Archive for August 2016

4 High Costs of a Toxic Work Environment

toxic work environment

toxic work environmentWorking at a job and building a?career can take up a good majority of your?time. But in general, most people like their jobs or at least tolerate the tasks they are given.

There are those who land their dream job and others who enjoy their work, but enjoy going home to their families or their hobbies more. But, there are also those who don?t like their job. But they realize it?s work and it pays the bills.

Most of these people have decent work environments. But what happens when you like your job, but the environment is toxic?

A toxic work environment is one where you don?t feel appreciated or valued, or where you are taken advantage of, and the people are just not nice to work with. A toxic work environment can take its toll on you and your money. Here are four high?costs of a toxic work environment.

Increased Sick Days

This is something I learned from personal experience. I worked at a job I thought I loved, but then I noticed my stomach would cramp and I would feel sick more often than ever before in my life. Since?I left my toxic work environment, I haven?t had one sick day from stomach pains or cramps. It?s amazing what negative stress does to your body. Increased visits to the doctor, more prescriptions?and days spent home add up.

Mental Well-Being

Your mental well-being can also lead to increased sick days. If you are constantly depressed or unhappy at work, it shows.

Your mood can wear off on others and can cause them to add more work to you or take away work that might make you more money. If you are not happy, you become less productive. Being less productive means less money for the company and maybe less of a bonus or raise for you.

Performance affects income, and if you aren?t at the top of your game, your checkbook may not be either.

Lost Clients or Accounts

Toxic people and environments find a way of leaking out of the office and into the street. People don?t like to be involved in a toxic work environment. If word gets around that a company or person is hard to work with, it can lead to a loss of customers or accounts. With less work, it could mean layoffs or more work thrown on you due to other people jumping ship.

Family Cohesion and Happiness

Being constantly stressed at work, and then coming home to an unhappy spouse or family adds up. Feelings get hurt as people take out the stresses of the day on their loved ones. This can sometimes results in breakups or divorce that cost money.

The family may not break up, but less energy when home can lead to eating out more, which we know is more expensive and less healthy.

A toxic work environment is not good for anyone. If you are in a toxic environment, get out as soon as you can.

Being happy or content in the work place is extremely beneficial for your work, your family and yourself. Work can be stressful, but it shouldn?t make you cringe every day or make you sick. Find a position where you are valued and can grow. You?d be amazed what it does for you and for your wallet.

 

Have you ever been in a toxic work environment? How did if affect you and your budget?

 

Photo courtesy of: qimono

5 Simple Ways to Save $1,000 Every Year

save

save $1,000Saving money is hard work. It isn?t easy to cut money out of your budget without dramatically affecting your quality of life ? but it is possible. And, of course, it is worth it when you are able to trim back your spending successfully. Even seemingly small items can add up to big annual savings when you look back at the end of the year.

The list below includes five ideas for how you could save $1,000 in the year ahead. Some of these points might not apply to you, but hopefully you can benefit from at least one or two of them. And who knows ? if you can actually use all five, you just might save $5,000 in the next twelve months!

Cut the Cord

Many people are cutting cable out of their budget, and you just might be able to do the same. You can easily spend $100 or more on cable on a monthly basis, meaning you are likely spending beyond $1,000 on this service in a year. If that sounds like you, think carefully about how much you actually use the cable you are buying.

It may be possible to replace your cable subscription with an alternative, like a streaming video service ? saving you nearly $1,000 a year as a result. We’ve done this and save about $1,500 per year. If you buy something like the [easyazon_link identifier=”B00ZVJAF9G” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”wisedollar-20″ cart=”y” popups=”y”]Amazon Fire TV Stick[/easyazon_link] you can still get most of the same content with little upfront cost.

Gym Much?

If you use your gym membership, you probably shouldn?t drop it ? the health benefits associated with regular exercise are likely worth more than the financial savings you could enjoy. However, if you pay for the gym each month without ever stepping foot inside the building, now might be the time for a change.

If your gym membership is as expensive as some around the country, this is another budget cut that could get you near $1,000 in savings for the year.

Downgrade Your Ride

Do you lease your vehicle? If so, you might be able to save $1,000 per year (or more) if you are willing to downgrade to a less expensive model. Sure, you might have to give up your heated seats or that fancy entertainment system, but you will love the savings that you enjoy as a result. Of course, you need to make sure that your lease will still meet your needs from a mileage perspective, so don?t go too far in cutting back.

Cut Two Meals Out a Month

Believe it or not, cutting back on your restaurant trips by two meals a month could actually add up to $1,000 in savings over the course of a year. You only need to save a little over $80 per month to hit that mark, which may not be too tough if you are used to eating out at?nice dinners and ordering drinks and dessert. You can still go out from time to time, but make it a goal to cut out two per month and see what that does for your budget.

Don?t Go on Vacation

Vacations are fun, of course, but you could stand to save $1,000 by simply skipping a vacation this year. In fact, depending on the kinds of trips you usually take, you might stand to save even more than $1,000. You can always take a staycation instead! If a vacation is still in your plans, check out Expedia to get money saving deals.

 

Have you cut any of these things to save money in your budget? Can you think of any other ways to save $1,000 in a year?

 

Photo courtesy of: PDPics

3 Top Tips for Shipping Items Overseas

shipping items

shipping itemsThe development and refinement of commercial transport services, and the increase in overseas selling over the last few decades have revolutionized the way that we live. Where sending items to foreign buyers would once have seemed impractical, it is now commonplace. Whether we want to post a gift to a friend, send an eBay sale to another continent, or attract an international client base for our online business, we can now do so easily and economically.

Yet items that we send overseas still have a long journey to travel, so it?s important to do your very best to ensure that they arrive in perfect condition. No one wants to send a broken gift or a damaged purchase, and luckily, there are a few simple steps that you can take to avoid such scenarios. To help you out, here they are.

Properly Package Your Item

It may sound obvious, but properly packaged items are far less likely to be damaged in transit.

The contents you send will have many miles to travel, and inevitably there may be a little jouncing and some rough handling along the way, so try to apprehend whether this would damage what you?re sending. Although items such as soft toys or clothing will probably be alright provided they?re in a sealed box or envelope, breakables are best wrapped in plenty of bubble wrap as well.

You should also ensure that the outer material of your box or package can withstand the trials of traveling, as a broken exterior could cause your item to slip out and become separated from the information containing you and the recipients? addresses.

Choose a Reliable Courier

It?s also important to spend some time choosing a reliable courier. Although some companies will offer incredibly competitive prices, their services may not always be up to scratch, so it?s imperative to do your research and find out as much as you can with regard to their reputations. The internet makes this easy for us, and both positive and negative customer experiences will almost always be recorded somewhere online. These should help you to work out which companies to avoid, and which to settle on.

Buy?Insurance

When you?re sending important items, it?s also a good idea to buy?insurance. Most courier companies will give you the option to include this as part of their service, and especially if your package contains high value contents, it really is wise to protect yourself and your buyer. Make sure that in the event of damage or loss, the full value of your item will be compensated, so that the needs of everyone involved are properly taken care of.

Follow these three top tips today, and you should have no problem shipping items overseas without damage.

 

Have you ever tried shipping items overseas?

 

Photo courtesy of: ?Unsplash

Are Permanent Makeup Tattoos Worth The Money?

permanent makeup tattoos

permanent makeup tattoosPerfect cat?s eye eyeliner and a delicate arched brow with a red lip are classic makeup basics. They’ve been worn by the best of Hollywood sirens, including stars of the past like Marilyn Monroe.

A seasoned pro can put this ?face? on in a just a minute or two, but for most of us it takes a decent amount of time, even?if you don?t have to take it all off and redo it.

But what if you could just wake up with the makeup already on and head out the door? This is a real possibility due to permanent makeup tattoos. Yes, believe it or not, people tattoo makeup to their face.

This may seem a simple solution to shorten your everyday routine, but it is a very expensive procedure that if done wrong you’d have to spend even more to have it removed with a laser.

Are permanent makeup tattoos worth the money? Here are some factors to consider before you get your makeup inked on for good.

Pros of Permanent Makeup Tattoos

You Never Have to Apply Makeup

If you don?t plan to wear a full face of makeup most of the time anyway, the most you might need to apply is eyeshadow, mascara and lip gloss. What might have taken you a half hour or more now only takes 15 minutes. This time savings could add up significantly if you use it wisely.

Go Natural

Even on the days where you don’t apply any makeup and decide to “go natural” you’ll still have perfectly shaped eyebrows or a hint of eye-liner.

Permanent makeup artists strive to create the most natural looking makeup they can so you can simply add to it with your daily routine. This way it’s not gaudy when you want to look natural.

Avoid Itchy Eyes and Other Allergy Symptoms

Permanent makeup tattoos offer an alternative for those with skin conditions, sensitive skin or allergies. If you have severe skin allergies or other conditions, finding a makeup that won?t irritate your skin can be a nightmare. Permanent makeup tattoos can be a solution for that and save you money so you don’t have to buy and try several brands of makeup before finding one that works for your sensitive skin.

Cut Down on Regular Makeup Costs

Not only will you save time by not having to apply all of your makeup everyday, you could save money on makeup too. According to Mint,?the average woman spends $15,000 on makeup in her lifetime. The cost of permanent makeup tattoos can vary greatly, but even spending $500 on a one-time tattoo could save money if you are a regular applier of makeup.

Cons of Permanent Makeup Tattoos

It?s Costly?Up-Front

Just getting your eyebrows tattooed can cost around $500 or more and the cost of eyeliner depends on how heavy you want it applied. If you want anesthetics to be used with your procedure, the price goes up even more. Most of the time anesthetics are recommended as your lips and eyes are very sensitive skin. You may save money in the long-run by tattooing your makeup on, but it is costly up-front.

It?s a Surgical Procedure

As stated, your face is one of the most sensitive parts of your body and getting it tattooed is painful. Most people opt for anesthetics as it numbs the skin and their pain is less during the procedure. But even then, healing from permanent makeup tattoos can last a week or more. You may have to take time off from work to heal, resulting in lost wages.

Mistakes are Expensive

If it?s screwed up, it?s screwed up. Unsymmetrical eyebrows look funny and unnatural. As it is permanent pigment, makeup tattoos can?t be easily fixed. You’ll have to pay more to get it removed with a laser, and then pay again to have it re-done if you are that brave.

Touchups Are Needed

Most people who get permanent makeup tattoos have to go in for yearly touchups. As pigment is injected only in to the skin, it does tend to fade faster?than regular tattoos. ?Thus touch-ups are recommended every 12-18 months. The cost of touch-ups starts at about $100. Add that cost to the expensive upfront cost and?whatever you are still spending on skin care and makeup and you may find that permanent makeup tattoos aren’t really worth the cost and risks.

Before you decide to get your eyebrows tattooed on,?do your homework and decide if it’s really worth the costs and medical risks. Methods of permanent makeup tattoos have definitely improved over the years, making it a more viable option for your makeup routine.

 

Have you ever considered getting permanent makeup tattoos? What’s holding you back?

 

Photo courtesy of: Edgie168

3 Ways to Save on Your Next Car Loan

car loan

car loanMost people need to take out a loan when purchasing a car. There is no shame in that, of course ? cars cost tens of thousands of dollars, and very few of us have that kind of money just laying around. Fortunately, car loans usually come with very reasonable terms and a relatively short repayment time frame. If you care for your car properly, you should be able to continue driving it long after the loan has been satisfied, hopefully giving you time to save up money for you next car so you can avoid taking out a car loan next time.

Of course, even though car loans are fairly affordable in terms of interest rates and terms, you still want to save as much money as possible when making this large purchase. Keep these three tips in mind before you walk onto the dealership lot ready to make a deal on your next car loan.

Skip Some Options

You don?t need to buy a ?fully loaded? vehicle in order to be happy with your purchase. Many of the base model modern cars still include everything you need, such as automatic windows and locks, automatic transmission, safety features and more. As you move up into the higher end options, you can start to spend a lot of money on things like upgraded upholstery, a fancy stereo, and other technology.

In order to pick out the right car and right package for you, focus more on your budget than the options you have in front of you at the lot. Establish a price range for your purchase before you ever head out to buy the vehicle, and keep the final sale within that range no matter what. This can save you thousands on your car loan. But don’t skip features if they are truly important to you. For instance, you could get a car GPS?from China to save money and still have that feature in your vehicle.

Save for a Down Payment

The math is simple ? any money that you are able to put down on the purchase of your vehicle is money that won?t have to be borrowed in your car loan. If you can save up prior to making the purchase in order to have a significant down payment available, you will be able to greatly reduce the size of your car loan, and reduce the amount of interest you pay over the long run.

It is often possible to buy a vehicle with a very small down payment, or even no down payment at all, but you should try to avoid this strategy if possible.

Shop Around in Advance

Before you even head out to shop for a new vehicle, do some work on finding your financing ahead of time. You can likely apply for a car loan approval through your bank before you go shopping, which will give you a great idea of what you can afford and what your monthly payments are going to look like based on the interest rate and loan size.

While you might end up financing the purchase of your car through the dealership rather than your bank, it is nice to have that approval in your back pocket when it comes time to negotiate. If the dealer won?t give you terms that you like, you can always point to your bank offer as another financing option.

 

Have you ever taken out a car loan? Do you have any other tips to help save on a car loan?

 

Photo courtesy of: kaboompics