5 Content Creation Tactics That Will Amplify Your Content’s Reach

Content marketing growth isn’t always explosive, but should it be slow?

No, it shouldn’t.

You should have steady, measurable growth on a monthly basis in most cases.

That’s why it pains me to see so many marketers create content and be satisfied when barely anyone sees it.

You don’t need tens of thousands of views for a new piece of content to make a difference, but you should be aiming for at least a thousand, even when you’re just starting off.

If you’re not getting many views on your content, something is wrong.

It could be one of many things:

• not a good topic
• weak writing
• overall mediocre content
• not enough promotion
• low quality promotion

In this post, I want to dive deeper into one of these elements: the content aspect.

There are things you can do to instantly expose your content to a larger audience. In fact, I’m going to show you 5 of them in this post.

If you’re looking to get hundreds or thousands of extra views on your content, this is a post you’ll want to read closely. 

1. Influencers can help you in many ways

In order to grow your site’s traffic and readership, you need to put in a ton of consistent hard work.

However, there are ways accelerate the growth. They involve getting a few big influencers in your niche on your side.

Imagine that someone sent an email to thousands of their subscribers, linked to you in a blog post seen by tens of thousands, or shared your content on social media.

Depending on how much of an influencer that person is, it could lead to you gaining dozens of subscribers immediately.

If you could just find 5-10 influencers who wouldn’t mind helping you promote your content once in a while, you would grow your blog several times faster than you currently are.

It’s a simple plan, and it works.

However, it’s not so easy to actually get influencers to share your content.

Influencers don’t share mediocre content, and getting them to take the time to look at your content in the first place is difficult as well.

Again, though, there are ways that you can increase your chances of getting a positive reply and action from an influencer.

You can’t ever guarantee that a particular influencer will help you promote your content, but you can greatly increase the chances with these four tactics.

Option #1 – Get them to contribute to the article: Why should someone help share your article?

There are a few main reasons someone might want to:

• because they want to be nice
• because they think their readers will love it
• because it makes them look good

The first one is nice, but completely unreliable. Influencers often get several (hundreds for some) share and link requests each day. Even the nicest guy can’t say yes to all of them.

That leaves us with two reasons.

Option #1 focuses mostly on the second main reason.

The idea is to ask them to contribute a small bit of content to the post, whether it’s a short story, quote, or piece of advice.

If they contribute to something, they’ve essentially given it their “stamp of approval.”

Through confirmation bias, they are more likely to overvalue the quality of your content. And since they think that it’s great, it follows that their readers would as well, which makes them more likely to help promote it.

If they do agree to contribute, you don’t need to ask them to promote it. Just thank them for helping you out, and send them a link an hour or so before you publish the post.

Most influencers understand that you would also appreciate any mentions to their audience, but asking for it can put them off.

The hard part, therefore, is getting them to contribute in the first place.

Here’s a sample email you could send:

Hi (first name),

I’m the head content creator at (site) and have a quick offer for you.

I’m putting together an incredibly comprehensive (describe the content) for our audience of X,XXX subscribers.

I guess this isn’t the time to be humble—it’s going to be amazing. I know you wouldn’t waste your time contributing to sub-par content, and I wouldn’t waste your time if this was the case.

My offer to you: I’d love to feature a quick piece of advice from you in the guide—it’d be the icing on the cake for my audience.

If you’re in, here’s what I’m looking for:

(ask them one specific question here).

But if you’re too busy, no worries, I won’t take it personally.

Thanks so much for your time,

(Your Name)

You wouldn’t want to go any longer than that.

The key part is your question has to be specific. If they don’t think they can answer it in under 200 words, most aren’t going to bother.

For example, ask them a question like:

What would you say is the best thing a beginner marketer can do to begin their education?

But obviously tailor it to your topic.

Option #2 – Giving input always makes someone care more: If someone came up to you and started complaining about not being able to find a job, you might sympathize, but you probably wouldn’t care very much.

But how would you feel if they asked for your advice on finding a job?

All of a sudden, you’ve taken on the role of a mentor/teacher. In this role, you have a natural inclination to care about your student’s success.

If they actually listen to you and apply your advice, how likely are you to help them more?

Very likely.

You’d probably try to set up interviews and introduce them to any relevant people you know to help them network.

Content promotion is pretty similar.

If you can get an influencer to offer advice on your content—and you actually apply that advice—most will be happy to share the content when it’s ready. They will want to see it succeed.

How do you get an influencer to offer you advice? That’s the hard part.

There are two keys to getting a decent response rate:

1. Genuinely ask for feedback
2. Have a really cool idea

The first key is self-explanatory. If it seems that you just want them to share your content and you don’t really care what they think, they’ll delete the email immediately.

The second key is something most marketers don’t stop to consider.

If you send me yet another “guide to SEO,” I don’t care how good it is, it’s not interesting. Besides my own guide to SEO, there are hundreds of others.

You need to have a unique and interesting take on a topic (or an entirely new topic altogether).

Let me show you an example of a great email to help illustrate my point.

Groove HQ launched their content marketing strategy just under 3 years ago, but they launched it with a bang.

Their first post got them over 1,000 new subscribers. Seriously. Some blogs take months or years to reach that number.

And they did it using this one tactic.

First, they identified several key influencers who might be interested in their content marketing project. Then, they sent them this email:

The key part is that long second paragraph, the main paragraph, where Alex explains the project.

The idea he presented was for Groove to reveal everything about growing their software startup.

At the time, this was completely unique, and, of course, many influencers found it intriguing.

They offered to give real feedback on the post.

After Alex took action on that feedback, he produced an article that immediately got comments from plenty of huge influencers like Gary Vaynerchuk.

Option #3 – Give them a great reason to care: The final reason why an influencer might care enough about your content to help promote it is because it makes them look great.

In simple terms, you feature them in a good light.

This has worked for years, but like most tactics in content marketing, it’s evolved.

You used to be able to simply link to someone’s site and then email them to let them know about it. When you told them you loved their content so much you had to link to it in your post, a decent percentage were happy to share your post.

That doesn’t work so well anymore because many marketers adopted that strategy.

Influencers now get many similar emails, and the content doesn’t even make them look good (it’s just a link buried somewhere in the article).

But you have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve again.

With this final option, I recommend not only linking to an influencer but giving them a few surrounding paragraphs where you paint them in a positive light.

Here’s an example from one of my past Quick Sprout articles:

I used Brian Dean’s content as a “great example” of a concept I was trying to explain.

By doing this, not only did I include a useful example for my readers, but I made Brian look really good.

Imagine if I sent him an email after and included the content in the above picture in it? Automatically, I’d stand out from dozens of other similar emails he gets.

Another way you can show someone that you want to make them look good is to interview them.

Many bloggers successfully start podcasts just to build relationships with the influencers they interview.

For anyone, an influencer or not, being able to grab someone’s attention for 20-40 minutes during a podcast is an amazing opportunity.

Why wouldn’t I promote an interview of mine if I felt like my audience would enjoy it?

Tools to help you find influencers: One of the most important steps for all of these different options is to target the right influencers.

If they aren’t a good fit for the content you’re proposing, why would they contribute?

If you email me for advice on how to bake a pie, it’s going straight to the trash (the email, not the pie).

If you’re familiar with your niche, you might already know all the big influencers and can simply list people you’d like to connect with.

However, if you’re somewhat new or aren’t confident that you know all the influencers, you can find them in a few different ways.

The first is a simple Google search for “top bloggers (your niche),” which is a great starting point.

Most of the time, you’ll be able to find 50-100 fairly popular blogs, and you can then figure out who the people behind the blogs are.

Next, head over to BuzzSumo. Type in a few main keywords that describe your niche into the influencer search function:

You will get thousands of results. The first few hundred are usually pretty good.

2. Optimize your images for maximum shareability

It’s no secret that images are crucial for good readability.

They attract attention; readers love them; and they break up content.

But many marketers don’t make the connection between images on their sites and shares on social networks.

If you do understand this connection, you have an opportunity to increase the social shares you get on an average article by a substantial number.

Size comes first: One of the most common mistakes I see is creating an attractive image to include in a blog post but making it an awkward size for social networks.

Even if a reader shares it, it will end up distorted or cut off, so it won’t get much attention.

If you don’t know which social networks to optimize for, head over to BuzzSumo again, and type in a niche keyword. Typically, one or two results will dominate the search:

Even better, if you have a fairly high traffic blog, you should be able to check the number of shares past posts have had on each network by plugging them into a social share checker.

Once you know which network most of your readers use, either search on the social media site for image guidelines, or refer to Buffer’s ultimate guide to social media image sizes.

From there, just make sure all your blog images fit within the optimal size range.

Once you know the right size for an image, you need to figure out which types of images to include. There are a few types of images that attract more shares than others.

Type #1 – Informational images: An image that includes actual practical information will get more attention than a plain photo.

An infographic would belong to this group, but so would other images like short tutorial pictures:

You can see how the above picture would naturally attract more shares and likes than a picture of just a makeup brush.

Type #2 – Quote images: Another type of image that absolutely kills it on social media in most niches is a quote image.

Such images consist of a simple patterned background with a meaningful quote laid over top.

This is a type of picture that gets shared a lot but can become boring if used too much.

I recommend including no more than one of these per article.

Type #3 – Plain beautiful pictures: I often get asked how I get such great pictures to use for the featured images on Quick Sprout posts.

The truth is my designer creates them or finds amazing pictures that others have created.

Yes, they cost more than most stock photos, but they not only attract more reader attention but also result in more social shares.

Add image sharing buttons to your images: This small tweak will immediately produce a significant increase in shares.

You can do this by using a plugin such as SumoMe Image Sharer.

Once you enable the plugin, all of your pictures will have buttons like the ones shown above.

You can configure it to show only specific networks.

Tools to make image creation simple: There’s no point in spending money on simple pictures like quote images unless you have a very comfortable budget.

Instead, spend 10-20 minutes learning how to create your own custom images.

There are a few tools I recommend using. They are easy to use even if you stink at designing:

• Canva
• Snappa
• Pablo

In this case, I’d recommend using Pablo when possible—an image creation tool created by Buffer.

It’s specifically designed to create images that are optimized for social media, which saves you a lot of time.

You don’t need an account to get started, and it’s completely free.

Start by picking the image size on the right sidebar (it shows you which one is best for each network):

Your canvas in the middle will adjust to that size.

Then, you can pick a background from the left sidebar:

Finally, you can click in the textbox and edit the text as you’d like. You can also drag the text around if you think it’ll look better in a different location.

3. Feature something other than an influencer

We know that people are more likely to share something if they are featured in it, especially in a positive way.

That’s why featuring influencers can produce some pretty impressive results.

But influencers aren’t extremely likely to share your content even if you do feature them. Sure, a decent percentage will, but not as many as you’d like.

But what if you could feature a typical reader who isn’t an influencer? They’d be really excited and be very likely to share it with everyone they know.

The problem here is that they have a small number of people they could send it to.

If only there was a way we could feature hundreds or thousands of typical readers at the same time.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

You can feature people not just by including their names but by featuring groups they are a part of.

And this is really powerful.

When people are heavily invested in a forum or a community site like a subreddit, they identify with that group.

If you feature that group, they’ll want to talk about it and share it because it makes the group as a whole look good (and therefore themselves).

To do this, pick any active community in your niche, and feature it in a post.

You can simply use the group as a good example for something, just like I did when I talked about influencers earlier, or you can make the whole article about them.

Even better, compare two or more of the leading communities together, and it could start a discussion within each community about which one is actually better:

4. Create content specifically for a community

This tactic piggybacks on the last one, so make sure you understand that one first.

The idea here is to recognize a common problem within a community and then solve it. This is content marketing 101.

The best example of this happened on Reddit years ago.

At the time, most image hosting services sucked because they would constantly crash, load slowly, or be filled with ads.

One Reddit user took this opportunity to create their own minimalistic image hosting service called Imgur.

It is now one of the top 50 sites in the world.

The interesting part is that all the promotion that was needed was a few posts by the creator within the community (Reddit).

From there, the community was the one that spread it. They excitedly mentioned it at all opportunities, and power users flocked to it.

Even today, many years later, Imgur is still thought of as the Reddit image host even though it’s a completely separate business.

Get as specific as possible: I’m not suggesting that you need to create the next Imgur to use this tactic. It’s unlikely that you’ll see a huge problem within a big community and be the one to solve it (although possible).

But what you can do is find a problem on a small, niche community site and solve that.

For example, a forum member on a popular poker tournament forum noticed that many other members were struggling with staying focused and energetic during long tournaments.

So, he put together a really interesting and practical post for the members of the community, calling it his “gift to MTTC” (the community).

It’s gotten over 400 replies and tens of thousands of views. I’m sure it gets linked to all the time from other parts of the site.

Ideally, your gift would be a tool or some content on your own site. However, even if your content was posted just on a website of that community, it would still instantly elevate you to the status of a highly respected member.

You could then use that standing to promote your future content with a lot more support from the community.

5. Pick topics with the potential to go viral

You want any piece of content you create to spread as fast and as wide as possible.

In other words, you want it to go viral.

But content marketers often don’t understand that they can’t just add words like “surprising” to the headline and hope the article will go viral.

Certain topics are doomed from the start.

A review guide about lamps is never going to go viral.

While you can never guarantee that an article will go viral, you can at least give yourself a chance if you understand the three factors behind viral spread.

Factor #1 – Positive feelings: Fractl conducted an in-person research study to analyze how people felt when shown a variety of different viral images.

They found that there were three significant factors behind the popularity of those images, and one of them was positive feelings.

By positive feelings, they mean any of the following:

• joy
• trust
• interest
• anticipation

The study found that when shown a selection of viral images, most participants felt a positive emotion.

This suggests that positive emotions spread more easily than negative ones. It doesn’t mean that posts that evoke negative emotions can’t go viral; they can—just much less likely.

For you, this means that you should create content that makes your readers feel good.

Factor #2 – Emotional complexity: If you see an image and smirk, you probably won’t be in a hurry to share it.

However, if it has you smiling from ear to ear, you’d want to share it so that others can feel that positive emotion too.

The second main finding from the study was that the viral images were associated with a wider range of emotions in the subjects (extreme emotions), while non-viral images had a narrow range of emotions (mild emotions).

Not only did the subjects feel strong positive or negative emotions, but when shown the most viral pieces of content, they felt both!

This is a good thing for you because it means that even if you’re creating content around a negative topic, it can still go viral. Just make sure to end it on a positive note.

Here’s an example of a video that starts negatively but ends positively. It went viral and now has over 3 million views on YouTube alone:

It starts with a heartbreaking story about a dog who was chained to a spot and left in poor conditions for 10 years.

However, it ends with the dog being rescued, taken into a caring family, and doing much better.

Neither of these two parts of the story would get too much attention by themselves, but when you combine extreme emotions on opposite ends of the spectrum, you drastically increase the story’s chance to go viral.

If there’s an issue in your industry that’s really sad, create content around the way you fixed that issue (even on a small scale).

Factor #3 – The element of surprise: While surprise can be categorized as a positive emotion, it can also be a negative emotion.

The study found that surprise is the most important emotion of all when it comes to a piece of content going viral.

Viral images, both positive and negative, were very likely to trigger a feeling of surprise in the study’s participants.

So, it turns out that adding “surprising” to the headline might not be so silly afterall.

The really important part is making sure that the meat of your content really shocks your readers.

This is something that sites such as Upworthy have down to a science.

Just about every article they post has some element of surprise:

First, you’ll need to get your reader to become curious about the topic. Then, you need to show them something that they never expected, which gets them to feel the emotions we’ve looked at.

All of this isn’t easy, but you give your content a much better chance of spreading when you focus on these three emotional factors behind viral sharing.

Conclusion

Content can help you achieve a positive return on your investment only if it’s reaching an audience.

The bigger the audience it reaches, the better the results.

If you’re having trouble reaching a large enough audience with your content, start by trying out one or two of these content creation tactics.

They will help you expose your content to new readers, and if the content is good enough, they will stick around for more or help you share it.

Some of these tactics are fairly difficult, so don’t expect to get them perfectly on the first try. As long as you see a positive result (better reach than usual), continue refining your use of the tactic, and I think you’ll be surprised with the results.

If you have any questions about any of these tactics, let me know in a comment below, and I’ll try to clear things up.

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Some Thoughts on Children and Planning for the Future

Right now, Sarah and I are planning to have early retirement fully on the table approximately two years after our youngest child enters college. At that time, assuming that our older children take five years or less to earn a bachelors degree, they’ll be fully on their own.

That’s our assumption, anyway. Of course, our whole assumption regarding our children and their lack of financial reliance on us is predicated on our parenting style, which is based on our own experiences with college and leaving the nest.

Let’s rewind to the mid-1990s, when Sarah and I graduated from high school. Both of us were raised to be fairly self-reliant and when we went to college, the idea was that we were training for a career and this was a period where we were separating from our parents and that we would not be moving back home after college. It was expected that we were going to sink or swim on our own, and our parents believed (and rightfully so) that they had taught us the skills to do just that.

Now the scenario is reversed and we’re the parents. Our goal? We’re trying to teach our children the skills they need to sink or swim on their own. Even now, with our children in primary school, we’re encouraging as much independence as we can. We’re encouraging savings skills. We’re teaching them household tasks. We’re strongly encouraging self-determination and open-ended projects. We’re strongly encouraging individual responsibility.

Are we perfect at these things? No. But those are the principles we’re acting on as parents.

The real question, though, is this: is it a safe assumption to assume that our plan as parents – to have our children be fully independent after college – will actually happen? Should we prepare financially for the possibility that it won’t be?

Basically, I see four potential outcomes: whether or not our children are independent, and whether or not we provide financial outpatient care.

Scenario 1 – They’re Independent, We Help Them Get Started

This is a situation where my children follow an independent track during and after college but we still provide them with money in order to make things easier for them.

This scenario that simply won’t happen. My parents stopped providing significant financial support when I left for college, and eliminated what little help they still gave after a few years of college. It was easy for them because I had a giant independent streak, but it was also the right move for them. If my children choose a path of independence, you better believe I’m going to let them do it and take off the financial training wheels as early as possible.

Scenario 2 – They’re Not Independent, We Help Them Get Started

In this scenario, they’re not able to make it independently after college, so we give them a lot of help. Perhaps we allow them to move back home, or maybe we provide direct financial aid so that they can have an apartment while they search for work.

This is the situation I worry about. If my children aren’t able to spread their wings and fly after college, will I end up helping them in this way? My ideals say that I wouldn’t, but on the other hand the thought of my children struggling to eat or keep a roof over their heads turns my stomach.

Scenario 3 – They’re Independent, We Don’t Help Them Get Started

In this scenario, the children graduate from high school and follow their own path into their adult life without any help from us. They struggle, as we all do, but they manage to make it on their own without help from us.

This is my ideal scenario. They’re independent, they don’t need our help, and we wouldn’t give it anyway. This is the scenario we’re aiming for with our savings goals and our parenting strategies.

Scenario 4 – They’re Not Independent, We Don’t Help Them Get Started

In this scenario, our children struggle mightily after graduating from high school. Perhaps a personal difficulty gets in the way of their goals. Maybe they find themselves failing to graduate or completely unable to find a job. Whatever the case may be, in this scenario, we simply don’t help them out. We let them struggle on their own, even if they sink.

This is the most difficult scenario, personally. Could I actually do this? Could I not offer aid to my children if they were really hurting?

Scenarios and Saving for the Future

Since the first scenario simply won’t happen, what we’re looking at are scenarios two, three, and four. Scenario three is the ideal one – it’s the one we’re shooting for.

The real question is what exactly Sarah and I will do if our children struggle. Will we help them and, if so, how much? The outcome of that question has a significant impact on our savings for the future.

Let’s say, for instance, we assume that we will have to help our children in the future. They move back in, which requires us to stay in a larger house. They eat our food, which drastically increases our food budget. We even slip them a little spending money and help them out with things like rides to interviews and so on.

That’s going to cost a significant amount of money. Our monthly budget in our fifties is going to be a lot higher than if we do nothing.

The reality is that this outcome – having to financially support our kids in adulthood, even partially – would simply postpone our dreams of retiring early. If we expect to support our children at that point, we simply aren’t going to be able to retire nearly as early as we want to because our annual cost of living will be too high. Our target number that we need to be able to retire would go up substantially because our annual cost of living would go up substantially and that means it will simply take longer to get there.

Great, so what’s the problem today?

The problem today is figuring out an investment strategy that manages to make early retirement possible if things turn out that way but won’t leave investment returns on the table if we find ourselves helping our kids in adulthood.

Let’s start by looking at our investment plan for early retirement. Our plan is to have aggressive investments up until the ten year mark before we think we might retire early, then start switching our contributions to more conservative things. We don’t want everything to be conservative, mind you, but we want a more balanced approach than what we’re doing now.

Now, what happens if one or more of our children winds up receiving some form of financial support from us? As I mentioned earlier, our annual budget goes up accordingly, which means that we won’t have enough money at that point when we originally intended to retire (when our youngest son is partway through college). Because of that, we’ll have to wait until later to retire, not only because we’re not at our target number yet, but also because we’re not able to save as much per year as we otherwise would.

Our target date for early retirement slips closer and closer to the date of what would be our traditional retirement, in other words.

The problem is clear. If we save as though we’re going to retire very early, that means we start moving into conservative investments earlier. If we then are unable to retire early, our investments spent years in less aggressive investments, meaning that our investment choices are also holding us back. We need to be pretty aggressive up until fairly close to retirement, and moving back our retirement date leaves money on the table.

On the other hand, if we save as though we’re going to have to support our kids and then we don’t have to, we’re going to be in aggressive investments right up until close to the day when we could retire early. We’ll either have to live with aggressive investments in retirement or deal with potential tax consequences from shifting into more conservative investments (this is somewhat mitigated by retirement accounts, but not entirely).

In other words, if we guess wrong, we’re leaving money on the table at best and delaying our retirement by years at worst.

So, what’s our game plan, then?

We’ve decided to plan under the assumption that we’ll probably have to help at least one child. What that means is that we’re going to stay really aggressive with our retirement savings until it’s really clear to us that our children will be independent and we can actually retire early without worrying about supporting them. At that point, if it comes, we’ll downshift quickly.

This is a great example of how “real life” mashes up with nuts-and-bolts financial decisions. Our children’s future is heavily tied with our own retirement plans and how we save for them, and knowing that and considering it has changed how we’re going to save and plan for retirement. We’re going to assume an outcome we might not prefer and be joyous if a better outcome occurs. Sure, we’re playing it safe, but we find it far better to do things this way than to bet on retiring early and find ourselves in a tricky family spot.

The post Some Thoughts on Children and Planning for the Future appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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10 Things You Should Never Pay For

When it comes to getting ahead financially, there are two main schools of thought. One says we should pick up a side hustle, take on a part-time job, or climb the corporate ladder to earn as much money as humanly possible. The other, however, says we should sock away as many dollars as we can — you know, “a penny saved is a penny earned” and all that jazz.

While both strategies can help you get ahead in life, it’s easy to overlook the importance of saving money as a financial goal. After all, saving money and living a frugal lifestyle aren’t nearly as sexy as earning a ton of money, right? When most people think of “getting rich,” flashy cars and diamonds are what come to mind — not cutting coupons and shopping garage sales.

The thing is, saving money is just as useful — if not more useful — than earning extra money. Any dollar you save is one you never have to earn, and you don’t have to pay income taxes on it, either. And at the end of the day, a dollar in your pocket is worth the same whether it was earned or saved.

10 Things You Should Never Pay For

That’s why it’s important to look for new ways to save money all the time. When you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to continue paying for services or items that became free somewhere down the line. And as we all know, there are plenty of items and services that people should never have started paying for to begin with (ahem, like bottled water).

Here are 10 things most people can avoid paying for altogether:

No. 1: Most Extended Warranties

Whether you’re buying an automobile, a television, or a computer, most stores will try to sell you an additional warranty that will replace your item for a certain length of time after the manufacturer’s warranty expires.

Most of the time, these warranties offer the worst of both worlds, however — overpriced coverage and a claims process that make replacement impossible. Why? Because these warranty companies exist for one reason: to make money.

“The only way a warranty company can make money is to bring in more than it pays out,” says financial coach Debbi King. “This means that you are going to pay them more than they are going to give you.”

Instead of forking over the money for an extended warranty, King suggests saving the replacement cost for your item instead. “If something happens to your item or your car needs to be fixed, use the money you would have given to them to pay for a replacement/repair.”

And if you don’t like that strategy, you could always see if your credit card offers extended warranty coverage on big-ticket items. Some of the top rewards cards out there do, and they offer this coverage for free.

No. 2: ATM Fees

In a world where most banks offer a huge network of free ATMs, it’s pretty amazing that people continue to pay to access their own money. A little planning and the wherewithal to swing by your free ATM while you’re out can go a long way toward helping you save. And if your bank doesn’t offer very many free ATMs, you could always change banks, right?

Kendal Perez from Coupon Sherpa says most people can avoid these fees altogether if they analyze their cash needs weekly and withdraw that money with no out-of-pocket cost whenever possible.

“I don’t understand why anyone would pay upwards of $5 to access their money,” she says. “Withdrawing cash from your bank before you go or adding a cash withdrawal to your grocery store or drugstore purchase gives you free access to your funds.”

With a little forethought, you should never have to pay an ATM fee. Photo: InfoCash

No. 3: Coupons

Coupons are supposed to save you money, right? So why do people buy them? Sadly, Googling “coupons for sale” will turn up a gaggle of coupon resale sites where people actually turn a profit on coupons that were free to begin with.

“I’m always blown away that people actually pay for coupons on eBay,” says savings expert Kyle James from Rather-Be-Shopping.com. “What the hell?”

Free coupons exist everywhere on the Internet, says Kyle. And if you do a Google search for “[name of store] coupons” instead, for example, you’ll be inundated with free offers.

Another tip from Kyle: “If the store you need a coupon for doesn’t currently offer one, no worries — simply hit up their live chat feature via their website and politely ask the operator for a coupon.” If you ask politely, Kyle says this trick works around 80% of the time.

• Related: Why Coupons Might Not Work for Your Family

No. 5: Rental Car Insurance

If you rent a car frequently, you’ve probably already checked whether your personal auto policy covers you in the event of an accident or injury. But did you know your credit card might offer additional rental car coverage as a cardholder perk? It’s true, and it’s even better than you probably realize.

For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers primary rental car coverage as a cardholder perk, and you don’t even have to pay for the privilege. This enhanced level of coverage can work in place of your own traditional auto policy, says Chase. According to the Chase website: “Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage is primary and provides reimbursement up to the actual cash value of the vehicle for theft and collision damage for most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.”

• Related: Why You Probably Don’t Need Rental Car Insurance

Other popular travel cards also offer this coverage, as well as secondary collision damage waiver coverage. Before you rely on your credit card’s policy, make sure you know what it is and how it works. Either way, you should never have to pay for it.

No. 5: Cable TV

Thanks to a slew of new technologies, traditional cable television packages are on their way out — or at least they should be. If you’ve ever heard of Netflix, Hulu, Sling, or Roku, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

We’ve written about this multiple times, but the truth is, most content is available legally through other, much cheaper means. “The average person has no need to pay for cable TV at this point, says Chris of Cut Cable Today, a.k.a. “Mr. Cable Cutter.”

To see if you can make it without cable, Chris suggests trying these new technologies, starting with Sling TV, which offers access to ESPN, AMC, CNN, HGTV, and many other core cable stations normally reserved for those who pay a lot for the privilege.

• Related: A-la-Carte TV Is Basically Here (It’s Just Not on Cable)

Other options include buying a Roku box, then hooking it up to a variety of free or inexpensive streaming services. Or you could even break out the dinosaur of television history: an antenna.

“As long as you live close enough to town, odds are you can get good reception of the major networks with an antenna,” says Chris. “Over 90% of the top shows come on one of the big four (Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC), plus you’ll get pretty much all the football you can handle.”

Whichever way you go, you shouldn’t have to pay for a full-fledged cable package for long. Chances are, one of the newer (and less expensive) technologies out there will work just fine if you give it some time.

• Related: The Ultimate Guide to Cutting the Cable Cord

No. 6: Your Credit Score and Credit Monitoring

No one should ever pay for their credit score or credit monitoring, says Harrine Freeman, financial expert and owner of credit restoration company Freeman Enterprises. Using AnnualCreditReport.com, says Freeman, consumers can “obtain a free copy of their credit reports once every 12 months.”

And since you can get a free copy of your full credit report from all three credit reporting agencies — Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax — that means you can get a snapshot of your credit every four months. That’s sufficient for most people who need to keep an eye on their credit report to ensure nothing has gone awry.

Further, sites like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame offer free services such as ongoing credit monitoring and monthly credit updates. You don’t have to pay a cent to see an estimated credit score each month, and you can score all of these perks just by signing up for a free account.

No. 7: Credit Card Interest and Fees

Credit cards can be valuable tools if used wisely, but absolutely destructive if not treated with care. Either way, you can completely get out of avoiding credit card interest (and fees) if you’re disciplined enough. You just need to get into the habit of paying your credit card in full every month, and even a few times per month if that helps.

·        Related: Eight Tips to Make Credit Cards Work for You, Not Against You

According to Andy Brantner, Certified Financial Planner from StartInvestingOnline.com, you shouldn’t really have a credit card if you can’t manage charging only what you can afford to pay off every month anyway. Further, there are plenty of excellent 0% APR balance transfer offers available for people already in debt. If you want to dig your way out without paying interest, these offers are definitely worth pursuing. (Read Best Balance Transfer Cards for 2015.)

No. 8: New Clothes

In a world where secondhand clothes — and even upscale attire — can be purchased for pennies on the dollar, it’s pretty amazing that people still buy new (full-price) clothing on a regular basis.

Chad Reid, director of communications at JotForm, sees this phenomenon in his area all the time, and it absolutely blows his mind, he says.

“I live in a big city, and maybe I’m spoiled, but there are so many thrift shops with awesome, cheap duds that paying for new clothes somewhere would be foolish,” he says. And yet people do it year in and year out — even changing out their outfits to keep up with emerging (and often fleeting) fashion trends.

We’ve written on this topic here at The Simple Dollar almost ad nauseum, but only because it’s that important. Imagine never buying a new piece of clothing again, yet still being as stylish as your friends — and saving thousands in the process. If you’re interested in exploring what it means to buy used clothes instead of new, these posts can help:

• The Ultimate Guide to Getting Free Kids Clothes
• The Deceptively Tiny Wardrobe
• An Argument for Secondhand Stores, Even if You Must Dress Nicely
• How to Find the Best Thrift Stores in Your Area

No. 9: Books (Even Audio and e-Books)

While most people know you can check out books for free at the library, knowing this and actually doing it are two entirely different things. It’s far too easy to pick up a book at the airport, grocery store, or Barnes & Noble, only to forget about it completely once you’re done.

The thing is, your local library offers plenty to keep you coming back for more, and most selections are no longer limited to physical, printed books. Most modern libraries now offer Kindle editions of many of the books they have in print, along with other media like video games, movies, and documentaries.

And let’s not forget audio books, says Paul Moyer of SavingFreak. “The vast majority of people only listen to the book once and spend way too much on them,” he says. “Check with your local library, since many now have downloadable books or at least books on CD that you can check out.”

No. 10: Checks and Banking

If you’re paying for checks, forking over a monthly fee to keep a checking or savings account, or paying a fee to use your debit card, it might be time to find another bank, says financial writer Trever Ewen.

“Online banks and credit unions want your business,” he says, “and they will give those services for free to get it.”

Thanks to increased competition and the introduction of Web-based and mobile banking, free checking accounts can be found almost anywhere. If you want a bank that rewards you for entrusting them with your money, look for a new bank altogether. You shouldn’t have to pay them to keep your money for you.

• Related: The Best Free Checking Account in 2015

Final Thoughts

While it may feel like life is getting more expensive, there are plenty of things we could cut out if we wanted to. As Trent Hamm expressed in his post on “Unnecessary Necessities” recently, as humans, we tend to elevate certain “wants” to “needs” over time — creating havoc in our lives and emptying our wallets in the process.

The painful truth is this: Almost all expenses are negotiable to some extent. While you must have a roof over your head, food in the fridge, and your basic needs taken care of, almost everything else in your life is optional and even avoidable if you are able to tell yourself “no.”

And when it comes to truly getting ahead in life, identifying things we shouldn’t have to pay for — and eliminating them — is one way to speed up the process.

What is the one thing you never pay for? How are you cutting your expenses this year?

The post 10 Things You Should Never Pay For appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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npower to pay £26m for 'chaotic' billing and complaints handling

Helen Knapman

Thousands of npower customers will receive a share of £26 million – the amount the energy provider has been fined for causing widespread billing and complaints handling problems.

Thousands of npower customers will receive a share of £26 million – the amount the energy provider has been fined for causing widespread billing and complaints handling problems.

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Second-hand annuities: sellers face 25 per cent loss of value

Michael Trudeau

golden eggs.jpg

Annuitants looking to sell their annuity income to a third party for a cash sum could be sorely disappointed with the amount investors are willing to pay for a second-hand annuity, according to retirement specialist Portal Financial.

Annuitants looking to sell their annuity income to a third party for a cash sum could be sorely disappointed with the amount investors are willing to pay for a second-hand annuity, according to retirement specialist Portal Financial.

People who own annuities will be able to resell them on a secondary market from April 2017, the government recently announced.

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Beyond Books: 12 Gifts Under $25 for the Book Lovers on Your Holiday List

You probably have at least one voracious reader on your shopping list this holiday season.

She’s the one who always has a book tucked under her arm or a Kindle in her purse. She’ll skip plans or show up late because she’s busy finishing a riveting story.

She also seems to own every book ever published. So what do you get her for Christmas?

A book worthy of gifting can actually be more of an expense during the holidays than you were counting on. But a gift worthy of a book lover can come in well under budget, if you’re smart about it.

I’ll admit: I am that bookworm. Here are some fantastic gifts for readers, ones I would have loved (OK, still would probably love) to receive:

1. Gift Cards for Ebooks

Sure, a Barnes and Noble gift card seems like a given for anyone who loves reading.

But when you want to stretch your budget, ebooks are the way to go. While a $25 gift card could cover one or two hardcover or paperback books, it could go much further buying ebooks that cost as little as 99 cents.

Make sure you know the recipient’s preferred e-reader — if they have a NOOK, buy a gift card for NOOK books.

Most devices can also support a Kindle reading app, so an Amazon gift card is usually a good bet for any voracious reader.

For iPad and iPhone users, an iTunes gift card can buy ebooks in the iBooks Store. For Android users, a Google Play gift card will purchase ebooks.

More popular with international users, the Kobo bookstore also offers gift cards at various retailers around the world.

2. Audiobooks

Does the reader in your life prefer listening to audiobooks? Skip books-on-tape (er, CD), and go to Audible.com.

You can gift an Audible monthly membership, which gives the recipient one free audiobook per month, plus 30% off any additional books. But the minimum you can gift is three months, which comes with a $45 price tag.

If you have a specific book in mind, Audible will let you gift those, as well. These tend to cost a little more than their hardcover counterparts. Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman, for example, is narrated by Reese Witherspoon and available on Audible for $24.49.

3. Bookmarks

Any reader will tell you she’s constantly digging for a bookmark. Mine usually ends up being some corner torn out of a nearby notebook I had to scramble to find.

Bookmarks aren’t the kind of thing we like spending money on. But we love to get them as gifts.

Grab a few with clever sayings that speak to your resident reader’s personality — like this one that reads, “Keep Calm and Read On.”

I also love this fingerprint bookmark from Fred & Friends that helps you keep your place within the page!

4. Book Light

Paper books don’t come with the built-in light you get in an e-reader. That leaves us trying to balance courtesy on a flight, in bed or on a bus at night with the insatiable need to read just a little more…

With the resurgence in popularity of “real” books over ebooks recently, it stands to reason your bookish friends may be in need of a book light for the first time in years.

The most popular book lights on Amazon sell for less than $20. Look for something lightweight, with an LED bulb for longevity and a flexible gooseneck.

5. Typography Art

You know those memes your friend is always sharing on social media? Now she can hang them on her wall!

Nab one of these Jane Austen quotes from SpoonLily Design Company on Etsy for $14.99 plus shipping. They’ll make a nice fit for decorating a home office, library or classroom.

For an even better price, download printable art and print it on matte photo paper to create a DIY poster.

6. Bookends

Another adorable addition to a home library or office, bookends are a fun way to personalize a basic storage solution.

As a gift, they’re a cool way for you to show the recipient how well you know him — whether you tap into his affinity for owls, cats or something more classic.

7. Floating Bookshelf

Wall-mounted bookshelves can be as decorative as they are functional. And you can find beautiful ones at pretty low prices.

I’m personally fascinated by invisible bookshelves that make a stack of books look like it’s floating against the wall. For the minimalist on your list, “invisible” is about as minimalist as design can get!

For a little more style, you could pick up this set of three plain white shelves for $16, or three walnut-finish U-shaped shelves for $19.95.

8. Hands-Free Book Stand

Make someone’s life easier with this simple utility. Get a pretty wooden, adjustable, foldable reading stand for $14.99.

Or, pick up this universal book stand a reader can use for books, cookbooks, e-readers or tablets for only $24.95.

9. Coffee Mugs

Books and coffee go hand in hand. What’s cozier, especially as winter grows colder, than curling up with a good book and a warm cup of coffee (or tea)?

And truly, a coffee drinker can never have too many mugs!

Pick up affordable bookish mugs as stocking stuffers, teacher gifts or for the office Secret Santa. I love this one that simply states, “Reading is Sexy” — made from 100% biodegradable corn plastic.
Or, go with another classic pair: readers and cats. Get a “Cats, Books and Coffee” mug on Etsy for $12.95.

10. Throw Pillows and Blanket

A good book, a warm cup of coffee and… What’s missing?

Cozy up a book lover’s living room or study with a comfy throw pillow and blanket.

Pick up a pillowcase with your favorite literary quotes plus the pillow inside, about $10 for the pair.

Add a personalized fleece throw blanket for $12.99 — complete the picturesque scene, all for under $25!

11. Sticky Notes and Tabs

Another option for stocking stuffers or basket fillers, sticky pads and tabs are nice for a reader to have around.

In those print books we can’t highlight with a swipe of a finger, these ancient relics help us remember passages we want to return to again and again. They’re also great, of course, for students and teachers to take notes as they read.

So, why not make them as pretty as they are useful?

Get this Van Gogh set for $5.99 or this cool set for teachers for $10.95.

12. Forgotten English Daily Calendar

This geeky desk calendar will excite any lit lover in your family or circle of friends.

More than a typical word-a-day calendar, for under $10, this one supplies the definitions and origins of long-forgotten words of the English language.

Is that reader on your list not so into classic literature? Try the Urban Dictionary Day to Day Calendar instead — $10.16 at Amazon.

Your Turn: Are there book lovers on your Christmas shopping list? What are you buying for them this year?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more.

The post Beyond Books: 12 Gifts Under $25 for the Book Lovers on Your Holiday List appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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You Might Be Overspending When You Shop at Warehouse Stores. Here’s How to Avoid It

Everything is larger than life at Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club: product sizes, shelves, even the shopping carts.

Whether you’re a family stocking the pantry on a budget or a soccer coach looking for post-game snacks in bulk, you can trundle some killer deals out the door.

Yet we also have to remember that like any other retailer, warehouse stores stay in business because they know how to part us from our dollars.

Here are six tips to avoid being trapped by warehouse stores’ tricks of the trade.

1. Ignore “Warehouse” Decor

The floors are concrete. The beams are exposed. Stuff is stacked on plain metal shelving or on pallets.

Here’s what that spartan appearance says to us consumers: They don’t waste money on décor and carpeting and Muzak, so you’re bound to get unbelievable deals.

Generally, that’s true. Just make sure that fear of missing a great price doesn’t keep you from doing the math.

Remember, too, that low prices might tempt you to buy stuff you don’t strictly need.

2. Remember You are Paying Extra

Part of the reason we pay less is that we pay each year for the privilege of walking through the door. The annual fee offsets some of our savings.

Generally speaking, the membership fee will easily pay for itself, especially if you’re purchasing basics like over-the-counter medications, gasoline, tires, meat, dairy products and pet food.

At times you can get a better deal at regular stores, especially when combining sales and coupons. (Hint: Sites like CouponMom.com and regional coupon blogs will do all the legwork.)

However, getting a pretty good price consistently at the warehouse likely beats getting super prices every so often and so-so deals the rest of the time at supermarkets and drugstores.

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to fuss with coupons, warehouse stores might be for you.

3. Don’t Buy Food You Can’t Eat

Large quantities are the hallmark of warehouse stores. But even if you really like an item, be honest: Are you going to be able to consume that much bagged salad, cookies or whatever?

Put another way: I love grape tomatoes. They make a wonderful snack, and of course they’re delicious in salads. But we probably couldn’t finish several pounds of the things before they rotted.

If you’re throwing food away, you’re not saving money.

4. Beware the Deadly FOMO and WWLT

“Fear of missing out” drives a lot of irrational buying. Knowing that the inventory changes constantly might cause you to pull the trigger on a purchase even if you’re not sure you need or want it.

Just as bad is WWLT: “Wouldn’t (whoever) love that?” You see the camouflage-printed jammies or the hardback mystery novel that would be perfect for someone in your life. (Like, say, yourself.)

Come clean: Have you ever gone to Costco for milk, oranges and canned goods and walked out with a trampoline? It happens.

If it’s something you don’t need, or something you want but can’t pay for right now, then it’s no bargain.

5. Put on Your Track Shoes

As soon as you enter the store, run. Do not be distracted by the bright shiny big-screen televisions, smartphones and all those other pretty toys by the entrance.

If you’ve been wavering about making a purchase like this, the discounted price tag might be enough to convince you. But if that new iWhatever isn’t currently in your budget, you’ve just made another decision: to carry a credit card balance or to withdraw money from savings.

Much better to wait until you’ve saved enough to pay with cash.

6. Be an Informed Consumer

The same consumer tactics you use everywhere else also apply at warehouse stores: Make a list, compare unit prices and carry cash vs. plastic.

And once more, with feeling: Learn the difference between wants and needs.

Sure, that next-generation smartphone or giant-screen TV might improve your life, but it shouldn’t do so at the expense (so to speak) of your everyday budget.

Your Turn: How do you keep from being snookered into buying more than you really need at a warehouse store?

This post originally appeared on Money Talks News. Since 1991, MoneyTalksNews has been producing both video and print to help you make more, spend less and avoid rip-offs.

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Want a Free Uber Ride? This New Trick Gets Existing Users a $20 Credit

For me, Uber has been a game changer.

I no longer have to fight businessmen for cabs in New York City, nor try to figure out where the heck I am in St. Louis so I can get picked up at three in the morning. (Both true stories.)

Now I just open my Uber app and request a ride, and soon enough, I am merrily on my way.

If you’re as big an Uber fan as I am, you’ll be stoked to learn about this new deal that lets existing users get a FREE Uber ride of up to $20.

How Existing Uber Users Can Get a Free Ride

With many promotions, only new users are eligible. That’s usually the case for Uber, too; the company offers free rides to anyone who’s willing to try them for the first time.

But thanks to Uber’s new partnership with Facebook, existing users can get a free ride, too, saving you up to $20.

To grab your free ride, all you have to do is hail your Uber from within Facebook Messenger.

The feature isn’t available to everyone yet; it will slowly roll out over the next few weeks. So if you don’t see the “Transportation” option within the platform, wait a few days, then try again.

Here’s how to grab this deal:

1. Download or open the Facebook Messenger app. Make sure you have the latest version. (If you don’t, it will probably prompt you to upgrade.)

2. Open a new message. In the bottom right-hand corner, click on the “More” option, which appears as three small dots. Select “Transportation” and follow the directions to link your Uber account.

3. The next time you’re in need of an Uber, use Messenger to request your ride. Your credit of up to $20 will automatically be applied.

If you don’t have Uber yet, we recommend signing up for the app and taking that free ride first (if you use a friend’s referral code, you both get a free ride!) — and then linking your account to Messenger to get your second free ride. 

If you’d rather drive for Uber instead, we can help with that, too. Here’s a post on how to make more money driving for Uber.

Your Turn: Do you use Uber?

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

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Protect Your Money: Don’t Get Caught in One of These Holiday Scams

Retailers do big business during December, but so do thieves. With so much money flowing freely, con artists are out in full force.

Here’s a monster list of 20 scams making the rounds this holiday season.

Holiday Shopping Scams

We’re all trying to spend less on our holiday gifts, and our eagerness to save a buck is at the root of many of these scams.

Others feed off a particular item or brand’s popularity and use some high-tech sleight of hand to get you to make your purchase in the wrong place.

Fake Coupons for Sale

Before we get to scam websites, let’s start with scam deals.

Any good bargain shopper knows to use coupons and coupon codes to get the best prices. At the same time, savvy shoppers should also know never to pay for one of those coupons or codes.

Not only is selling a coupon against most manufacturer terms of use, but you might also find yourself embarrassed if you go on national TV using counterfeit coupons.

Cheap Luxury Goods

A $50 Rolex should set off alarms in your head.

Some cons set up bogus websites for popular holiday gifts. These items come up in search results, and the cheap price lures shoppers in.

Then, they either take your money and run or take your money and send you a cheap knockoff not worth the money you spent.

eBay and Craigslist Scams

Other thieves can’t be bothered to set up their own websites, so they use eBay or Craigslist instead. Different venue, but you’ll find the same racket as above.

Either they’ll never send you the item or they’ll send you a cheap piece of junk. Be sure to check feedback before buying on eBay.

If you buy on Craigslist, never have the seller ship the item. Always meet in person in a public place and take along a friend for good measure.

Counterfeit Websites

Now we come to the big guns. These are the scam artists who are taking it to a whole new level by copying the websites of popular brands.

Although these sites look impressive, there’s typically something off about them – usually typos, or grammar that sounds like a British nanny wrote the web copy (“Kindly enter your credit card information.”).

If you aren’t sure about a website’s legitimacy, call the toll-free number listed. Typically, scammers use the company’s actual number. The customer service rep can then either verify whether you’re on the real website or take your order over the phone.

Gift Card Scams

Gift cards have been the most requested holiday gift nine years running, according to the National Retail Federation. The industry group reports nearly 60% of people say they’d like to receive a gift card, and shoppers will spend an average of $153 on them in 2015.

All told, we’ll shell out nearly $26 billion to give little pieces of plastic to the ones we love this December.

Wouldn’t thieves just love to get in on that action?

Oh, rest assured, they do, using these common gift card scams.

Bogus Discount Gift Cards

There are legitimate websites selling discounted gift cards – Gift Card Granny and Cardpool  are two – but there are plenty of fake sites out there selling worthless cards.

To help keep you from getting taken for a ride, we have a whole article dedicated to the ins and outs of discounted gift cards.

“Used” Gift Cards in the Store

A lot of stores make it easy for you to buy gift cards. They have giant racks containing dozens of cards in their center aisle or near the registers. Unfortunately, they also make it easy for thieves to steal from you.

Most cards today have a scratch-off area on the back that contains a PIN or other number needed to redeem the card. Thieves scratch it off, write down the number and then call the toll-free number regularly while waiting for the card to be purchased and activated. Once it is, they drain the card’s balance.

Protect yourself by double-checking the back of the card for any signs of tampering before buying.

Package Scams

When it comes to scams involving packages, there are two common types: those involving physical theft and those involving identity theft.

Package Delivery Scams

These emails may be already filling your inbox: A package is on its way. Hooray! Now, click this link, fill in all your personal information and we’ll arrange for its delivery.

Except there’s no package, and the website is simply collecting your personal data.

A variation of this scam involves a “missed package” note left on your door. You’re supposed to call a number to make arrangements for its delivery, but again, there’s no package and they’re fishing for information.

To protect yourself, call the company’s main toll-free number found on its website to confirm the package.

If the notice looks official and you call, hang up right away if the person on the other end starts asking personal questions. Remember, they don’t need your credit card number, birthday or Social Security number to deliver a package.

Stolen Packages

This second scam is a little harder to prevent.

The news is full of reports of thieves stealing packages right off people’s porches. In some cases, the criminals follow along behind delivery trucks and scoop up goods all along their route.

The best defense is to require a signature for package delivery whenever possible.

Online and Social Media Scams

With Internet usage almost universal in the United States, it has become a fertile breeding ground for scams of all sorts. And just in time for the holidays, many will have a seasonal flair.

Facebook Video Scams

Cute and outrageous videos are all over our news feeds, but not all of them are what they seem.

You may click “play” to see the video but are actually hitting a hidden “like” button, which then gives the video creator access to information from your Facebook account.

Avoid this scam by resisting the urge to click on any video seemingly out of character for your friend to be sharing – for example, the video of the half-naked woman your grandma supposedly liked.

Social Media Giveaways

Likewise, you need to be careful about giveaways. I hate to break it to you, but you probably haven’t been selected to win a $500 Best Buy gift card.

However, you may have been selected to have your data mined by a scam artist.

E-Cards With a Side of Malware

Holiday e-cards aren’t so funny when they conceal malicious software. If you get a card from a name you don’t recognize, the only clicking you should do is on the delete button.

Malicious Apps

E-cards aren’t the only things bearing bad tidings for the holiday season. Think twice about downloading random apps onto your phone or computer for free screensavers or songs.

Many carry some not-so-nice programming along with them. When in doubt, check reviews from the Google Play Store, iTunes or CNET first.

Surveys Offering Holiday Cash

Who doesn’t want a little extra cash for their holiday spending?

While there are surveys that pay cash, they typically offer somewhere in the range of $1 to $3 for a survey. If someone is offering you $100 for a five-minute survey, it has scam written all over it.

Old-Fashioned Scams

These are some oldies but goodies — well, at least good for the thieves. Scammers often target seniors, so make sure the Baby Boomers in your life are aware of these, too.

Stranded Families and Friends

Here’s how this goes: Grandma gets a call at night from her granddaughter, who has — take your pick — been in a car accident, been robbed or needs some cash for Christmas presents.

Grandma might be slightly confused by the call, but she of course wants to help, so she agrees to wire money or hands over her credit card number.

The high-tech version of this old-fashioned scam involves desperate emails from your friends who were mugged in London and lost their money and passport. That might sound convincing if you have jet-setting friends, but for the rest of us, not so much.

Pickpockets

Some thieves don’t have time to make up elaborate stories or set up websites. They would rather head to the mall and simply take your money. Pickpockets might work alone or in tandem with someone else who causes a distraction.

Your best defense is to take only the cards you need when shopping and keep your wallet in an inside pocket. Ladies, use a purse that can be zipped shut, and cross-body style is always more secure than wearing your purse on your shoulder.

Door-to-Door “Salesmen” Casing Houses

We don’t see too many door-to-door salespeople anymore, and that alone should make anyone coming to your door to hawk wares suspicious.

In the case of cons, they really aren’t selling anything, anyway. Instead, they’re checking out whether you have a security system or a dog and want to get a peek at your house’s layout.

Sometimes these thieves are pretending to pass out prizes. Either way, they find excuses to get inside and look around.

The defense? Never let someone going door-to-door into your house.

Fake Charities

Using names that sound like the real deal, thieves call you up and tug at your heartstrings until you fork over your credit card number.

I won’t go into too much detail on this one because we have an entire article dedicated to helping you find a legitimate charity for your contributions.

All the Rest

Finally, we round out our list of holiday scams with a couple of odds and ends.

Fake Refunds

Don’t you love when money magically appears in your mailbox?

Scam artists are hoping you’ll be so excited to receive a rebate for the whatchamacallit you bought that you won’t notice how odd it is they want you to cash the check and forward a portion on to someone else.

Of course, by the time the “refund” check bounces, they will be long gone with the money you sent to them.

Text Phishing

We’re all getting sophisticated enough to recognize email phishing scams – you know, those messages saying there’s a problem with your bank account and you need to log in immediately.

Because we aren’t falling for the emails so much anymore, scammers have moved on to texting. You get an account alert and are directed to click a link to log in.

The only thing is, you are going to a dummy website instead. If you are concerned about the status of your account, it’s better to open your browser and type your bank’s website in rather than clicking the link.

Fake Holiday Jobs

Last but not least, some cons take advantage of job seekers. They promise seasonal work, but first you must pay an application fee or a training fee or some other bogus fee.

They’re all lies. A real job pays you, not the other way around.

Use Common Sense

Are you paranoid yet? I wouldn’t blame you if you are. However, keep in mind that steering clear of scams has a lot to do with common sense and listening to that little voice in your head that says something’s not quite right.

As a final stopgap, do your shopping with a credit card. Most offer fabulous fraud protection features that make it easy to get your money back should you get taken in by a swindler.

Your Turn: Have you or has someone you know faced a holiday scam?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

This post originally appeared on Money Talks News. Since 1991, MoneyTalksNews has been producing both video and print to help you make more, spend less and avoid rip-offs.

The post Protect Your Money: Don’t Get Caught in One of These Holiday Scams appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Solar panel earnings to be slashed next year

Helen Knapman

a house with solar panels installed.jpg

The amount households can earn from solar panels will be slashed next year, the government has announced today – although the move doesn’t affect those who already have panels installed and registered.

The amount households can earn from solar panels will be slashed next year, the government has announced today – although the move doesn’t affect those who already have panels installed and registered.

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Nine Strategies for Cutting the Cost of Convenience

When I was in college, my academic advisor used to say something fairly often that didn’t really resonate with me at the time, but now strikes me as very wise.

The gist of it was this: when you are a child, you have energy and time but no money; when you are a young adult, you have energy and money but no time; when you are an older adult, you have money and time but no energy.

The whole “energy and time but no money” thing was true for me for the first twenty two years of my life. I had no money during childhood and no money during my college years, but looking back, I had so much free time and so much energy. It really saddens me that I didn’t use it more productively.

Today, that equation has shifted. I have money. I have energy. But I seem to have no time.

The demands of my career, of married life, of parenthood, of being involved in the community, of trying to maintain at least a few friendships… it all adds up to feeling like there is very, very little time available to me.

Because of that, it’s tempting to use the resources I have – especially money – to buy the resource I want the most, which is time. In other words, convenience has an enormous amount of appeal to me.

I understand the appeal of hiring someone to clear the sidewalk in the winter. I understand the appeal of hiring a housecleaner. I understand the appeal of hiring someone to mow the lawn in the summer. I understand the appeal of stopping for fast food in a pinch.

All of those things equate to convenience. I’m trading my money for the ability to use my time on other things. The $20 (or whatever the price might be) spent on hiring someone to mow the lawn gives me an hour to do other things. The same goes with clearing snow. Paying a housecleaner gives me a few hours a week to do other things at a high price.

The problem with that, though, is that paying for convenience in that way takes money directly away from savings. We could be using the money spent on those kinds of conveniences to build toward financial independence. While we might be buying some time right now, we’re losing time later on in our lives. We’ll be working when we could have been retired.

That’s why, for me, I love convenience strategies that don’t cost much of anything – or, sometimes, save us money. They enable us to find more free time today without sacrificing that time down the road.

Here are nine such strategies that I like to use.

Strategy #1 – Keep Some Reasonably Healthy Snacks in the Car

On the passenger floorboard of our Honda Pilot, you’ll almost always find a box of granola bars of some kind or another. I usually pick up a variety pack as long as they include some oatmeal raisin bars, which are my favorite (and, incidentally, the favorite of my youngest son, too).

I usually just pick up a box of them whenever I’m in the store. It’s a constant item on my grocery list. Then, when I’m loading the car, I look for that box in the bags that I’m loading, grab it, and put it on the passenger floorboard.

How is this convenient? Whenever I’m rushing about on errands, it’s inevitable that I get a little bit hungry. A few hours of errands often overlaps with meal times and that means that my body is ready to eat. In that situation, I have a few choices. I could just suck it up until I get home, of course. However, I’m usually driving by a few fast food restaurants and they’re awfully tempting. I’m hungry, some of the items on sale are tasty, and I can get it without even getting out of the car in just a few minutes? That’s pretty convenient.

The granola bars offer a similar convenience. They’re just sitting there right on the floorboard of the car. At a stoplight, I shift into park and grab one out of the box. Thus, the granola bars actually become even more convenient than a stop at a fast food joint – and healthier, too. This is even more true if I’m out and about with my children and/or my wife.

How does this save money? A box of granola bars offers several quick snacks for anyone riding in the car. A single box is far cheaper than two or three stops at fast food places, thus saving us quite a bit of money while offering the same time convenience.

Strategy #2 – Move Into a Smaller House or Leave Some Rooms Completely Unused

Right now, in our home with three young children, we use every square inch of our home. Yet, when our children move out, our house will quickly become quieter and at least two rooms will largely become redundant. Similarly, when we first moved into this house, there were a few rooms that really had no purpose.

It’s tempting to keep using those redundant rooms for various things. I could see the downstairs bedroom becoming a library of sorts, for example.

The problem is that having a house that’s too big is pretty inconvenient. Not only does it take time to keep those rooms clean, it also eats up money in the form of higher energy bills, higher property taxes, higher insurance, and so on.

The best solution is to simply live in a house that doesn’t have excess space for you. It’s worth noting that “excess space” includes space used to store things you don’t really need. If that’s difficult for some reason, you should simply close off unused rooms completely by turning off heating and cooling in there and eliminating electrical use in that room.

How is this convenient? The less active living space you have, the less time you’re going to spend cleaning it and taking care of it. It also keeps you from accumulating a bunch of stuff that you rarely use, which takes time to sift through whenever you need a particular item.

How does this save money? A smaller home has smaller bills – lower property taxes, lower insurance rates, lower energy bills. Even if you’re just closing off rooms, you’re enjoying the benefit of lower energy costs.

Strategy #3 – Make a Double or Triple Batch of Any Meal You Make and Freeze the Extra Batches

Dinner time can sometimes be a challenge at our house. All of us have various evening activities – martial arts practice, soccer practice, community groups, and so on. That can sometimes mean that it’s hard for us to meet up together all of the time. It’s similarly hard on some evenings to even find the time to cook a decent meal at home.

That’s why, on evenings where there’s time to make a meal, we’ll make one or two extra batches of that meal and freeze them. Let’s say I’m assembling a pan of lasagna. I’ll just make two or three at once, put lids on the extra pans, and stick them in the freezer.

Doing this only adds a little bit of time to the meal prep. I’m already cooking lasagna noodles, so just cooking twice or three times as much in the same pot doesn’t add much time. I’m already setting up an “assembly line,” so just assembling two more pans doesn’t add much time.

How is this convenient? If it adds time to meal prep, how is it convenient? In reality, it only adds time to meal prep on evenings where I can afford that extra time. On other evenings, when we might consider ordering takeout or delivery, all I have to do is pull a meal out of the freezer and pop it in the oven (usually, we’ve thawed the meal in the freezer overnight). It’s actually quicker than ordering a meal or stopping to pick it up.

How does this save money? For us, a meal from the freezer replaces a meal that would be delivered or picked up. Since a meal for five that’s delivered or picked up costs at least $20 (and usually more) and a meal from the freezer costs maybe $5, we save money each time we do this.

Strategy #4 – Buy All Frequently-Used Items in Bulk

What items do we use around the house every day that get used up and replaced? Toothpaste. Shampoo. Soap. Deodorant. Garbage bags. Granola bars (our children take them to school for a snack). Conditioner. Hand soap. Toilet paper. Those are just some of the items we use daily.

When we run out of those items, we need to get to the store pretty directly in order to pick up more. Going to the bathroom without toilet paper is a non-starter, as is not having a bag to line the kitchen trash can.

Our solution is to simply buy these items in bulk. I will usually refill these whenever they’re on sale or whenever we see a good price per item at a warehouse club. Even if I think we might have plenty on hand, I’ll make another bulk purchase of those key items because I know we’ll use them.

How is this convenient? We never, ever run out of those everyday use items. If we run out in the moment, we know that there’s more right over there in the closet. That means no emergency runs to the store. We just have what we need, always.

How does this save money? Buying nonperishable items in bulk means that you’re spending less per item than you would buying normally. It then costs a little less each time you take a shower, each time you go to the bathroom, each time you take out the trash…

Strategy #5 – Keep Items for Simple Meals in Your Desk at Work

This was a strategy that I started using during my last year or two working outside the home. I simply kept the elements for several simple meals in my desk at work so that I could have a quick meal on days where I might otherwise order food to be delivered.

I usually kept a plate and a fork and a bowl and a spoon in a drawer. I also kept a few containers of soup, some crackers, a jar of peanut butter, a few cans of tuna, some granola bars, and a few other odds and ends in there.

That “food drawer” would become my lunch two or three times a week. It was my fallback on days when I didn’t have leftovers to bring or we weren’t taking a guest out to lunch (which was roughly a weekly occurrence).

How is this convenient? I have lunch right there in my desk. I don’t have to call for delivery. I don’t have to go out for anything. It’s right there. I can pull out some soup, put it in a bowl, and microwave it in the office microwave. I can put some tuna on crackers. I can eat a granola bar. You get the idea.

How does this save money? It is way cheaper than delivery. This technique drops the cost of lunch down to about $1 per meal (or less), which is substantially cheaper than any kind of delivery or restaurant food.

Strategy #6 – Keep a Shopping List Front and Center on a Whiteboard

In our entryway, about four steps from our pantry, you’ll see a giant white board with an attached dry erase marker. On that whiteboard, we write down anything that we notice that we might need. If we’re running low on anything, it gets written down.

When it’s time to go to the store, I’ll make a meal plan and a grocery list from that meal plan, but I’ll also just take a quick picture of the white board. Together, those two things form my grocery list for the week.

This simple technique works really well for making sure that we never run out of staples and that we pick up things that we might not always think to buy, like light bulbs.

How is this convenient? I don’t have to look around the house when assembling a grocery list. It’s right there. At the same time, it’s very rare that we run out of items in the moment, meaning that we rarely have to make “emergency runs” to the store.

How does this save money? The fewer trips I make to the store, the better. Any trip to the store tends to end with at least a few unexpected purchases. There’s also the issue of gas spent on the trip to and from the store.

Strategy #7 – Freeze Leftovers as Individual Meals for Later

At the end of many of our family meals, we have some leftovers. We might have half of a pan of lasagna left or a quart of soup or something else along these lines.

Sarah and I will always package some of those leftovers up for lunch the next day, but what about the rest? It’s kind of a waste to throw it away.

What we do is package those leftovers as individual meals. We’ll put them in a small freezer-safe and microwave-safe package, label it with a piece of masking tape, and pop it in the freezer. It takes about 30 seconds.

How is this convenient? The convenience appears during lunches and evenings when we need something quick. We can just pull individual meals out of the freezer, microwave them for a few minutes, and a person is ready to eat. No take out needed, no advance planning needed – it’s just ready to go.

How does this save money? We’re not throwing away half of a meal. Instead, we’re getting a second use out of that meal. This means that instead of being thrown away, it’s taking care of the cost of a meal for our family.

Strategy #8 – Do Chores for Exercise

The yard needs mowed. The house needs cleaned. The snow needs scooped. And you need to go to the gym.

Those problems, believe it or not, actually solve each other. Just approach household chores as a cardio exercise. Push mow the yard and you’ll get a good cardio workout. Scoop the driveway and your arms and hips will be sore. Clean the house as vigorously as you can and you’ll work up a sweat.

The key is to just do them at a high tempo. If you’re not making yourself breathe hard, you need to be going faster (if at all possible).

How is this convenient? You need to do the chores anyway and you also need to go to the gym. This just combines the two tasks together into one activity. That means your chores get done and your exercising gets done at the same time.

How does this save money? You don’t really need a gym membership if you do this every day and take on a variety of tasks. You also don’t need to hire people to handle some of these tasks. You can just take care of them yourself.

Strategy #9 – Use “Blitz” Cleaning to Keep Housework in Check

This goes hand in hand with the previous strategy. It’s simple: I block off a fairly small amount of time each day for housework and during that block, I pick a narrow focus and just hammer it as hard as I can for that period.

I set aside thirty minutes for housecleaning each day, and when I do that, I pick an area of the house and make that area as clean and organized as possible in that timeframe. I usually do it at such a pace that I’m out of breath (which works with strategy #8).

By doing this, I’m minimizing the time spent cleaning the house, keeping key problem areas under control, and also getting a little cardio.

How is this convenient? It compresses the time I spend cleaning the house, so that I’m not spending nearly as much time as I once did on housework. Almost all housework isn’t very cognitively demanding, so I strive to do it as quickly as I can so I can move on to other things.

How does this save money? This strategy keeps the urge to hire a house cleaner at bay. It also helps with the need for exercise.

Final Thoughts

Convenience can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. There are a lot of ways that you can reorganize your life to spend less time and get more things done without simply opening your wallet and throwing money at the problem.

In the end, convenience boils down to the idea that you’d rather be doing something else with your time. In effect, you’re really just shifting time around – if you spend money to save time now, you’re going to be working to make up for that money later on, so you’re just shifting money to work.

That’s why convenience strategies that don’t cost money are wonderful. They don’t subtly add hours to your work. Instead, they simply find some additional free hours for you to spend at home by finding smart ways to double up tasks, create resources for later use, and make everyday tasks more efficient.

Without these strategies, I’d throw money at these problems. I’d spend money to save myself time over and over again. But when strategies are available that save me time and saves money, too, it’s a no-brainer.

I hope you’ll find some of these strategies effective in your own life.

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Go Beyond Gift Cards: 12 Awesome Gifts Under $25 for Coffee Lovers

If you have a die-hard coffee fanatic on your holiday shopping list, you know their gift should revolve around their favorite fix!

But many coffee-related gifts are pricy.

A caffeine fiend myself, I was lucky to receive a home espresso machine with all the bells and whistles for my birthday a few years ago — in the form of a $500 check from the generous giver.

Luckily, not all coffee gifts are so extravagant. You can find the java junkie in your life something sure to make her smile — between sips, that is.

1. Coffee — Less than $25

Well, obviously!

It’s easy to fall into habits when it comes to groceries. You might give someone the gift of trying out a new roast or blend.

There are some pretty interesting options out there! Check out this maple-bacon-flavored bean.

Otherwise, you could help your recipient step it up a notch from her normal grocery-store supply. Grab her a pound of high-quality, single-origin beans for about $15.

I linked to my favorite hometown supplier, but be sure to check out your local coffee shops to make some tasty discoveries.

2. Mug for Home — Less Than $15

There are tons of adorable mugs almost anywhere you go.

A round-the-clock coffee drinker can never have too many.

3. Travel Mug — Up to $25

If your coffee lover is always on the go, a travel mug might be the perfect fit.

It’ll also help keep tons of cardboard and styrofoam out of your local landfill.

4. Reusable Coffee Sleeve — Less Than $15

Even if your favorite Starbucks drinker wants to participate in the iconic holiday cup campaign, she can still be a bit more green with her very own coffee koozy.

Plus, it’ll feel better on her hands than cardboard.

Check out tons of adorable options — your coffee’s sweater could match your own!

5. Cold Brew Infusion Bottle — $19.99

If you’re someone who knows me personally, please buy this for me. I’m not kidding.

Buying iced coffee every day is expensive, and brewing it in bulk yourself involves cheesecloth and a lot of coffee grounds. It’s always on my to-do list — but almost never gets done.

This bottle is the perfect way to help an iced coffee-drinking friend hoard some serious pennies!

6. Single Cup French Press — $14.99

I traded my French press for a Chemex pourover station long ago, in part because of the cleanup — and also because I couldn’t quite drink the 24 ounces my press made before it got tepid.

This single-cup French press lets you brew the coffee right into your (single-serving!) mug. And since it’s dishwasher safe, cleanup will be a breeze!

7. Milk Frother — $19.95

One of the hardest things to emulate when you’re trying to save some cash by building your latte at home is that rich frothed milk foam that sits dreamily atop your beverage.

That’s no longer an issue with a frother at home! Just heat up some milk on the stove or in the microwave, and you’re good to go.

8. Sugar Skull Spoon — $10

This one’s a little more frivolous… but look how cool! If you know someone who always takes theirs with a spoonful of sugar (and who has pretty much everything else she needs), this is a neat gift.

9. Coffee Poster — $24

One part art work, one part vehicle to discovering your next go-to drink when you hit the coffee bar.

10. Coffee Recipe Book — $14.39

If your recipient is more invested than a poster’s worth, give them 100 recipes to try at home with their espresso or coffee maker.

11. “But First, Coffee” Shirt — $16.95

Is she not to be spoken to before her first cup? Help her let the world know why she looks so grumpy before 10 a.m.

12. A Cup at His Favorite Café — Up to $25

Possibly my favorite on the list — take a friend out for his favorite cup, your treat. Then, spend an hour together catching up. The most meaningful gifts are sometimes the least expensive!

Alternatively, grab a gift card for the shop you know she always hits on the way to work. Keep local businesses in mind: There’s more to coffee than Starbucks!

Your Turn: What coffee-related gifts will you be giving — or putting on your own wish list — this year?

Disclosure: We appreciate you letting us include affiliate links in this post. It helps keep the beer fridge stocked in the Penny Hoarder break room.

Jamie Cattanach is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder and a native Floridian. She’s passionate about learning, literature and coffee. Definitely coffee. You can wave hi to @jamiecattanach on Twitter.

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