Slots fall in August

Slots revenues at Mount Airy Casino Resort fell 6.1 percent in August, echoing a down month for the Pennsylvania gaming industry.Mount Airy’s slots revenues fell to $12.4 million last month compared to $13.2 a year ago, according to figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Friday.The state’s slots revenues fell 4.5 percent in august, down $9.1 million from 2015 to $193.9 million for the month.The calendar was the likely culprit for the fall [...]

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Pocono native's art highlighted at Philadelphia International Airport

A stroll through Terminal A at the Philadelphia International Airport allows travelers a choice of duty free shopping options, a Philadelphia Marketplace, ATM machines and counters where currency exchanges can easily take place.Most importantly — at least to a former Pleasant Valley High School student and beloved artist — Terminal A is where the “Justin Tyner Transforming Glass” exhibit is on display for the countless number of visitors who daily [...]

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New study reveals U.S. underperforms when it comes to coding

The United States took home the most number of medals at this year's Summer Olympics in Rio. But what if coding was one of the competitive events? A new HackerRank study reveals that the United States wouldn't stack up quite so well against international competition.The study compiled the results of 1.4 million coding challenges by about 300,000 developers completed on the website HackerRank, a free coding practice website that doubles as a developer recruiting ground for companies [...]

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Pocono Medical Center named one of Healthgrades 2016 Women's Care Award recipients

Pocono Medical Center announced today that it achieved the 2016 Healthgrades Labor and Delivery Excellence Award and the 2016 Healthgrades Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award. These awards recognize hospitals across the country that have demonstrated superior outcomes in important components of women’s healthcare services.To help consumers evaluate and compare hospital performance, Healthgrades analyzed patient outcome data for all patients (all-payer data) made [...]

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Think You Don’t Have Time to Focus on Your Money? Think Again

For the most part, most of us know how we should be living our lives. We should exercise five times a week, right? And if you listen to the doctor and the USDA, we should build a diet based on the food pyramid, stuffing down nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

We should limit the amount of alcohol and sugar we consume and make our beds every morning when we rise. We should read to our kids every night, be thankful for everything we have, and do our best at work whether we feel like it or not.

And, by golly, we should create a written monthly budget to keep our families on track with our financial goals. We should spend less, save more, and put our responsibilities ahead of our desires.

All of that sounds great, right? Except for one thing – time. While we all know what we should be doing, few of us feel like we have the time to live the life we truly want. And boy, do we pay for it.

Four Ways You Might Be Wasting Time Every Day

But, just like anything else, we do have the power to make time if we want it bad enough. It’s all about priorities and divvying up our time in a way that will help us reach our goals. And, despite our inclination to think otherwise, most of us have the time to improve our lives if we’re willing to give up something at least a few times per week.

Don’t believe me? Here are four ways we waste our most precious resource – time – every single day:

We spend almost five hours per day on our phones.

According to a 2015 report from Informate Mobile Intelligence, the average American with a cell phone spends a staggering 4.7 hours staring at their screen each day. Keep in mind that most Americans sleep between seven and nine hours a day on average, and you’ll see just how ludicrous that is.

To add insult to injury, their research shows that Americans check in with social media an average of 17 times per day. While that sounds absolutely nuts, it makes perfect sense; it’s easy to take a few quick glances at Facebook to see what everyone is doing, hop on Twitter for the news, and then spend your lunch hour sharing photos on Instagram.

All of this adds up to a whole lot of time spent on the internet, which begs the question: “Could we be using even part of this time to improve our lives in some way?”

Chances are, we could all benefit from a little less time spent on the web. Imagine if we hacked just a half hour off each day’s screen time and spent that time working out or managing our finances. We would all be rich…and buff.

We watch five hours of television every day.

Need more proof that we waste precious time doing things that don’t really matter? Nielsen Ratings reported in June that the average American watches five hours and four minutes of television each day – upwards of 35 hours a week. We’re watching prime-time dramas and nighttime sitcoms like it’s our full-time job.

If we spent just a quarter of that time on self-improvement, we would all be a lot better off. Imagine if you turned off “Grey’s Anatomy” and spend an hour at the gym instead, or put off “The Big Bang Theory” to spend some time on your budget.

And many people simply get sucked in to shows before bed, when they’re tired enough to fall asleep but too tired to resist another episode. If you’re tired, turn off “The Walking Dead” and go to bed an hour early — and maybe you won’t feel like the walking dead in the morning.

• Related: Why You Should Stop Watching TV

We spend almost nine hours a day in bed.

Speaking of getting enough sleep: While it’s true some of us need more sleep than others, it’s possible some of us are snoozing more than we should. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 get between seven and nine hours of sleep a day, while those ages 65 and over can get by with a bit less. But as the U.S. Labor Department’s 2015 American Time Use Survey shows, Americans are spending an average of 8 hours and 50 minutes sleeping each day.

If that sounds surprisingly high to your sleep-deprived self, keep in mind a couple of things:

First, that’s an average, which means people are getting considerably more sleep than others — such as young children, teenagers, and the unemployed or retired. Employed adults age 25 to 54 with children reported getting only 7.7 hours of rest on a given weekday.

Second, pollster Gallup has reported that the average American gets only 6.8 hours of sleep per night. The discrepancy can partly be chalked up to methodology, according to the Washington Post. Whereas Gallup simply asked people how much sleep they got most nights, the Labor Department a) included naps and b) asked exactly what time people went to bed at night and got out of bed in the morning – thereby including other leisure time, such as reading before bed.

Still, if you find yourself on the “sleepy” side of the average, and feel as if you’re short on time, you might try waking up a half-hour earlier each day. The found time you gain might be exactly what you need to get ahead of things.

We spend almost an hour commuting back and forth to work each day.

Each day has 24 hours, yet most of us spend eight hours sleeping and eight hours at work, on average. That leaves eight hours remaining to do as you will. Sadly, we spend a lot of that time just sitting in our cars, wishing we were doing something – anything – else.

According to the Washington Post, the average commute to work rang in at 26 minutes each way in 2015. That’s almost an hour down the drain each day, and for many commuters that time involves bumper-to-bumper traffic and a whole lot of frustration.

Not everyone can change their commute, but some can. If you have the opportunity to work from home (even one day a week – and you won’t know until you ask), to move closer to work (or find a job closer to home), or shorten your drive in some way, you should at least consider it. With this one change, you could add up to five hours back into your life each week.

Failing that, you can at least make your commute more productive. Try taking public transportation so you can fit in some of that phone time or pleasure reading that would suck up your leisure time — or you could even get some work done on the train. If you walk or bike to work each day, you won’t have to spend as much time exercising at the gym. And if you’re stuck driving? Spend some of that time reflecting on your finances and planning out your goals, or listen to an entertaining or educational audiobook or podcast instead of spacing out at the taillights in front of you.

• Related: Is Moving Closer to Work Worth It?

The Bottom Line

William Penn once said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use the worst.”

And yes, he was absolutely right. If you ask nearly everyone what they want more of, it’s time – time to become a better person, time to spend with their famy, and time to relax and unwind. Unfortunately, we waste much of our time in ways that help us accomplish none of those goals.

Each 24-hour day presents an opportunity we’ll never get back. If we squander the precious time we are given, we must accept the fact it’s gone forever – and along with it, the opportunity it presented.

Whether it’s our health, our family connections, or our finances that need work, it’s up to us to find the time to make it happen.

Related Articles:

• ‘Money Cannot Buy What Time Delivers’
• Treating Your Financial Goals as a Part-Time Job
• Convenience and Expenses: Why Time Management Really Matters

Are you guilty of wasting valuable time each day? How do you minimize wasted time?

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Preach: These 8 Gifs Show the Struggle of Saving Money in Your 20s

I just turned 30, and I want to warn everyone eagerly heading to college right now: Your 20s aren’t going to be as glamorous as every sitcom would have you believe.

I know, you don’t want to hear that from this old fuddy-duddy. So I consulted with the younger, collegiate millennials in our office to confirm: Adulting is hard.

Strapped with student loan debt, trying to find a decent job and a livable dwelling, your 20s are kind of a financial nightmare.

We feel you.

Next time your parents wonder why you can’t chip in for groceries, pay your own rent or get off their cell-phone plan, arm yourself with these eight — totally valid* — reasons saving money is so hard in your 20s.

1. You graduate college all stoked to finally be a grown-up… and then realize you can’t afford to do anything.

I thought you were only supposed to be broke while you were a student.

2. Trying to explain why you’re not going out to your friends, and they’re like, “Budget? What’s that?”

It gets exhausting. Sometimes you just have to give in.

3. When you lend money to a friend… and she posts a picture of herself on vacation.

You know I follow you on Instagram, right? I saw that.

4. Beyonce tickets cost $500…

But… Beyonce!

5. This is how you use your “emergency” credit card.

Really made your point…

6. You spend half your paycheck on rent for a dirty shoebox of an apartment because you thought living downtown was what all the cool kids do.

Carrie Bradshaw, you are FULL OF LIES.

7. As soon as you have one drink, this happens.

SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!

8. And the next day… this.

That sinking feeling when you open your wallet… egh.

*Wait, maybe these aren’t such great excuses for being broke.

If you want to get your act together before it’s too late, here’s how you can actually save money in your 20s — without giving up fun.

And here are five money-management skills to learn now so you’ll have more when you’re older.

Annnddd… we even did some math for you. Here’s the crazy-tiny amount 21-year-olds have to save each week to save for retirement.

Maybe it’s not so tough after all?

Your Turn: What are your biggest hurdles to saving money?

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).

Teyonna Edwards is an editorial intern at The Penny Hoarder. Her hobbies include reading, traveling and pretending she knows what she’s doing.

The post Preach: These 8 Gifs Show the Struggle of Saving Money in Your 20s appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Muscular Dystrophy Association seeks post-telethon identity

NEW YORK (AP) — For 45 years, many Americans identified the Muscular Dystrophy Association with one man and one event — comedian Jerry Lewis and his annual Labor Day telethon.The MDA dropped Lewis as its national chairman and telethon host in 2011, then scrapped the telethon itself last year.So how is the charity faring in this new era, as a no-telethon Labor Day approaches? The report card is mixed.On the upside, the MDA's leadership brims with enthusiasm [...]

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A vision for Bushkill

For Lehman Township Supervisor and lifelong resident Rob Rohner, the possibilities are both visible and near endless.What had long been a ghost town, Bushkill Village has quietly and slowly been returning to some of its past glory.A recently released 261-page Bushkill Village Conservation Study, where public comments are being accepted through mid-September, reveals that local and state officials have put together a plan that should breathe new life into an area that’s [...]

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Public hearing rescheduled for Pocono Medical Center's new hospital campus in Tannersville

A public hearing on a proposed new Tannersville hospital has been reset for Thursday, Sept. 29 after being postponed last week.Pocono Medical Center and DF Pocono Associates, L.P. seek conditional use approval to build a 48-bed acute care hospital at the former Summit Resort. Pocono Medical Center has signed an agreement to buy the 43-acre site from DF Associates, pending final Pocono Township approval for the project.The parties also seek approval for a medical office building [...]

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Delaware Highlands Conservancy names new executive director

Diane Rosencrance is the new executive director of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, based in the upper Delaware River region of Pennsylvania and New York. Rosencrance is a former senior director at the Natural Lands Trust. She has an extensive background in land protection initiatives and has been an active partner with the conservancy in many of its regional activities."Diane's twenty years’ experience in the field of land conservation positions her uniquely to [...]

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Deeds done, Sunday Sept. 4, 2016

Chestnuthill TownshipShana B. Navarro and Davida G. Marks to Lindsey R. Miller, Lot 208, Section 5, Longwood Estates, $204,500Eldred TownshipFannie Mae (By Atty) A/K/A Federal National Mortgage Corporation, KML Law Group PC (Atty) to Maria Helena Fritz, Land Birch Lane, Tract 18, $201,000Hamilton TownshipFederal Home Mortgage Corporation (By Atty) Phelan Hallinan LP (N/K/A) Phelan Hallinan Diamond & [...]

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Inspiration from Mike Birbiglia, Richard Needham, Etenesh Diro, and More

Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life.

1. How to Overcome Procrastination

From the description:

We sift through the world of science, studies, data and theories to uncover what we know about procrastination and to find out if it’s possible to conjure a cure.

This is a brilliant summary of procrastination and some techniques to solve it, pushed together in three minutes. In a nutshell, the best way to fight procrastination is to increase your neuroplasticity, and the best way to increase neuroplasticity is mindful meditation. Not only are the ideas here really worth considering and exploring, they’re presented wonderfully.

Neuroplasticity is a strong personal interest of mine, to the point that I’ve actually been piecing through journal articles related to it. The mind is a fascinating thing. It’s basically everything for us in terms of how we experience the world, yet we really don’t understand it all that well. The things we do know are very much akin to studying a black box, where we put in things and see what comes out. We’ve done a lot of clever things in terms of what we put in there, but we still don’t have the clearest view of how it all works.

Why do we procrastinate? No one knows for sure. But we’ve use the “black box” strategy to figure out some ways to battle against it, and the best way is mindful meditation.

2. Richard Needham on brutal honesty

“People who are brutally honest generally enjoy the brutality more than the honesty.” – Richard Needham

Honesty is a incredibly good thing, especially when it comes from someone that you already have a trusting and positive relationship with. I find honesty from friends to be one of the best traits they can possibly have.

Honesty, however, is not the same thing as brutal honesty.

The purpose of brutal honesty is to harm the recipient. Whenever you’re choosing to state the “truth” in a way that will obviously bring significant grief and harm to the recipient, you may be being honest, but you’re also being a horrible person, one well worth cutting out of someone’s social life.

If you have an honest statement that you need to make to a close friend, choose the right time to do it – probably when you’re alone with that person – and the right way to say it. Saying it in a cutting way in front of a crowd of people? That says far more negative about you than whatever your honest “criticism” might be.

3. Mike Birbiglia’s 6 Tips for Making It Small in Hollywood. Or Anywhere.

Here are the six tips summarized:

1. Don’t wait.
2. Fail.
3. Learn from the failure.
4. Maybe quit.
5. Be bold enough to make stuff that’s small but great.
6. Cleverness is overrated, and heart is underrated.

I especially agree with that last one. Many, many people out there try hard to be clever. They wield snark like a weapon and fire off sarcastic rounds like Rambo in the jungle.

The thing is, everyone’s trying to do the same thing. Another thing: while cleverness and wit can bring about a smile, it very rarely lasts. It very rarely changes your heart in any way.

Being heartfelt might seem corny and trite and “lame” to some, but heart also sticks with you. Heart is capable of bringing a tear to your eye while also making you laugh, a trick that snark can never pull off.

Cleverness can make you smile, but being heartfelt can bring a tear to your eye while smiling. The latter is harder to pull off, but it’s worth so much more.

4. Walt Whitman – O Captain! My Captain!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up – for you the flag is flung – for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths- for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck, you’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult o shores, and ring o bells! But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead.

This is such a beautiful lament of a loved leader or mentor lost.

I think of this poem because someone who was once a great mentor to me is perhaps facing his final days. It is a truly sad day for this world when a person as wonderful as he leaves this world.

I will miss him greatly.

5. Anthony Goldbloom on the jobs we’ll lose to machines – and the ones we won’t

From the description:

Machine learning isn’t just for simple tasks like assessing credit risk and sorting mail anymore — today, it’s capable of far more complex applications, like grading essays and diagnosing diseases. With these advances comes an uneasy question: Will a robot do your job in the future?

This is a powerful question that everyone should be asking themselves going forward. Are you doing a job that a computer or a robot could not do?

The thing is, for many jobs – perhaps even for most jobs – the answer is a difficult one to think about. Computers and robots are on the verge of doing the vast majority of jobs that humans can do, leaving behind only highly creative and very demanding fields.

It is really hard to imagine what the world will be like when almost every job can be done by computer or robot at a far less expensive rate than employing a human to do that task. This is going to affect all of us in a very real way. It’s something we need to start thinking about sooner rather than later, and I’m glad that this huge issue is at least on the minds of some.

6. E.B. White on improving the world versus enjoying the world

“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” – E.B. White

I think this is the very dilemma that a lot of us face every day, too, and it’s figuring out how to solve – or at least balance – that dilemma that brings a lot of sadness and frustration into people’s lives.

Often, our desire to enjoy the world is financed by our jobs which, ideally, would quench our desire to improve the world. However, a lot of people work at jobs that detach them from that inner desire to improve the world and, at the end of the day, they’re left with just a little bit of time to either enjoy or improve the world, leaving very little time for both.

I find great joy in enjoying the world and in improving the world, but I only have so much time during the day. I’m lucky enough to work in ways that I feel improve the world, but that doesn’t change this dilemma that White spells out so well.

7. Simple Habit

As I touched on in the first part of this article, mindful meditation is something that can go a very long way toward improving neuroplasticity and thus decreasing one’s procrastination (along with other benefits, such as better focus).

Mindful meditation – of which I view prayer as being one type – is something that has been a part of my life for years. This app – Simple Habit – is the best tool I’ve ever found for such meditations on the go. (If you’re at a desktop computer, I recommend Calm, but I don’t like their mobile app as well as Simple Habit.)

It’s basically just a collection of guided meditations intended for various purposes – mindfulness, focus, relaxation, de-stressing, and so on. There are quite a few that are free and you can get a lot more with in-app purchases.

I just like the interface and simplicity here. The app makes it so easy to just do a quick and refreshing meditation to clear the mind, chop away some stress, and bolster your focus.

8. Marcus Aurelius on the power of your thinking

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius

You choose what you think about. You choose how you react to things and whether you celebrate the positives or dwell on the negatives of something.

When you see a person, do you see the good things first? Do you see a person who is going about their day? Maybe they’re wearing interesting clothing or have a smile on their face or look focused (all things I reflect on positively). On the other hand, maybe you’re critical first. Maybe you think negatively about their body type or something else about them.

Those thoughts color who you are. If you think negative thoughts by default, you’re becoming a more and more negative person. If you think positive thoughts by default, you become a more and more positive person. Your thoughts shape how you view everything, how you react to everything. Over time, they change the very core of who you are.

The thing is, you can easily be conscious of these thoughts. You choose what to think about. You can be mindful about what thoughts cross your mind and you can consciously choose to de-emphasize the negative, destructive thoughts and emphasize the positive, constructive thoughts.

Who do you want to be? It’s all within your mind and what you choose to think about.

9. Leila Hoteit’s 3 lessons on success from an Arab businesswoman

From the description:

Professional Arab women juggle more responsibilities than their male counterparts, and they face more cultural rigidity than Western women. What can their success teach us about tenacity, competition, priorities and progress? Tracing her career as an engineer, advocate and mother in Abu Dhabi, Leila Hoteit shares three lessons for thriving in the modern world.

I won’t list these here – they’re well worth discovering for yourself in the video. Suffice it to say that they’re great points to think about, but what really stands out here is how these sensible truths click even across the great cultural divides.

We share very little culturally. We have different genders, different races, different religious beliefs, different cultural backgrounds. Yet there are a lot of truths that make sense for both of us. Aside from the part where she speaks of the specifics of her background, we have a lot in common. Why? We’re human. We’re both looking forward to the future, both for ourselves and for the next generation. We both want to be tenacious and to do well at the things we choose to take on.

The lessons of success are the same for all of us. The core principles that improve us as people are the same for all of us. They remain true even across incredibly wide gaps of gender, culture, race, religion, and nationality.

We have far more in common as people than we often think. We take so much commonality for granted and because of that some people get sucked into the seductive trap of looking only at the handful of differences. That’s a shame, because it causes us to miss out on so much.

10. Etenesh Diro’s 3000 meter steeplechase heat at the Rio Olympics

No video, no anything else, just a story.

The steeplechase, for those unfamiliar, is a running event with a number of obstacles in place that the runners have to leap over (28, in the case of the 3000 meter event). There are also a number of obstacles that include a small water pit on the far end (7, in the case of the 3000 meter event) that gives the event a bit of an “obstacle course” feel.

At the 2012 Olympics, Etenesh Diro was one of the finalists in the 3000 meter steeplechase event, and she had high hopes for the 2016 Olympics. In her third heat at the Olympics, she was about 800 meters from the finish and was in the lead when she collided with another runner after jumping over one of the obstacles (collisions happen on occasion in the steeplechase). However, Diro’s shoe fell off in the collision and she stopped to try to put it back on as runner after runner passed her. There appeared to actually be some kind of functional problem with the shoe, so after about ten runners passed her, she tossed it aside and began to run with one shoe – a track shoe on one foot and the other foot bare.

Believe it or not, she actually made up some ground running like this and finished seventh in her heat, which wasn’t high enough to directly qualify for the finals. (The judges eventually awarded her a spot in the finals.)

The reason I found this so inspirational is that, even with the disaster that occurred and even with the shoe that didn’t seem to work, she still kept going. She tossed aside her shoe – which is probably the one key piece of gear that track runners have – and continued going without it.

Never, ever let a problem stop you, even if it seems like a disaster. Keep going. Finish, even if you can’t win.

11. Calvin Coolidge on listening

“No man ever listened his way out of a job.” – Calvin Coolidge

I actually got this quote from the video below, but I really wanted to include it as a separate entry because this quote really hits home when it comes to how valuable it is to listen to people.

Almost everyone spends the time when other people are speaking to simply formulate the next piece in their argument. They don’t listen to what the other person is saying at all, or do so in a very secondary way.

Listening, however, accomplishes several things that are far more valuable. One, it allows you to hear what the other person is saying, both in terms of good points (which can leave you thinking) and bad points (which you can incorporate into your own responses). Two, actively listening allows you to follow up directly on what the other person is saying rather than just going off on your own tangent (which makes actual discussion and learning impossible for both of you). Three, it earns the respect of the other person involved in the conversation.

When someone is speaking, listen. Don’t just think about what you’re going to say next. You’ll find that you learn a lot more and that your input becomes a lot more useful and valuable.

12. Celeste Headlee on ten ways to have a better conversation

From the description:

When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations — and that most of us don’t converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. “Go out, talk to people, listen to people,” she says. “And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed.”

Here are the rules – and they’re great ones.

1. Don’t multitask.
2. Don’t pontificate.
3. Use open ended questions.
4. Go with the flow.
5. If you don’t know, say that you don’t know.
6. Don’t equate your experience with theirs.
7. Try not to repeat yourself.
8. Stay out of the weeds (the details).
9. Listen.
10. Be brief.

If everyone applied these ten rules to conversation, having conversations would be a wonderful, enlightening experience for everyone. They would be powerful avenues for sharing and exchanging ideas, building mutual respect, and learning from each other.

The problem is that almost all of us are terrible conversationalists. We usually are focused more on making our points rather than listening to and understanding the points others are making, which is a shame because we’re missing out on the many values of conversation.

As I noted above, good conversations can lead to greater understanding, mutual respect, and the development of better solutions to problems, but those benefits only come from using good conversational strategies on both sides. These rules can go a long way toward achieving that.

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These 7 Unexpected Companies Will Actually Let You Take Sabbatical Leave

While the concept isn’t new, we’ve generally considered the sabbatical a privilege for a select few professions. You may never have even thought to look for the option in your benefits package.

But why not?

As U.S. companies make inroads for working parents with paid parental leave, optional sabbaticals take work-life balance into consideration for all employees — regardless of whether they’ve just become parents.

Justice for childless professionals is probably not the intention behind this unique benefit… but those of us in that category certainly appreciate its growing popularity.

What is Sabbatical Leave?

A sabbatical is a special kind of paid time off, separate from accumulated vacation time, personal days or parental/family leave.

You usually have to take an extended period at once, from a few weeks to a few months, and it takes much longer to earn than regular vacation days.

Sabbaticals have been common for a long time, particularly among academics. But the practice is now making its way into company benefits packages, from retail stores to tech startups to international manufacturing corporations.

We found hundreds of companies offering sabbaticals, but a few really surprised us!

Retail and Food Companies Offering Sabbatical Leave

Who’d expect working as a cashier could earn you long-term paid leave from work? It turns out, with the right company, it can.

In some cases, loyalty to a company can earn all employees a sabbatical, even a part-time retail clerk.

In others, the benefit is only available to management or corporate employees. If you’re not quite there yet, consider starting in the store and working your way up the ladder.

Check out these seven surprising companies offering sabbaticals:

1. Patagonia

Through its Environmental Internship Program, the outdoor clothing company allows employees “from all parts of the company” up to two months paid time away from work. However, employees must spend this time working for an environmental group of their choice.

You can find open retail and corporate positions around the country at Patagonia’s jobs page.

2. The Cheesecake Factory

Qualifying employees can take a three-week sabbatical after five years with the restaurant chain.

Most qualifying positions are located at the company’s Calabasas, California, headquarters. But you can also apply to be an hourly staff member and qualify for paid time off and other employee benefits.

3. McDonald’s

McDonald’s corporate employees can take an eight-week paid sabbatical for every 10 years of full-time continuous employment with the fast-food giant.

Benefits for restaurant manager and crew member positions vary, since most locations are operated by franchisees. Find open positions and read more about benefits at mylocalmds.com.

4. QuikTrip

This Southern convenience store chain offers a four-week paid sabbatical to full-time and part-time employees after 25 years of service and every five years after.

Apply for a full- or part-time position in your area. Part-time clerks start at $10 an hour, while overnight clerks earn $11 an hour, plus an annual profit bonus.

5. REI

Employees can earn a four-week paid sabbatical after 15 years of working for the outdoor retailer and every five years after that.

Search REI.jobs for openings around the country. Even cashiers are eligible for benefits and paid time off!

6. The Container Store

This retail chain/Type-A heaven offers full-time employees an extra 80 hours paid time off after 10 years and another 40 after 20 years, according to Fortune.

Browse open positions across the U.S. A full-time store manager, for example, comes with competitive pay, health insurance, 401(k) and more unique benefits.

7. Timberland

As part of a flexible work environment, the footwear company offers employees opportunities for paid community service or a service sabbatical. Employees can take between 12 and 24 weeks, according to yourSabbatical.

Browse open retail and corporate positions around the country at the company’s careers page.

What Do You Do During Sabbatical Leave?

For some companies, like Patagonia, sabbaticals are conditional. You’ll be required to do volunteer work or something else that fits the company’s mission if you want paid time off from your day job.

But in many cases, you’re free to use your time off as you please.

Companies offer the option as a way for you to recharge, explore and learn something new. In short, a sabbatical is an opportunity for you to become a better person — and a better employee.

These Adobe employees, for example, used their sabbaticals to volunteer around the world.

One 40-year REI employee blogged about using his sabbaticals to paddle the Pacific coastline between Alaska and Washington.

This mother-daughter team used their time off to sail around the Caribbean, and it sparked a whole new company!

What might I use a sabbatical for? Some paid time off to explore Europe would be lovely! A sabbatical could be a great opportunity to travel the world.

Actually, I’d be just as likely to stay put and use the time to start a new project — maybe launch a side hustle, publish an ebook or finally finish something creative during a writing retreat.

More nature-minded folks might enjoy a chance to get off the grid. Turn off your phone, write a clever away message for your email and hit the trails. Spend a summer camping or hiking in your favorite spots.

Or maybe you do plan to take advantage of parental or family leave, but you’d like more time? Use a sabbatical to extend your stay at home without missing out on pay and benefits.

Some people also use the opportunity to spend a summer at home with older kids on break from school.

And here’s one I wouldn’t have considered.

“One senior project manager (at Ryan in Dallas) used the four weeks to move from one home to another and take the time to properly pack and unpack,” Fortune reports.

That’s a smart way to relieve the stress of moving!

Your Turn: What would you do with a sabbatical from work?

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).

The post These 7 Unexpected Companies Will Actually Let You Take Sabbatical Leave appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Six Facts You Should Know About 0% APR Credit Cards

If you’re considering a zero-interest balance transfer credit card as a means to get out of debt — which can be a vert smart idea — it’s still wise to read the fine print. While it’s true these offers can extend zero interest for anywhere from 12 to 21 months (0% APR simply means your annualized percentage rate on that credit is zero, nada, zilch — it’s free credit), a few caveats and “gotchas” can ruin the deal if you aren’t careful.

Signing up for a 0% balance transfer credit card is no guarantee you’ll get that rate for the long haul. One false move and you could be back in the thick of it with a huge APR and no end in sight. Of course, any potential problems can be avoided if you know what they are – and how to avoid them.

Six Facts About Zero-Interest Credit Cards

Here are six facts you should know as you explore 0% APR credit cards and consider pulling the trigger:

Fact #1: Most cards apply 0% APR to purchases or balance transfers, but not both.

Before you get that 0% APR credit card, make sure you understand how your promotional rate works. A lot of times, the best balance transfer cards extend 0% APR to the balance transfer itself, but not to purchases. Then there are other cards that offer 0% APR on balance transfers for an extended length of time, but only extend that benefit to purchases for six months.

If you use your card to buy stuff while you pay down debt and don’t pay attention to your specific offer, you could be exposing yourself to more credit card interest unwittingly.

Fact #2: If you skip a payment, you might lose your balance transfer offer – or be forced to pay a penalty APR.

While transferring a high-interest balance to a balance transfer credit card can help you save money on interest and get out of debt faster, it’s crucial to make sure you never miss a payment. If you’re considerably late (usually 60 days or more), your 0% APR offer might be cancelled altogether. Worse, the Credit CARD Act of 2009 says you can be charged a penalty APR on your balance if your payment is at least 60 days past due. Since penalty APRs can surge as high as 30%, this is a situation you’ll want to avoid at all costs.

• Related: Eight Tips to Make Credit Cards Work For You, Not Against You

Fact #3: Your regular interest rate comes into play once your introductory offer is over.

There’s a reason cards offer 0% interest for anywhere from 12 to 21 months – they hope to lure you in and get you to pay interest once your introductory offer expires. If you don’t pay off your balance completely during your card’s zero-interest introductory period, that’s exactly what you can expect. Depending on the card, typical interest rates will fall anywhere between 5% and 24.9%.

Fact #4: Pursuing a balance transfer to pay down debt may ding your credit in the short term.

While paying off debt over the long haul is usually a boon to your credit, several of the moves made during a balance transfer can actually hurt your credit in the meantime.

First, let’s note that “new credit” makes up 10% of your FICO score. Because of this, opening a new account means your score might drop a few points temporarily.

Second, transferring a balance doesn’t make the debt go away. And if your credit utilization rate is still high — meaning the amount of your available credit limit that you’re using up — your score will inevitably take a hit.

The good news is, your score has the potential to improve as you pay down debt and improve your credit utilization rate. Remember, the amount you owe makes up 30% of your FICO score, making your utilization rate a huge credit factor you cannot ignore.

• Related: You Can Improve This Part of Your Credit Score Almost Immediately

Fact #5: A balance transfer offer can’t get you out of debt on its own.

Many people assume they can transfer their high-interest balances and fix their financial lives in one fell swoop. What they don’t realize is, a balance transfer in and of itself will not fix your debt. It might save you plenty of money on interest in the short term, but you still owe the money, and your interest payments can come back with a vengeance once your introductory offer is over and your regular APR returns. For a balance transfer to actually help you get out of debt, you have to use the interest-free period you’re given to pay off your debts – once and for all.

Fact #6: You might pay a fee to transfer your balance.

While the Chase Slate® card doesn’t charge a balance transfer fee for the first 60 days, the vast majority of such cards tack on a fee equal to 3% to 5% of the transferred balance as a condition of your 0% APR agreement.

That means if you’re transferring a $10,000 balance to a 0% APR card and choose a card with a typical 3% balance transfer fee, you’ll owe an additional $300 on top of your balance. While these offers can still be well worth it when you consider the interest savings alone, it’s crucial to factor these fees into your long-term debt repayment plan.

Final Thoughts

A balance transfer offer isn’t the magical solution it’s sometimes made out to be. For these offers to benefit you, you have to follow the rules and take your debts seriously along the way.

With the right strategy, you can easily parlay a balance transfer offer into the debt-free future you deserve. But if you’re not careful, you could wind up exactly where you are now – or worse. Before you move forward, read the fine print and arm yourself with as much information as you can. Chances are, you’re going to need it.

Related Articles:

• Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards of 2016
• How to Save Money with a Balance Transfer
• Five Steps to Take Immediately After Doing a Balance Transfer

Have you ever completed a balance transfer offer? Why or why not?

The post Six Facts You Should Know About 0% APR Credit Cards appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Govenor Wolf buys beer, wine at Mechanicsburg Wegmans

MECHANICSBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf appears to be a fan of Yuengling.To celebrate the new wine-to-go ability at the Mechanicsburg Wegmans, the governor was seen with a six-pack of Yuengling Lager on Thursday.After a champagne toast, Wolf bought the first bottle of wine sold at the site.“As I have always said, my goal is modernize the sale of liquor, wine and beer in order to bring Pennsylvania’s wine and spirits system into the 21st century. I applaud the [...]

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How to Score an Awesome Deal on a New Car this Labor Day Weekend

Want to hear a crazy secret about me?

I love buying new clothes!

Wait…..

Did I really admit that out loud?

While I don’t want to lose my “man card,” the truth is undeniable.

But, here’s the thing. Part of my love of new clothing is based on my profession. Because I’m a financial advisor, people expect me to look professional and put-together. In that respect, clothing is actually an important business expense.

But wait…..

Here’s another secret about me that will not surprise you: I also love saving money.

So yeah, I do enjoy buying nice business attire and clothes that help me feel my best, but I never pay full price. As a result, shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become important days for this hobby.

Of course, it is well known that certain holidays and calendar dates are best for specific types of purchases. According to Consumer Reports, for example, November is the best month to shop for televisions and major appliances.

And February? The second month of the year offers the best pricing on mattresses, winter sports gear, and coats. May, on the other hand, offers superior pricing on laptop computers.

Then there’s September, and specifically Labor Day Weekend. According to the experts, Labor Day weekend is easily the best time to shop for a new car. Why? Because you’ll often find the lowest prices and lucrative offers on financing to boot.

Don’t believe me? Thomas King, vice-president at J.D. Power and Associates, told Fortune Magazine that Labor Day Weekend is basically the “Black Friday of car sales.”

There are two main drivers of this situation, King explains in the Fortune write-up. First, new models are hitting dealerships right about now, which brings in buyers who want to check out their favorite car’s new look. Second, savvy buyers also come out to search for deals on last year’s models.

And most of the time, they find them.

5 Tips to Save On a New Car this Labor Day Weekend

While not everyone needs a brand new ride, there are times when buying a new car makes sense. You might want a new car in order to secure an ironclad warranty, for example. Or perhaps you have had bad experiences with used cars and want to avoid someone else’s lemon. If you commute a considerable distance to work, a new car might also give you peace of mind.

No matter your reason, you should look for ways to save as much as you can. If you’re shopping for a new car this Labor Day weekend, here are some tips that can help you get the best deal:

Score big on last year’s model.

I already mentioned this concept, but it’s definitely worth repeating. Since new car models tend to hit the market around this time of the year, buyers can often score awesome deals on new cars that just so happen to be last year’s model.

If driving a 2017 model isn’t a big deal to you, shopping for a new 2016 model of your favorite car is a smart idea. Since dealers want to sell older models as quickly as possible, you can usually negotiate a lower sales price.

Conduct research online before you head to the dealership.

Thanks to the internet, it has become easier than ever to research car prices before you hit the dealership. Websites like TRUECar, for example, offer details on the actual prices consumers paid for new and used cars. Armed with this information, you can walk into the dealership knowing what the new car you’re after is actually worth.

Apply for the BuyPower Card from Capital One.

Rewards credit cards make it easy to earn points and cash back you can use, but one rewards card goes the extra mile to offer strong rewards you can use towards a brand new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle.

It’s 5 percent Earnings on the first $5,000 spent every year and 2 percent after that. Plus, there is no limit to how much you can earn or redeem.

Regularly using your card on everyday purchases helps generate Earnings, which can be put towards any new Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, or Buick vehicle of your choosing. Planning is key, so apply for the BuyPower Card from Capital One and you could be on your way to even more savings on Labor Day car shopping in the future.

Best of all, you can combine Earnings with most current GM offers at your local Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac dealerships. For more important information about the BuyPower Card from Capital One, click here.

Look for special deals on financing.

Speaking of special deals and promotions, one of the biggest incentives for buying new is the opportunity for a deal on financing. Each year, many different car brands roll out 0 percent financing options on brand new models, which helps you pay zero interest on your purchase.

A recent study noted that the average new car loan surged over $30,000 in early 2016. That’s a huge expense for most families, but you can sweeten the deal by not paying interest on your new car for five years or longer!

Final Thoughts

Shopping for a brand new car can be super exciting, but you should make sure you’re financially prepared for the purchase and take special care to look over your monthly budget before you fully commit. Also be sure to conduct some serious online research before approach your favorite dealership.

With due diligence, you should be able to get a deal that meets both your transportation and monetary needs. And there is no better time to score an awesome deal than Labor Day weekend!

Thank you Capital One for sponsoring this post! This is a paid endorsement. All opinions are my own and were not directed by Capital One. 

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Before You Pay $600 for an EpiPen, Try These Strategies

What would you do if you needed a specific drug to save your life in the event of an emergency — but you couldn’t afford it?

The internet erupted in outrage last week when EpiPen manufacturer Mylan announced it was dramatically raising prices. An EpiPen two-pack, used as a life-saving stopgap when an allergy sufferer goes into anaphylactic shock, now has a list price of more than $600.

Mylan’s been Monday-morning quarterbacking ever since, first announcing a savings program that would reduce the price of filling a prescription, then announcing it would manufacture a generic version of the injection device.

But many concerned allergy sufferers aren’t waiting for Mylan to make good on its generic promise. If you carry an auto-injector in case of a dangerous allergic reaction, you might be scrambling for a way — any way — to figure out how to afford your prescription.

Here are some proven ways to save money on your EpiPen — as well as the ones you’ll want to skip, no matter how budget-friendly they seem.

Smart Ways to Save Money on EpiPens

If you have the time and patience for a little research, you may be able to snag a decent deal on your prescription cost.

Call Around

Editorial intern Kelly Smith phoned our local pharmacies to get an idea of what competing chains in our area charge.

“I’m scared to check,” admitted the person who picked up at CVS Pharmacy. But they did, and quoted us $734.99 for an EpiPen two-pack. They didn’t have any alternative options available.

Walmart quoted an EpiPen two-pack price of $683, and mentioned they accept discount cards (more on those in a moment). They didn’t have a generic option available.

Publix gave us a whopper price of $761.95 for an EpiPen two-pack, and told us to search online for “My EpiPen Savings Card” to take $300 off the price (see below). The pharmacy also offered competing auto-injector Adrenaclick for $516, although the savings from the EpiPen Savings Card would be a better deal.

Ask Your Doctor

Doing your smart-shopping research is helpful, but don’t forget your doctor is on your side, too. Ask them for recommendations and make sure they don’t check the box on the prescription pad that excludes generics.  

Since doctors are in frequent contact with pharmaceutical reps, they’re also your first link to coupons, discount programs, and even grants to help pay for an auto-injector prescription.

Call Your Insurance Company

Pour a fresh cup of coffee or grab a snack before trying this next tactic: getting in touch with your health insurance provider.

Your insurance benefits information may not specify your cost for something as expensive as an EpiPen, but a representative from the company may be able to look up your specific coverage and out-of-pocket cost.

I asked our company’s insurance provider about the cost if one of our staffers needed an EpiPen prescription filled. Since the provider considers the medication to be a tier-two drug, we would pay only the $35 brand-name prescription copay specified in the short version of our benefits.

A closer look at the tiered-prescription explanation for our plan has us scratching our heads, since tier two is described as “mid-cost medications.” Let’s just not remind them about that price hike.

Asking your insurance administrator for guidance is even more essential if you have a state or federally funded benefit program, like Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE.

Enrollment in these programs often excludes you from coupons that can dramatically reduce the cost of your prescription. However, GoodRx notes that a typical Medicare copay for an EpiPen two-pack is between $15 and $270 if you’ve already met your deductible.

Samantha Dunscombe – The Penny Hoarder

Look Into the Mylan Discount Program

If you’re looking for a Mylan EpiPen, try getting the My EpiPen Savings Card to bring your cost down from about $600 to about $300 for a two-pack. If you qualify, which you should if you’re over 18 and have commercial insurance, you can download the card right away.

If you have a government insurance program like Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE, you’re not eligible.  

Consider Going Generic

A generic version of the Adrenaclick dispenser is available in dosages for children and adults. Its producer, Lineage Therapeutics, offers a discount program advertising a $0 copay for some qualified individuals filling their prescriptions at participating pharmacies.

If you have commercial insurance and aren’t insured by an employer-sponsored insurance program for retirees, you’re probably eligible (here’s the fine print).

The discount form notes that commercially insured patients may receive their auto-injector prescription for free, while those paying out of pocket may receive up to $100 off each of up to three auto-injector packs. There’s also a mail-in rebate option if the pharmacy isn’t able to administer the discount at time of purchase.

That same generic auto-injector is also listed at $150-$400 at various retailers after discount coupons offered on GoodRx. Paying $150 for a generic version of a prescription doesn’t feel nice, but it’s still way better than the more expensive alternatives.

Can You Buy EpiPens From Canada?

Many Reddit users are pretty big fans of heading north to buy EpiPens at a more reasonable out-of-pocket cost — Canadian pharmacies sell them for as little as CA$109 (about US$83).

The problem? You can’t actually bring it home.

While the Drug Enforcement Administration allows American residents to import Canadian-bought prescriptions, we couldn’t confirm with them whether EpiPens were eligible. When we asked the Food and Drug Administration, press officer Theresa Eisenman was pretty clear via email that this would be a bad idea.

Importing unapproved prescription drugs for personal use is a potentially dangerous practice. Neither FDA nor the American public have any assurance that unapproved products from foreign sources are effective, safe, or produced under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).‎ Unapproved drugs may be contaminated, sub-potent, super-potent or counterfeit.

While Americans can purchase from Canadian online pharmacies with a valid prescription, the FDA and Consumer Reports both warn against this option, since many of those outlets don’t meet FDA standards. Your order might be cheap, but it might not include the correct medication or dosage — and you won’t know until it’s too late.

“The public health risks of unapproved drugs from foreign sources outweigh any potential cost savings,” wrote Eisenman.

Whatever You Do, Don’t DIY

Do not, we repeat, DO NOT fall into an internet black hole and start believing you can or should cobble up your own adrenaline injection method. It’s a terrible idea.

“Anyone using this approach would require extensive medical training to do it effectively and safely, without contamination or accidental intravenous injection,” Dr. James Baker of Food Allergy Research & Education told PBS NewsHour.

While auto-injectors are designed so that any regular Joe can administer the medication to someone having an allergic reaction, that lifesaving dose of adrenaline is precisely measured — not to mention regulated by the government. Trying to DIY a solution could be a recipe for disaster.

How to Get the EpiPen You Need

So, what’s your best bet? Talk to the medical pro who wrote your prescription.

They’ll be best prepared to answer questions and figure out what discount options may be available to you. It might still be expensive, but this is one of those situations where saving money can’t be the top priority — your health and safety are more important.

Your Turn: How much did it cost to refill your EpiPen prescription?

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer for The Penny Hoarder.

Editorial intern Kelly Smith contributed research to this post.

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East Stroudsburg food pantry honors guests

The New Life In Christ food pantry in East Stroudsburg recently presented certificates of appreciation to several people for supporting the food pantry in helping the less fortunate. From left are state Sen. Mario Scavello, Jessica Dokachev of Second Harvest Food Bank in Nazareth, the Rev. Dr. David Phillips of New Life (presenting the certificates), Paul Lynch of Second Harvest and state Rep. Rosemary Brown. (Photo provided) 

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BWA members & friends have ‘bigger’ reason to celebrate

Brodhead Watershed Association will hold its annual Members & Friends Celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 30 at Northampton Community College's Pocono Hall, Tannersville. This year, it’s all about how BWA’ s work in the local watershed affects the Brodhead and beyond, touting the theme “We’re part of something bigger.”  BWA honors those who have proven their dedication to protecting our water quality.The guest of honor will be Craig Todd, who [...]

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Pocono Dome is suddenly closed

The Pocono Dome is closed and its future is unclear. A sign in front of the entrance says so, and a billboard facing Route 33 in Sciota says it is for sale.The ambitious 89,000 square foot indoor sports facility in Hamilton Township may have been buried under the weight of its own grandiose vision.Gregory Bush of Sciota and two associated businesses, Pocono Dome, LLC and Sciota Enterprises, LLC defaulted on a $2.9 million loan from Wayne Bank in Honesdale in 2015. [...]

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