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Monday Night Finance- Volume 39

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Monday, 09 November 2020 / Published in Monday Night Finance

Monday Night Finance- Volume 39

Thrift Store Shopping: 13 Things You Should Never Buy

Do you shop at thrift stores? Buying used goods can be a great way to save money on things you use every day. Not only can you buy clothes or furniture for pennies on the dollar, but buying at thrift stores is great for the planet. Every item you purchase used is one less item that needs to be made in a factory. Another great benefit of buying at thrift stores is that you can find unique items that are no longer being manufactured. For example the thrift store is maybe the only place you’ll be able to find the perfect vintage dress, or a Bangles LP. Given all these advantages should you shop exclusively at thrift stores? According to MoneyCheck.com, you should be careful and avoid buying these 13 things at thrift stores.

While the thrift store does have some great offerings, it also has its drawbacks. There are some products that you should never buy at the thrift store, our you’ll be throwing your money away.

Electronics are the number one item to avoid at thrift stores. Looking back at my own thrift store experiences, I have never been tempted to buy electronics there. Not only does the technology look outdated, but often the items appear to be partially broken. Shoes are another item to avoid at thrift stores. When you buy new shoes they have cushioning that breaks down with every step. Running shoes wear out after about 400 miles. Buying used shoes may cause you joint pain down the road and medical bills are much more expensive than a pair of shoes. The article also recommends you avoid small appliances. If these items fail, you have no warrantee and will need to discard the item. Because it’s often hard to gauge whether the appliance works in the thrift store, you’re making a gamble with each purchase. Are you a frequent thrift store shopper? Check out the article for the full list.

How to Invest and Make Money Daily

We all need money every day. Food, shelter, and transportation all require money. Most people must work every day to afford these essentials in life. However, if you invest some of your money today, your can earn interest/dividends/profits. In this way, you can put your money to work for you. If having your money make money sounds like a dream come true check out this post.

Let’s start by defining what it means to make money every day. To me, this means your investments will either increase in value or provide you with a cash return. But for you, it might mean something slightly different.

In this post, Forrest outlines many of the different ways you can put your money to work to make money. Obviously you could place your money into a savings account or certificate of deposit at a bank. While keeping your money in the bank is safe (it’s guaranteed), the interest will probably not be enough money to live off of. Instead, you may wish to invest in stocks. One way to do this is to invest in a broad index fund that can grow in value over time. Alternatively, you could target dividend stocks and choose to live off of the dividends. Beyond these two investments, you could explore starting your own business. For even more ideas, check out the article.

How to Earn $3,000 A Month with Freelance Transcription

Are you looking for a side hustle that you can do from home? Maybe you’re not looking for full time work but want to freelance on nights and weekends? With the rise of the gig economy there are now many ways to make money at home in your free time. One of the biggest challenges is choosing which way is the best way to earn extra income. Being a freelance transcriptionist is a freelance job you can start today with very few skills.

If you’re looking for a flexible option to work from home, consider freelance transcription. It gives you the freedom to set your own schedule and is a lucrative way to rake in cash with a side hustle. You work as little or as much as you want, charge your own rates, and provide a service many businesses are willing to outsource to freelancers like you.

Let’s start with the basics. A transcriber is someone who types out what is said on audio or video files. While it sounds easy, you’ll need to pay attention to make sure you capture everything correctly. Often clients will expect you to have not only transcribed the words correctly but also use proper grammar and punctuation. Transcription does not require any specific equipment beyond a computer and access to the audio/video files, typically over the internet. However, advanced transcriptionists may use a foot pedal to keep their hands free for typing. Finally, transcriptionists can earn between $15-$30 per hour, making it a lucrative side hustle. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, check out the article for everything you need to know.

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What you can read next

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Barbara Ann Feeney
16-05-2016

I switched from pencil and paper on grid accounting paper, then to a Google spreadsheet, then to CountAbout. Really happy with how this app makes it easy to track how I doing, staying (or not) on budget.

 
‏@davepurcell
15-11-2016

I rarely tweet endorsements, but -- after years of using/hating Quicken, Countabout is awesome for tracking home budget/finances. Thx!

 
David M.
16-07-2016

CountAbout is as easy to use on my mobile as it is on the desktop and it provides me with the same or better information than Quicken.

 
Nate E.
05-02-2016

Fantastic! I finally found a great replacement for Quicken! CountAbout is entirely cloud-based, so you can access it from whatever OS you happen to be using. And the mobile app isn't hamstrung like Quicken's. No looking back for me, this is a great app and a great service!

 
My Bank Tracker
24-11-2016

...you won’t be bombarded with ads when you log in. Mint, for example, uses targeted ads to help keep the platform free. All in all, CountAbout could be a good choice for Quicken and Mint users who want to start fresh with their finances without losing their past transaction history.

 
Mark Goldfarb
20-01-2017

I love the software – nice and clean – the categories was a must have that your competitors are lacking.

 
Widgets to Compare Monthly Spending in Active Categories
17-02-2017

Huzzah! I can add widgets now and already made one to compare my monthly spending in my active categories to my budget. Excellent. That tool is one of my favorite features in a personal finance product.

 
Shirley Hou
CountAbout was Perfect
15-03-2017

I was looking for finance software to use as treasurer of the parent-teacher association at my child's school. CountAbout was perfect - it had all the register features and download capabilities that I was familiar with from desktop Quicken, but it has the advantage of being in the cloud so I can use it from any computer.

 
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Steve P.
22-09-2017

My search for a cloud-based alternative to Quicken is over! Very easy to transfer my Quicken data and customize my account. Thank you CountAbout!

 
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Jim Powell
17-03-2018

Vastly superior to the execrable Quicken, which caused me to have to choose a new bank password every time I used it. CA is fast, simple, and all you need unless you have a complicated investment portfolio. Its almost fun!

 
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Jeffrey Wilk
02-04-2018

Great product and great customer service. Thanks!

 
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Nancy
10-08-2018

I love CountAbout! I have hated Quicken for years, but didn't have an alternative. Now I do! I love that the cost is only $9.99 per year for the basic service (which is all I need). You can upgrade for more features, if you need them. But for personal use, the basic plan is just fine. When I found CountAbout, I gleefully gave Quicken the boot and I haven't looked back or missed it at all. Bye bye Quicken!!!

 
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Dana Linder
29-03-2019

This is an incredibly well thought out program.

It imports QIF files perfectly. I tried a number that failed miserably.

It has a function that emails reminders about scheduled transactions. That is an extremely useful function that I hadn't seen anywhere.

Tech support is second to none. All my questions were answered in detail within hours (sometimes minutes).

The companion phone app is very simple. You can browse, search, enter transactions and see scheduled transaction. That's really all you need on the phone.

It's one failing for me is that I have a transaction that I have a transaction that occurs on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, and it's not possible to set that up. It's easy enough for me to change the date of next transaction when I enter the current one.

I am extremely impressed with the company. The trial is free for 15 days. You have nothing to lose.

 
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Keith Hurst
22-05-2020

I've been trying to ditch Quicken for years, finally a worthy replacement, but it's so much more, so clean and intuitively designed. I was really surprised and delighted to find a full featured iphone app that meets all my needs.

 
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Amanda Sherlock
25-08-2020

I started using Quicken in 1987, before I had my own PC. I continued using it for years, frustrated by the frequent breaks in the synchronization. Finally I took the leap and used Mint for a year or two. Free software is worth as much as I pay for. Finally, in 2019 I found Countabout. The synchronization is great and I am happy to have a product that's easy to use and reliable. The customer support is excellent and very responsive to my questions.
There aren't as many bells and whistles as Quicken but the simplicity outweighs the complications.

 

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CountAbout® is an easy-to-use online personal finance application that imports data from Quicken and Mint and automatically downloads data from banking, credit card, and retirement accounts. With no software to install, we’re anywhere you have an Internet connection. Our platform is stable, secure, and totally private. Our dedicated customer service team is friendly, knowledgeable, and quick to respond.

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