Budgeting

If you want to spend more on a birthday present for a loved one, thinking about retirement, or planning a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, you are probably wondering how you can find the money to make such a dream a reality. If you already have a well-paying job, it might not just be a question of working harder but thinking smarter and saving on everyday purchases. Here are five common bills that you can make savings on. 

Electricity 

Check your electricity bill regularly to ensure that you are not wasting more electricity than you need to. Install a smart meter that can keep abreast of how much energy you use and even automatically turn off parts of the house when they are not being used. You can also upgrade your appliances at places like powerpointelectrics.co.uk, so you will use less energy, saving more money in the long run. 

Cable 

Many Americans spend a ridiculous amount of money on cable services, averaging $1,200 a year. With today’s streaming services dominance, significant savings can be made by switching to these modern options, which can cost under $200 for a similar suite of great programming options. If you want to save even more money, and you don’t mind living with the main channels, you can ditch the at-cost extras altogether.

Health Insurance

According to CNBC, the average cost of healthcare is around $321 a month. After taxes, rent, or mortgage payments, that can represent a rather large chunk of your income. We would recommend trying to renegotiate your healthcare plan, something that may seem rather daunting at first but can often change after a quick call or email. You also may find that federal or state plans can cover part of your healthcare costs; do your research and see if you can get some help. 

General Spending

To track what you are spending when you are going to the shops, we would recommend downloading a banking app that links to your card and lets you know your monthly outgoings. By tracking your spending, you will get a better hold of what you are using your money for, cutting down on non-essential purchases and saving more money each month. This same spending can then be automatically put in a savings account with interest payments, meaning your money grows with almost minimal effort. 

Transportation 

It is likely that transportation costs, especially if you are commuting daily to your workplace, are eating up a fair amount of your income. Is it possible to get a cheaper car or a better transportation deal? Do your research and find out if you can save more money each month this way. Additionally, if it is possible, perhaps you can swap your car or monthly railcard in for a bicycle. Not only does cycling keep you fit, both physically and mentally, it is several times cheaper compared to almost any other transport option, with virtually no ongoing costs bar the first initial purchase.

We all know what a timesheet is – it’s a way for employees to track their hours. However, the way we do business has changed enormously, and as you might expect, timesheets have adapted a great deal to meet new demands. If your business’s time-tracking software hasn’t evolved in recent years, then it might be holding you back and making life more difficult for everyone. So, what should you be looking for from a timesheet, and how should people be filling them in?

More Than Just Tracking Time

In the past, employees would just fill in a piece of paper, and the HR team would check it against their records. However, today, we have a much more mobile workforce, and tracking hours isn’t quite so simple. 

Naturally, timesheets have had to move online and offer added capabilities. Today, timesheets can offer added capabilities such as work cycles, and detailed insights into performance, making them an important tool. 

By making this software an important part of every-day business operations, it makes tracking a much more automatic process. 

Remote Workers 

Businesses have become much more flexible, and many employees are now based out of the office. This would make it much more difficult to track people’s hours, but software from places such as peoplexcd.com make this much easier for businesses. By setting up automated alerts and allowing employees to keep track of things like paid leave, you make it much simpler for people to track and view their hours. 

The other thing to remember is security. It’s something we’re accustomed to hearing about in the modern world, but cyber-security is a big issue, and you need to be able to provide your employees with a safe way to log their hours, no matter where they are. 

They’ve Got to be Simple

You want your employees and contractors to spend their time doing the things they’re good at, not filling in a timesheet. Of course, keeping track of hours is important, but if people are spending their hours filling out the sheet, then it’s not productive. Modern timesheets aim to make keeping track of hours as simple as possible, and this is vitally important. 

If you make it difficult to fill out timesheets, then compliance will drop. You’ve got to make sure accuracy is maintained, but it’s got to be a simple process. 

Software Matters

Technology in business is always improving, and in many cases, it’s making our lives much easier. A big part of this is the improvement in software, and a prime example of this is in HR. 

Good software brings many aspects of HR together, making life easier for everyone. Timesheet software is no different, and it’s something that can benefit your business, your HR team, and your employees. The right software gives people a central place where they can log in and quickly get important information, and this is exactly what you need in the modern-day. 

The right software will make your process more efficient and ensure greater accuracy.

If you live in the United States, you know that the arrival of winter signifies that not only is winter all but over but that we are all officially knee-deep into tax season.

The only time of year when reality tv consumption is replaced by the incessant clicking of calculator keys. Where the guilt-ridden chore of writing out Santa’s naughty list pails in comparison to the receipt-retiring foolishness of reliving the previous year’s financial misdeeds one spreadsheet at a time. A time when your least favorite sentence is adjusted withholdings.

Now you may ask, why the horror and fury? In America, our bravado prevents us from legitimately fearing very little. With one exception. The angriest of housewives, the meanest of mistresses, the sorceress of the side-eye, the Internal Revenue Service.

Even for us influencers, bloggers, podcasters, and YouTubers, there’s no exception. As independent contractors, we’re always made an example of this tax season. This means: You’ve got to pay the Pieper!

But before I get ahead of myself, let me state this: While I am a former attorney, my specialization was not tax law. I’m also not an accountant and so you should always consult an accounting professional if you are unsure about your tax filings. Especially if this is your first fiscal year working as an influencer or if you haven’t been paying taxes on your earned online income or sales tax filing.

Whether you are making a little or a lot, you should treat blogging, podcasting, influence work, agency placement, and YouTube creation like a small business that will be taken seriously by the IRS, if not by you. If you made at least $600 from your posts, media channels, or videos this past year, you should receive a 1099 form. A form is transmitted to both of you as an influencer and cc’ed to the IRS.

Be prepared to offer the IRS more than fairytales and glitter dust when filing your taxes.

With that said, I am pretty savvy when it comes to personal finance and have studied tax law independently for many years. With this knowledge in mind, I write this post.

Filing taxes may seem like a daunting tax, but getting your tax records in order to properly file, is a simple process.

First, all of the information you need to make informed decisions are available from the IRS website, and more importantly, not forgetting to claim sole-proprietor status on your taxes. This will allow you to subtract things related to your business.

This is by far the simplest and most overlooked part of the whole process. Even if you have formed an LLC, you can still claim sole proprietorship and get the added benefit of protecting your personal assets. You may also benefit in the future, by paying for your taxes quarterly to prevent issues that come with excessive bulk preparations during tax season.

Second, there’s also a silver lining. As an influencer, there are a wide variety of things you can deduct from your taxes. Which is awesome. Because let’s face it, we should all be taking advantage of every tax break you can get.

Remember, influencing is a business and all business entities accrue business expenses. Many of which are tax write-offs. But not everything is a business expense. So what can you claim?

The blanket term from the IRS is that you can deduct: Any ordinary, necessary, and reasonable expense that helps you earn business income.

A simple way to determine if you’re making a good claim is to give it the laugh test. If you can put it on your forms with a straight face, without thinking you going to jail or purgatory, its safe to assume you could claim it on your taxes.

But do be careful not to overlook any potential deductions. According to Forbes, the IRS believes that a full 20% of eligible Americans miss out on tax breaks worth up to $6,318.00 each year!

While you won’t be able to claim any of the products you have purchased for haul videos, toys for your children you have reviewed, or your OOTD on Instagram, there are many expenses you can claim, including:

Equipment Depreciation: for cameras and editing computers. You can deduct 20% off of equipment each year for 5 years and since 2012 there has been a law made that allows for claiming 50% depreciation on the first year of owning the equipment.

Advertising: Services like Promoted Videos on YouTube to advertise your content and gain viewers and the cost of prizes from contests and giveaways as they are very closely related to advertising can be claimed.

Home Office Usage: If you have a space in your home, or shared external space, dedicated to YouTube, podcasting, or blogging, even if it’s a hobby, you may be eligible for a pretty sizable deduction. But these spaces must be used, for the sole purpose of business 2 or more days per week, for the entire year, to qualify as a deduction for the IRS.

Cell Phone Usage: If you have a cell phone dedicated to your YouTube channel or blog that you regularly use your phone for networking or managing videos and comments it could qualify for a deduction as well.

Professional Advice: Did you seek any help in getting your channel off the ground? Perhaps sought website critique or professional review? Any experts whom you pay to help guide you in making sound business decisions are taxable deductions.

Gas mileage: Driving to airports, driving to pick up supplies, or even driving to do a collab. It’s all about the business. Save every receipt and write off those miles!

Conference Fees: Conference attendance is are tax-deductible. Not only the cost to attend the conference itself, but just about any expense related to it from food, hotel room, cab rides, airfare and even the business cards you hand out.

Video Editing Software: Are you still using Windows Movie Maker? Consider upgrading to something better and write it off on your taxes. Software used for your business is tax-deductible.

Data Storage: Do you use external drives or a cloud-based storage service? All of these things could be tax-deductible.

Home Telephone Line: Like with cell service, if this line is primarily used for your business, claim it on your taxes. But if the line is used for general home use is not tax-deductible.

Clothes: If you primarily work from home, your pajamas and yoga pants are not tax-deductible. Uniform or specific clothing used for producing videos can be deducted on your taxes.

Photo Props: According to federal tax code Section 162, buying or leasing props, used to film or video record work is a tax deduction.

Personal Expenses: If something is more of personal responsibility than a business one, you’re going to get red flagged. If its used more than 80% for business, include it.

Trips: Was a trip taken for the sole purpose of conducting business? Include those recorded expenses on your return.

Work-related art: Using stock photography? That’s deductible!

Photo Lenses: Deducatble!

Printers: Does your all-in-one printer need upgrading? You can deduct that expense if the printer is primarily used for business. Included pitched review items!

Lighting Equipment: Deducatble!

Scanners: Scanners used for the sole purpose of conducting business, deductible!

Laminators: Laminators used solely for business, not the home or homeschooling is deductible. Unless you run a homeschooling YouTube channel!

Stencil Makers: Do you have an ETSY shop or show stencil making on your media outlets? That’s a deduction.

Trade show fees: Attending trade shows? Keep those receipts as they may be tax-deductible.

Days out of work for reviews: Keep your receipts, as those costs may be tax-deductible. And if blogging isn’t your main gig, they also serve as time-qualifying evidence.

Professional Web Design Costs: If you’re like me and use a web designer to create any aspect of your bog, that’s a tax dedication in your favor.

Work-Related Books: Maintain a collection of up-to-date work-related books on business or finance? They may be tax-deductible but are subject to depreciation.

Research fees: If you accrue fees to research niche-specific topics on your site or use services such as TubeBuddy for YouTube creator research analysis, those fees are tax deductible.

LLC Costs: If you have incorporated your business as a limited liability corporation, the legal and service fees associated with this process may be tax-deductible.

Postage: Postage costs, such as mailing giveaway prizes to recipients or snail mail pitch companies, can be deducted from your taxes.

Educational classes: Accredited course-work, such as obtaining a field-related degree will be a tax deduction for you. Both federally and state.

Subscriptions for research and data management sites: Research fees, for niche-specific work, can be deducted from your taxes.

Software licensing fees: Licensing Fees, for subscriptions such as Adobe Suite, can be deducted from your taxes.

Custom chargers: If you have had to purchase a specific charger for a business-related device, the costs accrued are tax-deductible.

Tax software: Business-edition only tax preparation software is a tax deduction!

Trademark and copyright fees: Fees associated with creating trademarks, copyrighting, watermarking, and branding your work is tax deductible

Newsletter Service Fees: Fees associated with premiere subsection-based newsletter delivery services are a tax deduction each year.

Live App Fees: Fees to purchase a subscription to use apps that promote your brand being live online via Facebook or YouTube, such as Be Live Tv, is deductible.

Video Conferencing Fees: Fees associated with video conferencing, such as Skype, are tax-deductible only for business meetings! Not to call Grandma in the old country or to catch-up with friends in the motherland!

Virtual Assitant Courses: Courses taken in the act of preparing to become certified to be your own virtual assistant, or to assist others, is a tax-dedication.

Paralegal fees: Courses taken in the act of preparing to become certified to be your own paralegal, or to assist others, is a tax-dedication.

Business lunches and meetings: Meals that accrue expensive during business meetings are tax deductions.

Self-storage fees for business equipment: Business-related equipment that requires storage or maintenance can be tax deducted.

Bank Security Box Fees: Fees associated with the storage of legal paperwork in bank security boxes can be deducted from your taxes each year.

Notary Fees: Fees associated with notarizing legal business-pertaining documents can be deducted from your taxes.

Antivirus software: software used to protect the security of your site may be a deduction for you come tax time!

Long distance bills: Long distance bills accrued for business purposes only can be deducted from your taxes.

Work-related car repairs: Car repairs accrued for vehicles that are relegated to work-only vehicles can be deducted from your taxes.

Losses due to theft: Losses due to business-expense related costs may deductible from your taxes.

Website hosting fees: Web hosting fees, for sites such as Bluehost, might be a tax deduction for you.

Domain costs: Costs associated with domain fees for your blog may be deducted from your taxes each year.

Redirect Fees: Fees associated with redirecting blogs from a wordpress.com to a wordpress.org account may be a tax deduction for you.

Freelance photography fees: The fees associated with the commission of freelance photography or its use may be a tax deduction for you this year.

Archival Fees: Fees associated with archiving your site’s original photography or written transcription services can be deducted from your site.

Business cards: The fees associated with creating cards can be deducted from your site. Keep this in mind before your next conference!

Letterhead: The fees associated with creating logos for business letterhead can be deducted from your business.

Stationary: Stationery products used in correspondence from your business or LLC can be deducted from your taxes.

Promotional Swag: Swag or merch costs for products used to promote your site or channel can be deducted from your taxes.

Computer upgrades: The costs of upgrading a business-only laptop, pc, or tablet can be deducted from your taxes.

Hotel expenses: Lodging costs associated with travel for blogging, including cruises and conferences, can be deducted from your taxes.

Hotel costs for review trips: Review trips that accrue hotel costs can be deducted from your taxes. Minus taxes on your stay, of course!

P.O. Box fees: Business-related Post Office box fees can be deducted from your taxes.

Prizes for hosted giveaways: Costs associated with the purchase of giveaways on your media channels can be deducted from your taxes.

Up to 20% of your internet bills: Up to 20% of your high-speed internet and Wi-Fi costs each year can be claimed on your taxes.

Microphones: The fees associated with the purchase of professional sound equipment, including microphones, for broadcasting and podcasting, can be deducted from your taxes.

Sound Mixers: Podcasting sound mixer and recorder costs can be deducted from your taxes.

Sound Filters: Filters and muffs used in podcasting and video voice-overs can be deducted from your taxes.

Podcast Editing and Uploading Service Fees: The service fees for using sites for editing, uploading, or storing your podcasts can be deducted from your taxes.

The Podcast and YouTube Hosting Fees: Fees associated with the website hosting costs for your podcast or YouTube thumbnail services can be deducted from your taxes

Podcast Advertising Fees: Fees accrued as the result of advertising your podcast can be deducted from your taxes.

Podcast and YouTube Intro/Outro Fees: Fees associated with creating intros and outros for your podcast and YouTube channel can be deducted from your taxes.

YouTube Endslate Fees: Fees resulting from the professional creation or purchased kit to commission a YouTube end slate product can be deducted from your taxes.

Vlogmas, Vlogtober, and Vloguary Fees: Fees associated with monthly vlogging celebrations on YouTube can be deducted from your taxes.

Furniture Leasing Fees: Fees accrued because of leasing office furniture can be deducted from your taxes.

Paint: Paint used in the commission of an office dwelling or projects used on business channels can be deducted from your taxes.

Recipe Plug-Ins: Professional cooking or recipe plug-in fees for your blog can be deducted from your taxes.

Antivirus Plug-Ins: Antivirus plug-in costs for your blog can be deducted from your taxes.

Framework Upgrades: Upgrading the framework of your site to a new hosting platform, including the Genesis platform, can be deducted from your taxes.

Makeup, Nail, and Haircare Products: Products used on you alone, in the creation of campaign photography for your online business, can be deducted from your taxes. Haul and subscription products are not tax deductible.

Headshots: Costs associated with having professionally created headshots for your blog, channels, book tours, or social accounts may be deducted from your taxes.

Portfolio Creation: Costs associated with having professionally created portfolio kits, such as being a savings or foodie blogger, may be deducted from your taxes.

Media Kit Creation: Costs associated with having professionally created media kits or media kit template purchase fees may be deducted from your taxes.

Filter Apps: Apps that provide filters for your business-only social media accounts, Facebook Groups, sidebar images, or fan pages may be a tax deduction for you.

Music Licensing Fees: Fees associated with purchasing the licensing to use music in your YouTube videos may be a tax deduction for you.

App Editing Software: Apps used to edit Youtube thumbnails may be a potential tax deduction for you.

Union Fees: Fees associated with belonging to a union, such as the Communication Workers of America, is a tax dedication.

Healthcare Costs: You may be able to a sizeable rebate on fees associated with your privately purchase health care as an independent contractor.

Auditing services: Services purchased as audit-ready servicing in post-tax season times, can be a potential tax-deduction to you.

Paper shredding fees: Fees associated with the proper disposal of business-related paperwork, such as to a business supply store, can be deducted from your taxes.

Binding Fees: Fees associated with binding reports, books, or coursework related to your business can be deducted from your business or ETSY shop.

Teaching Expenses: Expenses related to teaching original coursework as part of your business marketing strategy can be deducted from your taxes.

Manuscript Fees: Fees associated with having an original manuscript professionally proffered and typed is a potential tax deduction.

Self-Publishing Fees: Fees associated with self-publishing book are tax deductible.

Stenography Fees: Fees associated with stenography for your business may be a tax deduction for you.

App Creation Fees: Thinking of creating an app for your blog? That may be a tax deduction for you the year it debuts!

Professional Organization Fees: Fees associated with having a professional organizer overhaul a work-related-only space, can be deducted from your taxes.

Planners: The costs of a single, non-hobbyist planner, including shipping, used to plan business-related events only, can be deducted from your taxes.

Gift Guide Fees: Fees associated with producing gift guides are tax deductible.

Printable Fees: Fees associated with creating free or for-profit printables for your site, including email subscription freebies products, are tax deductible.

Writing instruments: Writing pens, calligraphy pens, and stylus pens used only for business are tax deductible.

After-Post Reports: Costs accrued from reports submitted to campaign leaders including stats pertaining to sponsored campaigns can be deducted from your taxes.

Scheduled Posting Costs: Fees associated with social media posting and tribe-building sites, such as Tailwind, may be tax deductible for you.

Agent and Public Relation Fees: Fees associated with paid agent fees accrued during the promotion of your business may be tax deductible for you.

So, folks, those are 101 potential tax deductions you may qualify for as a blogger, podcaster, live broadcaster, YouTuber, or digital entrepreneur.

While many will qualify for numerous deductions on the before-mentioned list, do keep this piece of information in mind: The most important piece of advice I could give you is to track everything you do related to your YouTube, blog, or Podcast business.

If in doubt as to how to file your taxes properly and on time, hire a CPA at the end of the year and have them review all of those details you’ve kept track of to see what does and what does not qualify as a business expense. It will not only help you reduce your risk of being audited.

Should you get audited, being prepared will help you be able to calmly present all of the information needed to move forward accordingly.

Be sure to share, save, and pin this post for quick referencing during tax season! Now I want to ask, what is your favorite tax deduction as a blogger, YouTuber, or podcaster? I’d love to hear about it below!

When you find yourself involved in an accident, whether car accidents with sustained injuries, workplace injuries or medical malpractice, chances are that you might have to negotiate a settlement with an insurance company. It can be daunting and stressful, especially while dealing with the aftermath of your accident. However, about 95% of accident cases end up being settled out of court. While this success rate is impressive, what happens if your offer is not good enough? If you feel that you have been given a low settlement offer, here are a few actionable steps to ensure that you get what you deserve.

1. Do not lash out

One of the most important things you can do is remain polite and calm when you have been given a low settlement offer even if you know you are deliberately being taken advantage of. It might be tempting to lash out at the insurance claims adjuster, but that might be to your detriment. Your anger could make you seem like an unreliable witness, and that could jeopardize the negotiation. What you can do instead is to stay calm while rejecting the offer. If you have not done so, it would be best to hire a car accident lawyer to help you go through the process on your behalf. 

2. Be prepared to present facts

One of the most crucial things to do when you find yourself involved in an accident is to document everything as soon as possible. That includes jotting down relevant information such as medical costs and taking pictures, especially any injuries you sustained. The more evidence you gather, the stronger your damage claims will be. With sufficient documents and paperwork to back your request for a higher settlement, the insurance company will find it challenging to offer low compensation. 

3. Ask several questions

When you are hit with a low offer, you can respond by asking the claims adjuster questions. You can ask about their reasoning behind the low settlement offer or why they evaluated your case the way they did. Their responses might help you make a more informed counteroffer. For example, find out if you were given a low offer based on insufficient documentation of your injuries. You can provide them with updated medical records to increase the bid provided you have that documentation.

4. Settle in court

This should be your last option and must only be used when all negotiations and mediations fail. That is because sending your settlement claim to trial can be time-consuming and even more expensive for you. Nonetheless, you are entitled to settle in court if you believe it would yield the best results for you. Ensure that you have all the correct documents and the right legal backing when deciding to try the case. Many law firms like Whittel & Melton promise their clients ‘no fee or costs unless we win’ services to guarantee that you are more successful at trial. 

When you are in settlement negotiations, remember always to reject the first offer. You must also ensure that you do not allow any insurance company to force you into accepting an offer. Look out for common bad faith insurance tactics and learn how to respond to them accordingly. For the best results, hire an attorney to help you through the process. 

Photo Credit

For many of us, it would be an understatement to say that 2020 was a difficult year. There are a huge number of cases where 2020 financially destroyed a lot of families, putting people through hardship and resulting in widespread financial difficulty. Even the most stable individuals could have faced huge issues as a result of company collapse, redundancies, or reduced working hours and pay as a direct result of the coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 is set to continue is this manner – or at least until an effective vaccine has been rolled out – so it’s important that if you’re facing any sort of financial hardship or difficulty right now, you manage your situation to the best of your ability rather than giving it the opportunity to get completely out of control. It is possible to get back on track, you just need to practice some effective financial management and reach out for the support that you may need. Here are some steps that can help you along the way!

Know There Is Support Out There

The first thing that you need to keep in mind when facing financial difficulties right now is that you are not alone. As we briefly highlighted above, 2020 has been a tough financial year for the vast majority of us and countless people are struggling to keep in the black. Debt has skyrocketed to the point that lenders are reducing credit limits and rejecting more applications than previously. So, don’t feel isolated in this situation. With so many people facing debt, support has increased too. It’s important that you’re aware of the huge number of different forms of support out there. Chances are, there will be one that you’ll find useful. You may find the assistance of a financial advisor useful. You may benefit from talking to a helpline or support group. If you are considering bankruptcy, you could be helped by a lawyer from Boulder Legal Group. The key point we’re making here is that you don’t have to face this alone. There is help and you should take advantage of it where possible.

Consolidate Your Debts

Many of us have turned to borrow to pay our bills and keep things afloat. If you’ve used multiple providers (loans, credit cards, and more), you may want to consider consolidating your debt so that it’s easier to monitor and manage. Consolidating debt involves taking out a large loan or a credit card with a high credit limit. You can then use the loan to pay off your individual debts, placing your outstanding balance in one place. Alternatively, you can balance transfer your multiple credit cards onto one credit card, so that everything can be seen in one place. This will prevent missed payments, which can impact your credit score and result in further fees, fines, or penalties.

These are just a few pieces of information that should be able to help you. Hopefully, they come in useful and allow you to get back on top of your finances as quickly as possible!

 

Did you know that according to Forbes magazine, the average American has over $3,500.00 worth of liquidating, unused belongings, per person, per home? In my personal experience, this figure may in fact be on the low end of savings. Coupled with so many of us currently working, and living, at home, full-time making we all ever so aware of the clutter in our surrounding spaces. Making now the perfect time to sell your unwanted possessions on eBay.

Many of us have bags upon bags of unused clothing, toys, books, collectibles, and the like ready to be sold, stored, and donated. Items we keep on-hand just in case we might need them down the road. selling the items we cleared out of our home last week. Things we clearly will not miss once removed from our favorite spaces at home that can help bring in extra cash this season.

So why eBay?

• eBay is a popular shopping website where individuals and businesses can buy and sell new and second-hand items. 
• eBay is essentially a massive marketplace, which offers seller tools and features that make it easier for you to feature your brand, as well as sell non-standard items.
• You don’t have to have a brick-and-mortar store. Nobody visits eBay searching for a particular store. But they may be searching for – and discover – your products. Products they may not have discovered otherwise, or that they may have purchased from a competitor.
• eBay allows you to integrate plug-ins, like those used to sell on Google Cloud Marketplace.
• eBay offers everyday individuals a chance to win repeat business through excellent service and fulfillment; this is especially the case if you’re selling products in a category that encourages frequent, repeated purchases such as hobby supplies or fishing gear.

• a computer with an internet connection
• a credit or debit card.

Here’s how to start selling on eBay:

1. Go to the eBay website.
2. You can only buy or sell on eBay if you’re registered, so if you don’t have an account, now is the time to create one. If you’re new to eBay, click register above the eBay logo.
3. If you’re already registered, click Sign in, enter your user ID, then your password, and you will be logged in; you can then skip to Step 5. 
4. To register, you’ll need to fill out details such as your name, email address, and chosen password.
5.  Click the blue Submit button at the bottom of the screen.
6.  A confirmation email will be mailed to you.
7. Check for this email.
8. Click Continue if you are happy to proceed, within the email prompts. 
9. You will be taken back to the eBay homepage.
10. Click on Sell at the top of the screen, and a ‘Update your information’ page will open.
11. Complete your address information and click Continue.
12. You will now be taken to a new page where you can start to list your item for sale. 
13. Type the name of the item you want to sell in the box provided and click Get started.
14. A new page will open with step-by-step instructions on how to create your listing, including how to give your item a clear, specific title and how to upload a photo.
15. It will also show you how much money it will cost to list your item; these fees will be added to your seller’s account, payable monthly.
16.  Once you’ve filled in all the details for your listing, click List with displayed fees at the bottom of the screen.
17.  A new page will open. Here you’ll see how your listing will look before it’s posted on eBay.
18. Click Continue if you’re happy with the way it looks.
19. Click Edit listing if you want to make any changes.
20. A new page will open asking you for extra information. Click Continue.
21. Review your account information, check the box, and click Continue if it is correct. 
22.  eBay will then verify your information.
23. You will then be asked to verify your phone number. Click the Call me now button and an automated service will call to give you your PIN. Once you have this, enter it into the PIN field and click Continue.
24. You will then need to log back in. 
25. When you sell items on eBay, the website charges a small fee. You now need to choose how you will pay any fees. Select the payment type you wish to use; credit card or PayPal, and continue.
26. If you chose to pay via PayPal, you will now need to agree to the PayPal user agreement. When you have read it, click I agree.
27. A new page will open giving you the chance to review your listing again. 
28.  Your item is now posted!

Pro tips:

• Start with no more than 10 items; this will lessen your chance of any listings being reviewed by bots.
• Click Track your listing in My eBay to see if anyone is bidding for or buying your item.
• You can also click My eBay at the top of the screen at any time to look at these details.
• Potential buyers may ask you questions about your item via email,  to ensure you get good feedback later.
• You may receive haggle offers, but you are not forced to accept any offer.

When an item sells:

•  When your item is sold, you’ll receive an email from eBay.
• Go back to ‘My eBay’ and click Sold.
• There you’ll see the name of your item as well as the price it sold for.
• Click Send payment details to send your buyer an invoice, which PayPal prepares automatically if you’re using that method of payment.
•  Once the payment has been received, you’ll receive an email from PayPal.
• Go to the PayPal website and enter your email address and password to log in to your PayPal account. 
• Always promptly mail parcels, as soon as possible.
• Always mail items with SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION delivery options; this avoids people charging back offers for non-receipt of items, once you’ve mailed a parcel.
• Always offer a “no-refund” policy, except if an item is grossly misrepresented, and list items as no-shipping refunds, no return refunds, too; this prevents mailing scam issues.
• Always list shipping tracking numbers on both eBay and Paypay.

So, that’s it. That’s how to successfully sell on eBay! So, naturally… today I challenge you to:

1. Create an eBay/Paypal account.
2. List 10 items.
3. Have fun selling!

Friends, I hope this mini-guide on why now’s the best time to sell on eBay will inspire you to clear out your most-loved spaces at home. Now I want to ask, which items will be you selling this season on eBay? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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Budgeting is a skill everyone is taught as young as being in kindergarten. Many children are raised with having a piggy bank or being told they can only choose one toy to have while being at the store. This is all to teach the importance of saving money for the future.

It’s important to practice the skill of saving money in the future. Money is the sole item that gets you everything you need to grow in life—food, transportation, education, shelter, etc. By budgeting, you can have enough money at all times to provide for yourself and buy big things in the future.

To help you on your budgeting journey, here are five tips to get you started and continue growing your money savings.

Track Your Spending

It’s important to keep track of the money your bringing in. One common mistake many make is spending more money that is in possession. If one has one hundred dollars, then it is ideal for spending less than that amount rather than more. It is important not to get into debt because debt begins to grow the longer it is not paid off.

Gather the income you are bringing in on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. A salary calculator can help assist you in gathering these totals to help you build a budget plan. With this information, you can see and have an idea of how much you should be spending without going into debt.

It is important to track your spending because debt builds easily and quickly. Getting out of debt takes years, and plenty of stress takes its toll as long as you owe money. Avoid the negative habit of spending more than you have. Learn to purchase necessities rather than wants. This is a great way to step into the budgeting world. 

Cancel Any Unnecessary Subscriptions

There are plenty of monthly subscriptions to choose from. Odds are you probably have more than one subscription plan under your name that you are responsible for paying every month. This can add up, especially if you are not making enough to pay for it.

Take a look at your list of monthly subscriptions you are responsible for, whether Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, etc. This is the time to cancel the subscriptions you don’t need. Canceling some of our subscriptions can help you save money and put it away towards something else in the future, and that’s more important. 

If you find it hard to decide which subscriptions to cancel, think about which one you use the most. If you don’t use a subscription often, that is the best choice to cancel that one. Though these subscriptions don’t cost a lot, the money towards them will gather over the months and allow you more room to set a successful budget. 

Grow Your Savings Account

With all the extra cash you’re not spending and money you are deciding to put aside, decide on building a savings account to accumulate all that extra money. With a savings account, you can see the growth of your savings account over the months and years. 

Tacking your income to build a savings account will help you provide for your future. Budgeting is all about being able to provide and grow in the future money wise. Be able to give yourself better necessities in the future. Better yet, plan for your retirement. 

A savings account will help you see physically and track without problems your deposits bank growth over time. Also, having a savings account will encourage you not to pull out any money to save money for better things.

Reach Out to an Advisor

Sometimes, help is needed to better your budgeting skills. It’s okay to reach out for some guidance, especially when it’s about money. When in doubt, reach out to a budget counselor. They are professionals and can help and assist with all your budgeting needs.

Getting assistance from someone about your budgeting skills is a great resource to use. Many individuals pride themselves on not using any resources that will help guide them. Although you can research tips and tricks to be better at budgeting, an individual who knows everything about budgeting can help you go a long way. One on one time is great to get all your questions and secret tips to help you budget and go a long way. Give yourself the much-needed help to help you budget successfully.

Update Your Budget Plan Yearly

It’s important to build a budget plan to help you store money away with the many bills to spend. Tracking your funds yearly is important to do so. With that said, the budget plan you build should be followed and updated every year.

Every year, there is new income and bills to note. Building a new budget with the new information is important to make sure you are saving money rather than overspending. Creating a budget every year will help you be aware of your income and spending precautions. This will help you avoid or prevent any growing debt.

Conclusion

Budgeting is essential to be successful in life. Money is needed to buy the necessities needed to give yourself a good and healthy life. With these five tips to help you on your budgeting journey, you can look forward to having a greater savings account.

It’s best to have savings than no savings at all. The future of yourself depends on savings so you can live an easier going life. Build and lead in the habit of budgeting. 

When having the habit of successfully budgeting, you will be able to provide yourself with everything you need without others’ need. Also, you will be able to help and give tips to others when it comes to budgeting. 

Managing money is not an easy thing to do, especially when it is for several years. Building this habit of budgeting as a kid will grow significantly as an adult. Remember to reach out for needed help while taking on your budgeting journey.