This is a new series looking at the apps that I am using to make money on things I already do every day- grocery shopping, getting gas, running errands, eating out, taking photos and more. Today's app is Google Opinion Rewards, a location based survey reward app. What is a 'location based survey reward' you ask? Good question! This app requires that you share your location on your phone and then when it sees you at a location that has a survey linked to it you are notified. The website say: Complete short surveys while standing in line, or waiting for a subway. Get rewarded with Google Play or PayPal credit for each one you complete. Topics include everything from opinion polls, to hotel reviews, to merchant satisfaction surveys. We’ll notify you when a survey is waiting. I obviously don't do survey's on the subway but I often do them on my lunch break, while waiting in line or when I'm watching a commercial as they take a minute or so, tops. The pay for a survey depends on its length it seems but I have gotten 10 cents for a single question survey and 60 cents for a 5 question survey about what kind of payment type I used when I was at the grocery store. Both of these were quick and easy change in my pocket. This app automatically pays out once you hit the $2 threshold and pays through PayPal or with Google store credits depending on the settings and type of phone you have. I typically make between $2 and $8 each month on this app- not big money but, over time, it will pay for someone's Christmas present the time holiday season gets here. There isn't a referral link for this one but it was super easy for me to find on the app store and get started. Until next time,
Photo Credit: Pexels Each year we have the opportunity to start a new chapter in our lives. While many of us make New Year’s or birthday resolutions every year, those resolutions rarely last for longer than a few months. However, if we change our approach to making daily habits a regular part of our lifestyle, perhaps we could make positive changes to our lives that last for years to come, without any pesky annual resolutions.
Many of us fail to make long-term changes because we focus on conquering obstacles that are either too big or too ambiguous. Then we get discouraged when we don’t see instant results. But what if we changed our perspective and honed in on making smaller, more manageable changes in our everyday lives? This guide from Real Life with Heather provides tips for implementing daily habits that will improve your life and help you achieve the bigger goals for overall wellness. Boost your self-confidence. One of the most important qualities to have when you’re trying to achieve any goal is confidence. Take steps to enhance your self-confidence, and you’ll quickly realize it’s a powerful tool to have at your disposal. For starters, set realistic goals for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, but when you have no practical and reachable goals, the path to achievement simply becomes too murky, and, eventually, you will abandon it altogether. Begin by implementing self-care in your daily life. Whether it’s getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, working out, or taking a vacation, self-care reduces stress, helps you feel better, and improves your self-confidence. Furthermore, it’s helpful to spark positivity in your life by having a set of affirmations to repeat throughout the day. For instance, verbally remind yourself that you are a thoughtful friend, a good parent, an excellent employee, and so on. Follow your entrepreneurial dreams. If you’ve ever thought about becoming an entrepreneur, but you never really acted on it, it’s more attainable than you think. Start by spending some time each day researching ways you can start your own business. Not sure what business you want to run? Take a look at the benefits of e-commerce, which can be a great side hustle and bring in a good income if you go about it the right way. In addition to picking the right products to sell, you can run a successful online store by using the drop-shipping method. This way, instead of shipping and handling the products yourself, you hire a supplier to deliver the goods to the customers. You’ll also save money with drop-shipping since the overhead and upfront costs are lower than other e-commerce models. Set personal goals. If appearance is your concern, make reasonable changes to add pep in your step every day. This can be as simple as a wardrobe makeover or a little more complex like skin or tooth correction. For example, if crooked teeth or gaps contribute to low self-esteem, it’s never too late for orthodontics. The right treatment will help you achieve the smile you want and can be fairly simple. Plus, some dental insurance includes orthodontic coverage, which makes treatment more affordable. If you want braces or clear aligners, you can find plans that may cover 50 percent of your treatment. You may even be able to find coverage for at-home treatments like Byte or SmileDirect. Practice personal hygiene. Personal hygiene is another essential factor in a thriving everyday life. Showering, brushing your teeth, grooming, wearing clean clothes, and other forms of cleanliness not only help you stave off sickness but also help you feel generally better from day to day and build your confidence. One often underappreciated aspect of hygiene is dental health. Your teeth and gums have a lot to do with your overall health, and neglecting to care for them can lead to a host of health issues. If you’re not going to the dentist, now is the time to start. And if you’ve been pushing it off because your dentist charges too much, or because the office is too far of a commute, you should consider switching to a different dentist. Manage your time. Another way to implement good habits in your life this year is to manage your time better. There’s no doubt about it — life gets busy. However, on most days there is more spare time than we’d like to admit. Step back for a moment and take an honest assessment of the last few days. How much time did you spend watching TV? Surfing social media? Engaging in negative self-talk? Even when life is at its busiest, there is time to be productive and engage in positive habits when you manage that time correctly and use it intentionally. Automatically save. Money is a source of stress and tension for pretty much everyone at some point. And as much as we intend to save, many of us forget from time to time or never really get around to it. That’s where automating your savings comes in. Setting up your bank account to automatically put a portion of your deposit into savings is a great way to stash money away for the future. Essentially you’ll be a professional saver without even thinking about it! Make this a year of purpose and action. Improve your confidence by setting realistic goals, practicing self-care, and reminding yourself of the positives. If you want to start your own business, consider working in ecommerce. Remember to maintain your personal hygiene, know that it’s okay to tackle appearance issues, and to manage your time with intentionality. Finally, start enhancing your financial future by setting up automatic savings. Big life changes happen with everyday decisions. This quarter I managed to finish saving for the second month of my emergency fund (now changed to Income Loss Fund). This quarter several of my assets rose in value much faster than anticipated, namely my house rose in value significantly and my car increased in value in opposition to what was expected. It's been a weird quarter for the market. Additionally, I was able to fund my Roth IRA with funds from a lawsuit being finalized. I also purchased several items from my sinking fund categories: a freezer, pillows, my sister's graduation present and redecorated my office. Finally, I have increased the amount I save monthly towards my student loan repayment to $450. Video monthly updates are below.
Thank you for following along!
Until next time, The end of the first quarter has arrived and I have been slowly but surely working towards my financial goals. I managed to pay off my credit cards this quarter as well as get my credit score back up over 800. I was so happy to check these off of my goals list. Next up: student loans, investments and finishing up my emergency fund. I managed to make several big purchases in addition to paying off my cards:
Thanks for following along!
Until next time, We may not be traveling much yet but we will be soon! Normalcy is coming, hopefully sooner rather than later, and being prepared by adding these fun and/or necessary trips into the budget sooner rather than later can make all the difference in having a lovely trip when the time comes or feeling stressed about the finances of said trip. The first step in planning a trip is deciding the budget and location for your trip. Today's video and download will help you with the former. Once you've decided on your location its time to start looking at places you want to see and activities you want to do while you are there. Write down a basic itinerary and how much each activity would cost then start entering it into the budget calculator. After you have your activities, transportation and food settled in the budget its time to start looking at how your vacation costs can fit into the budget. Chose the timeframe and divide the total budget by that time frame to get your per month/week/paycheck/etc. savings needs. The calculator has it set as months but you can easily adjust this to your own needs. This amount will give you a place to start as you adjust your plans and anticipated costs to fit an amount that you can afford to put towards the trip. Sometimes you may have to cut something or lengthen a savings timeline to make your dream a reality but other times you may decide that the trip is worth more than you and you want to put more money into making it a showstopper. Having a plan allows you to do that, guilt and stress free, so your travel is a more relaxing experience from start to finish. Where are you planning on going after life gets back to normal? Until next time!
Photo via Pexel As your family grows and you enter your retirement years, you may find yourself desiring a larger abode to accommodate everyone — children, grandchildren, and pets alike. Have you ever thought about creating a homesteading paradise so you can provide room, food, and enrichment to your loved ones? If so, there are several important things to take into account when looking for a new home that will fit these needs. First: What are your dreams?Listing out the characteristics of your future home that you would like to prioritize would be helpful as a first step, especially as a future homesteader. Choosing a property should make you think about location, square footage, or whether you want several acres of land or a simple plot. Several things you should think about are the property’s distance from the nearest hospital, where your neighbors are, and how the roads are maintained (depending on how far out you are in the country). Second: Make a list of homesteading projects to undertakeOther must-haves on your list could potentially include a playroom or workshop. After all, if you want to have your grandchildren over, they will need a space to stretch their creative muscles. The benefits of playrooms range widely, from teaching children to share to cordoning off part of the house Another big part of homesteading is providing yourself and your family with food. You want to make sure the home you buy has either the makings of a garden or the space to create one. A huge aspect of home gardening is paying attention to the soil quality and, if necessary, enrich it by adding compost or fertilizer. This will provide plants with the nutrients they need to grow and flourish. You should also consider the space you may need for a chicken coop or goat enclosure. One thing to remember — get rid of your debtIf your dream is to one day own a larger home so you can invite your children and their brood to come stay and play, you first need to figure out what you can afford. The next thing you should make sure of is to quickly get rid of any errant debt you may have incurred up until this point in your life. The freedom of the wilderness awaits you, and you don’t want to be shackled by past debts in your journey for retirement bliss. You found your dream house... Now what?Searching for your new retirement home will take into account the amount of land you want, how big a house, and how much room you really need to fulfill your dreams. These searches may take time, but you could stumble on a true gem early in your quest. If this happens, you may need to act quickly — which could mean buying a new home before selling the old one. Real estate advisors and home sellers will work with you to help you get into that home of your dreams. For instance, you can take out a loan against your 401(k) or use a sale-leaseback contingency to protect your interests. You may also request an extended closing process if you think you are close to selling your old home. That will give you extra time to get the papers signed on your previous residence. Next step: Plan for Your New LifeMoving to a homestead in retirement is no small undertaking, but with all of your planning and preparation, you’ll be able to settle in no time. To make your move easier, go through everything you have to determine what you need or don’t need, and what will fit in your new home and your new life. You’ll also want to figure out which tools and equipment you’ll need to invest in. Next, extrapolate on what life will be like. For example, will you need to switch to satellite service and a landline or will your homestead outside Dallas have access to a powerful enough network that you don’t need a satellite? What about your transportation? If you’ve been driving a sedan, will a truck be a more ideal vehicle? There’s also planning ahead for grocery shopping and medical appointments if you’ll be living farther out from the city. These little things can fall off the radar when you’re preparing for such a big life change, but keeping them top of mind can make it easier to adjust to your new surroundings. Welcome to your new homesteadAfter all the lists are made, the houses are sold and bought, the boxes are moved -- only one thing remains. Invite your children, grandchildren, and fluffy grandkids over for a visit and christen your new space with the sounds and activities of your loved ones. Welcome home! For more insight into health, saving money, wellness, recipes and more, bookmark Real Life with Heather. of SeniorsMeet.org
December is over and 2020 has seen its last day. It was definitely a rollercoaster of a year but I finished out December fairly well I think. I'm down to a little over $5000 in credit card debt with a plan to have it taken care of in the next 4 months and my credit score is on the upswing as well. I'm fairly pleased with this month's progress. Until next time!
I mentioned recently that I would be needing to re-evaluate the amount I have listed as my emergency fund goal due to life changes and debt payoff (yay)... today is the day that I do that with you all. :) I utilized the template I created as part of my One Year Forecast (https://youtu.be/oy7RMz0doWE) and had my number calculated in less than 15 minutes with zero questions. Another thing that I love about having a forecast and a template. Feel free to pop over to the blog post and grab a free download of the template I use to create my One Year Forecast. Until next time!
YNAB has a few challenges and bootcamps happening at the first of the year (yay!). I decided to join the 34-Day Reset Challenge as a way to speedrun a bit of extra towards paying off my credit cards. It isn't a sustainable budget for the long haul but I think it will help me to buckle down a bit more than usual and may even allow me to re-evaluate categories and amounts I have thought of as already stripped down when this is over. Head over to YNAB and join the challange today at https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/ and join YNAB for free with my code at http://bit.ly/YNABHeather. Let me know if you join the challenge and what categories you are slashing in the comments below. :) Until next time!
Welcome to month 5 of working in this workbook at the end of each month. :) I'm excited to see that I ended up spending less in quite a few categories this month than last month, even though there were a few blaring red categories as well. My sinking funds are slowly growing and I'm on track for all of my annual bills as well as my short term savings goals (like a grill, safe, and etc). Next month I'm hoping for a few more gains than this month. Fingers crossed! What kind of budget review and comparative items would you like to see on the Budget Reviews in the future? Do you like this format? Until next time!
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