I always want to try new and better products to make my life easier or more enjoyable. But have you ever spent money on something only to regret the purchase and wish you had known what the product was really like before you spent your hard-earned cash on it?
I stumbled on some ways to start getting freebies so you can test out products before you buy them. What a great concept! I have received several things and am happy to say there are some that I am so glad I did not spend money on, and there are others that I liked and was able to use the additional coupon from the company to buy more.
Did you know that big companies want you to try out their products. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to gain customers, so big companies happily send out freebies so that you will spread the word.
Here are some good tips for getting freebies and also keeping your personal information safe as you do. I’m not paranoid, but I also don’t like just giving out my information to just anyone:
- Freebie finders: Deal Seaking Mom and The Freebie Blogger are two sites that have lists of freebies and where to find them. If you are on Facebook, Free Sample Momma is a great page to follow as it will give you updates on new freebies that are available (be sure to follow iMoneyCoach too!). Or you could create a Twitter account and follow freebie finders easily.
- Be sure to use a “junk” email address when you sign up for freebies because your email address might be shared with a companies’ partners, or you might start getting lots of email from them.
- Only sign up for freebies from companies you have heard of or know to be legitimate and reputable. Smaller companies may be fishing for email addresses to sell or may misuse your information.
- Along those lines, be sure you look at the web address of the company you are ordering a freebie from. It should look like www.COMPANY.com, not www.OTHER.com/COMPANY. You want to be sure you are not giving personal information to some other company.
- Don’t give any credit card information when signing up for freebies to ensure you do not face any unnecessary charges.
Getting your freebies can take anywhere from 3-8 weeks. But if you don’t mind the wait you might stumble upon some great products and save money at the same time (or you might be glad you did not spend your hard-earned money on them at the store!).
Tags: free, freebies, save money
If you were to lose your job today would it cause a huge financial disruption? Would it change your lifestyle?
For an overwhelming number of people, the answer to that is “yes.” However, with a little bit of creative thinking you can change that. You may already know people who, in addition to their regular job, have added a side gig like selling cosmetics or jewelry. They start building up a supplemental income that could become greater than their main income or replace it in the event of a job loss. The goal is having several different sources of income so that if one fails it causes little or no disruption to your finances and lifestyle.
Many financial “experts” will tell you it is a good idea to save up 3-6 months’ worth of money in case you lose your job. Now, think of all the people you have known to lose their job in the past couple years. I can guarantee you know a few. How long were they out of work? 3 months? 6 months? a year? What happens when you run out of that money?
If, instead of saving the cash, you were to develop more than 1 income, the job loss wouldn’t be such a blow, and you wouldn’t have a clock ticking away a countdown until you go broke. The idea is that you are not using both or all of your streams of income to survive so that if one goes away, the others are available to sustain the loss. Let’s say I work my 9-5 job in the office but spend a few hours a week developing my side business selling jewelry, and I end up after time making about the same amount of money from each. Then I can live on one income and save up (or invest!) the other. If one were to suddenly go away, I could still live on the other one as I developed another different source of income.
So how do you do it? It depends on the time, resources, and risk that you have. But if you look around there are opportunities everywhere. My husband’s grandfather recently developed a new tool for pulling old fence posts out of the cement so I new post could be put in without having to dig up the cement and pour a new post holder. This tool is fantastic! If he were to patent it and spend a little time going to various local shops and repair businesses he could make a fortune. And it all came from thinking creatively to solve a problem that saves a lot of time. It takes a fraction of the time to fix a whole fence.
So start there. What needs do you or your family and friends have that you might be able to fix? Maybe you are not an inventor, but could you research some kind of invention or product that is not locally available and make it so? If there is something that could solve a problem or make life easier for people, why not get out there and see if you can order some of the product and ask local stores to carry it, giving you some of the profit?
Whatever your income streams are, we are not saying that you have to go out and get another 40-hour a week job. If you are already working 40-60 hours and trying to raise your family or keep up with life in general, then the last thing you want to do is go get another full-time job. You may have to invest some time in a second stream of income for a while, but once you get it going you should be able to spend less time on it or even hire other people to manage it for you.
Take a few minutes today to jot down some ideas of needs you have or that you know of others having. Make a list of your talents and skills. What areas overlap? Are there some places that you could start generating some more income? Talk with your spouse to brainstorm some ideas. Maybe there is something the 2 of you could do together to make more money and get to spend time together at the same time. The possibilities are endless. We just have to start looking around and making a conscious effort to notice them.
Here’s a question for you. Who is in charge of the money? Who pays the bills? Who balances the checkbook? Who knows the login for the bank account online?
Many couples will answer that while both are in charge of spending the money, and often both are earning it, one or the other handles the family finances pretty much alone. And this system works just fine for them. But do you ever ask the hard “what if” questions?
What if that person who handles the finances was suddenly snatched up by aliens one day and the other person was left to care for the home and make sure the electricity and water bills get paid so that those utilities don’t get shut off? Could he do it (I’m going to use “he” here, but just assume it is the he or she who does not run your household finances)? If he needed to know how much money was in the bank to pay the next credit card bill, could he check the balance without driving to the bank? Would he even know where the paperless credit card statements go or when the bills are due or how to login and pay them?
Now before you panic, yes, this person could probably figure out a system eventually and could probably handle things after much work and maybe a lot of headaches. But together you can avoid that potential not-so-fun process.
The Process of Getting on the Same Financial Page
1. The first thing you should do is talk to each other. This will not work if you are dragging the other person kicking and screaming to figure out the billing system (maybe you are thinking they can just save the headache for later while you are eating popcorn on the spaceship).
2. Next, write things down as you walk through the process together. Show him the webpage you visit to check your balances and how to access the account you use to pay bills. Write down that web address along with the passwords so that it is easy to get back there. Of course you will then want to be sure you put that list somewhere safe that only the 2 of you know about. You wouldn’t want Joe Robber walking through the house and spying the list of all your important information taped to the computer screen. Make sure you walk through all of the bills. It is nice if you explain how the mortgage is automatically withdrawn each month, but that will not help when the newspaper subscription comes due next fall. Make a list of bills and credit cards. Not only will this help you both get on the same page and understand the same process, but it will help you get organized and know how much money is going where each month.
You may have the bill notifications going to your email so you know when to pay things. And you may or may not share your email password with your spouse. If you die and all of those notifications are going to your email, your spouse is going to have to contact each of those companies individually to get the information changed, and he has to somehow know what all of those companies are off the top of his head. Can I suggest either creating a new “bills” email or at the least having your email password stored in a sealed “in case something happens to me” envelope so that the financial information is more easily accessible.
3. Let go of the reins. I know, it can be scary, really scary, to let the other person have control for a little bit. What if the bills don’t get paid? What if something goes really wrong? Things will be fine. Have the other person try paying some of the bills. It’s one thing if you show the steps and even write them down, but it is another to actually be involved in the process. You could even take turns paying the bills. It’s not that you have to permanently give up the control here. You may be perfectly happy paying the bills, and your spouse may be perfectly happy with you paying them. The purpose of this process is not to upset the balance. But it will both help you get on the same page and will help in case anything were to happen to you.
4. Enjoy the feeling of knowing that if something were to happen to you or if something were to happen to your spouse who takes care of the finances, things will be OK as far as paying the bills and getting to the financial information goes. If you would really like to enjoy this feeling, then take it a little farther and make sure that you have life insurance and a will and that all of your financial information is in place. A GREAT workbook to help you with this is The Bucket Book. This workbook will walk you step-by-step through the process of putting all your financial information in order in case the unthinkable happens, and it has space for you to make updates, as we all know that change happens.
So no matter who handles the finances, make sure that you have your bases covered in case of the next alien invasion or whatever disaster may strike.
It is getting easier and easier to store all of your files and information in a way that makes them accessible virtually anywhere thanks to “the Cloud.” Here at iMoneyCoach we like life to be easier, but we also think about the “what ifs” and some solutions for them. So what if something happened to the Cloud and everything in it disappeared? What important information would you lose? How long would it take you to retrieve or re-compile that information?
Do you know what the Cloud is? If not, you may want to check out the description in Wikipedia. And then head over to this article about the potential dangers of using the Cloud (please note the dangers associated with Google!).
We would like to share some ideas with you for backing up your Google (and other application) files. Yes, it does take a little bit of time, but spending a couple minutes here and there could save you a ton of stress and time in the long run should anything happen to the Cloud.
How to Manually backup Google Calendar, Contacts, and Docs
- Export Google Calendars: These instructions show you how to save your Google Calendar to your computer as an .ical.zip, which you could open in Outlook if you needed to retrieve the information or upload to Google if your Calendar was wiped out.
- Export Google Contacts: This will show you how to save your contacts as a CVS file which you can also upload file to Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.).
- Download Google Docs to computer: If you are a fan of Google Docs, these instructions will help you download your docs to a computer so you have a back-up copy.
- Apps You Can Use to backup Google
- BackUpGoo – Backs up Google docs, contacts and calendars to PC. Money back guarantee, not too expensive and has free trial. Google does have Google Drive (see below) which now connects to your PC, but we are looking at the big picture of “what if something happens to Google?” and you might want to consider having a separate app/company to back up your information.
- Backupify – Backs up Google Apps and social media accounts. It is actually another cloud but does allow local download and prices start at $3/month.
- Google Drive – dangerous in that it is still a Google program, but it can sync with files on your PC so you can easily create a backup. Comes with 5GB of free storage and offers more for a fee. This page shares how to select which files sync.
We have said it before, but here at iMoneyCoach we are not out to scare you. It is wise to be vigilant and prepared so that if the worst happens you will come out ahead. While there are many options out there that are meant to “make life easier,” be sure that you know what will happen if those options fail and have a backup plan in place so that you do not lose time and money in the long run.
So you are all ready to land your dream job. You have put together a fine resume detailing your talents and skills (see our previous post about resume building), and you have found a position in your area that you would like to apply for (and then see this post about finding a job). Now all that is left is applying for the job and going through the interview process.
First find out the proper place and way to submit your resume.
If you found the job posting online chances are they will have you send in an electronic copy (read Word document or PDF type of file) of your resume. Or they may say to drop it off at their office. Make sure you follow any and all instructions given. It may seem like a silly thing, or you may not realize they want something different, but following directions here will show whether as an employee you will be able to meet the demands of the company. If I am looking for someone who can complete the tasks I need done efficiently and effectively, I am not even going to look at the person who does not follow directions in turning in their resume for the job. Read everything. Follow instructions.
Then you wait. Depending on when the application deadline is and any text in the job information section, you might want to follow up with a call or email shortly after that deadline. Who knows, it could help make sure your resume was received and handed over to the right person. Sometimes a phone call has been known to help people get in touch with the person in charge of hiring for that position so they can put a voice to the name and get some more details.
Now, let’s say you have waited and received a call to come in for an interview. This does not mean the job is yours… yet. But it is your opportunity to shine and let the company know why they should hire you. Before you go to the interview, there are a couple of things you need to prepare:
One is your appearance. Then work on personality and being ready to answer questions.
Your Appearance
I am not saying you need to be a supermodel to land your next job. But a company is much more likely to hire the person with a non-wrinkled shirt that is tucked in and devoid of stains than they are to hire Ted from down the street who overslept and wore his t-shirt from last night to the interview. First impressions are huge.
When you sit down for that interview, show the company that they are looking at someone responsible and professional. Give them the impression that you want them to have. Tie your shoes, brush your hair, and wear something nice. And while you should have nice breath when you go in, pop a mint in the car and skip the chewing gum.
Your Personality
Now, chances are you will not be interviewing with Simon Cowell. But you will need to be able to show your personality and make a good impression.
- Be social in your interview. But not overly social.
- You want to be prepared to answer questions but also to ask questions so that the conversation flows back and forth.
- Be ready to give thoughtful answers to questions, not “yes” or “no” replies.
- Smile. You can practice in the mirror. Work on your “Hello, it’s great to meet you!” and “Thank you for meeting with me today. I am looking forward to sharing a little about myself and learning more about your company.” It is important to be both friendly and professional.
- Avoid slang and foul language.
- Be pleasant. Be a person that this company would like to hire and have as part of their environment.
- That said, be sure to be yourself. Nothing is worse than giving a false pretense. Because if you do get the job when you are being someone else, then when you start work you may face upset coworkers and bosses and much resentment. You could even lose the job you worked so hard to get. So be yourself, but be sure to work on being presentable and friendly before you head to the interview.
- Finally, be prepared for questions (did I mention that already?).
Some interviews are more relaxed and laid back while others can feel like sitting in front of a firing squad. You could even face both of those extremes from two or more different people when going in to interview with a company. The best answer for that is to be prepared. Find out as much as you can about the company and then relate it to your own beliefs, ideals, skills, and past job experience.
Be ready to talk about your past failures and successes and relate them to how you think you will do even better in this position. Some of the most common interview questions involve talking about past experiences and how they have shaped you. So think of some good and bad times you have had in previous jobs. As a side note, when talking about bad experiences in the past, be sure you do not just throw old employers or co-workers under the bus or bad-mouth them. The idea is to just talk about the experience, not to give your potential employer a bad taste in their mouth about how you talk about others. They may get the impression that you are not so nice to work with. It is a little bit like talking about an ex- when you are on a blind date or first date. If you spend the whole dinner talking about your past relationship and everything that went wrong, you are not likely to have a second date.
If you have a friend who works in Human Resources or who has hired people before, it is a good idea to see if you can do a practice interview. When you go in for the real thing you don’t want your answers to be scripted, and you certainly don’t want to be reading off of notecards, but you can be prepared. Be confident in your answers, avoid saying “um,” and give honest responses. Remember that this company has you there to see if you would be a good fit. So give them a sales pitch on why you are the one they should hire over anyone else.
Good luck on your interview! If you don’t get the job, count the experience as practice and get back out there to try again. It may not have anything to do with you but could be the company’s preferences. Don’t lose heart or confidence. You can do it!
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