Met-Ed customers still without power in Pike

STROUDSBURG — Some residents in the Poconos were still in the dark on Sunday, ten days after Winter Storm Riley initially knocked out power for thousands.Met-Ed and PPL Electric Utilities had each targeted Wednesday, March 7 to have power back on for 100% of residents in both Monroe and Pike, but four days after that date, Met-Ed was still reporting outages.As of 9 p.m. Sunday, 120 Met-Ed customers in Pike County had no electricity, down more than 200 from that afternoon. [...]

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Pike County residents still without power

STROUDSBURG — Some residents in the Poconos were still in the dark on Sunday, ten days after Winter Storm Riley initially knocked out power for thousands.Met-Ed and PPL Electric Utilities had each targeted Wednesday, March 7 to have power back on for 100% of residents in both Monroe and Pike, but four days after that date, both companies were still reporting outages.As of 8 p.m. Sunday, 127 Met-Ed customers in Pike County had no electricity, down more than 200 from that [...]

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Met-Ed still has ways to go in Pike County

STROUDSBURG — Residents in the Poconos were still in the dark on Sunday, nearly ten days after Winter Storm Riley initially knocked out power for thousands.Met-Ed and PPL Electric Utilities had each targeted Wednesday, March 7 to have power back on for 100% of residents in both Monroe and Pike, but four days after that date, both companies were still reporting outages.As of 5:45 p.m. Sunday, 357 Met-Ed customers in Pike County had no electricity, and most of these [...]

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7 Ways To Minimize Taxes In Retirement: Tax Preparation before Retirement is Crucial to Maximize Savings

Follow these tips to make the most of tax deductions available to retirees and reduce the amount of tax you pay in retirement.

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Local barber on a mission to 'fade' autism

It’s early in the morning when Amos Antoine, 20, mounts a barber’s chair. Amos is a big man, but he doesn’t say anything — he’s non-verbal. He must come for his haircut before the public shows up; extraneous stimuli gets him upset. Amos has autism spectrum disorder.His brother Frankel, a 2010 East Stroudsburg High School North graduate and 2015 Kutztown University grad is a licensed barber on a mission. That mission is called Fading Autism. He gives [...]

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Eight Ways to Borrow Less for College

If you feel like college costs a lot more than it used to, you’re absolutely correct. The average in-state tuition at public, four-year schools has more than tripled since 1988 — even when adjusted for inflation — from the equivalent of $3,190 a year in 1988 to $9,970 in the 2017-18 school year.

The average price of a private, four-year college has surged as well, from $15,170 in 1988 (that’s using 2017 dollars) to more than $34,740 today — an increase of 129% even after inflation. It’s not just tuition, either — room and board rates at four-year colleges have doubled since 1980, even when adjusted for inflation.

Unfortunately, our ability to pay for college hasn’t kept pace with tuition and room and board fees. Because of this, students have had to borrow more and more money for school until, at this point, more than 45 million Americans carry student loan debt, with a median balance of $17,000. That figure includes working adults who’ve been paying down their loans for years; more than half of current students must take out loans, and the average debt per borrower in the class of 2016 was $27,975.

Eight Ways to Borrow Less for School

If you’re approaching college or have a child who is, these statistics are likely downright scary. While college isn’t for everyone, it’s still a necessity for students angling for certain careers (e.g., teacher, lawyer, nurse, etc.). Plus, college can serve as an important stepping stone for young people who need to continue learning before they’re ready for full-fledged adulthood.

Either way, it’s important to know that you don’t have to follow the status quo or go on a borrowing spree to fulfill your college dreams. There are plenty of ways to spend less and borrow less while still working toward a good education and a profitable career. Here are some options.

#1: Reconsider your career.

While a four-year degree used to be considered the minimum education requirement for a profitable career, this is no longer the case. Sure, there are plenty of four-year degree programs that can pay off handsomely, but there are just as many that cost a fortune but lead to nowhere.

For example, you typically need a four-year degree (and potentially more schooling) to become an elementary school teacher. But, what do you do with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts?

I know the answer to this one because my husband earned a bachelor’s degree in theater before heading back to school to become a mortician. You don’t need a degree in theater to be an actor, and this degree won’t really help you get anywhere else unless an employer is seeking a general four-year degree as a prerequisite for any entry-level work.

Meanwhile, there are a ton of two-year degrees that can pay off handsomely in terms of lower college costs and high wages. Average tuition for a two-year school was just $3,570 for the 2017-18 school year, according to College Board, but a two-year degree is the only education required for plenty of profitable, in-demand jobs.

Diagnostic medical sonographers, for example, earned an annual mean wage of $71,750 in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Radiation therapists earned $84,980, and dental hygienists earned $73,440. These are all two-year degree careers that can lead to a lifetime of prosperity. Of course, there are dozens of other two-year options, as well as technical careers that require some college or an apprenticeship.

#2: Spend two years at community college before transferring to a four-year school.

If you’re hellbent on earning your degree from a four-year school, you can absolutely do so – and still save money along the way. One smart strategy to pursue is starting out at a community college and then transferring your credits to a four-year school.

Many states offer free tuition at their community colleges (including New York, Oregon, Tennessee, and Rhode Island, for example), but community college costs a lot less no matter where you are. Using national figures, completing two years at community college would cost you just $7,140, whereas completing those first two years at a four-year public school would cost $19,940 in tuition alone. And that disparity doesn’t include other savings you might find, such as living at home during community college or lower prices you might find on books and supplies.

As long as you make sure the credits you earn will qualify to transfer to the four-year school of your choice – and that you do well enough to get accepted – your eventual degree will actually come from the four-year school you transfer to. The fact that you attended community college first won’t make a lick of difference to anyone but you – and your bank account.

#3: Go to college abroad.

Another slightly extreme way to borrow less for school is to attend college in another country.

For starters, look to our northern neighbor. While Canada’s universities are especially cheap for its own residents, even international tuition rates can be a bargain compared to private American colleges. Tuition and fees for a bachelor of arts program at McGill University in Montreal, for example, total $19,065. And that’s in Canadian dollars — at current exchange rates, a year of tuition at this elite university would cost $14,737. (Tuition varies by degree program, however; for example, nursing and education degrees are similarly priced, while engineering and business programs cost about twice as much.)

Meanwhile, some nations offer free or very low-cost college tuition to not only their residents, but to international students as well. You may have to choose special government-funded schools, however, and you’ll have to actually apply and be accepted. Countries like Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, and the U.K. have some of the best offerings and policies for international students.

Keep in mind, however, that you’ll incur additional travel costs if you go this route. Transatlantic flights can be costly, and you’ll still need to pay for a place to live and all your other personal expenses. You’ll also want to learn the process of applying for a student visa through the U.S. State Department before you consider this money-saving strategy.

#4: Join the military.

It’s not a decision to be taken lightly, but various branches of the U.S. military offer tuition assistance to incentivize young people to join their ranks. This includes the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, National Guard, and the Reserves.

Tuition assistance varies based on the branch of the military you choose and your status (active duty or reserves). For example, joining the U.S. Navy could help you get 100% of your tuition and fees covered (not to exceed $250 per semester credit hour, $166 per quarter credit hour, and 16 semester hours per fiscal year). Lab fees, enrollment fees, special fees, and computer fees may also be covered.

Of course, free tuition comes with a major trade-off: You’ll have to commit to U.S. military service to score these benefits. Learn more about military tuition assistance on Military.com.

#5: Pick an in-state school and avoid private schools.

If you have your heart set on a specific degree program from a two-year or four-year school, the absolute minimum you should do to save money is shop around. Even if schools seem comparable in terms of the quality of their programs, degrees offered, and their amenities, their tuition prices may not be comparable at all.

Remember how one year of tuition at a public, four-year school will set you back $9,970 per year? If you choose to earn the same degree at a private, nonprofit four-year school, you may find the tuition is astronomical. Average tuition at private, nonprofit four-year schools reached an absurd $34,740 for the 2017-18 school year – almost four times as much as in-state tuition at a state school. And remember, that’s just for a single year and it doesn’t even include room and board.

The same is true with community college. While public two-year schools reported average tuition of $3,570 for the 2017-18 school year, for-profit two-year schools can cost significantly more.

#6: Sign up for a school-sponsored work study or get a part-time job.

Many colleges and universities, as well as the federal government, offer work-study programs that can make college more affordable. With federal work-study programs, for example, part-time and full-time students can work on or off-campus for an hourly or salary wage.

Make sure to check out the work-study programs available at your institution, but also consider the prospect of getting a traditional part-time job. Whether you work in food service, customer service, tutoring, or construction year-round or even during school breaks, all the money you earn and use wisely can help you borrow less for school.

#7: Apply for scholarships and grants.

Applying for scholarships and grants is another smart way to borrow less for school. If you can illustrate you have a financial need, you’ll be in especially good shape to qualify for aid and leave school with fewer student loans.

The federal government offers a huge resource on scholarships and grants, including Pell Grants, but you should also explore school-based and field-based aid initiatives as well.

#8: Complete an apprenticeship.

Last but not least, don’t forget that many careers will let you work while you learn – and they’ll even pay you for it. Careers that fall into this category are typically technical and “hands on” in nature, and they usually require more time in the field and less time in the classroom.

Let’s say you wanted to become a licensed electrician. These workers typically complete a four- or five-year paid apprenticeship. The BLS reports that each year in an apprenticeship usually requires 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training, as well as some classroom work.

Upon graduation, electricians earned an annual mean wage of $52,720 nationally in 2016. That’s not too bad for an in-demand career that lets you earn as you learn and potentially skip student loans altogether. And there are other careers that fall into this category, including carpenters, brickmasons, and elevator installers and repairers.

The Bottom Line

Before you commit to the first school that accepts you, make sure to think long and hard about what you really want from your education and your future. While a high-priced degree from a prestigious school may seem ideal, you may wind up with a better quality of life if you choose an option that’s more modest and less expensive.

No matter what, remember that how much you borrow for school can make a big difference in how you live later on: Student loan debt is increasingly forcing millennials to delay milestones like marriage and homeownership. If you choose a costly education without considering whether you can actually afford it, you may live to regret it.

Related Stories:

• Three Reasons New Parents Shouldn’t Stress About Saving for College
• Nine Employers That Will Help You Pay Off Your Student Loans
• Two-Sided Coin: Is College Worth the Cost?
• What I Wish I Knew Before Taking Out Student Loans

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You’re Not a Fake: Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Hold You Back at Work

One of my earliest memories of “failure” dates back to when I was in fourth grade. We had received our midterm progress reports and I had a B in my reading and language arts class.

I walked up to my teacher’s desk, feeling mostly full of shame –– and partly like I was going to vomit.

“Ms. Vinson,” I stuttered, “is there anything I can do to improve here? I’m struggling.” I circled the 80-something percent with my pencil and waited for her answer.

Ms. Vinson looked straight at me and said, “You are far from struggling. You have a mid-level B. You’re doing great!”

I thought to myself, Mid-level B? Great?

Imposter Syndrome: It Isn’t Just You

To this day, I often feel like I’m struggling –– even when in reality, I’m not.

While I’m writing, I’ll sometimes think to myself, Wow, this is garbage! How do I even have a job as a writer? Am I REALLY a writer or just someone who pretends?  I’ll think these things even when I’m writing something my editors think is fabulous.  

These are textbook thoughts that reflect imposter syndrome. And I’m not the only person on earth who has experienced it.

Summed up, imposter syndrome is when you doubt you’re “good enough” to complete tasks and responsibilities. You worry that people will find out that you have no idea what you’re doing –– even though you clearly do, considering you have a job in the first place.

The phenomenon is characterized by feelings of incompetence, inadequacy or perceived fraudulence, according to Dr. Audrey Ervin, a psychology faculty member at Delaware Valley University. It was first described in the 1970s by psychologists Suzanne Imes, Ph.D., and Pauline Rose Clance, Ph.D.

The feelings of imposter syndrome are usually experienced by high-achieving individuals, Dr. Ervin says in an email. Citing research, Dr. Ervin explains that individuals who experience feeling like a fraud are commonly associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, lack of self-confidence, worry, introversion and more.

How Feeling Like a Fraud Can Hold You Back At Work –– and in Your Personal Life

The worst part about feeling like a nobody at work? It can hinder your performance –– and that almost always seeps into your personal life.

By feeling unworthy, you can miss out on promotions and pay raises. That little voice in your head will tell you that you aren’t qualified for either of them so you don’t even think about setting them as your goals.

You become your own worst enemy.

Dr. Ervin also writes that people might start to overproduce to prove they are capable;, eventually, that can lead to burnout and counterproductivity.

Feeling like a fraud can even push you to become overly involved in your professional development. Dr. Ervin writes that people who prioritize their career success over time with those closest to them can negatively impact their relationships, leaving partners and family members to suffer.  

Versions of Imposter Syndrome

The feeling of being a fake comes in many different ways. In a Fast Company article, Valerie Young, author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It, categorizes imposter syndrome into four major subgroups:  

1. The Perfectionist This title pretty much speaks for itself, but it boils down to this: Perfectionists set super high goals for themselves, and when they fail to reach them, they start to experience self-doubt.
2. The Superwoman/man This version of imposter syndrome is characterized by folks who are workaholics. These people work harder to measure up to their colleagues, mainly because they’re convinced they’re frauds. It’s hard for these people to enjoy time away from work.
3. The Natural Genius Those who were the “smart ones” growing up can fall into this category. When they don’t get something right on the first try, they negatively judge themselves. Their standards are almost impossibly high –– and they feel uncomfortable or lack confidence when they don’t meet them.
4. The Rugged Individualist People who see asking for help as a sign of weakness tend to fall into this category. These individuals think that asking for help shows that they’re a fake –– they 100% believe that they should accomplish everything on their own or else they are a failure.
5. The Expert Someone who falls into this type of imposter syndrome thinks they “tricked” their employer into hiring them. They fear of being dubbed “inexperienced” or “unknowledgeable.”

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

It’s scary to think you can be the biggest obstacle in the way of your own success. It’s easy to overlook that you’re even doing it.

Thankfully, there are professionals out there who can help you identify false feelings of fraud –– and help you overcome them.

Raghav Parkash is a peak performance coach. For the past five years, he has been helping people reach their potential in the workplace and in life.  

Parkash reveals that he sees his clients regularly struggling with being victims of imposter syndrome. And, he says, it’s hard for most people to identify it.

“Denial is one way looking at it,” Parkash says in an email. “But I believe it is fundamentally down to a lack of self-awareness. They are unaware of what their habits or thought patterns are. Once people become aware of their behaviors, they can then start to take action on them such as speaking to a friend, manager, colleague or even hiring a coach.”

Parkash has key steps to overcoming these feelings that will help you become the very best you can be in the workplace.

Here are a few of them:

Recognize and acknowledge your feelings. Self-awareness is the first step toward a breakthrough. Take time to reflect on your thoughts and why you’re thinking them –– and take some time to ponder if they’re true or not.

Challenge the beliefs and thoughts that show up. Parkash asks his clients what advice they would give to a friend who was having similar thoughts –– oftentimes, they answer in a more positive manner than the way they would address it with themselves. This helps them recognize the inherent negativity they have toward themselves.

Focus on how and why you got the job. It isn’t an accident that you are where you are now.  You have the skill set, qualities and caliber to achieve what you have so far –– keep that in mind when you tell yourself you don’t!

Create possibility questions and new beliefs. Asking questions like “Who do I need to become to succeed?” and “What do I need to believe to succeed?” can help you focus on the bigger picture, rather than the false notions you have of yourself. Once you answer them, these will be your new beliefs that’ll keep you on track to success.

Condition the new beliefs. Once you create beliefs that are inspiring, say them to yourself every day for 30 days. Parkash says the repetition is a means to “integrate and rewire them into our thinking.”

Celebrate every movement in the right direction. Most importantly, remember to celebrate your successes! Not every day will be perfect –– and you may still have lingering thoughts of doubt –– but every opportunity you take to actively work through it is a win.

No one deserves to feel like a failure –– especially when it’s self-inflicted sabotage. Keep in mind, you’re always smarter, better and stronger than you may think.

Kelly Anne Smith is an email content specialist at The Penny Hoarder. Catch her on Twitter at @keywordkelly.

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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Tobyhanna provides communications link to Korean military

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT — Technicians are fabricating hundreds of electronics assembly systems in support of the 8th Army in the Republic of Korea (ROK).The assemblies will establish radio interoperability between U.S. and Korean forces to ensure secure communication between allies and enhance battlefield readiness.The assemblies, designed by the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center [...]

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Most People Repaying Credit Cards Wrong: New Study Shows Most People Don't Use an Optimum Strategy

What's the best way to pay down credit card debt? LaTisha Styles, Millennial Finance Expert and Founder of Financial Success Media, LLC, outlines two popular strategies.

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Starting a Simple Vegetable and Herb Garden

When spring break rolls around, our children often head out to the grandparents, leaving Sarah and I with a several day “stay-cation” of sorts. While I’m usually still working, I often plan ahead to take a day or two off during that week, and Sarah, as a schoolteacher, usually has much of the week off, too (though she’s usually setting up a ton of things for the rest of the school year).

So, there’s usually four or so days during mid March where Sarah and I spend time at home taking care of things, and one of the big things we work on is preparing our garden.

We have a nice garden in our backyard. It’s roughly 200 square feet and has grown over the years from the 25 or so square feet that we first started with. We now even have a second garden on the other side of our house that’s about 50 square feet itself. These aren’t giant gardens, of course, but they do provide us with a surprising amount of food in the late summer and early fall.

The thing is, our entire gardening routine started when we lived in a tiny apartment and our “garden” consisted of two large pots on our front patio. Once we bought a house, things just steadily grew from there, but we still do the same basic things, just at a larger scale. You can do the basics of this no matter where you’re at.

While this does take some time and there is some initial startup cost involved, the variety and quantity of vegetables and fruits and herbs we get from our garden makes this an extremely worthwhile endeavor. We often turn a few dollars’ worth of initial cost into hundreds of dollars’ worth of produce by season’s end without that much effort.

Iowa seasons line up perfectly so that we usually do much of our garden prep work in mid March, so now’s the perfect time to talk about our process.

Here’s what we’ll be doing next week.

Planning

First of all, we’ll be planning out what we want to do. What do we want to grow this year? What perennial plants are coming back from last year?

Here are some of the things we consider when thinking about what to grow?

What grows well in our area? At this point, we have a pretty good idea of what grows well in central Iowa, but if you’re new to gardening in your area, it’s well worth looking into what kind of garden vegetables grow well for you.

More specifically, you’ll probably want to find a vegetable growing calendar for the state you live in, which will tell you when to plant certain vegetables. We’ve learned to trust such calendars; here’s the calendar we use for our area.

Using those guides and your own desires for vegetables, herbs, and fruits, you’ll probably be able to come up with a list of things you want to grow and roughly when to plant them. The next step, of course, is to figure out where you want to plant those things.

For us, this involves drawing a diagram of our garden and identifying what will fit in there. Some of the space is taken up already by perennials that come back year after year (oregano, thyme, chives, rosemary, sage, asparagus), so we leave that blocked off and focus on the areas where we need to plant new things.

If you’ve never gardened before, a container garden is a great way to start. You just need a large, sturdy container of some kind and access to some dirt and gravel you can borrow. I’ve grown successfully in cheap $3 all-purpose buckets from the hardware store before – they work perfectly fine. Put a few holes on the sides near the bottom (an inch or so from the bottom), then add a layer of ordinary gravel, then put in a layer of newspaper or cloth, then fill it the rest of the way with whatever dirt you can get for cheap (like at a construction site – just ask if you can steal a few shovels of dirt and the construction workers will say “sure!”… just get dark soil if you do this, the closer to black the better). It won’t be the best dirt, but it’s cheap, and you can make your own fertilizer, too (we’ll get back to that).

In general, we find it’s way easier to just focus on a few things we know we’ll eat, and then store the excess and swap it with neighbors. We usually grow tomatoes, some sort of squash, and some kind of bean in our side garden. Sometimes, I’ll also make room for a few pepper plants. That’s it – it’s not complicated.

The more different things you grow, the more attention you have to pay to everything and the more time it takes. It’s much easier to grow just a few things, particularly if you have a friend to trade with or you can store the extras.

Preparing the Ground

Another part of spring garden preparation is preparing the ground for planting. We don’t plant yet, of course, as we follow the planting calendar described above, but we do get the ground ready for planting.

What that means is that we clear the ground of debris. Anything that remains from last year is removed so that we have a clear patch of ground. We then turn the soil over (our garden isn’t really big enough to justify a mechanical tiller, so we just use a shovel) and then spread the dirt around with a rake. That way, the garden is largely ready for planting when it comes time.

A combination of a shovel and a rake is definitely hard manual work – it’s a nice little physical workout. If you’re not up for that, you can definitely buy a small tiller (or borrow one from a friend) to get the same effect with a lot less manual effort.

If this is your first garden, you’ll want to discard the top layer of the ground where all of the grass is unless you want to deal with infinite weeds. This means you may need to find additional soil from somewhere – as mentioned above, construction sites often have some available. Look for dark-colored soil – the closer to black, the better. Bring home a bucket or two of this stuff and spread it on top of your new garden space once you’ve removed the grass layer and turned over the soil underneath it.

Usually, in mid-March, the top layer of the soil is thawed, but it still gets below freezing many nights, so while we can turn over the topsoil, we can’t yet really plant anything. Be patient. Trust the schedule.

There’s another thing we do outside, too. We apply a first natural fertilization.

Simple Homemade Fertilizer

Let’s get one thing straight: there’s nothing better than compost for a home garden, but making and applying compost can be a lot of work. We have a compost bin where we toss many of our plant scraps and we sometimes toss worms in there, too, if we see them out after a rainstorm. Every few months, we turn over our compost bin, and when it looks mostly black and rich, we’ll spread it on our garden.

There’s a much simpler method that has much the same effect and benefit, though. Just take vegetable scraps as you accumulate them – the ends off of carrots and onions, the unused portion of steamed and unseasoned vegetables, and so on – and add in a small portion of coffee grounds after you’ve used them, too (don’t make it ALL coffee grounds, but a small portion is good if you happen to drink coffee). Save it in a gallon freezer bag in the freezer until it’s absolutely stuffed to the brim with scraps.

Then, allow those scraps to thaw, and blend them all together in a blender, adding a bit of water until you have a thick puree. Water it down a little and stir it so that it’s maybe as thick as whole milk, then let it sit out overnight somewhere. In the morning, pour the mixture evenly over your garden, whether it’s just a container garden on your front porch or a patch in your backyard. Your soil will love you.

Again, this isn’t as perfect as compost, but this liquid really will help your garden, especially if you pour it on early. This is a great thing to do right when you turn your soil over in the spring, well before you actually plant.

Between this purpose and making cooking stock, I think it’s a huge waste to ever throw away a vegetable scrap. In fact, my own process is to actually make stock with the vegetable scraps first, strain it, then use the remaining pieces to make this fertilizer. It’s not quite as rich any more, but it still helps!

Acquiring Seeds

Another key part of getting ready to start your garden is to acquire seeds. This is easy enough on the surface, right? Just go to your local garden store or home improvement store (or an online retailer) and pick up a few packets of whatever looks interesting, plant what you have space for, and hold onto the rest for next year.

This is a great start, but I strongly encourage you to spend a little extra time finding good varieties to plant, ones that are naturally low maintenance and resistant to pests. Doing a little extra homework now to find the right variety and acquire seeds of that variety will save you a ton of effort later on in the season.

The first decision to make is whether to use heirloom or hybridized seeds. Hybridized seeds tend to be easier to grow, but if you try to save seeds from them to grow next year, they’re sterile and won’t grow. Heirlooms tend to have more variety and can sometimes be trickier to grow (they’re often a little less resistant to diseases, for example, which isn’t a big deal if you pay regular attention to your garden, but if you’re very hands off it can be tricky), but if you save the seeds by extracting them from the vegetables and drying them for next year, you’ll be able to plant them and have new plants without ever buying more seeds. (Sarah and I use largely heirloom seeds from Seed Savers, for those interested.)

The second area of consideration is which varieties to buy. Again, if you’re starting from scratch, I strongly encourage you to look for low maintenance varieties, ones that resist lots of diseases and don’t require a lot of work. In general, varieties that are disease-resistant and low maintenance will talk about these features on their display or packaging, while ones that aren’t particularly strong in those areas typically won’t mention it. This is particularly true with plants that are prone to disease, such as tomatoes – you should really look for easy-to-grow and disease resistant tomatoes if this is your first attempt at growing them.

Starting (Some) Plants

Another early spring gardening tactic is to consider starting some plants indoors before moving them outside. This is really only a good idea if you have grow lights or you have a very well illuminated area with lots of natural lighting several hours a day.

If either of these is true, it’s pretty easy to start plants indoors in small pots. Just fill them up with a little dirt and plant the seeds right in there. You can transfer the full contents of the little containers outside when the weather gets better.

Why do this? The advantage of starting a plant indoors early on is to accelerate the harvest. If you start a 90 day plant indoors in late March, then transfer it into your garden in May, you’re getting produce from that plant in late June. You may even have time to pull that plant and replace it with something else in early July, aiming for a late September and early October harvest.

However, starting a seed indoors can be a notable amount of additional work if you don’t have an appropriate spot for the plants, and it can add some cost, too, if you don’t have a grow light. It just gives you the opportunity to expand your growing season a little if you have the tools.

Sarah and I start seeds some years, and other years we don’t bother with it. It depends greatly on what we’re specifically growing that year and, honestly, how organized we are.

Our Garden Plans This Year

So, what are we planning for the current year?

About half of our main garden is covered in perennials, mostly herbs. Each spring, we mostly just clear this out so the perennials can grow again.

Our perennials include chives, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, and asparagus. These mostly grow entirely on their own, with almost no help from us aside from clearing out the area each fall and spring. These are the easiest part of our garden by far.

Our main crops this year are going to be green beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, and watermelons. Our beans and sweet corn are grown in our “side garden” really close to one another, with the bean vines growing up on a handmade string “trellis.” Corn tends to thrive close to beans, so we’re growing our sweet corn as close to the beans as possible. We may end up planting some squash in there to make a traditional “three sisters” garden.

Our larger garden patch will be mostly tomatoes and watermelon. Our children love watermelon and take an active part in preparing the ground and growing them. Sarah and I love tomatoes for their variety of culinary uses. If there’s a bit of extra space, I may also plant some green onions in a single row.

Most of our work will be centered around the tomatoes, which do take a fair amount of work. We tend to cover the ground around the plants in newspapers and straw (or some of our other leftover ground cover materials) to prevent competition from growing and minimize the effort needed for weeding. This basically means our only weeding efforts, once this is all done, will be around the beans and the corn and the watermelon, perhaps 100 square feet in all at most.

Our goal is to set aside one or two heavy workdays in our garden, one over spring break (ideally, given cooperative weather) and one in late May, to get all of this stuff into fertile ground. Once that’s done, we’ll be in a relatively low maintenance mode until harvesting, with just occasional watering and weeding throughout June and July, with harvesting to ideally begin in early August.

Final Thoughts

Gardening is an annual ritual for Sarah and myself. It’s a way to spend some time outdoors, usually together, and to save quite a bit of money on food. The produce that comes from our garden fills our kitchen in the summer and fall, with much of it traded to family and friends and some of it preserved for winter, too.

We incorporate our children into it, too, but we don’t push them into it to the point of burning out. Instead, they just view it as an ordinary part of life – they do a bit of weeding and a bit of planting and a bit of watering here and there and then they have fresh things to eat in the late summer.

Our gardening started in a simple container garden on the front patio of our small apartment we shared more than a decade ago, with a little tomato plant and a few onions near the edge. We got many dozens of tomatoes out of that little container during those first few years, and once we had more space, it just grew from there.

It’s a simple, rather inexpensive, relaxing, and meditative hobby that produces lots of vegetables and herbs for our family. If you’ve ever even considered giving gardening a try, this is the year.

Good luck!

The post Starting a Simple Vegetable and Herb Garden appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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8 Easy Ways to Curb Your Drunken Spending Habit (Sober You Will Thank You!)

We have a tendency to make bad decisions while drinking. Whether you call it human nature or liquid courage, our drunk selves know no bounds when it comes to the test of intoxication.

Here’s a little test. Which have I done while drinking?

1. Texted an ex
2. Cartwheels in the street
3. Made an impulse purchase
4. All of the above

The answer is likely “d.” All of the above.

Aside from a bruised knee or ego, recovering from a drunken impulse purchase — or five — takes the longest. A late-night affair with Amazon has compounding repercussions, from overextended budgets and overdrawn accounts to long-term interest on credit cards.

Looks like I’m not the only one shopping under the influence.

Americans Spend Excessively While Drunk

Of Americans who drink regularly, 46% admit to spending while sipping, according to a survey of 2,000 American adults by shopping comparison website Finder.com.

“Who me?”

Yeah, you!

In 2016, the average drunken shopper spent $206, but 2017 said, “Hold my beer” and more than doubled that number to $447.57. That’s a jaw-dropping total of $30.43 billion in spontaneous spending while on the sauce.

Sober brains and depleted bank accounts across America collectively cry out, “Somebody help us.”

Truth is, only you can help yourself.

How to Curb Drunken Spending

Putting a few safeguards in place will keep your accounts in the black when you black out. Let’s be honest, you should probably do a couple of these just for safety’s sake.

1. Remove Any Saved Credit Card Information

Strip away convenience, and delete any saved card numbers from your mobile device and internet browsers.

Sure, it’s annoying to enter it when you’re not drinking, but remember, you’re doing this for your own good. Who knows, it might even make you reconsider your sober spending. Just keep them saved on Uber or Lyft.

2. Delete Store Apps From Your Phone

It seems like an annoying hassle to do, but if that app is a pipeline to your purchasing, delete it. Now! There’s a good chance you won’t remember your login information, or be able to add your credit card or complete a purchase while you’re tipsy. Screenshot any must-haves and reconsider them the next day.

3. Disable One-Click Shopping

This feature makes impulse shopping way too easy. Cut it out on all shopping sites on your mobile devices and computers. It’s a sneaky trick that gets you to spend, even when you’re clear-headed. This is especially important if you cannot or do not remove your saved credit and debit cards.

4. Hide Your Cards

Stash your cards somewhere you can’t access them once you start drinking. It could be in a roommate or parent’s room, or locked in a drawer at work before you hop off to happy hour.

If you’ve also removed them from your browsers and apps, there’s no chance you’re going to order that Loch Ness monster soup ladle at 2 a.m.

5. Plan Ahead and Bring Cash

You can prevent impulse spending if you hide your cards and withdraw only the cash you plan to spend for the evening. Once it runs out, you’re done. No rounds on you for the gang; no access to an ATM. Tomorrow you will appreciate it.

6. Change Your Passwords

If it’s going to be a real rager, safeguard yourself in advance by changing your login information. Write it down, hide it or store it somewhere you can’t access when you start feeling like a baller.

If you still somehow magically end up on a shopping website or app, you will not be able access your account, earn points or complete a purchase if other measures are in place. Just save it to the cart or a wishlist for you to laugh at tomorrow. Better there than on your doorstep.

7. Block Yourself

The Chrome extension StayFocused allows you to limit the amount of time you spend on distracting websites, shopping sites included. You can set a timer for a particular website, and the extension will block you from accessing the site once time is up. Granted, you could just switch browsers, but I doubt your drunk brain will be that dedicated to a Snorlax pillow.

If it is, consider setting up Cold Turkey, which basically blocks the whole internet until the timer is up. You should be in bed anyway.

8. Skip the Sauce

It’s a Captain Obvious suggestion, but if you’re going to great lengths to stop yourself from draining your accounts and buying Lucky Charms in bulk, maybe sit this round out. Not drinking will definitely save you money and stop you from spending it.

Don’t Let Buyer’s Remorse Get You

I have a friend who doesn’t get hangovers — she’s a medical anomaly. But you know what she does get? Buyer’s remorse. No one is immune to that. If you’re normal like me — in terms of getting post-drinking hangovers, that is — waking up with a throbbing head, dry mouth and a depleted bank account is one of the most regrettable feelings.

See if sober you can put drunk you to the test. The worst thing that can happen is that you have to wait until tomorrow.

Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She recently bought five wedding dresses online after drinking. It said “free returns.”

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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Amazon Extends $5.99 Prime to Medicaid Recipients. Here’s How to Qualify

Amazon has always given students a sweet deal on Prime. Last year, Amazon went a step further and knocked its Prime subscription price down to $5.99 per month for anyone with an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card.

This week, Amazon announced it will extend its $5.99-per-month Amazon Prime service to Medicaid recipients.

Amazon Prime benefits include movie, TV show and music streaming; free two-day shipping; and access to a variety of newspapers and books.

“We hope to make Prime even more accessible. The combination of shipping, shopping and entertainment provide a tremendous amount of value to members,” said Cem Sibay, vice president of Amazon Prime, in a news release.

It’s a pretty sweet deal, as long as you can avoid the notorious temptation of online impulse shopping.

Sign Up for the Amazon Prime Discount With Your Medicaid Card

Head to the website and click “Medicaid.” Amazon will send a code to your email or cell phone — your choice — in a couple of minutes. Enter the six-digit code into the box, and select continue.

You’ll need to upload an image of your Medicaid card, select the issuing state, then check the box to confirm that your Medicaid card is valid. Once your card is confirmed, you can sign up for Prime as usual.

You’ll need to requalify every 12 months, and subscribers can enjoy this discounted rate for a total of 48 months.

Jen Smith is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder and gives tips on saving money and paying off debt on Instagram at @savingwithspunk.

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 Deal Saves You 35 Cents Per Gallon on Gas, Comes With a Free Headache

The Shell Fuel Rewards program could save you money at the pump… if you can figure it out.

I looked into it last year and my eyes glazed over, so I quickly went back to browsing my Facebook feed.

But now, Fuel Rewards is offering 35 cents off per gallon after your first fill-up of at least 5 gallons when you pay with Chase Pay.

The deal is only available to people who’ve never used Chase Pay to pay for gas at a Shell station. Since I’m a Chase cardholder and have never used Chase Pay or Fuel Rewards, I decided to give in to the marketing ploy and take another look.

If you have a Chase credit, debit or Liquid card, here’s how to get this deal without pulling your hair out. Because I’ve done that enough for both of us.

1. Register for the Fuel Rewards Program

Head over to the Fuel Rewards website and register for an account. It’s free and doesn’t require a credit or debit card to open. You’ll automatically qualify for Gold Status, which gets you 5 cents off per gallon for up to 20 gallons every day.

When you sign up, you’ll receive a card in the mail in seven to 10 days, but your Alt ID — the number you can use in lieu of your card — will be activated immediately. Your Alt ID is usually just your phone number.

2. Download the Chase Pay App

The Chase Pay app is different from Chase QuickPay and the Chase Mobile app, so you’ll probably have to download it. They do use the same login, though.

3. Add Fuel Rewards to Your Chase Pay Account

When you log in to your Chase account through Chase Pay, your eligible Chase cards will automatically be ready for use.

Within the app, tap the “Wallet” icon and then the “Loyalty Cards” tab. Tap the “+” icon, and then select “Shell” from the merchant list. Spoiler alert: It’s the only option right now. Enter your Fuel Rewards card number or Alt ID, then tap the “Add Card” button.

4. Head to the Nearest Shell Gas Station

As soon as you find your tank empty, locate the nearest participating Shell station. You can find them by tapping the wallet tab, tapping “Shell,” then tapping the “Find nearby locations” link. The nearest participating stations will pop up. Tap the one nearest you, then tap “Get directions” to open your navigation app.

If paying at the pump is an option, open the app, tap “Pay,” then tap “At the pump.” The Chase Pay app will locate you, then you can enter the pump number and approve the transaction. A code will appear on your screen — enter the code at the pump, and fill ‘er up.

5. Repeat Step 4

You’ll notice after your first fill-up that you only got 5 cents off per gallon. You’ll be ticked because you neglected to understand that you only get the 35-cent savings after your first fill-up.

So, you have to drive around until your tank is on “E” again, then repeat step four. There’s no minimum on this fill-up, but you only get to use it once, so choose wisely. The upside is that you can combine it with other rewards, including the standard 5 cents off you get as a Gold member.

This 35-cent reward expires on the last day of the month after you earn it, so this is a good one to try near the beginning of the month.

You can qualify for other rewards by linking a credit or debit card to your Fuel Rewards account and paying with that card at participating retailers and restaurants. Other rewards you can stack on the 35 cents off include:

• 10 cents off for every $50 you spend at participating restaurants
• 5 cents off for booking through Priceline
• Up to 40 cents off for shopping at select retailers

All in all, it’s a lot of work to save less than $10, but if you’re a Shell fan or frequent shopper at one of its retail partners, it might be worth the work.

No need to rush. This deal runs until Dec. 31.

Jen Smith is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder and gives tips on saving money and paying off debt on Instagram at @savingwithspunk. Chase Pay couldn’t find her location when she tried to pay with it at the pump.

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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Give Your Neighborhood a Little Love and Apply to Win a $2,500 Scholarship

If you’re currently in college — or if you’re shopping around for the right school — you already know what I’m about to say: College. Is. Expensive.

And while there are plenty of resources to help you pay off your loans after the fact, the possibility of a mountain of student debt can be incredibly intimidating.

Thankfully, scholarships can help take the edge off, and whether they cover a little (a textbook or two) or a lot (tuition!), the relief that some financial assistance can bring is enormous.

Right now, Realtor.com is offering some of that sweet relief with a scholarship contest for current and incoming college students — and you could win as much as $2,500 just for talking about your neighborhood.

Enter to Win a $2,500 Scholarship From Realtor.com

Here’s what you need to know to enter this scholarship contest.

Scholarship amount:

First place: $2,500

Second place: $1,000

Third place: $500

Number of scholarships awarded: Three

To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be a legal resident of the United States or the District of Columbia.
• Be a student planning to attend an accredited two-year or four-year college or graduate school in the U.S. for the upcoming school year.

To apply, applicants must:

• Fill out the online application, located under the “Apply Here” tab.
• Submit a 300- to 500-word essay about your neighborhood.

In the essay, entrants should explain “what makes you proud about where you live,” including “what the neighborhood is known for and why you prefer it above all others.” You can find more details on the application page.

Scholarship deadline: The contest runs from March 7 to June 30, 2018. Winners will be announced in July.

You can go here to read the rest of the official rules and guidelines, along with some frequently asked questions.

If you’re looking for even more scholarships to apply for, be sure to check out our list of 100 scholarships that will help you pay for college.

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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Don’t Forget to Change Your Smoke Alarm Battery When You Spring Forward

Sorry, folks. We’re losing an hour of time this weekend whether we like it or not.

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 11, 2018. That means most of us in the U.S. have to move our clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. to keep up with the time change. (Hawaii and most of Arizona get to keep their hour.)

When you’re running around the house changing the time on your clocks (don’t forget the coffee pot!), there’s one other important task you should do at the same time.

Change the batteries in all your smoke alarms.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, dead batteries caused one-quarter of smoke alarm failures in house fires between 2009 and 2013.

What’s more, the association says, the death rate from fires in homes without working smoke alarms is more than twice that of house fires where working smoke alarms were present.

The association recommends people change their smoke alarm batteries every six months and replace the entire unit after 10 years.

If you stick to the suggested battery-replacement schedule, chances are the existing batteries will still have some juice left in them.

Even so, don’t leave them in your smoke alarm. Instead, use them to power toys or other battery-powered items around your home.

If there’s no room in your budget to buy extra smoke-alarm batteries or you don’t have a working smoke alarm in your home, call your local fire department’s nonemergency phone number for assistance.

“Many fire departments across the country will give residents a smoke alarm or multiple smoke alarms at no charge or come out in the fire truck and do the installation. Some departments have hotlines set up specifically for residents who need a smoke-alarm installation,” Lisa Braxton, public education specialist with the National Fire Prevention Association, told The Penny Hoarder.

“In addition, some fire departments can supply residents with specialized alarms and alert devices for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, which tend to be more expensive than traditional alarms,” Braxton adds.

When you’re already giving up an hour this weekend because of Daylight Saving Time, fussing with your smoke alarm can seem like a nuisance.

But taking a couple of minutes to change the batteries on the alarms in your home could save your life — and your family’s.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She changed her smoke alarm batteries just before writing this.

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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What’s Your Online Identity Worth? On the Darknet, It’s Less Than $1,200

Imagine an iceberg.

The ice floating above the water is the surface web. It’s the place where Facebook, Google and The Penny Hoarder live.

Travel underneath the water up to 100 feet or so and you’ve gone into the deep web. That’s where you might find medical records, legal documents, password-protected material and other parts of the web that aren’t indexed by search engines.

Below that, where no light shines, is the darknet, which is hosted within an encrypted network and accessible only with specialized anonymity-providing tools.

The darknet is a place I’ve never found myself personally, but it turns out, it’s a place where cybercriminals can find me — and you.

Your Life’s on Clearance on the Darknet

The buying and selling of your personal information and account logins are among the many illicit activities happening on the darknet.

Each of your private logins has a market value, according to Top10VPN’s Dark Web Market Price Index, and they’re not worth very much. Top10VPN, a virtual privacy network comparison website, reviewed all fraud-related listings on the three largest darknet markets between Feb. 5-11 to calculate the average price for each piece of personal info.

There’s a price for everything from your Macy’s account ($15.34) to your Instagram login ($1.28).

Stolen credit card and financial information yields the highest returns, while your dating login scrapes the bottom of the bargaining barrel.

The sum of your entire online identity is worth less than $1,200 on the darknet.

Your PayPal login, online banking details and Western Union login were the three most valuable pieces of information with average sale prices of $247, $160 and $101, respectively. The value of the information they hold makes them prime pickings for scammers.

So how do you protect yourself?

Time for Change: A PayPal Password Change, That Is

Access to your PayPal login is the most valuable bit of personal information on the darknet.

Why’s it so valuable? PayPal is a virtual treasure trove of financial access to a cybercriminal, because most people link more than one bank account, a debit card and at least one credit card to it.

You’re even more vulnerable if you’ve had the same PayPal password for years or if you use the same password for multiple accounts.

The simplest solution: Change your password now, and set reminders to change it regularly.

How to Protect Yourself After You’ve Changed Your PayPal Password

PayPal provides an array of security tips to protect both buyers and sellers. Taking some basic security measures will help cover your virtual well-being.

Update Your Software

Updated software covers potential holes hackers might poke through to get inside your computer or mobile device. Some of the more popular targets for cybercriminals, according to PayPal, include Microsoft Office, web browsers, Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Reader.

Get a Pre-emptive Vaccination With Anti-Virus Software

If your computer or mobile device has a hole in its security, a hacker can install malware, which is harmful software that can infect your computer with a virus or allow hackers to access your personal information. You can install anti-virus software and stop those suckers from ever getting in.

Protect Your Device With a Password or PIN

Not securing your computer or mobile device with a password or PIN is like leaving your front door wide open. Without password or PIN protection, hackers can easily access to your device if you lose it or leave it sitting unattended in a public place for a period of time. This is the first — and probably the easiest — step in keeping your personal information private.

Double-Dip on Security With This Protection

Get a double layer of security that makes you enter your normal PayPal password plus a one-time PIN that changes every time you log in. PayPal sends the code via text message. It’s free to register for this extra layer of protection.

Don’t Take the Bait

Scammers use a variety of tactics to trick you into giving them your login. They send phishing emails with links that direct you to a website that looks like PayPal, but it really isn’t. Then they just wait until you instinctively punch in your password and steal it.

To avoid this, always verify that the URL box reads “https://www.paypal.com/” before entering your password.

Everyone involved loses if your information is comprised, well, everyone except the thief.

Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She likes the view from the top of the iceberg.

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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Sniffling and Sneezing? These Seasonal Allergy Remedies May Help

If you’re reading this while surrounded by tissues, it means either you just saw the latest plot twist on The Walking Dead or you’re struggling with seasonal allergies.

Trees across the country are pumping out “catastrophically” high amounts of pollen, hitting the South particularly hard.

Over-the-counter meds help some allergy sufferers, while others end up at their doctor for a heavy-hitting prescription.   

But medication isn’t your only allergy-relief option. Here are some other remedies to try when the pollen count is too high to manage.

• A series of studies suggests that acupuncture may reduce allergy symptoms in some people.
• The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends allergy sufferers combat pollen circulating in your home with an air purifier and by using a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
• According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, saline nasal irrigation can significantly reduce nasal congestion in people with seasonal allergies.
• The Mayo Clinic suggests people with environmental allergies stay indoors whenever possible when the pollen count is high. If you must go outside, change your clothes and take a shower when you get home to get rid of any pollen clinging to you.

If you have a flexible spending account, some of your allergy-prevention purchases may be covered.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She loves telling readers about affordable ways to stay healthy, so look her up on Twitter (@lisah) if you’ve got a tip to share.

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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Oh, Baby! California Joins States Providing Free Sleep Boxes for Infants

The gift of free baby products is a godsend to parents of newborns.

I mean, babies are expensive, and those first few months can be so overwhelming.

California parents are in luck, however, because The Baby Box Co. just launched its free program statewide.

If you’re unfamiliar with The Baby Box Co., it is exactly what its name implies: a company that makes boxes for babies. Specifically, boxes for babies to sleep in.

Yes, this is a thing.

For decades, babies in Finland have been sleeping in boxes given to parents by the government at the child’s birth. And Finland’s infant mortality rate is significantly lower than that of the United States.

Inspired by the Finnish tradition, The Baby Box Co. provides new parents with a sleep environment for their infants that it says is certified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for meeting the highest safety standards.

The boxes, which are 26.75 inches long, 16.75 inches wide and 11.5 inches deep, come with small, firm mattresses and fitted sheets. The overall package also includes freebies like baby wipes, personal-care products, nursing pads, feminine-care products, baby clothing, activity cards and a waterproof tote bag.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends newborns sleep on their backs on a firm sleep surface with a tight-fitting sheet to avoid the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Because baby boxes fill that bill, states including New Jersey have provided them for free in conjunction with The Baby Box Co.

Another highlight of the baby-box program is that it educates new parents with free online videos on topics such as breastfeeding, postpartum depression and how to boost your baby’s brain development.

A Growing Movement

The new program launch in California marks The Baby Box Co.’s 10th — and largest — statewide rollout.

Last year, we wrote about it when the company partnered with its first state — New Jersey — to give out boxes, and later when programs expanded to Ohio and Alabama.

The company also kicked off statewide programs in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin and distributes free baby boxes on a limited basis in other states.

According to The Baby Box. Co., it has distributed approximately 250,000 free boxes nationwide.

Parents who don’t live in an area where the free baby boxes are offered can buy them, with prices ranging from $69.99 for a basic package to $199.99 for the most upgraded version.

The company’s online education courses via Baby Box University are free for anyone to access.

What California Parents Need to Know

To snag a free baby box, California parents must:

1. Visit this link to join Baby Box University, registering as a California resident.
2. Watch the online course created by local experts.
3. Take a short quiz to receive a certificate of completion.
4. Select a nearby pickup location. (Or, for $4, the boxes can be shipped directly to your home.)

The Baby Box Co. says babies can sleep in the boxes until they are about 5 to 6 months old or until they can pull themselves up on their own. After that, parents can repurpose the box into storage for toys or keepsakes.

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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401k Limits for Highly Compensated Employees

The Top 10 Tactics for Marketing Your Company on a Budget

Not everyone has unlimited funds for a marketing budget.

Even those of you with a high bank balance shouldn’t dump every dollar into marketing without a plan. I understand how much you want to promote your business, but you need to come up with ways that efficiently accomplish this.

You don’t need to spend tons of money on marketing. Trust me, I know from experience.

I’ve gone through both paths with my business ventures. There were times when I spent tons of money on marketing and other times when I paid as little as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying spending doesn’t always pay off. But there are still plenty of marketing tactics you can use that won’t break the bank.

I’ve outlined the top low-budget strategies to promote your brand. I’ve seen results with these methods in my own businesses and those I helped in my consulting work.

These are the top 10 ways to market your business on a budget.

1. Create and distribute videos

Despite popular belief, you don’t need to spend a ton of money to create video content.

You can easily do this yourself without hiring a professional. Don’t waste money on fancy equipment. You can probably get away with using your smartphone to record videos.

Otherwise, invest in a decent camera and microphone. Those will be your only expenses.

Videos help businesses benefit from higher conversion rates and click-through rates.

Look at those numbers. If you’re not currently using video content as a marketing tactic, you need to start right away.

Now is the time to get on board with this trend: 80% of global Internet traffic will be video by 2019.

Nearly half of consumers browse the Internet for videos related to products and services before buying something. Don’t just create one or two videos—make as many as possible.

The reason why I love using videos as a marketing tactic is because they are versatile. It’s easy to distribute the same videos across all your marketing channels.

I recommend uploading all your videos to YouTube first. Then, you can embed the videos onto your website or share clips on social media. You can even send videos to people on your email subscription list.

What kind of videos should you make?

Upload anything that shows your brand in a positive light.

Think about the data I just shared with you about consumers using videos to shop. Creating instructional content or how-to videos can be a great way to market your company.

2. Make lots of infographics

Building an infographic is easy and free. You just need to make sure you design them well.

In order to illustrate the value of this marketing tool, I’ll show you an infographic as an example:

Look how easy it is to read this information. Sure, I could have written it out, but that gets boring. Only 16% of people read content word for word. But 79% of people scan pages.

Since visuals are much more appealing and easier to comprehend, they jump off the page at people who are scanning.

I know what you’re thinking. This is all great information, but how can infographics be used as a marketing tactic?

If your website has infographics, other sites will use them to improve their own content.

I didn’t create the infographic I used above. But I added a link to give credit to the source. People who use your infographics will do the same.

These links will help drive more traffic to your website. Plus, they will also improve your search engine optimization.

Just make sure all of the data from your infographics is accurate and up to date. Nobody wants to use research from 1999 on their website.

3. Publish high quality content

For the most part, this tactic should be very obvious. However, I see so many businesses producing sub-par content that I thought it needed to be said.

Publishing great content is free, and you can do it yourself. Even if you’re not a great writer, you can still come up with easy blog topics to write about.

Don’t try to tackle a writing assignment that’s over your head. Stick to ones that you can manage, like lists or best practices for your industry.

Introduce yourself, and master the art of storytelling.

The average time it takes to write a blog post has been steadily increasing over the past few years.

I know you’re busy, but I’m sure you can find the time to write high quality content, especially if you’re posting only a couple of times per week.

For those of you who are already at capacity with your time and who are not great writers, there are cost-effective alternatives.

You can hire a writer or pay a freelancer, or you can produce content in-house. Someone on your team must be a decent writer. Assign these tasks to that employee.

You’re already paying them a salary or hourly wage, so it’s not like this will drastically increase your costs.

4. Stay active on Instagram

Instagram is one of the best social media channels for marketing your business. This platform has more than 500 million daily active users.

Plus, it’s easy to post content on Instagram. Unlike a blog post which can take hours to write and edit, Instagram is just pictures.

Sure, you still need to write Instagram captions that drive engagement, but that’s easy.

In 2017, the percentage of businesses in the United States using Instagram as a marketing channel surpassed the percentage of companies using Twitter.

Other companies are recognizing how important and valuable this social media platform is. If you’re not actively pursuing customers on Instagram, you can bet your competition is.

In addition to being free, Instagram is great because you’ve got many different options. It’s easy to post pictures and videos to your profile, but your reach doesn’t stop there.

You can also add content to your Instagram story and even take advantage of Instagram Live.

Add links to your bio to drive traffic to your website. Respond directly to your followers through comments and direct messages.

Those of you who have some extra funds in your marketing budget can pay for targeted Instagram ads as well.

5. Don’t neglect your email subscriber list

If you’re collecting email addresses and have an active subscriber list, make sure you’re taking advantage of it. This is a service you’re already paying for.

Depending on what platform you’re using, you’re probably being charged per subscriber. Once you hit a certain threshold, your monthly or annual cost may increase. That’s OK.

A growing subscriber list is great news. These are people who want to hear from you. The majority of people on this list are probably your current customers.

All too often I see businesses focus on acquiring new customers as opposed to focusing on their existing ones. This is a big mistake.

Not only is it much harder to sell to new customers, but it’s also more expensive.

One of the top benefits of email marketing is that it has a huge return on investment compared to other methods.

Focus on your weekly or monthly newsletter. Make sure you’re creating valuable content that drives sales.

Send discounts and other promotional emails to your subscribers—don’t underestimate the value of a coupon.

Fifty-eight percent of people say they prefer to receive coupons, discounts, and promotions via email.

Combine your other marketing tactics with your email campaigns. Earlier I talked about creating video content. You can add those videos to your marketing emails.

6. Recycle old content

If you’re really tapped out and low on funds and time, it can be tough to figure out ways to market your company. It’s time to get creative.

You can reuse your old content to stay fresh. For example, take your old blog posts and turn them into an ebook. Create content upgrades for old articles.

Those of you who have conducted research and have lots of raw data can turn that data into graphs, charts, and infographics.

Dig deep through your old marketing materials. Do you have coupons, flyers, or other promotional items that were never used? As long as they don’t have an expiration date, you can distribute them.

7. Run a contest that encourages user-generated content (UGC)

Encouraging user-generated content is one of my favorite marketing strategies. The reason why I love it so much is because it’s free.

Sure, if you’re running a contest, you’ll have to give away a product or gift card, but that’s a marginal cost compared to the brand exposure you’ll get from these campaigns.

UGC creates social proof of influence.

It’s super easy to run a contest that will have this type of effect on your target audience.

You can use Instagram or other social media platforms to run your contest. Keep it simple. Ask your followers to post a picture using one of your products and a customized hashtag to enter.

Then, at a predetermined date, award the prize to the post with the most likes. As a result, you’ll have hundreds or potentially thousands of people posting about your company on social media.

This exposes your brand to a wider audience. That’s because anyone who follows the people who participated in the contest will see those posts.

According to research, 92% of consumers trust online posts from their family and friends—compared to other forms of brand messaging. Plus, half of consumers say UGC is more memorable than content produced by brands.

More than half of Millennials say user-generated content influences their purchasing decisions.

8. Launch a customer referral program

Customer referral programs are beneficial for the same reasons as user-generated content. If someone gets referred to a business by a friend or family member, they’re more likely to trust that brand.

Rather than spending extra money on trying to acquire new customers, let your current customers do it for you. But give them an incentive to do so.

While it would be great if your customers did this for free, it just doesn’t happen that way. More than half of businesses rely on referrals to get new customers.

The best way to encourage referrals from your current as well as prospective customers is to make it worth their while.

For example, if your business generates an average purchase order of $250, offering your customers a $5 discount for a referral isn’t going to get them motivated.

I understand that $5 per referral can add up, but customers don’t see it that way. Instead, consider something like Uber’s old customer referral program.

They offered a $20 credit to new as well as existing riders who referred a friend. That $20 could be enough to cover an entire ride.

Come up with a referral system that will motivate your customers to recommend your brand to their friends and family.

9. Take advantage of any guest-posting opportunities

Instead of just writing blog posts for your own website, you should contribute to other blogs as well. In my consulting work, I see many companies that are hesitant to do this because they don’t see the value.

Why should they spend time creating content for someone else’s website? I’ll tell you why.

Guest posts generate free exposure for your brand. You can get your name out there to a new audience that may not even know your company exists.

In addition to the exposure, you’ll be able to drive traffic to your website through referral links within your guest posts.

Links to your site from other websites help boost your search ranking, based on Google’s algorithm.

10. Broadcast live

I know I’ve already talked about the benefits of creating video content and using social media. But live videos combine both of these strategies into one free marketing method.

Go live on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Live videos help create a more authentic interaction with your audience. The opportunities are endless.

Use your live video stream to host a question and answer segment with your social media followers. Respond to their comments in real time.

Ask your customers to give you feedback about your products and services. You can even run a contest through your live video broadcast.

Live video content is growing at a faster rate than other forms of online videos.

Research shows 80% of consumers prefer watching a live video from a business as opposed to reading a blog post. Plus, 82% of consumers say they would rather watch a live video than read a post from a brand on social media.

You can give your customers exactly what they want without having to spend much money doing it.

Conclusion

Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of ways for you to promote your brand without emptying your bank account.

Start uploading videos to YouTube, and distribute them to all your marketing channels.

Create infographics, and make sure you’re always producing high quality content. Write guest posts as well.

Stay active on social media platforms, especially Instagram. Use these channels to run contests that encourage user-generated content. You can also create a customer referral program.

If you’re pressed for time, recycle and update some of your old content.

Send emails to your active subscribers. Broadcast live videos.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to successfully market your brand without having to spend too much money.

What cost-effective marketing tactics do you use to stay within your budget?

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