The 90s era television show Northern Exposure was based on a pretty ridiculous premise: Born and bred New Yorker Joel Fleischman moves to a tiny town in Alaska after finishing his medical degree because the town had paid for his schooling in exchange for his relocation there. That was the only way the small Alaskan community could get a doctor to settle there.
As it turns out, the fish-out-of-water comedy was ahead of its time. Several small towns in the United States are now offering recent grads a fantastic deal: as long as the new graduates maintain residency in the town or locality, a portion of their student loans will be paid by the community.
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If you’ve ever hosted a yard sale, you know how much work goes into preparing, labeling, displaying, and selling your unwanted items. At the end of the day, you’re exhausted and the few hundred dollars you’ll earn (if you’re lucky) hardly seems worth the amount effort required.
An easier alternative is to sell your quality items on eBay instead of hosting a yard sale. I have a friend who even uses this method to supplement her income quite nicely by visiting estate sales and selling her purchases on auction sites. eBay is a great way to make a little side income. Here are a few tips to help you sell more effectively.
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Identity fraud is one of those scary situations that we hear about a lot. And for good reason. Even though, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, identity fraud fell in 2010, it rose again in 2011. Scary statistics about how fast identity theft is growing as a crime may lead you to decide that credit monitoring is right for you.
But do you really need to pay for credit monitoring services?
If you are willing to take a little time and effort, the answer is probably no.
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You’ve spent all day shopping and picking out the perfect decor, to go with your delicious red steaks for your outdoor party. The chairs and furniture have been washed and arranged. You even bought new pillows so you could capture that outdoor room feel you saw on Pinterest. The smell of burning coals fills the air with the unforgettable scent of summer. Your party is going to be GREAT!
Except, you can’t stop thinking about all the money you’ve blown getting ready for your big event – that extra $275 that was supposed to go toward this month’s credit card payment.
Unfortunately, You Just Couldn’t Help Yourself
Getting caught in the fanfare of special occasions can be a tremendous amount of fun. And once you throw family and friends into the mix, it gets all too easy to lose control (and sight) of the big picture. Yes, you want to entertain, but you also want to stay within your budget.
There are so many preparations to make: food, decor, and entertainment. It’s easy to spend far beyond your honest intentions.
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Sometimes the law can lag behind technological advances. This is particularly clear when it comes to estate law. While most Americans now keep much of their life online — from bills to correspondence to social networking to blogs — very few of us think to make provisions for our digital lives when making a will.
If you’re thinking it does not really matter that your heirs won’t be able to access your Farmville account after your death, you should remember that digital assets can have both sentimental and economic value. Imagine losing all the shared photos and blogs of a loved one — or losing the advertising revenue from a blogger or the ability access to online-only bank accounts. Making sure that your family can access your digital assets is something that will help protect and comfort them during a difficult time.
Here is what you need to know about protecting your digital assets in the event of your death:
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As August draws to a close, many children are cringing at the thought of returning to school. Many parents cringe right along with them at the pressing need for new shoes, school clothes, and all those school supplies. But going back to school doesn’t have to break the bank. With a little thought and planning, you can save money every year on back to school supplies. Here’s how.
Save Money on Back to School Supplies
1. Plan ahead. At the end of every school year, I pack up a bag for each child containing items from that year that can be reused. Intact crayons go in a metal pencil case, scissors that are still intact are kept, and all mechanical pencils with their pieces and parts intact are replaced with fresh lead and stored for next year. This gives my kids a starter pack for the next August.
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