Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but German sedans, coupes and even SUVs from die grossen drei (M-B, Audi, Porsche) set the bar these days for luxury, performance and technology, and for sticker shock too. VW, on the other hand, delivers German driving dynamics and automotive sophistication at prices that line up much more closely with mass-market vehicles from everywhere else. The GTI hot hatchback, for example, reviewed here two weeks ago, channels other, much more [...]
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الاثنين، 22 يونيو 2015
5 Reasons Marketers Fail With Data
Are you still not fully utilizing data? Columnist David Booth outlines five things you need to do to help you and your organization better dive into data.
Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
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Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1LfLZ9M
Questions About Cheap Camping, Office Chairs, Steam, and More!
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Cheap camping options
2. Diabetic question
3. Water leaking from air vents
4. Handling a medical catastrophe
5. Side gigs at work?
6. Office chair suggestion
7. Struggling with life choices
8. Do bidets save money?
9. Best cheap Field Notes alternatives
10. Savings accounts and interest rates
11. Being “exceptional”
12. Steam sale thoughts
In a given week of writing, the reader mailbag is far and away the most challenging one for me to write.
It is often easy to reflect on my own story and situation. It’s something I’m intimately familiar with.
The reader mailbag makes me focus on the stories of others, which makes me rethink everything about how I view finances.
Even more than that, it often makes me reflect on the stories of people who find themselves in a much tougher place than I find myself these days.
Those stories are hard to read. They’re even harder to answer.
Yet, they’re also the valuable thing I do here at The Simple Dollar.
If I can reach out and help even one person and show even one person in need that someone is listening and wants to help, then every minute I’ve ever spent writing for this site has been worthwhile. The fact that I’ve done it many, many times is an incredible blessing beyond my wildest imagination.
Q1: Cheap camping options
What is the cheapest way for a family of three or four to go camping? We would like to camp as part of an inexpensive summer vacation this year but we have never done it and haven’t the foggiest idea how to start.
– Jenna
Here’s a very good guide for all the camping gear you’ll ever need for less than $100. It is a great place to start.
The one upgrade you may want from this list for family camping is a tent rather than a canvas sheet, which is something you’ll have to shop around for. Family tents can be found pretty inexpensively, so it won’t add too much to your total.
Remember, much of the fun of family camping is finding ways to take care of your basic needs in a simple “back to nature” way. How do you prepare a meal starting with almost no equipment and food? It is fun to figure that out together as a family. Exploring nature and testing your own skills is most of the fun, at least in my opinion.
Q2: Diabetic question
I was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I am struggling with depression over the whole thing but financially just not sure how to handle it. I need to eat a more balanced and healthy diet which is expensive. I also feel I should be putting money away for when things progress, as they often do with this disease. Any thoughts?
– Marvin
The first suggestion I would have is to spend time outside doing stuff. Anything, really. It doesn’t matter so much what you’re doing outside as long as you’re outside moving around. This helps in two big ways. One, you’re exercising, which directly helps with the symptoms and even the root cause of diabetes. Two, you’re outside, which is going to help with the depression aspect. Any sort of hobby you can take up that gets you outside is a good hobby here. Personally, I enjoy Ingress and geocaching as outdoor activities for starters.
The second comment I have to make is that eating a healthier diet isn’t usually more expensive than eating a less healthy diet. It just requires more work. I speak from experience as I eat a vegetarian diet with most meals made up of very basic ingredients, which isn’t that far from a good diet for diabetics. The average preparation time for a vegetarian meal is a bit higher than a meal with no restrictions and it does put a very tight restriction on convenience foods, but in no way is it more expensive. It just requires learning new ways to cook.
How can you get started? I’d suggest trying out some diabetic-friendly slow cooker recipes this weekend. Start one on Saturday morning, then spend the day out and about doing something outdoors that you enjoy. Try out geocaching or ride a bike. When you come home several hours later, you’ll have a meal sitting there ready for you, one that’s not too expensive and in line with your dietary restrictions. You will have spent the day very active, so you’re likely to fall asleep and get a great night of sleep. Those are the kind of days that are going to be inexpensive building blocks to a healthier future for you. Good luck.
Q3: Water leaking from air vents
I live in Louisiana and each summer for the last few years the air vents throughout my house drip water during the summer months. I have lived in this house for 13 years and this problem started just a few years ago. The vents just started dripping this month since the temps outside have climbed. The air vents drip so much water that the ceiling around the vents gets wet and stained (severely) . I repainted my living room ceiling and my kitchen ceiling a couple of years ago to cover up the stains and that was a waste since the summer after painting the ceiling the vents dripped and the ceiling got wet again. I have contacted an AC company on a couple of occasions to look at it and they tell me it’s normal and of course try to sell me other services. I do not find this extent of water dripping to be normal. I have lived my entire life in the south and never have I experienced this sort of extreme condensation in any house that I have lived in. None of my friends or family have this issue. Any suggestions or advice that you or your readers have would be greatly appreciated.
– Denise
I can only make a guess based on what you’ve said here, that you live in Louisiana and that the dripping starts occurring when the weather is hot. My guess is that condensation is forming on the outside of the air vents due to poor air ventilation in your attic and gradual changes in your home (maybe item storage?) have caused the attic ventilation to get worse and worse. Again, this is a blind guess based on just the information you’ve given here.
If I were you, I’d convince someone to go up in your attic and make sure that nothing at all was blocking any sort of air flow into or out of your attic. Make sure there are no vents blocked or anything else like that up there. In a humid and hot environment, you must have good air flow around the outside of your ducts or you will get condensation.
If you’ve been storing stuff in your attic over the last decade or two and more and more stuff has accumulated up there, it’s probably time to just clean out your attic and get rid of that stuff.
Q4: Handling a medical catastrophe
I emailed you last year (in a bit of a down moment, to say the least) right after my [relatively young] husband had had a stroke in late March. The good news about having one so young is that he recovered fully, and thanks to some hard budgeting (and his amazing health insurance through his job), we were able to defeat the bill monster completely by mid-September and take the trip we bought tickets for prior to the stroke. 2015 has been happily boring, just like we wanted.
At the time, I asked if you could write a column re: advice, as it was a terrifying time to be thrown in with no clue how to handle the paperwork, the bill onslaught, etc., and that on top of being my husband’s caregiver during his recovery. Thankfully, I had the benefit of good friends advising me and helping us. I learned so much from them and my own experience that I could write several articles myself now!
If I had to pare it down to an appropriately vague (no personal/identifying details, please) “Reader Mailbag” blurb, the most important things I could say re: an unexpected medical catastrophe would be:
1) As soon as you’re married or appropriately serious, get a Power of Attorney Document. Even as his wife, there was so much I couldn’t do or access because we didn’t have that sheet of paper to get past HIPAA. Short of some incredibly kind, quick-thinking, and loophole-finding personnel, I wouldn’t even have had access to his medical records, which proved crucial at follow-up appointments.
2) Be kind and polite, always and to everyone. You will be remembered by staff (who deal with stressed out, screaming people quite enough) for the right reasons, and they will in turn help you and your loved one however they can. They may even go above and beyond (see #1). Likewise, the amount of friends who came forward to help us with errands, gift groceries, and the like was unexpected and overwhelming to the point of tears. Karma is very much real.
3) You can do this. Be strong when you must, cry when you need to, and remember: You can do this.
Thank you for your time, and of course for your site. It was a much-needed distraction when in the hospital and a great help in the months after when we were facing down the bills.
– Melinda
This is spectacular advice.
The first one is a great piece of advice to anyone who is married (or about to get married). This is a document well worth getting because, as Melinda mentions, it can really help in a pinch.
The second one is brilliant advice in almost every social and customer service situation. There’s no reason not to be nice, even when the other person isn’t. There are absolutely times to be “tough,” but those times are actually pretty rare.
The last one is perfect for any challenging moment in life. You can do this. Period.
Great stuff, Melinda.
Q5: Side gigs at work?
I was hired on by a well funded (conservative) start up company and have excelled and was quickly promoted to a critical position for the plant my company is opening last September. Unfortunately the plant’s opening has been repeatedly pushed back, most recently to early next year and until it opens I don’t have work to do. I mean it. I’m an initiative taking, creative, go-getting worker and their isn’t anything for me to do. I spend ten hours each day doing basically nothing for the company outside of being a pleasant person and answering phones occasionally. (I realize this puts me in an excellent position to be let go so I save aggressively for that emergency possibility… I get the feeling they just really want to keep me around for the job.)
Meanwhile, I’m sort of stuck in a catch-22. I can’t exactly find a better job because I’m not really gaining experience in my current job so I feel like i should stick around at this job until I get the experience to get another job… This job pays decently and can lead to opportunities I’ll enjoy ok but in the meantime I’ve begun side gig activities in my free time including blogging and applying for freelance work.
This brings me to the heart of the ethics question: It kills me to spend 10 hours a day doing absolutely nothing at a computer all day only to go home to work on my side gigs that are actually expanding my experience, resume, and happiness. Would it be ok to spend some of my plentiful excess time at work working on these additional activities even though they would be under the office radar? I guess I’m struggling with the idea that since I could easily be let go anyways why not try to get the most out of my free time as possible?
Can you work for yourself when you can’t work for work? Outside of this moral dilemma am I missing something here
– Karen
If I were in your shoes, the first thing I would do is look for any and all possible training I could take to put myself in the best possible position to hit a home run when that factory opens. What skills and knowledge will you need to possess to execute well? Look for courses and certifications and anything else you can invest in to get that kind of training.
Better yet, talk to your supervisor about it. To an extent, this period may be something of a test for you – can you make something out of nothing? Right now, you have no real structure at all. Can you create something on your own?
Spend a day or two coming up with a plan to get an additional certification or two or take a few classes that can really prime you to nail this project. Discuss that plan with your supervisor – they may even pay for some of it. Then spend your time and energy on that plan.
Q6: Office chair suggestion
Do you have any suggestions for a cheap (< $200) and durable and comfortable office chair? I am setting up a home office and I will be using the chair 4-6 hours per day.
– Andy
Cheap. Durable. Comfortable. Choose two.
If you’re going for cheap and durable, a metal folding chair will do the trick. It’s cheap. It’s durable. It’s not comfortable. I have used one of these in a pinch before.
If you’re going for cheap and comfortable, head down to your local office supply store and pick the one that feels the most comfortable to you.
If you’re going for comfortable and durable, get a Herman Miller Aeron or a Herman Miller Embody chair. I used a Herman Miller Aeron chair at my previous job and I loved it. It worked perfectly for most of a decade. However, it’s a $900 chair.
The best balance among all of these things is probably the IKEA Markus chair. It lists for $199 and is fairly comfortable and is what I like to call “IKEA reliable” meaning “as reliable as you can get without high-end craftsmanship.” That would probably be my pick if you’re really trying to balance all three, but you don’t quite get all three at the same time here – just “pretty good” regarding all three factors.
Q7: Struggling with life choices
I went to college on a full scholarship and graduated with a BS in physics and philosophy. My plan was to go to graduate school in physics and I applied and was accepted, but chose not to go. I have an open invitation to reapply and likely get accepted there any time though I imagine that offer becomes more “dim” as time passes.
I feel lost. The idea of having a family and working at a job to support that family seems horrible to me, something that I do not want with every fiber of my being, but it feels like every track in my life pushes me toward that. I actively avoid dating or even social situations because I do not want to get married and I do not want children. I do not want a job with pressures or anything like that.
Right now I work at a 24 hour convenience store mostly during the night hours. I spend 80% of my time there reading and dealing with the odd customer that comes in every fifteen minutes or so. I ride my bike to and from work. I live in a one room apartment that’s basically little different than a dorm room and I spend most of my time reading philosophy texts and physics papers that I get from the university library. I spend very little, as my apartment rent is really really cheap and I use the open wifi from a coffee shop that’s nearby. I mostly eat the food that has to be tossed at the convenience store. I wind up saving about a third of what I make so right now I wouldn’t have to work for a year and still be fine.
When I am just doing that I feel really happy but whenever I talk to family or to professors they all push me toward a track that I don’t want to be on so I reject it and I wind up feeling like something is wrong with me.
– Kevin
I can completely sympathize with the lack of interest in dating or marriage or children. That’s a life choice that a lot of people make and there’s nothing wrong with it.
As for the career choice, it sounds like you have enough skill/talent/knowledge in the realm of physics that graduate school is a really sensible path for you, but you’re afraid that it would turn into a nine-to-five job. Why would it have to?
What exactly in the graduate school experience would be that different than what you’re doing right now? I have a lot of experience with students in graduate school in the hard sciences – many of my friends and coworkers went through that – and most of them describe their lives as being very hand-to-mouth with a lot of time spent reading academic papers and devising experiments and taking classes. This sounds like what you spend most of your spare time on.
Even if you wound up deciding that actually working with an advanced degree in physics isn’t right for you, it sounds like you should be in graduate school, in an environment with people who can answer your questions and drive you to think even more about the questions you’re studying. Not only that, you seem very articulate, which is an additional bonus.
If I were you, I’d go to graduate school. Even if you don’t love what you perceive to be the destination, the path seems to match you really well, and you can turn the destination into whatever works best for you.
Q8: Do bidets save money?
My husband grew up in a house that had a bidet in it. He is basically insistent that our house also have one when we buy a house or else we install one. Not only is it a familiarity thing but he says it saves money over the long haul. I’m not convinced on the “save money” thing because you’re using water and you have to install it too. Thoughts?
– Annie
A bidet uses about an eighth of a gallon of water per use. Since you already have home water service set up, every 1,000 gallons of water you use costs you about $1.50 (this does vary from area to area). So, your water use cost for a bidet is about two hundredths of a cent. You’d have to use a bidet 5,000 times to use a dollar’s worth of water.
Toilet paper is going to run you about twenty cents per hundred sheets. Assuming you used just one sheet per toilet use, you’re spending two-tenths of a cent per toilet use. That’s 200 single-sheet toilet paper uses per dollar. If you use more than one sheet, that count drops rapidly.
So, yes, a bidet is cheaper per use. Now, is it worth the install cost? It probably isn’t if you’re only living in a home for a short time, but if this is a long term home, it’s almost assuredly cost effective (assuming everyone uses the bidet).
Q9: Best cheap Field Notes alternatives
I loved your article on pocket notebooks. I have tried Field Notes and they work very well as a pocket notebook but I can’t justify spending $3 a pop on pocket notebooks. What is your best cheap replacement for them?
– Damon
If any old pocket notebook will do, the Mead top spiral pocket notebooks served me very well for years. As I mentioned, my biggest complaint was with the spiral itself, as it would often snag on my jeans, feel bulky in my pocket, and sometimes poke into my leg, plus there were issues with pages sometimes falling out of notebooks like that.
One of my friends makes his own “Field Notes” by printing off a lined pattern on both sides of pieces of printer paper, then cutting them in half and folding each half, then stapling a small stack of them in the middle forming a small book. He uses a piece of card stock for the cover and also uses scissors to trim the corners. They’re undoubtedly cheaper and seem to hold up fairly well.
I don’t really know of a good “cheap” alternative to Field Notes that matches the quality that notebooks (and similar brands) provide.
Q10: Savings accounts and interest rates
I have noticed a lot of online banks like Ally and MySavingsDirect offering really good interest rates that are way better than my bank. Is it worth switching to those banks to get a better interest rate on savings for an emergency fund?
– Donald
Sure, why not? The only criteria I’d really consider besides interest rate when it comes to a bank is FDIC insurance (which almost every bank has) and customer service reputation (which you can figure out from Consumer Reports – and Ally is pretty good in that regard).
However, I’ve found that if you’ve already got a solid interest rate, jumping around to get a slightly better one isn’t really worth the time. Let’s say you are earning 0.5% in an ordinary savings account on your $2,000 emergency fund. That’s $10 a year in earned interest. If you switch to a 2% account – meaning you switched to one of the rate leaders from your ordinary bank – you go from $10 a year to $40 a year. After that, switching isn’t going to gain you nearly as much – switching to a 2.5% account only gains you $10 a year and that’s only if they don’t change rates at all (which banks do).
That’s why I usually use customer service and ease of availability of funds as big factors in deciding where to bank. You want easy and consistent access to your money and that’s what good service provides. I consider most local credit unions to be good options and I know Ally is a good online option.
Q11: Being “exceptional”
I don’t think you realize how exceptional you are. Your path to paying off debt isn’t just something everyone can follow. You are bringing exceptional talents to the table like your personal willpower and decision making process. Most people can’t follow in those footsteps.
– Jim
I’ve read two emails like this in the past week and I chose Jim’s because it was more succinct. My answer to both: pure hogwash.
The honest truth is that I’m pretty average. The only reason I look any better than average is that I started off in a really bad place. I didn’t get out of that place by becoming something “super.” I got out of that place by becoming just a little bit better than the below average person I was, then a little bit better than that, then a little bit better than that.
I didn’t work to be in the 99th percentile. I worked to go from the 10th percentile to the 11th percentile, then the next year pushing myself up to the 12th or 13th percentile. Now, maybe I’m at the 50th percentile.
The thing is, jumping from the 10th to the 50th is a pretty big jump and, taken out of context, it looks really impressive. It looks like a huge, radical life change. That’s because it’s a change that took place over a long period of time and it’s a change that looks good in comparison to an absolute disaster.
The best thing you can do to improve yourself isn’t to expect to be in the top 1%. It’s to work to be better than you were last year or last month. If you keep achieving that simpler goal, you will get better and better and better. You have nowhere to go but up.
Q12: Steam sale thoughts
I just wanted to drop a tip that I use to save money on computer games. Computer games are my main hobby – I play for a few hours each evening instead of watching television when most people are doing that.
Steam offers a sale twice a year on computer games, cutting the prices on all kinds of computer games by as much as 90%. I stock up during these sales and spend maybe $30. That gives me games to play for the next six months and often even longer than that.
Steam makes computer gaming a cheap hobby for me. I thought your readers might find it useful too.
– Gareth
I, too, admire the semi-annual Steam sale and I’ll often drop a few dollars there, too. I don’t play computer games nearly as often as I used to, but I still enjoy long adventure games that rely more on puzzle solving than on hand-eye coordination and there’s usually one or two good ones in each Steam sale.
This time around, I didn’t buy anything, though. Why? I still have several games from the last Steam sale I haven’t played through yet and, honestly, if I bought more games, it’s likely I wouldn’t paly through some of them.
As cool as the sale is, it’s still a waste of money if you don’t actually play the games. Keep that in mind even if the deal is extreme.
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 Cheap Camping, Office Chairs, Steam, and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Going Back to Work After Staying Home With Kids? Avoid the “Motherhood Penalty”
When I decided to leave my full-time job to become a stay-at-home mom to my boys, I did it with the intention of freelancing for the foreseeable future. With all the talk of the gender pay gap in the news lately, though, I worry that if I do decide to return to the corporate world, I’ll be penalized for my “time off” with the kids. And I have plenty of reason to be concerned.
“Many stay-at-home and part-time working mothers will eventually decide to return to the full-time workforce, and when they do they may encounter a ‘motherhood penalty’ that extends beyond the actual time out of the workforce,” explains The Simple Truth About the Gender Gap (2015), a report by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on the disparity of pay between men and women across their lifetimes.
Recent research found that “mothers were rated as less competent, less committed, less suitable for hire, promotion and management training, and deserving of lower salaries” — just because they had kids. And a recent Pew survey confirmed that taking time away from work or reducing work hours to care for children contributes to a woman’s decreased pay.
This motherhood penalty means women with children who’ve taken time out of the workforce are less likely to be hired and, once hired, are offered a lower salary than their childless female counterparts.
So what can a stay-at-home mom do to improve her chances of getting a job and being paid what she’s worth once she decides return to the office? Here are six ways you can keep your skills sharp and make your resume shine when you’re ready to go back to work.
1. Educate Yourself
Always wanted to learn a second language? Interested in improving your keyboarding skills? Need to expand your Photoshop knowledge? Now is the perfect time to update your skills or learn new ones. Take an online or continuing education course to refresh or improve your professional skills or add new ones to your repertoire.
I’ve recently been brushing up on my HTML and CSS skills for free at w3schools.com, and I attended a free workshop through my local Small Business Resource Center, where I learned strategies for growing my business. If you’re willing to do a little searching, there are plenty of places you can learn for cheap or free. And don’t forget, if you do have to pay for a course, that expense is tax deductible!
2. Attend a Conference
If funds allow, take advantage of professional conferences in your area — or use these strategies to get in for free. These events are perfect for learning about current trends in your field. In addition, you can network and make professional connections that could come in handy when you’re sending out resumes in the future.
My local writers’ association offers at least one conference a year, and I was lucky enough to go last fall. I enjoyed learning from successful writers, reconnecting with people I hadn’t seen since before my boys were born and making new connections with writers and agents who were interested in my work.
3. Volunteer
You may not be getting paid, but volunteer work is still experience that can minimize time gaps on your resume. A friend who is currently staying home with her daughter volunteers her time writing grant proposals for a nonprofit organization she supports.
Find opportunities to keep your skills fresh by volunteering for your children’s school, a local nonprofit or another organization.
4. Start Freelancing
If you were making money on the side before the kids were born, you’re ahead of the curve here. Keep that work going as much or as little as you can, and you’ll be able to use that experience when you negotiate with your new boss. If you didn’t have a side gig, don’t worry. You can put your skills to work in whatever way you choose and start a freelance business now.
Even very-part-time work will keep your resume up-to-date without huge gaps in work experience, and will show future employers that you stayed active in the workforce during your time away from the office.
In addition to writing grants, the friend I mentioned above decided to exercise her entrepreneurial muscles by starting a cleaning business. Now she tidies up homes on the weekends and when her schedule allows, making some extra money and gaining valuable experience running a business.
5. Brush Up On Negotiation Skills
Attend a workshop or read a book on negotiation so when you do return to the workforce, you have the skills you need to negotiate the salary and position you deserve.
Negotiation is something I struggle with, as women often do, so this tip is one I’m working at myself. I’ve been reading blogs and articles at websites like Inc, and I’ve got Ask For It on my to-read list.
6. Get Political
Write letters to legislators, start a blog or join organizations like the American Association of University Women (AAUW) or the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWV). It may not seem like much, but I’ve been signing petitions to improve standards for maternity leave and sending emails to my legislators encouraging them to support improvements to the Family and Medical Leave Act that would require paid maternity leave.
Getting involved in the politics behind the gender pay gap will not only keep you mentally and socially active, it will help you practice skills that could be useful in your work. The actions you take could influence employers and encourage legislation that will improve your work life when you return to the office.
Going back to a corporate job after being at home with your kids may seem daunting, but if you use these tips to keep your skills fresh and your resume up-to-date, you’ll be all set to negotiate your way into a top position — with excellent pay — when you’re ready!
Your Turn: Have you successfully transitioned from stay-at-home parent back to the workforce? Share your tips in the comments!
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!
Ami Spencer Youngs is a freelance writer and yoga teacher, raising her career alongside two boys under three. Learn more about her life and her writing at writingherlife.com or on Twitter at @writingherlife.
The post Going Back to Work After Staying Home With Kids? Avoid the “Motherhood Penalty” appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Everything PPC Advertisers Want To Know About LinkedIn Ads – Part 1
Contributor Sahil Jain shares the top questions asked by PPC advertisers at a recent educational event, along with the expert panelists' answers.
Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
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How Older Adults Can Stay Safe When Dating Online
Scam artists prowl for vulnerable seniors using dating websites.
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How to Celebrate the Fourth of July on a Budget
You can have a great time without spending a lot of money.
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3 Projects to DIY and 3 to Leave to the Pros
HGTV's Chip Wade suggests projects you can tackle yourself and ones you should call in help.
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MarTech Europe: Where IT & Marketing Converge – Registration Open
Join marketing technologists, digital masterminds and other innovators at MarTech, the only forum to discuss and share innovative strategies within technology-infused marketing. MarTech: The Marketing Tech Conference is expanding into Europe, and will take place in London 20-21 October. MarTech is...
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How to Become an Event Planner – Interview with Candice Coppola
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey. My name is Candice Coppola and I am the creative force behind Jubilee Events. When I opened this company in 2007 I had two objectives: to give my clients an unforgettable experience while planning their parties and to create beautiful, innovative events that clients […]
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Average private parking ticket hits £83
The average private parking fine has reached £83, with some motorists struck by charges of up to £300.
The figures for the January and March period are based on complaints made to Citizens Advice about parking penalties - a time in which the number of complaints about the issue rose by a quarter compared to the previous year.
Average private parking ticket hits £83
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The average private parking fine has reached £83, with some motorists struck by charges of up to £300. The figures for the January and March period are based on complaints made to Citizens Advice about parking penalties - a time in which the number of complaints about the issue rose by a quarter compared to the previous year. In the last 12 months, private car park operators have requested the details of drivers they believe have broken their rules more than 3 million times, up from 2.4 million a year earlier, the DVLA has reported. Citizens Advice has warned that the number of complaints it has received could mean private parking operators are handing out "unreasonable penalties". Its recent research recorded instances of drivers being given tickets when signs were hidden and ticket machines were broken. In some cases, drivers had been fined having not used the car park. The charity is also concerned that "the knock-on effect of an unexpected parking charge can push people into debt. It said that its network of support centres have witnessed a 39% uptick in consumer debt cases related to unpaid parking penalty and congestion charges over the past year. "The charity wants to see greater clarity about parking tickets, including "a clear definition of the minimum length of the 'reasonable' grace period parking firms must give drivers between stopping and parking and at the end of the permitted parking period". Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: "Drivers are paying the penalty for a lack of clarity on parking. More and more people are turning to Citizens Advice for help with parking tickets. "While drivers have to obey the rules on parking, firms need to make sure parking restrictions are clear, and people are treated fairly where, for example, ticket machines aren't working." The Supreme Court will shortly hear a legal challenge to private parking charges brought after a driver complained an £85 fine was too high. All similar appeals to private parking appeals bodies are on hold until a decision has been reached. In the meantime, if you believe a ticket you have received for parking on private land is unfair, read our brand new article in parking fines before you decide whether to pay up. Stitch, add this: http://ift.tt/1K61IqY
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Enjoy Spending Time With Seniors? 12 Ways to Make Money Helping Your Elders
Between 2000 and 2030, the number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double to more than 72 million. With more and more aging Americans, a Penny Hoarder will find plenty of ways to lend a helping hand while also making some money.
Check out these careers and side jobs where you can earn a decent income while helping people — and probably hearing some fantastic stories about “the good old days.” Since many seniors are on fixed incomes, you might choose to offer your services at a reduced rate or even pro bono at times.
Here are some jobs to consider:
1. Clinic-Based Healthcare Worker
Even if you can’t stand the sight of blood, you’ll find plenty of blood-free healthcare jobs where you’ll serve an aging population, including working as a diagnostic medical sonographer or radiation therapist.
If you’re thinking about becoming a doctor, consider the fields of geriatrics or gerontology.
Optometry is another branch of healthcare in need of qualified professionals who can help seniors manage their vision needs, fit glasses and deal with age-related eye diseases and other problems that may arise.
2. Home Healthcare Aide
When seniors are at home but need a little extra help, home health aides can help provide the care needed to keep them safe and comfortable. Home health aides and personal care aides are two of the nation’s fastest growing careers, with a nearly 70% increase in jobs projected by 2020.
In one of these fields, you would provide a wide variety of services, including treating wounds, preventing bedsores, monitoring vital signs and providing necessary injections and other health care services. Average full-time salaries in these fields are in the $20,000 range.
3. Wealth Manager
Along with retirement comes a whole array of financial issues to consider, including when to retire, providing for your financial needs in retirement, and navigating pensions, 401(k)s and social security, just to name a few. Many seniors are also looking to plan for the future, including setting up trust and wills.
Becoming a financial advisor or wealth manager can be a lucrative way to help people out. GlassDoor reports the average wealth manager earns over $88,000 a year.
4. Retirement Community Recreation Director
Many retirement communities and nursing homes hire recreation directors to put together activities for residents to help people interact, socialize and engage their minds. Typical recreation activities include everything from outings (such as watching a play or a concert) to bingo nights to movie screenings to coffee socials.
If you like socializing and interacting with seniors and have good organization skills, why not approach retirement communities and see if they have a need for someone to coordinate these types of events?
5. Lawn Care Worker or Gardener
Once you reach a certain age, it’s difficult to fire up the mower or grab the hedge trimmer and keep your lawn and plants looking great. Raking fall leaves can also become a hazard, and many seniors are looking for help to keep everything looking nice.
Consider going into the lawn-care business, which is a great side job. As a landscaper or lawn care worker, you can typically charge $25-50 an hour depending on the services you provide, with more difficult and labor-intensive services at the upper end of the scale (or even higher for more technical or equipment-heavy jobs).
6. Gutter Cleaner
Climbing up on a ladder to scoop leaves and debris out of gutters is a chore that many people dread. But, if you’re up there in years, it can be even more difficult to do this chore safely. This is why many seniors hire people to clean their gutters so water can drain properly and they can avoid costly leaks and water damage.
The size of the house and number of gutters to be cleaned is a key factor in pricing for this task, but cleaning out the gutters on most average houses should earn you somewhere in the $100-200 range. This is a great way to make a little cash on the weekends and help people out.
7. Snow Shoveler
This past winter was a snowy one for many; Boston alone received more than 108 inches of the white stuff. During winter storms, crews are hard at work keeping streets plowed, but it’s up to individual homeowners to keep their properties, including walkways, steps and porches, clear and passable. In some areas, residents are required to keep the sidewalk in front of their homes clear as well.
Many seniors are eager to hire people to help with shoveling and applying ice melt to help keep things safe. You can typically earn $25-75 per hour shoveling snow.
8. Housekeeper or House Cleaner
Bending over to scrub the bathtub and dust the baseboards becomes harder with age. This is why many seniors look for people to help them out around the house with everything from the light-duty tasks, such as dusting, to the down-and-dirty heavy work, such as deep cleaning. Even climbing a step stool to change a high lightbulb is something that can be challenging for seniors, as many medications and conditions can make people dizzy and cause problems with balance and dexterity.
You can earn $15-25 per hour or more as a housekeeper, but many people work out a fixed price for a weekly cleaning, depending on the size of the home and the tasks involved.
9. Cook
Everyone loves a home-cooked meal, but standing in the kitchen and chopping and concocting meals can be a challenge for people who have a hard time standing for long or who may have arthritic fingers that can’t grasp a knife quite like they used to. But people still love to eat, and home-cooked meals are great for providing nutrition and boosting morale.
Services like Meals on Wheels bring meals and companionship to seniors, but some may need more assistance and want to hire someone to come to their home and cook meals several times a week (or more) for them. Work with the seniors to set up a meal plan that fits their preferences, nutritional needs, and any special dietary guidelines.
10. Errand Runner
Leaving the house can be challenging for many seniors, especially in the winter, when ice and snow make sidewalks treacherous. However, people still need to get groceries and pick up birthday gifts for their grandchildren (and wait in line at the post office to mail them).
By running errands for seniors, you can help them get what they need and make a little cash on the side. Consider running errands for a few different individuals and consolidating your trips or offering your services in a retirement community.
11. Driver
As people age, many have to give up driving when their senses and reflexes can’t quite keep up. But non-driving seniors still want to get out and about from time to time, whether to head to church or a family event or go to an important doctor’s appointment.
Consider driving seniors where they need to go, whether it’s escorting them to the toy store and helping mail a gift for their young relative or driving them to a family event.
12. Tech Tutor
With far-flung children and grandchildren, and families spread all over, many seniors want to learn about technology to connect and communicate with their loved ones.
Consider teaching seniors how to use different types of technology, from mastering the art of the iPhone to Skyping with the great-grandkids. Or, even just the basics, such as turning a computer on and checking the weather. These skills help seniors interact with loved ones and the world.
Your Turn: Do you work with seniors? We’d love to hear about your job in the comments!
Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The post Enjoy Spending Time With Seniors? 12 Ways to Make Money Helping Your Elders appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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End of sneaky download is here
THE government has today passed a new law that will make illegally downloading movies and TV shows, such as Game of Thrones, much more difficult.
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الأحد، 21 يونيو 2015
Coles, Woolies face new challenger
FORGET Aldi. The “silent loser” in the supermarket price wars has launched it’s biggest ever competitive attack against Coles and Woolworths.
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37 ways dads can make and save more money
Fathers spend a lot of time worrying about how to make ends meet and provide for their families. Dads also have a lot of demands on their resources, and it can feel like their money is stretched the thinnest. Read on to see tips from personal finance, business and travel experts on how dads can save money, make more money and help their kids get the most out of life.
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Beyond eBay: Six Better Ways to Buy, Sell, and Trade Stuff Online
Photo: Yerdle via Facebook
Are you tired of the mountains of clutter around your home? Are you overwhelmed by your own “stuff?” Do you have so many belongings that you have to rent a storage unit to house them all?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey by the National Association for Professional Organizers, or NAPO (yes, there is such a group), 54% of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of clutter they have. What’s more, 78% complained they had no idea what to do with all of it, which is probably why the clutter built up in the first place.
You can find evidence of this phenomenon in both affluent and low-income neighborhoods all over the U.S. – garages filled from floor to ceiling, attics overflowing, and in some cases, households with entire rooms – or even floors – dedicated to storing unused and often forgotten items.
The problem has become so big that 9% of American households rented a storage unit in 2013. That’s 10.85 million households, and a whole lot of money flushed down the drain as well.
If you’re curious how much the average family spends on storage, consider this – a fact sheet from the Self Storage Association of the United States reports that the average 10-foot-by-10-foot non-climate controlled unit cost families an average of of $118 per month last year. That’s more than $1,400 annually!
Unfortunately, these costs fall disproportionately on middle- and lower-income households. According to recent stats from the Self Storage Association, 47% of all self storage renters reported a household income below $50,000 per year, while 63% reported an annual income below $75,000.
In other words, those who are paying to house their clutter are often the ones who can least afford to do so. But, what can we do?
Online Resale Apps to the Rescue
In many cases, paying $1,400 (or more) to rent a storage unit is a poor investment. Unless it’s a temporary measure while you’re moving, or you’re storing items that are incredibly valuable or impossible to replace, the cost of renting a storage unit can quickly overshadow any savings you earn by storing those items in the first place.
Fortunately, there are a ton of new websites and apps that can help anyone unload their unused items – and make some money. Gone are the days of spending your entire Saturday in the hot, summer sun during a yard sale. These days, more and more people are turning to technology for faster, more efficient ways to reach new audiences and sell their stuff for top dollar.
That’s the whole goal of online resale sites like Shopstick.com, notes the site’s founder, Brett Keintz.
“There are a ton of different ways to sell your unwanted stuff; you really just have to figure out what your primary goals are and then find the right ones,” Keintz explains.
According to Keintz, different online sites and mobile apps are geared toward different audiences. However, if your ultimate goal is profit, you should start out with sites that don’t charge a fee first. Think Craigslist, your local neighborhood’s Facebook group, and Reddit subreddits.
“I really think anyone can and should be getting rid of things that they don’t need from their homes and their offices,” explained Keintz. “It’s just a question of how much work you’re willing to do to get rid of it and how much you’re hoping to earn from it.”
Six Sites to Help You Clear the Clutter
If you’re stressed out or overwhelmed by clutter or stuck with a storage unit of stuff you don’t really want, now is the time to turn it all into cash or something else you can use. Here are six sites that can help the garage sale-averse:
Shopstick.com
Based in San Francisco and Chicago, Shopstick.com harnesses the power of technology to help people get rid of their stuff. With Shopstick.com, customers snap a photo of their item with a cell phone and text it in with the hope of receiving an instant offer and quick pick-up.
While still in beta, Shopstick hopes to expand its reach in the future. The site also focuses on helping customers find special or unique items before they hit Craigslist.
According to Shopstick founder Brett Keintz, the goal of the app isn’t just to make money, but to help people have simpler, less stressful lives.
“The best part about getting stuff out of your house is the peace of mind it generates,” says Keintz. “It’s a bonus if I can get a little extra cash out of it, too. And so, with a few friends, I’ve been trying to help our friends, family, and other people who hear about us through word of mouth achieve the same goals for their unneeded electronics, jewelry, clothing and accessories, and even furniture.”
Gazelle.com
Gazelle started in 2007 with the goal of extending the life of unwanted and unloved electronics. The site launched a simple device trade-in service in 2008, but has since launched a store to sell certified pre-owned devices such as smartphones and tablets.
As of 2015, Gazelle.com is the leading online electronics resale store and consumer electronics trade-in site. According to Gazelle, they have handled more than 2 million consumer devices and paid out more than $200 million for unwanted electronics to date.
For sellers, Gazelle.com offers cash trade-ins, free shipping, and quick payment through Amazon.com, gift cards, or Paypal.com. While Gazelle focuses mostly on newer electronics, you might be surprised to find that there is a market for nearly any device. And as ABC News recently noted, “consumers are blown away by how much they can get… usually more than they expect.”
Yerdle.com
Yerdle, a clutter-clearing app available for iPhone and Android devices, is more about creating community than cash, trumpeting the idea of “unshopping.”
With Yerdle, customers take a picture of something they don’t want, and post it to the app. Someone interested in your item will then pay you in Yerdle Reuse Dollars, the site’s currency, and you’ll ship it to their home. You can then use your Yerdle currency to buy other used items you may need.
This makes Yerdle a closed economy — you can’t trade in your Yerdle dollars for cash. But the idea is that, over time, users can de-clutter their homes and save a lot of money by trading in things they don’t need for things they will use.
Yerdle not only helps Americans reduce waste, says co-founder Adam Werbach, it also helps connect users with free items they actually need.
“We created Yerdle with the very specific mission of reducing waste and trash,” Werbach said in a press release. “So far, we’ve helped people save over $3 million on items that weren’t being used – and that they got for free.”
thredUP.com
When you have kids – especially babies – it’s easy to become disheartened by the amount of clothing and accessories they were only able to wear a handful of times.ThredUP.com addresses this problem by creating a marketplace for gently used, high quality children’s clothing and accessories, and they will even buy your used clothes directly – and with no haggling.
According to the site, they buy defect-free, on-trend children’s clothing from popular brands such as Gap, Old Navy, Disney, Gymboree, and Mini Boden. Items with a payout under $60 will be paid for right after processing, but clothing items worth more than $60 will go into consignment and be paid out once the item sells.
In addition to kid’s clothing, thredUP also buys and sells used women’s accessories and clothing, as well as maternity wear, handbags, and shoes. Although these new categories are still gaining traction, they add yet another way for families to unload their high-quality clothing and accessories to savvy buyers. According to the site’s annual report, Americans saved approximately $62.5 million dollars over retail by shopping at thredUp.com in 2014, while earning over $4.5 million for their unused clothes.
Varagesale.com
Much like the name suggests, Varagesale.com acts as a virtual garage sale. Just enter your zip code to find already established virtual resale communities in your area – or start your own. Varagesale’s free mobile app also helps consumers buy and sell their items faster than ever before – and all within their local communities.
Since the site works in conjunction with local Facebook resale sites, you do need a Facebook account to sign up. After you join a community or start your own, you can immediately start buying or selling any items that aren’t listed as prohibited. And the best part is, the entire service, including the mobile app, is free.
Craigslist.org
As the mother of all online resale sites, Craigslist — essentially the searchable, free, online classifieds of the 21st century — effortlessly connects sellers with buyers in their local communities and neighborhoods.
Using Craigslist.org or the mobile app for iPhone, you can list nearly anything for sale and find a buyer within days – or even minutes. I’ve personally used the site to sell everything from furniture to leftover construction materials, and have never been disappointed. Best of all, Craigslist is completely free to use.
Despite its enormous reach, Craigslist is still a relatively small, nonprofit organization, and the various apps that provide access to its listings are somewhat clunky and outdated; many people instead access the site online or directly through the Web browser on their phone.
Still, between the free listings, the ability to post plenty of pictures and details, and a huge, built-in base of active buyers and sellers, it’s hard to beat Craigslist when it comes to buying and selling stuff online.
Unloading Your Unwanted Stuff Online
When it comes to our obsession with clutter, the Internet has been a double-edged sword. On one hand, the Internet has made it easier than ever for us to find buyers for our unused and unwanted items, but on the other, it has made it almost too easy for us to buy more stuff than ever before.
It’s up to us to use the Internet to fight the good fight. Fortunately, both buyers and sellers who use online resale sites are doing something good for their finances – and for the planet. On the buying end, consumers who use these apps are doing their part to keep usable items out of our landfills and to curb overproduction. Meanwhile, on the selling end, many are improving their finances and their lives by getting rid of clutter and earning money in the process.
But that doesn’t mean this process is always seamless or without risk. According to Keintz, anyone who wants to sell their items online should proceed with caution.
“People should always read the fine print for each resale app, as each of them has slightly different policies,” notes Keintz. “You’ll want to make sure you understand how much you’ll be paid, how quickly you’ll be paid, and what the return policy will be. Most are pretty protective of their buyers, including offering buyers a window of time to return the item regardless of cause.”
As a result, explains Keintz, you should always post plenty of pictures and over-describe your item. That way, you can prevent any confusion surrounding the quality or condition of your item ahead of time. “The last thing you want is for a buyer to feel that the item they received wasn’t correctly described,” notes Keintz.
Still, all risk aside, it makes sense to earn some money for your unwanted stuff – especially if you’re paying for a storage unit to house it. Just imagine what you could do with an extra $100, $500, or $1,400. With the right website or mobile app, you might be able to raise more money than you realized – and in less time than you think.
What’s your favorite app or website for selling stuff online?
The post Beyond eBay: Six Better Ways to Buy, Sell, and Trade Stuff Online appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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4 Money Lessons Dads Can Teach Their Kids
Hey, hey. From the title of this post you probably thought you were getting another Jeff Rose classic.
But, nope, sorry to disappoint. It’s the wife.
Hi y’all. I’m Mandy.
Yes, I highjacked the husband’s blog today in honor of Father’s Day.
He’s taken over my blog on more than one occasion, but I must say, I was a little intimidated to take over the infamous Good Financial Cents. Which is why I though it was only appropriate for me to at least offer you some financial advice in the process. Ha!
If you came looking for financial tips, BOOM. I got you covered.
But I also wanted the opportunity to tell you more about the man behind the money posts. Because this man? Is way more than just a finance guru.
He’s more than just a provider for our family or a disciplinarian to our children.
He’s an amazing husband and father.
He’s a lover of Jesus with a heart of gold.
He would give the shirt off his back for any of you who needed it and he always strives to learn more, help more, pray more and love more deeply.
If you’re still looking for the money lessons part… be patient. I’ll get to that.
First I wanted to share this sweet video that our boys made for him. They absolutely adore their dad and I think that shines through when you watch them talk about him.
Without further ado, here are our three wild boys talking about “all things daddy”…
Now, to the less important news of the day.
The Money Lessons.
I’m feeling like I have an unfair advantage here with Jeff as my partner in life because he is so smart about money. In today’s society it feels like kids are being taught less and less about the importance of money.
But in our household, he preaches money lessons every chance he can get.
He tends to break down learning about money into four categories: Work, spend, save and give.
Here are 4 Money Lessons Jeff Teaches Our Kids:
1. Chores make the perfect “first” job.
This one is all about WORK.
It’s vital to teach your kids that money is nothing like peaches. It doesn’t grow on trees. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Enlist your kids to help around the house. Whether it be emptying the dishwasher, making their bed, brushing their teeth, cleaning up their toys, taking out the trash… teach them that if they complete the duties they are assigned, they will earn a commission.
Not an allowance. A commission.
Stop giving your kids money for just being and teach them that if they want money to buy things? They must earn it.
2. Teach them that the ice cream truck ain’t free.
This lesson is on how to SPEND.
Here’s your chance to teach them about priorities. Have you ever given your kid $10 only to realize that they immediately spent it without even thinking? This happens over and over and over again with kids (and adults) and it’s why so many people can never “get ahead”, as they say.
You can’t get ahead when you don’t understand spending.
The ice cream truck visits our house every Saturday afternoon about 3:00 pm. Our kids can hear that thing from miles away. I cringe because I know we are about to pay five times the price for ice cream that I technically already have in my freezer.
So, Jeff started teaching them that if they want ice cream from the ice cream truck, they will need to spend their own money. Yes, money that they earned.
But he also uses this as a chance to teach them that when they blow their money on overpriced ice cream, there will be no chance to save for that new bike or Xbox game that they’ve been wanting.
3. Buy them their own piggy bank.
Let’s move on to SAVE.
It might seem boring to kids, but spend lots of time teaching them the importance of saving. If your child heads off to college with little knowledge of what it means to save? They will be in a world of hurt and worse yet, a world of debt that will ruin them.
Have them put their commission in a piggy bank. Better yet, make sure it’s a clear piggy bank so they can see their money growing.
4. Show them how to bless others.
My favorite lesson of all, how to GIVE.
Jeff does this one well when he teaches them about tithing.
He doesn’t just give them a few $1 bills in the church parking lot before we head into service, he makes them use their own money to tithe.
Trust me, the impact of making them give their own money is so valuable.
These are just a few things that my husband does to teach our children about money.
The best thing you can do is be open to talking to your children about money and talk about it often. Be there to answer any questions they have and help guide them along the way.
Money 101 isn’t offered as a college course so we MUST, as parents, be dedicated to teaching our children the importance of working, spending, saving and giving.
Use every moment you can as a teachable money lesson and your kids will grow up to be money experts!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, especially to my wonderful husband who teaches our family not just about working, spending, saving and giving, but how to prioritize things in our lives so that we live with more joy!
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5 Tips for Spending Money on Family Happiness
Money isn't everything, but it can buy smiles and memories.
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How Couponing Derailed One Mom’s Eating Habits — and What She Did About It
Couponing is a great idea, right? It’s a fantastic way to save money on groceries and other purchases, plus try new products at a discount. Unfortunately, when I was at my couponing peak, I discovered a dark side to clipping coupons.
I was going about my business, using coupons to save my family money… and then I realized my jeans were tighter than they used to be. I also noticed that I felt a bit more lethargic and bloated than I normally did.
I started trying to figure out what was different. Was I exercising less? Was I not sleeping as well? It didn’t take long to zero in on my eating habits. They had changed, and that change was due to couponing.
Here’s how using coupons affected my health and eating habits — and how I adjusted my couponing strategy.
I Tried to Save Money at All Costs
I was totally focused on getting the best deals. As a result, I would buy foods I didn’t need, simply because I had a coupon.
Not only was this a bad idea in terms of managing my weight and health, but also my wallet. You shouldn’t buy things you don’t need just because they’re on sale. Paying $0 is better than saving $1 when you buy something unnecessary.
I Cleaned My Plate
I hate wasting food. It feels like throwing money away, because that’s basically what it is. Why don’t I just throw $20 bills down the garbage disposal?
And all that food I was buying just because I had a coupon, I would end up overeating in an attempt not to waste food.
I Made Poor Food Choices
A lot of times, the coupons I had were for high-calorie or processed foods. In addition, since I didn’t have coupons for them, I bought far fewer healthier items, like fruits and vegetables. I based too many of my food choices on my coupon selection, rather than buying what I really wanted and needed.
Does the possibility of weight gain and health consequences mean you have to give up couponing? Certainly not. I didn’t. You just need to be aware of the “dark side” of couponing and adjust your strategy to ensure you protect the health of your family. Here are a few tips that help me stay on track:
Make a List and Stick to It
Make a list of items you need from the grocery store. To avoid forgetting something, start this list early in the week and keep it on the fridge so you can add to it as you go.
Also take some time to make a meal plan for the upcoming week before you go to the store. Add items you’ll need for those meals to your list.
At this point, you should have a complete list of items you’ll purchase from the store. Then, and only then, start looking for coupons — and only focus on coupons for items on your list. If you see an awesome coupon for something you don’t need, ignore it!
Know When a Deal is Really a Deal
Sometimes, even with a coupon, a deal isn’t as great as it appears at first glance. Avoid falling prey to marketing tactics by knowing the “normal” price of items you buy on a regular basis. You can keep track of these prices on a piece of paper or in your smartphone.
If you determine something is a great deal, stock up and avoid paying higher prices later. If you determine a deal isn’t so hot, you can purchase the minimum needed to get by in hopes that prices will be lower next week.
Get Creative When Looking for Coupons
If you want to find coupons for healthier items, you’re probably going to need to get creative. For example, embrace mobile and digital coupons. A few of my favorite apps are:
If you’d prefer to stick to organic foods, you’re not out of luck. You can still find coupons on manufacturer’s websites, coupon websites and in your grocery store’s circular.
Finding deals is important, but it isn’t worth sacrificing your health. Instead of letting coupons dictate your shopping strategy, know what you want to buy — and then find the coupons to help you save money on those items.
Your Turn: Have you ever struggled to balance couponing with healthy eating? Share your strategies in the comments!
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!
Kelli Bhattacharjee, the owner of FreebieFindingMom.com, is a former investment professional with nearly ten years of experience. After graduating at the top of her class in finance, she decided to pursue her passion of empowering others to better manage their money via her savvy financial blog.
The post How Couponing Derailed One Mom’s Eating Habits — and What She Did About It appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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السبت، 20 يونيو 2015
Las Vegas cabdrivers warn 12-hour shifts exact a toll
Veteran drivers say the pressures of a prospective competitive battle with Uber is resulting in cab owners demanding more from their drivers and to fill in more frequently for those who miss their shifts.
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