MCTA expands the Blue Route farther North

The Pocono Pony Bus Service will now be going further North than it ever has before, much to the delight of The Mountain Center in Tobyhanna.The public transportation service has added a stop at The Mountain Center and will begin making stops there on weekdays beginning on Monday, Jan. 15.“We are thrilled that public transportation will be more accessible for so many people in our Coolbaugh Township neighborhood, from families and working parents to senior citizens, [...]

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MCTA expands the Blue Route further North

The Pocono Pony Bus Service will now be going further North than it ever has before, much to the delight of The Mountain Center in Tobyhanna.The public transportation service has added a stop at The Mountain Center and will begin making stops there on weekdays beginning on Monday, Jan. 15.“We are thrilled that public transportation will be more accessible for so many people in our Coolbaugh Township neighborhood, from families and working parents to senior citizens, [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/2mzOZro

50 Excellent Free Books from Project Gutenberg (and How to Easily Read Them)

A few months ago, I briefly wrote about how to download and read free books from Project Gutenberg on your phone, tablet, or computer. For those unaware, Project Gutenberg is a collection of books in the public domain, made available for convenient reading on digital devices completely for free. Here’s what I wrote:

The Project Gutenberg website isn’t too bad to navigate once you know a few tricks (it’s vastly improved from some of the earlier versions). My preferred way to find and read classic books from there is to visit their mobile site, http://m.gutenberg.org/, which has a very nice mobile interface. I prefer it to the desktop one by a large margin unless you’re actually at a computer with a huge screen and, honestly, even then, I still use the mobile site and just make my browser window small.

When visiting the site on mobile, you actually have a lot of options. Let’s say you’re looking at the mobile page for Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays. The easiest way to read immediately is to just click on the “HTML” link, which opens the book in your web browser and you can instantly start reading it by scrolling downwards. The full book is one giant HTML page.

A much better option, if you’re on your phone or a tablet, is to click on the “Kindle (with images)” link. If you have the free Amazon Kindle app on your phone or tablet already, you’ll be prompted with a link to open the book in the Kindle app. Do so and the book will be in your Kindle app, for free, ready to read.

This mailbag response generated a lot of feedback from several readers asking for reading suggestions. I’ll share Stan’s message as an example:

Loved loved loved your answer last week to the question about Project Gutenberg books! Always wanted to know how to do it! Followed your directions and downloaded Pride and Prejudice in seconds and started reading it in the Kindle app!

Do you have any recommendations from Project Gutenberg? Give me a big list of stuff to read from there!

Sure! Here are 50 great books that you can download from Project Gutenberg right now for free and immediately start reading! Every single one is linked right to their book’s page, along with a convenient mobile link if you’re looking at this on a tablet or a smartphone. These are all books that I love that come recommended by me personally.

Fiction

Wuthering Heights (mobile) by Emily Brontë is the prototypical Gothic novel, centering on the lives of two young lovers, Heathcliff and Catherine. When Catherine chooses to marry another, Heathcliff plots and takes revenge on Catherine’s family and the family of her husband.

Pride and Prejudice (mobile) by Jane Austen focuses on Elizabeth Bennet, the oldest daughter of a 19th century English family who is facing considerable family pressure to marry. The book centers on her growth as a person as she is courted by Mr. Darcy, a rather aloof fellow whom she initially doesn’t like.

Jane Eyre (mobile) by Charlotte Brontë focuses on the titular orphaned girl, who struggles to get an education on her own at a harsh boarding and eventually winds up as a governess in a family with quite a few secrets.

Sense and Sensibility (mobile) by Jane Austen tells the story of the Dashwood sisters who live on a tiny cottage on the land of a wealthy relative due to some life misfortune. Most of the novel focuses on their character growth, particularly the younger one, and how they figure out love and their place in the world. The character growth of Marianne Dashwood is wonderfully told, both in terms of enjoyment of the book and in terms of giving the reader something to think about.

Great Expectations (mobile) by Charles Dickens is a coming-of-age novel about Pip, an orphan who opens the novel as a young boy but grows into adulthood throughout the story. This one has all of the great things about Dickens’ novels – memorable characters from all walks of life that grow and change throughout the novel, a great sense of humor, and some great food for thought about divisions in society snuck in there with the action and story.

Dracula (mobile) by Bram Stoker is perhaps the greatest novel of gothic horror, telling the classic story of Count Dracula, a vampire who has moved to Transylvania in order to spread his undead curse, and the group of villagers who fight against him, most notably Professor Abraham van Helsing. Almost everything one could expect to find in a great horror novel is right here.

Les Misérables (mobile) by Victor Hugo is a powerful novel describing a long cat-and-mouse game between suspected criminal Jean Valjean and Javert, the inspector pursuing him, with many side adventures and tales of people from all levels of society. The opposing characters of Valjean and Javert, particularly the growth in Valjean throughout the book, has made this a timeless tale enjoyed by millions of readers.

Persuasion (mobile) by Jane Austen tells the tale of a family who rents their home out to a couple, only to discover that the daughter of the family used to be engaged to the brother of the wife who is renting that house. Austen pretty much defines “romantic comedy,” and this is right in line with her other works, with this one standing out because of the relative maturity of the protagonist, which is in line with the relative maturity of Austen herself when she wrote the book.

Anna Karenina (mobile) by Leo Tolstoy focuses on an affair between the titular Anna Karenina and the rather wealthy Count Vronsky. The book twists and turns as it describes the ins and outs of their relationship and how Russian social standards and the Orthodox Church and the societies of other parts of Europe (especially Italy) reacted to their affair. The growth and change in the characters makes this a great read, especially with how the author deals with the title character as her life is in flux.

David Copperfield (mobile) by Charles Dickens covers the life of the title character from childhood to maturity through all kinds of ups and downs, and like any good novel by Dickens, the story is loaded with interesting and memorable characters, such as the morally dodgy financial secretary Uriah Heep and the comically eccentric aunt Betsey Trotwood. Dickens’ magic is in his characters, and that’s on full display here.

The Woman in White (mobile) by Wilkie Collins is a truly fun crime/mystery novel with a really imaginative caper at the center of it, one which I don’t want to spoil for anyone who might read it. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy mystery/crime novels with unexpected twists and a few memorable characters, you’ll find a lot to like with this one.

The Brothers Karamazov (mobile) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky led me to think more deeply about faith, judgment, and human reasoning more than any novel I’ve ever read. The novel focuses on the tense relationship between a family patriarch and the interconnected lives of his four sons and the different moral and social paths that their lives each take. Dostoyevsky is brilliant at bringing out the moral ambiguity in people’s characters, where they have enormous blind spots regarding their own failings as people, and this novel is rife with that. The characters end up being incredibly rich because of it and you’ll be left thinking about this for the rest of your life.

The Time Machine (mobile) by H.G. Wells is a great science fiction novel about a man who travels 800,000 years into the future to discover that the upper class and the working class of humankind have become two distinct species, with completely different attributes and societies. Wells keeps the story moving along rather than dwelling too long on the implications of the societies, giving just a great little story and leaving you thinking and wanting more when you close the book.

Bleak House (mobile) by Charles Dickens is about an ongoing legal case regarding conflicting wills with different beneficiaries and the petty infighting and completely comical and ineffective and corrupt legal system in which the case is being tried. As always with a Dickens novel, the story rushes along and is filled with comical characters and people of all levels of society and character.

Crime and Punishment (mobile) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is the tale of a poor ex-student who plots to murder a rather sleazy pawnbroker and steal her money. The student dreams of the good things he could do with that money rather than the slimy things he perceives the pawnbroker as doing, but eventually his own conscience and the events of chance interfere with the planned crime. As with Dostoyevsky’s other works, this one thrives on morally ambiguous characters and situations that leave you thinking long after the cover is closed.

The Importance of Being Earnest (mobile) by Oscar Wilde is a comedy centered around a group of people who use pseudonyms and false identities to dodge their social obligations. As one can imagine, it’s thick with unexpected meetings and interactions and all kinds of awkwardness, wrapped up in a hilarious package.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (mobile) by Oscar Wilde has a much different tone than Earnest; here, a rather nasty individual named Dorian Gray manages to seemingly never age and keeps his youthful appearance, but this is due to the granting of a wish: his true appearance is kept locked in a painting, which ages horribly over time.

Moby-Dick (mobile) by Herman Melville is one of those books that everyone ought to read simply because of how often it shows up in popular culture in various ways. The core of the story – Ahab, captain of the Pequod, is obsessed with a great white whale that bit part of his leg off in a previous whaling trip – is well known, but the specifics draw you into a dark tale of obsession.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (mobile) by Jules Verne is a prime example of how wonderful late 19th century prototypical science fiction can be in the hands of someone who can write well with great imagination. Here, Verne imagines a rather advanced submarine, captained by an enigmatic fellow named Nemo who sails the seas for his own unclear reasons. The mix of the enigma of Nemo’s character with the wonderful descriptions of the submarine and its capabilities make this incredibly fun to read.

Heart of Darkness (mobile) by Joseph Conrad tells the tale of a man journeying up the Congo River to visit an enigmatic ivory trader who has apparently built up a rather dark cult of personality around himself. This is a dark book, but one that, if you pay attention, will make you think a lot about the world around you.

The Awakening (mobile) by Kate Chopin tells the story of Edna, a woman in Louisiana at the turn of the 20th century who is struggling to balance society’s view on women and their roles with the reality she is experiencing and observing in everyday life for herself and the women around her. Edna’s tale is harrowing and heartbreaking as she is constantly torn between what is expected of her and what she feels is the right thing to do.

The War of the Worlds (mobile) by H.G. Wells is a brilliant tale of an invasion from outer space by seemingly all-powerful aliens. This story is the baseline from which pretty much every hostile alien invasion story is sprung; it is a great work of imagination with Wells’ great descriptive talent at work.

The Scarlet Letter (mobile) by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a forbidden romance between a woman and a pastor in a colonial American community, where the woman is shunned for her choices by the values of that community. The basic outline of the story is well known, but it is in the specifics and the characters of Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne that this really clicks.

The King in Yellow (mobile) by Robert W. Chambers is a truly classic collection of interrelated horror stories that all touch upon a play called The King in Yellow and some of the supernatural elements surrounding the performance of the play. This novel often ties into the work of H.P. Lovecraft, but I think Chambers’ writing exceeds Lovecraft’s.

The Sign of the Four (mobile) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of the truly great Sherlock Holmes stories, along with the following one. As with most mysteries, it’s not really very fun to spoil the story or the outcome; suffice it to say, you’ll be glad that you read it if you enjoy mysteries.

A Study in Scarlet (mobile) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is probably my favorite of all of the Sherlock Holmes tales, as this one builds on the characters of Watson and Holmes so well within the telling of a well crafted detective story. Again, I don’t wish to spoil a good mystery!

Silas Marner (mobile) by George Eliot is one of my favorite novels ever written, but it’s surprisingly under appreciated today. The novel centers around a very down-on-his-luck linen weaver who seems to be the recipient of a series of very unfortunate events. I once tried to write a modernization of this, but found it beyond my abilities as a writer (though I still have my notes somewhere). Something about the title character’s experiences just really speaks to me.

The Idiot (mobile) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky focuses on the titular character, who is such an earnest and good man in a society filled with… questionable people that much of society interprets him as being unintelligent. Is it right to interpret earnestness and goodness as a failing? I don’t think so, but it’s a question that runs through this book. As always with Dostoyevsky, you’re left thinking about the rights and wrongs of human society.

A Tale of Two Cities (mobile) by Charles Dickens is probably his greatest novel. It tells the interconnected story of several families and individuals between the cities of London and France during the years leading up to the French Revolution and how their lives were tossed into tumult by those events. The characters are rich, as one expects from Dickens, but the backdrop of two societies going in somewhat different directions and how that affected the lives of ordinary people makes this one exceptional.

Middlemarch (mobile) by George Eliot tells the story of the interconnected lives of a number of people living in the fictitious English town of Middlemarch in the middle of the 19th century. The reasonably large cast of characters and how they interact and line up with one another gives a picture of a rich community that I wanted to stick with long after the novel was finished.

Philosophy

The Republic (mobile) by Plato is a discussion of the meaning of justice and how one could design a city or a state centered entirely around the concept of justice. What would that look like? Would it be a place worth living in?

Meditations (mobile) by Marcus Aurelius is a series of notebooks/diaries by the Roman emperor in which he reflects on how he mentally prepares himself to do the best job he can as emperor, which was quite good – Marcus Aurelius is widely considered one of the great Roman emperors. This is considered one of the landmark works of the philosophy of stoicism.

Utopia (mobile) by Thomas More describes an island society that has adopted a simple orderly life that seems like it would be very pleasant to be a part of, but would it work as a place to live in? Is it really a utopia? That’s really a question for the reader to decide.

Tao te Ching (mobile) by Lao-Tzu is a work that I was unsure whether to categorize as “religious” or “philosophical” as it really straddles the fence between the two (as do some items in the “religious” group, below). The book focuses on the idea of virtue and how to practice it in life in a very lyrical way that presents ideas, seemingly contradicts them, and then reconciles the contradictions.

On the Principles of Political Economy, and Taxation (mobile) by David Ricardo is an economics book that delves into the reasons behind a lot of simple economics that we take for granted, like why rent goes up in highly populated areas and how machinery and automation benefits everyone except for the people on the bottom of society (somewhat). Ricardo’s writing is pretty easy to translate directly into modern situations, like the expensive rent in New York and San Francisco.

Critique of Pure Reason (mobile) by Immanuel Kant essentially argues that reason, logic, and data is insufficient to gain a thorough understanding of the world. It’s a pretty heavy philosophical work, but if you go through it with patience, it will leave you thinking quite a lot about how people make decisions and some of the broader trends of society.

On Liberty (mobile) by John Stuart Mill argues that the only way to balance authority and liberty is to look for solutions that have maximum utility; in other words, neither strict authority or complete freedom is the best solution in all situations, but that individual situations may tend more in one direction or another.

Beyond Good and Evil (mobile) by Friedrich Nietzsche centers around the idea that a good person isn’t necessarily the complete opposite of an evil person and that they often operate on the same basic impulses, with “goodness” representing a refinement of those impulses. For example, a person who acts altruistically and a person who acts cruelly may be seeking the same benefit, but just have different approaches to acquiring that benefit.

Poetry

Leaves of Grass (mobile) by Walt Whitman is perhaps my favorite work of poetry ever written. I often quote Whitman in my pieces of inspiration columns, and many of his best works come from this book – and it’s free.

Poems (mobile) by Emily Dickinson, on the other hand, is a largely complete collection of her works. I often think of Whitman as being a poet about the “outside” – the world at large – whereas Dickinson often strikes a chord with the “inside” – the internal world. That’s not a strict line, of course, but it’s a description of how each makes me feel.

Essays / General Nonfiction

Walden (mobile) by Henry David Thoreau tells the tale of a two year period in Thoreau’s life in which he lived largely in solitude in the woods near Walden Pond in a house he built himself. The book is highly introspective, as one might expect; Thoreau uses the opportunity to reflect inwards on himself and his character as well as outwards on society as a whole.

Essays (mobile) by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a large pile of wonderful essays by one of my favorite writers of all time. I covered one of his essays, Self-Reliance, in an in-depth three part series a few years back, but that essay just scratches the surface of the great things one can find in this volume. As always with a book of essays, it can easily be read in small pieces, broken up at your convenience.

The Education of Henry Adams (mobile) by Henry Adams is a wonderful book about the power of self-directed learning and education through a mix of books and experiences. Adams looks at himself under a microscope to figure out what he has done to acquire knowledge and arrive at his current understanding of the world, and in doing so imparts a lot of very strong ideas about self-education and opportunity.

Religion

The King James Bible (mobile) might not be the best translation of the Holy Bible into English, but there are portions of it that are almost stunning in the beauty of the language. It’s the translation most often quoted in literature and popular culture and for good reason. This is worth reading for cultural understanding and for pure literary appreciation, regardless of your beliefs.

The Qu’ran (mobile) is in much the same boat as the Bible – regardless of your particular religious beliefs, it is worth reading as a cultural document and as a tool for better understanding of a religion followed by billions. As with the Bible, there are sections that are incredibly beautiful and lyrical that will touch your heart and spirit.

The Bhagavad Gita (mobile) is a Hindu scripture that takes the form of a dialogue between a prince and his charioteer as they discuss fighting in an upcoming battle. Is it more important to be chivalrous or to fight to win if you believe your cause to be right? The entire work is beautiful and lyrical and centers on a powerful question.

Analects (mobile)by Confucius is one of the central works of Confucianism and consists of a number of sayings and ideas attributed to him. This work really feels like a general guidance on how to live a reflective and patient and morally cultivated life, which is needed to be part of a good society.

Rámáyan of Válmíki (mobile) is an epic poem that is a key work in several religions (Hinduism, Jain, and Sikh) and several cultures in south Asia. The poem focuses on how to be an ideal person no matter your role in life – the ideal servant, the ideal wife, the ideal brother, the ideal father, and the ideal king, among others, and how they relate to one another.

History

Democracy in America (mobile) by Alexis de Tocqueville is a powerful interconnected series of essays about America and how it self-governs. The book is positive but realistic and insightful, and it provides some incredibly worthwhile reading for anyone troubled by the current political state in American and wanting to get in touch with the grand American political experiment.

The Histories (mobile) by Herodotus is an ancient work describing the clashes between the various societies of northern Africa and Greece during the 5th century BC. It describes the rise of the Persian empire and many small wars, and interestingly intermeshes Greek mythology with the conflicts of humans.

Whew! If you can’t find something to read in there, you’re not trying!

The post 50 Excellent Free Books from Project Gutenberg (and How to Easily Read Them) appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Here’s Why You May Want a Will… Even if You’re Young and Ridiculously Broke

Eastburg doctor to translate at Winter Olympics

East Stroudsburg pediatrician Dr. Yoon-Taek Chun made it to the Olympics.At least the sidelines, that is.Chun, 70, will join the medical support staff at the highly popular figure skating and short track speed skating arena.The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea begin on Feb. 9 and lasts until Feb. 25. Chun will arrive on Jan. 31 and stay for the entire competition.Chun is Korean and fluent in both his native language and English. That and his medical [...]

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40% of Student Loans Could Be in Default by 2023, and Here’s Who’s to Blame

There’s big trouble brewing in the world of student loans, and many people don’t even realize it.

Sure, there’s the $1.4 trillion in outstanding college debt that is sure to scare your cap and gown off. But a new report by the Brookings Institution highlights a looming default crisis that could shake the U.S. economy.

Using new data on student borrowers who entered college for the first time in 2003-04, Brookings senior fellow Judith Scott-Clayton concluded that by 2023, the cumulative student loan default rate for that group will top 40%. Yep, the report says nearly half of that faction will have stopped paying back their student loans for at least nine months.

Right now, the student loan default rate for that group is around 25%. The most recent U.S. Department of Education data shows the default rate for those who took out loans in 2014 has ticked up to 11.5%.

Comparing the numbers, you can see we’re in for a major increase in defaults. But why?

For-Profit Colleges Drive the Student Loan Default Rate

Drill into the numbers further, and you’ll see that nearly 70% students who took out loans in 2004 to attend for-profit universities will likely default by 2023.

These types of institutions include the controversial — and now shuttered — ITT Technical Institute, Corinthian College and DeVry University.

Public university student borrowers who started college in 2003-04 are projected to have a 26% default rate in the next five years.

The projected gulf in default rates comes as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos freezes Obama-era regulations on for-profit colleges, such as rules erasing student loan debt of borrowers who were defrauded by such schools.

In the conclusion of the study, Scott-Clayton recommends ramping up regulations on for-profit schools, although she doesn’t discuss specifics.

Default Rate Is at ‘Crisis Levels’ for Black Students

The gap in default rates between students at public and for-profit schools is dramatic, but the difference in default rates among races is even more stark.

“Debt and default among black college students is at crisis levels, and even a bachelor’s degree is no guarantee of security,” Scott-Clayton wrote in the study. “Black (bachelor’s degree) graduates default at five times the rate of white (bachelor’s degree) graduates… and are more likely to default than white dropouts.”

By 2023, the default rate for black borrowers who started college in 2003-04 is projected to hit 73.3%. It’s largely due to labor market that’s less favorable for these graduates, according to a previous Brookings study.

In the previous study, Scott-Clayton recommended a pay-as-you-earn model of student loan debt repayment, in which debt service would be based on your income.

But what should you do if you’re among the millions of students we’ve discussed so far?

What Can I Do if I’m Heading Toward Student Loan Default?

First, if you’re struggling to pay back your student debt, you’re not alone. And you could be on the way to breaking free from that debt, like this guy, with a few simple tips.

Try refinancing with a site like Credible. Jammie Proctor, an engineering graduate, saved more than $6,500 on his student loans using that route.

Then, to save some extra cash, try savings apps or start a side hustle.

You may also consider moving back home if that’s an option, like Kelly Russell.

If you’ve already defaulted on your student loan, make sure you get yourself on an income-driven repayment plan. And head to the Federal Student Aid website for other tips on dealing with default.

But until there are some major regulatory changes to the country’s university system, it’s likely the need for such services will continue to grow.

Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder.

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

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This Is When You Can Get a Free Chicken Salad Scoop at Chicken Salad Chick

Feeling peckish? Chicken Salad Chick has you covered with 10 days of giveaways in honor of its 10th anniversary.

Starting Jan. 15, the fast-casual chicken chain will offer a daily freebie at its more than 80 locations in 11 states.

But the real steal comes on Jan. 25 for its Guest Appreciation Day, with a free scoop of chicken salad, no purchase necessary.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

10 Straight Days of Freebies From Chicken Salad Chick

Here are all the deals:

Monday, Jan. 15: Buy one large Quick Chick and get one small Quick Chick free.

Tuesday, Jan. 16: Trio Tuesday: Get a free “Make it a Trio” upgrade with a purchase of The Chick.

Wednesday, Jan. 17: Kids ages 10 and under eat free with a purchase of The Chick.

Thursday, Jan. 18: Double points day for loyalty members.

Friday, Jan. 19: Free limited-edition cup for the first 100 guests who purchase The Chick.

Saturday, Jan. 20: Free Pop Socket for the first 100 guests who purchase The Chick.

Monday, Jan. 22: Free birthday cookie with the purchase of a Chick Trio, while supplies last.

Tuesday, Jan. 23: Free Chick koozie for the first 100 guests who purchase The Chick.

Wednesday, Jan. 24: Buy two large Quick Chicks and get one large Quick Chick free.

Thursday, Jan. 25: Free scoop of Classic Carol chicken salad.

How about those eggs?

Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s always peckish.

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

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90% of Us Are About to Get a Pay Bump. Here’s Why We’re Not Celebrating Yet

Here’s the good news: About 90% of wage earners should see a bump in their paychecks in February as the new tax laws take effect.

That’s cool, right?

Maybe.

Your paycheck may, indeed, be bigger, but don’t run out and splurge on that Crafting With Cat Hair book you’ve been eyeballing on Amazon.

Your paycheck may be bigger, but it may also be wrong.

Use This Paycheck Calculator (When It Actually Becomes Available)

The IRS has released its new withholding tables on its website. Businesses are being urged to implement the new tax laws in their payrolls by Feb. 15. Unfortunately, that means they’ll use outdated W-4 forms to calculate each employee’s taxes.

So what? That means they may withhold too much or too little from your paycheck.

A bigger paycheck sounds good, but not if you’re going to find out you owe in $6,000 next April because your employer withheld too little for Uncle Sam each payday.

The IRS urges all employees to use its new, updated withholding calculator to double-check their employers’ assessments of their tax withholdings. But the new calculator will not be available until the end of February. That means you are likely to get one or more paychecks before you can verify their accuracy.

Be Smart With Your Extra Pay

OK, so after the smoke clears, you discover your paycheck is getting a little bigger and you’re paying the right amount in taxes. Sweet!

Now, how can you make the most out of this boost in pay?

Of course, here at The Penny Hoarder, we’re going to try to convince you to save it. Here are a few easy ideas.

• Think about bumping up your 401(k) contribution by a percentage point. It may not seem like much, but it will add up over time and help you retire more comfortably. If you’re a little behind on your retirement savings, this could help you catch up.
• Consider putting that extra dough into an emergency savings account. It may not be fun, but imagine having enough savings so you don’t have to sweat every time your car makes a weird rattling noise. Get over the paycheck-to-paycheck living!
• Start saving for a down payment. Been dreaming of a different car or buying a house? If you thought you didn’t make enough to start saving, consider this new bump a step in that direction and put it toward a great goal.

A boost in take-home pay is a welcome change for anyone. But it’s only going to benefit you if you are certain your taxes are properly withheld and don’t waste the extra money you receive. Consider this an opportunity to start reaching your 2018 financial goals.

Tyler Omoth is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder who loves soaking up the sun and finding creative ways to help others. Catch him on Twitter at @Tyomoth.

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

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Sam’s Club Announced It’s Closing 63 Stores. Here’s How to Get a Refund

It happened almost in the same breath: Walmart announced it would raise entry-level pay to $11 per hour in the U.S. Then, it announced it would close 63 of its Sam’s Club locations.

While 12 of the locations slated to close will be converted to e-commerce fulfillment centers, Sam’s Club members, who pay $45 to $100 per year to shop at discount prices, may find themselves without a nearby spot to use their memberships.

Sam’s Club offers online shipping and online ordering with curbside pickup, but some items, like fresh grocery products, are available only in club locations. Pharmacy services are another popular in-club-only perk.

Business Insider has compiled a map of the locations slated to close.

Sam’s Club will offer two options for customers who may have strong feelings about the changes. They can choose a free three-month extension of their membership or a full refund of their membership fee. There are two refund options: an emailed gift card or a mailed check.

Requesting a refund or extension is a quick online process that requires your member number and contact information. Electronic refunds and extensions will be processed in about seven business days, while a mailed refund check will take about six weeks to receive.

Lisa Rowan is a senior writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

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

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Keeping Your Job Search Secret From Your Partner? Here’s Why to Reconsider

As a species, humans are secretive about the oddest things.

We’ll overshare about buying sports bras, our kids or even how much money we make.

But when it comes to job searches, we like to play our cards close to the vest.

According to a new survey by Indeed, 50% of people worldwide and 58% of Americans wouldn’t tell a partner they’re applying for a job.

UK residents are even more reticent to share: A mere 37% of survey respondents say they’d share with a partner that they’re looking for work.

That seems a bit… counterintuitive to me, but I guess on some level, I get it.

Professor Paul Dolan, behavioral economist at London School of Economics, told Indeed he believes it’s a matter of pride.

“Admitting that we are looking for a job means exposing others to our potential success or failure,” he said. “To avoid embarrassing ourselves, we choose to hide our searches.”

Why It Pays to Be Candid About Your Job Search

It’s not uncommon to want our partners to see only our best efforts.

After all, it’s much more rewarding to reveal a successful job offer to our SO with a flourish rather than cry all over them after the ninth rejection in a row (ask me how I know).

The thing is, shutting partners out of our job search efforts also closes the door on potential opportunities for networking and, perhaps more important, support.

Being upfront with your partner that you’re applying for new jobs can:

• Protect you from wage gap issues and other forms of discrimination

• Keep you from falling victim to work scams

• Give you someone to lean on when attending networking events

• Increase the value of your online and in-person networking efforts

• Open doors to money-making ideas that never occurred to you

There’s nothing that says you have to tell everyone you know you’re in the market for a new job, but you probably don’t need to hide it from your sweetheart.

After all, looking for a job is challenging enough. We need support wherever we can get it.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She believes the best job search support a partner can offer comes in the form of cupcakes and cookies.

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

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Here’s How to Get Free Baby Stuff From Walmart (You Have to Act Fast!)

Parents-to-be and new parents should jump on this deal quickly: Walmart is offering a free baby welcome box while supplies last.

Packed with product samples, the Walmart boxes allow families to “get a head start with Baby’s development,” according to the website.

The best part? It ships totally free.

How to Get Free Baby Stuff from Walmart

All you have to do to get this freebie is head to Walmart’s baby box page and enter your name, your baby’s birth or due date, and your email and shipping address, then click “Get My Free Box.” You can opt out of Walmart emails before submitting your request.

In a few weeks, you’ll receive a box with product samples and coupons. Recipients of previous baby box offers reported getting a pacifier, newborn baby bottle, wipes, a diaper, nursing pads and baby-friendly laundry detergent.

The box is only available while supplies last, so don’t procrastinate, parents!

Walmart’s Other Baby Boxes

This free offer is separate from Walmart’s Baby Box program, which offers age-specific boxes of samples and coupons for newborns through toddlers. Walmart automatically delivers the box for the next stage as your baby grows; you pay $5 shipping for each.

Lisa Rowan is a senior writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

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

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Snag This Job and You Could Add “Professional Slacker” to Your Resume

If lazy people had a Bat Signal that could light up the night sky when we needed them most, what would it look like?

Would the silhouette of a pair of slippers dash across the darkened clouds?

An image of a bubble bath?

The receipt from your fifth Uber Eats order this week?

A screenshot of the text message exchange between you and the Shipt grocery delivery person in which you seriously attempt to convince them to bring the wine you ordered straight to you on the couch?

Yikes. Well, I’ll try to hammer out the details of the new Lazy Person Signal, but in the meantime, if any of those options resonated with something deep inside your soul, pay attention to what I’m about to tell you: A travel agency is looking for “Professional Slackers” who will sit around and do absolutely nothing — and get paid for it.

Calling All Slackers: We Found Your Dream Job

The travel agency TUI is looking for four professional slackers to become “fakeation specialists” in Stockholm, Sweden, at the end of the month.

The following are real details from a real job listing for a real position at a real company. All that to say, no, you’re not dreaming.

Pay: Fixed salary. No exact numbers, but the company guarantees it will “be way too high in relation to performance.”

Schedule: Daily shifts include 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. These temporary positions last from January 22 to February 4.

Responsibilities include:

• Nothing

(Although you will be asked to wear a summery outfit, sit in a beach chair, lie on a beach towel, take a nap, read a book, listen to music, meditate, relax and generally do your best to make stressed-out commuters and passersby incredibly jealous.)

Applicants for this position must have:

• Previous experience sleeping at your workplace
• An inability to think outside the box
• A distinct lack of ability to multitask
• No interest in interacting with others
• Extreme feelings of discomfort when faced with the words “deadlines” and “productivity”
• The ability to sit or lie down often and a lot
• An impressive ability to continue relaxing regardless of external distractions
• No seriously, you’d better be able to do some hardcore relaxing

The company would like to reiterate that these duties will not vary.

As for your education? TUI is sort of hoping to find that one guy who slept through all of his classes.

If this sounds like your life, the company would like to hear from you ASAP.

No seriously, the deadline to apply is January 14, 2018. (I’m pretty confident that’s the only deadline they’ll throw at you, though.)

All you have to do is write a couple of lines about who you are and why you, the laziest of the lazies, should become a fakeation specialist. You can increase your odds if you attach a picture of yourself in your most relaxing pose (bonus points if it showcases your relaxing skills in a high-stress environment). Aside from that, they’ll just need your measurements so they can have a pair of flip-flops ready to go when you arrive.

Also, you’ll want to specifically NOT attach a resume, cover letter, letter of recommendation or any other such nonsense.

Seriously: If you put in any extra work, they might think you’re actually trying to win the job — and that might reveal you to be anything less than completely, totally, utterly lazy.

To apply, click on over to the original job listing.

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She most certainly has never considered yelling “it’s open!” from the couch when Uber Eats shows up.

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

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Live in Pennyslvania? This Remote Job With Progressive Could Be for You

Do you have the inner Flo dwelling within you?

If you dream of being the perky Progressive spokeswoman, you could get one step closer without leaving your couch by becoming a customer service representative for Progressive Insurance.

To snag one of these full-time jobs working from home, you must live within 60 miles of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Here’s why companies restrict location for work-from-home jobs.) Previous contact center and remote work experience are preferred qualifications.

Progressive will provide you the virtual training and the equipment, but you’ll need to be physically connected to the Internet via a modem or cable — no wireless connection allowed.

The start date is in February or March, with training from Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. EST. Schedules come in three varieties, but all include working at least one weekend day.

Don’t live near Pittsburgh? Cheer up, you can always find more opportunities by checking out our Jobs page on Facebook. We post new opportunities there all the time.

Customer Service Representative at Progressive

Pay: $15.00 to $19.00 per hour.

You get an extra 10% shift differential pay when you work evenings or weekends. You can also receive up to 16% of your salary as a bonus, based on company performance. Top performers can also earn cash payouts.

Responsibilities include:

• Answering customer questions about billing, policy coverage and products

• Assisting customers with purchasing, renewing, canceling or reinstating policies

• Helping customers manage their accounts, such as adding or deleting vehicles and drivers from a policy

Applicants for this position must have:

• The right location. You must live within 60 miles of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• An internet connection via DSL or a cable modem; the connection cannot be wireless

• A surge protector — you’ll need one for connecting the Progressive hardware

• A year or more of college education or work experience in customer service

• The ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment

• Computer skills

• Verbal and written communication skills

Benefits include:

• Standard benefits like medical, dental and vision insurance, plus a 401(k)

• Progressive pays for training and career development and offers tuition assistance

• You can join Progressive’s wellness program, which offers discounts and rewards

Apply here for the Pittsburgh customer service representative job at Progressive.

Tiffany Wendeln Connors is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Got a great job opportunity you’d like to share? Email her at tiffanyc@thepennyhoarder.com.

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

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Here’s Why It’s a Good Idea to Limit Kids’ Screen Time — and How to Do It

We all know technology can be a very useful tool.

For children, access to smartphones, tablets and more can serve as a great source of education and entertainment. But like much in life, moderation is key.

Many parents can attest that too much screen time can be a negative thing, and huge tech supporters have recently aired their concerns as well.

Two big Apple investors, Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, sent an open letter to the tech company on Jan. 6 urging it to develop tools to help parents curb kids’ smartphone overuse, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The letter sites potential negative consequences of too much personal tech usage, including:

• Distraction at school
• Increased emotional and social challenges
• Increased risk of depression and suicide
• Sleep deprivation
• Lower empathy

How Much Is Too Much?

In 2015, Common Sense Media found that tweens between the ages of 8 and 12 spent an average of four-and-a-half hours a day looking at screens outside of school and homework assignments. Teens ages 13 to 18 were found to indulge in over six-and-a-half hours of daily screen time.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has specific recommendations for screen time for younger children — only one hour a day of high-quality programming for kids 2 to 5 and none for those under 18 months, with the exception of video chatting.

However, its guidelines aren’t as direct when it comes to older kids, which could leave a lot open to interpretation.

The organization does recommend that parents of children 6 and up “place consistent limits on the time spent using media and the types of media and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.”

Curbing Screen Time Overuse

So what can you do to cut back if you think your child is engaging in too much smartphone use or is developing a tech addiction?

As part of a campaign to enhance children’s health, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute offers the following tips on reducing screen time:

• Explain to your kids the importance of being physically active.
• Model good screen time behavior yourself.
• Track how much screen time they get versus how much physical activity they get.
• Set house rules on how much screen time is acceptable and which rooms should be screen-free.
• Turn off the devices at meal time.
• Encourage your child to seek other alternatives to occupy their time, like playing outside, practicing a sport or trying out a new hobby.

In a world where so many kids already have their own smartphones, it can be helpful to have other parents on your side — not judging your decisions, but serving as the strength in numbers you need to rebut your child’s claim that every kid has their own device and is on it 24/7.

A group of Austin parents formed a campaign called “Wait Until 8th,” encouraging other parents to pledge to wait until their child is at least in eighth grade before giving them their own smartphone.

News of the pledge has been spreading across the country. Penny Hoarder writer Tiffany Connors, a mother of a third grader, said sixth-grade parents at her child’s school have been talking about it and that she has considered signing the pledge herself.

NPR reported in November that more than 4,000 families across the nation have committed to waiting until eighth grade to give smartphones their kids.

Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She enjoys writing about parenting and money.

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

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How to Write Blog Post Introductions That Make the Rest of Your Post Irresistible

How many people are actually reading your blog posts?

It is reported 43% of readers say they skim through posts.

If you want people to consume the content you’re writing, get them hooked during the introduction.

Take a second to think about the goal of each article you publish.

Are you just trying to get page views?

I see businesses and bloggers make this mistake all the time.

They’re happy just to get page views on their blogs and don’t care whether people are reading them.

But that strategy is very inefficient.

Yes, getting people to click on your post is half the battle.

You need to take the proper steps to market it correctly and promote it through all your distribution channels.

Your blog is the perfect opportunity to promote more content associated with your website or brand and engage with your readers.

But this can’t happen if they don’t actually read it.

You could be getting even more clicks and page views by utilizing internal links throughout your post.

Maybe you can make some money by including some affiliate links as well.

Here’s something else to consider.

How long does it take you to write each post?

As you can see from the data, the average blog post takes over three hours to write.

That number is steadily on the rise, so you can expect it to take you even more time in the future.

It’d be a shame for all that hard work to get skimmed over and not read.

As an experienced blog writer and expert in this industry, I know what it takes to write successful posts.

It all starts with the introduction—literally.

I’ll show you how to write blog post introductions that capture the attention of your readers and get them to read your entire post.

Start with a strong hook

The hook is the opening line of your introduction, and you have a few options to consider.

Your hook could be a full sentence, single word, question, or phrase.

In case you forgot, I’ll remind you I got your attention in this post by starting it with a question.

After you come up with a winning opening line, you need to lead the reader into a transition.

The transition line or lines should provide some sort of clarification about the direction and content of your article.

Your content should be relatable, and the intro should reflect that.

Include a somewhat obvious statement that will get your readers to agree with you.

Speak directly to the reader. Talk about a situation they might be in that brought them to your post in the first place.

Address their problem, which you’ll eventually offer a solution to.

But keep it general—you don’t want to narrow it down too much and alienate the rest of your audience.

Here is a recent blog post I wrote about customer acquisition strategies as an example:

Let’s break this down:

Sentence A is an obvious statement the reader can agree with.

Sentence B is a transition to show what the post is going to cover.

Sentence C is addressing a problem the reader might be having.

Sentence D speaks directly to the audience.

Remember, you want to keep these points general enough to reach a wide audience but specific enough to make the reader feel you’re speaking directly to their situation.

Look back at a little trick I used in the example above.

First I said “new businesses,” but a couple of lines later, I said “companies that have been in business for a while.”

This covers all my bases and speaks to the majority of possible readers.

Include facts to back up your claims

If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while, you know I like to include lots of statistics and data to back up what I’m saying.

I do this throughout my posts, but I include it in the introduction too if it fits.

Scroll back up to the top of this post to see what I mean.

Including recent data from high quality and reputable sources shows you’re credible.

The reader will know that while you may be giving your opinion or taking a certain stance on a topic, you’re at least showing facts to support it.

This sets up the rest of your blog post.

If you’ve got statistics in the introduction, the reader can assume you’ll include additional facts throughout the rest of the content (which you should).

Numbers, in general, seem to speak to people.

Before you can get someone to read your introduction, you need to get them to click on your post in the first place.

Take a look at the starting headlines of the most engaging blog posts:

Half of the top 20 headlines start with a number.

You can capture the attention of a reader with numbers in your headline, then draw them in even further with statistical information in your introduction.

You don’t have to wait to add images

As you can see, I’m a huge advocate of using pictures, graphs, infographics, and other images throughout blog posts.

It’s a great way to break up your content and make it easier for readers to skim through—a very common way for people to read blog posts.

But that doesn’t mean you need to wait until the middle of your post to start including images.

I’m not saying you need to put a picture after your opening line, but you can absolutely use photos in your introduction.

You can even add a photo to separate the title and the first line of your introduction.

Here’s an example of how I implemented this strategy on my blog.

Notice the opening lines of my introduction here as well.

It fits the criteria of hooking the reader with a question, which I discussed above.

I used an image earlier in this post. It’s a visual representation of the amount of time it takes people to write a blog post, also making a point that you’re wasting time if nobody is reading it.

We just talked about the importance of using data in your introductions, which is why I used a statistical graph earlier.

Blogs with relevant images have 94% more views than posts with just text.

That number is astonishing.

It shows people want illustrations of points they are reading about.

Don’t make them wait. Give them what they want right away, and add an image to your introductions.

Be direct, but don’t give it all away

There’s a certain art to this.

You don’t want to talk in circles during your introduction.

Make direct statements.

But you also don’t want to sum up your entire article either.

I’ve had bloggers tell me they write the body of their content first, then go back and sum it up in the introduction.

I don’t agree with that strategy.

Your introduction shouldn’t serve the same purpose as the executive summary of a business plan.

It should signal what the rest of the post is about to get people to read the whole thing.

Save your summary for the concluding paragraphs.

Instead, try to hint at what’s to come.

Tease the reader to pique their curiosity.

Let’s look at an example.

Here’s a snippet from the introduction of a blog post discussing whether mobile app developers should launch their apps on the Apple or Android platform first:

Look at how the author sets this up.

They do a fantastic job of stimulating curiosity.

The three underlined sentences all basically say the developer needs to decide between Apple and Android.

But right before the introduction ends, the author throws a tease, saying there is a way to launch on both platforms at the same time—without giving the answer of how to do it.

It’s implied the solution will be offered in the post, so the viewer will have to continue reading if they want to find out what to do.

You can implement the same technique in your introductions.

Bring up a topic the reader wants to learn about, saying something like “but we’ll get to that later on.”

It’s more effective than saying “this is how you do X, Y, and Z.”

Now the reader has no reason to continue because they already have all the information they came for.

Preview your introductions when you’re promoting the content

Think about how you’re driving readers to your blog.

Are you sending out a link that includes only the title?

Add the beginning of your introduction to these promotions as well.

Take a look at how Conversion XL does this with their Facebook posts:

The opening lines of the introduction can entice their Facebook followers to click on the article.

It’s more effective than using the title only.

If you visit their website, they do the same thing here:

Now they’ve included even more of the introduction.

The reader has seen enough now to be intrigued to continue reading the entire article.

This strategy illustrates the points we discussed earlier: a strong opening hook, piquing curiosity.

I recommend using this method whenever you’re emailing your post to subscribers as well.

The preview text can give them that extra incentive to click on the full article and read the entire post.

Write a long introduction, but not too long

You shouldn’t feel restricted while you’re writing an introduction.

Choose your words carefully, but don’t think your intro needs to be limited to just a few lines or a paragraph.

Write.

While the opening few lines may be the most important, you can still hook the reader with the rest of your introduction.

Talk about your personal experience, and explain what qualifies you to be an expert on a particular topic.

Nobody wants to hear about ways to start a business from scratch from someone who has never done it before.

If you’ve been part of ten successful startup companies, now is your chance to brag about it (if it’s relevant to the topic).

Your blog posts should be long.

Take a look at how the length of your post impacts social shares:

Aim for at least 2,000 words on every blog post, but try to get over 2,500 if you can.

The word count also affects your search ranking on Google’s algorithm.

You’re limiting yourself if you keep the introduction to just 50 words.

It’ll be much more difficult for you to reach the desired word count that way.

Don’t be afraid to write an introduction that’s up to 300 words, but don’t ramble for 500 words.

I’d say, all your intros should be at least 150 words or so.

Conclusion

Driving traffic to your blog is great, but it’s not enough.

To fully engage with your audience and promote more content, you should be trying to get people to read through your entire blog posts.

After all, you spend so much time and effort writing them. Why let all of that meaty content go to waste?

While it’s inevitable that people will skim through your posts, your introduction can entice them to read more.

Start off with a strong hook. Get your readers to agree with your stance on the topic.

Speak directly to them by explaining a scenario or problem they may be currently experiencing.

Use data to show your blogs are informative and credible.

You can include an image in your introduction as well.

Let readers know what the rest of the post will discuss, and hint at a solution without giving the answer.

This will stimulate their curiosity and get more people to continue reading.

Preview your introductions when you’re promoting blogs on your website, social media pages, email campaigns, or any other distribution channel.

Don’t be afraid to write a long introduction.

Follow these tips, and you’ll increase the number of people who actually read your blogs.

What hooks do you use in an introduction to capture the attention of your readers?

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Lionbridge Needs Part-Time Social Media Evaluators to Work From Home

Wish you could work from home to make a little extra cash?

Wish you could work from home in a way that feels less like work and more like browsing social media all day? (Let’s face it: We’d all rather be home forming calluses on our Facebook-scrolling fingers anyways.)

Then boy oh boy, do we have a cool opportunity for you.

Lionbridge, the marketing services company, is looking for social media evaluators to work from home right now.

As an evaluator, you’ll rate social media ads and other content for relevancy and quality as you scroll your feeds every day.

This is a part-time position, so you’ll be expected to work about an hour per day at least five days a week. You’ll never work more than seven hours in any given week.

You schedule is self-directed, so you decide when you want to scroll work.

Pay for this position isn’t listed, but we’ve contacted the company and will update this post when we hear back.

Requirements for this gig include:

• Computer with high-speed internet connection

• iPhone or Android smartphone that is less than three years old

• Fluency in written and spoken English

• Experience navigating online content and troubleshooting general technical issues

You should also be an active daily social media user, be based in the U.S. and should have a strong understanding of American culture including entertainment, sports, business, news and media.

Go here to apply to become a part-time social media evaluator with Lionbridge.

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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

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These Are the States With the Most Debt (But That’s Not Necessarily Bad News)

It’s no secret: Americans have a lot of debt.

We see new statistics each day paired with exclamatory headlines.

But rather than using these numbers to instill shock and horror, let’s use them to our advantage. Let’s use these numbers to understand where our debt is coming from, where it’s concentrated — and how to get rid of it.

What Type of Debt Do Americans Carry?

GoBankingRates recently surveyed more than 2,500 Americans. The average debt owed, by all respondents, totals approximately $63,000. Of those with debt, the average owed was $140,113.

That sounds like a lot. And it is. But let’s understand where that debt is coming from:

• 65% have mortgage debt, which isn’t necessarily bad, mind you.
• 50% have credit card debt, though most owe less than $500.
• 32% have auto loan debt, the most common amount owed is less than $1,000.
• 25% have student loan debt, which isn’t news to any of us.
• 21% have medical debt, the majority of respondents owing less than $500.

With this breakdown and these numbers, we see that, yes, there’s plenty of debt out there, but that it’s manageable for most people.

Plus, here’s a note on mortgage debt: GoBankingRates reported that mortgage debt is the largest component of household debt in the U.S., according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

“Actually, I wish the percentage of Americans with mortgage debt was higher,” Debt.com chairman Howard Dvorkin told the site.

He emphasizes that mortgage debt is good because rather than dumping money into rent, you’re investing in your home’s value.

Which Are the States With the Most Debt?

Some states are much better off than others when it comes to debt.

[insert infographic here]

Here are the states with the most debt, along with the average amount people owe:

1. Hawaii: $869,250
2. Maryland: $284,851
3. Texas: $185,584
4. Oklahoma: $174,839
5. Indiana: $166,844

Again, it’s worth noting not all of this debt is bad. Take Hawaii, for example. It had the highest percentage of respondents reporting mortgage debt — at 83%. The state also has the nation’s highest cost of living.

Note, too, that debt tends to be lower in southern states because the cost of living is typically lower.

What to Do About Your Debt

How much debt do you have?

Shh… You don’t have to tell us aloud. Just think about it.

Or you can always check your free credit report for a precise breakdown.

Sign up for Credit Sesame, and click over to your debt analysis. There, you’ll find how much you owe toward credit cards, home loans, auto loans and student loans. It’ll even show your percentage of monthly income that goes toward debt.

If you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed, take some time to hash out a plan — even if it’s only for 13 minutes.

We’ve also got some more creative ways to pay down debt, including refinancing your debt through an online marketplace like Even Financial.

You can search tons of top lenders to find the best personal loan offer through Even. It takes about 60 seconds. Its platform can help you borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 4.99% and terms from 24 to 84 months.

So now you know: The numbers don’t have to be uber-terrifying. Plus, you’ve got options!

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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

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Pocono breweries embrace changing beer culture

In an industry dominated for decades by names like Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Coors smaller craft breweries have begun to stake their own claim in the beer market; no where is this more evident than in Pennsylvania.According to an annual study by the Brewers Association, Pennsylvania brews more craft beer than any other state in the nation, pumping out nearly 4 million barrels in 2016.“It’s an experience. It’s a flavor experience as well as [...]

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Self Control Is a Limited Resource. Here’s How to Use That Fact Effectively in Your Financial Life.

Once upon a time, I had a very cognitively intense “nine to five” job – in truth, I worked from about 7:45 AM to about 4 PM many days – and, when work was over, there were many days in which I was completely mentally spent. Even on days when I didn’t feel that way, I could still tell that I was no longer on top of my game mentally.

On my route home, I passed by a number of businesses, but one that always tempted me was that bookstore. Once or twice a week, I’d stop at that bookstore on my way home, just driving into the lot and walking in there without any real conscious thought process involved in the decision.

Once I was in there, my brain would almost completely turn off in terms of good decision making. I’d find two or three books that looked interesting and walk them to the checkout almost in a daze, without really considering seriously whether I really wanted them or not or whether there was a better way to buy them or whether I should just go to the library.

This was ego depletion at work, which is a topic I’ve touched on before at The Simple Dollar. In the words of Wikipedia:

Ego depletion refers to the idea that self-control or willpower draws upon a limited pool of mental resources that can be used up. When the energy for mental activity is low, self-control is typically impaired, which would be considered a state of ego depletion. In particular, experiencing a state of ego depletion impairs the ability to control oneself later on. A depleting task requiring self-control can have a hindering effect on a subsequent self-control task, even if the tasks are seemingly unrelated. Self-control plays a valuable role in the functioning of the self on both individualistic and interpersonal levels.

In other words, as we go through our day and make tons of decisions and exert lots of self-control to stay focused on our work or on our daily tasks, we gradually use up that limited pool of mental resources that we have in a given day. When we make decisions after that point, they’re often not the best decisions, as we have used up our daily batch of self control.

So, in my story earlier, I would work all day, exhibiting mental self-control to stay on task and making lots of decisions. Over the course of that day, I would drain my pool of mental resources for the day. When I left work, my brain was on “empty” or close to it in terms of my ability to make good snap decisions and to stay focused.

You can see the problem with that scenario. If I put myself in a tempting position where willpower and self-control are warranted, then I’m much less likely to make the “good” choice when my pool of mental resources is depleted. In other words, when I went to the bookstore after work, my brain was toast, so I made bad choices and bought unnecessary piles of books.

This idea was reinforced to me by a recent research summary by Christian Jarrett in the Research Digest of the British Psychological Society, which summarizes Ego Depletion Reduces Attention Control: Evidence from Two High-Powered Preregistered Experiments, a prepublished paper by Katie Garrison, Anna Finley, and Brandon Schmeichel. From the summary:

Garrison and her colleagues followed this format. In a first study with 657 student participants, the first task involved either writing for five minutes about a recent trip (easy version) or writing about a recent trip without using the letters “A” or “N” (i.e. a more difficult version requiring more self control). The writing task was followed by one of two versions of the Stroop task: either participants had to name the ink colour of colour-denoting words, such as the word “red” written in blue ink, or the ink colour of emotional or neutral words. It takes a degree of self control to ignore the meaning of colour words, or emotional words, and focus on the ink colour.

Participants who completed the more difficult version of the writing task responded just as fast, but made more mistakes on the Stroop tasks than the control group. “This pattern represents unambiguous evidence for poorer attention control under ego depletion,” the researchers said.

A second study was similar. Over 350 participants completed either the easy or difficult writing task and then the Attention Network Test, which involves repeatedly indicating the direction of target arrows on a computer screen, while ignoring the direction of adjacent, distracting arrows, which either face in the same or a different direction (the task is trickier when they face in a different direction). Participants who completed the harder writing task made more errors on the Attention Network Test, which is again consistent with ego depletion theory.

The idea of ego depletion not only matches up really well with my own life experiences (and financial mistakes), but it’s also pretty well supported in psychology research, too.

So, what can we do about it? While the papers don’t offer great evidence on the topic, they do offer some hints at better behavior which line up well with my own practices for simply and effectively managing ego depletion. Here are six things I do to help:

I try to do all shopping early in the day and avoid spending money after lunch. If I’m going to spend money, I try to do it early in the day. I have a general rule that, if it’s after lunch, I’m not going to buy anything unless I already decided on it earlier in the day. It’s such a simple rule to follow and it shuts down a lot of potentially awful decisions that I might make.

I try to have a strong plan in place for supper early in the day, ideally with some steps already done. The reasoning here is so that I don’t find myself later in the day making a decision about what to do for supper when my cognitive pool is drained. At that point, I’m very prone to use takeout or delivery as a simple way to handle supper, even though it’s an expensive way to handle supper. If I actually plan out supper ahead of time and put things in a position so that it’s easy to complete a great family supper, then I’m much more likely to stick with that plan later in the day. That’s why I often do a lot of initial supper prep in the morning, such as putting a meal in the slow cooker.

I save mindless household tasks for the evening where there isn’t really a window to make major errors. When I’m trying to decide what to do now and what to do later today, I put off tasks that are very mindless and not very prone to error, such as doing dishes or doing a load of laundry or doing some household cleaning chores, and I’ll choose to do tasks right away that involve financial choices, like shopping or paying bills. Thus, you’ll usually find me in the evenings doing things around the house rather than anything that involves my wallet.

If I leave the house in the evenings, I leave credit cards at home and take only needed cash with me. Sometimes I go out in the evenings. When I do, I typically figure out a budget for my activities and take only enough cash to cover it. I’ll take my wallet along, but I’ll usually just have my driver’s license in it. That way, I won’t find myself in a situation where I’m just spending money like a fool.

I generally save major financial decisions for the weekends and make them in the mornings. I don’t make decisions regarding my retirement accounts or big expenses during the week at all if I can avoid it, and I definitely don’t make them in the evenings unless I’m absolutely forced to. Instead, I set them aside until a weekend morning and then I evaluate those decisions. That way, I’m approaching those choices with a maximally fresh mind and full cognitive pool.

A good night of sleep is a high priority for me. There is nothing better that we can do to recharge our cognitive pools and fill them up to the brim than getting a good night of sleep. I consider good sleep to be one of the foundational tools of good personal finance and career management. If you’re cutting out sleep because you have too much to do, then you need to be cutting back on your commitments because you’re likely making poor decisions for those commitments due to tiredness and depleted mental resources.

These strategies line up well with the findings in the literature and, in practice, help me greatly in terms of avoiding foolish spending when my mind isn’t at the top of its game. Most of these things are basically effortless, too, as they’re all about moving financial decisions to the earlier part of the day and keeping them there rather than taking on a big new project. I hope these strategies will help you manage your own impulses just a little better!

The post Self Control Is a Limited Resource. Here’s How to Use That Fact Effectively in Your Financial Life. appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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