Archive for November 2019

5 Rules for Shopping for the Holidays on a Budget

November 28, 2019 Budgeting, Shopping No comments
gift

With holidays around the corner, our budgets threaten to tip toward the lower side on the scale. If we aren?t vigilant with saving and budgeting, we might very well be playing with negative here. Spreading cheer during the holidays doesn?t mean depriving yourself of everything in the coming months.

gift

Instead of stressing and worrying and then rushing off for last-minute shopping, try planning in advance. Planning in advance can help you save quite a lot, make smart decisions, and also make the shopping experience more pleasant. There are also sites like 24Cash that provide you external help to deal with the holidays better.

Here are Five Rules You Should Remember While Shopping on a Budget:

1. Expectations and Limits

You might want to gift everyone the greatest gift they can ever receive, you might not want to think about money and budget when buying gifts for your loved ones, but reality doesn?t always give you that privilege.

This is one of the reasons that can bring you stress, but you do not always have to buy expensive gifts to show someone how much you care. Understand your budget and set expectations for the type of gifts you can buy and for what price point. Set limit for your holiday shopping budget; either as a whole or per person.

2. Start Early

Most of the budgeting issues arise when you don?t plan in advance. The prices are usually jacked up at the last moment because they know you have no other option but to buy the overpriced product.

You need to start making a list of all the people you need to buy gifts for and what gifts you would like to buy for them. Then see if the gifts fit in your budget if it doesn?t then keep it on standby. One of the perks of starting early is that you can look for things during different sales. Sometimes you can buy something for a fraction of the original price, which is why you can keep expensive options on standby.

3. Consider Every Expense

When making a budget for the holidays, make sure to tally in every expense not just the gifts. If you are going to be traveling on the holiday, then you might have to cut back the budget for the gifts. If you are going to be paying for someone?s trip, say your family?s, then you can get a small ?something,? if you don?t want to go with ?nothing.??

It makes no sense to spend on a trip as well as an expensive gift and tip the budget for everything else, does it now?

4. Do It Yourself – DIY Your Way Through It

Something you made by investing your time and effort will always top something you bought. It shows a person that you care enough to spend time and work hard to get them something they love. When you make things yourself, you can easily customize it for the person you are gifting it to. Budget wise it can be cheap and love wise it can be expensive.

5. Plan Secret Santa

If you are really tight on budget, then Secret Santa is your best bet. It is fun and carries a sense of mystery and excitement. You don?t have to buy gifts for everyone, so you won?t be stretching your budget. Even with one gift, there is usually a predetermined limit on how much you can spend, so no one is going to be upset that you didn?t get something more extravagant.

Final Thoughts

Holidays are about being happy and enjoying time with family, gift-giving should be a way of showing someone you love and giving them something that need and that they will enjoy. Just keep those things in mind, then you will understand that you don?t have to break your bank to make the people you love happy.

The Best Mobile Apps to Sell Your Stuff Online

November 25, 2019 Business, Shopping No comments
sell stuff

Are you interested in turning your free time into profit? Do you have a lot of unneeded stuff lying around in your home?

In today’s internet savvy world, there are dozens of money-making opportunities out there. Most of them always sound too good to be true and end up being a boondoggle, but there are plenty of legit ones too. Selling used stuff online is one of the ways to make money the easy way. You cannot go wrong in this business. All you need to do is take pictures of the surplus items in your home, upload them to an online marketplace and wait for the cold cash to arrive at your doorstep.

sell stuff

Here are the 3 best mobile apps to sell your stuff online

1) Decluttr

Want to get rid of the vintage video game lying in your basement for ages? Decluttr is free of cost app that lets you sell off your old electronic gadgets for a decent price. You will be surprised to learn that there are still people out there who respect and admire vintage video games.

To sell your used electronic items online, you need to verify your items by entering the model name and number as shown in the picture above. Select the item from the dropdown list and then provide some more information about the item(like the cell phone carrier, physical condition, etc). That’s it. Decluttr will ask you to ship the item to their warehouse where they will verify the item further. Once you clear this stage, your item will be listed in Decluttr for sale.

2) Facebook Marketplace

This list would be incomplete without mentioning Facebook Marketplace. This is the most trusted marketplace as the buyer gets to know the seller better than on any other platform. It is easier for people to trust a stranger when they have things in common.

So, make sure you create a good profile with high-quality images. To sell your items, all you have to do is download Facebook Marketplace on your phone, log in with your Facebook credentials, and click on the “Sell Something” button. Add details and you are good to go.

3) OfferUp?

OfferUp, Inc. is a Bellevue, Washington-based company founded in the year 2011 by two entrepreneurs Arean van Veelen and Nick Huzar. The mobile app OfferUp is known to be the number one marketplace in the nation. It allows users to sell used items on their platform for free.

This is how you can make money on OfferUp. Just like any other buy-n-sell app, OfferUp is a community of both sellers and buyers. To gain trust if a buyer, the seller gets to build their reputation by collecting reviews and ratings.?

If you are not concerned about doing this as a business and just wish to offload the surplus items in your home, just create a profile and begin selling in less than 30 seconds.

Conclusion

Selling used stuff online is one of the most lucrative passive businesses. How much you earn is up to you. There is no one formula to becoming a successful online seller, so you will have to try and test several products and market places. I hope you make the most of this golden opportunity.

Backing Improved Global Financial Literacy

November 18, 2019 Financial Independence No comments
Financial literacy

Wonga is actively involved in helping to promote an increased standard of financial literacy in South Africa. But although the level of financial literacy is not as high as it needs to be, there are many other countries around the world where financial literacy is even worse.

According to a new survey recently completed by Standard and Poor?s, a global financial ratings agency, countries in South Asia have the poorest level of financial understanding anywhere in the world.

Financial literacy

The results of Standard and Poor?s global financial literacy survey

The survey, entitled “Standard and Poor?s Ratings Services Global Financial Literary Service” was based on five basic questions. These questions were asked of 150,000 adults in over 140 countries across the globe. Sad to say, two thirds of the people who took the survey failed to pass the literacy test at the most basic level of financial understanding.??

According to the survey, the countries that recorded the highest levels of financial literacy were the adult populations in:

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom

In each of the above-mentioned countries approximately 65% or above of adult nationals were deemed to be financially literate in terms of the standards of the test. At the other end of the scale it was the countries of South Asia that had populations where financial literacy scores were lowest, where only approximately 25% or less of adult populations were found to be financially literate. The countries recording the lowest results were:

  • Cambodia
  • The Philippines
  • Vietnam

In terms of countries regarded as having emerging economies, it was the group of countries known as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) which recorded results of an average of 28% of adults being financially literate across the board. At the bottom end of the scale was India with 24%, while South Africa were at the top end of the scale, showing 42%.

The cost of financial ignorance

The survey also helps to explain why it is that financial literacy is such an important skill to have, especially in developing countries. The truth of the matter is that financial ignorance bears with it significant costs. Consumers who do not understand the concept of interest tend to accrue larger debts and as a result incur higher rates of interest on loans. This same bracket of people also ends up borrowing more money and conversely, saving less.

Wonga are determined to promote improved financial awareness. The payday loans that they make available for people are great products. They help people to meet unexpected bills and help to carry them over a financial emergency, but only when borrowers fully understand their financial commitments and obligations. Borrowing money that cannot be repaid, or at best, that borrowers will struggle to repay, is folly.

Test yourself

If you?re interested in finding out how you would rate in the Global Financial Literacy test, follow this link and put yourself to the test.

It is only by improving financial literacy that we can help people to minimise debt and improve their financial health and well-being.

Coupon Sherpa Review: No More Clipping Coupons from a Newspaper

November 18, 2019 Side Gigs No comments
coupon sherpa

Are you facing money problems? Need someone to bail you out?

It can be difficult to do your shopping the way you would like to when you are in a temporary financial crisis. To get out of this jam, most people compromise on things like food and clothes. But you don’t have to.

Coupon Sherpa is a mobile app that will help you save on things like groceries, clothes, restaurant bills, and much more. All you need to do is download the app on your phone, find a coupon (for the store you wish to shop from), and show it to the cashier. You can expect a massive discount. So, next time you visit your favorite retail store, grocery store, or a restaurant, you will save 30-40% on the total bill.

coupon sherpa

About the creator of Coupon Sherpa App

Coupon Sherpa is a Windsor, Colorado-based online coupon website and a mobile app for those who wish to save money on their daily expenses. It was founded nearly 5 years ago and is also known by the name Atlanta Xotic Rentals. The main idea behind creating the app was to replace paper coupons with digitized ones so you don’t have to waste your time and energy clipping them from a newspaper or a magazine.

How does the Coupon Sherpa App work?

Using this app is quite simple. If you are not able to download the app, you can also print the coupon via the desktop app. But I recommend using the app as it saves paper.

Furthermore, if you are wondering how to get started with Coupon Sherpa, all you have to do is look for your favorite store by clicking on the “Stores” tab. Once, you find the store, pick one coupon from several offers presented in a list form. That’s it! Now you can save 30-50% on your shopping and use that money to pay other bills, save for retirement, or spend on whatever you feel like.

What I like about Coupon Sherpa App

I like that with Coupon Sherpa, I can not only get in-store coupons but online coupons too. So, whether I feel like going out to shop or stay home and do the shopping online, I still save a ton of money.

What I don’t like about Coupon Sherpa App

I wish the moderators of this app worked a bit on keeping the coupons updated to the current date. There are many instances when I bump into a coupon with 50-60% discount but on reading the expiration date I end up disappointed. This is the only downside to this app. 

My recommendation

Coupon Sherpa is not limited to married women who love to shop for themselves and their kids. Even teenagers or college students can benefit from this app– as it offers some really good discounts on some teen and early 20’s-centric stores like Forever 21, Gap and Amazon.

Pricing

Coupon Sherpa is a free of cost coupon website and a mobile app. You don’t even have to log in to use this resource. To download Coupon Sherpa mobile app for Android click here and for iOS devices click here.

How to Stay Calm in a Personal Financial Crisis

November 11, 2019 Money Management No comments
financial crisis

Have you made some poor financial choices in the past? Want to learn how to manage the financial stress the right way?

Unfortunately, you have ended up in this dire situation. There are plenty of people who end up in a financial crisis because of the misinformation that is out there about “how money works”. People are forced to sell their prized assets to get out of such a situation. Imagine filing for bankruptcy twice and then losing your job. How would you tackle such a tough situation?

What is a personal financial crisis? How to know you are in one?

First, you need to understand what this predicament is. In general, a financial crisis is a situation when institutions lose their value in the market. As a result, the entire industry or a particular sector collapses. Unlike an economic crisis, a financial crisis is localized and does not affect the entire economy of the nation. It is viewed more as a setback than a total disaster.

When it comes to a personal financial crisis, things are not that different. It involves you running out of money due to credit card debt, inability to pay your mortgage, losing your job, losing the sole breadwinner of the family, or an acute injury/illness to a family member. There are several more reasons why you might end up in a personal financial crisis, but these are the common ones.

What are some ways to stay calm during a personal financial crisis?

1) Take your mind off of the financial crisis

Sometimes a temporary escape from the situation is the best solution for stress. I am not asking you to be ignorant of your situation or pretend as if everything is fine. But sometimes financial stress like any other stress can throw us off balance. Hence it is essential to partake in constructive activities like yoga, sports, going out with friends and meditation.

2) Create a budget

A budget is an estimate of your income and expenses for a set period. So, if you plan to better your financial situation in the next 3 months, make sure you have a sheet with income and potential expenses listed side by side. You can create a 3 month budget on a piece of paper of spreadsheet software. Doing this will eliminate needless worry and panic attacks.

3) Educate yourself about finances

finances

Self-help is one of the best ways to tackle financial stress and worry. Reading books on financial education will help you understand the fundamentals of money. Learn how to make, save and invest money wisely. I recommend reading books like “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki and “More than Enough” by Dave Ramsey. Remember the lessons taught by these financial gurus and you will never fall in the debt trap again.

Conclusion

A personal financial crisis can be a bit overwhelming. But you cannot improve your situation without, first, taking the right decisions and then acting upon them. Don’t waste your time finding shortcuts to escape the situation you are in. There are no shortcuts. The best way to tackle financial stress is the have a calm mind throughout the tough period.

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