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On your own?:

Being moved out in itself is scary enough as it is, but having to take care of yourself is even scarier! That flesh, bone, and those organs actually need to be maintained? What a doggone nightmare, you’ve already worked hard enough to get yourself in a completely new environment. If you haven’t already learned a bunch about yourself when you moved out, now is the time to get familiar. This is going to be a short breath of a survival guide on how to take care of yourself when moved out.

Sick?:

Whether you’re in a college dorm, apartment, or your own house, we can’t skip out on getting sick at some point. The thought is scary enough for you to jump out of your skin, but here are some preliminaries to get you started. First and foremost, stock up on the OTC medicines that work the best for you. With this, please respect dosages with caution. As much as you might swear that taking 7 pain pills is the only that gets rid of your headache, talk to a medical professional and respect your health. Seek care when you have concerning symptoms and acquaint yourself with health and medical services around you or on your college campus.

Do not be afraid to email your professors or call in to work. By staying home, you’re protecting yourself and others by not exposing them to your germs. Even if you’re able to work or study from home, take it easy on yourself and slow down. Exerting yourself too much, won’t help you heal any faster. In addition to this, reach out to friends or family to let them know that you’re sick. If possible, designate someone to check up on you or pick up supplies for you. Make sure you’re sleeping and eating enough, you’ll need all the energy you can get to fight it off. Starving off a cold won’t get you to the finish line any faster than maintaining yourself.

Mental Health?:

Stress can put a damper on your immune system and make you more susceptible to what may linger in the air or surfaces around you. Take time for yourself to decompress and breath. Maintain yourself with grooming! Skin care, shaving, dabbling in beauty products, taking care of your hair, or cleaning. Also, understand that being sick can also affect your mood. You might feel a little bit low, since all of your energy is going into recovering yourself. Be patient with yourself and stay in contact with others.

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Emergencies?:

What do you do as a young adult? It’s too easy to brush it off and convince yourself that nothing will happen. Or tell yourself that you’ll save up money at a later date, but emergencies aren’t exactly privy to your schedule and day to day routine. We hear all the time and all around that you ought to be prepared, and I’m here to tell you that it’s true. You don’t have to be moved out on your own to get a foothold in being prepared for things to go wrong. Family emergencies, travel emergencies, injuries, and natural disasters are things that can happen anywhere at any time.

Funds?:

Why should you have an emergency fund? Well, there’s quite a few reasons why you should at least keep 20 bucks in the glovebox in your car. Many of us are prone to not being serious with their money until later in life, which can really be a pain in the neck. One of the most important reasons you should, is because it’ll really save you the headache when it happens. If your car breaks down, or you get a ticket, you have to move out, or travel to see a family member. In addition to this, starting now means that it’ll push you to make smarter financial decisions in the future.

Physical Emergencies:

Starting small, you need to know who to call. Know your emergency contacts such as family and friends, in addition to saving the phone numbers for emergency services. Local poison control, hospitals, police, fire, animal control, emergency road service, and public works. 

Know your plan, and have a supply kit in places like your home, car, and maybe a few tools on your person. For example in your car, if you’re stranded on the side of the road, it’d be helpful to have some things. Like a change of clothes, some snacks/food, water, a gps, a map, paper cash and coins, a first aid kit, and a flashlight. Adjust it to your needs, since you’ll know best about what works for you.

Back to plans, collaborate with friends and family over what you’ll do during an emergency. Set a meeting place, practice shelter in place, plan your emergency exits, and discuss evacuation. If possible, take a course in CPR/AED or refresh your memory every so often. In the state of Texas, familiarize yourself with 211, a service that will provide you everything you need to know in a state of emergency.

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As we journey further into adulthood, we come to realize that there’s so much that we don’t know about the world around us. In this post will be a very important explanation, how to buy a house. I’ll discuss some tips and tricks for you before you get started, and I’ll explain some parts of the process. I hope that some of these options will help you in this large scale decision.

Mistakes To Avoid:

Firstly, you need to know how much you can afford. It can be a very bad decision to bite off more than you can chew, as it will surely be something that can come back to bite you harder and sink in its teeth. Secondly, you need to shop quite a bit. Many fees will vary in price from property to property, mortgage interest rates, closing costs and discount points. Thirdly, another very important aspect is to check out your credit report before applying for a mortgage. I’d advise that you scrub it like a white couch and your mother is 5 minutes away from your house. Mortgage leaders will scrutinize your report, which in turn could give you a higher interest rate due to any errors that aren’t corrected.

Things To Do:

Do try to estimate the cost of being a homeowner, monthly bills can very quickly become a surprise if you’re not on top of your game. How do you figure this out? Easy, work with your real estate agent. Figure out the cost of your neighborhood property tax and insurance. Reach out to the previous owner to check out their past utility bills, then you’ll have an idea how much it’ll cost upon moving in. Do review your spending, prior to anything. This will tell you where your money is going and how much is moving around. With this information, you can figure out how much money you can set aside for a mortgage payment.

A Few Options:

Look for first time home buyer programs. This is perfect for people who believe that they need to save up a ton of money for a down payment. There are many programs with low down payment options, including state programs. Don’t be afraid to discuss with a mortgage lender about first time buyer options, coupled with your own research.

Many first time buyers want to or can only afford to make small down payments. However, they’re unaware of the many government programs that can make it easier to buy with little to no money. VA loans are mortgages that are guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They allow qualified home buyers to put down 0% and get complete financing. If you served in the military, it’s a great option.

USDA loans are to buy homes in areas that are designated as rural by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Zero percent down and complete financing.

FHA loans allow for down payments as small as 3.5%. As stated by one of my sources,  the Federal Housing Administration is gracious to those with imperfect credit.

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Saving Money is something that everyone does. All walks of life have done it to some degree, little kids with piggy banks, older adults with money under their mattresses, and young adults with accounts in the bank. In this post, I’m going to talk about a few ways that you can save money when you’re spending it

Coupons:

To get started with coupons, you don’t need to be like the extreme cheapskates or the extreme couponers. You can coupon traditionally by getting them from newspapers, magazines, or the catalogs that come in the mail. But with the ever increasing innovations of our lives today, you can do it all from your phone. Check out your app store to download apps of your most frequent places like grocery stores and grocery stores. From there, sign up as you need, and get to saving all of your coupons to use them at your disposal. Be mindful of expiration dates though!

Shopping:

With food, medicine, and clothing, some of us are prone to paying for brand names. What should be known by all is that you can get the same thing in a generic brand, for less than the normal price! Like medicines, you can compare the ingredient labels and see for yourself. From what we can assume, all pasta tastes the same, no matter what color the box is. You might hardly be able to taste the difference between your favorite bread or canned fruit. However, you can’t always depend on a generic brand to have your specialty favorites, but it’ll surely leave a few more bucks in your pocket

Ways To Shop:

In our ever expanding world, we have plenty of options at our fingertips nowadays. Taking it back to the days before you could make a list on your phone, you can bring a list of items with you to the store. It’ll help you pick up the things you need, and those things only. We now live in a world where you can order online and have things delivered to you. If you don’t have the chance to run to the store or don’t feel like leaving bed, you can order your groceries online. Using this method paired with coupons, you can save even more money without lifting a finger.

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Buying a car is something that many of us may experience at some point in our lives. In this point I’m going to highlight the process of the transaction, and your options to buy a car. School teaches us many things, but weren’t all blessed with a good teacher who mentioned any survival tips for later in life. This post is for the people who have no idea where to start and need some help to get a leg up.

What Are My Options?:

Buy a used car, they’re likely to cost less and have lower monthly payments. Buying used doesn’t mean it isn’t a good car though, it gives you the chance to see what you like and what you don’t. There are just as many options, if not more used than new cars. For a beginner in driving or buying a car, it may be a wiser decision to start with something that’s good enough to get you where you need to be, instead of something new that can be more easily broken than bought.

Start saving early! Even from setting aside a few dollars, you can build up enough money to start looking. Having more money to spend on a car can help you have lower monthly payments as well. Also, with saving money, you can have some set aside to help you work off your payments while you continue to save up until you reach the end of the process.

Figure out your needs, this is one of the most important aside from the price and your budget. Do you need a car that’s good for long distances? You need to pay close attention to the fuel consumption, gas is your catalyst to get where you want to go. What about car insurance? Do you have it? Do you have a cheap quote? What does your credit score look like? Will you pay with cash or credit? What do you see as your best deal?

The Process:

With bad or little to no credit, you have the option of getting a cosigner to up your chances to get a loan. A cosigner can also help you get a lower monthly payment. You can shop online through a number of mediums, like craigslist. There’s also the option of shopping at a dealership, seeing and test driving a car in person can help you narrow it down. Talk to your salesperson and discuss all of your terms and conditions before you’re ready to sign. Good luck!

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As people in general, some of us are more prone to stress than others. What’s most important for all of us, as we get older, is that we learn how to manage it. Many of us are unaware of the true effects that stress has on us, and I’m going to tell you about it. Being a 20 something myself, I’ve dealt with a fair share of stress as my responsibilities have grown. But instead of living in it, through this post, you’ll learn some techniques to deal with it.

How Stress Effects Us:

Stress is a hormone that has a near instant affect when it fires up inside of you, triggering many internal and external effects. Fast heart rate, quickening breath, and muscle tension. But when it happens over and over again, that’s when it starts taking a good stab at your health. Stress weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to numerous things. It can trigger and intensify headaches, raise your blood sugar, and increase your levels of stomach acid, leading to heartburn

In the vein of this, stress can be the cause of an increased risk for heart attack, insomnia, and wear you down emotionally, which can lead to depression. Along with stomach aches, high blood pressure and muscle tension, stress can lead to fertility problems, erectile dysfunction, and missed periods. Emotionally, stress can lead to irritability and anxiety.

How To Deal With It:

We all usually have our own methods to calm ourselves down for the short term. We’ve all had it thrown in our faces that we should be eating well and exercising, but what about if you don’t want to or can’t exactly manage these things? Have an outlet to release your built up energy, like singing, drawing, cooking, baking, or watching a show. Build a support system of family and friends that you can vent with or spend time with. 

If your stress gets too high, don’t hesitate to reach out where you can. Family, friends, and counselors are going to be there for you. Try things like journaling, meditation, or aromatherapy as physical distractions. Most importantly, make a plan. Never mind the idea that things won’t always go your way, it’ll keep you organized and show you where to get started or continue.

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Traveling Pt 2

In respect to the first part, I’m going to break it down into two types of trips, and detail your options for each. Some of them will be ones you’ve never heard of, ones you want to try, and ones you want to know more about. Of course I won’t be able to give you each and every minuscule detail, but I’ll give you the most important parts that I can muster. I do advise you to think things through very carefully, traveling isn’t for everyone. Despite this, I hope that you won’t let the potential of a bad experience shy you away from traveling all together.

Backpacking:

Humans traveled on foot before having cars, bicycles or anything of the sort. So this trip is great for anyone who’s willing to put a little risk under their belt. For this kind of trip, you’re going to want to plan, plan, and plan! Firstly with your backpack, pack ONLY what you NEED. Seriously, if you don’t think you’ll be using an item at least twice a week for longer trips, or every other day on a shorter trip, do NOT bring it. 

For toiletries, have a good microfiber towel, soap and deodorant. For clothes, bring layers and things that you can get a lot of use out of, and well broken in shoes to support all of the walking that you’ll be doing. Most importantly, you need to figure out your ‘home’. Where do you plan to pitch your tent, or stay for the night. If you’re just exploring the city, do your research to find out where to crash for cheap, if you’re camping, find out where you’re safe to stay.

If it’s your first time, traveling with a group is fun, safer, and can make things cheaper if you split the costs. In terms of emergency, have your contacts and all of your documents prepared and copied. Physical maps, apps, and public transportation will be your best friend also.

Road Trips:

We’ve all seen them in the movies, tv, and may have even done them with family or friends. So to get started, you have to choose your destination. Social media like instagram, twitter, facebook, and pinterest are a good way to see a place and want to go there. But before you start, figure out who you want to take, what you want to take, what is your budget, what time do you plan to leave(traffic), and what stops will you make.

Firstly, make some time! Leave some flexibility in your agenda to explore and mitigate the stress of time constraints. Anyone can get lost anywhere and at any time. Next, figure out if you’re stopping to sleep, and book in advance. Don’t think that Aunt Linda is just going to open her door if you drop by without a call. Stock up on food and water, chargers, books, podcasts, playlists, a GPS or map downloaded to your phone in case you don’t have service, a first aid kit, a flashlight, and have your driver’s license and insurance papers within reach.

To communicate with family and friends, you can definitely find Wi-Fi in places like coffee shops, hotels, libraries, and book stores. 

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Traveling on a Budget Pt. 1

A good amount of us were blessed with the privilege to go on trips with our friends and family, be it crossing a state’s border by car or flying in an airplane somewhere. Oftentimes it costs you money to some degree, even if you’re just paying for your food or buying overpriced souvenirs in a shop that has no business being that expensive. But as now, planning a trip as an adult is vastly different from just tagging along for the ride. In this post, I’m going to give you as much advice as possible to help you figure out what will work best for you.

How To Get There?

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are typically your best bet to get a cheaper flight. Don’t look too early, nor too late. Traveling within the U.S. looking within 30 days to 3 months in advance will raise your chances even more. In terms of international travel, looking from 5 ½ months to 11 ½ months away can make it better. Moving forward, if you plan to fly during holidays or peak seasons like summer, you can save a notable amount of money if you book at least 2 months in advance. Always compare your airfare, even when shopping current. To keep your costs down, try to aim your departure time at a subjectively ‘undesirable’ hour, such as overnight, or lunch times.

A flight isn’t your only option to flee the chicken coop of your hometown, if you have some car keys and a will to jump into something new. We all drive, some of us commute to school, work, and other places. First and foremost, make sure that you’re covered! Having good car insurance will really matter if you’re caught in a sticky situation, it can in turn help you feel secure for a first time road trip. Plan your route and stops, and skip out on those toll roads. Watch your gas, and slow down, explore some apps and options to help you find fuel on your way to the destination. In the vein of this, you can also finesse your way with public transportation to travel in a more safe and environmentally friendly way.

What To Bring?

Your packing list will be ever changing from one place to the next, but I’m going to tell you some life saving items. Firstly have a well rounded carry-on, do not overload it! If you can’t roll it or carry it comfortably on your person, you’ve done too much. In your carry-on, it’s imperative that you have some semblance of these things. A small pack of tissues/wet wipes. Maybe there’s no toilet paper in the bathroom, maybe you spilled something and you need to clean it, wet wipes can clean your hands and face whenever needed. Travel sized toiletries, whether you already have large sizes in your main bag, if something happens to your big bag, you’ll still have something to use. A spare toothbrush, travel sized toothpaste, body wash/soap, loofah, and shampoo/conditioner. A coin purse with some loose cash, a small change of clothes and underwear, charger/ headphones, snacks, and finally a wallet that contains all of your necessary documents.

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Credit

What is it?:

Credit is essentially the way you make good on an ‘IOU’. To explain deeper aside from the use of rudimentary language/slang, it’s a financial power. It’s granted based on confidence that you’ll be able to use it and pay back later. While possible, large investments like cars and houses can be made more easily accessible by having good credit. Through credit, you can raise your chances to receive and access things like loans. In short, it’s not a card to swipe in the reader and use like it’s free money without consequences.

Types of Credit:

Revolving Credit is when you’re given a maximum spending limit. Some credit cards fall under this category. You can keep using it after you pay it off, or make the minimum payment. However with partial payment, any remaining debt will carry forward. To which, you need to be very careful and keep up with your balance, debt, and any signs of interest on top of it

Installment Credit is a loan for a specific amount of money that you agree to repay along with interest and fees, on top of a regular monthly payment over a period of time. So, things like student loans, car payments, and mortgages on a house. As advised above, you need to be careful and take everything into consideration before even beginning to apply for any of these. Once you’re legally bound, it has the potential to be really hot water to get out of.

Service Credit is essentially receiving a service in exchange for regular payment. Things like phone bills, gas, electric, light, water bills. An agreement that you’re going to make regular payments in exchange for the service provided.

Why it’s important:

If you plan to make large purchases, it’s a good ally to have on your side. For things like trying to buy a new car, getting an apartment, or a house. Maybe you need a loan to pay for your tuition, it allows you the means to provide in all of these areas. Having good credit can result in better interest rates on future loans or credit cards. Considering all personal affairs, insurance companies oftentimes use credit scores to determine rate, landlords use credit to determine security deposits or figuring out whether they’ll let you move in or not.

 Credit can be used to verify your identity, utility companies can use your credit score to determine whether they’ll let you open an account with them, even some employers use credit to consider hiring you! But don’t let this scare you away, please think of this as a friend giving you some advice. Always read thoroughly and consider your own situation.

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All About Banks

As far as my knowledge goes, I started off with knowing nothing about the bank. According to my parents since I was young, it was always something short and simple. “Debit good card, credit bad card.” Even if you have a checking account open at your local bank, it doesn’t mean that you know anything about them. So today, I’ll teach you about two types of accounts, fees, what to avoid, and how to get started.

Checking Accounts:

Checking accounts are essentially for daily use, buying groceries, ordering pizza, or getting gas. There aren’t any withdrawal limits with this kind of account. This is also the kind of account that you can use for online transactions like shopping on Amazon or paying your bills. In terms of fees, those vary from bank to bank, but are usually not much. Interest on this sort of account also varies depending on your bank, but are usually minimal if at all. With this kind of account, you usually if not always, receive a debit card and are allowed to withdraw from ATMs with it. You are also allowed to overdraft this account (at your own discretion), but this is widely different front a savings account.

Savings Account:

Savings accounts are used to store money for a longer period of time. They don’t typically come with anything like a debit card, which does make sense. People use these accounts to accrue interest to grow their money, as for the amount of interest, this varies widely from bank to bank. These sorts of accounts usually come with monthly maintenance fees and require a minimum balance in the account. They come in handy when storing large amounts of money in them for future use or emergencies. To use the money, the account holder usually has to transfer it to a checking account, which is intended for daily use as stated above. There are typical limits to withdrawing from a savings account, though there’s no limit for depositing money into them.

How to get started?

Go to your local bank or credit union, or visit their website. Read over all the most important terms and conditions, restrictions, and warnings. As much as we typically skim over these things, money is not a game. If you aren’t interested in reading, visit in person and talk to a banker or financial advisor. They’ll be able to get you on the right track to figure out what will work best for your situation. If possible, prepare all of your necessary documentation to speed up the progress. Because if you figure out what you need and it’s within reach, you could very easily put your foot in the door to independence.

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Jobs: Hourly vs. Salary Image Source

It’s not widely explained in schools that there’s a wide difference between these types of jobs. Here, I’m going to break it down and give you some guidance on which may be a best fit for you.

With all consideration, a “job” can be determined as something that you just do to earn money, which can very well evolve into a career. Though the definition can be subjective, a career is more so regarded as further extending into one’s future. Taken through someone’s life for a significant amount of time, and opportunities for progress.

Hourly Jobs

                                          Benefits

You’ll be paid for each hour worked, as opposed to a fixed salary. You can easily make as much money as a salary earning worker. Hourly employees are non-exempt, entitled to overtime pay if you reach over 40 hours of work each week. Overtime pay is time and a half, under the protection of Fair Labor Standards guidelines.  Some companies offer double or time and a half pay for working holidays.

                                      Disadvantages

You aren’t guaranteed a set amount of hours unless you’re under a labor contract. Some companies and organizations will disallow you to exceed 40 hours of work to be eligible for overtime pay. Pay may not be substantial, depending on the position, jobs are required to pay at least the state or federal minimum wage.

Salaried Jobs

                                          Benefits

Steady paychecks, there won;’t be any hoping or wishing to get the same hour to meet your bills. It’s said that salary workers pull a higher income over all, in comparison to hourly wage workers. Salaried workers are also offered greater benefits, bonuses, retirement plans, and paid vacation time. They also have a set annual pay, leading to a greater sense of security within their career. Greater influence and increased responsibility are also great benefits in a salary job, especially when one is trying to climb the ladder. Some companies offer compensatory time off instead of overtime pay.

                                       Disadvantages

Many salaried workers are exempt employees, meaning that they aren’t entitled to overtime pay. Your paycheck stays the same, more hours doesn’t mean more money.

In Closing:

Your decision solely depends on your choice, attitude, and the path that you want to set for yourself. Consider weighing both ends of the scale, and see what works best for you.

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Taxes

What are they?

Taxes are involuntary fees imposed on an individual, which in vein of this, are enforced to fund government activities. Doesn’t sound fair, right? A discussion about our governmental hierarchy and it’s powers is for another time though.

Income tax: What is it and why do I pay for it?

As per the 16th amendment, the government is allowed to impose this.

What is it?

It’s a tax imposed on how much you make in a year. Income refers to how much money you receive as a whole, not just job earnings. Interest, rent, royalties, dividends, lottery money, unemployment money, are all subject to tax, on top of your individual earnings. When speaking of income tax, it refers to how much you make as a worker, and it’s not optional.

Why isn’t it voluntary?

Put simply, money is the oil in the machine. Like an assembly line, if the first guy doesn’t have a what he needs, nobody else is going to have an easy time doing a good job. The government needs money to run itself, to help us run ourselves and our businesses.

The Good Stuff: Tax Returns

Ever hear your friends or parents talking about their returns? It really can be that good if you aim in the right direction. A tax return is like the edge of a brownie or the whip cream on top of a coffee. You can drink coffee without it, but it’s a nice extra to have, isn’t it? Tax returns are like when your friend finally pays you back for loaning 20 bucks, and you really wanted it needed it. Returns are essentially the government giving you back your extra ‘change’. Dependent on how much money you make or how long you’ve worked, you could have some big money waiting for you.

What to do?

File your return using your W-2 through a business, Turbo Tax, H&at Block, or manually with a 1040 form.

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