As a work-at-home mom, I like the idea of finding ways to include my family in my home business. Children especially tend to get jealous when mom has to spend too much time doing work tasks. Finding ways to get the kids involved in mom’s home-based business encourages them to be excited about it rather […]
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Have you taken in the local flavors and culture of your new surroundings? Or maybe you haven’t moved, but have you looked at your home city with a new perspective?
The folks over at the Branson Travel Office in Missouri want you to share that experience for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship.
Branson Travel Office is a family-owned business that not only supports but encourages travel, which it says helps cities prosper and strengthens community and culture.
The scholarship open to all domestic, international and undocumented undergraduate students enrolled — or due to be enrolled — at an accredited college or university as a full-time student.
There’s no minimum GPA requirement to apply.
Pretty sweet so far, huh?
Ok, but then there’s this…
All applicants must write a 1,000 to 1,500 word essay about the city they’re studying in.
Your essay should answer the following questions:
Along with the essay, you must submit proof of your enrollment. This could be a transcript, letter of acceptance or a tuition receipt.
There’s only one entry per student per year, and the scholarship does not automatically renew.
Once you have your essay and proof of enrollment, fill out The Travel Office Local Adventure Scholarship Submission Form.
This includes your contact information and info for the university you’re attending, as it will receive the scholarship check.
You’ll have to accept the basic terms and conditions, which say that The Branson Travel Office can use your name, essay and contest-related information on its website and in its communications.
Don’t procrastinate on this one; the deadline to apply is Oct. 15, 2018.
A panel of judges from the Travel Office will select a winner. The winner will be notified by Oct. 30.
Check out the Travel Office Local Adventures Scholarship details. Submit any scholarship questions to info@traveloffice.org.
Like our College page on Facebook to discover other scholarship opportunities.
And 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.
Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She has never been to Missouri.
The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.
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.
And when the holidays roll around, the number of packages being shipped increases dramatically — just imagine how many Instant Pots are in transit three weeks before Christmas.
To give ol’ Saint Nick a helping hand, UPS has announced plans to hire upwards of 100,000 seasonal employees for the holidays.
There are both full and part-time positions available, and a lot of the roles have flexible schedules and a variety shift options — 3 a.m. clock-in time, anyone?
There are already seasonal positions posted on the UPS careers website. The roles primarily consist of package handlers, delivery drivers and driver helpers.
These are all entry-level positions and are described as “physical and fast-paced.” Continual lifting is basically the main part of the job, so the ability to lift packages weighing up to 70 pounds is required.
The pay isn’t specified for any of the seasonal roles, and benefits will vary — but with such a high demand for seasonal workers and a hot labor market, many companies are beefing up their incentives to draw in applicants.
For example, the job listings for part-time package handlers at UPS claim that the flexible hours are perfect for college students looking for some extra cash and mention the company’s Earn & Learn program, which is tuition assistance of up to $25,000.
And once the holiday rush comes to an end, there is a chance that seasonal employees can snag a permanent position. Over the last three years, 35% of seasonal employees have stayed with UPS in a permanent position, according to a press release.
If you’re interested in applying for a seasonal job at UPS, head on over to the company’s career page. You can search jobs by location, or you can select “Part-Time Hourly and Seasonal” under the category filter.
Kaitlyn Blount is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.
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.
As the U.S. Census Bureau gears up for the 2020 count, it is hiring thousands of temporary workers across the country.
To be eligible for the jobs, which include census takers, office staff and recruiting assistants, you must meet the following qualifications:
Pay rates vary by position and location, but you can find the ranges for your state and county via an electronic form on the census site.
If this sounds like the gig for you, fill out the online application.
Tiffany Wendeln Connors is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder who covers interesting careers and job benefits.
The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.
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.
It’s been just over a year since the now infamous Equifax data breach of 2017. To refresh your memory, this massive data breach potentially exposed the personal information of some 145.5 million U.S. consumers. The exposed data included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth.
Of course, the Equifax data breach is not the only reason you need to be concerned about the security of your personal information. While Equifax’s massive hack was understandably upsetting to consumers, it’s certainly not the only data breach that may have put your personal information at risk. The disturbing truth is that nearly 1,600 data breaches were announced publicly in 2017 alone, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.
The need to protect your credit from identity thieves only becomes more important with each passing year. Thankfully there are a number of actions you can and should take to protect your personal information and your credit from bad guys. And of all the credit protection strategies out there, the most effective one by far is a credit freeze — especially when you suspect your personal data has been compromised.
Better yet, as of Sept. 21, 2018, federal law mandates that freezing your credit is now free in all 50 states.
According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, your credit reports can be accessed by anyone who’s deemed to have a “permissible purpose” to request them — that includes lenders who wish to view your reports as part of an application for new credit. The trouble for lenders is that they can’t easily tell if it’s you who’s applying for a new loan or credit card — or a crook who’s fraudulently applying for financing in your name.
A credit freeze, also called a security freeze, can help to solve this problem. When you place a freeze on your credit reports, you essentially lock your reports so that new lenders cannot access them without your consent. Unlike a fraud alert, which lasts for one year and simply requires businesses to verify your identity before issuing new credit to you, a credit freeze essentially takes your credit reports out of circulation until you say otherwise.
If you’ve placed a freeze on your three credit reports and an identity thief tries to open a fraudulent account in your name, the lender who attempts to process the phony application wouldn’t be able to access your credit report; they’ll get a message back that your report has been frozen.
As a result, the application will be denied, preventing the fraudulent account from being opened. The thief may still be in possession of your personal data, but your credit freeze will prevent them from using that data against you to open unauthorized accounts.
Placing a freeze on your credit reports is simple and, now, completely free by law. The quickest way to request a credit freeze is online, though you have the option to freeze your reports over the phone or via mail as well. Requests made online or by phone must take effect within one business day, according to the Federal Trade Commission. And once you request to have the freeze lifted (which is also free), the agency must do so within one hour.
You may also freeze your child’s credit if they’re age 16 or under. This can be a smart idea, since children are frequently targeted by identity thieves and typically have no reason to apply for credit when they’re young.
If you do opt to freeze your credit reports, it’s also important that you do so separately at each of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. If you neglect to freeze your credit with all three bureaus, you’ll still be vulnerable.
Below are some links to help you get started putting your credit reports on ice at each credit bureau:
Once you place a freeze on your credit reports, you’ll be issued or be asked to choose a PIN. Remember to save all three of your PINs, because you will need them in the future to “thaw” your reports when you wish to apply for credit yourself — or in any other situation where someone will need to access your credit reports. In some states, a credit freeze expires after seven years, but in most cases, it lasts until you request the freeze to be lifted.
Until new federal law placing and lifting a credit freeze free in all 50 states,
That’s a small price to pay to avoid identity theft, especially if you believe your data has been compromised. And if you’ve already been a victim of identity theft (and have a police report to prove it), then placing and lifting a credit freeze can be done free of charge.
As mentioned, the credit bureaus also offer “credit locks.” Credit locks work in a similar way and can be less intense — and more convenient — than a credit freeze, but they also offer less legal protection and may carry monthly fees. According to the FTC, “If you want a free freeze guaranteed by federal law, then opt for a freeze, not a lock.”
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John Ulzheimer is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, and identity theft. He has written four books on the topic and has been interviewed and quoted thousands of times over the past 10 years. With time spent at Equifax and FICO, Ulzheimer is the only credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. He has been an expert witness in over 230 credit related lawsuits and has been qualified to testify in both federal and state courts on the topic of consumer credit.
The post Use a Free Credit Freeze to Stop Identity Thieves Cold appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
What will this week be like for you? Will it be an ordinary week at work, with the normal routines? Maybe you’re retired and this will be a week like any other, with the usual tasks to be done.
Will it be an ordinary week? Or an extraordinary one?
This week, you could change your entire financial direction. It’s up to you.
Perhaps you have a retirement plan at work that you’ve always thought about signing up for, but haven’t ever done so because of some reason or another: You can’t afford to lose $10 or $15 out of your paycheck, or it’s too much work to walk over to the HR office.
End that story this week. Step away for a few moments, go over to HR, and sign up for the plan. Contribute 5% or so for starters – or be a little aggressive and contribute 10%. Just mark down that you want to contribute to a target retirement investment, sign on the dotted line, and you’re good to go.
What if your workplace doesn’t offer a retirement plan? What if their plan is poorly regarded? You can always open up a Roth IRA for yourself (or a traditional IRA if you’re a high income earner). It’s easy to do – you can sign up for one online at your investment house of choice (I use Vanguard). Just sign up, put your money into a target retirement fund, set up an automatic contribution from your checking account, and you’re on the road to retirement.
Right now many stores are deeply discounting their remaining summer apparel and making room for winter clothes. Take advantage of this by going clothes shopping this week… not for winter stuff, but for the cheap summer stuff. Use it as an opportunity to rotate out any worn out summer items you have – ditch the scroungy t-shirts and the worn polos and replace them with discounted new items.
You can take this even further and check out secondhand stores. Right now is a great time to buy summer clothes at secondhand stores because many people have been dropping them off as of late and people aren’t going there to shop for summer stuff, either, so there’s usually plenty to choose from. You’d be surprised how often new or nearly new high end clothing pops up at secondhand clothes shops and consignment shops at a crazy low price, and this is a great time to grab summer clothes there.
Don’t wait around until next spring to buy your summer clothes at full price. Buy them now at 60% off and put them in storage for a few months.
Do you have a term life insurance policy? If you have people at home who are dependent on your salary – a spouse or children or dependent parents or someone else who relies on you – you might want to consider signing up for a term policy just to ensure that they’re taken care of should something happen to you. It’s pretty easy to sign up for one – you could have your policy taken care of in just a week.
Do you have a will? It’s a document that spells out where you want your personal effects to go and some very broad instructions for what remains of your estate. It might also state your preference for guardianship for your children. You can easily get one of these prepared this week.
Do you have a health care power of attorney? This designates someone who is legally allowed to make decisions on your behalf if you’re in a medical state in which you can’t make decisions for yourself. What about a living will, which is a document stating your wishes for your own health should you be unable to make those decisions? Again, it’s easy to prepare these documents, and you could have them in place before the week is out.
Stepping up to the plate with these kinds of actions is a sign of a responsible adult who has taken care of the people around them.
Most of the preparations that a person might do to get their home or apartment ready for winter are pretty straightforward. They just take a little bit of time and attention. The benefit? They end up saving you a lot on your winter energy bill.
One great simple step to take is to reverse all of your ceiling fans so that the blades spin clockwise when viewed from the floor. Ceiling fans run at a low speed in a clockwise direction in the winter create a gentle updraft, which forces hot air near the ceiling to circulate downward into the room where you can feel it.
Another thing you can do this week is go to every window in your home and check it for air leaks. They’re most noticeable when the temperature outside is significantly different than the temperature inside – you’ll feel either cool air or warm air coming through the edges of the window panes. If you feel that, go to the hardware store and get a caulking gun and a tube of window caulk and a putty knife with a rounded corner for smoothing out caulk. Simply shoot a stream of the caulk around the edges of the leaky window and smooth it out with the rounded putty knife corner so that it looks fine and is pressed into the crack. No more air leaks!
Another thing you can do is look for where there’s air flowing into or out of your home under doors. If you can feel air blowing in or out under a door, it’s probably a good idea to install a weatherstrip on that door to block that air flow.
All of these strategies serve to keep your house from losing heat easily during the winter and to maximize the effectiveness of the heat produced by your furnace this winter. Together, these strategies can easily cut hundreds off of the energy bill for a single winter in a large northern home.
Car insurance. Homeowners insurance. Renters insurance. It can all add up to a pretty big expense, especially if you’re still riding on an older policy that you haven’t shopped around in many years.
Take a couple of hours this week and shop around for a better rate on your car insurance and your homeowners insurance or renters insurance. See what kinds of rates are available to you by getting some quotes from competitors. If you find one that offers up a much better deal, particularly if it’s a well regarded insurance company like AFLAC or Progressive, switch to the new package.
This simple move can save you hundreds of dollars a year and it’s something you can take care of in a couple of hours in front of a web browser and on the phone. It just takes a few web quotes and a phone call or two. Start by visiting the website of a few top insurance providers and seeing what kind of quote they can give you.
Still got cable or a satellite provider? Paying for a bunch of channels you never watch or only flip through? This might just be the week where you jump ship.
We did this ourselves not long ago and the process was pretty painless.
First, we got a simple digital over-the-air antenna and made sure that it worked in our house. It did – we pick up a ton of channels. (We were pretty sure it would work because AntennaWeb told us that there were several television networks broadcasting within six miles of our house.)
Then, we simply called up our cable provider and cancelled our subscription. We kept saying “no” to every counteroffer that they made and eventually they cancelled.
Our television viewing now consists of Netflix (about $15 a month), over the air channels, and YouTube, and it’s more content than we can ever watch. We’re saving about $75 a month to boot.
If you’re carrying a balance on your credit card, chances are that you’re paying a significant amount each year in interest. If you carry an average of $1,000 month to month on a credit card with a 19.9% interest rate, that’s $199 a year that’s just disappearing. If you’re carrying more or the interest rate is higher, it’s even worse – and perhaps far worse.
The way around this is to simply request a rate reduction on your cards. Just call them up, say that you’re shopping for a different card and considering a balance transfer and that you’d rather stick with this one if they could lower your rate. If they won’t… well, then go find a good card that matches your usage (like a card with benefits at a retailer that you use, like a Chase Amazon card) and transfer your balance to the new card, likely at 0% interest and possibly with some benefits for transferring.
You can do the same with some of your other debts. For example, if you have multiple student loans, consider consolidating them and locking in a low interest rate on all of them. If you have a home mortgage and you’ve been making payments steadily, consider refinancing that mortgage as it might lower your interest rate and possibly remove any PMI that you’re paying.
These are all easy moves that you can do this week that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year in reduced interest payments.
“How could I do that in a week?” you might ask. Well, this week, you could simply ask your boss for a sit-down and then directly ask what you would need to do to be in line for a raise or for a promotion you’ve been eyeing. Just simply ask what you need to do to get from where you are to where you want to be.
If you have any sort of a good working relationship with your boss, this should lead to a fruitful conversation about what exactly you can do to make yourself valuable enough so that it’s easy for your boss to give you that raise. You should be able to walk out of that meeting with a checklist of things you can be doing in the coming months to improve your pay and solidify your situation at work.
If you don’t have a good working relationship with your boss… well, you might be at a different kind of career crossroads. It might be worth your time to consider whether or not it’s time to move into a different position, whether it’s with your current company or in new pastures.
In either case, this week is a great opportunity to add some clarity to your career path going forward, clarity that will likely lead to new opportunities and (hopefully) more pay.
When you go to the store this week, wherever you see a name brand product that you’d ordinarily buy, instead buy the equivalent store brand version. Do this for everything, then pay attention to what works and what doesn’t as the days pass by and you actually use these products.
Grab the store brand laundry detergent. The store brand garbage bags. The store brand breakfast cereal. The store brand milk. The store brand eggs. The store brand ketchup. The store brand everything.
The key is to pay attention as you use it. Can you really see any problems with the store brand product? Is it in any way worse than the name brand version you normally buy? Even if it is worse, is the difference enough to make up for the price difference?
You might just realize that store brands are the right call for you on almost everything you buy, and then you’re on track to perpetually spend less at the grocery store from here on out.
If you’ve been in a long-term relationship for years and haven’t really sat down with your partner in a while to go over your finances together and talk about your big goals, do that this week. Pencil in an evening for the two of you to sit down and go through your finances. No anger, no accusations, no anything – it’s okay if either one of you have made mistakes. The goal is to figure out where you want to go together and what needs to happen to make it so, with both of you taking part in it.
If you’re new to a long-term relationship, are moving toward marriage, or are newly married, it’s a great time to sit down and have that first money talk. Open up your finances to each other – again, no anger, no accusations, no anything, and it’s okay if you’ve made mistakes. Talk about where you are, where you want to go together, and what you need to do to get there. How can you help fix each other’s financial problems? What things can you both do to get on the right track? What are your big goals that you share?
It can be intimidating. It can be kind of scary. It can be emotional. It can be hard work.
Yet, when you take on this kind of thing for the sake of your relationship and your future, you almost always come out better on the other side. You understand each other better. You have a plan.
Every time you make dinner this week, make quadruple the amount and then package up three full meals and stick them in the freezer, or break those extra full meals down into single-serving meals and freeze them all individually, according to your needs.
Yes, this’ll take a lot of containers (I recommend GladWare freezer- and microwave-safe containers as they work really well for this). It’ll take some extra time. You’ll have to buy some extra ingredients, though you can really take advantage of bulk buying here.
What you’ll get in the end is a freezer full of ready-to-go meals that you can pull out whenever you need them. Need to take lunch to work? Grab a single-serving frozen meal and take it with you. Need a family dinner? Grab one the night before, pop it in the fridge to thaw, and pop it in the oven when you get home. Hungry when you get home? Pop a single-serving meal right into the microwave.
This directly cuts down on your need to eat out going forward, which greatly cuts back on your overall food costs. No need to eat out in the evening if there’s an extremely easy to prep meal at home. No need to eat out for lunch if you can just grab a meal on your way out the door.
There’s the convenience factor, too. It’s a lot easier to eat at home as a family if the meal prep on a busy evening is really simple, so you’re more likely to eat at home than eat a restaurant meal.
Load up your freezer. It’s really not hard and you’ll be thrilled to see a freezer full of meals you prepped yourself.
What are you going to do with the next seven days of your life? You could take on one of these projects that applies well to your current situation. Completing that project is likely to have significant positive financial effects (and other positive life effects) going forward.
On the other hand, you could just keep doing the same old thing. You could let the days pass by, work for the weekend, and spend the weekend catching up on household tasks and having a little fun.
Then, next Monday, you’ll be right back where you started.
Don’t let that happen. Don’t let yourself be right back where you started next Monday. Be a step ahead in your journey. Do something this week that will really make a difference.
The choice is yours. Make this week count.
More by Trent Hamm:
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Earlier this month, I splurged on a luxury I have mulled over for years. I took a Nancy Noel angel print, signed and dated, and paid to have it framed professionally. I bought this print directly from the artist several years ago, and it’s my absolute favorite. But since I have never found a frame that fit its odd size, it has been stored in a closet ever since.
But this month I decided to treat myself. I had money set aside, and I finally found the perfect place to hang it. So, I packed up the print and took it to Hobby Lobby with a 50% off professional framing coupon in-hand. The entire ordeal cost me over $150, and I can pick it up in a few weeks.
But, you know what? I don’t feel bad at all. The money I used to pay was from my personal slush fund, which is made up of money my husband and I set aside for ourselves each month.
While we used to allocate $25 per month for fun money, we now set aside $100 per month for each of us. We don’t always spend it though, so we let it roll over month after month. And so far, having individual slush funds has worked out well for us and our marriage.
The purpose of a slush fund is simple; a slush fund is some amount of money you set aside regularly to be spent freely and without oversight. You can have this money transferred automatically to a high-interest savings account, or you can simply earmark it within your regular checking or savings account. In my home, we write our slush fund money into our zero-sum budget each month and mentally account for how its spent, but we don’t keep it in a separate account.
If you decide you could benefit from a slush fund, you can set it up however you want. Here are four reasons to consider a slush fund if you don’t have one already:
It’s easy to focus so much on your financial goals that you forget to have any fun. This is especially true if you’re careening toward early retirement or trying desperately to pay down debt.
The benefit of a slush fund is that it can help you set clear boundaries while also getting to enjoy your hard-earned dollars. By setting aside some money to spend however you want, you can also ensure you never feel so deprived that you’re tempted to give up budgeting altogether.
And sometimes, it’s just nice to have some money that isn’t assigned to bills. I think my husband finds his slush fund particularly helpful. He’s not a natural spender, but he has found some things he’s wanted to splurge on over the years.
This past month, he spent around $50 on supplies for his guitar. The month before, he bought bats, balls, and supplies to get a neighborhood wiffle ball game going (yes, I’m serious). Sometimes he’ll spend his slush fund money on a new hat or shirt, and other times he won’t spend it all. But, no matter what, he can spend it if he wants with no questions asked.
Within the personal financial community, there’s an underlying push for deprivation that can be unhealthy for some people. The FIRE community (financial independence, retire early) is especially bad about promoting extreme behaviors with money that are unrealistic.
For example, I’ve seen articles about how you should never dine out or how you should go years without buying clothing. While there’s a small percentage of the population who is happy to “go without” their whole lives, most of us want a lifestyle that is much more balanced.
The reality is, you can reach your savings goals and still spend money on “wants.” You can retire early without living in a tiny home or eating ramen to save 75% of your income for years.
You can have a little bit of both worlds. You can live on less while also splurging for items or experiences you want some of the time. The key is making sure you’re not splurging all the time, but only when you really, really want something.
A slush fund provides you with a way to find that balance between your wants, your needs, and your goals. Once your savings goals are set up so you’re on the right track, you can set aside some bonus money for whatever you want without feeling bad.
One reason I like using a slush fund is the simple fact that it rewards us for good money behavior. We’ve worked hard to pay off our home over the last few years while also saving for early retirement. It would be a shame to never reward ourselves for our dedication to these goals, or to feel so overly motivated that we felt guilty for a few basic purchases that have added happiness to our lives.
Starting a slush fund is also a smart way to reward yourself in moderation while paying down debt. You could set it up to save X amount of money for fun for each $1,000 you pay off, or you could set aside a set amount of money each month as you pay off your debts.
Whatever works for you is the path you should take. The point is, reward yourself for your hard work as you move closer to your goal ,and you may be more likely to see your plan through to the end.
Finally, having separate slush funds is a smart way for couples who might be prone to disagreements over money to squash arguments before they begin. Since research has shown that money arguments are a predictor of divorce and decreased relationship satisfaction, a slush fund could even help to save your marriage.
Imagine you’re in a relationship with a lot of debt and money stress. Without individual slush funds, you might be more likely to argue when one spouse dines out with colleagues for lunch or buys a new shirt. With even a small slush fund for each of you, however, you’d both have the freedom to spend whatever amount you decided freely and without question.
If you can afford to have a little fun each month or simply want some money you can spend however you want, a slush fund is a smart option to consider. Not only will this type of fund help you create boundaries for your discretionary spending, but it might help you avoid arguments, too.
At the end of the day, slush funds work well for some people but not for others. If you think this type of fund could work for your family, open up a high interest savings account and give it a try. You have little to lose, but a whole lot of freedom to gain.
Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer and the author of Zero Down Your Debt. Johnson shares her obsession with frugality, budgeting, and travel at ClubThrifty.com.
More by Holly Johnson:
The post Do You Need a Slush Fund? Four Reasons to Set Aside Some Fun Money appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
Every year my sister makes these beautiful hand-knit scarves, I pick out the yarn that I like (last year it was camel-colored cashmere), and she makes me a scarf for my Christmas present. I have also bought these scarves for other family members and friends who always LOVE them! My sister-in-law, on the other hand, […]
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