Making smart financial decisions is more important than ever. With the global economy in a steep decline, people around the world are reevaluating their finances and finding ways to cut back in the recession. At New Mogul, you will find all the tools you need to give yourself a financial makeover. Learn how to save money on regular expenses and fight back against the debt that can be devastating. Use our tips to dig your way out of debt and back into a financial situation where you have peace of mind and less anxiety every time you balance the checkbook.
The Economics of Black Friday
Black Friday is seen as one of the most important times of the year for retailers in this country. With sales remaining steady or dropping in the last few years, this day is the one that can make or break a company’s bottom line. This year, many companies are forgoing the traditional day after Thanksgiving sales in favor of opening Thanksgiving night, or simply not closing at all on Thanksgiving Day. This has created a backlash not only among store employees, but consumers also have to stop and wonder how much is too much?
Not too many years ago, stores would open their doors early the day after Thanksgiving-some as early as 4 or 5am. The last few years, these store openings, along with the special deals they offer, have been happening earlier and earlier. This year is the first year that many retail companies are opening as early as midnight to take advantage of the retail feeding frenzy that is Black Friday.
Store workers are upset because they do not get to spend time with their families during Thanksgiving Day as many will have to be at work hours earlier than the store opening to prepare for the customers that will charge through their doors when they open. Many consumers, driven to extreme behavior previous years, are all ready camping at the stores’ entrances, forgoing the holiday completely.
Thanksgiving has changed, and many would say it is a change for the worse. Instead of a quiet day to spend time with family and friends reflecting on the blessing we have, many people are out in pursuit of the big deal, and our holiday is worse for the wear.
Who is Considered “Poor” in the U.S.?
Right now in the US the face of poverty is changing in ways that it hasn’t changed in decades. The face of poverty today is overwhelmingly young, mostly educated, and spans every nationality in the country. With the dearth of well-paying jobs in the country today, the face of poverty is increasingly looking like the faces of our neighbors, friends, and relatives.
The average cost of living for a family of 3 in 2010 was $2830.00 per month. This figure includes the cost of food, housing, utilities, gas and vehicles. This figure is for basic necessities and is only an average-depending on what part of the country one lives in, the figure can be radically higher.
The Federal Minimum Wage currently stands at $7.25 per hour. At a 40 hour work week this equals gross wages of $290.00 per week. Of course with taxes taken out the actual dollar amount the employee takes home can be up to $100.00 less. A monthly gross is around $1160 per month. The difference in what a person needs to make per month to cover basic living expenses and in what an actual salary might be is $16700 per month.
If you double the amount and say that two of the three family members work full time it still only totals $2320.00 per month before taxes are taken out. This is still below the average cost of living for a family of three. Figure in any medical expenses or child care expenses and you have a family working full time and living in poverty.
In order to allow people to meet their basic expenses for cost of living, not including any medical or childcare expenses, minimum wage would need to be set at higher than $17.70 per hour before taxes.
Try Freecycle to Get Great Items for Free
The Freecycle Network was started in 2003 by a small group of people who wanted to share or recycle unneeded equipment, furniture, books and the like in a small area of Arizona. Today it spans 85 different countries and has millions of members to help to recycle unwanted useable products worldwide.
Freecycle.org will set you up with your local group, usually accessed through a Yahoo groups page. There you will find people offering many different items for giveaway, as well as requests for things people want. Freecycle is a great way to assist other people directly in a one-to-one manner by giving away things you don’t need. For those on limited budgets, it can be a good way to ask for things you need but cannot afford to buy.
One of the primary things to remember about Freecycle is that is really is a two way street. When you ask for something, if at all possible, offer something in return. If you have old, gently used clothing that you don’t need, or books you no longer wish to keep, Freecycle can be the perfect place to find new homes for your stuff. If your TV has bitten the dust, you can ask if anyone has one they are wanting to part with-it probably will not be the 32” flat screen stereo monitor all your friends have, but if it works and it’s free, how cares?
Freecycle is not for profit. Volunteers maintain yahoo groups and keep things running correctly for the entire organization. It can provide a great help to those who need it and a way to feel good about giving stuff away to everyone else. Whether you have extra stuff lying around that you would like to clear away or could use a little help in finding some gently used items for free, check out Freecycle!
Money Troubles Got You Down?
In this day and age, it’s nearly impossible to find someone who has not struggled financially at one point in time. Almost everyone I know has faced debt up to their eyeballs, a lack of sufficient income to pay their bills, bankruptcy or other serious money troubles. What is a person to do when faced with these kinds of trouble?
While the obvious answer in most cases is increasing your income, the truth is that is easier said than done. Whether pursuing a better paying job is a struggle due to lack of education, lack of training or lack of transportation (or any combination of the these), hardly anything is more frustrating than trying to overcome financial stress.
Fortunately, these days there are many options one can consider to find a new place of employment or to gain training necessary for a better job. College classes can be completed online at your own pace on your own schedule. Many training and certification programs offer evening and weekend classes, so one can earn those hours outside of their regular work hours. Employment ads are no longer just in the newspaper! While they can be located in the newspaper, both in print or online, there are also many websites where you can search the want ads as well. Craigslist is one such website where you can find job listings.
Conversely, if one is able to save money, that can help with the financial strain on a family’s bank account as well. There are many ways to save money from clipping coupons and meal planning to cutting back on the electricity and water use in the home. Also, finding free or low cost forms of family entertainment is vital in the current economy.
Whatever route you take to preserve your family’s financial situation (and your sanity) it is worth the effort.
Turn Electronic Cigarettes into a Thriving Business
By now you’ve most likely heard about how electronic cigarettes have really started to change the world of nicotine. It’s likely that you’ve learned how, despite the protests of the FDA, more and more smokers have started using electronic cigarettes and even prefer them to real cigarettes. The list of reasons most commonly heard when you ask someone why they decided to make the change to electronic cigarettes includes everything from:
• A desire to overcome their nicotine addiction once and for all
• They’re tired of spending $1,000’s on cigarettes each year and have become very grateful for a more economical solution
• They’re worried about their future health
• they wanted to improve their social life
• they decided to become more environmentally conscious
Most people don’t realize that they can turn their love of electronic cigarettes into a business idea.
Marketing can be very expensive, and believe it or not, some major retailors struggle to connect with their target market. The electronic cigarette industry has been dealing with this problem for years. This means good news for you. To help offset marketing expenses and make sure that they really are connecting with smokers who haven’t quite made the leap to electronic cigarettes, most of the electronic cigarette companies have created affiliate marketing programs.
It’s in your best interest to check out these various affiliate marketing programs and choose the one that will be the best possible match for you. You don’t have to worry about having a strong grasp of marketing tactics, or a degree in business to make money from the electronic cigarette’s affiliate programs. Anyone that has a little common sense and a basic understanding of social networking will be able to reap positive results.
Signing up for the program will be the first thing you need to do. Once your application has been approved, the e cig company will provide you with links that you can post on your favorite social networking sites. Blogs have become a favorite place for these links to be posted. The great thing about using a blog for marketing the electronic cigarettes is that you can use it to post things like SmokeTip User reviews, fun tips, Green Smoke Consumer reviews, interesting facts, and Blu Cigs ratings. Some people have even set up an entire user friendly electronic cigarettes reviews site where they feature South Beach Smokes reviews and additional information about electronic cigarettes.
Whenever someone uses one of your links to both connect with the electronic cigarette company and makes a purchase, you’ll get a small commission. The great thing about these programs is that you continue to collect commissions every time the person makes a purchase, even if they never use your affiliate links again.
Coping with the Physical Side Effects of Stress While Starting a New Business
There’s not an adult in the world that hasn’t had to deal with some stress. It’s an unavoidable part of life. It’s important that you understand there’s going to be sometimes when you’re under more stress then you will be at others. If you’re planning on starting a brand new business, you’re going to find that you’ll be immersing yourself in the most stressful time of your life.
If you’re even thinking about starting your own business, you need to be prepared for the amount of stress you’re going to be hit with. You’re going to find that the stress makes it very difficult to do some things like pay attention to details, remember important information, and concentrate on all the little things that need to be dealt with if your business will be the successful venture you’re hoping for.
You also need to keep in mind that stress, especially the massive amount of stress starting a business triggers will take a toll on your body. It’s not at all unusual for people who find themselves dealing with a massive amount of stress to struggle with things like headaches, muscle tension, and joint pain. In order to reduce the risk of further injury, you’re going to want to make sure you take the steps to deal with the physical symptoms of stress as soon as they crop up. Prior to immersing yourself in the stress of starting up a new business you should really spend some time thinking about the therapeutic benefits of hot tubs and soaking tubs.
It’s likely that you’ve already noticed that whenever you’re a bit stressed there’s something about bath tubs and warm water that makes the world seem like a better place, especially when you add a glass of good wine into the mix. There’s something about the warm water that helps you put your problems into prospective. You’re going to find that Whirlpool bathtubs and air tubs do the same thing.
When you start to check out Whirlpool tubs for sale, you’re going to be looking at tubs that jet water around the tub creating a pulsating current which will help your stress melt away. Not only will the warm water melt the tension from your muscles, but the Whirlpools jets will also massage your body, literally forcing the aches and pains away. By the time you get out of your Whirlpool tub or swimming spa you’re going to feel like your old self. Just fifteen minutes in the tub will make it easier for you to deal with all the problems and issues that always crop up when you’re dealing with a brand new business and you’ll be able to enjoy the process.
Do your research online to find out more about swim spas, whirlpool bathtubs, air tubs, and soaking tubs. Then choose the one that is right for you.
Reap the Rewards of Breaking Bad Habits
Biting your nails. Smoking cigarettes. Eating ice cream late at night. These are all bad habits that can have negative consequences if you don’t deal with them eventually. Breaking a habit is hard, but you can enjoy some serious rewards for your hard work if you stick with it. So what is the best way to break a habit? Here are some strategies that might just work for you.
1. Take the 12 Step Approach
Break down your habit by eliminating it in 12 steps. By breaking it up into baby tasks, it won’t feel like such a shock to your system. For example, if you are trying to stop your pack a day cigarette habit, you could break it into steps. During the first day (or week), you smoke as usual but skip that early morning cigarette. Then on the second day, you give up the cigarette after lunch. You keep eliminating cigarettes in steps until you are not smoking at all.
2. Get a Habit Breaking Buddy
Find a friend who will call you out if you relapse. If you are trying to give up your late night snacking, ask your roommate or spouse to speak up if they notice you giving into temptation at night. Just by having some accountability, you will find it easier to stay on track.
3. Replace the Bad With Something Good
Instead of just eliminating the old bad habits, replace them with good habits. If you have been biting your nails, replace the time you spent on that with something else. For instance, if you bite your nails when you are bored or nervous, give your fingers something else to do. Doodle on some paper and chew gum to keep your mouth busy too! Replace bad habits with good ones to be more successful at changing for the long term.
Make the Right Decision When Searching for a Gaming Site
Town halls that host bingo games are becoming harder and harder to find. The decreasing number of venues that offer bingo doesn’t meant that you have to give up playing the game forever. You just need to adjust to the idea that you are going to have to play it somewhere else. Instead of driving in all kinds of weather to a bingo game, you simply need to learn how to play bingo online. Odds are you’ll find you like it lots better than the bingo games held in brick and mortar buildings.
If the idea of playing bingo online makes you nervous, you can relax. Most of the new bingo sites 2012 have set up all kinds of incentives for new members, including free game credits, so you can test the waters before you ever start to play. You’ll find that the chat rooms create the same sense of camaraderie that you felt at your real world games. Best of all, you’ll be playing fast paced, high quality bingo. What more could you possibly ask for?
The biggest challenge you are going to face is finding the free bingo websites that are going to be a good match for you. Luckily there are a few things you can do to make your quest a little easier. Finding bingo sites isn’t hard. All you have to do is Google “online bingo” and you will get thousands of results to help you start your research. Now that you have the names of some websites, you are going to be ready to start choosing the perfect one.
The great thing about the Internet is that it is possible for you to read through all kinds of bingo reviews about a website without ever having to check it out for yourself. Reading through these reviews will help you learn about the quality of the games offered, the ease of making withdrawals from accounts, security, and the reliability of the server the site uses. Most importantly, you will be able to learn if the website you are considering is the real deal or a scam.
In addition to picking out the no deposit bingo sites that have the highest positive reviews, you are also going to want to look at the type of incentives the site is willing to offer. In addition to the new member incentives, many websites reward their members from time to time with free game credits. A high number of free bingo bonus games is another thing you are going to want to look for. If you join a bingo site and decide it isn’t exactly what you were looking for, all you have to do is start the whole process all over again. To save some time in your search, just head over to Big Brother bingo. It’s a classic take on the old game and reviews online show that it is one of the best places for new players to start.
Alone in the Woods with a New Innovation
Alone in the woods? “Might as well be.,” muttered Grant as he and his wife cleaned their freshly caught fish to be cooked over the roaring camp fire. At least the way things typically felt when his wife would drag him on these insane journeys into the mountains. Her family had always been the ridiculous outdoors type; walking, biking, riding, and skydiving. Pretty much any crazy thing you can think of with an -ing attached to it, they did.
Well since her father had passed Grant would accompany his wife on an annual camping/hiking trip into the mountains. It was always a pretty daunting undertaking. It, of course, wasn’t that Grant was in anyway nonathletic. Far from it. No. The issue was that Grant was a smoker. And the last time Grant had looked he hadn’t seen any corner stores in the Appalachians. Especially any that sold cigarettes!
But this year Grant wore a smile on his face. His only displeasure now was gathered from the smell of freshly smeared fish guts on his palms. Nope. This year Grant had it all figured out (with help from his wife, of course, to whom he complained often). He had packed an extra bit of luggage, which contained, what Grant called, his “great escape”.
It was his new Smoke51 electronic cigarette. Sure. It sounded ridiculous to Grant too when he had seen it in the store. He immediately pulled up a number of e cigarettes reviews sites on his phone and began to read. It seemed that electronic cigarettes could effectively simulate an actual cigarette in every way minus the repercussions, so no harmful chemicals. No smelly smoke. And no crazy health concerns. This product was beginning to sound better and better.
After a moment, Grant had stumbled across The Safe Cig Review and the V2 Cigs Review and gave them a read as well. There were so many people who had already tried this product; and loved it! Whether they were trying to quit, replace, or simply substitute tobacco, everyone seemed pleased.
Grant grabbed up an electronic cigarette coupon code online and bought a started kit and even snatched a few ecig cartridge refills and went straight home. It was his wife’s idea to bring it on the trip, a thought that had never crossed Grant’s mind. He simply just loved to buy random things that caught his fancy. A habit that often got him into trouble at home.
Now here Grant was. He took a draw of his electronic cigarette and smiled. His wife laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “You look happy, dear.” He sighed. “I am, sweetie. I am.”
How to Save Money Every Week on Groceries
There is a brand new show that is stirring up interest from people of all ages, stages, and walks of life. “Extreme Couponing” shows how people save tons of money by shopping sales and using coupons to maximize their money at the grocery store.
Not all of us have time to devote hours to this pursuit, but even a very basic or modest use of coupons can save money at the grocery store. Many stores regularly offer double coupons for purchases and some even offer triple coupons on occasion. The best way to find this out is to check the store’s advertising circular or store website.
Coupons can be found just about everywhere today. They are in newspapers, magazines, flyers, store mailers and many other places. It usually only takes a small amount of effort to find them. Saturday or Sunday papers are a good source of coupons. Most of the major brands advertise their products in this way and you will find more than a few good deals.
Many manufacturers have websites that have downloadable coupons as well. If you have the time, it might be worth checking out some of the sites of your favorite products to see what might be offered.
After you begin to collect coupons it is important to keep organized. You must go through them regularly to toss expired coupons. There was a time when certain coupons would last for three months or more, now most coupons expire with a month or less. An expanding file folder with several pockets can help you keep everything organized.