The unemployment rate keeps going in the right direction as the economy recovers. However, that does not change the fact that 12.5 million Americans are currently out of work, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. Add to that the 2012 college graduates who are soon to walk across the stage — but not necessarily into a job — and it’s clear that unemployment is not yet a problem of the past.
Since the average length of unemployment is still a depressingly long 39 weeks according to BLS, it can feel as though those struggling to find a job have an uphill battle. However, it’s important to note that a long employment gap no longer has the stigma it once held. Employers are sympathetic to the difficulty of the job market. But that does not mean that you should stay idle while waiting for your dream job to open up. Here are some things to do while you are unemployed that will help your resume, your well-being, and your bottom line:
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For the first five years of our marriage (before kids), my husband and I went on a nice week long, out of state vacation at least once a year. We also racked up quite a bit of credit card debt in the process. Now, we’re much more careful with our money and only plan an out of town vacation when we can pay for the trip in its entirety – in cash. That means many years are spent at home, planning a staycation. Here are a few tips to help your next stay at home vacation be one of your best vacations ever.
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The warmth in the morning followed by the energy later makes coffee the drink of choice for people across the world. Coffee comes in many flavors, varieties and prices. Coffee can be obtained in a number of places. Many love to pick it up at their favorite coffee shop on the way to work, some brew the old fashioned way, while others use new machines, such as Keurigs to make their favorite cup of Joe. When you wake up in the morning and need a fresh cup, where do you turn?
The Old Fashioned Way
For years people have made coffee in coffee pots. This is the cheapest way to enjoy your brew in the morning, but it also requires the most work of any of your options.
For about $12 I can buy a 33 ounce tub of Folgers Medium Roast. This yields up to 270-6 ounce cups of coffee. Assuming I put in a little more than a scoop each time I could round to 250 cups. Assuming I don’t waste any, this is about 5 cents per cup of coffee. I like to have about 2 cups each morning, so this option would cost me about $36 per year. Factoring the cost of a quality coffee maker at about $75, the first year would cost me $111. That’s less than 30 cents a day to enjoy my favorite drink.
Keurig
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One of the terms that you might have come across as an investor is “contrarian.” In some cases, the savvy contrarian investor can make money by engaging in strategies, and making investment moves, that are considered different than the conventional wisdom.
A contrarian investor can take advantage of situations that allow them to position themselves to make more money later. By going against the grain, a contrarian accesses opportunities that the crowd doesn’t see. It may seem like a foolish move in the eyes of most people, but the move might pay off handsomely at a later date.
Examples of Contrarian Investing
The defining characteristic of contrarian investing is that it goes against the grain of what everyone else is doing at the time. A contrarian bucks what is considered “conventional wisdom” in his or her investing decisions. Some examples of contrarian investing include: [ continue reading... ]
You work hard every day, doing everything you can to bring more bacon home, and trim the fat from your spending.
But it still isn’t enough.
If you’re still wondering what you can do, consider looking behind the walls of your own home for the biggest leaks in your bottom line.
When totaled, there are literally hundreds of dollars per year in potential savings locked inside your home, waiting to be freed. If you know how to take care of these hidden money wasters, you can stuff more cash in your pocket today.
Let’s start from the bottom:
Basements
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Last week’s auction of Edvard Munch’s The Scream for a record-breaking $120 million made international news — and made many money-savvy individuals who have never thought about fine art wonder if this is an investment opportunity that they’re missing out on. Between this story, and the wonderful surprises sometimes seen on shows like Antiques Roadshow, it may seem as though investing in fine art might be a good way to surround yourself with beauty and make some cool cash.
Unfortunately, it’s not nearly that simple. Here is what you need to know about the sometimes confusing world of fine art:
1. Buy only art that you love. If you are only purchasing fine art because you believe it will increase in value, you’ve missed the point. This is like installing beige carpeting in your home because it will help the resale value. The important thing is whether or not you will enjoy your purchase while you have it. And while a starving artist probably would love to see your money no matter what, ultimately he’d prefer to see you buy his piece because you love the work, and not because you see the piece as a commodity. So if money is the only reason you are getting into fine art, then you might be better off playing the stock market because there’s less chance of a complete financial loss.
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