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wherefunsurvives · 4 years

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The Ultimate College COVID Packing List

Okay kids, you’ve seen the post about packing light for college, so here’s some specifics for all of you incoming freshmen or returning students who will be living on campus! This is NOT the year to bring extra furniture, decorations, etc. This is the year to pack light and be ready to get on out of there at a moment’s notice if you have to. i proudly present to you -

“What to bring and what not to bring when going to college in a global pandemic!!!”

STORAGE

i used to swear by my camp trunk when i packed for school and while a trunk can be useful because it has more space inside it’s going to be harder to take on a plane or bus. If you go for a trunk, make sure its combined dimensions (length+width+height) are 62 inches or less (the size requirement for checked luggage). The ideal size would probably be a 32x17x13 inch trunk.

Instead of trunks or big containers, go for a combination of suitcases and duffle bags. Your goal should be to minimize luggage - you want be able to carry everything through an airport without any help. So let’s say in theory at MOST you should have a combination that looks something like:

2 checked suitcases + 1 checked duffle + 1 carryon duffle + one personal item backpack

1 checked suitcase + 1 checked duffle + 1 carryon suitcase + one personal item backpack

1 checked suitcase + 1 carryon suitcase + 1 personal item duffle

Get creative, mix and match, calculate the costs for each combination, which will vary depending on if you’re flying, taking a bus, driving, or taking a train.

Checked and carryon luggage should ideally have 4 spinner wheels and a handle, this will make it easier to move all by yourself. Put your duffles around the handles of the luggage so you can carry everything yourself with minimal effort. If you have checked luggage and carryon luggage, consider a bag connector like this one! You can find surprisingly decent luggage at Costco and from Travelpro, which is designed for pilots and flight attendants but has massive markdowns all the time.

A good duffle should be spacious with multiple compartments or pockets. If you’re an experienced camper or backpacker, maybe use those types of bags! If you’re not, get something that’s 40 liters of space or more. i bought this 50L duffle for $30 and it’s absolutely absurd the amount of stuff i can fit in it.Leave all other storage options at home.

Don’t bring your own desk, drawers, furniture etc. Use only the furniture provided by the dorm. Don’t even bring a laundry hamper! Get a fabric laundry bag that you can easily fold.

LEARN HOW TO PACK EFFICIENTLY. Choose your fighter, the army rolling method or the KonMari folding method (Marie Kondo also has a great video on how to organize what you pack and choose only what you need). This will allow you to bring the amount of clothes you need while taking up minimal space. Speaking of which -

CLOTHING

Your goal is to minimize both items and travel (meaning you shouldn’t plan as if you’re going to travel home every break to swap out clothes). Now is a great time to learn how to build a capsule wardrobe of basic items that can be mixed and matched. Keep it simple. Obviously if you’re in a warmer climate, this will be easier. For colleges with seasons, i’d say aim for 2 pairs of jeans or trousers you like, 1 pair of dress pants, and 1-2 pairs of leggings/joggers/comfortable pants. 1 pair of shorts, no more than 2 skirts, no more than 3 dresses (1 nicer, 1 more casual and comfortable). 10-12 shirts or less (include a variety of tanks, tee shirts, long sleeves, button downs, sweaters, etc.) and 3-5 “layers” like a blazer, cardigan, hoodie, etc. 2 pairs of pajamas, one for warmer weather and one for cooler weather. One raincoat, one fall/spring midweight jacket, one good winter coat - if you’re in Chicago, NYC, etc. invest in a warm parka, and i don’t mean Canada Goose. Just something sturdy that will keep you warm.

You’re going to repeat outfits. That’s fine. You’re not going anywhere important and you’ll be spending a lot of time in your room online. Being able to get out is more important than looking cute.

Pack an appropriate amount of underwear, socks, bras, etc. Bring a hat or two, one for sun and a thick beanie for the cold. Bring one tie and one pair of snow gloves if you need either. Bring a scarf or two for cold climates (they can be an extra layer of protection over a mask). If you wear jewelry, choose up to 10 items you really want and put them in a bag or a small portable jewelry box.

You only need 4 pairs of shoes maximum - one pair of sneakers/gym shoes that you could easily walk two miles in. One pair of of easy slip-on slip-off shoes for going to get mail or do laundry (because you don’t want to walk the dorms barefoot these days) and bonus points if they can double as comfortable ‘nice’ shoes such as cheap loafers, TOMS, basic flats, etc. One flip flops or sandals if you’ll be using communal showers and bathrooms. And one pair of boots that can double as rainboots AND snowboots (duckboots are great for this!) You don’t need heels, wedges, or multiple pairs/styles of shoes for the same reason you don’t need multiple dresses or a full tuxedo - you’re not going anywhere this year! Or at least you shouldn’t! Parties, formals, conferences, etc. are all a terrible idea unless you want COVID-19.

What you should have multiples of are masks and gloves! Have a few reusable face masks you can wash (RedBubble has them in every style, almost every clothing brand sells them, and VogMask/Camridge Mask are great options for something a little more heavy duty). Invest in disposable gloves and one pair of reusable gloves such as dish gloves. Some basic eye protection doesn’t hurt either - i love blue light glasses because they provide some coverage while also being great for reducing eye strain during all your Zoom calls!

SUPPLIES

Keep it basic, and that means you too studyblr kids! You don’t want supplies to take up all your space. Buy a spacious pencil case. Buy a basic back of black Bic pens and put 10-15 in. Those things last forever. Put in 5 presharpened pencils and 5 unsharpened pencils. Bring a pencil sharpener, 1 pink eraser, and 10 eraser toppers. The eraser always runs out before the pencil does. Pack 1-2 glue-sticks, 1 pair of good scissors. Fill the rest of it with your non-essential favorites like mildliners, highlighters, felt tip pens, markers etc. But no more than what can fit in the case. And nothing too expensive, just in case you can’t bring it with you.

Small multi-subject notebooks y’all!! Just get one or two. You never use as many pages as you think you will in your notebooks and multiple full size notebooks are a pain to carry and pack. For my last two years of college i would buy 1 or 2 Five Star 5x7 inch notebooks with 5 subjects for each term. They came with pocket folders inside and i never once used all the pages. i’d often re-use at least one from last term into the next term. It also means you never have to run back for a notebook if you’re at the library and want to do homework for that other class because all your notes for all your classes are right there!!

Bring 2 rolls of scotch tape and 1 roll of masking tape in case you need to repair anything. Pack any essential medication you take, a first aid kit with bandaids, wipes, tweezers, etc. Pack 1 small bottle each of ibuprofen, Tylenol or acetaminophen, any multi-vitamin you prefer, and a vitamin C supplement to help keep your immune system strong.

1 pack of pads/tampons. You can buy more when you get to school, save the space for packing.

1 reusable water bottle. Buy plastic ones periodically/accept reusable free ones given to you at school that you can take if you need to go to the doctor/hospital/etc. so you can throw them away if needed afterwards. 1 mug, if you use one. Make it one you’re willing to leave behind if you must.

1 small set of non-breakable plates/bowls and utensils. i like the Ikea KALAS ones because they’re plastic but can be microwaved or put in the dishwasher. And it’s $2 for a set of 6. 1 small set of tupperware - again IKEA has some good cheap options - that is also microwave safe. You’ll want these solely in the event it’s unsafe to eat in the dining halls. This will let you bring food back to your room and eat, save leftovers from the dining hall or takeout orders, etc. Buy a small bottle of dish soap when you get to school to be able to wash your dishes.

If you use liquid detergent, wait to buy until you’re at school. It takes up more space. If you use detergent pods, choose your own adventure. Buy your shampoo and conditioner at school if you can, same with soap. Same thing with toilet paper, paper towels, and so on. Buy it there, be prepared to leave it behind. Do bring hand sanitizer with you though. Keep a small size in your personal item for your travels and always keep some in your bag at school.

2 disposable toothbrushes, 1-2 tubes toothpaste, 2 toothbrush travel cases. Store the toothbrush you’re using in a travel case while at school to try to prevent contamination. If you become sick, throw your toothbrush away once you’re feeling better and thoroughly wash your travel case. Buy new disposable toothbrushes as needed once at school.

A small wallet or zip ID case with a lanyard. Make sure you can fit your state ID/driver’s license, student ID, transit card, insurance card, credit/debit card, and a little cash in it with ease. One with a clear window is great because you can put your student ID in it to easily show it when required without needing to open your wallet up. A lanyard makes it harder to lose and lets you put your keys on it if you have a physical dorm key.

Your phone charger, with a wall plug. And a mobile charger of some kind (many schools give them away at some point during your first few weeks, orientation, etc. TAKE THEM). You don’t need an Apple branded one, you can find sturdy and cheap ones at Target, etc. You’ll want these in case you get stranded anywhere. And you’ll especially want these because if you need to go to the ER/doctor, you never want to let your phone die while you’re there.

1 cheap tote bag or small backpack or knapsack, etc. that you’re not too attached to. This will be your hospital go-bag. Keep a mini-notebook with your name/birthdate, emergency contact information, relevant medical information, etc. written in it in the event you cannot communicate this yourself. Keep one packed and ready. Other helpful things to have in this bag once you’re at school are a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and underwear; a granola bar, and a disposable water bottle.

1 pair of cheap but reliable headphones, ideally with a microphone. In-ear headphones take up less space than over-ear headphones. These will be great if you’re on a Zoom call or something and don’t want to be heard by your neighbors. Also great for listening to music or podcasts in the event you’re at the doctor/hospital, because just like you never want to forget a phone charger, you never want to be without something to listen to while you wait for a few hours.

DORM STUFF

Now is NOT the time to decorate your dorm. i’m sorry, i love a good Pinterest dorm board and DIY project as much as anyone else. My dorm had a whole aesthetic. It was great. But it was a nightmare to pack up when COVID hit.

All you really need is a duvet/comforter, 1 set of sheets (ideally dark color so they won’t stain, just make sure you wash them regularly), and 1 pillow.

If you want stuff on your walls, don’t bring anything. When you get to school, you’ll likely get some free swag like a college pennant you can put up. Or at the least you’ll get a bunch of papers and maps and things. Hang up the maps. Make them look cool. Draw or do calligraphy on the blank sides of the papers for DIY art and signs. Order a wall calendar with fun art or images on it. Go to Walgreen’s website and use their photo system to order a bunch of photo prints. They almost always have a discount offer happening which makes it super cheap. You can upload photos of your friends and family to surround yourself with nice memories, or upload pictures of art, landscapes, quotes, images you found on Pinterest, your celebrity crush, and literally anything else. Voila, wall decorations.

The key here is to never put up too many things. Everything you put up should be able to be taken down in 15 minutes or less and without any help.

If you really really want some decoration - buy a cheap thing of string lights from Target or something to put up. They add ambiance without much effort and don’t take up too much space. If your room is freezing with concrete floors, a small rug can help if you really think you need one. But - and you already know what i’m gonna say - BUY THEM THERE AND BE READY TO LEAVE THEM BEHIND.

No chairs. No hammocks. No lamps. No furniture. No bulletin boards. No extra bookshelves. Keep it as simple as possible.

The caveat is to bring one small grounding item from home. Maybe it’s a souvenir from a vacation you took. A mug your mom got you. A framed photo of your best friends. Choose one, and make sure it is small.

BOOKS, ETC.

Buy your class books once you get there, either from the campus bookstore, a local bookstore, ThriftBooks, Amazon (if you really must), etc. Or download them online ;) Either way, they’ll take up space while going to school so just get them later unless you have to do reading in advance.

As a book lover it pains me to say this but leave your books at home. Bring at most 4 books with you to school. i’d recommend at least one you haven’t read yet and at least one that’s a “comfort” book you like to reread. Books are one of the hardest things to move and you won’t have that much free time anyways.

Pick one hobby to pack for, and keep it basic. If you like drawing, make it 1 small sketchbook and a mini-pack of colored pencils, markers, watercolors, or crayons. If it’s photography, make it 1 single camera with 1 lens. If you like gaming, bring something small like a Switch lite. If you need a hobby to keep you busy inside, grab yourself a pair of wooden/bamboo knitting needles or a crochet hook, 1 ball of yarn, and go wild. The bottom line is only what you absolutely have to have to not lose your mind.

Have 1 large (32 GB or more) flash drive or SD card to back up your files from your laptop or tablet onto. This will be a huge help in the event something happens to your computer.

Finally, always have a plan with friends/family in the event you need to evacuate. How will you decide if you need to leave? How will you get home/to a safe place? Who will help you get there? How will you afford it? And so on.

Feel free to add anything tips that might be useful!

#college #university #studyblr #uchicago #university of chicago #covid #coronavirus #covid-19 #covid19 #packing #college packing

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vlhleather · 3 years

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Best Ladies Bags in Chennai

Best Ladies Bags in Chennai

Best Ladies Bags in Chennai The handbag market in India has gone through constant transition over the last decade, thanks to the evolving consumption choices of Indian consumers, especially those reflecting their personalities. Indeed, the fashion accessory is no longer a mere necessity purchase for consumers in India, but an important component of the lifestyle shopping category. Given the growing Indian economy, an increase in disposable income, and rising urbanization, the demand for fashion goods is at its all-time high in the country. Consequently, the market for handbags is growing at an unprecedented rate, and these top handbag brands in India continue to dominate the industry. The handbags market in India can be segmented into four categories: shoulder bags, satchels and saddles, totes, and purses and wallets. According to the market research report compiled by industry analysts at Technavio, the handbags market in India is dominated by the purses and wallets segment, which is expected to remain a major contributor in the next few years. The report also identifies that the specialist retailers will account for the largest share of the market in terms of distribution. With restrictions lifting and the hope of normality in our sights. many of us are taking the opportunity to update our wardrobes to reflect our new routines, away from the world of loungewear. Whether you’re heading back to the office for the first time in a while, or are finally getting the chance to plan for weddings, events and holidays, you might be looking to add to your capsule wardrobe with a new accessory. If you’re thinking of splurging on a new designer handbag, then it is worth considering a style that will stand the test of time, rather than just a one-season wonder that will eventually end up gathering dust at the back of your wardrobe. For this, the best option is either to look to the classics – some of which may have had a modern makeover, but are still very much trend-free – or to snap up designs that have an endless elegance about them (think timeless colours, seasonless silhouettes and trusty fabrics). Every woman needs to have a reliable tote bag with ample storage space, that’s also super-comfortable to carry around. For those who don’t know, a tote bag is a large, unfastened bag with two parallel shoulder handles on either side. It’s an extremely versatile bag to invest in, perfect for any occasion that demands you to carry more than a few things, whether it’s shopping around the city, heading out for a class or just going to work. This is perhaps the most basic essential bag for every woman to have in her closet. It comes with all the trimmings you’d commonly associate with a generic hand bag, such as zippered pockets, compartments and a mechanism to seal it shut. As the name suggests, this is a casual bag meant to be carried on one shoulder with thinner and shorter straps than that of a tote bag. Shoulder bags are a very wide-ranging category and comprise of an assortment of silhouettes and sizes. Now, you might not have known the word “saddle”, but in India, these bags have been clubbed under sling bags for as long as I can recall. The name of this bag originates from the traditional saddle placed on the back of a horse, and is called so because of the original purpose it was created for, to carry a few basic things while riding a horse! But now, several classier makeovers and sophisticated designs later, the saddlebag is a must-have fashion accessory. Read the full article

#BestLadiesBagsinChennai

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cicijaxon-blog · 5 years

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Ways to make money from home

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I know it can be difficult to make ends meet when you have a young child or children at home. If you have more than two young children, the cost of daycare alone will most certainly wipe out all of your disposable income. When you add up all the costs that are associated with having a job (travel, lunch, uniform or wardrobe) you may find that it will be more lucrative to just stay at home with your children.More importantly, your baby needs you! They will not be little forever so you must cherish the time that you have with them. With my two oldest children, I rushed back to work after 12 weeks. For some it is a great relief to be able to spend time with adults, but for me it was torture. The first days back to work all I could think of is my little baby. How was she, was she safe, did she miss me. I was miserable.When I found out that I was pregnant with my third child, I made the decision that I was not going to go back to corporate America and that my husband and I would have to make it work somehow. I have not worked a conventional out of home job for 20 months now. Though there were some scary times, being a freelancer has afforded me the ability to make money from home all while spending time with my children and not missing these precious moments that I will never get back. Because I was bringing home a substantial amount of money for my household, I figured that I had to find a way to make sure that my family did not lack in anything. I became a Freelancer. Here are some ways that I have been able to make money from the comfort of my home. Get a work from home jobIn this new age of technology, there are many work from home jobs that you can take. Alorica and Sitel were two work from home jobs that I have worked in the last two years. With every job there are some downfalls. For me, working for Alorica was very rigid in their script and if you veer off the script then you get penalized. For me, it was awkward asking for all of the up-sells that were in the script. Sitel you were given more freedom but learning the systems proved difficult for me and the way that they are set up, if you miss something.Warning: Most work at home jobs do not allow for background noise but you could work at night when everyone is asleep.WriterDo you need to know how to get started in writing a book? E books and workbooks are the wave of the future! Don’t get caught up in the length of the book. So long as your book is a complete thought you will be well on your way. You can upload or publish your book on amazon or have a website done and sell your product if you are in need of a book coach, I can help you get unstuck! I will help you with writing and getting new concepts and can even offer ghostwriting services. Click here for book coaching!E-commerce drop shipping What is Drop shipping? Drop shipping is a means to sell products online without holding back-stock. Drop-shipping and print on demand websites are at an all time high.Selling products online via drop shipping is all the rave and if you find the right niche you can make a lot of money from this. The reason being is that stores are now closing and with the raise of Amazon, there are more and more people moving towards shopping online. If you need a web designer, I can help you and offer payment plans! Click here and fill out the form so that we can get started on your website!Leaving my job was the best decision I could ever make! I am so relieved that I no longer have to leave my children with strangers and that I can make money from the comfort of my own home. What are some things that you are good at? Your gifts will make room for you! Monetize on that which is easy for you! Read the full article

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witchyystudies-blog · 5 years

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Outfits Shop Treasures

Not Every person can afford to pay for to shop in shops and buy the first thing they see around the racks. I happen to love manner and come up with a recreation of getting bargains. Individuals explain to me "you must devote lots of money on clothing because you're usually dressed fashion up." I chuckle and say "you have no idea how low-cost I'm."

My number 1 supply After i experienced no disposable cash flow was the consignment shop. My mom gave me her hand-me-downs so I could trade them for apparel in my size. I took them for the consignment keep where by I used to be supplied shop credit after the merchandise offered.

I may be a bargain shopper, but I am a picky one particular. I by no means paid a dime for anything and each product I obtained was new. The ideal tip the owner gave me was to discover merchandise which were from sample profits. The very best and bottom items might be different sizes, but provided that They may be just one measurement aside, They can be good to put jointly. These had been merchandise the owner had gotten at the customer's mart shows.

The shop experienced a lot of name manufacturer things, new Using the tags nevertheless on them. Wealthier older girls would don an outfit one time, make a decision they did not want the item and donate it to The shop. I shopped there for about ten years.

In case you have the patience to seem by each and every rack, You may also come across brand name or classic products at thrift shops. You might need to obtain them dry cleaned ahead of putting on, however it is worthwhile. Liquidation gross sales and outlet shops are very good places to look.

Knowing the structure of your neighborhood Division keep will assist you to locate bargains. Search for out the clearance rack and scope out the goodies in advance of payday to help you go back and get them. The most beneficial time to shop is mid-working day during the 7 days while you are the sole customer. Goods is less expensive within the junior Division than within the misses department.

Knowing the timing of semi-once-a-year clearance and preserving back shopping income for anyone times will assist you to system your excursion. The 2 clearance months are January and July. Shopping off-period and preserving merchandise for following yr really can help Create your wardrobe.

Constructing all around a primary wardrobe will help refrain you from impulse purchasing. Get started with fundamental merchandise and insert a whole new blouse or add-ons to go together with what you have already got. Arranging your closet and dresser like The shop makes receiving dressed every single day sense like you are going procuring.

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When my daughter was in highschool we had exciting sharing dresses. We are a similar dimension for anything like sneakers, so we had a double wardrobe. Needless to say, we wore outfits in a different way. We manufactured a game of splitting up when procuring and seeing who bought the most effective bargains.

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Something to remember is always that If you prefer good customer care, Will not be expecting it when bargain browsing. Get what you would like and obtain out. Sadly, today it can be popular for clerks on the register to be talking around the cellphone as in case you weren't there. I've offered up on anticipations. With the money you've saved, it is possible to splurge on a luxury procedure including salon solutions.

Now that my daughter is in college or university, her taste has upgraded somewhat. We lately essential to purchase a gown to get a military services ball she was attending. She observed a boutique that we never might have afforded, but had been Fortunate ample to search out the proper dress over the clearance rack. This was the kind of retail store having a great deal of private notice to match the worth tags. The dress was a beaded costume for $two hundred.00 marked down from $one,000.00. It had been attractive. For just a Distinctive situation, this was a very good deal. It absolutely was pleasurable obtaining the ambiance.

I practically nevertheless do my clearance searching at my common community shops, but when I at any time have a marriage to check out, I'll go back to the boutique, just for the enjoyable of it, Using the hope of getting a treasure. The pleasurable is within the hunt.

Writer, Laura Schroeder, has knowledgeable lifestyle adjust 1st hand. To affix an internet Neighborhood of care, pay a visit to her website at http://lauramschroeder.com There, you will notice the site, listen to podcast stories and see provided offered solutions. To Speak to Laura, email at [email protected].

Laura and her spouse reside in Maryland and have a few grown small children. She enjoys songs and fashion.

#fashion #trends #latest

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cinephilediary · 3 years

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White Daisies

by: Juhi Geromo

Every day is vague to a young man named Noah. He owns a Virgo trait, tough on the outside and soft on the inside young man. Living in an unknown world, in need of certainty. But life is so unpredictable and new beginnings are limitless. Ever since his mother got into a traumatic head injury after a car accident, his world has never been bright until his turn came.

Circa 2011, it was almost the summer, as the sun steps with brilliant rays the sky fades to a lighter blue. The neighborhood is already packed, people are gathered in the center square park of the building.

Everyone is smiling, even the green trash bin on the side, looking pleased, seeing the young man approach him to dispose of trash “Is that trash for me?” if only it could talk. Others were up with their morning exercise; some are walking and some are jogging. From a different angle, inside his apartment, Noah began to set up his gaming computer and go on a live stream. All you can hear is the nonstop beeping sound from the comments and notification on his live stream. It’s still ongoing, approximately one and a half hours, he was hosting, engaging himself to the world of streaming with his different gaming terminology. Not a professional gamer, but making online streaming a source of living.

“It was a good game guys, next I’ll be using my Smurf account, so stay tuned”. “Thank you for the star guy— “.

The live stream suddenly ended; it was a blackout. The power went out of the building. Noah turns slightly irritated and puzzled. He checks the long cables on the back of his pc and it’s all untangled and working fine. He restarts the router and later realizes that there is no power. It sucks. After a five-minute cooldown his phone rings, it’s an incoming phone call from a friend. He went to the balcony of his apartment and quickly answered the phone in an empty thought.

“Alright, see you there,” he said. He was about to leave when he noticed his plant and watered the white daisies on his balcony.

In a cybercafe, where the entire place is surrounded with dim lights and most of the computers are vacant. He chooses the section with the closest access to the aircon. His friend came in a hurry, almost late and sat next to him. They both exchange laughs when they see each other's faces, their eyes show hints as if they are going to play betting. This time, it’s not. They are not at the cybercafe to play online games but to fill out their college admission form. Noah became hesitant on choosing the course he will be taking.

Glancing back and forth his monitor and his friend’s while sipping his sweet purple taro drink. After a short time of deciding, the mouse cursor moves through the exit icon. He didn’t fill up the application form. He declined going to college because of his financial situation which convinced him to just continue making live streams instead. Through that he can provide money for his mother’s hospital bill.

On his way to visit his mother at the hospital when he passed by a lady in a bob cut hair wearing Aegean blue top paired with white high waisted trousers, holding a camera in a cross-body strap. The lady walks toward him and asks for consent to make him her subject. He was impressed by her beautiful and alluring eyes but it doesn’t show on the outside. “I’m sorry I have somewhere to go,” he said obnoxiously. At the hospital he set up the porridge he bought for his mother after it got up a few moments later. He told his mother about how his day went, his encounter with the photographer on the street, and brags about his attractive features. But one thing that makes him bright-eyed is whenever he mentions the lady. On the other side he lied about his college admission form.

A week passed and nothing has changed in his routine. It’s always been the usual. Every day Noah is doing a live stream and every other day he visits his mother. Every time he passed by the street across the hospital it reminded him of the lady photographer. He never lost sight of it and couldn't get over the lady. The young man always wished to see her again in the street.

It was June 7, morning. It’s a special day because it’s his mother’s birthday. As the years go by since the accident, the mother and son always celebrate their special day in the hospital. Out of the blue, while walking on the street across the hospital, holding a box of pastry and white daisies, Noah saw the lady photographer taking pictures of a lovely old couple sitting on a side bench. The lady saw him and greeted him with a happy birthday. “It’s my mother's,” he said with a very slight head shake. A daisy fell out of his hand without noticing it.

At the hospital, the young man was singing a happy birthday song to his mother, handing him the daisies he was hiding on his back. Witty how the cake candle was wind-blown because of an open window. They both share laughter. After a while the young man looks anxious, sitting next to his mother who’s resting. Now is the time to tell his mother about his college admission.

“Mom, I think I can’t go to college,” he said.

Because of lack of financial support, the young man made up his mind to prioritize earning for his mother’s hospital bill instead of going to college. He thought of continuing doing live streams and plans of getting a part time job at a convenience store near his apartment.

“There are lots of state universities out there, you have to at least try,” his mother replied. The young man has the potential to make it to a state university, he is smart, creative, optimistic, and what makes him most special is his art skills. It’s his greatest strength. Art gives him the biggest comfort in his life but as time goes by, he seems to have lost his interest in arts. So, he became uncertain of himself and aside from financial problems it’s another reason which hinders him to pursue his dream.

“I’m sorry mom. I have to get you out here first and after that I will go to college, it’s a promise” he said.

Two months after his mother passed away, the young man is back at their old home. He went to his room. The room looks minimal with a bed, a table, wardrobe closet and a sideboard. First thing you would notice in his room is the doodle wall in front facing his bed. It was him and his mother who designed it when he was younger. An old camera film is placed on the top of the sideboard, he moves closer to it and vividly remembers memories of his late mother. It was a New year’s gift he got from his mother, who happens to be a former film director. “Capture memories, Happy New Year Son”, a tear fell from his eye as he read the message in the camera preview.

“Cut!'' Everyone on the set stopped immediately. Afterwards, the set’s camera lighting changed from warm to cooler, each department was busy preparing for the next take. On the spot the hair and make-up team quickly adjusted the actor’s make up. Noah the director goes behind the set to check the last take along with his fiancé, the producer. It has been a decade ago since a young man named Noah is just dealing with his setbacks and is uncertain of his future. He is now a prominent film director who produces independent films and mainstream films. It was tragic, he once dreamed of getting his mother out of the hospital but it’s not what he expected. Besides, he still kept his promise to his mother. After his mother died, he made it into a film school to pursue filmmaking. He used the bank savings and other life insurance of his mother to make it to college. That is when he personally met the young photographer, who happened to be a communication student in the same university. They became a couple through the years and now they are planning to be married and have their own family.

Setbacks are like props on the set, it complements and motivates the character.

In the street across from a flower shop, the fiancé with her camera, taking pictures of children in their school uniform, walking through the rainbow sidewalk. From afar, the young man was waving, smiling while crossing the road holding a bouquet of white daisies.

In a quiet place filled with green grasses, Noah and his fiancé bowed on a tomb and offered the white daisies. It’s been a long time since his eyes became as bright as his smile. He was smiling through his mother’s tomb. It’s a smile of success. Eventually, Noah realized that his mother’s gravestone is dark and plain, and he wanted it to look vivid. So, he decided to put some color with his green sharpie. He drew daisies on the gravestone symbolizing new beginnings. Like a tattoo, forever in ink, he will never forget his mother’s saying “I’m the director of my life”.

THE END.

#fiction #short story #story time #creative writing

11 notes · View notes

whatkindofwatch · 4 years

Text

What Watch Does Bill Gates Wear?

The "$10 Watch"

Casio

Illuminator

Check Prices

The Casio Marlin Diver

Casio

Duro Marlin

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The Gift

TAG Heuer

Professional 2000

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One of our favorite tech tycoons turned philanthropists, Bill Gates, has an eye for value. The founder of Microsoft and the second richest man in the world (behind Jeff Bezos, but still in front of long time friend Warren Buffett) wears modest Casio watches. Bill Gates is well known for his many philanthropic endeavors. In fact, one of the primary reasons he is no longer the richest man in the world is because he's generously given away a substantial part of his fortune. He, along with Warren Buffet, also influenced other mega-rich celebrities and entrepreneurs to donate at least half of their wealth through "the Giving Pledge". Well played Mr Gates. For a man that could easily buy any luxury watch company, never mind a few Rolexes, it's quite refreshing to see him continually sport watches that anyone can afford. We've featured two of Bill Gates' watches he wears the most below. We also touch on a story that has surfaced about a watch he gifted to an employee that exemplifies Bill's generous character.

Bill Gates' Casio Marlin

Bill Gates has been spotted several times wearing his trusted Casio Duro diver - commonly known as the Casio Marlin because of the marlin logo on the face.

One if these public appearances was on the Stephen Colbert show whilst he and wife Melinda gave their views on taxing the wealthy.

The Casio Duro Marlin MDV106-1AV can be seen throughout the interview popping out from Bill's lavender sweater:

youtube

Images: NBC

4.0

The Casio Marlin Diver

Casio Duro "Marlin"

A homage to the classic Rolex Submariner, there are few other watches that can deliver these features at this price.

Japanese quartz movement

Unidirectional diver's bezel

200m (660ft) water resistance

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The minimalist design of the Casio Duro MDV106-1AV "Marlin" has allowed this watch to maintain it's place as a popular, affordable alternative to more expensive dive watches.

Like any quality dive watch, the Marlin includes a unidirectional rotating bezel to allow divers to track their time submerged underwater.

The 200m water resistance is a great feature at this price. Whilst I've no proof that Bill Gates has ever worn his Marlin diving, I would be happy to take a bet that he's submerged it a few times at his Lake Washington house. The movement is Japanese quartz and comes with a battery that lasts 3 years. What? You expected a mechanical diver at this price? No chance. Other features include a black face with white luminous markers for the hour indices and bezel markers. The hands are also covered in lume, making for impressive visibility at night and underwater. Like the Submariner, the Casio Duro features an easy to read date window at 3 o'clock and a sturdy screw down crown to keep water out. All in all, for around $50 there is little to dislike about this affordable diver. If a man with the disposable income of Bill Gates is happy with a Submariner homage over the real deal, that's good enough reason for me to add one to my everyday collection.

Pros

Very affordable

Clean, minimalist design

Japanese quality

200m water resistance

Cons

Resin band is a little boring and sweats during summer

Specifications

Movement: Japanese Quartz

Crystal: Mineral

Case: Stainless steel

Case size: 44mm

Band material: Resin

Water resistance: 200m (660ft)

Crown: Screw down

Bezel: Unidirectional diver’s

Check latest prices

Casio Marlin MDV106-1AV

Check prices

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose..

Bill Gates

Bill Gates' "$10 Casio"

Given the net worth of Bill Gates, you'd possibly expect his wrist wardrobe to include super exclusive Rolexes, Omegas or similar. But no, fitting with his rather conservative lifestyle, he often opts to wear what he calls a "$10 watch".

This $10 watch is actually a Casio Illuminator W214H-1AV, and whilst it is certainly an inexpensive watch, you may have to pay slightly more than the $10 quoted by Bill.

Check out the video below by Politico where when asked whether the watch he is wearing is similar to a medical watch he is currently speaking about, Bill responds with, "no, this is a $10 watch."

Images: Politico

3.5

The "$10 Casio"

The "$10 Casio" Illuminator

Practical and affordable above all else. The entry-level Casio screams, "I've got nothing to prove."

Doesn't get much cheaper

Easy to use with large display

50m water resistance

Check Prices

Certainly a relatively humble watch for a man of Bill's stature, the Casio Illuminator W214H-1AV is digital with a 45 mm plastic case and silicon band.

The Japanese manufactured Casio is water resistant to 50m and has quartz based movement.

Digital features include 3 countdown dials, stopwatch and alarm.

For a cheap watch, it's certainly well built and durable.

Given many ultra-rich decide to show off their wealth with flashy, expensive watches, it's refreshing that all Bill Gates fans can emulate his style with a very affordable Casio.

Pros

Very, very affordable

Simple to use

Basically a risk free investment

Cons

Kinda basic

Design isn't for everyone

Specifications

Movement: Quartz

Crystal: Mineral

Case: Plastic

Case size: 45mm

Band material: Silicon

Water resistance: 50m (150 ft)

Check latest prices

Casio Illuminator W214H-1AV

Check prices

Bill Gates' TAG Heuer Gift Watch

You can't help but feel that Bill Gates has put considerable thought into the message he's sending with his watch selection.

For many of us, buying a luxury watch comes with the side benefit that it signals success and prestige. But, for a man that carries both in abundance, choosing a cheap watch sends the message that wealth alone doesn't impress him. Rather, it's what you do with that wealth that matters.

Perhaps this was the message he was sending when he gifted a TAG Heuer Professional 2000 to a conference attendee in the Philippines. As told by watch collector Johann Espiritu in an interview with Fratello, Bill gave the watch off his wrist to the conference attendee who most closely guessed the value of his watch.

Everyone predicted that such a successful business man would be wearing a luxurious high-end watch. All except Johann's father. His guess of a seemingly paltry amount of $600 was the closest and he was rewarded with the TAG Heuer Professional 2000.

To be clear, there is no visual proof of Bill Gates wearing the TAG. But, I've no reason to doubt it and it fits his philanthropic MO. The images below are of the exact watch gifted to Johann's father. While you're at it, check out some of Johann's other sweet watches.

Images: @watchyouwearin, Fratello Watches

5.0

The Gift

TAG Heuer 2000

Popular and iconic TAG Heuer diver from the late 90's and early 2000's that holds up well today.

Quartz dive watch

Bold blue face

200m water resistance

Check Prices

The TAG Heuer 2000 Professional range was a commercial success and is still well regarded by watch collectors today. The last 2000's were built in 2005 when TAG Heuer transitioned to the Aquaracer models.

Because they were successful, they were also widely produced. So, you can still find a good quality used TH 2000 for around $500-$1,000.

This is the second Rolex Submariner inspired homage worn by Bill Gates. Heuer, and later TAG Heuer after their merger in 1985, never tried to compete head to head with the Submariner.

Instead, they opted to take several of the popular design features from the Submariner, rework them and then repackage at a more economical price point.

This strategy worked very well, with the 2000 range greatly assisting TAG Heuer navigate through the 1990s.

The model worn and gifted by Bill Gates appears to be a 3rd generation TAG Heuer 2000 that went into production in 1998. In particular, it is the blue 'Classic' model variation that is the most common, meaning that you still have a great chance of finding one for yourself at a reasonable price.

If you aren't accustomed to divers from this earlier era, you should know about the size difference before purchasing. This TAG Heuer 2000 is only 38mm, considerably smaller than the 43mm divers that are popular today.

Whilst Bill's TAG Heuer was more expensive than the two Seikos, I think you'd agree it's still an affordable watch that prioritises function above prestige.

Pros

Dive watch with history

Can still find pre-owned for less than $1K

200m water resistance

Cons

Smaller size may not suit all

Specifications

Movement: Quartz

Crystal: Sapphire

Case: Stainless steel (brushed)

Case size: 38mm

Band material: Stainless steel

Water resistance: 200m (660ft)

Bezel: Rotating

Check latest prices

TAG Heuer 2000 Professional

Check prices

The post What Watch Does Bill Gates Wear? appeared first on What Kind of Watch.

from What Kind of Watch https://whatkindofwatch.com/does-bill-gates-wear/

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antionetterparker · 5 years

Text

Ranking the 39 best ways to get out of debt in 2019

Whether your mountain of debt started with a shopping spree where you got a little trigger happy with the plastic or pursuing a fancy liberal arts degree, you’re here because you want to take a bulldozer to that mountain and finally be #debtfree.

Sitting on a big pile of debt is basically burning piles of money on the reg. For some perspective, Americans with commercial debt spend, on average, $1,300 per month on interest payments. (1)

That’s more than a lot of people’s rent, and it does nothing but keep collections at bay.

This only solution is to pay your debt off faster. This post covers how to do that in 3 different ways:

Improving the terms of your debt

Cutting costs

Making extra disposable income

Be sure to check out my other rankings: best online business ideas, small business ideas, and how to make money fast.

Let’s do this. Ranked by how quickness, sustainability, and ease, here are the best ways to get out of debt:

39. Do the math

If you’ve got $20,000 in credit card debt and you’re making $300 payments each month, it’ll be just over 12 years until you’re debt-free. You’ll have basically lit more than $23,000 on fire in the form of interest payments.

Use a debt repayment calculator like Credit Karma’s (2) to crunch the numbers and figure out exactly how long it’s going to take you to pay off your debt and how much you’ll be paying in interest.

38. Automate your finances

Self-made millionaire David Bach wrote a whole book on this one called “The Automatic Millionaire”, saying that it’s “the one step that virtually guarantees that you won’t fail financially.” (3)

Set a goal for when you want to finish paying off your debt and use the flipside of that debt calculator to calculate how much you’d have to pay each month to do that. Set up automatic payments on all of your credit cards and loans to that monthly minimum.

Recent college grads: the US Department of Education gives you a 0.25% interest discount just for setting up autopay, and many private lenders give you up to 0.50% off. (4) Not a lot, but it takes like 20 seconds to sign up for autopay.

37. Pay the maximum

A whopping 73% of Americans die in debt. A big reason is that many of them (yep, lookin’ at you) are only paying the minimum on their debt, which is the best way to stay in debt forever.

Instead, pay the maximum amount your budget will allow each month. Those courtside tickets can wait until AFTER you’ve paid off your debt.

36. The “avalanche” method

Call it the avalanching, stacking, or the ladder method, it’s all the same: hands down the most financially savvy and efficient method for paying off multiple different streams of debt.

Pay off your high-interest debts first (usually your credit cards). Set your automatic payments to the minimum on all of your cards and loans except the one with the highest interest rate: throw all the money you can at that one until it’s gone. Then target your second highest interest rate using all the extra money you have in the absence of the first debt, and so on.

35. The “snowball” method

For those who need to be coddled a little, snowballing is paying off your smallest debts first so that these little wins can motivate you to attack larger, more intimidating debts.

That initial boost of confidence that the snowballing method creates has helped people tackle $50k+ in debt in just a few years. (5)

34. Cash out your credit card cashback

If you’ve got cashback sitting around on any of your credit cards from incurring all this debt, you may as well take advantage of it.

Don’t try to earn any more cashback until you’re debt-free, though.

33. Put windfalls towards your debt

Put any random money you earn outside your regular income towards your debt.

Whether it’s a work bonus, birthday money, a holiday gift, your tax refund, or a $100 you found on the ground, directing that money towards your debt puts you a little bit closer to debt-free status.

32. Sell stuff

Don’t lie, you probably have a basement, garage, or closet somewhere that looks like an audition for Hoarders (without the dead cats, I hope). I’m not going to preach to you about the “life-changing magic of cleaning out your garage”, but I am going to preach to you about how selling crap you don’t need to pay off debt you shouldn’t have is a good idea.

What’s that? You’re too lazy? You don’t even have to leave your house. Sell stuff from your phone on Letgo. (6) Try out Decluttr. (7)

31. Downgrade your stuff

Lifestyle inflation is real. People don’t like to downgrade their standard of living. But you have to if you want to double down on your debt.

This couple even sold their brand new car and got a used junker when they realized they could have used that money to pay off their debt. It probably stung a little, but they managed to pay off $52,000 of debt in just 18 months. (8)

30. Free entertainment

Instead of spending money on movies or concert tickets, seek out cheaper ways to have fun.

Look online and see what kind of free things are happening around your city. Outdoor festivals, movies in the park, all that stuff.

No need to be deathly bored while you’re climbing your way out of debt hell.

29. Garage sale arbitrage

Dig through cheap crap at garage sales, strike gold. Buy valuable items for a fraction of what they’re worth, and resell them online for a huge profit. Repeat.

Corey Levitan, a writer for Men’s Health, banks an extra $20,000 a year doing this. And he only spends 3-5 hours/week on it. (9)

28. Shop through cashback sites/apps

Cashback sites like Rakuten (10) give you money for shopping online and in-store, kinda like a delayed discount. When you cash out your earnings, put it all towards your debt. Also, use a debit card instead of a credit card when doing this unless you want to spend more time paying it off.

Don’t go on a shopping spree just for cashback, though. That’s exactly how a lot of people end up in credit card debt – cashback rewards on their credit cards.

Save these sites for those everyday purchases you have to make, like groceries or maybe clothing.

27. Buy everything with cash

Many studies have shown people generally spend less when they pay with cash than they pay with credit. (11)

Think about this: not only do you have to visit an ATM or bank any time you need cash, but watching those green bills leave your hand is more difficult than swiping/chipping/tapping a piece of plastic.

Also, you won’t be adding more to your current credit balances.

But this applies to debit cards, too. No debt involved with debit cards, but it’s still easier to swipe it than to hand over bills.

26. Keep the change

Take all the loose change you find or get back throughout the day and put it in a jar. Each month, deposit it all and use it to chip away at your debt.

25. Negotiate your bills

Anyone who tells you that you can’t negotiate bills is a liar. Everything is negotiable. According to Consumer Reports, 89% of people who try to bargain are successful at least once. (12)

Try your hand at haggling with your cable and internet bills, and then move up to the big leagues: medical bills, credit cards, and car insurance.

24. Lower your rent

Bargain with your landlord, especially if you live in an apartment: offer to extend your lease, give up your parking space, agree to show your apartment to potential renters, get some roommates, pay a few months’ rent upfront, or refer new renters for a discount.

The best time to negotiate is a few months before your lease ends.

23. Negotiate your credit card interest rate

Sometimes it really is as easy as just asking.

Time Magazine’s money experts recently did a personal finance boot camp that recommends you call up your credit card company and ask them for a lower APR. 80% of callers asking for a lower interest rate were successful. (13)

22. Don’t close credit cards

The second you pay off one credit card, you’ll probably want to immediately call up the credit card company and close it. Don’t.

Unless your card charges an annual fee, keep it open. Check the FICO 5. (14) One of the biggest factors making up your credit score (30%) is your credit to debt ratio. The less credit you have available to you, the higher that ratio, the lower your credit score.

21. Freeze your credit cards… literally

Of course, keeping your credit cards in your wallet after you pay them off is like a recovered cocaine addict keeping an old stash in his bedroom.

Stick them in a bowl of water and freeze it. Every time you want to take the plastic gods out on an impulsive shopping spree, you’ll have to wait for a block of ice to thaw while you think about your life choices.

20. Monitor your credit report

Monitor your credit report on a regular basis for any errors that could be hurting your credit score. If you see any, immediately submit a dispute to get them removed so you can nudge your score upwards to secure better interest rates in your negotiations.

Each of the 3 credit bureaus gives you 1 free report a year. (15) Sites like Credit Karma (16) let you look at your report as much as you want with no penalties as well.

19. Rent your stuff

Airbnb’s cutesy tiny houses and extravagant vacation rentals are taking over, but you don’t have to have real estate to make money renting things out anymore.

Rent out your bike/recreational gear on Spinlister. (17) Got an old bridesmaids dress or fancy tux lying around? Rent out clothing on Style Lend (18) and Date My Wardrobe. (19) Compete with Alamo by renting out your car on Turo (20) or GetAround. (21) And you can rent just about anything on RentNotBuy and Loanables. (22) (23)

18. Borrow against your life insurance

If you’ve got a permanent life insurance policy with a cash value, you can borrow from it to pay off your debt. Just make sure it doesn’t backfire. Interest rates are often lower with this method, but there are penalties involved (including burdening your beneficiaries if you die before the debt is paid off) and you could risk losing your life insurance.

17. Make every debt payment on time

No, not just to keep collections at bay. Paying your debts on time keeps your credit score as high as possible, seeing as it’s the most important (35%) of the 5 FICO credit score factors (24).

A higher credit score gives you more leverage when negotiating down your interest rates with your credit card companies. It also helps you secure a lower rate if you want to refinance/consolidate your debt, which you can learn about in the next two tips.

Also, paying on time means you avoid late fees, which are just a waste of money.

16. Refinance your debt

If you qualify for refinancing, you should 100% do it. Basically, you get a new, better (lower interest, usually a personal loan) loan to replace one of your old (higher interest) loans. You can cut years off of your repayment schedule by refinancing.

Pay attention to the term length of the loan you’re refinancing your debt with, though, especially with long-term debt like mortgages. Let’s say you have 5 years left on a 30-year mortgage. Refinancing to a lower interest rate will lower your payment, but you’ll end up paying thousands more in interest.

15. Debt consolidation

Consolidating debt is simply combining multiple debts into one debt by taking out a lower interest loan. Most of the time, consolidating your debt also involves refinancing your debt (see previous tip) – especially if you have several high-interest debt sources.

In addition, you can spend less time juggling 5 different debt accounts and making sure to pay everything on time. Less chance of incurring late fees or worse – the wrath of collections.

If you’ve got debt from more than 2 different sources, you should definitely consider a debt consolidation loan.

14. Balance transfer credit card

Live-saving credit cards exist: they offer a 0% interest rate for a specific “introductory period”, which can be 6 months, 12 months, or even 21 months. You transfer your debt to this card and pay it off interest-free.

Just make sure you pay it off in time, and don’t use it to spend.

The Chase Slate is the only 0% APR balance transfer card with no fees, (25) and the Citi Simplicity offers the longest introductory period of them all (21 months). (26)

13. Loan forgiveness

If you’re a teacher, public servant, permanently disabled, Peace Corps volunteer, nurse, or law enforcement and you have student loan debt, the government might actually pay it off for you.

You don’t get away scot-free, though; these programs usually require you to make 120 qualifying payments (aka 10 years of monthly payments) before you’re considered for loan forgiveness. Check out the Federal Student Aid website for details. (27)

Whether or not you’re forgiven for your gluttonous spending on a metaphysical level is another matter.

12. Have a small emergency fund

If you don’t have some cash set aside for emergencies, you’re going to incur more debt if you get into a bad car accident or something similar.

It doesn’t have to be a lot – $1,000 should be enough for the moment, and you can build it up in increments of as little as $50 a month if you need to.

11. Quit investing

Here’s the thing: paying down debt gets you a guaranteed return (in the form of interest you no longer have to pay), and that return is almost always more than you’d earn on the stock market and always more than you get from a savings account. (28)

Drop the investments for now and put any savings in excess of your small emergency fund toward being debt-free. Not only that, but consider selling some investments and putting the proceeds towards your debt.

10. Become a digital nomad

It’s no secret that I think working from home is the future, and I’m not alone. (Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company all agree). (29)

“Digital nomads” have traded in the 9-5 for a digital career that lets them roam the globe while they rake in cash. Aside from the obvious perks – from showing up at the “office” in your swim trunks to your “office” being a tropical island – you can also save tons of money by living somewhere cheap. The cost of living in Thailand is half what it is in the United States. Think about it. (30)

9. Gig economy jobs

Drive for Uber, doing odd jobs on TaskRabbit, shop for people with Shipt, you get the idea. These aren’t the most glamorous ways to make some extra cash, but money’s money and these jobs aren’t too hard to sign up for.

8. Teach a skill for pay

Monetize a skill you have by teaching others how to do it. Know how to play the guitar? Give private lessons. Excellent at a language? Find a language tutoring site and sign up to tutor others.

Even better, make an online course or eBook that teaches your skill for some passive income. Just make sure the content is actually useful.

7. SEO consulting

If you can learn a thing or two about SEO and find a company that would like to improve their SEO (every company), you can rake in enough side money to be out of debt asap. Entry-level SEO Consultants make about $50,000-$60,000/year…with no experience. (31)

6. Be a Virtual Assistant

If you don’t have time to learn technical skills, Virtual Assistants can make money doing any odd job that remote workers need help with, from making phone calls to making Pinterest boards. Find gigs on Upwork – according to them, Virtual Assistants are one of the fastest-growing freelance positions. (32)

5. Content writing

Can you put together a well-written sentence? Know how to capture an audience with some well-crafted words?

Content is still king, and writing it pays well too because you can’t outsource it to just anyone (we see you, wannabe internet companies trying to get away with hiring amateur Malaysian teens to write your blog).

Freelance writers can make anywhere from $30 to $70 an hour. (33)

4. Facebook ads

There are over 25 million businesses using Facebook to market themselves. (34) That’s 25 million potential clients if you know how to run a successful Facebook ad campaign because many business owners are completely clueless when it comes to social media.

Brush up your skills and start offering to do Facebook ads consulting to small businesses in your area.

3. Open an e-Commerce shop

If you want to reel in the side money, this one takes some time to build up, but it’s passive, which you know I love. E-commerce is projected to make up about 13% of all sales this year, and it’ll be up to 17% just 5 years from now. (35)

Make something and sell it. Even better, find yourself a dropshipper and cut out most of the work. Either way, get a piece of that pie.

2. Learn to code

The national average salary for a computer programmer is $84,360. (36)

Combine that with the fact that this job is 100% digital, and you’ve got a recipe for success. Imagine living on a Caribbean island where you can live comfortably on $1,200/month while you’re raking in $7,000/month. Your debt will be gone in no time.

1. Provide leads online for local businesses

Nothing out there beats raking in hot leads for local businesses. You might as well be handing over stacks of cash to these companies, so trust me when I say this: small businesses pay good money for leads.

Plus, local lead generation hits the money-making trifecta: it’s remote, scalable, and automatable. Plus, you’re cutting down on the competition by focusing on local areas.

TBH, it doesn’t really matter whether you stack your debt, snowball your debt, avalanche your debt or any other fancy terms that basically just mean paying off your debt.

Unless you want to spend the next 50 years of your life picking away at a mountain of debt with a toothpick, you need to do more than stop buying pumpkin spice lattes. You need to increase your earnings fast… local lead generation is your bulldozer.

via https://mlmcompanies.org/ranking-the-39-best-ways-to-get-out-of-debt-in-2019/

0 notes

mlmcompanies · 5 years

Link

Sitting on a big pile of debt is basically burning piles of money on the reg. For some perspective, Americans with commercial debt spend, on average, $1,300 per month on interest payments. (1)

That’s more than a lot of people’s rent, and it does nothing but keep collections at bay.

This only solution is to pay your debt off faster. This post covers how to do that in 3 different ways:

Improving the terms of your debt

Cutting costs

Making extra disposable income

Be sure to check out my other rankings: best online business ideas, small business ideas, and how to make money fast.

Let’s do this. Ranked by how quickness, sustainability, and ease, here are the best ways to get out of debt:

39. Do the math

38. Automate your finances

37. Pay the maximum

A whopping 73% of Americans die in debt. A big reason is that many of them (yep, lookin’ at you) are only paying the minimum on their debt, which is the best way to stay in debt forever.

Instead, pay the maximum amount your budget will allow each month. Those courtside tickets can wait until AFTER you’ve paid off your debt.

36. The “avalanche” method

Call it the avalanching, stacking, or the ladder method, it’s all the same: hands down the most financially savvy and efficient method for paying off multiple different streams of debt.

35. The “snowball” method

For those who need to be coddled a little, snowballing is paying off your smallest debts first so that these little wins can motivate you to attack larger, more intimidating debts.

That initial boost of confidence that the snowballing method creates has helped people tackle $50k+ in debt in just a few years. (5)

34. Cash out your credit card cashback

If you’ve got cashback sitting around on any of your credit cards from incurring all this debt, you may as well take advantage of it.

Don’t try to earn any more cashback until you’re debt-free, though.

33. Put windfalls towards your debt

Put any random money you earn outside your regular income towards your debt.

32. Sell stuff

What’s that? You’re too lazy? You don’t even have to leave your house. Sell stuff from your phone on Letgo. (6) Try out Decluttr. (7)

31. Downgrade your stuff

Lifestyle inflation is real. People don’t like to downgrade their standard of living. But you have to if you want to double down on your debt.

30. Free entertainment

Instead of spending money on movies or concert tickets, seek out cheaper ways to have fun.

Look online and see what kind of free things are happening around your city. Outdoor festivals, movies in the park, all that stuff.

No need to be deathly bored while you’re climbing your way out of debt hell.

29. Garage sale arbitrage

Dig through cheap crap at garage sales, strike gold. Buy valuable items for a fraction of what they’re worth, and resell them online for a huge profit. Repeat.

Corey Levitan, a writer for Men’s Health, banks an extra $20,000 a year doing this. And he only spends 3-5 hours/week on it. (9)

28. Shop through cashback sites/apps

Don’t go on a shopping spree just for cashback, though. That’s exactly how a lot of people end up in credit card debt – cashback rewards on their credit cards.

Save these sites for those everyday purchases you have to make, like groceries or maybe clothing.

27. Buy everything with cash

Many studies have shown people generally spend less when they pay with cash than they pay with credit. (11)

Also, you won’t be adding more to your current credit balances.

But this applies to debit cards, too. No debt involved with debit cards, but it’s still easier to swipe it than to hand over bills.

26. Keep the change

Take all the loose change you find or get back throughout the day and put it in a jar. Each month, deposit it all and use it to chip away at your debt.

25. Negotiate your bills

Anyone who tells you that you can’t negotiate bills is a liar. Everything is negotiable. According to Consumer Reports, 89% of people who try to bargain are successful at least once. (12)

Try your hand at haggling with your cable and internet bills, and then move up to the big leagues: medical bills, credit cards, and car insurance.

24. Lower your rent

The best time to negotiate is a few months before your lease ends.

23. Negotiate your credit card interest rate

Sometimes it really is as easy as just asking.

22. Don’t close credit cards

The second you pay off one credit card, you’ll probably want to immediately call up the credit card company and close it. Don’t.

21. Freeze your credit cards… literally

Of course, keeping your credit cards in your wallet after you pay them off is like a recovered cocaine addict keeping an old stash in his bedroom.

20. Monitor your credit report

Each of the 3 credit bureaus gives you 1 free report a year. (15) Sites like Credit Karma (16) let you look at your report as much as you want with no penalties as well.

19. Rent your stuff

Airbnb’s cutesy tiny houses and extravagant vacation rentals are taking over, but you don’t have to have real estate to make money renting things out anymore.

18. Borrow against your life insurance

17. Make every debt payment on time

No, not just to keep collections at bay. Paying your debts on time keeps your credit score as high as possible, seeing as it’s the most important (35%) of the 5 FICO credit score factors (24).

Also, paying on time means you avoid late fees, which are just a waste of money.

16. Refinance your debt

15. Debt consolidation

In addition, you can spend less time juggling 5 different debt accounts and making sure to pay everything on time. Less chance of incurring late fees or worse – the wrath of collections.

If you’ve got debt from more than 2 different sources, you should definitely consider a debt consolidation loan.

14. Balance transfer credit card

Just make sure you pay it off in time, and don’t use it to spend.

The Chase Slate is the only 0% APR balance transfer card with no fees, (25) and the Citi Simplicity offers the longest introductory period of them all (21 months). (26)

13. Loan forgiveness

If you’re a teacher, public servant, permanently disabled, Peace Corps volunteer, nurse, or law enforcement and you have student loan debt, the government might actually pay it off for you.

Whether or not you’re forgiven for your gluttonous spending on a metaphysical level is another matter.

12. Have a small emergency fund

If you don’t have some cash set aside for emergencies, you’re going to incur more debt if you get into a bad car accident or something similar.

It doesn’t have to be a lot – $1,000 should be enough for the moment, and you can build it up in increments of as little as $50 a month if you need to.

11. Quit investing

10. Become a digital nomad

It’s no secret that I think working from home is the future, and I’m not alone. (Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company all agree). (29)

9. Gig economy jobs

8. Teach a skill for pay

Monetize a skill you have by teaching others how to do it. Know how to play the guitar? Give private lessons. Excellent at a language? Find a language tutoring site and sign up to tutor others.

Even better, make an online course or eBook that teaches your skill for some passive income. Just make sure the content is actually useful.

7. SEO consulting

6. Be a Virtual Assistant

5. Content writing

Can you put together a well-written sentence? Know how to capture an audience with some well-crafted words?

Freelance writers can make anywhere from $30 to $70 an hour. (33)

4. Facebook ads

Brush up your skills and start offering to do Facebook ads consulting to small businesses in your area.

3. Open an e-Commerce shop

Make something and sell it. Even better, find yourself a dropshipper and cut out most of the work. Either way, get a piece of that pie.

2. Learn to code

The national average salary for a computer programmer is $84,360. (36)

1. Provide leads online for local businesses

Plus, local lead generation hits the money-making trifecta: it’s remote, scalable, and automatable. Plus, you’re cutting down on the competition by focusing on local areas.

TBH, it doesn’t really matter whether you stack your debt, snowball your debt, avalanche your debt or any other fancy terms that basically just mean paying off your debt.

#MLM companies #network marketing companies

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j-kaiwa · 5 years

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Where Do Fashion Trends Start? Why People Care About What's In Style

Unless you work in the industry or are a 14-year-old girl, you might consider the latest fashion trends pretty much meaningless. They're items that people who know nothing about you, your life, or your needs have decided are necessities — often for no reason other than that a 24-year-old designer made them. Also, 90 percent of the time, they are ugly. (I used to work in fashion. I once made up a "yellow" trend because I was bored on a Thursday.) But what do they signal? How did they become so popular? What are fashion trends actually for ?

The simple answer actually lies in two things: history and economics. (Yes, I know, but pay attention for a bit.) The fashion industry's main reason for existence is the new collections that stomp down the runway every season, but it wasn't always this way. Fashion trends aren't an innate part of human existence; the first homo sapiens didn't wear a bunch of leaves for one season and then throw them out when somebody showed up wearing a fancy berry hat. They've developed. And understanding why is actually pretty amazing.

So if you're feeling devastated that the latest trend makes you look like a potato, or mourning the fact that your last-season pumps are now Officially Uncool, give this a read. Because if we're going to follow trends, we may as well understand why trends start in the first place.

Have There Always Been Fashion Trends?

There are a few different ideas about where fashion trends started, but they seem to have been dependent on three things: disposable income, leisure time, and wanting to keep up with the Joneses.

Changing your clothes on a whim seems to have evolved in the 14th century as a kind of conspicuous consumption (a term coined by Thorstein Veblen in 1899). Fashion trends were basically designed to show how much extra money and leisure time you had — and to emulate the people at the very top of society, usually the royal court. A person who could discard an entire costume for something else after only a few weeks — or days — clearly had both funds and hours to burn. And, obviously, the royal family and their celebrities were the celebs of the day, so ordinary people followed suit. It's what's called the "trickle-down" theory of fashion trends: that people wanted to look wealthier, cooler, and more powerful than they actually were.

The trend-makers themselves were usually aware of their power. Queen Elizabeth I had an enormous wardrobe that was designed to be shown off: hundreds of dresses, mantles, and cloaks, all made of incredible materials and worn in public to emphasize her wealth, political power, symbolism as the head of England (and her virginity). Trends also showed how much attention you were paying to her; she once mentioned off-hand that she liked feather fans, and was deluged with them for the rest of her life, while everybody around her hurriedly got five pairs.

So a trend often began with whatever the king or queen liked — and following it fast meant you were close enough to observe their tastes.

When Are We Most Likely To Care About Trends?

Once you get to a certain point in life, you often stop following trends and start working with what's good for your body. But many of us had a conformist period while young, where we bought whatever our friends or idols loved most — and threw it away when they did. And before you scoff that you didn't: even anti-trends are trends in and of themselves. Whether you lusted after a Juicy Couture tracksuit, a grunge tee or proper Doc Martens, you were following the markers of a social group you wanted to access.

And this tells us a lot about the psychology of trends and how they've evolved. Originally, changing trends demonstrated social hierarchy: the closer to the royals, the swifter you could pick up on their whims. These days, following trends does that too, but it also shows sensitivity to your community and its tastes — a willingness to fit into a "tribe". To be on the cutting edge, following the tracks laid by Vogue, Glamour and celebrity stylists, demonstrates both enviable wealth and a sharp awareness of social value.

Humans are acutely social animals, and trend-following appears most radically in our youth and early adulthood, when we're most self-conscious about our social standing. But clothing also has another function, making us look unique and demonstrate our individuality — and that's the fashion forward individual who resists trends and goes for other ideas.

What Purpose Do Trends Serve These Days?

There are actually two sociological theories about fashion trends and what they're for nowadays. One is a social status one: as fashion trends trickle down from the high echelons of society (fashion houses and celebrities), across (from other countries) or up (from urban fashion, "street style," or punks), they allow us to demonstrate our wealth and hipness through emulation. We can do that seriously fast now, thanks to massive improvements in textile technology, so the fashion world needs to move faster than ever to keep one step ahead of us plebs.

Another idea is based on conflict theory — and thinks that the rapid cycle of fashion (some fashion houses now produce eight or more collections in one year) is actually a way of maximizing profit. The onset of trends keeps us buying for fear of wearing "last year's stuff" — so more money goes to the fashion industry. Plus, focusing on trends apparently keeps our minds off the real problems in the world, like poverty and chocolate shortages.

It's a dark interpretation. And it's not entirely correct — it's possible to be a responsible world citizen, intensely involved in news and current events, and also to care about whether pastels are in this season. But it's definitely true that trends are based on fear and on waste: for the new to become king, the old must be thrown away, or you'll be "left behind" and subject to social mockery. Clothing waste is a massive ecological problem, and the trend cycle is not helping, to say the least.

So next time you feel a lust for something that's spouted as "on-trend" (sports-luxe? What IS that?), be aware of what your purchase is saying and doing. Trends can be awesome, but putting them in context emphasises that sometimes a little awareness goes a long way. (I'm still putting these Maison Margiela brogues on my wish-list, though.)

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ughandalso · 5 years

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Shoes and clothes

I enjoyed this take on what it means that Payless is closing, and it made me think about my own relationship with Payless, which was off-and-on from middle school through my early 30s.

I grew up in modest, middle-class circumstances but my earliest memories of shoe shopping involve my mom taking me to Rivlin’s in Akron and buying a few pairs of Stride-Rites every year. At Rivlin’s the employee would measure your foot and bring out the shoes; after you put them on they would press the toes and have you walk around while they watched. Once all the decisions were made the salesperson would carefully write down which shoes we’d bought on a little card with my name on it, and then put the card into a file box with a bunch of cards with other kids’ names on them, presumably bearing similar lists of Stride-Rite gym shoes and T-strap Mary Jane dress shoes.

This seems extremely old-fashioned to me now, but it was just the way most people bought shoes. Once I grew out of Rivlin’s (I can remember the exact pair of shoes that did it: black-and-white saddle shoes that I consented to in fourth grade and then refused to wear because they suddenly felt babyish; my mom was very unhappy), my parentally supplied footwear mostly came from Sears or O’Neils, a department store successively gobbled up by Kaufmann’s, May Company, and Macy’s.

I can’t remember the first time I got a pair of shoes at Payless. There was one close enough to our house that I remember riding my bike there in high school to buy a pair of purple flats. I tended to stay away from the stuff that was obviously a knock-off of something (the fake Keds, for example), but I liked being able to pick what I wanted and try everything on without my toes being prodded. I bought a lot of shoes in college, all at places like Payless or Kmart or Meijer. I was trying to get by on my work-study paycheck, and that did not include enough disposable income for the Birkenstocks and Doc Martens, so I had Fake’n’stocks and Not Martens.

I do remember the last pair of shoes I bought at Payless: black sparkly open-toed flats. They held up pretty well over a long enough time that I was able to donate them rather than pitch them. RIP Payless.

Speaking of donating: This morning I successfully donated (or at least, successfully managed to not care that someone stole) four large bags of clothing and two boxes of household items, including a not-inexpensive rice cooker and steamer that I haven’t used in at least five years. Turns out a saucepan also works well for rice!

I personally feel that it’s pretty gross that I was able to give away three bags full of clothes (one was my husband’s!) and that my closet is still relatively full, but I guess God is still working on me or whatever. I find it very hard to part with ugly cancer walk t-shirts and old leggings, and I also for long periods of my life found it hard to stop buying $6 tank tops and whimsical printed shirts at Target and Old Navy.

What I’m doing right now is essentially buying a whole new wardrobe, which is less thrilling than it sounds. As I’ve gotten older and fatter I’ve struggled with my clothing choices. I don’t want to dress like a maiden auntie but I am more or less shaped like one, and it’s great to think I might lose weight at some point but relying on that eventuality is not a practical approach to clothes-buying. Buy jeans for the ass you have, not the ass you want. Please engrave this on my headstone, thank you.

I’ve spent a lot of time peering critically at the J.Crew and Madewell websites, as these aesthetics are among those I most wish to emulate. This is where I am buying my drapey camp shirts and linen pants. I must admit I keep returning to Gap for jeans; I also replaced two old black Target hoodies with a single Old Navy hoodie. I am sorry to all the ethical-clothing Instagrammers I’ve started following but I am not paying $108 for an American Giant hoodie. I will not do it. Who am I, Kim Kardashian? Beyoncé? Please.

Also: it is just time to embrace my fondness for black, navy, and grey. It’s what I like! I am never ever going to wear a shirt printed with pineapples, even though it’s adorable. Team navy shirt and black jeans forever.

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topbeautifulwomens · 5 years

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#The #Need #for #Innovation #in #Fashion #altmodel #creative #instagood #iphone #makeupoftheday #modelo #portrait #sexygirls #universodamaquiagem #viral

My 1st large obtain quickly on shifting into a lovely acomponentment in Brookline and commencing my first publish-bachelors total time process was a established of antique bed room household furniture. The 19a few0’s flowing lines, the intricately carved bouquets, the walnut inlays, cedar protected duncookeds and the Bakelite attract pulls were adequate for me to skip the main drawagain of the set – the dresser/armoire experienced exclusively regarding a foot of room for hanging clothes.

This was in 2006, the high reign of quickly trend, and my closet was overstuffed with clothing from Zara, H&M, Nordstrom Rack, Filene’s Basement and TJ Maxx. The multi-fiber settlement expired a calendar year previous, on the web clothing income were getting pace and progressively competing with b&m, and the ever-multiplying couple of retailers was flooded with a dizzying range of cheap, fashionable clothing. It appeared like the golden age of fashion: despite a modest access-stage income I even now scarcely wore a social gathering dress much in excess of when per period, and the myriad of my properly coordinated outsuits could have launched a life-style website. The 1930’s, with the hand-developed wardrobe enough to fit into a foot of hanging space looked very far absent sure.

But as could be predicted in retrospect, the bubble burst. I am not completely certain nevertheless if it was the publicity to the socially conscious and inventive spirit of Cambridge, the economic unexpected emergency of 2008 and the economic downturn that adopted, or the higher consciousness of the entire world that grew from my habit to the iPhone and all the refreshings/weblogs applications. The countless options of gentle released shirts, ruffled blouses, slim denims, equipped attire and a shoe sequence to fit every passing extravagant, were all delivery to really feel stifling – more so with every and every information article about the sweatshop labor and the environmental result of toss away fashions.

The basic way that clothing is created has not replaced much considering that the arrival of the stitching equipment. Apparel manufacturing has remained a low technologies, labor-intense method. The reducing tariffs of the 1990’s inspired the shift of the most labor-intensive part of clothing manufacturing to industrializing nations around the world with wealthy low-cost labor and usually much less security rules and govt oversight. By the way, this way too introduced apparel production geographically nearer to raw content material manufactures, these kinds of as Uzbekistan’s cotton and China’s leather-based. Relocating production from the developed to industrialized countries ongoing to deliver the cost of garments down, even though at the exact same time discouraging technological innovation on the production side.

The Fashion improvements of the 2000’s primarily arrived in a type of making use of technology to improve producer functions. Subsequent Zara’s improvements in responding to clients and bringing new viewpoints to the stores in as small as 3 7 dayss, fashion organizations committed on quick flip about, increasing variety and lowering production costs. The increaseth of the fast-fashion retailers, in mixture with additional reduced import boundaries, gave individuals companies the leverage to drive for more quickly turn around and lower rates from the apparel makes in, between other countries, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Tunisia.

The catastrophe in Bangladesh stresses the require for change in the Fashion Market place. Apparel production need to will not be a fatal business. Fashion, and fashion production, simply can not remain the way that it truly is now. Even though folks are becoming increasingly aware of the real costs of disposable fashions, and in response are shifting the methods they approach and drink fashion, the need for clothing will continue to grow with the expanding populations and strengthening dwelling expectations. This need for progress problems us to picture a much better fashion long term.

What will be the fashion innovations of the following ten years? Those innovations can not simply be in design – with the globalization of the fashion market place and a fashion week take placeing every single week somethe place in the world, the accurate innovations with an impact to change the industry are not likely to come from new variations using the existing components. Basically mentioned, almost everything has been experimented with, and there has not been anything new in fashion design in ages.

Will the fashion innovation then come from using new materials? Lately I have face a online video showcasing Bradley Quinn talking about the Fashion Possible, and the material innovations today in development. Self-cleansing clothing, clothing with embedded technology, garments that protect and make us more robust seem specifically around the corner. Yet how will these be produced? Possibly they’re going to be self-assembled, or painted-on, as some have advised. Even so exciting, these suggestions still seem far away from implementation.

Even if the materials of tomorrow are geared up to be released in the next season, material innovations by itself will not handle the all of the headaches currently confronted by the Fashion industry. While it is straightforward to envision new fabrics and material technologies as supplementing the choices we’ve now, they’re unlikely to change them. You could put on a self-cleaning high-tech interaction suit in the course of the working day, but your most cozy pj’s are still likely to be flannel.

3D printing, as a concept, presents us the assure of customization. This undoubtedly could be the solution to the favor for trendy, new parts that catch a certain temper or tone of the minute – the very soul of fashion. Recycling 3D printed merchandise, some thing that’s currently getting explored by some innovators, could support to address the environmental impact of temporarily-changing tendencies. One particular could very easily envision a future where fashion is produced using 3D printers, while ‘consumer items’ including socks, pj’s, t-shirts and other fundamentals are ethically and responsibly produced in industrializing or even back in industrialized countries.

Yet until finally every single family has a 3D printer, the challenge with 3D printing, except the current deficiency of clothing proper materials, lies in the ask of mass-production. Might 3D Printing technology evolve to enable for mass-customization? Will this mass-customization happen in mini-factories, or immediately in the property? Or will yet another technology come up to resolve the problem of fashion production? Its an intriguing future we’re in for, and I can not hesitate to locate out.

The post The Need for Innovation in Fashion appeared first on Beautiful Women.

source http://topbeautifulwomen.com/the-need-for-innovation-in-fashion/

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mrjohnhthompson · 5 years

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Is It Possible To Go Zero Waste On A Budget?

The zero-waste lifestyle is in - and it rightfully should be. Malaysia generates about 38,000 metric tonnes of waste on a daily basis. Of that amount, 76% of waste goes to the landfill. Only 24% of waste goes into either recycling or waste separation. Unlike its Asian counterparts like Japan and South Korea, Malaysia is way behind in terms of waste management. While Malaysia is looking at ways to phase out landfills and coming up with a more effective waste management system, the process is still at its infancy. According to Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin, the ministry is studying four different methods for waste management - biomass waste management, waste-to-energy (WTE), incineration, and bio-digestion to asses which is the most suitable for implementation. However, aside from waiting for the authorities to enforce laws and a better waste management system, the responsibility also falls on Malaysians to be more conscious about their daily habits. We still predominantly rely on the ‘throwaway culture’, which means our first thought when it comes to waste management is to throw things away. Domestic waste does not get separated at the source and everything gets lumped together – even though Selangor actually has a policy that requires people to separate their wastes before throwing garbage out. In our hectic lives, we never stop ponder on the consequences of sending all of our waste to landfills, and if we will one day end up in a world surrounded by trash and contaminated water supply systems.

So why don’t Malaysians manage waste properly?

Fortunately, the zero-waste lifestyle is slowly gaining traction in Malaysia. The zero-waste lifestyle is essentially changing your daily habits so that all products are reused or recycled and no waste is sent to landfills. We spoke to a few Malaysians about the zero-waste lifestyle, and most of them seem to agree that the zero waste lifestyle is not for everybody. Some have never even heard the term ‘zero waste’ before. “I think for the most part of our lives, we have been ignorant, so it’s hard to change our habits. It also requires a lot of commitment,” says Talitha. “My girlfriend is really into it, but for me, I find it really difficult. But not impossible. It’s also not entirely practical. For example, if I’m going to the movies, do I bring a container for the popcorn?” says Gerard, a senior bank manager. Dinesh, a business owner, thinks that product manufacturers also play a role in our journey towards reducing waste. “I believe that manufacturers play a big role in this. They should practice the reduction of packaging or using more eco-friendly and reusable packaging. For example, chip packets come with so much plastic and so little chips,” he laughs. “I think there are a few factors that we have to consider. Countries like Sweden are very much into the zero waste lifestyle and they’re proud of it. The society needs to get to a certain mindful level to appreciate this - and we still have a long way to go,” says Jim, a Malaysian engineer based in Germany. “Social equality here is also still far from balanced. So the mindset of the majority is too preoccupied in making a living - they don’t have time to worry about zero waste.” Zero-waste blogger Polly from Green Indy agrees with Jim’s take on practising the zero waste lifestyle. “When most people think about the zero waste movement, they think of ultra-privileged folks with a massive amount of expendable income to spend on fancy products. Zero waste on a budget is simply an impossibility. Is that a fair assessment?” “To a large degree, yes. People can only participate in the zero waste movement because their basic needs have already been met. People can only participate in the zero waste movement because they have access to stores with plentiful options. People can only participate in the zero waste movement if they have a surplus of money and time at their disposal,” However, Polly adds that while she does have privilege and access, she doesn’t exactly earn enough to join the bourgeoisie. “We are a family of two with a tight budget, a big goal of being debt free in the next year, and the intent of heading towards zero waste. If we can make it happen, chances are some level of a zero waste lifestyle is pretty attainable for a lot of people. Zero waste on a budget is possible.” It’s okay to start small. You don’t have to jump right in and make major changes to your lifestyle that will eat up a large chunk of your monthly budget. Here are a few tips on how you can go zero waste on a budget:

Start with your kitchen

The basis of living the zero waste lifestyle is mostly saying no to items that will result in inevitable waste. Making the conscious effort to refuse wasteful, single-use items is the first step to a zero waste lifestyle. The kitchen usually contributes to most waste, which also makes it a great place to start. Some of the items you can pledge to stop buying or using are paper towels and plastic bags. Paper towels can be easily substituted with washcloths or kitchen towels. [table id=1156 /] Bring your own reusable bag when you go shopping, or buy one from the check out counter if you forget. Make a list of things you need so you don’t buy unnecessary items that will end up going to waste. Replace all plastic containers with glass ones. Aside from that, you can also shop at places like The Hive or Nude The Zero Waste Store to make it easier to buy items without plastic packaging.

Be picky about what goes on your skin

Almost all of your beauty and bath products can be DIY - or have been DIY-ed and being sold at a store. Again, you don’t have to throw everything out and start from scratch. The next time you run out of a product, for example, shampoo, try to opt for an organic option instead of running to the nearest drug store. Visit zero-waste stores, scan their options and see what works for your budget. If you’re too lazy to drive out, you can easily purchase them online. If you want to make shampoo on your own, it’s also fairly easy. You only need two ingredients – baking soda and water. It could be your fun weekend project! [table id=1157 /] By making your own shampoo, you save RM16 a month, and a lot more in the long run.

Stop buying more clothes. You really don't need more.

Yes, we know it’s difficult to resist that buy one free two offer at your favourite clothing store. As tempting as it is, think of all the clothes already taking up every inch of your wardrobe. Much more than that, think of all the clothes cramped in the bag that you’re waiting to donate or sell. Do you really want to add on more clothes to the pile? It’s not enough to just know where your clothes are coming from, it’s also important to know where they’re going to end up. Go back to your wardrobe and see what you can mix and match or spice up with accessories - and you’ll be reducing a whole lot of waste and saving a lot of money.

Don’t head out without your (free) zero-waste essentials

It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as easy as throwing cutlery, metal straws, and Tupperware into your bag. These are all items you already have at home – which means they don’t cost you anything. You’ll be well prepared in any case - whether you need to stop by for food or drinks with friends. If you love heading out for Starbucks, make sure you get your drink in a mug if you’re dining in, or in your own tumbler if you’re taking out. You save RM2 for every drink you get in your own tumbler too!

Say no to paper at any given time

It’s fairly easy to avoid waste at work. More and more companies are going green and have reduced that frequency in which they print documents. If you really must print, make sure to use both sides of the paper - and then reuse it for taking down notes during meetings. Stop buying or using Post-Its and memo pads - use your notepad in your phone or laptop instead. It is hard to change when we are accustomed to a certain lifestyle. However, it is possible to make small changes every day and gradually change our habits for the better.

The post Is It Possible To Go Zero Waste On A Budget? appeared first on iMoney Malaysia.

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nancygduarteus · 5 years

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How To Sell a $50 Water Bottle

The potential judgement of students can lead a teacher to do strange things. For Monique Mongeon, an arts educator in Toronto, her first job teaching adults sparked a small crisis of confidence. “I was in my mid-20s, and I was looking at things I could do to make myself feel like a person who had authority to stand in front of a bunch of other 20-somethings,” she says. After ruling out fancy bags and shoes for being too extravagant, Mongeon settled on a sleek, $45 water bottle. “I was scrolling through websites thinking, which of these S’well bottles looks like the kind of person I want to be?”

Nine years ago, there was only one S’well, and it was blue. Now you can get the curvy, steel-capped bottles in more than 200 different size and color combinations, including some that look like marble or teakwood. Many are customizable with your initials. The big ones will hold an entire bottle of wine, and smaller versions are made for cocktails or coffee. Teens offer S’well bottles to propose to prospective prom dates. They’re a common sight in Instagram photos of artfully stuffed vacation carry-ons and aesthetically pleasing desk tableaus.

S’well’s success is impressive, but the brand has a host of competitors nipping at its heels in what has become an enormous market for high-end, reusable beverage containers. If nothing in S’well’s inventory calls out to you, maybe you’ll like a Yeti, Sigg, Hydro Flask, Contigo, or bkr. A limited-edition Soma bottle, created in collaboration with the Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh and Evian (itself a legend of designer water), was recently feted at New York Fashion Week. VitaJuwel bottles, which can cost more than $100, promise to “restructure” your tap water using the power of interchangeable crystal pods.

On the surface, water bottles as totems of consumer aspiration sound absurd: If you have access to water, you can drink it out of so many things that already exist in your home. But if you dig a little deeper, you find that these bottles sit at a crossroads of cultural and economic forces that shape Americans’ lives far beyond beverage choices. If you can understand why so many people would spend 50 bucks on a water bottle, then you can understand a lot about America in 2019.

The first time I coveted a water bottle was in 2004. When I arrived as a freshman at the University of Georgia, I found that I was somehow the last person alive who didn’t own a Nalgene. The brand’s distinctive, lightweight plastic bottles had long been a cult-favorite camping accessory, but in the mid-2000s, they exploded in popularity beyond just outdoorsmen. A version with the school’s logo on it cost $16 in the bookstore, which was a little steep for me, an unemployed 18-year-old, but I bought one anyway. I wanted to be the kind of person all my new peers apparently were. Plus, it’s hot in Georgia. A nice water bottle seemed like a justifiable extravagance.

Around the same time, I remember noticing the first flares of another trend intimately related to the marketability of water bottles: athleisure. All around me, stylish young women wore colorful Nike running shorts and carried bright plastic Nalgenes to class. “With millennials, fitness and health are themselves signals,” says Tülin Erdem, a marketing professor at New York University. “They drink more water and carry it with them, so it’s an item that becomes part of them and their self-expression.”

Now, across Instagram, you can find high-end water bottles lurking around the edges of stylized gym photos posted by exercisers and fitness instructors. Usually, these people aren’t being rewarded for the placement by anything but likes. Sarah Kauss, S’well’s founder and CEO, says people have been photographing her water bottles since the company began in 2010. “I’d receive hundreds of pictures a week from customers,” she says. “I wasn’t giving them anything for it. There wasn’t a free bottle or a coupon code or anything other than customers just wanting to show their own experience.”

Kauss says she always knew the bottle’s appearance would be important, even though positioning something as simple as a water bottle as a luxury product was a bit of a gamble. “As I moved up in my career, I was upgrading my wardrobe, and the bottle that looked like a camping accessory really didn’t serve my purpose anymore,” she says. When she noticed fashionable New Yorkers were carrying upscale disposable plastic bottles from brands like Evian and Fiji, she realized reusable bottles could use a makeover, too

Kauss and her contemporaries struck at the right time. The importance of fitness and wellness were starting to gain a foothold in fashionable crowds, and concerns over consumer waste and plastic’s potential to leach chemicals into food and water were gaining wider attention. People wanted cute workout gear, and they wanted to drink water out of materials other than plastic. Researchers have found that the chance to be conspicuously sustainability-conscious motivates consumers, especially when the product being purchased costs more than its less-green counterparts.

Nearly a decade on, the water-bottle trend shows no signs of slowing, and people just seem to like their fancy bottles a lot. The insulated metal variety, which is the most popular, does a far better job than plastic at keeping beverages at ideal temperatures. They’re durable and useful. When I put out a call for opinions on Twitter, I heard from hundreds of people about how much they loved theirs. Rebecca Thomas, a 28-year-old in Atlanta who owns three S’wells, says she once paid a ransom to an Uber driver after she left one behind in the car. (“That’s when I decided I’d never put wine in one again,” she says.) Others were similarly dedicated. “I will be buried with all of my different sizes of Hydro Flask,” says Emily Sile, a travel editor in New York City. “Maybe by then Hydro Flask will come out with a coffin, so I can be buried in that, too.”

The trend’s Instagram visibility might make it seem like high-end water bottles are the sole province of women. Indeed, brands like bkr, whose bottles are pastel glass and can come with a special top meant to hold lip gloss, are explicitly marketed as products of feminine beauty. (Drinking water, after all, is often lauded as the ultimate skincare product.) But the category’s origins in camping gear mean that it started out with a strong foothold among male millennials as well, and brands like Yeti and Hydro Flask have continued to court a more masculine audience. Mike Ferguson, a 37-year-old in Los Angeles, has four Yetis of various sizes that he usually uses for iced coffee and water. “I have very few vices, but this is one,” he says. “Am I a brand loyalist? I don’t think so, but the evidence suggests otherwise.”

Ferguson, like many people I spoke with, got his first Yeti as a gift. Kauss says that’s a popular trend she sees with S’well’s customers, too: People will buy one or two, presumably for themselves, and then come back to the website around the holidays and buy six. Most brands also customize orders for large corporate clients, meaning your employer might hand you a logo bottle at the end of the year. Even if spending 40 or 50 bucks on a water bottle sounds bad, getting one for free can turn reluctant consumers into evangelists.

When those factors are taken together, it’s hard to be surprised that so many $50 water bottles exist, or that people have snapped them up in droves. On a certain level, a nice water bottle fulfils its promise in the way few things do. They hold water. They stay cold. They look nice on your desk. They don’t leave an unsightly sweat ring on your nightstand. For people like Mongeon, the art teacher, they look like things that are owned by people who know what they’re doing. For a lot of people, they spark a little bit of joy in the otherwise mundane routine of work, exercise, and personal hygiene. For a generation with less expendable income than its parents’, a nice bottle pays for itself with a month of consistent use and lets you feel like you’re being proactive about your health and the environment.

A container of any kind, whether it’s a rented storage unit or a decorative basket, promises order and control. Marie Kondo’s Netflix show about organizing American homes in disarray was a hit for a reason: There’s a small amount serenity in finding the right vessel and filling it with the right thing. Consumer choices might not be an effective solution to structural problems like pollution, but it’s nice to feel like you’re making ethical choices. If nothing else, millennials can buy the best water bottle they can afford and try their best to stay hydrated.

from Health News And Updates https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/02/luxury-water-bottles/582595/?utm_source=feed

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