Want to Work from Home? These 16 Sites Will Help You Find Legit Jobs

Want to work from home?

You’d be able to tend to your kids (or pets), avoid having to plan outfits every morning, and save on commute time and gas money.

You could also reside where the cost of living is lower or have the ability to travel more.

The estimated 63 million Americans who already work from home save an average of $3,300 per year. Want to join them?

Work-From-Home Websites to Help You Find a Remote Job

To help you start working from home, we collected this list of job search sites that feature remote work opportunities.

1. The Penny Hoarder Work-From-Home Job Portal

If you’re looking for a trusted work-from-home job search site, this is your best bet. Why? Because The Penny Hoarder’s editorial staff hand-picks and screens all the opportunities listed, and, well, we’ve got strict guidelines in place.

Pop into the job board — no account creation required — and search by keyword or job title and location. (Some work-from-home jobs have location requirements, so you can weed those out if needed.)

Each listing includes details about the hiring company, the job requirements, the qualifications, the benefits and the pay — as long as the information is available.

Job listings are added to the portal daily, so you’ll always find new opportunities.

2. ZipRecruiter

This is perhaps the easiest site to navigate on this list, hence why we’ve listed it first.

Click over to ZipRecruiter to find your geo-tailored work-from-home job. (Even some work-from-home job opportunities have location restrictions.)

As soon as you start your search, you’ll see the average salary for work-from-home jobs in your area. This will help you know what to expect. Peruse the listings to find information about the company, the pay and the employment type. You’ll find details about requirements as well as information about how to apply.

ZipRecruiter will even let you know if you qualify for the position based on your credentials.

If you’re not yet ready to take the plunge and submit your resume, you can always save the job for later and move on to the next.

(Psst… There’s also an app for that. Download the ZipRecruiter app for job updates.)

3. NexRep

This work-from-home contractor works with big-name clients like Grubhub and Priceline to fill customer service positions.

No, you won’t find a ton of listings like some other job sites, but it does allow job seekers to narrow in on the customer service industry with the flexibility of working as an independent contractor.

Nearly all of the positions offer flexible, part-time work schedules, and pay typically starts at $10 an hour.

There are no fees to see the jobs. Just sign up with your email address and fill out an online application to see if you qualify as an agent.

Then from NexRep’s homepage, you can see “agent opportunities” anytime — jobs ready to fill!

4. AngelList

If you’re looking to work in the startup world, this site can be a great place to start your remote journey. It features nearly 25,000 startups with open positions.

Sign up, and create a profile by uploading your resume or manually filling in your job experience. Then start browsing open positions.

Job categories include developer, designer, marketing and sales. The site has featured jobs from companies including Everlane, SeatGeek and Stripe.

If you click the star next to a job and the company stars your profile, you’ll connect via email, where you can send a more tailored and personalized cover letter and resume.

5. FlexJobs

Tired of those too-good-to-be-true postings that really are too good to be true?

FlexJobs screens each posting — more than 30,000 of them — to be sure each company is reputable.

Choose to search for jobs by location. There, select the “Can be Done From Anywhere” option, and scan the endless listings.

Fluent in another language? Check out the number of telephone interpreter postings. Interested in words? Browse all the SEO and news writing jobs.

But here’s the catch: To get the full details of a job listing, apply or access other perks (like the skills test), you must sign up for a $14.95-per-month membership.

This is the only site on our list that’ll cost you, but the quality of its listings might be worth the price tag. Take a look to see whether you find enough openings relevant to your experience before signing up, and once you find the right gig, be sure to cancel your membership!

6. Glassdoor

Glassdoor is all about transparency, a welcome quality when you’re researching potential employers. Find company ratings, salaries and even information about the hiring process, including actual job interview questions.

Start typing “remo…” in the location search box, and “Remote (Work From Home), US” will pop up. If you don’t designate an interest area, the site will display more than 4,000 jobs.

Some job titles include customer success managers, marketing coordinators and data engineers.

7. Indeed

Boasting the position of “world's #1 job site” (according to itself at least), Indeed will likely offer you the most comprehensive search. Not only do employers post jobs directly to Indeed, the interface aggregates job postings from thousands of other sites.

Although you’ll need patience to sort through the listings (and need to sniff out the ones that aren’t so legit), the search options are endless and the jobs are varied: personal assistants, social media managers, voiceover artists and food bloggers.

Simply search “remote” in the location bar. But watch out for the sponsored listings at the top and bottom of the page — they might not fit your search criteria.

8. Jobspresso

Because Jobspresso only lists remote jobs, you don’t have to trudge through contingencies and fine print in a job listing — you’ll know it’s actually a work-from-home job.

Simply select “Browse Jobs,” and either choose all remote jobs or search by a career category. Keep an eye on location — some positions require you to work in a certain time zone or state.

Chug your espresso, and start exploring all the options: writer (celebrity beats included), brand manager and web developer positions abound.

9. PowerToFly

This site aims its services at stay-at-home mothers and women who want to find a flexible job that offers a decent work-life balance.

Fill out a profile, and start perusing. You’re encouraged to think of it as LinkedIn; select “happily employed” if you are just that, but it never hurts to keep the door open for something better.

You’ll find a specific “Remote Jobs” category you can select to search.

10. Remote OK

Remote OK aggregates remote job listings for “digital nomads” from other sites such as Stack Overflow and Indeed. You’ll find mostly technology-based gigs, but there’s an option to search “non-tech.”

Under each category, the jobs are listed by posting date. You can also sign up for daily, weekly or monthly emails or automated updates.

11. Remotive

Yes, that’s “remote” + “productive.”

This site focuses exclusively on remote job listings, so simply select your desired category of profession (education, engineering or human resources, among others). Clicking on “Apply for Job” will take you directly to the company’s site.

After your initial search, stay on top of new job listings by signing up for a weekly or monthly email update.

12. Skip The Drive

Although many of these listings link back to Indeed, this site’s filter options can help you refine your search and find jobs that best fit your skills and interests.

You’ll see full-time, part-time or contract work in a variety of categories including account management, consulting, finance and recruiter. Once you choose your niche, filter jobs by posting date to avoid reading expired listings.

As a fun bonus, the site helps you calculate how much money and time you’ll save each year by working from home.

13. Stack Overflow

Although this site is mostly known as a message board for developers, it also hosts a number of location-independent gigs.

Head on over to “Developer Jobs” at the top left of your screen. You can also search by contract gig or permanent options.

14. Virtual Vocations

The site will ask you to log in or register (and will interrupt your search until you do so), but the search filters are worth the time it takes to sign up.

Use the left-hand toolbar to filter job postings by category, geographic restriction, type, weekly hours, career level, education level, travel requirements and date posted.

As you click your selections, postings will update automatically. You’ll see jobs in a number of categories including editing, fundraising, legal, nursing, real estate and even travel.

Its Twitter feed also regularly updates with new job postings.

15. We Work Remotely

This site might not share as many jobs as others, but it hosts some of the more quirky opportunities.

Take, for example, a company called Eating Europe, seeking a content marketing manager. Or there’s the iPhone Photography School; it was needing a customer service agent.

Searching is simple. On the homepage, scroll through to find the appropriate job category, and click to see all listings. Or follow the site on Twitter.

16. Working Nomads

Comb through remote job listings based on your interest area: development, design, customer success, management, writing or system administrator.

The curated job postings are mostly focused around tech-related work, so you’ll see lots of positions with titles such as JavaScript architect, Python software developer and front-end engineer.

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She loves working from home once a week. It means quality time with her houseplants.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/2uG2t89

Mommy, Where Does Money Come From? Here’s What Some Kids Have to Say

Sometimes, kids really do say the darndest things.

But when it comes to money, kids also believe the darndest things.

I mean, is there a kid out there who didn’t think that the ATM handed out free money?

But while it may be cute (like, ridiculously, over-the-top cute) to hear kids’ crazy ideas and beliefs about money, those aren’t really beliefs you want them carrying with them as they get older.

By asking your kids questions like, “Where does money come from?” or “How much do you think your favorite toy cost?” you can set the groundwork for important money-related conversations and learning opportunities in the future.

In the meantime, we’re just really enjoying hearing what your kids have to say.

Penny Hoarder Parents Tell Us Their Kids’ Beliefs About Money

We asked our readers to tell us the funniest and downright most absurd things their kids believed (or still believe) about money. Here are some of our favorite answers.

Money Grows on Trees

“When my son was 7 years old, he asked me to take him to the money tree.” — Larissa Leconte

Checks Are Made of Paper, and Paper Does Come From Trees…

“My kids thought if you didn’t have any money, you could just write a check.” — Sandy Kelley

“My son asked me for money, and I told him I didn’t have any. He grabbed my checkbook from the table and opened it and said to me, ‘You still have checks! That means you have money.’” — Christine Lightner Orvis

False Advertising?

“My son likes the Quicken Loans commercial because ‘they save you money.’ Every time it comes on he yells ‘Mommy! Mommy! Quicken Loans is here to save you money.’” — Kimberly Roldan

Well, That’s One Way to Make Money

“For several years when she was very young, my oldest daughter's plan for acquiring money was to wait until St. Patrick's Day so she could rob a leprechaun.” — Veronica Hathaway

If Only

“My son is 3. He thinks everything costs six bucks. New car? Six bucks. Dinner? Six bucks. Ball at Walmart? You guessed it.” — Kate Langdon

A Fair Exchange

“I once told my little one I didn't have enough money with me to buy something, and he said, ‘Let's go to Burger King to get some.’

“I explained that Burger King doesn't give out money, and he said, ‘Yes, they do! When you give them a dollar, they give you a bunch of dollars back.’

“He was young and thought I was making a profit every time they gave me smaller bills as change for a larger bill.” — Kimberley Ann

Hundred Ten Monies

“My 3 ½-year-old always asks if we can get tickets to fly on a plane to visit family. I told her ‘That takes some saving to pay for,’ and her response was, ‘Oh yeah, we need hundred ten monies.’ And her 4 ½-year-old brother’s thought was, ‘No, I have a ticket for Monster Jam. Just use that ticket for the plane instead.’” — Christina Hart

A Real Rip-Off

“When my daughter was about 9, we went to the movies and she had bought a box of Gummy Bears with her own money that she had saved up. We go and sit down in the theater and she opens the box and becomes angry. She says, ‘This is a rip-off.’ I told her, ‘Well, go back and tell the guy’ — and she did. All by herself! (her father and I watching from around the corner). She slammed the box on the counter and said, “This is a rip-off and I want my money back.” The guy was so shocked, he gave her her money back… lol…” — Sheri Cochran

How to Teach Your Kids About Money

Thankfully, there are money lessons you can be teaching kids of every age — from toddlers to teens — to help set them up for a lifetime of financial literacy.

While it’s pretty cute when they’re small, it’s important to bust the most common money myths kids believe before they become truths to them. Plus, teaching younger children age-appropriate information about finances sets the groundwork for a lifetime of money conversations and financial education.

Wondering where to start? Try these nine tips for teaching kids about money — and then check out our ultimate guide to teaching your kids about money.

Grace Schweizer is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/2uH3Nrd

Tui won’t pay out over 'disappointing' cruise

Holidays should be great. You save up for them, look forward to them for ages and see them as a chance to relax and forget all your normal daily stresses.

Or that’s what they should be. But holiday companies seem intent on ensuring that when things go wrong, they go really wrong.

I’ve reported in recent months on readers’ problems with Jet2 and Thomas Cook and this month it’s the turn of Tui, formerly known as Thomson.

• Your last-minute holiday hacks

Since it changed its name, the German-based tour operator has done well. Profits climbed last year to just under £1 billion.

It’s a big and growing business, so you’d expect it to be well run.

Reader GC of Kirkcaldy, Fife, has a different view of the firm after he splashed out just under £5,000 for a cruise with Tui.

He was encouraged to sign up at a cruise event where Tui staff told him he would save around £450 if he signed there and then.

That’s a high-pressure sales tactic that should always make people wary. But having a fair amount of experiences with cruises at other holiday firms, GC decided to take advantage of the saving.

He says now: “I wish we had not signed, as what we got was not what we were told we would get, nor was it of the standard we expected for that special once-in-a-lifetime holiday.”

He paid for a two-week Caribbean cruise for him and his wife. The couple were really looking forward to it, but sadly encountered a series of disappointments.

One was the fact that the ‘all-inclusive’ cruise didn’t include bottles of water, bottles of beer or speciality coffees. He was also surprised to discover that ice cream was only served between 1pm and 3pm.

“He asked for a refund and the response he got was grim”

• Thieves target holidaymakers before they even board the plane

And then their first excursion – which they had paid extra for – was cancelled and replaced by what he was told would be “a cruise on a yacht”. That didn’t sound too bad until the couple turned up to discover it was a large catamaran – basically a commercial ferry – which housed more than 100 people.

The next excursion, a trolley train, had no seats, which meant uncomfortable standing for the whole journey, while their third excursion lasted just an hour and a half rather than the two and a half hours advertised.

It’s no surprise that GC felt he wasn’t getting value for money for these extras.

He asked the company for a refund of the £970 he had paid to be ‘all-inclusive’, as he said he had to pay out for coffee and water on several occasions.

He also requested a refund of the £108 paid out for the ‘yacht cruise’.

The response he got was grim. When it came to the disappointing excursion, he was told: “We do mention under our A-Z guide that all shore excursions are subject to change.”

As for the fairly limited all-inclusive package, it said: “All-inclusive options change for each hotel, so we say on the brochure page what’s included within the package.”

Tui added: “It’s the customer’s responsibility to ensure that they’re happy with all aspects of their holiday prior to booking.”

That seems unfair to me, especially when it had used pushy sales tactics to flog the cruise.

I contacted Tui with the list of complaints, but it told me: “Our customer service team has been in direct contact with the customer to investigate and attempt to resolve the issues raised. 

“Unfortunately, we had no opportunity to resolve any issues while the customer was on board as we were not made aware that he had any concerns during his holiday. We would always encourage our customers to speak to our team on board, who are always on hand should anyone have any concerns while on holiday.”

• An investment opportunity or a load of bull?

And that was it. I asked them for a goodwill gesture for GC – to be met with silence.

GC told me: “We’ve been with lots of different cruise companies and they’ve been excellent. I’m not a complaining type of person, but it was so disappointing and the reaction to my complaint was to dismiss it out of hand, which made me feel even worse.

“I hope my story may act as a warning for other people and hopefully save them from making the same mistake.” Let’s hope that’s the case.

The lesson is: don’t sign for anything that seems a good deal without checking the terms and conditions first. That’s the only way to avoid disappointment later.

OUTCOME: Disappointing response from Tui

 

• Let Moneywise fight for your rights

Section

• Scams & rip-offs
• Fight for your rights
• Holidays

Free Tag

• Fight for your rights
• holidays
• travel

Related stories

• Your last-minute holiday hacks
• Thieves target holidaymakers before they even board the plane
• An investment opportunity or a load of bull?

Twitter

Source Moneywise https://ift.tt/2zNy6Cy

So You Just Got Fired. Here’s What to Do

Is the Xbox Game Pass worth the money?

Find out more about getting more than 100 games for just $10 a month.

Source Business - poconorecord.com https://ift.tt/2Ju9jD4

The Kids Can Now Play Unlimited Games at Chuck E. Cheese

Being a parent is expensive. And exhausting.

You’d think taking the little ones to a pizza and games place like Chuck E. Cheese would bring some distraction-induced reprieve. But alas, they’re coming at you every five minutes for more tokens.

Not today, children.

Behold the new All You Can Play game option (aka the savior of parental sanity), now at participating Chuck E. Cheese locations nationwide.

How Chuck E. Cheese All You Can Play Works

For one flat fee, kiddos can play unlimited games without exception for a selected amount of time.  

Currently, unlimited game time comes in 30-minute increments starting at $9 with any Chuck E. Cheese deals purchase and is good any day of the week.

Watch that ticket pile grow as your kids’ hearts swell, because there’s no game too big or small for their young ambitions.

They can play the same game over and over, or try every single one and rack up enough tickets to trade in for their dream prize.

Need a potty or pizza break? No problem. You get the option to pause play twice during the unlimited window. Once the time is up, you can purchase additional 30-minute windows of time as needed.

They might just wear themselves out for less than $20. Might.

Check that All You Can Play is available at your Chuck E. Cheese location before you go.

Since you’re already there, stretch those savings with a free pizza, because why should the kids have all the fun?

Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She really misses Munch’s Make Believe Band.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/2NXBLAy

Stressed Over the Cost of Back-to-School Shopping? Here Are Ways to Save

Stores are already replacing their summer-themed displays with backpacks, lunch bags, notebooks and folders.

Back-to-school season is quickly sneaking up on us, and parents are stressing out over the upcoming costs.

The National Retail Federation surveyed 7,320 consumers and found parents with kids in elementary through high school expect to spend an average of about $685 on back-to-school shopping this year. New school clothes will take up the biggest chunk of spending — about $237.

Parents also planned to spend about $187 on electronics, $139 on shoes and $122 on school supplies.

With schools requiring a specific list of gear and kids quickly outgrowing their old clothes and shoes, much of this spending seems to qualify as a need, not a want. Which makes cash-strapped parents nervous.

The 2018 Coinstar Back-to-School Survey, an unrelated survey on the same topic, asked 1,001 parents about their school shopping plans. Seventy percent said back-to-school shopping is stressful. Two-thirds of respondents said they felt like school costs were on the rise.

Although 62% of those surveyed say they use a budget when school shopping, a sizable chunk also say they go over budget. Thirty-two percent of parents who shopped alone spent more than planned, but 49% of those who shopped with their children overspent. It’s hard to say no when your kids are right there pleading for the latest trend.

Besides keeping your children home while you shop, there are other ways to curb your back-to-school spending.

Seek out sales, clip coupons, take a pass on pricy brands and shop at secondhand stores to score better deals. Get some tips from this mom who bought her two kids school clothes for less than $40 and school supplies for less than $20. Shop during a sales-tax holiday to shave some dollars off your total. Deal stacking can also help you save.

Look for backpack giveaways in your area. Charities, churches and nonprofit organizations may run school-supply drives where community members donate book bags and other supplies to those in need. Contact your local Salvation Army or United Way to see if they are planning a giveaway — or know of any other groups hosting one. Your local newspaper or television station may promote upcoming school-supply drives. Reach out to the organizers if you’re in need.

Some parents also ask their older children to chip in, especially if they are influencing the spending.The National Retail Federation’s survey found preteens will spend an average of $25 and teens will spend about $36 of their own money on school gear. It’s not a lot, but a little contribution is better than nothing. Other parents turn to extended family for help. One-third of respondents from Coinstar’s back-to-school survey said they’ve borrowed money from their child’s grandparent to afford school gear.

Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/2utg5V1

Can An Identity Thief Change Your Home Address? Yet Another Trick Identity Thieves Can Use

The US Postal Service makes it easy to forward your mail to a different address. Maybe too easy. Learn how identity thieves can steal your private mail.

Source CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/2L2mZuw

Target Hopes Its One-Day Online Sale Will Make You Forget Amazon Prime Day

While Amazon prepares to power through 36 hours of Prime Day deals, Target is joining the summer shopping frenzy with its own sale.

Available on July 17 only, Target will offer discounts across entire departments and special deals on popular items. No need to grab your car keys — all the deals are online.

“[This] one-day sale is for everybody — no membership required,” Target said in a statement last week, emphasis theirs.

Expect more of this, innocent summertime shoppers.

Walmart.com is advertising “ultimate summer specials” on its site, reminding shoppers that it offers free two-day shipping without a membership fee.

Macy’s is offering a “surprise” sale through Tuesday with free shipping and 25% off in some departments. “Look what you can get for under $119!”, a slide on the homepage blurts out.

Even if you don’t plan to shop on Amazon Prime Day, you must still face constant reminders of Amazon Prime Day.

But back to the Target deals, before you get summer shopping event fatigue.

Target’s home brands will be 30% off all day, along with baby gear and some Google products. Beauty and personal care items will be marked down by 25%. Additionally, if you spend $20 on books, you’ll save $5.

If you spend at least $100 on Target.com during the sale, you’ll get a free six-month Shipt membership, which provides same-day delivery from the store. Annual Shipt memberships cost $99.

Meanwhile, if you place a Target Restock order for next-day delivery during the event, you’ll receive free shipping instead of the typical $2.99 delivery fee.

Target’s online, one-day sale will start “early in the morning” on July 17 and end at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Lisa Rowan (@lisatella) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder covering the retail and grocery industries.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/2uLHUHF

Questions About Auto Insurance, Prime Day, Social Security, Watches, and More!

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Teen’s first steps for investing
2. Part time auto insurance
3. Thoughts on vacation cruises?
4. Starting my financial journey
5. Helping sick friend
6. Dealing with a “funk”
7. Prime Day strategies?
8. Expensive watch guilt
9. Minimize risk in Roth IRA
10. Getting started with Social Security
11. Books on mindfulness and meditation
12. The Simple Dollar and dating

We spent the weekend camping. It turned out to be a weekend with a lot of rain and, during the windows when the rain stopped, intense heat and humidity. My entire family came home after a few days feeling utterly drained.

It’s the good kind of drained, though. It’s the kind of drained where you’ve had a ton of sunshine and fresh air and exercise and sweat and laughter.

It’s good to be home, though.

Q1: Teen’s first steps for investing

I am a teen working on a part time job at Publix getting paid from $60 to $80 a week and how can I invest in making more money?
– James

The very first thing you should do is figure out what your goal is with that money. What do you want to someday do with it?

The biggest thing you should be concerned with is volatility. Volatility refers to how large the range of reasonably possible outcomes is for that investment, particularly in the short term (a year or less). For example, a stock market investment has a large one year volatility, but people still invest in it because the average annual return over many, many years is quite good. On the other hand, a savings account has extremely low volatility, but the average annual return isn’t nearly as good.

So, if you’re going to use the money soon, a low volatility investment is good, but if you’re not going to use it for many years, a high volatility investment is good.

So, what’s your purpose? Is it to pay for college? College is likely coming for you within the next 2-3 years, in which case you should put it in a low volatility investment, like a savings account. Consider opening a 529 college savings account and putting your money in there in an investment marked as “low risk.”

What if you’re aiming for post-college expenses, like buying a house or saving for retirement? In those situations, a higher volatility investment, like the stock market, is a good idea. Consider opening up a Roth IRA and putting your money into a total stock market index.

Q2: Part time auto insurance

I am shopping for car insurance. I have four vehicles. I am retired and spend 5 months in Florida. I normally have one or more vehicles garaged for several months. Can I easily switch to a “storage” rate for these vehicles when not being driven for a few months?
– Andrew

Most auto insurers enable you to do this whenever you like, though with a few caveats.

For starters, for most auto insurers, “storage” rate usually just means that you’re removing liability and collision coverage and just paying comprehensive coverage on the vehicle, which protects it from things like fire and theft, but covers nothing if you’re actually driving it. That’s usually quite cheap.

Most insurers will allow you to make that switch easily provided you maintain driving coverage on at least one car on the policy. So, if you have four cars and you sometimes put two of them into storage, this can easily be done with a phone call, reducing your insurance rates.

However, some insurers may require a thirty day waiting period before downgrading your insurance.

Q3: Thoughts on vacation cruises?

Any thoughts on vacation cruises? Are they a good deal or not? The price tag is steep but they’re providing all the food and entertainment and taking you to interesting places.
– Sam

I haven’t been on a cruise, though I have several family members who have done so. I think it really depends on the type of vacation you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for a relaxing vacation where most of the planning and options are already handled for you and you’re mostly just going to eat meals, catch up on some reading, watch the sea, do a few leisurely activities, and do a couple of shore days mixed in, then a cruise is great. The prices tend to be pretty reasonable for what you get as an all-inclusive package, though this depends a lot on the cruise line, the specific ship, and the destination.

If you want a more active vacation, though, cruises probably aren’t the thing for you. If your vision of vacation is “hiking in the backcountry” or something akin to that, a cruise isn’t going to match up.

Q4: Starting my financial journey

I am eighteen years old. I graduated high school in May and am about to enter [a well regarded state university with a good engineering program] in the fall to major in electrical engineering. I have some scholarships and my aunt and uncle are paying for the rest for all four years, so I am very lucky.

My goal is to reach a point where I can retire as early as possible. I want to do things like walk the Appalachian Trail and backpack across Europe and Asia and Africa aimlessly while I am still young and without having to return to pick up a career. If I want to come back I can but if I want to stay in Kenya for some reason I can. That is my dream.
– Sara

Spend your college years focused on getting the best possible electrical engineering job. The second you get to college, start seeking out mentors in your department that can help you find internships. Get good grades in your classes and make yourself known at office hours to build relationships that might turn into references later. Join clubs and groups on campus that bolster your specific interests in EE. Everything you do, as much as possible, should be geared toward getting a great EE position when you graduate.

When you do graduate and move into a great EE position, live really really lean. Live in a small apartment, ideally a shared one, or even consider living in your vehicle (for real – high income people do this when they have their own goals). Keep all of your expenses as low as you can and bank everything else.

Over time, you’ll start developing a clear picture of what you need to live the life you want as you figure out what that life specifically is. Keep living super lean and you’ll get there.

Q5: Helping sick friend

A close friend of mine has/had diverticulitis. He went into the hospital two weeks ago and had emergency surgery on part of his intestine that was gangrenous and since then has been in the hospital with several complications. I have visited him several times but I don’t know how else to help. He’s facing some intense medical bills but hasn’t lost his job. I am not in a position to help him pay his medical bills either but I want to help and I feel bad that I can’t help him recover financially. What can I do?
– Kevin

Don’t give money. Give time.

While your friend is in the hospital, ask and figure out what tasks he needs done outside of the hospital that he can’t take care of. If he gives you something you can do, go take care of it.

When he comes home, he’s not going to be real mobile for a while (trust me when I say that diverticulitis like this isn’t fun). Stop by daily and take care of chores for him. Offer to run errands like getting groceries.

You have no idea how valuable this will be to your friend as he recovers from this. It will mean more than just throwing money at his bills. Yeah, he might be cranky sometimes, but he’s going to hurt and he’s going to not get around well for a long while and that can be really frustrating.

Q6: Dealing with a “funk”

I have been in a serious funk lately. All I can muster the energy to do is go to work and come home and nap on the couch and go to bed and then repeat it. On the weekends I catch up on a few of the undone things but that’s about it. I have fallen into a cycle of just ordering a lot of delivery or making microwave foods which is expensive. Friends say I should go to a therapist but I can’t afford it. Ideas?
– Jason

My first thought is that you should go to your doctor for a wellness checkup. Most medical insurance will pay for this kind of a visit because it’s far less expensive to catch minor things in the bud before they explode into major things.

Just go to that visit, explain to your doctor that you have no energy and motivation, and get some general bloodwork done to make sure that you’re not lacking in a certain vitamin or something simple like that. If your issues can be fixed with an iron supplement or a B12 supplement, then that’s great.

Your doctor may also have some other suggestions for you along those lines – low cost things you can do in your specific situation.

Since I don’t have a full picture of your health or lifestyle, I can’t really give you specific ideas that will work. Your doctor will be much better for that. However, I can say that things that work really well for me include making myself get some degree of daily exercise and spending some time outside every day. This is my normal routine and I’ve learned that when I slip away from that routine I usually slip into a blue mood.

Q7: Prime Day strategies?

Is Prime Day worthwhile? What strategies do you use?
– Tammy

For Prime Day, my strategy is to make a list of items that I’m intending to buy in the next several months. Holiday gifts for some people are on that list, as well as a couple of planned hobby items.

I then simply watch for those items and nothing else. It doesn’t matter how “cool” that item was – if it wasn’t something I had considered beforehand, I don’t buy it now just because it’s on sale.

So, my suggestion is simple: just make a list before you even look at the site. Consider things you might find useful and things you might want to give as a gift this holiday season and aim specifically for those items.

Q8: Expensive watch guilt

For the past several years, I have been saving up for a really nice watch like the one my grandfather wears and about a month ago I finally purchased a Longines Master Collection Chronograph. It is so beautiful and it is like a modern pairing to my grandfather’s watch. He was with me when I bought it and he is getting quite old so it might be one of the last things we get to do together because he lives 2,500 miles away.

The thing is beautiful to me and full of meaning but yet I can’t bring myself to wear it without feeling tremendously guilty about the $7000 I poured into it. I could have knocked off the rest of one of my student loans with that kind of money and instead I’m still making payments and paying interest. I should have been out of student loan debt at least before buying it and now when I look at it I think of my foolishness.

I can’t sell it and recoup the full value of what I paid for it but I can recoup most of it.
– Gerald

Gerald, don’t sell this watch. Just don’t.

You saved carefully for it for quite a while. You planned for this purchase. You bought it with your grandfather and it has that kind of shared meaning that is rarely found in life.

Don’t sell it.

Yes, it was expensive – probably unnecessarily so. However, this is truly a “buy it for life” watch. You are going to wear it for the rest of your life. Every time you look at it, not only will you appreciate the beauty of it, but you’ll be reminded of a man who obviously had a ton of impact on you to this point in your life. As you say, you may never get to share a moment like that again with him.

Wear it. Think of your grandfather. That’s the kind of meaning that you shouldn’t sell. I wish I had something like this to remind me of some of my relatives who have passed on.

To those of you thinking about spending your money on something like this: think about it extremely carefully. My gut instinct is to advise against it in most cases unless you saved for it carefully and it has additional meaning beyond the aesthetic appeal.

Q9: Minimize risk in Roth IRA

I opened a Roth IRA in 2017 and put all of my contributions in Target Retirement 2045. I am scared that I am going to lose my investment because I think the stock market is going to go down a ton in the next few years. What is a good investment with no risk?
– Drew

There is no good investment with no risk. As you reduce the risk of an investment, you almost directly reduce the return on that investment. A zero risk investment typically offers a return that’s a bit less than inflation, so somewhere around 2%. A good example of that is a savings account or a money market account.

As you add risk, your returns go up. Highly rated bonds, for example, usually beat inflation by a little but offer a little bit of risk. That risk level slowly inches up, as do the returns, when you move into other bonds, then into stocks and real estate, then into things like precious metals, or keep moving into things like cryptocurrency or collectibles, where the risk is incredibly high.

The question you really have to ask yourself is how much risk you can stomach. The thing worth noting is that many investments aren’t that risky over the long term, they’re just volatile in the short term. If you’re trying to invest for the long term (more than ten years), you should accept that some years you will lose money and take on a somewhat risky investment. I recommend a broad stock market index fund or the Target Retirement Fund you already have.

Q10: Getting started with Social Security

I am 61 and have been employed at Target for 33 years in a number of roles and have been store manager at three different stores for 16 years. I am getting ready to retire. I need to figure out my Social Security benefits but I do not know where to start. Can you help me?
– Dana

Your first step should be to head over to https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ and sign up for an online Social Security account so you can manage your benefits from anywhere. That’s the best place to start.

From there, you should be able to get a clear picture of what benefits you have coming and the options available to you. You likely have options that involve retiring at a later date and receiving more benefits per month or retiring earlier and receiving less benefits per month.

Take all options into consideration and see what works out the best for you. Also, consider what you will actually do with your time when retired.

Q11: Books on mindfulness and meditation

You have written many articles in which you’ve referred to how mindfulness meditation has really helped you stay focused on the moment. Do you have any book recommendations on mindfulness and meditation practices and how they benefit?
– Claire

The book I almost always recommend to people is 10% Happier by Dan Harris. It’s a very well written introduction to the personal benefits of mindful meditation, backed up by both research and an intensely personal story. The book offers a lot of straightforward beginner practices as well.

Another very solid introductory book, one more focused on benefits and techniques and with less of a personal story behind it, is The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness by Andy Puddicombe. This was my default recommendation before I read the above book by Harris and is probably the best option if you’re not engaged by a strong overall personal story.

Beyond those two, the rabbit hole goes very deep. I enjoy the books by Thich Nhat Hanh quite a lot – he has written a number of books over the years and all of the ones I’ve read have been very thoughtful and powerful, though not all are really “introductory.” A good place to start with his books is probably Peace Is Every Step.

Q12: The Simple Dollar and dating

Given that finances are such a large part of relationships and marriage, how about starting a Simple Dollar dating group?
– Maggie

While I find the idea of a Simple Dollar dating group rather funny, I do think that it can be difficult for frugal and financially stable people to find each other for potential dating.

My advice is simple: look for dating opportunities where frugal people go. If you’re religious, start with your local house of worship. Check out civic groups. Check out community festivals and free concerts. Check out state and national parks. Check out what’s going on on Meetup. Go to these places and do things. Talk to people and see what clicks.

At the same time, avoid places where people spend money recklessly. A place where people are paying a cover fee just to dance to loud music and pay for overpriced drinks is probably not a place where you’re going to meet people who are careful with their money.

Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

The post Questions About Auto Insurance, Prime Day, Social Security, Watches, and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar https://ift.tt/2usS1BF

Auto Bits: This automotive technology could save the life of a family member from a fatal fall

Tip of the WeekA study of hip fractures among those 65 or older in the The Journal of the American Medical Association determined that of the 300,000 Americans in this age group who fracture a hip each year, as many as three out of ten will die within a year. The study also found that many more of these victims will experience “significant functional loss.” Just how bad is the disability for survivors? Two thirds won’t be able to use the toilet unassisted. Half [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com https://ift.tt/2mnd6ZT

How to Turn a Failed Startup Launch into a Success Story

We all make mistakes.

Sometimes these errors are minor, but other times they are grave. You need to learn how to avoid these mistakes.

Launching your own business is no easy task. As someone who has helped multiple startups to get off the ground, I know this process firsthand.

Things don’t always go as planned. Research shows that 90% of startup companies fail.

Sure, everything looked good on paper. You found the perfect name for your startup, but you hit some speed bumps along the way that you may not have been prepared for.

If your most recent business venture didn’t work out, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

I get it. You poured your heart and soul into this project. The failure seems tough to overcome, especially if it cost you some money.

But your story doesn’t need to end here. You want to be an entrepreneur. That’s why you attempted to launch a business in the first place.

Don’t just accept defeat and try to get a standard nine-to-five job like everyone else out there. I know plenty of people who couldn’t get their startup off the ground.

You have two paths from here. You can either quit or move forward. Don’t fall into the group of entrepreneurs who quit.

I’ll show you how you can take that failed launch and turn it into an advantage that will move you forward. Here’s what you need to do.

Take a break

Launching a startup doesn’t happen in a week.

It starts with careful planning and research and then implementation of your ideas. You went through all the legal requirements of incorporating your business.

You spent time and money to develop products or software. Maybe you even built a mobile app.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone. That’s why they make up the smallest population of the workforce across the globe.

Everyone’s situation is different. Your startup could have failed after a couple of months or even a couple of years.

But regardless of when you failed, I’m sure you put in tons of hard work. You had some long hours and sleepless nights.

Working this hard over an extended period of time can burn you out.

It’s possible the effect of this failed launch even impacted your personal life.

You don’t want to let this event negatively affect the relationships with your family and friends. These relationships are much more important than your business.

Use this time as an opportunity to correct any wrongdoings that may have occurred while you were working on the startup.

Step away and just relax.

I realize this can be tough, especially if you don’t have a steady source of income at this moment. But you need to find a way to recharge your batteries.

As crazy as it sounds, taking a vacation might be just what you need. Put your startup out of your mind. Focus on your physical and mental health before you do anything else.

Once you have a chance to clear your mind, it will be much easier for you to jump back on the horse for a fresh start.

Figure out what went wrong

Now that you’ve had a chance to take your mind off things for awhile, it will be easier for you to assess the situation—you’ll have a more objective perspective.

You need to be able to look at yourself honestly in the mirror. It’s time to determine why your startup failed.

While it may be easy or convenient to blame someone else, you need to take responsibility for your actions. Here are the top reasons why startups fail:

If you look through this list, you’ll see many of these scenarios could have been avoided.

As the founder of your startup, you are responsible for making sure everything goes according to plan.

Let’s review the top three reasons for startup failure.

1. No market need

The number one reason why startups fail is because there wasn’t a market need. This should have been discovered during the early stages of the business. It’s your responsibility to conduct the proper market research. One of the first steps of launching a new business is to identify the target market of your startup.

If you skipped this step or took some shortcuts through the process, it could be the reason why you failed. Learning there was no market need for your startup could have saved you a ton of time, money, and effort if you figured this out in the early weeks or months.

2. Running out of cash

Running out of money could happen for a few reasons. Perhaps you either didn’t raise enough money or didn’t budget accordingly.

Again, both of those scenarios would fall on your shoulders.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying this so you can beat yourself up about it.

I just want you to figure out exactly what the problem was. Being in denial won’t help you move forward and turn your failure into a success story.

3. Not the right team

Surround yourself with people who can help you succeed. As you can see from the graph above, 23% of startups failed because the team wasn’t right.

Rather than blaming your team members for the demise of the company, make sure you find the proper people moving forward.

After all, who hired those team members? Don’t bring someone on board if they don’t bring anything to the table.

Research shows that founders with larger teams are able to pay themselves higher salaries.

But doesn’t mean you should be hiring a ton of people right away.

Make sure you work with people who are compatible with your management style, hard working, and skilled in areas where you are weak.

For example, let’s say you are an excellent marketer. Working with a partner who is also a great marketer may not be what you need if neither of you knows how to develop products or handle finances.

Don’t lose confidence

Failure can be an extremely humbling experience.

But you need to be able to find the balance between being humble and remaining confident.

Entrepreneurs typically have that “eye of the tiger” character trait that gives them an edge in life. Don’t lose that feeling and mentality just because of a mishap.

Sure, you may not approach your next venture with that feeling of invincibility you had when you started your last one, but you should always remain confident in yourself.

Your failed startup is just one minor event on the long timeline of your life. Don’t let it define you.

Instead, use it as motivation to bounce back and be better than ever.

Trust me, you weren’t the first person, and you certainly won’t be the last, who failed at something. People have been in situations far worse than yours.

Look at the positives in your life. You’ve got family, friends, and your health. Be thankful for what you have.

I have some encouraging news. The next time you launch a startup, you’ll have a greater chance of succeeding:

This makes sense.

That’s because you’ve been through this process before. It won’t be as overwhelming the next time because you’ll know what to expect.

Learn from your mistakes

Now that you’ve taken the time to recognize what went wrong, learn from those mistakes.

During what stage did your startup fail? Was it before or after the launch?

Did you have problems with production? Was there an issue with your product?

The key is to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes twice. You can’t just blindly approach your next startup without keeping your previous mistakes in the back of your mind.

Don’t take any shortcuts. Make sure there is a market for your brand. Secure the proper funding to reduce the chances of running out of money.

Bring in a partner or two if you need help. But it’s important to make sure everyone involved has a clearly defined role.

Here’s a look at the typical organizational structure of a business:

Obviously, these titles will vary based on your type of business. But you can still use this as a reference so everyone clearly understands the management hierarchy.

Don’t be so hesitant to raise money from outside investors.

You’ll have less equity in the company, but you won’t be crippled financially if things end up going wrong again.

Plus, the fact that others will have a stake in the business will make them care more too. They will also put in the effort to make sure the company is successful because they have money on the line as well.

Focus on your concept

Take the time to put some effort into your concept whether it’s:

• a product
• a service or
• software

I’m assuming your idea falls into one of these three categories or potentially a combination of them.

Ask yourself these questions: Do I need to start from scratch? Or can I make a variation of my failed attempt?

Sometimes, you may not need a completely new idea for a business. On the other hand, it may be in your best interest to start over with a new concept.

Everyone’s situation is unique.

It’s possible your product or concept wasn’t the issue that led to the failed launch. There may have been problems with budgeting, marketing, or some other factor that hindered your success.

If that’s the case, you could just launch another startup with the same concept under a different name.

Develop a detailed business plan

After you’ve taken the time to analyze your failure, it’s time to get back on the horse.

Whether you’re going to launch with the same concept or a new one, you have to start with a business plan.

Learn how to write a business plan for your startup. Business plans will keep you accountable for your actions. If you put something on paper, you’ll make the effort to follow through with it.

Plus, writing a business plan increases your chances of securing funds and growing your business.

As a result, your chances of success will be much higher.

The first step of writing a business plan is clearly defining your target market. This will tell you exactly whom your brand is for.

Research your competitors. Is your product already available on the market? With whom are you competing?

This will help you come up with a strategy separating you from the crowd.

Set a realistic budget. Recall our discussion about investors. Make sure you raise enough money so that you don’t have to worry about running out of cash.

Include a financial section of your business plan. When will you break even? Display your cash flow projections and expenses.

Account for everything to make sure you can survive until you have a steady income.

Your business plan should include a plan to market your startup company.

Conclusion

If your new idea for your business feels like it has legs, go for it.

Be confident in yourself and this new idea. Go through the steps carefully without taking any shortcuts.

Just don’t rush into things. It’s important for you to take a break in between these launch attempts. Take the time to analyze what went wrong so you can learn from your mistakes and avoid repeating them.

Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.

Don’t feel obligated to start a new business right away if you’re not ready. You may decide to try something else in the meantime.

But as we discussed earlier, you’ll have a greater chance of succeeding the next time around, so don’t be discouraged by what happened in the past.

Turn your idea into a reality.

How were you able to identify what went wrong with your first startup launch?

Source Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/2LaPzct

Are You Ready to Make the Entrepreneurial Leap?

Unfortunately, starting a business can be seen as a leap of faith. It isn’t a given that you’ll be successful. It isn’t always a given that you will be producing a product or service that people are willing to purchase. However, it can be much less of an unknown if you conduct your research and […]

The post Are You Ready to Make the Entrepreneurial Leap? appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.

Source The Work at Home Woman https://ift.tt/2L0Ldp9

How to Manage Your Money Like a Millionaire — When You Definitely Aren’t One

Get More Work Done: Eight Ways to Avoid the ‘Halfway Zone’

More often than I’d like to admit, I find myself working on a task, but not really working on the task. For instance, I’ll start a writing project on my computer, but I’ll have my Twitter feed open in a separate tab. I’ll write a bit, check Twitter, write a bit, read another tweet, write, then see an update that I absolutely have to read, and jump back to my feed.

It’s not that either activity I’m engaging in is bad — it’s just that they’re bad when mixed. I’m not being very productive with my work, and I’m not getting maximum enjoyment out of casually reading through Twitter (which is possibly my favorite leisure activity).

I call this getting stuck in the halfway zone. It’s like trying to think through a complex math problem while doing a challenging yoga pose. Both activities have benefits, but if you try to do them at the same time your performance and enjoyment will suffer across both activities.

Like most people, I find I’m at my most productive when I’m “all in,” meaning laser-focused on the task at hand. Similarly, I enjoy my leisure time more when I’m “all out,” and have nothing weighing on my mind. I’m at my most angsty when I’m in the halfway zone.

I’ve come up with eight different tactics you can implement to avoid being in that state of limbo between work and relaxation. Hopefully these can help you to get better work done and to truly enjoy your leisure time while you are off.

Use the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique was popularized back in the late 1980s as a way to do focused work, and it has fervent adherents to this day. The basic premise is that you use a timer to block out 20- to 30-minute chunks of time, during which you work on a task. Once the timer goes off, you take a five-minute break. Then you reset the timer and dive back in, repeating as necessary.

I like the regimented nature of this technique, which makes the boundary between work and rest very clear. You might be surprised at just how much you can get done in 30 minutes of effort that is 100% distraction free.

• Related: Productivity Apps Are No Match for a Simple Timer

Use Distraction Blocking Apps and Extensions

Thankfully, in this world of addicting games and apps, there are also programs you can download that make it harder to procrastinate. For instance, if you tend to spend a lot of time on social media, you can get something that blocks your access to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at certain times of the day. Similarly, you can restrict your access to games you can’t stop playing. If you want to really commit to getting work done the old fashioned way, you can even get programs that will restrict or block off your access to the internet altogether.

A web search for “distraction blockers” will yield a number of interesting options that can be tailored to your individual needs. It also might make you feel better about your procrastination problem to see that there are over 200,000 Google search results for the phrase “distraction blockers,” meaning you’re far from alone in seeking some help.

Practice Deep Work

“Deep Work,” as popularized by the book of the same name, is kind of like the Pomodoro Technique on steroids. You choose a chunk of time every day for working, usually between two and four hours, and then you sequester yourself in quiet room without distractions. For that chunk of time, you focus as hard as you can on making progress on a task.

The downside to this strategy is that it’s not very compatible with a typical 9-5 job. As much as I’d like to tell my boss, “I’ll be offline for the next three hours working on complex problems with only a pen and paper, tough luck if you want to get a hold of me,” it just wouldn’t fly. But, for an off-site freelancer or someone tackling a side project on an off day, it can be a very useful strategy for getting into a flow state.

Do a Cheat Day

Cheat days are usually associated with diets. The premise is that you follow a strict eating protocol from Monday through Saturday, and then on Sunday you get to eat whatever you want.

You could easily institute a similar protocol with your work habits. You work as much as you want, whenever you want, but once Sunday rolls around, you stop. Sundays could be for relaxation and restoration only. You can watch Netflix all day, guilt-free, if that’s what you choose.

It’s worth noting that many religions build in periods of rest on a weekly and yearly basis. There could be a deep wisdom associated with this approach, which recognizes that we’ll burn out unless we schedule in some down time.

Do a ‘No-Work Nighttime’

The most recent data on American working habits shows that one-third of Americans do some work on nights and weekends. This includes office workers who purportedly work 9-5, not just service industry employees who would be expected to work on weekends. This data shows that for many of us, work has a way of bleeding into what should be our free time.

One way to combat this is to is to block off periods of each day where you don’t use technology. This is like a mini-version of the cheat day. You could say that once 8 p.m. hits, work is done for the day. This strategy helps me to be refreshed and ready to do good work the next day.

Sometimes, on top of no work, I like to do “no-tech.” I turn my phone on airplane mode and grab a book. When my phone is on, I’m often tempted to “Google something really quick,” which can turn into checking my email, which can turn into ruminating about a message a co-worker sent. It’s just easier if to take that option off the table completely. If you want to jumpstart this process, you could try a digital detox.

Limit Yourself to Three Browser Tabs at Once

When I’m in the halfway zone, I can literally have 20 tabs open in one browser window. The news seems so compelling. I want to read all the things!

I’m ashamed to admit that as I started this paragraph, I realized I was breaking my own three tab rule. I had nine tabs open, two of which were half-finished think pieces I started reading over a week ago. Not good. I mean, if I didn’t finish them in a week, how badly do I really want to read them?

When I really want to get something done, I find it’s a lot easier if I open a new window in my computer and then open no more than three tabs. It’s all about reducing distractions.

For creative work, I also like to use full screen mode. All browsers have this option. In Google Chrome it’s under the “view” tab at the top of the screen. Going full screen helps me to eliminate temptation because all my bookmarks, which are full of fun and interesting links to distractions, disappear from view.

Try Not to Work While You’re Tired and Hungry

There are days where I skip breakfast and then end up completely unproductive in the hour before my lunch break. Every minute feels like an hour. I watch the clock and get lost in daydreams about my tasty lunch.

The problems compound when I’m tired as well as hungry. That’s when I make silly errors that I would otherwise catch. Also, being in this state makes me exponentially more likely to procrastinate.

If you’re trying to get focused work done, make sure you fuel your body properly. Have a snack before starting a big project, if you know the work will eat into your meal time. If you’re sleepy, take a cat nap if possible. Or, if you’re at the office, at least take a few moments to look away from the screen. A few deep breaths and some light stretching can do wonders for your ability to focus.

This one is tough because life happens. No one is impervious to the demands of kids, spouses, and erratic bosses. But if you can make nutrition and rest at least somewhat of a priority amidst the storm, you’ll see some good returns.

Be Realistic

Like many people, I get into trouble when I bite off more than I can chew. For example, If I’m feeling energized in the morning, I’ll convince myself that I can complete five tough tasks in a single day. “It’s important to set lofty goals!” I’ll tell myself, while flying high on a caffeine rush.

Then, a few hours later, I’ll find myself flip-flopping between mindlessly browsing Reddit and hacking away at task three of five, already feeling mentally exhausted. If I do complete that third task, it will be in a way that is not up to my usual standards.

It would be much more efficient, and healthy, to set realistic goals. Then, I can complete my tasks and just relax.

Summing Up

As much as we wish it was otherwise, our brains weren’t meant to multitask. That being the case, time management is critical. Unless we find ways to separate work and leisure, they will bleed into one another. I hope the above tips can help you both get more things done and truly enjoy your time off while you are in relaxation mode.

Related Articles:

• Five Time-Saving Productivity Hacks, Reviewed
• How Block Scheduling Has Solved Some of My Greatest Career and Life Challenges to Date
• Frugality, Productivity, and the Local Maximum

The post Get More Work Done: Eight Ways to Avoid the ‘Halfway Zone’ appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar https://ift.tt/2zKBLB6

Is It Better to Be a Homeowner or a Renter? This Guide Will Help You Decide

How One Florida Woman Lost 23 Pounds — and Gained $1,200 With a Free App

When Missy Novak stepped on the scale and realized she’d lost 8 pounds, she felt alarmed. In her words, she’s “a woman of a certain age,” so unexpectedly losing weight isn’t always good.

Then she realized the culprit: Shopkick.

Thanks to the shopping rewards app, she’d kicked her sedentary lifestyle and had become more active. It pays its users to complete certain tasks, like walking into a retailer or scanning an item’s barcode. Users then exchange these points for gift cards.

Since Novak started using Shopkick less than two years ago, she’s made more than $1,200 and has lost about 23 pounds.

How? She walks. And walks, and walks, and walks. Shopkick is like a scavenger hunt, taking her from retailer to retailer, aisle to aisle.

“I might be a little addicted to it,” Novak admits.

How Shopkick Works

First, download the Shopkick app through iTunes or Google Play.

Then, start earning “kicks” when you complete certain tasks, which include:

• Walking into an affiliated retailer, including Walmart, Target, TJMaxx and more.
• Scanning barcodes on Shopkick-listed products.
• Taking a photo of your receipt that includes qualifying items.
• Purchasing particular items with a connected credit or debit card.
• Shopping online.

Don’t make the mistake of buying things you don’t need — just for kicks. And remember you can earn kicks without even making a purchase.

Once you accumulate enough kicks, exchange them for a gift card. For example, 500 kicks will score you a $5 Target or Walmart gift card.

And hey, you just might drop a few pounds, too.

Carson Kohler (carson@thepennyhoarder.com) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She uses Shopkick on occasion, though it doesn’t seem to cancel out all the desserts she eats.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/2LkGhrp

Our House Came With Two Goats — and They’re Heartbreaking Helpers

Goats aren’t yoga props or party decorations: They’re inexpensive, reliable creatures who can be a tremendous help around the yard if you let them.

They’re also the most rewarding, heartbreaking portion of my farm experience.

When my wife and I were first looking at a roughly two-acre historic farm amid 80 field acres in unincorporated Washington County, Ore., we were introduced to the farm’s two goats by the owners. The goats, a young Boer goat named Star (which we’d later change to Nanny) and an old horned Cashmere named Billy, had a roughly half-acre pen to themselves and lived in a large former chicken coop that had been converted to a shed.

We were told by the owners that the goats were a contingency of sale: That either we took the goats, or we couldn’t have the farm. We agreed to take them, but neither of us were really sold until we began moving in and feeding them regularly. My wife works a few blocks up from the farm and, each day, would bring a few boxes of our belongings to the house and put a few leaves of alfalfa in the feeder in their shed.

I didn’t get acquainted with them until we’d moved in completely in February 2013, and was frankly a little put off by them: Their rectangular pupils made them appear dead inside, and their pellet droppings seemingly had no regard for anyone in the immediate vicinity. But the goats appeared easy enough to feed and entertain: Just a few leaves of alfalfa each day and topping off their water buckets about every other day or so. It wasn’t until the alfalfa began to run out about a month later that we got into some of the logistics of feeding goats.

Finding more alfalfa meant getting acquainted with our local farm store, Coastal Farm & Ranch in Cornelius, Ore. Knowing nothing about how I was supposed to feed them, I went down and simply asked for their recommendation. The salespeople recommended alfalfa each day, but also noted that we should let them forage in the pasture throughout the summer.

With alfalfa bales here going for about $14 apiece, we picked up five ($60), but used them sparingly during the summer. When it occurred to us that we had no idea what kind of health they were in, we called the vet that the previous owners had recommended, Banks Veterinary Service, and asked them to come have a look. Banks Vet is a rural vet familiar with goats, sheep, horses, and other livestock, and the vet who came out showed me how to play a sort of zone defense against the goats to wrangle them and hold them still for hoof trimming and vaccination. The cost of that visit, about $160, would become at least an annual expense.

The vet informed us that our restricted alfalfa diet had left the goats much more gaunt than they should be, so they recommended a mix of sweet grain feed (Stock and Stable, $13.19 per 50-pound bag) and rice pellets ($11.99 per 40-pound bag). She also recommended that we re-bed their shed with fresh hay before winter, which we did one early November afternoon with five bales of straw ($10.49 apiece).

This kept our goats happy through the season, as did a whole lot of organic leftovers like banana peels, cucumber skins, pepper cores, and lettuce hearts that we’d collect in the refrigerator throughout the week. Our “goat bowls” of organic waste helped us reduce garbage to roughly one bag a week between the two of us, with other organics like egg shells and coffee grounds going to the compost bin.

We had our first bout of bad luck in 2014, when Billy suddenly began laying down in the pasture in late winter and not getting up. With his head curling backward and his legs seemingly unable to support him anymore, we called the vet for advice. They recommended giving him aspirin for the pain and assessing his condition over the next three days. When that condition didn’t improve, we brought him to the vet in our 1984 Ford F-250 that also came with the house, and an older vet there put him under… but not before saying he remembered chasing Billy around the pen 19 years ago when he was new.

Knowing that we’d done everything we could to save a 19-year-old goat was somewhat comforting, as was spreading his ashes around the pen. But the panicked look and bleats from his companion Nanny — which didn’t subside even when we’d given her spent blackberry from a recent batch of wine — made us realize we had to do something. We told our vet to let us know if anyone needed housing for a goat, and they immediately pointed us toward a rescue farm in Buxton, Ore. At the end of a gravel road in the hills sat fields of chickens, geese, pigs, and cattle, but just one little red pen where we were told goats would be. About eight little multi-shaded faces of young Nubian goats greeted us from the shed when we walked in, but only one came out to see what was going on: A male wether who didn’t make weight at the state fair.

For $60, we put Carl (because what else do you name wethers?) in a large dog crate (which he could still fit into at the time), tied the crate down in the back of our truck, and brought him home. As soon as we put him in the pen, Nanny came over and led him to the shed. She’d lead him around the pen for two more days until the two of them got even more company. The receptionist at our vet’s office had just lost a goat and was left with one lonely, standoffish bearded pygmy goat named Bambi. She offered him to us for free, and brought him up to our porch, where he immediately relieved himself.

With the herd settled, we began to reassess our needs. It immediately became apparent that half an acre of tallgrass wouldn’t be enough for the three of them, as they’d eaten it down to near-nothing by July. We upped our alfalfa purchases to about six bales ($72) every three months and substituted more alfalfa for their grain portion in the summer. We also watched as the pygmy goat, now named Shaggy for his goatee, butted heads with Carl and chased each other up and down the boulder pile in the middle of the pen.

With three goats, we began cleaning out the shed more regularly: Mucking out the old straw completely, and laying down five bales (about $52.50) in early spring and late fall. We also replaced fencing ($169.99) along the perimeter after Shaggy pushed through old wire fencing and escaped at least twice as we stood nearby. He did not go back willingly.

Three goats also increased the cost of the annual vet call to closer to $200, but they remained healthy and happy. They followed me and my mower as we circled the pen, they yelled at my wife until she gave them scraps from her nearby garden, and they graciously accepted cuttings from our laurel, apple, and cypress trees, as well as canes of wild blackberry that we’d trim from various portions of the property.

Last year, during a particularly bad stretch of winter weather just around Martin Luther King Day, Shaggy began acting strangely: Curling his head inward and refusing food. We immediately made an emergency call to the vet, who came over and gave him a shot to ward off early signs of a listeria infection. We’d thought we’d gotten it in time. As it turned out, we were wrong. A few days later, we found Shaggy paralyzed in the snow, screaming and writhing. I dragged him into a corner of the shed, put food and water by him and kept tabs on his condition.

It never improved. I called the vet one last time, and the same vet who’d administered the shot to Shaggy a few days earlier came out and noted that his chances of survival were slim. I made the call to have him put down and couldn’t stop thinking just one thought: Poor little goat.

Shaggy had done nothing to deserve that fate. Had we given him some piece of produce with listeria? Had we not kept the pen clean enough? Would one of the other two goats be next? The vet answered all of these questions with a simple “no.” Were any of that true, the other goats would have exhibited symptoms and we’d have a much larger problem on our hands.

I picked up Shaggy and carried him to the vet’s truck. She told me that we’d done all we could by making the emergency call, getting him treatment and getting her back out there quickly. As soon as she wrapped up the sentence, I began to cry. I told her to tell the receptionist, Angela, that we tried our best to give Shaggy a good home and to keep him both healthy and safe.

Angela responded by paying the entire cost of Shaggy’s treatment, but keeping his ashes and spreading them in his original pen. We received a condolence card from her and the rest of the office at Banks Vet about a week later.

Quieter and slower, life went on in the goat pen. We still have both Nanny and Carl, and they have had their work cut out for them the last two years as cold, wet winters and short, hot summers have grown the pasture to their bellies. They still trot out to meet me when I bring grain or alfalfa, they still beg for garden scraps, and they both function as doorbells: Alerting me when the mailman is walking up to the house.

I’m guessing that we spend roughly $500 to $600 on these goats in a good year, and spend a few hours a month feeding them, combing away shedding fur, fixing their fence, and tending to their more than century-old shed. But they pay it all back. They save me hours’ worth of mowing and several cans’ worth of organic waste, but they’re also the spirits of our farm. They live out their lives here, have their favorite places on the property, know just when the sun hits the rockpile or the front of the shed, and know just when to soak it all in.

They appreciate this place as much, if not more, than my wife and I do. If you have space and grass to spare, they give far more than they take.

Related Articles: 

• The Costs of Pet Ownership
• Cheap DIY Solutions to Spring’s Yard and Household Hassles
• Figuring Out ‘The Good Life’

The post Our House Came With Two Goats — and They’re Heartbreaking Helpers appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar https://ift.tt/2ux1Z4c

Whose Line is It? How an Improv Comedy Class Can Help You at Work