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Archives for December 2017

5 Money Saving Tips that Actually Work

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If, like many people we know, you are currently bemoaning another year of unplanned expenses and unintended spending, these tips can show you how to save money in the coming year! They are easy to implement, do not require you to talk to a friend of a friend who is an expert on finances and will actually show you a difference when you tabulate your spends and savings same time next year!

 

Pay Attention

Your mail and message inboxes are probably crowded with offers for discounts, cash back or gifts. Don’t just shrug them off. Spare the 5 minutes it takes to actually read through them. There could be a bank offering you a sign-up bonus to transfer your account or waiving service charges. There could be a huge discount on movie tickets. Special loyalty benefits from a retailer. Pay attention – you will end up saving much more than you think!

Take a Walk

A walk can save you a considerable amount of money. First, plan it for an hour that you are usually plonked in front of the TV. Money saved on cable and electricity! Unless you have a really tough fitness regimen or a gargantuan weight loss goal, you can safely cancel that gym membership. An hour of brisk walking or running can help you achieve your health and fitness goals and your body also benefits from the fresh air and sun. Savings: considerable. Benefits: enormous.

Shop Big And Shop Smart

This is something your mother always did and now you know why. Buying in bulk not only saves you time and fuel spent on several trips to the supermarket, it also makes a big difference to your monthly grocery bills. While you are at it, also look at customer loyalty programs and make use of them. Plan early for gifts so you can cash in on sales – you beat the rush and save a considerable amount of money. Also, non-emergency spends like towels and sheets can wait till you spot a great sale.

Monetize Your Hobby

Have a sizeable following on Instagram? You can think of putting your best loved pictures for sale. Friends love your cupcakes? Offer to cater for their gatherings and establish a small online presence that you can manage in your spare time. If you have a popular blog where you post regularly, you can have an ad presence on it. No reason you shouldn’t make a little extra on the side as you indulge your creative side.

Let The Small Things Add Up

Don’t buy colourful craft paper for the children to play with on a holiday. Give them a stack of newspaper instead. Trust us; it won’t affect the quality of their playtime! Clear out the refrigerator. Plan wash loads so the washing machine is functioning at full capacity per load. No wastage of water or electricity. Simple things like having a snack before you set out grocery shopping and having regular sips of water will ensure you don’t have the urge to indulge in unnecessary treats or bottles of juice or soda.

You don’t have to be a financial expert to make these small changes to your lifestyle. Take it one mindful step at a time and you will see that you have managed to make quite a difference to your bank account. Happy savings to you!

How To Become A Professional Finance Blogger

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How To Become A Professional Finance Blogger

Have you been interested in the work done in providing information around finance? For many in this field setting up a blog has been a process of trial and error. But if you want to know how to become a finance blogger then follow a few simple steps to increase your chances for success. You will have your blog up and running more quickly and you can then focus on building your online financial reputation.

Start a blog
You will need to have a blog to be able to have your work published and your blog should look good, be well set out, and show you as the provider of information. There are courses available online to help you with this.

Identify your audience
There is a very large range of content that could be considered to be finance related. You will need to select part of that to be able to write effectively. Within the market, there are many different groups who are looking for information. Choose a group who you believe you are easily able to relate to. This will make it easier to write informative articles for them. It is important to write to suit the audience you want to reach.

Focus on what they need to know
By focusing your work you will ensure that it is valuable and relevant to your readers. You should try to understand what are the areas of interest of your audience and what is likely to appeal to them. Do some exploring online to see what articles are already popular in your niche.

Use catchy headlines
It is important to grab the attention of your readers. You need to give them a reason to want to read your articles. They will be seeing other information online so you will have to try to make your writing stand out. Your target audience will need to feel that you are giving something they can use.

Give them an incentive
You want your readers to sign up for your blog so that they will receive articles and updates when you add more information. You want them to visit your site regularly and then they may also visit other links that you have provided. By giving them a gift as part of the signing up process you provide them with a valid reason to associate with you and further reinforce the value you are able to provide them with your blog.

Post regularly
You must be prepared to write regularly. This must be also counterbalanced by only providing information that is going to be relevant and of interest to your target group of readers. Preparing well-researched articles, and making them readable and easy to understand will help. But you will need to post regularly to maintain the interest in your blog and also enhance your reputation as a financial blogger.

Use your keywords
You need to consider how you would like to make the content on your blog most likely to help improve its Google ranking. If you use search engine optimization techniques you will be able to boost your ranking. Choosing and using suitable keywords is an important part of this process. You can seek assistance from specialists or there is a range of courses and tools available online to help you.

Learn about advertising and revenue
Using your blog to create advertising revenue is a simple process. There are various ways that you can do this from simple advertising that is placed on your blog to more focused affiliate marketing and targeted product promotion. It is important not to distract your readers from your content by ensuring products are related to your information.

You should be looking to develop your reputation as a respected source of accurate and valuable information. Treat your blog as a business and work on it regularly. You will see it grow and your readership with develop. Not only do you get to enjoy exploring more about the financial world and informing others, you are able to bring in some additional revenue for your blogging efforts.

Does Happiness Come With a Price Tag?

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Close your eyes and imagine the first mouthful of that ridiculously expensive, inordinately delicious dessert you have been eyeing for a while and finally told yourself you have earned. You are not sorry to pay the bill afterwards.

Because that instant is something you can classify as that most elusive of states of mind –happiness. It is ironical indeed that you can also have a hit of the same feeling – happiness! – sipping cold, bland coffee with your friend while having a blast talking about everything under the sun. Which brings us to that brooding question: does money make you happy?

Of course it does!

If you have to worry about where your next meal is coming from or how to pay off the bill after a medical emergency, chances are, happiness is not one of the defining characteristics of your life right now. Studies have in fact deduced the amount of money you need to make you happy: it is somewhere between $70,000 and $80,000 a year.

At that level of income, your basic needs are met, you own most of the material possessions you aspire for and still have enough ambition to spur you forward. Beyond this point, apparently it is just more money. And that excess does not do anything to make you happier than you already are.

But what are the things money can do to make you happy?

Regardless of how you look at it, the following are some of the things money can do to make you happy.

– It eases off the anxiety of paying bills and taking risks

– It gives you the satisfaction of buying what your heart desires, travelling wherever you fancy, eat what you crave and pamper those around you.

– It allows you to think about, indulge in and nurture your passions or causes you care about

But can it, really?

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel does not think it does, which is why he turned down a 3 billion dollar acquisition offer from Facebook. He considered it a short term gain’ compared to the lifelong pursuit of building up a company he was proud of. Of course it helped that he already had enough money to have tasted all the happiness that money could bring him.Being in command of yourself, finding purpose in life and steering that life towards your goals, in a manner that builds up your self-esteem can make you far happier than the figures in your bank statement.

Consider these factors:

– The rich, especially the salaried rich, need to keep working themselves to the bone to stay rich.

– They have as many insecurities, failures, jealousies and negativities as anyone else.

– Their entire sense of self-worth may be linked to their ability to keep adding to their wealth

Here’s how to grow your happiness, with or without money

Whether money is involved or not, your happiness can still grow if you nurture your relationships. Indeed, there is nothing that brings more happiness than the feeling you are at peace with everyone that matters to you.

You may also need to invest in life experiences that will always be a source of satisfaction – it can be anything from planting a tree in your garden and watching it grow, to travelling the world.

And to that old-age adage, try to make someone else happy. Happiness is a mutual affair and as long as someone, especially those near and dear to you are happy, then you will no doubt be happy.

At the end of the day, it is safe to surmise that it’s not about the amount of money you have but about the expectations linked to the money you have. Keep them realistic and don’t allow money to define who you are. Because smiling and making someone else smile, costs nothing.

5 Lifestyle Tips To Help You Save Money

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If you are thinking about how you are going to be able to save money then you might want to consider making some smallchanges that will help you to see some benefits. Setting some goals will help you see how much you can achieve. Saving money can be a choice. If you are looking for some lifestyle tips to save money then keep reading.

Avoid spending more when you have more
You might have found yourself with more money with an increase in wages. But you also wanted to spend more on your lifestyle. It is important to consider if there are benefits from spending more and if it really is a necessity. There might be some things that you absolutely have to do but there are others that you will do because they are convenient. The wardrobe upgrade might be really nice but probably is not a necessity. And you also need to avoid getting caught up in buying the next exciting new gadget. You will often find that what you have will work perfectly well and costs you no extra.

Look for better deals
Do comparisons on your regular household costs. You may be able to find a cheaper provider for your phone and internet services. Check to see if you can find a better price for your insurance. Many people just pay their bills without checking alternatives and the companies enjoy this arrangement. But there are usually offers out there that will save you money if you are prepared to spend a little time researching.

Be creative with your time
Instead of sitting and snacking you might want to have an activity to do. There are many small activities that you can do which will involve others like a walk in the park or even a board game. Instead of going to the cinema have a movie night at home with homemade popcorn. Think about trying some DIY. There might be small jobs and repairs that you can do. And the internet is just a click away with all kinds of videos to help you out.

Do not splurge on discounts
It is so easy when you see something massively discounted to take advantage of such an incredible offer. You certainly should take advantage of discounts but it is also important not to splurge. You probably do not need ten of those grocery items and stocking up on clothes for the next 2 years may not be such a good idea. Take advantage of good prices and buy needed items on sale. Purchase supermarket deals that will help you reduce household food costs but be wary of becoming overenthusiastic in your purchasing.

Cook at home
Get yourself organized with cooking and eating at home and you will save a substantial amount of money. Planning your shopping so you do not waste food will help as well. Making lunches instead of buying them can be a massive saving. When it seems easier to get take-out maybe try a quick recipe that is easy to make. Instead of getting that pizza think about an alternative. Maybe you can even make pizza at home. There are many cheap ways to cook good meals and a wide variety of recipes to explore. You do not have to completely stop going out or getting take-out but if you cut right back you will make a substantial saving.

Making lifestyle adjustments requires a little thought and planning. You will be going through a process of change and it is important to recognize that this will impact on how you live your daily life. But with good planning and a sense of commitment, and maybe a small reward for achieving your goals, you will find making the changes beneficial and enjoyable.

5 Most Affordable Tech Gadgets

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So what happened to last year’s hatchimals? And what is going to replace those this year? What do your parents want as gifts, really? It is that time of the year when there are only two questions on everyone’s mind: what do I buy? And how much is it going to cost? Why not leave behind the clichés this year and go the tech route? Here is a list of the coolest gadgets you can lay your hands on right now without breaking the bank.

Streaming devices

If you don’t own a streaming device yet, wait no further! There are now a wide range of devices available on this platform though Amazon Fire Stick with its voice controlled remote and Google Chromecast are best known. But the fact is almost all streaming devices are under $100, most are under $50 and all are known to do their job effectively. Catch your favourite shows and movies on your favourite platforms – be it Amazon, Netflix or Hulu and also many more smaller and lesser known apps exclusive to each device.

Fitness trackers

Forget the days when you dismissed fitness trackers as an expensive indulgence. Now you can get most of the advanced features like sleep analysis and heart rate monitoring on trackers under $100. They can also monitor different movements including gym repetitions and swimming strokes. You can even get one with LED lights that indicate your progress towards your daily fitness goal. You can snag a cool tracker from $20 upwards.

Object tracker tiles

This is one of our favourite gadgets of the season – those cool sleek tiles that help you solve the mystery of where you forgot your keys – or your mobile phone! The tile is attached to the key ring (or whatever object you most frequently misplace) and long range Bluetooth tracking allows you to locate the item which lets out a loud beep if you are within range of it. And the reverse – if it is your mobile you can’t locate, pressing a button on the tile makes your mobile ring. Get relief from the stress of misplaced items at less than $50.

VR Headsets

Virtual Reality is the entertainment of the future! Sure there are limited options in content right now but you know that is a field that is going to explode. So why not take that first step and get your hands on a virtual reality headset? Ditch the DIYs and invest in one of mid-range headsets that offer a great entry level experience for before you venture into higher end models at a later date. For now you can try out various models from $70 upwards.

Chargers

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t run out of battery power on their phone at a critical juncture? Our lives have been taken over by devices that run on battery power – from our phones to our tablets, Bluetooth headphones and speakers. Multi USB port chargers can save you from the bother of lining up gadgets to be charged one after the other. You can get yourself a six-pronged USB charger for under $30.

Think of someone whose life could be better with these cool and affordable gadgets. They will not only thank you for the gift, you will also gain brownie points for the most thoughtful and useful gifts this season!

The 5 Most Common Extra Costs When Buying A House

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When you are buying a property it is important to remember that it is not just the list or negotiated price that you will be paying. There are extra costs when buying a house that will be part of the arrangements for finalizing the purchase. You may be able to put in place a loan agreement where some of these costs are absorbed into your loan which reduces what you pay directly out of your current funds but it still increases your loan amount. The following lists five of the common additional fees that you could encounter in this process, and there may be more that could come up in your transaction.

Home Inspection Fee
Part of your usual property purchase arrangements will be a detailed property inspection and the provision of an inspection report. The inspector will go over the property, its structure and systems to ensure that any problems that are going to need repairs are identified. The cost for these tends to range from around three hundred dollars up to five hundred dollars. Having a detailed inspection by an inspector who has some qualifications and suitable experience may cost you more but it will be beneficial if they identify any potential problems before you have purchased.

Property Title Search
The title search will identify if the seller has the right to sell the house, that there are no other outstanding liens or mortgages on the property that will not be finalized with the purchase, or if there are any easements that give someone else access to the property. There are specialist companies that will undertake the title search providing you with relevant documentation and
details for the property. The title search will usually cost from around seventy-five dollars up to one hundred dollars.

Property Appraisal
An appraisal is undertaken to provide a professional estimate of the market value of the property taking into consideration the value of other properties in the location, the condition of the property that is being purchased and if there are any particular characteristics that will influence the price. Appraisals are undertaken by a certified professional appraiser who is not affiliated with the lender as these are intended to be objective and unbiased estimates of property value. The cost of an appraisal will usually vary between around four hundred and fifty dollars and six hundred dollars. The appraisal is undertaken to provide information to the lender but you should make sure you are supplied with a copy as well.

Property Survey
The property survey will confirm that the property boundary details listed in the documentation are accurate. This will be done by a professional surveyor with relevant certification. The cost of a survey tends to be between around three hundred and seventy dollars and five hundred dollars.

Origination Fee
This is the fee charged by the lender to the person taking out the loan which is to cover all of the administrative costs that are incurred in processing and underwriting the loan. The origination fee will vary from State to State. The lender may also include other third parties fees with this such as credit reports. The origination fee will usually be around 1% of the loan amount.

The process of purchasing a property incurs a range of additional costs. It is important to be aware of this when considering your purchase. It may have an impact on the total amount of your mortgage if you roll these into your loan. The details for these fees should be provided to you by any company or professional providing you with services and you are able to confirm that you will be getting what you need for the fees that are being paid.

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