
– David
It’s a scam. It’s very likely that the link in the email that looks like a .gov link actually takes you to some other domain and a form that looks “official” but actually just gives info to someone trying to steal your identity.
Grant programs are usually so inundated with applications that they don’t have any reason to contact individuals directly. They usually announce the program through the media and the applications start rolling in.
If you think this is actually legit – and I’m 99.9% sure it’s not – look at the email and see if you can figure out the actual name of the specific grant. If it does give you one, Google that name on your own and see if it leads to an actual legit .gov website and follow that link from Google instead.
56/M here, how do you know when you’ve saved enough in 401(k) to stop working?
– Brad
Take your current balance in your 401(k). Divide it by 25. Subtract 10% or so from that for income taxes. Could you survive on that amount, especially considering you have to buy your own health insurance? Remember to add in any pensions you might have.
If the answer is “yes,” you can probably retire. When you hit an appropriate age, you’ll be able to add Social Security to that and be eligible for Medicare, which will help, but don’t expect it to radically change the equation.
It really comes down to that. If that money doesn’t add up to enough to retire on, you need to keep working. If it does, then you can decide whether you want to retire or not.
I need you to help settle a dispute between me and my son’s guidance counselor.
My son is a “B” student in a ton of extracurriculars. He has talked about being an electrical engineer for years. Now he is entering his junior year and will be taking college admissions tests and so on. Wife and I have been saving for his college since he was little.
He comes home from school a week ago and says his guidance counselor is encouraging him to consider a career as an electrician and says she can set him up to do hourly work and shadow one next summer. He’s all excited about this.
I schedule a meeting with this counselor and she says that my son’s “skill set” is suited for a trade like electrical work which is code word for her saying my son is stupid.
My son has plenty good grades to go to college and I have been saving for it for many years so he won’t have to suffer student loans. My son isn’t throwing this away and is going to college no matter what.
– Ron
My first question is whether or not you’ve sat down and asked your son what he wants to do with his life? This isn’t about what you want him to do with his life, but what he wants to do.
Have that conversation with him. Don’t pressure him with things like “BUT THIS IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT,” because those things just pressure him to say what you want to hear rather than what he actually wants to do.
Your son’s goals and dreams may be different from your own. Perhaps the idea of working with his hands and working outside is a lot more appealing to him than spending four years in college to earn a degree so he can spend the rest of his years designing circuitry on a computer. It’s actually quite likely that he actually learned what EE is about and decided it wasn’t for him.
As for that college savings, use it to pay for his trade school and then let him sit on that account for future educational purposes. He might decide in a few years that college is a better path for him, or he might want to further his education somehow within the electrical world.
Let him forge his own path and give him the tools to do it successfully.
Trade work often earns a very, very good living, especially if that tradesperson eventually transitions into some form of masterwork with apprentices or even running his own business. He may eventually want to earn business degrees on evenings and weekends and that college savings might help him.
In other words, don’t let your vision of your son’s future pressure him into choosing a future that isn’t right for him.
Bitcoin is at its lowest value in almost a year. Is it a good time to buy it as a speculative investment?
– Aaron
I do not recommend buying Bitcoin as anything other than pure speculation, and I do not recommend treating speculative investments as part of your normal investment portfolio unless you’re rather wealthy (in other words, don’t use your Bitcoin as part of your retirement calculations).
I’ve spelled this out in the past, but I view Bitcoin as a really, really good idea, but not a good investment. The blockchain idea behind Bitcoin is genius and I’d go so far to say it’s one of the best tech innovations of the 21st century. That does not mean that Bitcoin, on its own, is a good or sensible investment; as ingenious as blockchain is, it doesn’t change the fact that Bitcoin is a virtual currency that leaves you with no physical asset whatsoever if the bottom drops out.
Put some money in Bitcoin if you have it sitting around. Buy some and stick it in your Bitcoin wallet if it excites you. Don’t treat it as a foundational investment for your future.
I have a daily journaling practice much like your own. I have kept all of my old journals in a box but it’s hard to go back through them and find old entries that I know are in there somewhere. I am considering digitizing them. Do you have a suggestion for an inexpensive way to do this, ideally one that makes the pages searchable?Also, is it worthwhile to digitize old notebooks from school that have lecture notes and notes from the book in them?
– Casey
The easiest system I’ve found is to get a Google Drive account, take high resolution pictures of your journal pages with the best digital camera you have available (this removes the need of buying a document scanner), and then upload all of those images to Google Drive. Google Drive will scan those images for text and make it searchable.
There are a lot of other pieces of software that will do the same trick. Evernote,for example, does this, but the storage limits of Evernote makes it hard to recommend it as a free solution. Google Drive is free up to 15 GB, which should hold an awful lot of your journal pages.
Personally, I use Evernote for this, but I am very heavily invested in Evernote, having used them for years. I have literally tens of thousands of notes in there.
As for school notes, it depends on whether or not you’ll ever want to look into those topics again. For many people, it’s probably not worth the effort. For me, if I ever decided to revisit the topic of one of my college classes, I probably wouldn’t look at my old notes anyway; I’d just start from scratch.
In your maintenance checklist article you suggest doing things like changing your own oil. Does this really save money compared to just taking it to an auto place?
– Darren
You save about $10 per oil change if you do it yourself, by my back of the envelope math. There may be occasional “deals” that make an oil change in a shop competitive on price.
The cost of five quarts of oil and an oil filter is about $20. Most oil changes around here are in the $30 to $40 range, with the lower end ones sometimes not changing your filter.
All quick oil change shops don’t let your oil drip for very long, though, meaning that some of the thickest oil from the previous change remains in your engine. A big advantage of changing it yourself is that you can let it drip into the oil pan for a couple of hours.
If you’re at home doing a bunch of tasks around the house, adding an oil change to the list isn’t a big deal as you can do the first part in a couple of minutes and then finish it up in a couple more minutes.
Our local library has a semiannual book sale. My husband and I have disagreed for years on the best strategy to use to get the most good books for the dollar.
On the first day of the sale, most books are $1-4 and it costs $2 to get in. The selection is great.
On day 2 it’s the same but there is no admission. At mid afternoon, they slash all the prices in half down to $0.50 to $2.
On day 3 all prices are slashed in half again so everything is $0.25 to $1. At mid afternoon they add a BOGO to it so if you buy a $0.25 book you get one free.
On day 4 there’s a $1 admission but all books are free. You are allowed to bring in a single box with your $1 admission and fill it up.
What is the best time to go?
– Alice
It depends entirely on how picky you are about what you read. The more picky you are, the earlier you should go in the sale.
If you’re pretty content to read just about anything, then going on the last day and paying $1 to fill up a box is a good deal and I’d go then.
If you’re an avid reader but you’re really selective on what you read, favoring particular authors or subjects, then I’d go earlier in the sale.
I don’t think there is a “best strategy” here for everyone. It really depends on the selectivity of your reading habits.
Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.
The post Questions About IRAs, Scams, 529s, Bitcoin, and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
